[BiTPR2] Renewed Revolution: Spirit World V

[Frozen_Feet]

Senshi thinks of what to say for a moment, tapping the ground with his right foot. Then he clicks his tongue and speaks. "Say, was it you who was responsible for that armless Hollow in the freezer unit?"

[Kuroimaken]

Senshi thinks of what to say for a moment, tapping the ground with his right foot. Then he clicks his tongue and speaks. "Say, was it you who was responsible for that armless Hollow in the freezer unit?"

"You mean Stumpy? Yeah, I figured I'd give him the pet treatment. He tried to blow my face off, it's only fair." Ryoma probably should have more pets than he does. And use other criteria for what makes a suitable pet. "What about 'im?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Senshi stares at the giant slackjawed. Then he throws his hands up in exasperation. "WHAT?!?"

[Kuroimaken]

Ryoma perks an eyebrow like he doesn't understand what Senshi is getting his knickers in a twist about.

[KnightDisciple]

Spoiler: Inside Katsuo's mindscape

Show

Katsuo stirs, perhaps for the first actual time in very long. He doesn't like what he sees. The shock of losing his aunt, the general feeling of powerlessness and tiredness overwhelming him up to this point had drained him of all strength, yet somehow... at this point, he begins to see a small, shining ray of hope.

Felicia, for her own part, is scandalously attempting to regain control over his soul. She screams at anything and everything, throwing a temper tantrum of massive proportions and vitriolic consequences. But no matter how much she tries, her ability to corrupt the world around her is still losing out to its ability to hold true to itself.

"YOU.

GET. OUT."

With a deafening roar, the boy-Hollow sinks his own fist into his chest. Strangely, it is not his blood that pours out, but a vile, fetid brackish liquid.

"RRRRRRRRRRROAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGHHHHHHHH!!!"

From within, he pulls at what appears to be a viscous, squirming amorph creature, which screeches all the while, fighting back with all its might. But it is a losing battle against the boy's willpower. His mask cracks and falls away of its own accord, revealing all-too-human eyes, even as it tosses away the entirety of Felicia's putrid form, casting her aside like the cancer she is. In so doing, the Hollow-like flesh melts away rapidly, falling off his body in chunks, bringing the long-haired boy to his knees.

Chuck tried to scramble backwards as he saw Felicia's still-unleashed form, his gauntlets flickering to life as he tried to stand.

"Kill her now she's basically all the diseases."

Masaru's eyes narrow, and his Reiatsu begins to be felt for a good distance around him.

"Very well, young man. Stay back, please. Bankai."

There was a roar, and Masaru was astride a dragon of shadow, a lance gripped in his flesh-and-blood hand as his metal hand gripped the dark reigns of his mount. Black flames curled from its mouth.

"Ancalagon the Black Death has come for you, Hollow filth."

With a flap of its wings, Ancalagon took to the sky, and fire began to flow down.

"Koutarou! Let us finish this!"

[Kuroimaken]

The Commander-General turns for a moment to face his faithful friend's support, but the instinct honed by centuries of battle kicks in.

"Masaru! I need you to stay back and unleash your flames as hard as you can!" As Koutarou says this, he already rushes to get Katsuo and Chuck out of the way.

There's good reason for that. With a horrific growl, Felicia's Reiatsu increases explosively as she unleashes a veritable tsunami of disease-ridden sludge in every direction. Much like she had contaminated Katsuo's mindscape, she now seeks to overpower and rot the very soil of Soul Society.

"This is the Commander-General requesting immediate Kidou containment of area 55479! Emergency deployment!"

Momoka and Setsurou have already rushed to begin containment as best they can. Setsurou is not as adept at Kidou as his paramour, but his Shikai should be able to provide a simile of a wall that Felicia can't corrode quite as quickly. Since Masaru can fly, he doesn't need to worry about being trapped with Felicia in there.

[KnightDisciple]

The Commander-General turns for a moment to face his faithful friend's support, but the instinct honed by centuries of battle kicks in.

"Masaru! I need you to stay back and unleash your flames as hard as you can!" As Koutarou says this, he already rushes to get Katsuo and Chuck out of the way.

There's good reason for that. With a horrific growl, Felicia's Reiatsu increases explosively as she unleashes a veritable tsunami of disease-ridden sludge in every direction. Much like she had contaminated Katsuo's mindscape, she now seeks to overpower and rot the very soil of Soul Society.

"This is the Commander-General requesting immediate Kidou containment of area 55479! Emergency deployment!"

Momoka and Setsurou have already rushed to begin containment as best they can. Setsurou is not as adept at Kidou as his paramour, but his Shikai should be able to provide a simile of a wall that Felicia can't corrode quite as quickly. Since Masaru can fly, he doesn't need to worry about being trapped with Felicia in there.

Chuck doesn't fight being pulled away, seemingly exhausted from all the work inside his friend's mind.

Masaru, meanwhile, merely guides his manifested sword-spirit higher. The dragon's wings flapped and it gained altitude, rising above the filth.

"You heard the man, Ancalagon. Let's show her the power of our purifying flame."

The dragon just snarled and roared, flames beginning to spill from its mouth. Masaru aimed them to the edges first, seeking to pen Felicia in as he left small walls of fire in a circle around her, just inside the boundaries of the containing Kidou as it formed.

[Dorizzit]

[Soul Society]
Battleground

"My turn."

Naito, still transformed, hurls back into action after remaining uncharacteristically silent and accepting of Koutarou's taking command of the situation. Appearing next to Koutarou after the commander puts Katsuo and Chuck down, Naito shoves him back and away from Felicia.

"Seal me in. Strongest wall you have."

Leaping forward before the Kido barrier is completed, Naito projects a thick shield of Reishi overhead as they push through Ancalagon's flames, just barely avoiding serious injury. The monstrous quincy lands in a crouch near Felicia.

"This. Ends. Now."

[Kuroimaken]

Ancalagon's flames help hold the tide at bay, though the evaporating fumes prove just as toxic and deadly, which might just force Masaru to pull back before he tries another run.

Diving through the sea of toxic sludge is... not impossible, but it's no walk in the park either. Felicia's uncontrollable outburst of power is meant to ensure the complete annihilation of absolutely anything alive that comes in contact with it. Thankfully, Naito is made of stern enough stuff and has an ability to control ambient Reishi that causes the teen to emerge from it not much worse for the wear, but even for the hybrid it is a dive not unlike through nuclear waste.

The center of the raging ocean of killer sludge, Felicia herself, is apparently incapable of coherent response. She simply growls and sends out dart-like putrid spikes flying towards the youth.

[Dorizzit]

Naito hisses in pain while trying to wade through Felicia's flood of corruption, attempting to claw it out of the way with minimal success. As Felicia attempts to stab Naito, the Quincy crosses both arms to prevent the spikes from hitting anything vital. For now, Naito's armor seems to be holding back the worst of the assault. Despite this, Naito is already starting to feel ill from the effects of Felicia's power. Growling in frustration, Naito begins barreling closer to Felicia.

"The barrier needs a roof! It needs to be sealed on all sides!"

[KnightDisciple]

Masaru saw the fumes rising and whirled away, going out past the perimeter of the barriers. He frowned at Naito's insistence of sealing them in, but didn't argue; perhaps the young Quincy had an attack best kept contained.

"Captain!"

He wheeled about, facing the young foreigner Quincy lad, the one with the red-energy manifestations. He was holding a belt with various silver tubes of a couple sizes on it.

"Captain! Give these to Naito!"

The young man hurls the belt up, and a shadowy tendril catches it in mid-air and passes it up to Masaru, who grips it firmly with a nod and a salute. He turns toward Koutarou and the others.

"Let me toss the young Quincy this belt and burn the fumes, then seal the barriers as they requested."

Wings flap, a dragon roars, and the Captain gains altitude. Once they're at a height, Ancalagon dives, and black flames roar from his mouth, seeking to burn away the fumes of Felicia's fetid funk, purifying the air of the Hollow-generated disease and filth. When the air was clear enough, he wound his arm back, and cried out.

"Naito! Catch!"

At the slightest sign of acknowledgement, the belt with Ginto and Seele Schneider would all but rocket downward, directly at the stubborn Quincy Hybrid, before Masaru and Ancalagon peeled off, getting clear of the barrier and the filth contained within, hoping that the young one inside knew what they were doing.

[Kuroimaken]

Kamen Rider Rei comes bursting out of the sea of sludge in Iron Maiden form, surrounded by a crackling field of lightning. He'd taken this much longer to get through for not taking advantage of the same opening as Naito, and also for seeing their friends to safety.

"I'm not entirely sure what your plan is, but I would see fit to lend you a hand."

Felicia attempts to impale Naito by erupting bone-like spikes of festering disease from the ground, one after another, attempting to entrap the hybrid by any means necessary. In so doing, she seems to neglect the presence of the Commander-General, whose defensive field moves to envelop the 'roof' of the battlefield.

"Masaru! I need a field of shadows to back me! Keep me from flying backwards!"

______

[Elsewhere]

A very timid knock on the door to the room the Royal Guard is convening in.

"Pardon the interruption, but there is an instructor from the Shinoreijutsuin requesting an audience with the esteemed members of the Royal Guard." The attendant speaks.

[Dorizzit]

[Seireitei]
Battlefield

Naito continues to try to push through the sludge, but the viscous mass quickly slows the Quincy down to a near halt. Felicia's barrage of tentacles does the rest of the work. Naito catches the first two, but with their arms so occupied Naito is forced to rely on their armor. Most of the attacks are deflected or reduced to scratches, but a few manage to break through and stab deeper into Naito's body. The hybrid doesn't seem particularly phased by this beyond a few hisses of pain. As Masaru swoops down to deliver the belt of Ginto, Naito glances up only briefly while continuing to fight. When Masaru drops the bandolier, Naito catches the materiel in their jaws before swallowing it whole. After a moment, Naito's reiatsu explodes, unstably boosted by the direct injection of additional Reiryoku. Immediately after, the medium rips apart the tentacles in their hands before severing the remaining tentacles impaling them. When Kamen Rider Rei emerges inside the barrier, Naito briefly looks back at him.

"Bad choice. Try not to die."

Returning to focusing on Felicia, Naito projects two Reishi walls to deflect the next round of pseudopods, slamming the constructs back down into the muck on top of the tentacles.

"Restriction 777 Released. The Carthage protocol is now in effect. Schrift S: the Scourge! ENGAGED!"

Naito's reiatsu flares once more, the color darkening to a pitch black as sickly green veins split through the surface. Naito slams one palm into their chest, releasing a pulse of energy that passes through their body, blasting away the diseases the Felicia's tentacles had implanted. As the corrupt Hollow lashes out with another wave of spikes, Naito rips free of the muck and leaps to the ceiling formed by Rei's defensive field. Shoving off, Naito blazes through Felicia's defenses and pins the monster to the ground with one hand. Naito leans down onto all fours, staring Felicia in the eye.

"Back in the mansion, you went off about how it was 'time to see who we were dealing with.' About how it was time for the hammer to drop. How you did all this because you could. Because you wanted to. That's what you do, isn't it? You hurt and kill on your whims. Because you've always gotten away with it. Nobody's ever punished you. Tell me. Is this going the way it usually does?! ARE YOU STILL HAVING FUN?! I don't give a f*** about who you are. I don't give a f*** who your daddy is. You hurt my friend. And you don't get to walk away from this one. This. Is. The hammer. END OF DAYS!"

A powerful surge of energy builds in Naito's body, as arcs of power begin to crackle over their limbs. With a primal scream, Naito releases a wave of pure destructive energy in all directions, blazing through the sludge and slamming into the barriers with severe force. Rather than being completely pent up, however, the wave redirects into the unshielded ground, blasting a deep crater out under the surface, promptly collapsing the surrounding area into a pit dozens of meters wide.

For Koutarou, the experience is agonizing. The Scourge is weapon meant to inflict agonizing pain before annihilating its target entirely; being struck even by a diffuse attack such as this one hurts terribly, and he can feel the malignant energy attempting to dissolve through his defenses and melt away the flesh underneath.

When the dust clears, there is no sign of Felicia or her sludge. Only a faint sense of Naito's reiatsu remains, buried deep within the collapsed earth below where they had been.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; Ryoma's tent]

Ryoma perks an eyebrow like he doesn't understand what Senshi is getting his knickers in a twist about.

Senshi's face twitches. A sense of de ja vu is going through, as if he'd had this discussion before. As if...

"Hollows are quite convenient to kill for money. They wear masks to hide that they were once living things. They're dangerous and hostile to humans, so it's easy to get people to agree they ought to go. Best of all, when you put a Zanpakuto through their heads, they forget all the pain and suffering they experienced as Hollows. So you can set them on fire, soak them in acid, freeze them solid, sever their limbs and hang them from iron hooks... and you still get to go home and tell yourself that you're the good guy. After all, you purified them. Yay."

... who said that? Was it some academy instructor? Or Senshi himself? The Devil on his shoulder? Nevermind that. Senshi collects his thoughts, crosses his arms and gives an angry look at Ryoma.

"Hey. Suppose I tore your arms off. Suppose I hung you from iron chains and put you in a freezer. Even more, suppose I had a device to stitch you back together and make you forget all about it. You'd wake up tomorrow in this tent, not remembering any of it. "

"Would that make it okay?"

[Kuroimaken]

[Soul Society; Ryoma's tent]



Senshi's face twitches. A sense of de ja vu is going through, as if he'd had this discussion before. As if...



... who said that? Was it some academy instructor? Or Senshi himself? The Devil on his shoulder? Nevermind that. Senshi collects his thoughts, crosses his arms and gives an angry look at Ryoma.

"Hey. Suppose I tore your arms off. Suppose I hung you from iron chains and put you in a freezer. Even more, suppose I had a device to stitch you back together and make you forget all about it. You'd wake up tomorrow in this tent, not remembering any of it. "

"Would that make it okay?"

"That feels a lot like missing the point." Ryoma mulls over. He's not exactly sure what Senshi's getting at, but then again, thinking was never his strong suit.

"Don't think it's about whether that makes it okay or not. I think the question is why would you do that. Is it cuz you're stronger? Cuz I've met a lot of guys who thought they could be jerks cuz they were stronger than others. I was one for a while, learned it's more trouble than it's worth."

[Frozen_Feet]

"They are not unrelated questions", Senshi says coldly. "Why people do or do not this or that always boils down to whether they think it's okay or not. The guys pushing others around 'cause they're stronger? They think their strength makes it okay."

"So what's supposed to be the why that'd make okay what you did to that Hollow? Fairness? That's bull crap. You know why Hollows do what they do, right?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I think you're mistakin' two important things." Ryouma notes.

"People will do things that they think are not okay too. They can live with it because they have ta, or because on the long run it hurts 'em less.
I ain't that complicated. Something tries to kill me, I return the favor however I want. I ain't thinking about that bein' okay or not. I'm doin' it because I want to, and if something tryin' ta kill me ain't enough reason, well. I wouldn't know what is. Somethin' kills something else to survive, ain't nothing personal about it, don't mean that whoever would be dinner ain't entitled to bein' pissed off about it.
Just 'cuz yer defendin' someone else don't mean that makes ya any less of a killer. Use whatever pretty words ya want, you kill Hollows for a livin'. Own it up."

[Frozen_Feet]

"You're the one missing things" , Senshi snarls, "because you didn't kill the Hollow. It's not just about that. Never was. "

Senshi taps the ground with his foot. "Here's a thought for you. Yeah, people sometimes do things they're not okay with. But good people, honest people, who don't lie to themselves and others of what they've done, feel guilt for that. If given the choice, they will not do those things. Now, it would be one thing if someone forced you. But who forced you, huh?"

[Kuroimaken]

"The whole point of 'I did it because I wanted to' is not bein' forced. I thought that was pretty clear." Ryoma notes boredly.

"Do you feel guilt for every cow you ate a part of? Anyone ever make ya eat when ya didn't want to? See, I wanna eat meat, I have ta kill something. Ain't anything ever gonna change that. If I kill a deer, its calves have all the right in the world to be pissed at me and wanting me dead.

Say a Hollow's gotta eat too. Does that mean I have ta like it when he says I'm dinner? Does that mean I can't be mad because it just is what it is? Cry me a ****ing river. Sometimes I'm happy to just make sure they get what they wanted ta happen to me. Other times, I feel like maybe they need ta be made an example of."

[KnightDisciple]

Kamen Rider Rei comes bursting out of the sea of sludge in Iron Maiden form, surrounded by a crackling field of lightning. He'd taken this much longer to get through for not taking advantage of the same opening as Naito, and also for seeing their friends to safety.

"I'm not entirely sure what your plan is, but I would see fit to lend you a hand."

Felicia attempts to impale Naito by erupting bone-like spikes of festering disease from the ground, one after another, attempting to entrap the hybrid by any means necessary. In so doing, she seems to neglect the presence of the Commander-General, whose defensive field moves to envelop the 'roof' of the battlefield.

"Masaru! I need a field of shadows to back me! Keep me from flying backwards!"

______

Masaru gives him that backing of shadow...

[Seireitei]
Battlefield

Naito continues to try to push through the sludge, but the viscous mass quickly slows the Quincy down to a near halt. Felicia's barrage of tentacles does the rest of the work. Naito catches the first two, but with their arms so occupied Naito is forced to rely on their armor. Most of the attacks are deflected or reduced to scratches, but a few manage to break through and stab deeper into Naito's body. The hybrid doesn't seem particularly phased by this beyond a few hisses of pain. As Masaru swoops down to deliver the belt of Ginto, Naito glances up only briefly while continuing to fight. When Masaru drops the bandolier, Naito catches the materiel in their jaws before swallowing it whole. After a moment, Naito's reiatsu explodes, unstably boosted by the direct injection of additional Reiryoku. Immediately after, the medium rips apart the tentacles in their hands before severing the remaining tentacles impaling them. When Kamen Rider Rei emerges inside the barrier, Naito briefly looks back at him.

"Bad choice. Try not to die."

Returning to focusing on Felicia, Naito projects two Reishi walls to deflect the next round of pseudopods, slamming the constructs back down into the muck on top of the tentacles.

"Restriction 777 Released. The Carthage protocol is now in effect. Schrift S: the Scourge! ENGAGED!"

Naito's reiatsu flares once more, the color darkening to a pitch black as sickly green veins split through the surface. Naito slams one palm into their chest, releasing a pulse of energy that passes through their body, blasting away the diseases the Felicia's tentacles had implanted. As the corrupt Hollow lashes out with another wave of spikes, Naito rips free of the muck and leaps to the ceiling formed by Rei's defensive field. Shoving off, Naito blazes through Felicia's defenses and pins the monster to the ground with one hand. Naito leans down onto all fours, staring Felicia in the eye.

"Back in the mansion, you went off about how it was 'time to see who we were dealing with.' About how it was time for the hammer to drop. How you did all this because you could. Because you wanted to. That's what you do, isn't it? You hurt and kill on your whims. Because you've always gotten away with it. Nobody's ever punished you. Tell me. Is this going the way it usually does?! ARE YOU STILL HAVING FUN?! I don't give a f*** about who you are. I don't give a f*** who your daddy is. You hurt my friend. And you don't get to walk away from this one. This. Is. The hammer. END OF DAYS!"

A powerful surge of energy builds in Naito's body, as arcs of power begin to crackle over their limbs. With a primal scream, Naito releases a wave of pure destructive energy in all directions, blazing through the sludge and slamming into the barriers with severe force. Rather than being completely pent up, however, the wave redirects into the unshielded ground, blasting a deep crater out under the surface, promptly collapsing the surrounding area into a pit dozens of meters wide.

For Koutarou, the experience is agonizing. The Scourge is weapon meant to inflict agonizing pain before annihilating its target entirely; being struck even by a diffuse attack such as this one hurts terribly, and he can feel the malignant energy attempting to dissolve through his defenses and melt away the flesh underneath.

When the dust clears, there is no sign of Felicia or her sludge. Only a faint sense of Naito's reiatsu remains, buried deep within the collapsed earth below where they had been.

Though it seems to matter little. The leader of the Pack lands his Bankai mount, eyes narrowing. Not at Naito, but at the situation.

"Was it really all that fury...and it's done?"

He wasn't so much disappointed as unconvinced.
=============================================

[Elsewhere]

A very timid knock on the door to the room the Royal Guard is convening in.

"Pardon the interruption, but there is an instructor from the Shinoreijutsuin requesting an audience with the esteemed members of the Royal Guard." The attendant speaks.

Masamune quirks an eyebrow and turns, setting his teacup down.

"Enter, please."

He remains seated, patiently waiting for...whoever would enter.

[Kuroimaken]

[The (ending?) battle]
Neither was Kamen Rider Rei. For good reason. Even the most ludicrously furious enemy has a self-preservation instinct. If at the end of it all Felicia had tried to cover herself...

The first thing the Commander-General does, however, is to approach the smoking crater, flaring his Reiatsu in order to blow the smoke away to find Naito. Even if Felicia is dead, there is no reason to assume her diseases have not outlived her, a good deal of which were airborne, so it's best to get the hybrid out of the way.

All in all, his defenses held well. It is a fairly badly kept secret that his Bankai has an... ideological component. It thoroughly rejects that which runs counter to his moral fiber, and suffering as a tool of war ranks quite high on that list. This, combined with his own electromagnetic defense field, kept him safe from the rebounding energy. That is not to say he would like to repeat the experience if he could help it.

"All available units, check for stray or hidden Reiatsu signatures. Our enemy might have burrowing capabilities."

He only hopes that if she does, she's not as good at hiding as he thinks she could be.

______________

[The Conference Room]

The Shinigami that timidly walks into the room with the aid of a cane and a distinct limp is quite old, hunched over by age and fatigue alike. Even as he gazes at the veteran, Masamune can tell - this man has seen untold battles, and he gave much in service of Soul Society. His Zanpakutou at his waist appears weathered even from the outside, and a smith of his caliber would weep to know how much it had to withstand in defense of its user.

"Greetings, sir, and thank you for indulging an old fool like myself. My name is Senjusaemon Nobutada, instructor of the Shinoreijutsuin." He is clearly trembling in order to remain upright, but he dares not take a seat of his own initiative. He's breaking enough protocol as it is.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; Ryoma's tent]

"The whole point of 'I did it because I wanted to' is not bein' forced. I thought that was pretty clear." Ryoma notes boredly.

"Do you feel guilt for every cow you ate a part of? Anyone ever make ya eat when ya didn't want to? See, I wanna eat meat, I have ta kill something. Ain't anything ever gonna change that. If I kill a deer, its calves have all the right in the world to be pissed at me and wanting me dead.

Say a Hollow's gotta eat too. Does that mean I have ta like it when he says I'm dinner? Does that mean I can't be mad because it just is what it is? Cry me a ****ing river. Sometimes I'm happy to just make sure they get what they wanted ta happen to me. Other times, I feel like maybe they need ta be made an example of."

"Excuses. All of that" , Senshi replies and taps his head. "If you mean to say, you cut off that Hollow's limbs and froze it and chose to keep it as a pet because you wanted to, something's messed up with you, man."

"It all boils down to why Hollows act like they do."

Senshi glares at Ryoma. "Hollows were people. Who were driven insane by their attachment to a past life and lost heart. Both literally and figuratively lost their hearts. Hollows are not cows. They are not animals, they are not living things. They don't fight for survival nor sustenance, they fight because they are mad."

"When you try to apply your concept of fairness to what they do, if you think it's fine to do to them what they try to do to you, you are sinking to the level of an insane, heartless being. By emulating them, for whatever reason, you are directly making yourself a worse person. "

Senshi recrosses his arms. " But that's just the tip of the iceberg. You're comparing what you did to me eating cows, but that's bull crap. We Shinigami don't hunt Hollows for food. And again, you didn't kill the Hollow, much less eat it! You decided to keep it as a pet, after defeating it! After maiming it! None of that was necessary! None of that can be justified by self-defense or survival! "

Where is this all coming from? Senshi's mouth is moving, but he's not sure these words are his. It's more like he is reciting a lecture from memory. Who was the target, the first time around? Himself?

"Making an example out of one doesn't even work! Don't you get it? Hollows are attracted by powerfull Reiatsu! When they hit the bottom of their insanity, they seek out a stronger Hollow and throw themselves at its mouth, to be eaten in cannibalistic orgy! Hollows are not repelled by feats of strength and brutality! They are attracted by them! Nothing you could do would actually be more horrifying than what Hollows routinely do to each other! "

Senshi looks around to see if Ryoma's Zanpakuto is around. If so, he points to it. If not, he grabs his own sheathed blade and pulls it off his belt, shaking it before Ryoma. "You know what's the real reason why we use these? I mean, yeah, we kill Hollows, to protect innocent people from being eaten. That's always been my primary concern. Protection. But if that was the sole concern, we'd just annihilate Hollows. Just like Quincies used to do. If this was just about hunting and being hunted, eating and being eaten, that'd be the end of it. But it's not! Like said, Hollows used to be people! We use Zanpakuto to restore them to that prior state. To heal them! "

Senshi lowers his hand, or tucks his sword back to his belt. He continues with a more contemplative tone.

"So when a Shinigami fights a Hollow, they should try to minimize the suffering of the Hollows they fight. Hollows shouldn't be hated. They should be pitied. They are being forced to exist in an existence of eternal suffering, pain, and hunger. They should be purified quickly so their suffering is ended. That is the most mercifull thing to do, to them and all souls around them. "

[Kuroimaken]

Ryouma just stares like all that is going over his head.

It's clear he doesn't care for being lectured, and apparently this is just what's happening now.

"Yanno, I've been thinking for a while that the Hollow stink on ya has gotten stronger since we first met. And now here you are droning on about pity for Hollows.

You got a Hollow mistress or somethin'?"

[Frozen_Feet]

Senshi gives Ryoma a flat stare. "This shouldn't be so hard. Hollows used to be people. We Shinigami are responsible for making them back into people. They aren't just enemies we're trying to kill, they are people we're trying to save. "

"When you decided to keep that Hollow as a pet instead of purifying it, you pointlessly prolonged suffering of a human soul. Again: what if it'd been you who was the Hollow, huh? You complain about my stench, but what you don't seem to grok is that anyone who has died and become a Plus, could've also become a Hollow. So if you we're driven insane, would you prefer that instead of healing you, they'd cut off your arms and keep you as a pet?"

[Kuroimaken]

"Look, ye're barking up the wrong tree here." Ryouma points out as this conversation was growing a LOT more circuitous than he could normally withstand. "I've been around a lotta stray Hollows. Killed a lotta them too. I don't think any of 'em ever saw things the way you say it happens. Ran into a LOT of talkers, too.

You know what they all said when I cornered 'em, after they'd tried their darnedest level best to make me deader than a doornail?"

Ryouma leans in and whispers.

"Please don't."

He leans back on the bed(rest?). It smarts a little.

"Ain't a single one of 'em ever said 'thank you for putting me outta my misery', and not for lack of chances - any one of 'em I let slip came back fer more. Far as they were concerned, they were dyin'. And that pain of dyin' was bigger than any madness or hole in their hearts. Ain't any of those ever turn into people after I'd smashed their skulls in. And again: not for lack of chances.

And see, I can live with that. I can accept that I killed 'em cuz if I didn't, it'd be me instead. If what yer saying is right, a lot of 'em weren't purified, just pureé'd. I killed a bunch of 'em before I got my sword after all.

I get that yer upset cuz I didn't put 'im outta his misery. But here's the thing: Stumpy and his friends pierced my lungs least twice that I can remember. They could grow their limbs back. Instead, ya put a sword through his skull.

From where I'm standin', you just killed someone what couldn't defend himself. And you say I'm the bad guy fer not doin' it sooner."

Senshi might get the impression that's what's not sitting right with Ryouma in his narrative. He doesn't see death as mercy, even if it's a necessary step of purification, rather than not comprehending what mercy is.

"That thing at yer waist ain't medicine or a packa bandages. It's a sword. And swords are used for killin' and hurtin'. If ya need ta tell yerself that it's a tool of mercy instead, then you have no business carryin' one."

[Dorizzit]

[Seireitei]
The Crater

Naito appears to be actually buried under the broken rock and loose earth at the bottom of the crater. They certainly aren't visible even after the dust is cleared away.

Conference Room

Rin, already on her feet and about to leave, fixes the older shinigami with an unreadable stare. After a moment, she extends one hand towards one of the chairs in the room.

"Bakudo 3: Utsusu."

A golden glow emerges from the chair, which Rin proceeds to guide behind the instructor. She retakes her seat.

"You may be seated."

After that, she falls silent. Masamune would recognize this as a return to form after a rather uncharacteristic action on her part, as she usually leaves it to her seniors to dictate protocol.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Soul Society; Ryoma's tent]

Senshi is completely unmoved by the argument. "See, that's not a counter-argument that'd be worth my time. That's just a reminder that you're not a real Shinigami. Not yet."

"Hollows turning back to people when purified is well-documented. Yeah, you may have not seen it. All that means is that you don't know much about it. You know who else usually doesn't know? "

Senshi walks closer to Ryoma and whispers his ear. "The Hollows. Your average Hollow is just some guy who died. The whole reason they became a Hollow to begin with is that they can't accept it. They don't know about Shinigami. They don't know about afterlife. They don't know, or at least can't accept, that if they had let go a bit sooner, the whole process of their purification would have been unnecessary. "

"So they beg you for their lifes? Of course they do. Hollows are born from fear - the fear of death. What about it? It's the one thing you cannot expect a Hollow to have an informed and sane opinion about. It is another symptom of their madness, not some distinct thing. "

"There's also a reason why those purified never come and thank you. Because purification removes memories of a person's time as a Hollow and the process of becoming such. But that's a good thing. Because if they did remember, the pain and horror of it would make them insane again. The whole problem was caused by them being unable to forgive and forget in the first place. It makes being a Shinigami a bit thankless, to be honest - but it's a small price to pay."

Senshi shrugs and looks outside the tent. "Oh well. I'm not Internal Security or Academy instructor. It's not my job to take you to task for what you've done. And they've taken in worse cases than you and made them into decent people. Hell, if I remember right about Kiba, he didn't even speak a human language when they brought him in. And he became a Lieutenant. Maybe there's hope for you too. "

Of course, Kiba also bailed because he didn't agree with the treaty with Las Noches. Senshi hasn't spend a lot of thought on it before, but now the absence of Kenpachi's former disciple comes back to bother him like a needle under his sole.

[Kuroimaken]

"Sure, maybe there's evidence of Hollows turnin' ta people when you 'purify' 'em. Ever think that maybe if ya came at 'em not with somethin' they can recognize as capable of hurtin' there might be less sufferin' involved in the job?" Ryouma points at Senshi. "See, I jus' can't shake that putting all that in your heads is the only way you can keep sane. You get all high an' mighty on yer high horse and say 'this is for their own good', and maybe bein' a soldier doesn't sound so bad. 'Cuz they're 'monsters' after all. And I should know, 'cuz I've been a 'monster' all my life. Least that's the way I been treated.

And ya know, wanting ta hurt or force someone ta be what they don't want ta be? It ain't right. I learned not ta take it personally. I try not ta start it most days. When I do, I do it knowin' it ain't right. And I can live with doing somethin' I know ain't right, but I own it up. When I break someone's bones, and I like the sound it makes, I know somethin' ain't right in my head.

But I own it up.

I make no excuses for bein' a monster. And I don't hide behind it either, what I do, I do 'cuz it's my choice. Bein' responsible for my choices, that's what makes me a better monster than the regular monster.

So who knows. Maybe if ya learn to admit that 'em Hollows ya sliced were killed, no matter wha happened to their souls after the fact, one day you'll make a decent monster too.

I mean... ya already smell like one."

[Frozen_Feet]

"... did you, from the moment you gained your powers, become violently possessive of your loved ones? Or was your first instinct to take bloody vengeance on those who wronged them?" , Senshi asks and crosses his arms. "Did you try to kill them? Eat them? Did you go and murder other people simply because they smelled tasty?"

"If not, then you never were a monster. Not like Hollows are."

Senshi points at himself. "You know what else? Hollows aren't the people they used to be. Again, they are insane. Heartless. Twisted shades of their former selves. If you asked people before the transformation, most of them would not want to turn like that. So what was that, about not forcing people to change against their wish, huh? You realize that in order for a Hollow's persona to have value like that, I'd first have to admit that turning into a Hollow against my wishes would somehow be a good thing."

Senshi points his finger at Ryoma. "So hey. Since you like to throw the word 'monster' around. Suppose you had an actual choice. You could choose to be a monster, or not be one. Which one would it be?"

[Kuroimaken]

"I never had loved ones, so most of yer questions are a moot point."

Silence.

"Likewise I never had a choice in bein' treated like a monster. I did try to be nice. No one cared. Everything I learned, I learned by myself.

I heard that in Las Noches they take feral Hollows and they make 'em lose their insanity. Course, they don't ask if they want to not be insane anymore. Not like they'd say yes if'n they did. After that they ask if they can live like normal people. If they don't adapt, they get thrown out, if they do, they live like anyone else. You talk a lot about them being mad and yer sword being a redemption on their madness. What if it's just you forcin' em to be what you want 'em to be? You ever stopped and explained to a Hollow what it is? If it wants ta be purified?

You ever ask Stumpy if he wanted to be 'reborn'?"