>>2654191
“Nanao,” you address your Lieutenant, eyes still firmly fixed on your foe. “Please do as I requested.”

“Captain?” she asks, clearly surprised that you're sending her away at the start of what's clearly going to be an important and closely-fought battle. “Are you sure I wouldn't be more help here?”

You shake your head. “Nah, don't worry about this old man. I've got things under control.”

There's a moment of silence that tells you that she knows you're lying to her. “Very well, Captain. Do me a favor and survive.”

“That's the nicest thing you've said to me all week,” you observe with a warm smile.

“It would be an awful amount of paperwork,” she replies before heading towards Captain Shiba.

She doesn't mean that, of course.

“Sending the weak away from danger,” Lille Barro muses. “I would consider that a noble sentiment were it not so futile.”

“Trust me, Nanao has her own skills,” you counter, in defense of your Lieutenant. “I wouldn't expect most people to see them however.”

Lille Barro seems confused for a moment, before shaking his head. “It is of no consequence.”

Now then... how to begin?

>Get in close using your speed and swordsmanship, get a feel for his responsiveness.
>Try to use kidō to gain the element of surprise. Unlike arrancar, quincy tend not to regenerate.
>There's little sense hiding your zanpakutos tricks against a guy like this. Let the games begin.
>Other?

>>2654220
>>There's little sense hiding your zanpakutos tricks against a guy like this. Let the games begin.

>>2654220
>There's little sense hiding your zanpakutos tricks against a guy like this. Let the games begin.

>>2654220
>>There's little sense hiding your zanpakutos tricks against a guy like this. Let the games begin.

>3d10, dc 18, critical 26
>best of three

Rolled 2, 3, 9 = 14 (3d10)

>>2654289

Rolled 7, 6, 4 = 17 (3d10)

>>2654289

Rolled 3, 10, 5 = 18 (3d10)

>>2654289

File: anime-thank-you-gif-4.gif (135 KB, 500x550)

135 KB GIF

>>2654299

File: 1443707896972.png (136 KB, 928x420)

136 KB PNG

>>2654289
Against a guy this strong, you don't really get the impression that you can get away with your usual style of dragging the fight out in hopes that he'll either tire out or that someone else will come and take him off your hands. This is going to take some actual effort on your part, and if you slack off you're probably going to die.

So for the first time in a very long time, you release your zanpakuto right out of the proverbial gate.

“Katen Kyōkotsu.”

Your two heavy curved blades take shape in your hands, and even though you don't move right away you form a plan in your mind. You need Katen Kyōkotsu on board with this for it to work... fickle as she is, she's never liked any plans that aren't her own.

Thankfully, she seems to grasp the severity of the situation at hand.

“Starting off strong?” Lille Barro muses. “Though I find it surprising, I do not think it is a problem with our daten. There was always a chance of deviation from the norm in the face of such long odds.”

“You certainly are more talkative than I expected,” you counter. “Though I don't think you're much of a conversationalist.”

The quincy takes a shot at where you were standing just a moment before, and where your shadowy doppelganger stands now. The sacred arrow puts a fist-sized hole clean through the clone's torso, giving you a good idea what would happen if you were dumb enough to stand still and try to take the shot. But its speed isn't anything special... Katen Kyōkotsu's hardened edges could probably split through it without taking any damage in return.

“Bushōgoma!” you retort, sending two swirling bursts of reiatsu towards Lille which encircle him. If he's thrown off by the surprise attack he doesn't show it, and when you try to attack him from above he points the muzzle of his rifle skyward in anticipation.

“Whoops!” you realize your mistake in underestimating Lille's reflexes, and you quickly use a shunpō to evade just before the quincy pulls the trigger.

“A clone?” he taunts you. “Are these tricks really the best you can do?”

>Try to use kidō to force him towards the ground where you can attack from his shadow.
>Lure him into firing that rifle again, you can travel along the reiatsu trail its bullets leave behind.
>Katen Kyōkotsu is always partial to the “color game”, though it carries quite a hefty risk.
>Other?

>>2654364
>>Lure him into firing that rifle again, you can travel along the reiatsu trail its bullets leave behind.

>>2654364
>Lure him into firing that rifle again, you can travel along the reiatsu trail its bullets leave behind.
Best not to give away our games just yet. So wait, is this before Lille kills Ayon? Can we retroactively put a stop to that?

>>2654364
>>Lure him into firing that rifle again, you can travel along the reiatsu trail its bullets leave behind.
here, have a vote

>Daruma-San is a go
3d10, DC 18, critical 26
Best of three.

Rolled 1, 10, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>2654423

Rolled 6, 7, 6 = 19 (3d10)

>>2654423

Rolled 1, 10, 9 = 20 (3d10)

>>2654423
Time for a crit.

File: 1443682434070.png (128 KB, 708x287)

128 KB PNG

>>2654423
That bullet moves slowly enough for you to react, and you've seen it in action a few times already so you're beginning to get a good idea of what to look for so that you can anticipate when it'll be coming at you next. So that means you can try out another 'game' that Katen Kyōkotsu rarely gets to play: Daruma-san.

You use a shunpō to get in the quincy's face, and you quickly learn that he's every bit as nimble as you are when he wants to be. Your shorter blade barely misses his rifle as he pulls it out of the way, then you barely miss him again as you sweep the edge back past his exposed belly.

But that's okay. The point wasn't necessarily to hit him the first few times anyway. That just plays into your hand for later.

“Enough!” he grunts, using a hirenkyaku of his own to gain some distance and put you back in his sights. “No more silly games for you, Head Captain.”

He fires.

And he's shocked when your longer blade slices through his rifle.

“I see,” he realizes his mistake. “I wasn't quite out of your reach after all. But that wasn't a flash-step just now... what did you do?”

“I'm just playing my silly little games,” you shrug. “Not that you'd be interested in such things.”

“What about this strikes you as a game?” he demands. “Have you so little regard for your own life?”

“There are two games that adults get to play,” you counter with a wry grin. “One Nanao refuses to play with me, and the other is war. In both cases the stakes are higher, but don't you agree that we tend to enjoy them a bit more than we probably should?”

“There is one thing I can agree with,” Lille replies, swiftly repairing the damage to his rifle. “I'm going to enjoy killing you more than I probably should.”

“Well that's not sportsmanlike,” you grumble, eyeing the newly-reformed weapon with distrust.

>Now would be a good time for kageoni, attack from the shadows.
>Time for the color game. This guy probably won't understand the rules.
>Slice him up a few times, try and get him to reveal what “X” stands for.
>Other?

>>2654475
>play "X marks the spot". Land a hit on the x tattoo on his eye. (Aka billiards)
>attack him from the shadow of his scope (if his rifle has one), or the shadow of his hat.

>>2654475
>>Slice him up a few times, try and get him to reveal what “X” stands for.

I swear this quest has lurkers that refuse to play. Or that it's losing steam. The latter is a bad thing.

>>2654475
>>Now would be a good time for kageoni, attack from the shadows.

>>2654475
>Slice him up a few times, try and get him to reveal what “X” stands for.

>3d10, DC 18, critical 26
>best of three

Rolled 9, 6, 6 = 21 (3d10)

>>2654560

Rolled 5, 5, 4 = 14 (3d10)

>>2654560
This is painful.

Rolled 68, 64, 70 = 202 (3d100)

>>2654560

>>2654585
Try again there, anon.

Rolled 4, 9, 8 = 21 (3d10)

>>2654585
Whoops, misclicked. Sorry about that.

Rolled 8, 8, 6 = 22 (3d10)

>>2654560

>>2654560
So far as you can tell from Halibel, Starrk, and Bambietta, these 'sternritter' work differently from the 'espada'. The latter tend to fight and take injuries at first with the understanding that by releasing their zanpakuto they can heal any injuries they take while learning how their opponent fights. Even if they don't necessarily think about it that way their pride usually tends to keep them from releasing 'too soon'.

But these sternritters don't all heal, at least Bambietta can't. So that implies that any one of them who does have high-speed regeneration is the sort of exceptional case you can't plan around. Instead their 'thing' is that they have those letter-designations: Bambietta's was “the Explode” which has fairly obvious implications about her ability. But all you have for Lille is the letter 'X'.

It can't be 'X-plode', that's already taken. You doubt it's 'X-treme' either, because that would just be dumb. Maybe Xylophone? X-Ray? X-Axis?

You're just guessing at this point, so it's probably better to try and figure out by fighting with him and forcing him to use it.

“Almost got you that time,” you muse as Lille backpedals clear of your longer blade. Over several minutes he seems to have gotten wise to that trick. “You're not getting tired, are you?”

“You stopped playing your games,” he counters. “Maybe you're finally starting to learn.”

He takes another step, raising his rifle. But instead of charging him you throw your short sword, putting a tight spin on it. Lille leans to the side to avoid it, only for you to swiftly slip through his shadow and grasp it by the handle.

Lille's eyes widen as he turns and spots you swinging for his neck...

… and your blade simply passes through him.

You're a little off-balance in your surprise, and you take the stock of his rifle across the teeth for that moment of surprise.

“What was that?” he demands. “I cannot understand how you got behind me so quickly.”

“Forget that,” you frown. “What's the point of a game when I'm the only one putting anything on the line?”

“Excuse me?”

“Your neck,” you point out. “That stroke should have severed it.”

“And what makes you think you have the power to take my life even were I to 'put it on the line', as you phrased it?”

>Bakudo. Try and make this next one stick.
>Play the color game. He's not exactly a clever one.
>The shadow game worked once, it can work again.
>Other?

>>2654654
>>Bakudo. Try and make this next one stick.

>>2654654
>Play the color game

>>2654654
>Play the color game. He's not exactly a clever one.
I think it’s time to really get under his skin

>>2654654
>>Bakudo. Try and make this next one stick.

>>2654654

>Bakudo. Try and make this next one stick

>3d10, dc 17, critical 28
Best of three

Rolled 2, 2, 2 = 6 (3d10)

>>2654705

>>2654710
What the fuck?
I am sorry guys

Rolled 1, 9, 10 = 20 (3d10)

>>2654705

Rolled 10, 5, 3 = 18 (3d10)

>>2654705

Rolled 7, 2, 5 = 14 (3d10)

>>2654705
Saving the day with a critical, calling it now.

Rolled 6, 5, 6, 8 = 25 (4d10)

>QM has to roll for something

>>2654728
I am very nervous about that dice.

>>2654728
Well then, there's one way to try and make this one stick.

Instead of playing games with him you focus your reiatsu, and brush the dust off your kidō skills. This was really more Jūshiro's thing, but you've had plenty of time to address your lack of any inherent skills with kidō... so this should work.

You hope.

“Bakudō 61: Rikujōkōrō!”

The binds of light slam into the quincy's chest from all angles, and as you fall on him you add one final touch.

“Takaoni!”

But instead of being killed, given that you have the high ground and he's pinned in place, it's you that gets hit.

You see it more clearly this time.

For a moment Lille opens the eye that he usually keeps shut, the one that you've avoided treating like a weak spot specifically because you figured it might just be a part of his own personal technique. And then he steps through the kidō you trapped him with. It's not that he breaks it, but rather that there's no “him” there for it to bind. He's become briefly intangible.

And then he blasts you in the side with his rifle.

“You adjusted quickly,” he commends you. “I could have sworn that would have blown straight through your spine.”

“Guess I'm just lucky,” you grunt, taking a moment to assess the damage.

It's bleeding fairly badly, and hasn't been seared shut... so that had no 'heat' to it at all. In fact you didn't really notice much of an 'impact' per se, your only clue that you were hit being the pain and the fact that your muscles are now unbalanced between the left and right sides of your torso.

“That's twice now you've made me use it.”

>Okay, I'll bite. Use WHAT exactly?
>Care to try for three?
>SHUNSUI CALLS FOR AID.
>Other?

>>2654754
>>Okay, I'll bite. Use WHAT exactly?

>>2654754
>Okay, I'll bite. Use WHAT exactly?
>Other?
Was that some kind of...Eraser Gun?

>>2654754
>other: it has something to do with your eye doesn't it?

>>2654754
>>Okay, I'll bite. Use WHAT exactly?

>>2654754
“Okay, I'll bite,” you sigh, “what are you talking about exactly?”

“The ability bestowed upon me by the previous King, Yhwach,” Lille explains, “at the height of his power. The ability known as the 'X-Axis', against which mortals like you who like to play god are powerless.”

“Okay, bragging aside,” you press, “what does that actually mean?”

“Why not experience it for yourself?”

>3d10, best of three
>dc 18, critical 23

Rolled 9, 3, 1 = 13 (3d10)

>>2654814
We fail we die.

Rolled 10, 9, 10 = 29 (3d10)

>>2654814

Rolled 6, 7, 10 = 23 (3d10)

>>2654814

>>2654820
Welp. Shunsui sees everything

>>2654820
its time.

>>2654820
We better know the perfect counter-game for this.

>>2654820
Oh man, this is gonna be good.

>>2654814
The first shot you can't quite evade, and it tears out a chunk of your left shoulder. A small chunk, but a very painful chunk that you're certain you'll miss.

The second shot however you do evade, watching Lille's posture and the movements of his hand and wrist to make sure that you're not in the line of his barrel an instant before his trigger breaks. You've heard that Captain Kusajishi teaches this to her new recruits every few years, that it's less about dodging a bullet and more about not being where the bullet is aimed by the time it's fired.

The third shot is laughably easy to avoid.

“You're getting better,” he tells you after the fourth shot.

“That's flattering, but not true,” you contend. “What's actually happening is that you're suffering for the terrain.”

“Very perceptive,” Lille admits. “But how long can you rely on that?”

“So long as the battlefield isn't flooded with reishi for you to steal,” you reply, keenly aware of what's become a fight between giant monsters elsewhere in the town. “That's why you and the other sternritters up there have been waiting, right? The three of you have abilities so powerful they'll deplete even this much reishi almost immediately if you all fought at the same time.”

“I knew I should have shot you down the moment I had the chance,” Lille grumbles mutinously.

But that's not a guarantee of success... even if he is somewhat hamstrung his ability is extremely dangerous and will just grow more reliably so the longer these battles drag on.

>Use the color-game to land a critical blow and keep Lille confused as to how you did it.
>Call on Ichimaru for an assist. Try to overpower him with two Captains before it's too late.
>Offer to take this to Hueco Mundo. You can't use your own Bankai here either.
>Other?

>>2654870
>>Use the color-game to land a critical blow and keep Lille confused as to how you did it.

>>2654870
>Use the color-game to land a critical blow and keep Lille confused as to how you did it.
Calling on Gin might take too long, and we know how option 3 is probably going to play out.

>>2654870
Hm, so could we try and have Gin and whoever else we have in reserve force a fight with Nakk Le Var, or however his name is spelled, and the Valkyrie? It sounds like forcing all three of them to utilize their abilities would burn through all the remaining reishi in the area and hamstring the three of them from that point on.

>>2654870
>>Use the color-game to land a critical blow and keep Lille confused as to how you did it.

>>2654870

>Use the color-game to land a critical blow and keep Lille confused as to how you did it.

is there a barrier that holds aizen?
could we try to get a lucky shot on him that connects as soon as the spell holding him falls?

>>2654870
>color game
>call "brown". His skin color beneath his clothes would wreck him badly.

>>2654930
But Shunsui doesn't have anything brown on him.

>3d10, DC 17, critical 22
>best of three

Rolled 9, 5, 10 = 24 (3d10)

>>2654962

Rolled 1, 7, 1 = 9 (3d10)

>>2654962

Rolled 3, 10, 2 = 15 (3d10)

>>2654962

>>2654963
Shunsui is on the ball today!!

>>2654963
>>2654962
I swear, the dice in this quest in particular must have some kind of narrative consciousness.
Crits just always seem to come out for certain characters at certain moments

>>2654988
Yeah, it makes for interesting pacing

>>2654962
Now seems to be the time to use one of your most dangerous games... high risk, yes, but also potentially high reward.

“White.”

Your slash carves a deep wound across Lille's torso, cutting not only through his hierro but through several of his ribs as well.

Then you throw off your haori, using one of the Onmitsukidō's tricks in a battle for the first time: Utsusemi. A retaliatory shot blasts through the discarded clothing, and Lille turns a half-pirouette to face you, pressing the muzzle of his gun against your chest.

“Black.”

Wrong choice.

The blast all but fizzles, knocking the wind out of you and burning your chest-hairs a little, but failing to substantially penetrate your skin, let alone your sternum.

From above, you deliver what you hope to be the killing blow.

“Takaoni.”

For a third time, your attack passes straight through Lille's body, but that was how you planned it. You roll with the momentum of your own swing, reaching out with your left palm.

“Sōren Sōkatsui!”

The powerful surge of kidō envelops the sternritter in a blinding flash... but you can tell by his reiatsu that he's still alive.

When the flash dissipates, you're shocked to see that the kidō had no effect.

Lille turns to you, both his eyes still open.

“Once forced to use my ability like this three times during a battle,” he explains to you. “It is permissible for me to use it constantly from that point onward.”

“You played a strong game, but your games can no longer touch me.”

Then, as if to put a grim period at the end of the declaration, he fires a shot at the monster formed by the three younger arrancar who follow Halibel. The poor thing clearly had no idea that it had even been targeted, and probably didn't feel a thing.
>1/2

>>2655002
Hierro? He's a Quincy. He's got Blut Vene.

>>2655002
>Lillie
>having hierro.
Queen. Pls. This is bullshit and u know it.

>>2655002
"Sorry for that," Lille Barro apologizes. "I know it was quite rude, but that spectacle was growing tiresome."

"That's quite the scary gun you've got there, Sternritter," you pant, wiping your brow and feeling something smear... you realize it was blood trickling from your shoulder. "Tell me something though, why didn't you use it sooner?"

"Those beasts were both worse than trash," Lille Barro explains, his tone callously neutral even after the death of his supposed ally. "I planned to rid the world of them and their kind anyway. That one was just too unsightly... the rest I will simply have to make time for later."

"Ah, yes," you grumble. "A busy man."

"Not a man," Lille corrects you. "But an angel of God."

“I don't believe that,” you counter. “An angel would be able to tell right from wrong, something you clearly can't do.”

“That's quite an accusation, coming from one of the men most directly guilty of genocide against my kin,” Lille scowls at you.

“You know why those events took place,” you insist. “You know better than most.”

>This has gone fubar. There's no way you can kill an opponent you can't touch, the best you can hope for is to seal him the same way Aizen was sealed.
>You're certain that Captain... that Riku and Yoruichi would have a way to deal with this. If not one than the other would. That's how they operate.
>Although the collateral damage of using your Bankai here could be catastrophic, that just means you need to find a way to use it safely.
>Other?

>>2655032
See >>2655029
I'm having an off day.

>>2655034
>>Although the collateral damage of using your Bankai here could be catastrophic, that just means you need to find a way to use it safely.
I am all for the nuclear balls-to-the-wall option.

>>2655036
What is the second option supposed to mean, both riku and yoruichi aren't around atm

>>2655056
I think its for shunsui to try and think like Riku or Yourichi.

>>2655068
Hah, that could get hilarious

>>2655056
It means hold out as long as humanly possible, basically forcing a draw until you either figure something out or someone else shows up who has an ability that can hurt something that can't be hit.

>>2655034
>hold the line until you can find a solution.

>>2655034
>>This has gone fubar. There's no way you can kill an opponent you can't touch, the best you can hope for is to seal him the same way Aizen was sealed.
switched from >>2655066

>>2655034
We can’t really deal him like we did Aizen without having to call others away from their posts, and I don’t really see any way to use our Bankai without catastrophic effects. We can’t really take this to Hueco Mundo either, that’d just allow Nakk or Gerard to join the fighting.
>You're certain that Captain... that Riku and Yoruichi would have a way to deal with this. If not one than the other would. That's how they operate.

>>2655034
>You're certain that Captain... that Riku and Yoruichi would have a way to deal with this. If not one than the other would. That's how they operate

I dont like the odds of a tag game here, but I dont think We can afford for the head captain to be incapacitated, OR give away that bankai now. Especially because they can just steal it, remember?

>>2655083
Is there a way to get gin in on the fight, he has the mind to figure something out an den his abilities are fast enough to not give him an opening
Unless lille knows what he can do, which would suck hard

>>2655124
The window for gin's "venom" has passed. Lillie is now intangible and for all sense of purposes, "invincible".

>>2655034
Using your Bankai here would be a problem. As fickle as Katen Kyōkotsu is with her shikai, her Bankai just doesn't distinguish friend from foe... it even has the potential to kill you. And so long as your subordinates are around you can't use it. You've never really been able to, and now is no different.

But short of that you have no idea what to do. Normal attacks won't work, kidō won't work. You can't even think of any of the Captains present whose abilities could help deal with an enemy who effectively can't be touched.

What you do know is that Riku would come up with something completely insane but technically feasible, then would find a way to make it work. And if she couldn't, then Yoruichi would have an answer to draw out of the extensive list of options maintained by her Clan that would work as well. They may not have the sort of genius you find in Kisuke, Mayuri, or even, admittedly, Aizen, men capable of gathering information and conceiving a perfectly-tailored solution to any dilemma. But their abilities and their sheer adaptability mean they've almost always got a strong start regardless of the situation and can simply work from there.

“You seem to be having trouble grappling with the reality of your situation, Head Captain,” Lille taunts you. “Understandable.”

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 9, 6 = 25 (3d10)

>>2655176
Bitch.

Rolled 9, 2, 2 = 13 (3d10)

>>2655176
NEW OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE

Rolled 5, 6, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>2655176

Rolled 9, 5, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>2655180
That should do it

>>2655176

>>2655180
You lad. May have saved Shunsui's Bacon.

>>2655194
No kidding

File: 1433027229590.gif (215 KB, 400x225)

215 KB GIF

>>2655180
The Pain Train is coming for Lille.

File: karamatsu_shinju.jpg (249 KB, 1664x1000)

249 KB JPG

>>2655176
A very simple thought enters your mind: now that you're on the subject, what would Riku do in your position?

An interesting question, made all but impossible to answer by the fact that you can't say you know what Riku is even capable of. You're not even sure that she herself knows the extent of her capabilities, which is possibly the scariest thing about her. One day the woman is either going to save you all or rule you all.

But her response here would be simple: if you can't use your Bankai here, then use it somewhere else. Force Lille Barro to move with you and use your Bankai where it can't hurt anyone by mistake.

That being said, you can't simply tear open holes to a Valley of Screams, or to Hueco Mundo, or to wherever it is she disappears to when she thinks nobody is paying attention and she wants to avoid paperwork for a few hours... or else, the Shinigami Women's Association meetings. Nanao keeps complaining about that particular sort of disappearing act. You're pretty sure she takes Yoruichi with her a lot of the time.

But you did have a little help in coming here, didn't you? Now that you think about it, there's an often-overlooked aspect of how shinigami typically travel, when they're not punching holes through reality like a hollow.

You hide your left hand, flicking two little quill-points downward from your hand and casting Tenteikura in secret. Silently, you tell Nanao to take the Hell Butterfly you brought to the living world and asked her to hold onto and place it in her shadow.

Thankfully it seems Katen Kyōkotsu approves of your shenanigans, and helps you pull the butterfly through Nanao's shadow and into your own.

“What is this?” Lille demands as a series of screen gates open in front of him and behind him, manifesting a Senkaimon around the spot where he's standing.

With a shunpō you join him, and the Senkaimon snaps shut.

“Just thought we could use a change of scenery,” you tell him, taking a few paces away down the dim corridor in the Dangai that formed when you used the Senkaimon.

“Do you think this wise?” he asks.

You shrug. “It's what Captain Kusajishi would do, so maybe... maybe not. Either way we're going to find out.”

“Bankai: Katen Kyōkotsu, Karamatsu Shinjū.”

>>2655270
And unfortunately I have to call it quits now. I've got a thing in the morning that I need to take a damn cross-town bus to get to. Because of this thing Claymore may also be delayed tomorrow, so keep an eye on Twitter if you follow that.

Otherwise thanks for stopping in, hope you're looking forward to the next part, and see you next weekend!

>>2655270
>Shunsui actually adopted the Riku mindset
THE ABSOLUTE MADLAD.

>>2655285
Thanks for the entertaining session!

>>2655270

Bankai in the Dangai!!
This idea is fucking insane, I LOVE IT!!

>>2655285
>>2655295
Damn, that's one hell of a cliffhanger. Looking forward to Shunsui letting loose.

>>2655270

oh and obivously thanks for running Queen

>>2655302
Wait, is the cleaner destroyed yet?

>>2657731
That's what the Hell Butterfly is for.

>>2657848
Does Seireitei keep a schedule on when the cleaner does it's rounds?

>>2657848
>>2657731
Shunsui's safe from the surprise bullet train from the nth-dimension. but that doesn't mean Lille's safe from Train-kun

>>2657848
Right, forgot that was their purpose, not summoning.

I just realised I haven't played in months.

>thread will resume Saturday at the usual time

>>2665721
This was a fun read, sorry for not being able to catch it live!

>>2665721
You are Matsumoto Rangiku, the Lieutenant of Ninth Division and adopted daughter of its Captain, Kusajishi Riku. With those things comes certain responsibilities, and since Riku can't be here her regular duties as a Captain have fallen to you instead. It's quite a lot of pressure: if an edition of the Seireitei Bulletin isn't out in print on time people don't die. But this is a battle not just for the survival of the Seireitei, but of all the living inhabitants of Karakura town. Tens of thousands of people's lives are riding on the outcome, your own probably among them, so it says a lot about your mother's faith in you that she'd leave it in your hands.

So far you haven't had to lift your own hand. Though there were definitely some setbacks and disappointments the Ninth Division and its arrancar allies have done their duty of protecting the pillars which keep your side's little planar-swap trick working... even that jerk Madarame pulled through.

Which you suspect leaves two kinds of fighter left working for Aizen: the strong ones, and the weird ones.

“Just our luck,” you sigh, having gotten a measure of your opponent. “Looks like we got one of the weird ones.”

“Huh?” Bambietta replies, sparing you a confused glance. “What was that?”

“Just look at this guy,” you clarify your point. “What are the chances he has what you'd call a 'normal' ability?”

Bambi stares at the arrancar you're apparently going to be fighting against, narrowing her eyes. The arrancar looks to be around your cousin's age, though you know that looks can be deceiving when spirits are concerned, with sandy blonde hair and a mask fragment that looks kind of like a tiara on his forehead. But the weird thing about him is that it almost seems like he's not paying any attention to what's going on around him.

Not even like he's bored, because that implies he's capable of focusing on something for long enough to determine whether it interests him or not.

“Hey... are you two talking about me?” he asks, finally directing his gaze towards you.
>1/2

>>2672377
“We might be,” Bambi admits, wary of an extreme response from the strange arrancar. And she's right to be wary, there's no telling what's actually going on behind those glassy, vacant eyes of his.

“That's rude,” he replies, his tone utterly non-committed. “You're rude. Quit being rude.”

“You know, I knew there was a reason I never liked most of you,” Bambi shakes her head. “Now that I'm actually halfway sane it just drives home how insane a lot of you guys were.”

“Your words hurt,” the arrancar replies, almost as if repeating words he borrowed from someone else. “I would appreciate it if you wouldn't make fun of me.”

>Are we going to fight or not? Because if not, why don't you just go home?
>Take the initiative, use bakudō to create an opening for Bambi to use her bombs.
>Did... did Gin tell you to say that if you were being bullied or something?
>Other?

>>2672409
>Did... did Gin tell you to say that if you were being bullied or something?
>other: "I'm sorry for our mean words".
>He's a bit like Riku in a sense. don't give him something to focus on because when he does focus on something like your aunt he could be scarily competent (like your Mom).

>>2672409
>>Did... did Gin tell you to say that if you were being bullied or something?
>Are we going to fight or not? Because if not, why don't you just go home?

>>2672409
>>Did... did Gin tell you to say that if you were being bullied or something?
>Are we going to fight or not? Because if not, why don't you just go home?

>>2672409
>Did... did Gin tell you to say that if you were being bullied or something?

>3d10 best of three
>higher means more insight into what's actually going on inside the space cadet's head

Rolled 10, 1, 8 = 19 (3d10)

>>2672472

Rolled 9, 5, 10 = 24 (3d10)

>>2672472

Rolled 10, 4, 10 = 24 (3d10)

>>2672472
prod prod
Gimme yer secrets

>>2672484
>>2672485
She knows Gin too well

>>2672472
This has gotta be some kind of joke, and knowing whose company this arrancar must have been keeping at one point you suspect you know whose joke it is.

“Did Gin tell you to say that if someone was bullying you?” you ask.

“Why, do you know him?” the arrancar asks. Not betraying any special fondness for Gin you think, but there is a spark of interest there.

“Not well, but he is a Captain,” you lie. “Guess I'm just curious what he got up to behind our backs.”

“It was nothing interesting,” the arrancar replies, the spark of interest disappearing almost instantly.

You're starting to get a good idea of what you're dealing with here: he's a little like how Riku gets sometimes. There are a lot of times where you get the impression that Riku really doesn't care about what she's doing, although she does the basic work anyway. The modern English expression is “phoning it in”. But when she does take an interest in something, a direct, personal interest, nothing can stop her.

If the one remaining Espada is like that, then he may well be incredibly dangerous once you give him something to focus on. And if you're right, and he is the type who has a weird power, giving him that focus may prove to be a fatal mistake.

But how do you fight someone without allowing them to focus on you?

>You'll have to cooperate closely with Bambietta, never really let him know who will be attacking next.
>You'll need to do something a little counterintuitive and draw attention to the fact that you're tag-teaming with Bambietta.
>You'll need to pepper him with questions and comments, trying to keep his mind on some topic other than fighting.
>Other?

>>2672548
>Tenteikura and get Bambietta on a private chat message channel for secret cooperation. hide the Tenteikura tattoo on your thigh instead of your arm.
Nobody said the Tenteikura tattoo sign should be on your arm. why not somewhere else?
>You'll need to pepper him with questions and comments, trying to keep his mind on some topic other than fighting.
Play 20 questions and start rambling on storytime about some juicy gossip. ask him about the human food that he had eaten, Go full food porn description. when you get someone's mind on food, they'll can't help but think off food. Even Riku is like that.

>>2672548
>You'll need to do something a little counterintuitive and draw attention to the fact that you're tag-teaming with Bambietta.

>>2672548
>You'll need to do something a little counterintuitive and draw attention to the fact that you're tag-teaming with Bambietta.
Can't see the trees for the forest, as the saying doesn't go

>>2672548
>You'll need to pepper him with questions and comments, trying to keep his mind on some topic other than fighting.

>>2672548
>>You'll need to pepper him with questions and comments, trying to keep his mind on some topic other than fighting.

>>2672567
>>2672548
This.

>>2672567
>>2672548
>other: go full gossip girl.

>3d10 to remember how to gossip and, more importantly, to time it correctly
>best of three
>DC 17 and it sort of works, DC 24 and the timing is perfect

Rolled 4, 3, 2 = 9 (3d10)

>>2672610

Rolled 9, 7, 2 = 18 (3d10)

>>2672610

Rolled 7, 5, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>2672610

>>2672610
You have a plan... and thankfully it's not going to be a difficult plan for you. In fact it's something you've always had an inclination towards, and you're just going to stop holding it back.

You are about to attempt gossip.

“So, what's your name?” you ask nonchalantly.

“Prim...” the arrancar begins, only to be interrupted by a swing of your sword. He parries it expertly despite having been caught off-guard.

“That was...” he begins as you extend the fingers on your left hand.

“Byakurai!”

The lightning puts a shallow nick on his shoulder as he disengages, launching himself backwards several meters.

“I'm sorry, that was rude,” you apologize. “I'll let you finish.”

“Primera Espada, Wonderweiss Margela,” he finishes the thought, only to parry a strike from Bambietta's spiritual weapon.

“So, you friends with any of these nuts?” Bambi asks. “Lille, Askin, Gerard... that big turd Yammy down there?”

“Yammy doesn't like me very much,” Wonderweiss admits. “In fact none of the other Espada do...”

You interrupt him with a Shakkahō to the side of his head. “I'm sorry, you were saying something?”

Wonderweiss brings down his zanpakuto against Haineko, forcing you back on your feet. Damn, this kid is strong!

“”Why don't they like you?”

He pauses. “Because I'm the Primera.”

It seems like it's working, but only just. It's harder than you anticipated to get him onto another topic while he's attacking, which is a flaw in the plan you suppose.
>1/2

>>2672672
In exchange for a few bits of information from the Shinigami Women's Association meetings that Riku has forced you to go to in her place, you learn that Wonderweiss isn't on speaking terms with any of his supposed 'comrades' in the sternritter or among the espada, and that most of his contact has been with the various traitor shinigami over the years.

He seems to dislike Gin even though he takes his advice sometimes, and he seems indifferent to Amagai.

But none of this discussion is really enough to get him that far off his balance, or to sufficiently distract him so that you can take advantage.

>How do you feel about that traitorous bastard Aizen? He's a real scumbag you know, no regard for anyone but himself.
>What about Mayuri? He can be a real creep... I'm surprised he hasn't managed to vivisect all of you by this point.
>How about Tōsen? You hardly mentioned him, did you know him at all? I mean, before he was killed that is?
>Other?

>unfortunately I have to duck out now
>I'll be back in a few hours and may post a few more updates this evening, but it may not amount to all that much
>because of that I'll be updating a few times during the week to compensate
>sorry for that, but this is something important on my end that I don't really have the option to skip

>>2672691
>How about Tōsen? You hardly mentioned him, did you know him at all? I mean, before he was killed that is?

>>2672696
Do what you need to do.

>>2672691
>How about Tōsen? You hardly mentioned him, did you know him at all? I mean, before he was killed that is?

>>2672691
>What about Mayuri? He can be a real creep... I'm surprised he hasn't managed to vivisect all of you by this point.
No way Mayuri passed up the opportunity to examine the lobotomized primera
>>2672696
You do you man

>>2672691
>>How about Tōsen? You hardly mentioned him, did you know him at all? I mean, before he was killed that is?

>>2672691
>>What about Mayuri? He can be a real creep... I'm surprised he hasn't managed to vivisect all of you by this point.

>>2672691
>>What about Mayuri? He can be a real creep... I'm surprised he hasn't managed to vivisect all of you by this point.
This will either do little or piss him off massively.

Sorry that took way longer than I thought it would, it's nearly 2am and I just got home. I'll update tomorrow some time before starting in on Claymore, and once just after Claymore concludes.

>>2673889
“What about Mayuri?” you ask, drawing the fight to a screeching halt as Wonderweiss takes a surprisingly firm stance on the mad scientist.

“He creeps me out,” Wonderweiss shivers instinctively. “You didn't see what he did to Luppi after he was killed.”

Okay... perhaps not a topic you're really comfortable with either. This is getting into “too much information” territory really quickly.

So instead you plant your foot in Wonderweiss' cheek, sending him sprawling towards Bambi. Though the quincy takes a swipe at your shared target the espada is unusually quick, forming a little reishi platform to push off the same way you're all standing here in midair and vaulting over Bambi's head. He turns what you have to admit is a pretty good pirouette to take Bambi's back, only for his blade to meet hers as she turns and sweeps behind her back.

“That was a nice reaction!” Bambi admits.

“What about Tōsen?” you ask as Bambi steps to the side and disengages, the question giving Wonderweiss something new to focus on that isn't either of you. “Did you know him before he died?”

“Yes,” Wonderweiss replies. “I remember he was very polite, talked a lot about justice.”

You cross swords with Wonderweiss briefly before darting away. “And what did he say about it?”

“That justice isn't something words can describe,” the espada tells you. “That true justice is something that must be felt with your heart.”

“That sounds like him alright,” you grumble, having only known the former Captain and traitor for a mercifully short time.

“He also used to say that I could see true justice, as he could. Something about a simple mind and simple ideas.”

“And did you know that he was a traitor?” you press, steel clashing again. “What 'justice' did he think he could see?”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 2, 1 = 7 (3d10)

>>2676283
in a way I like wonderweiss as a simpleton. innocent and adorable.

Rolled 5, 2, 8 = 15 (3d10)

>>2676283

Rolled 10, 8, 4 = 22 (3d10)

>>2676283
Don't fuck me dice!

File: Dgdjs4UUwAYdtZO.jpg (755 KB, 1430x2048)

755 KB JPG

>>2676288
Hah the cluch again

>>2676283
“I don't believe he was wrong,” Wonderweiss insists, parrying a strike from Bambietta's blade.

“You really think Tōsen knew anything about justice?” you press, taking advantage as the espada's guard wavers for a moment. “He lied to us all, he betrayed his Captain and everyone else in his division who gave him a chance in life! Everyone who believed in him, and trusted him!”

“No, not that,” Wonderweiss glares at you, sweeping you away with his arm as his blade grinds against Haineko's edge. “Tōsen didn't treat me like I was weird. Tōsen didn't think that just because I get distracted means I'm useless. Tōsen was the one who convinced me what Aizen is doing is right!”

Uh-oh... his eyes seem a little more focused now. It seems like he's taken your words as an insult to Tōsen's memory, and you implied that he was misguided the whole time. Which he definitely was, and it led him to do terrible things in the name of a “justice” he long ago stopped even trying to explain or defend. But Wonderweiss doesn't think like you do. Wonderweiss has never had that sophisticated a grasp of right and wrong.

Someone was nice to him once a long time ago, and now he's mindlessly dedicated to his own twisted interpretation of that person's words.

“A lot like Tōsen,” you mutter.

>There's nothing else to accomplish by talking, try to give Bambi a clear shot to blast him.
>Haineko is good at helping set up a complicated long-term plan. You'll need to release her.
>With Haineko and Bambi's bombs you should be able to overwhelm him with pure offense.
>Other?

>>2676325
>With Haineko and Bambi's bombs you should be able to overwhelm him with pure offense.

>>2676325
>With Haineko and Bambi's bombs you should be able to overwhelm him with pure offense.
>other: Bambi needs to toss out a mine field on proximity. most of it will be useless, but it will serve as visual distraction to overload the autistic arrancar's brain.
>other: try to make your coordinated attacks visually flashy and loud with 100% random patterns.

>>2676325
>>There's nothing else to accomplish by talking, try to give Bambi a clear shot to blast him.
I want to see how he reacts to a simple shot before committing heavily.

>>2676325
>>Haineko is good at helping set up a complicated long-term plan. You'll need to release her.

>>2676325
Maybe... just stop attacking?
Perhaps we can talk this one out after all.

>"I see... tosen was the only one to give you a chance, wasn't he? Maybe i should do the same."

>>2676507
I can support this, I think. I mean, don't lower our guard for a moment, but try to get him to calm down and maybe /think/, for just a little while. Maybe tell him about Riku, and how she adopted Gin and Rangiku, how she gave Halibel and the others a chance at a better life because she understood that they were not to blame for the actions of other hollows, etc.

>>2676670
Not just that, but about menoly, about ikakku, about renji. Even about the old, tired warriors she employs in the kitchen. Riku doesn't give up on other just because others, or even they themselves, think of them as useless.

>>2676719
Yup. The more I think about it, the better this feels. Even if he's a hollow, he's still just a kid. He's impressionable. He's already seen some of the awful things Aizen's crew have done. If Aizen was a good person, why would he let Mayuri have his way, etc. Throw his beliefs into doubt.

And if he's still hung up on Tosen, explain to him the reasons behind the blind man's actions. How he became consumed by anger and lost his way. Justice can only be realized when it is tempered with wisdom and compassion.

>>2676343
>>2676325
switching to >>2676507

>>2676507
Sure if it saves manpower for later fights i'm for this. Plus it looks like he might be uninterested in the war.

>>2676757
The magic of diplomacy, yo.

>>2676757
He straight up doesn't seem like a bad person.
He's just... well, autistic.

>>2676325
>other: wanna go see Tōsen's grave? He may be a traitor but he still used to be one of us. we buried him in a nice grave in Seireitei.
If Tosen was nice to the little Autistic, then the Autistic boy has formed a bond with the blind man.

>>2676325
>Haineko is good at helping set up a complicated long-term plan. You'll need to release her.
>>2676507
>>2676670
>>2676719
>>2676749
Fucking why!?
Why would you want to save someone just like Tosen?
Bloody soft-hearted idiots.

>>2677427
...Tosen is dead anon.

We're talking about Wonderweiss. Since Yamamoto is out of commission, Aizen never experimented on him to create Extinguir, and thus he still has /most/ of his mind. If we can turn him over to our side, or at least convince him to stand down and allow us to prove that we're the good guys, we can give him the same second chance we're giving the other arrancar. The less people that have to be hurt at the end of this, the better.

>>2677879
I said like Tosen.

>Someone was nice to him once a long time ago, and now he's mindlessly dedicated to his own twisted interpretation of that person's words.

>“A lot like Tōsen,” you mutter.

>mindlessly dedicated to his own twisted interpretation of that person's words.
>mindlessly dedicated

>3d10, DC is 27

Rolled 7, 8, 5 = 20 (3d10)

>>2679764
rip dc

Rolled 6, 5, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>2679764

Rolled 7, 1, 2 = 10 (3d10)

>>2679764

Rolled 7, 9, 5 = 21 (3d10)

>>2679764
Time for a clutch save by someone.

You all deserve this for trying to diplomance someone whose mind is like Tosen's.

>>2679764
And I need one more roll now since that failed, best of two.

Rolled 5, 7, 2 = 14 (3d10)

>>2679798

Rolled 9, 10, 2 = 21 (3d10)

>>2679798

Rolled 9, 4, 3 = 16 (3d10)

>>2679798

>>2679798
You know full well that it's probably a bad idea, but you also know what your mother would do. Whether she did so with any expectations of success is something only she can say for certain, but you know that she always leaves the possibility for her 'enemies' to surprise her in the best possible way. And you can't say she's wrong to do so.

“Listen,” you insist to the espada. “Just because Tōsen wasn't wrong about you doesn't mean he was right about everything else. Tōsen doesn't have the chance to fix his mistakes... but you don't have to repeat them.”

“There's still time. You can just walk away.”

Wonderweiss stares at you for a moment, almost seeming like he's contemplating what you said to him. You even gesture for Bambietta to wait for a moment to see what his eventual reply will be. But you don't have to wait long, as a moment later he disappears.

“Haineko!” you shout an instant before taking a blow to the gut, your zanpakuto's ashes taking most of the force out of it. But the attack is still enough to push you back some twenty feet through the air, sliding across your reishi footholds until you come to a stop.

“You okay!?” Bambi shouts in alarm.

“Fine!” you insist. “But... am I right in thinking that's your reply?”

“That... should have killed you,” Wonderweiss muses, staring at the fingertips he'd tried to impale you through the gut with just a moment ago. “That's weird.”

“Hey, answer my question!” you demand, finally losing your patience. “I gave you a chance to walk away, are you gonna do it or not!?”

“That should be obvious,” Wonderweiss insists, glaring sharply at you. “If I give up now, what was the point?”

So that's it, then. If he gives up he thinks it's the same as admitting he was wrong all this time, and he can't bring himself to do that. Or maybe even that is overestimating him... it's possible that he can't wrap his head around the fact that someone can be right about one thing and wrong about another. In his head either Tōsen was right about everything or wrong about everything, including whether or not Wonderweiss himself was worth anything.

If that's the case, then he'll probably fight you to the death.

>Go for the eyes and other soft targets, Haineko's strength is finding those kinds of weaknesses.
>Use Haineko's ashes to deliver kidō, create sudden openings for Bambietta.
>Enclose Wonderweiss with your ash clouds, ensure that he has nowhere to run from Bambi.
>Other?

>>2679890
>>Use Haineko's ashes to deliver kidō, create sudden openings for Bambietta.

>>2679890
>Enclose Wonderweiss with your ash clouds, ensure that he has nowhere to run from Bambi.

>>2679890
>Enclose Wonderweiss with your ash clouds, ensure that he has nowhere to run from Bambi.

>>2679890
>Use Haineko's ashes to deliver kidō, create sudden openings for Bambietta.

>>2679890
>>Enclose Wonderweiss with your ash clouds, ensure that he has nowhere to run from Bambi.

>>2679890
>Go for the eyes and other soft targets, Haineko's strength is finding those kinds of weaknesses.
As with Ulquiorra, the hierro should be weaker at the eyes

>>2679890
>>Go for the eyes and other soft targets, Haineko's strength is finding those kinds of weaknesses.

>3d10, best of three
>DC 17, critical 24

Rolled 3, 7, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>2682733

Rolled 6, 7, 3 = 16 (3d10)

>>2682733
Hopefully we can beat him without taking his life.

>>2682746
Not gonna happen with my dice. Fuck.

>>2682737
This is acceptable though. The kids can't always be a crit-genies like fox-mom Riku.

Rolled 10, 7, 6 = 23 (3d10)

>>2682733
Here we go

File: 1468216692022.jpg (197 KB, 417x819)

197 KB JPG

>>2682733
You decide on a tactic: Haineko's ashes are a conduit for both your kenjutsu and your kidō, which makes them a dangerous line to cross for anyone. But over the years you've learned they have an even more dangerous effect on a victim... one purely psychological in nature, which restricts their movements. With enough practice you figured out how to turn those restrictions into something approaching control.

“Growl,” you greet your zanpakuto properly now that you have the time, skillfully moving the hilt in your hands to control Haineko's dispersed blade.

Wonderweiss dodges one attack, moving himself backwards, then backpedals to avoid a second attack... and he strays right into the position you want him to be in. Tendrils of ash spread like droplets of ink diffusing in water, until they form a thin, swirling sphere of grey around the espada. You can feel him try to break through, but you respond with a powerful downward slash that pushes him back into the center of the raging cloud of steel ash.

“Bambi!” you shout.

“I'm on it!” she shouts back, reversing her grip on her sword and extending two fingers forward towards the sphere. “Whenever you're ready!”

With a wave of your hilt you direct Haineko to open a narrow hole in the interwoven pattern of swift ashen currents, and Bambietta unleashes her own attack into that gap. The force threatens to push the sphere of Haineko's ashes outward and collapse it into a fast-spinning disk instead, though you're somehow able to keep it under control.

The second and third blasts are much more manageable.

Finally, you deliver the finishing blow. “Hadō 32: Ōkasen!”

With a blinding pulse of light, you deliver a powerful blast of kidō through Haineko's blade-cloud.

You can't feel from his reiatsu what sort of state that onslaught left Wonderweiss in... but it can't have been good. After a few seconds, you hear the Primera's response.

“Lament, Banshee.”
>1/2

>>2683046
With what sounds like an explosion, one that leaves your ears ringing even from here, Wonderweiss scatters Haineko's ashes to show his new form. His hair has gone completely white, and his eyes are marked by red estigmas that trail down his cheeks. His arms and hands however are where the most obvious changes have occurred... they look almost skeletal, ending in spindly fingers with razor-sharp nails. From the sides of his head sprout a pair of white antlers, the numbers of their points uneven and their proportions ever so slightly off.

“Banshee,” you repeat. That can mean a lot of things about his ability... but the most likely possibility is that he manipulates sounds.

“You mean he blew away the ashes just by shouting?” Bambi realizes the implication at the same time as you do.

>Then his weakness is in his vocal cords. Eliminate those and you win.
>It would be a mistake to assume his basic abilities won't have been vastly enhanced. Proceed with caution.
>If his attacks are sound-based, then there are ways to mitigate his ability.
>Other?

>>2683086
>It would be a mistake to assume his basic abilities won't have been vastly enhanced. Proceed with caution.

>>2683086
>other: Have Bambi do a defensive arty bombardment to cancel out any scream wavelength. set mines to sound-based detonation.

>>2683086
>It would be a mistake to assume his basic abilities won't have been vastly enhanced. Proceed with caution.
>>2683171
This is good as well

>>2683086
>It would be a mistake to assume his basic abilities won't have been vastly enhanced. Proceed with caution.

>>2683086
>>If his attacks are sound-based, then there are ways to mitigate his ability.

>>2683086
>>Then his weakness is in his vocal cords. Eliminate those and you win.

>>2683086
>other: Cast Tenkeikura for comms amidst the explosions and screams.

>>2683086
>>It would be a mistake to assume his basic abilities won't have been vastly enhanced. Proceed with caution.

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 10, 4, 3 = 17 (3d10)

>>2684631

Rolled 3, 8, 10 = 21 (3d10)

>>2684631

Rolled 10, 6, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>2684631

>>2684631
It would be a serious mistake to think that the Primera espada's basic abilities wouldn't also be enhanced by his resureccion. He could attack you with some sort of ability you haven't seen yet, or he could do what he's actually in the process of doing right now.

“Bankai!” you shout, releasing your zanpakuto's ultimate form just in time to block Wonderweiss' attack a second time. Instead of crushing your sternum like it would have done otherwise, the blow simply knocks you through an apartment tower.

You land hard, glaring back up at your foe. “Byakkokiri Haineko.”

Haineko's silvery steel powder glitters around the bus stop where you've crashed to earth, then slowly compresses itself back into a single blade. Once that's done, you leap to the top of a water tower a bit closer to Wonderweiss with a shunpō.

“I thought Bankais were supposed to be impressive,” Wonderweiss muses, staring at you with his claw-like hand still raised. “That's... nothing. It looks like nothing. It's boring, just a regular sword.”

“Stopped you from hitting me,” you point out. “I'd say that makes it pretty special.”

Wonderweiss doesn't seem capable of responding with his wits... so instead he fires a powerfully-compressed cero at you. It blasts the water tank apart in a cloud of steam, flash-vaporized by the heat of the shot, and you use that to hide yourself for a moment.

“Tenteikura.”

“Bambi, if you hear me raise your fist.”

Off to your left, you watch Bambietta raise her fist.

“Right, so we're going to need to figure out what this guy's trick is before we can find a way to counter it.”

“Raise your fist again if you agree.”

Bambietta pumps her fist.

“If his attacks are sound-based, will your bombs go off if they meet?”

Bambietta's fist remains at her side. Damn, that might have genuinely helped: if Bambi could use her explosions to counteract Wonderweiss' attacks it would have let you attack through that area of disruption created where the pressure waves interacted. But that also means that Bambietta's attacks probably won't be stopped by Wonderweiss' sound waves either.

>Try to serve as a distraction, open a clear line for Bambietta to hit Wonderweiss hard.
>If you focus on using kidō through your blade you may be able to disrupt a sound-based attack.
>Your blade can set off Bambi's bombs early... as for what that gets you, you're not quite sure. You'd need more time to think about it.
>Other?

>>2684895
>>Try to serve as a distraction, open a clear line for Bambietta to hit Wonderweiss hard.

>>2684895
>>If you focus on using kidō through your blade you may be able to disrupt a sound-based attack.

>>2684895
>other: have Bambietta figure out the frequency of Weiss's screams by using/observing a nearby streetlamp, Hyapporan rods, or Wonderweiss's Antlers as an improvised tuning fork, then have Bambietta make (dud) reishi bombs that vibrate on a different phase that deadens/cancels Weiss's screams out.

>If you focus on using kidō through your blade you may be able to disrupt a sound-based attack.
Try using Hyapporan for the kidō selected.
If the rods produced by Hyapporan are they're what I think they are (reishi created Iron rods). They'll act as a field of tuning forks/noise cancelers even after getting deflected by the arrancar's screams. With luck, some of them might make it through and carry some of Haineko's ashes along the rod and onto Weiss's person.
>other: Ask bambietta if her bombs could be remotely detonated.

>>2684895
>>If you focus on using kidō through your blade you may be able to disrupt a sound-based attack.

>>2684895
>Your blade can set off Bambi's bombs early... as for what that gets you, you're not quite sure. You'd need more time to think about it.
Try carpeting the battlefield with arbitrarily long-fuse bombs so that Rangiku can detonate bombs any place, any time

>>2684895
>If you focus on using kidō through your blade you may be able to disrupt a sound-based attack.