[BitP:R] Soul Society 2

[Moon Wolf]

A vein on Yuuki's forehead nearly pops. This is why I'd never even consider having children of my own. Because kids like you are brats. He glares at Suzume, then looks to Yoshi. Thank you for keeping her at bay for this long. If you don't mind, I'd just like to make sure I teach her the one thing she didn't learn from the 2nd....how to deal with traitors. He launches himself at Suzume with a near-blinding speed, aiming for the neck.

[Wahrheit]

"I insist you share the kill, Miyagawa-taichou. Execution is my business." Magatsu swept six of his blades at Suzume, angling them all to attack from different angles while avoiding interfering with Yuuki's own strike.

[horngeek]

4th Division

"Okay! Do you need me to accompany you, Natsuko-taichou? I think that I'd rather make sure that you're okay. Not that you can't take of yourself!" Daisuke hastily added, "I just think that it'd be better if someone were with you, in case that...thing in Kagome-san's body comes back."

Natsuko nods. "Just in case."

[riccaru]

A vein on Yuuki's forehead nearly pops. This is why I'd never even consider having children of my own. Because kids like you are brats. He glares at Suzume, then looks to Yoshi. Thank you for keeping her at bay for this long. If you don't mind, I'd just like to make sure I teach her the one thing she didn't learn from the 2nd....how to deal with traitors. He launches himself at Suzume with a near-blinding speed, aiming for the neck.

"I insist you share the kill, Miyagawa-taichou. Execution is my business." Magatsu swept six of his blades at Suzume, angling them all to attack from different angles while avoiding interfering with Yuuki's own strike.

Suzume yelps as they attack her, throwing herself on her back to dodge the initial attack, but leaving herself vulnerable to another. "What the heck are you doing, Yuuki! Why would you try to murder me in cold blood!? You're no better than that monster Kujo!"

[Wahrheit]

"Here's a hint, little girl: this isn't murder. It's an execution." One of Magatsu's two reserve blades stabbed down at her good shoulder, the other at her leg, aiming to disable in a horrendously painful way as the already-swinging six blades he'd attacked with a moment before perfectly and instantly altered their courses in mid-air to slash down around Suzume in a pattern that granted the rather unpleasant choice of taking the crippling or being diced to pieces. At the same time, Magatsu casually tapped one of the metal anchorings of the Mercurial Web binding the criminal.

"Hado 11: Tsuzuri Raiden." Oh, yes, Magatsu was still furious. Worse, it looked like he intended to make good on his promise not to kill Suzume. Yet.

[tgva8889]

Kujo grins as the Captain stops to tie his wounds. Maybe this fight isn't as far above his head as he feared. The grin just grows wider as Takahashi speeds behind him - so predictable! As Taiki flickers, the stranger is already turning around, raising his blade to block - if Taiki doesn't have armor in place and can't halt his movement, he'll end up severing his own foot!

Taiki's foot falls, but rather than be cut off at the ankle, it seems to strike against the sword. The sounds of metal clashing fill the air. Shifting his position, Taiki's other foot swings at the stranger's head, using the sudden leverage provided by his other foot to lift himself.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Maggot's Nest]

Confusion fills the stranger's eyes as Taiki's foot strike his blade and pushes it down. Why? He's not wearing any armor, why didn't it just get cut off? Shaken, he only barely manages to duck under Taiki's kick and push himself away.

"You must be feelin' smug, huh?", The stranger says. "Think you're making a big difference?" He lunges towards Taiki and aims to slash his left shoulder. "Guess what, you ain't. Just keel over and die like a good boy!"

[Seireitei's East Gate]

Meanwhile, the attack squad from 11th arrives at the eastern gate of the great death stone barrier. "This is Himura Michiko, Captain of the 11th! Open up!", Michiko shouts, leaning against Kurosaki.

[tgva8889]

Taiki's face remains steeled. As his kick flies over Kujo's head, the Captain lands on the ground with one leg backward, almost in a runner's stance. He shifts quickly, rolling to the side to avoid the slash. His reiatsu fills the air. Before his opponent can pull his blade back from the strike, Taiki swings one leg to sweep his opponent to the ground.

[Frozen_Feet]

The stranger's extended foot is firmly rooted on the ground, but Taiki's leg is like a steel bar swung at it. The stranger grimaces from pain and stumbles, before managing to correct his position and stabbing towards Taiki's stomach.

[tgva8889]

By the time he corrects his position, Taiki has rolled a distance away. He flips up to a standing position, drawing his hands into a ready stance for the coming blow.

As the stabbing blade approaches, Taiki turns and pushes the blade away with his left hand. His right fist strikes towards his foe's side, empowered by both his own strength and the momentum of his turn.

[Frozen_Feet]

(Stabbing after he got up)

The stranger lets go of his sword with his left hand, twisting his body and striking Taiki's left hand to divert the blow. It's only marginally easier than trying to block an oncoming freight train, but it gives the stranger enough time to aim a rapid kick at Taiki's groin.

[tgva8889]

(Slightly confused by positioning. So Taiki's right hand is striking the left side of the foe, who has moved his left hand toward Taiki's left and is somehow attacking him with a kick? That positioning is very awkward for the enemy.)

Taiki's reiatsu disappears behind the stranger, but there is no time to react to the change. The air whistles as a slice forms on the man's leg, deep and bleeding. Meanwhile, Taiki's continued turn puts his thigh in the way of the enemy's incoming foot, which strikes hard and pushes Taiki a bit further away, causing his right fist to strike more lightly against the ribs.

Following through with the motion, Taiki swings his body outwards, away from his foe a short distance. He returns to his fighting stance, his reiatsu now flaring from his own position. "It is no longer about 'making a difference.'"

[Frozen_Feet]

The stranger stares at the wound in his leg. When did Taiki slash him? How? He's unarmed!

Nevermind that. He painstakingly pulls himself back to a better guard position, trying to ignore the pain radiating from his side, where Taiki's fist connected. "Oh yeah? What's it, then?", he snarls and spits to the ground, taking a few cautious steps further from Taiki, cold sweat dripping down his dirty face. "Satisfying your obsession of getting the bad guy behind bars, eh? Ya know, it sickens me to no end to know they let the kinds of you lead here."

A manic, crooked grin spreads on the stranger's face, and pupils in those purple eyes narrow as he focuses on Taiki. He's feverishly searching for a place to strike, but the blood dripping down his leg tells him that he's already lost the battle. Better be a good loser, then.

"You're all such hypocrites", he spits. "I won your commander chump with one blow. One blow! With all of Seireitei looking! So why are you not obeying my whim, huh? Isn't that how Captains rise to power?" He shifts his stance in preparation to strike.

"You're no better than me. You hide behind all these laws and whatever, but we're all the same. Violent maniacs, the whole lot, just like me. Keep that in mind... Ranmyaku!" Suddenly, the stranger lunges forth - and at the same moment, his blade becomes the darkest black. A sense of wrongness fills the air as the blade speeds towards Taiki.

[Callos_DeTerran]

Ryuunosuke Castle - Communications Center

Jikkousu looks relieved to be given an excuse to back out of the attention of her superior, giving an audible sigh of relief when Goto steps into view before falling back to stand rigidly just off to the side. Even though the transmission had been connected, it was her duty to remain on hand in case of unforeseen technological difficulties and to monitor the conversation for any irregularities. Another fail-safe, one of many, to ensure that impostors would have a difficult time infiltrating the Seireitei and trying to pass themselves off as someone else.

Of course, in this case, the caution was unwarranted but all it took was a single lapse of security for something terrible to happen.

"That's definitely some good news then...Do we have confirmation that it was truly the Primera and not just someone claiming the title though? It seems rather odd that the Primera would assault the Rukon in absence of other members of the Espada." Osamu questions aloud, in a way that many might take offense with, but Hirokatsu would know was simply the older shinigami's way of being thorough by trying to prompt remembrance of possibly forgotten details through questioning. Still, the 5th Division captain waits silently through the other shinigami's reasoning, even if he doesn't respond right away.

"...I see. Your actions are commendable Goto-kun, but you might want to reconsider such things in the future. As of right now, you are the acting commander of an entire division and if something happens to you then the 9th would be thrown into possibly fatal disarray. What if this arrancar had doubled back after their seeming retreat? Or if she had merely retreated to summon reinforcements?" he says softly, mostly so the 5th Divisioners on his side of the communication wouldn't over hear him, "You're too valuable to be risking your neck at every turn Goto-kun, you have to be more careful."

A crafty smile comes to Osamu's face then, even as his body is racked with coughs and he leans forward.

"After all, if you fall in battle then where am I going to find a moral young man to marry one of my granddaughters? Take Jikkousu for example..."

"Grandfather!"

"What? I know for a fact that you're currently single!"

"T-that's not the point!" the flushed 7th seat blurts out, embarrassed to high heaven by her captain's and grandfather's words.

[HirokatsuGoto]

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Ryuunosuke Castle - Communications Center

Jikkousu looks relieved to be given an excuse to back out of the attention of her superior, giving an audible sigh of relief when Goto steps into view before falling back to stand rigidly just off to the side. Even though the transmission had been connected, it was her duty to remain on hand in case of unforeseen technological difficulties and to monitor the conversation for any irregularities. Another fail-safe, one of many, to ensure that impostors would have a difficult time infiltrating the Seireitei and trying to pass themselves off as someone else.

Of course, in this case, the caution was unwarranted but all it took was a single lapse of security for something terrible to happen.

"That's definitely some good news then...Do we have confirmation that it was truly the Primera and not just someone claiming the title though? It seems rather odd that the Primera would assault the Rukon in absence of other members of the Espada." Osamu questions aloud, in a way that many might take offense with, but Hirokatsu would know was simply the older shinigami's way of being thorough by trying to prompt remembrance of possibly forgotten details through questioning. Still, the 5th Division captain waits silently through the other shinigami's reasoning, even if he doesn't respond right away.

"...I see. Your actions are commendable Goto-kun, but you might want to reconsider such things in the future. As of right now, you are the acting commander of an entire division and if something happens to you then the 9th would be thrown into possibly fatal disarray. What if this arrancar had doubled back after their seeming retreat? Or if she had merely retreated to summon reinforcements?" he says softly, mostly so the 5th Divisioners on his side of the communication wouldn't over hear him, "You're too valuable to be risking your neck at every turn Goto-kun, you have to be more careful."

A crafty smile comes to Osamu's face then, even as his body is racked with coughs and he leans forward.

"After all, if you fall in battle then where am I going to find a moral young man to marry one of my granddaughters? Take Jikkousu for example..."

"Grandfather!"

"What? I know for a fact that you're currently single!"

"T-that's not the point!" the flushed 7th seat blurts out, embarrassed to high heaven by her captain's and grandfather's words.

INVASION DAY

Hirokatsu Goto, Vice Captain (Acting Captain) of the 9th Division: The Rukongai 63rd District, at the communications screen inside the Ryuunosuke Castle proper with five 9th Division members, speaking with the 5th Cpt.



Hirokatsu had long since stopped being embarrassed by Osamu's insistence on marrying his daughters and grand-daughters to Hirokatsu. And as such his demeanor did not change nor did any reddishness add to his cheeks, and most importantly, Hirokatsu spoke nothing on it. Though he couldnt help but feel his lips upturn slightly for a moment as Osamu again called him "young man", probably the only person in the Soul Society who woudl think Hirokatsu "young".

In fact marrying Goto to his family was an ongoing debate between the two of them, The Goto family had NEVER had a member of tis family marry in its entire history in Soul Society, as a means to call respect to their former lives as well as the fact that no Goto women had ever been found. There were no Goto women in Soul Society, and as such they constantly searched for them in the Rukongai, but never finding any they refused to believe they would not be found and as such they have never married as some of the men believe their wives still may be out there awaiting and looking for them from their time in the mortal world.

Hirokatsu had no memory of his mortal life, and no knowledge of whether he was a married man or not when he came to the Soul Society, and it had been almost 700 years since then anyways. Osamu knew this, and as the time ticked on, Osamu's nudging tended to make more and more sense to Hirokatsu, though as head of his family Hirokatsu he had to honor the ancient family beliefs.

Hirokatsu responded to Osamu professionally, remarking only on his questions to him. Osamu would know Hirokatsu well enough to know, that he made his point very clearly and Hirokatsu often didnt respond to something Osamu said when he had done this as such.

His voice was sure and direct, looking past his long eyebrows.
"Sir, while i have no direct knowledge that the escaping Arrancar was the Primera or not, the reiatsu signature of the Arrancar/Espada whom attacked earlier was indeed the same one which had vanished and felt last in the area my men had felt and observed. The massive spiritual pressure my men had felt and seen depart through Garganta must be the same as the earlier, as they confirmed visually what i had observed in the earlier battle and felt in that vicinity. I feel decidedly certain, that whomever had attacked earlier has exited the Soul Society." the last part was a bit louder a was said more for his own men, to show his trust in their work as they knelt behind him.

"I did and still do believe her and her comrades actions (OOC--known to be deceased i believe), were only a feint for whatever is going on in the Seretei now, what i do not understand yet is the "why" such a grand feint was needed...as i have heard no communication on current events in the Seretei, and when last i left there were no sightings of Arrancar invading, it seems this powerful feint seems issued by a NON-Hueco Mundo based threat, and such partnering between Hueco Mundo and those outside seems a likely theory...and one of great concern"

after a moment...he looked back to his friend his eyes sure
"As for my actions, indeed your concerns are valid. But as no one was sent to conform the exit of the supposed Primera, I felt the safety of the Rukon must be guaranteed not assumed. If that meant myself ONLY standing in her and her potential reinforcement's ways...then so be it. Even if only a hopeless battle ending in my death, it would register on the sensors and provide at least some extra time for defenses to be made for the Rukon and the Seretei..." after a brief moment and a long closing of his eyes...he would look again at the 5th Cpt...his friend..."..indeed my work is to command my division, but it is to command for the reason to protect...and no matter my rank, it is my duty to protect the Soul Society by the means i have available ("means" would imply "the freedom to act independently as head of the division and as such his previous actions"), even if it comes at the expense of the well-being of the 9th Division's future"

Hirokatsu knew Osamu knew all of this, but Hirokatsu felt it needed to be said aloud, almost as if he felt Osamu needed to hear the surety in his voice more than the words.

He would look up to the screen to the 5th Cpt, his stance sure, his eyes direct, it felt to Hirokatsu as if for the first time he felt and spoke with Osamu as a peer in the Gotei command structure. If still Osamu's junior by many many years.

[Moon Wolf]

Yuuki stops short and looks at Magatsu with an expression of surprise, and distaste. Magatsu-kun, I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I believe I told everyone not to interfere, which unfortunately includes you.

[tgva8889]

On the cliffs of Maggot's Nest

Spoiler

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The stranger stares at the wound in his leg. When did Taiki slash him? How? He's unarmed!

Nevermind that. He painstakingly pulls himself back to a better guard position, trying to ignore the pain radiating from his side, where Taiki's fist connected. "Oh yeah? What's it, then?", he snarls and spits to the ground, taking a few cautious steps further from Taiki, cold sweat dripping down his dirty face. "Satisfying your obsession of getting the bad guy behind bars, eh? Ya know, it sickens me to no end to know they let the kinds of you lead here."

A manic, crooked grin spreads on the stranger's face, and pupils in those purple eyes narrow as he focuses on Taiki. He's feverishly searching for a place to strike, but the blood dripping down his leg tells him that he's already lost the battle. Better be a good loser, then.

"You're all such hypocrites", he spits. "I won your commander chump with one blow. One blow! With all of Seireitei looking! So why are you not obeying my whim, huh? Isn't that how Captains rise to power?" He shifts his stance in preparation to strike.

"You're no better than me. You hide behind all these laws and whatever, but we're all the same. Violent maniacs, the whole lot, just like me. Keep that in mind... Ranmyaku!" Suddenly, the stranger lunges forth - and at the same moment, his blade becomes the darkest black. A sense of wrongness fills the air as the blade speeds towards Taiki.

Taiki's reiatsu disappears. The only other warning is a metal whistling sound through the air.

Few recognize the sound of Genei.

The blade moves too quickly and too invisibly. By the time the stranger can react, the tip has already embedded itself into his chest and begun its path through him. Without a tsuba to stop it, the blade will continue completely through its target should it not be stopped.

Meanwhile Taiki shifts in response to the coming sword. As its tip approaches, Taiki's body moves entirely to the side, the blade barely passing by his side. He brings his right arm across his body to grab his opponent's sword arm. Momentum brings Taiki's hip into the stranger's chest, nearby whatever wound results from Genei.

[Frozen_Feet]

The stranger's eyes widen in terror as he feels steel sink into his body. He instinctively lets go with his left arm, to grab the hilt of the invisible sword. This leaves him open to Taiki and the Captain closes effortlessly, locking the stranger's sword arm in place. The stranger lets out a muffled croak, spit and blood flying from his mouth.

But from the corner of his eyes, Taiki can see a disconcerning glint in the stranger's eyes. It's the look of someone who's resigned to death... but knows that even if he's lost the battle, he's won the war...

From the blade of the stranger, the blackness spreads, a stain on reality. It's like a black, twisting flame, threatening to engulf the two combatants - and it's already eating its way up Taiki's arm!

"Get it pal?", a faint wheeze leaves the stranger's lips. "We're both ****ed!" Unlike the other man, the stranger is painfully aware of what his Zanpakuto is capable of - he knows the battlefield has changed, that they are just victims of chance that is both ineffable and senseless.

It's just like two years ago, when he'd challenged the Commander-General. Taiki could not know it, but the stranger had never expected to win, or even survive. His escape, the far-reaching gambit that had made Soushi let him in... they'd been but contingencies. A plan B.

He'd silently laughed at the manhunt that ensued. Public enemy number one? What a joke! Gotei had never realised that the man had already achieved what he'd been after - undermining the peace of Soul Society. Everything after that had just been dressing.

He'd been living on borrowed time for two years already. The boulder he'd shoved down the mountainside is already in motion, and his death would do nothing to stop it.

[tgva8889]

Taiki wastes no time. His left arm swings upward as his right swings back, and the red-coated blade of his sword cuts off the stranger's arm.

In the same motion, the Captain steps backward, putting enough distance between him so he can safely talk. His sword shines red for a moment, then with a flare of his reiatsu the blood falls to the earth below. "It was never about 'upholding the law.' It was about justice and truth. I know what I have done, and I accept that I must do it, for no one else will." Taiki looks at his now blackened arm. He tries to move his fingers, which he does successfully, but the black stain continues to rise. "I suppose you won't tell me what this is, will you?"

Spoiler

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Out of curiosity, what is it?

[Frozen_Feet]

The stranger gives no answer, maybe because he doesn't know it himself. The black flames just gradually keep rising upwards, obscuring Taiki's hand for sight and creeping towards his shoulder and head.

The stranger stares in horror as his arm is severed. Not at the bloody stump, but at the blade blazing with sickening unlight, as it falls towards the ground as if in slow motion...

.. and then sinks in, blade first. A pyre of blackness shoot out, dark tendrils surging from the wound in the stone... or are they surging in? It's impossible to tell. The stranger falls on his back, bleeding, a look of panic on his face as the ground near him cracks.

Then... he starts laughing. A faint cackle of a dying man, gurgling with blood, but manic and disconcerning none the less.

"Truth? Justice? Bull****!", he croaks between chuckles. "It's never been 'bout... *cough* 'bout anything else than giving yourself a warm fuzzy feeling! You're just as mad as I am!" There's a look of wild horror on his face as he regards the blackness that's just a few feet away from him. He starts inching away from it, desperate to get back on his feet and flee.

"You're no better than... *cough* those you... you have locked underground. The only difference is that they got... got caught." The stranger rasps, stumbling on his feet and turning to face Taiki. One of the black lines runs between them, now, like a crack in the structure of reality. "Ever thought of the other you didn't catch? 'cause they're calling the shots now. S- send my greetings to... that bastard Ry-... Ryouichi and Nagamichi Sou-... Soush-...."

[tgva8889]

"It was never about how I felt. That is where we differ." Slowly, Taiki shifts out of his fighting stance. The flames burn along his arm. "I only ever needed to catch one criminal. Until I catch him, no one else matters. I may use methods similar to yours, but I don't fight for the same reason." Taiki observes his arm, the flames now no longer rising. He does not even react to them, merely watching the skin blacken in the fire. Taiki raises his left arm, hand almost in a fist. "That is why I am a Captain, and you are a fugitive."

His arm comes down, and the blackened skin on his arm is completely shredded. With another slash further strips are removed. Taiki continues this until his arm is removed of all the blackened skin, red and bleeding at the removal of multiple layers. Ripping a piece of his shihakusho away, he quickly forms a makeshift wrapping. "That is why I have won."

[Frozen_Feet]

Taiki's last words are countered by a thunderous explosion, setting ablaze the mountainside. It seems like its centered on Kujo's stumbling form, but it's impossible to ascertain that before the shockwave hits the Captain like a tsunami, throwing him off like a rag doll.

In hindsight, that might be a good thing. Whatever energies caused the explosion react in... bizarre ways with the cracks in reality. The blinding luminescence seems to seep into the ground, fusing with the black flames and fueling their rage as they spread across the stones. A horrible, keening wail suffuses the air, like a death scream rising from hundred throats at once.

Then the madness starts.

Inside the Nest, alarms go off as a foreign Reiatsu is noticed seeping within the structure. Lockdown mechanisms trigger, sealing off passages to the deepest cells. Guards run into position, evacuating Nest staff into safe areas, bracing themselves for an attack or riot. Ancient spells imbued to the stones awaken to ward off the intruder and preserve structures in case of disaster.

The malignant energy is not deterred. Where its path becomes blocked, it simply flows around the obstacles, squeezing itself through the smallest of cracks, corrupting the dungeon like poison seeping through veins of its victim.

Nothing seems to diminish its power - or rather, it strenghtens and weakens, heightens and vanes according to its own whim, in little correlation with means meant to defend against it. It's as if it gains and loses energy from nothing.

At first, it looks like the wave is just a fluke, with no tangible effect whatsoever - then, weirdest things start happening. The ground flows and twists, grows and withers, changing into anything from liquids to colors to small animals. There's little pattern or logic to it all. Things just transform, with each transformation being different, as the natural laws governing shape and form are subverted one by one

Not everything is affected, though. There are myriad things made of seki-seki inside the Nest, immune to any spiritual attack by their very nature. After all, the location's status as an old sekisekki mine was one of the reasons why it had been chosen to house the Nest. It was thought that the leftover traces of ore would make it impregnable to both inside and outside attacks.

Unfortunately, most of the sekisekki structures are just that: leftovers. They were never designed from ground up to support their own weight without solid foundation of ordinary rock. Now, as that foundation is compromised, the Nest is like a body without a spine - and like body without a spine, it starts to collapse...

Passages that were once safe are blocked while new ones spring to existence as a massive earthquake shakes the Nest. Wardens become trapped in their quarters, while people who were never again supposed to see light of day are freed as falling stones crack open their cells.

Outside, tons of rock start tumbling down the mountainside, heralding an avalanche that will sweep clean anything on its way and reveal the sprawling network of tunnels to outside world.

[strawberryman]

[Rukon - Outside the Avalanche]

Ryouichi appears from a burst of shunpo, landing on a roof as he gazes upon the carnage of stone spread out before him with a pensive look. No sign of Kujo... plenty of collateral damage... for now he stands there, neutral expression plastered on his face.

[KnightDisciple]

[Rukon - Outside the Avalanche]

Ryouichi appears from a burst of shunpo, landing on a roof as he gazes upon the carnage of stone spread out before him with a pensive look. No sign of Kujo... plenty of collateral damage... for now he stands there, neutral expression plastered on his face.

[Rukon - Outside the Avalanche]

Masaru appeared mere moments later, his keen eyes quickly taking in the situation with a deep frown.

"This is...less than ideal. Should I start calling in help, coordinating their efforts? Or should we let the damage settle down first?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Even without knowing what had happened on the mountainside, any idea that he could reasonably spot a living person from the chaos when standing so far away is wishful thinking from Ryouichi's part. Even the nearest house is quite a distance from the mountain - all there is to see is a massive cloud of dust lingering in the distance and indistinct shapes tumbling on each other as new cave-ins set new rocks into motion and contribute to the on-going devastation. Loud rumbling echoes in the air as stone grinds and shatters against stone.

[tgva8889]

Taiki Takahashi

"#$%^."

Taiki is thrown from the mountainside by the shockwave, careening away in a straight line until he strikes hard against a mountain face some distance away. After a short fall he gets enough bearings to shunpo to standing ground, where the pure carnage of Kujo could be seen in full.

The entire mountain had fallen. Taiki's left hand formed a fist, tightening further and further. He shook, his face remaining stone cold but his body betraying his emotion. A moment later his fist drove into the mountain behind him, an enraged scream filling the air, echoing in the mountains just as Maggot's Nest had. The rock shattered beneath his blow, separating his standing place from the rest of the mountain. With another shunpo, Taiki made his way to a new standing place.

Maggot's Nest was gone. Steeling himself once again, Taiki moved closer to the mountain. There was one thing he had to confirm before the end. Maggot's Nest could be lost. But one man must remain imprisoned.

[Kuroimaken]

With the standing patrol orders, Kazuma decided it was time for him to get back to work. Not being a high-ranking officer, he had neither a Reiphone nor knowledge about Maggot's Nest; but when the massive explosion shook the earth and detonated the mountain not too far away from where he was patrolling, the 7th seat decided to check it. Sending a Jigokuchou back to headquarters, he sped towards the crumbling mountainside, dressed in usual Shinigami attire... plus a strange, long mantle with a rim that covered part of his face, and a gigantic sword apparently made of rock with a green tint to it. In fact, it was less of a sword and more of a blade-like slab of rock with a handle.

[The Librarian]

[Heading Towards the Maggot's Nest]

It wasn't uncommon for someone too be at least concerned, when they see an installation begin to collapse on itself, especially Misaki Ichimyouri.

Prior to seeing this Misaki was outside in the Kido Corp Gardens, watering some plants. There wasn't that much in the way of a garden, but no one seemed to be concerned with expanding it current state, let alone the possibility of expanding the garden in Kido Corp. Misaki was humming to herself a song she had heard on a visit to the Mortal World with her brother.

That was when she saw the dust cloud form over one of the mountains in Seireitei. Misaki dropped the water bucket and in a flash was flying towards the flying towards that area. She had been aware that Kujo had appeared, and fighting was going on somewhere in Seireitei. That and she could feel Captain Taiki's reiastu, and there was no doubt her friend Taro Banzuke was somewhere in the thick of it too. She would hate to see him get hurt.

[strawberryman]

[Rukon - Outside the Avalanche]

Masaru appeared mere moments later, his keen eyes quickly taking in the situation with a deep frown.

"This is...less than ideal. Should I start calling in help, coordinating their efforts? Or should we let the damage settle down first?"

Ryouichi snaps out of his reverie. "Contact Captain Ryou for aerial surveillance, and Kido Commander Kitano to send one or more teams to create a protective barrier and prevent the destruction from spreading further. Then, I would like whatever available personnel from the 4th Division to set up medical stations at the border as well as demolition squads from 7th to clear the rubble." Without much pause between his instructions, the Commander holds his shield towards the dust and debris.

"Hado #58: Tenran." The blast of wind is aimed upward from the ground, with the objective of clearing the dust for a better look up the mountain while avoiding churning up the landslide any more.

[KnightDisciple]

[Rukon - Outside the Avalanche]

Masaru gives a curt nod to the Commander, before starting his duty. He takes a few moments to summon a couple of Hell Butterflies, sending them towards the Kido Corps, aiming to contact several of the highest-level officers, in case one or more of them is busy at the moment.

He then dials up the Captain of the 12th.

"Sending you the coordinates now; please get as much aerial surveillance as possible. Thank you."

He wraps up that call, before sending a call through to the 5th; things were scattered enough he needed their help.

Soon enough, orders had been given, with Masaru passing on an appropriate alert code to his own Division, to help with the organization. They wouldn't take command, but they would help clarify Masaru's intent.

"I estimate less than 10 minutes before the first few teams arrive, though it'll be longer before the bulk of them are here. No telling when Ryou will arrive."