Devilish Gaming: Ch.29

“Hah…hah…hah…” Ichigo's breathing was heavy as he stood on top of the Sokyoku Hill, trying his best to catch his breath and not faint from exhaustion as he stared at his foe.

Byakuya Kuchiki on the other hand simply looked at his foe teetering from side to side with a shaky gaze, unable to help his astonishment.

A mere teenager, not even a tenth of his age, was able to defeat him. Something that he was sure not many Shinigami of the modern era would be able to do.

Both fighters' bodies were littered with numerous wounds, their clothes in tatters. Ichigo took a deep breath as he stood up straight and raised Zangetsu a moment later with a shaky grip.

“You wished to know why I would kill Rukia.” Ichigo's eyes widened as he heard Byakuya speak, the Shinigami ignoring his wounds and his voice as calm as ever.

“Sinners…must be brought to justice.”

“Is that it? What if you…were wrong? What if…she was innocent?” Ichigo asked, his voice heavy with fatigue, and Byakuya looked at him before slowly shaking his head.

“Then I will live by my mistake…for the rest of my existence. The Kuchiki Clan is one of the Four Great Noble Clans and we are to set an example for Shinigami everywhere. If we are to ignore the rules, what message does that send to the average Shinigami?”

“I guess, but as an older brother…I still can't understand. If I were in your position…I would fight every Shinigami that…wants to do so just to make sure…that she is safe.”

“Even if-!” Byakuya stopped talking as he felt a sudden surge of powerful Reiatsu flaring near the bottom of the Sokyoku. Ichigo felt it too and his eyes widened as he felt the familiar comforting aura of Chad rippling through the air..

As the energies faded, Ichigo smiled as he could feel Chad's Reiatsu no matter how faint it was and Byakuya hid his shock at how another friend of Ichigo Kurosaki's was able to keep up with someone such as Lieutenant Sasakibe, a man touted to be a captain-class fighter.

“It appears that your friend has kept up Lieutenant Sasakibe long enough for Renji to get away. You should feel proud.”

“I am…but are you going to keep chasing Rukia?” Ichigo asked with a frown as he kept a tight grip on his blade and Byakuya couldn't help but find Ichigo's persistence amusing as he hummed.

“No, you have won this bout. I shall pursue Rukia Kuchiki no longer.” Byakuya spoke as he turned and began walking away only to take a glance to the side as he saw the wind picking up.

“What the…?” Ichigo was just as confused at the miniature tornado before his eyes widened at the sight of Rukia and Renji appearing back on top of the hill.

“W-What the hell?!” The red-haired Shinigami exclaimed as he stood up and Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the sight of Tosen standing there before looking to the side right in time to see a shocking sight.

“My, my~ It appears Captain Byakuya is still here, sir.” Gin Ichimaru spoke with a sly smirk as he stood up from his kneeling position, but Byakuya was more shocked at the man besides the white-haired captain.

The Shinigami in question looked pleased with the sight in front of him as he strode forward, exuding an effortless confidence and his Reiatsu causing a still silence in the air.

“Captain…Aizen?” Byakuya was utterly confused at the formerly deceased captain in front of him, who smiled as he reached for his katana and slowly unsheathe the katana at his hip.

“I am pleased to see you as well, Captain Kuchiki.

“You died.”

“Did I? Do you truly trust your senses, Captain Kuchiki?” Aizen asked with a smile, Byakuya frowning as he reached for his Zanpakuto only for the air to tremble as Aizen vanished from his gaze.

The sickening sound of flesh being cut echoed in the air as Byakya staggered forward, blood flowing from the new fresh cuts on his chest as he fell forward onto the rocky dirt.

“You must be the ryoka Ichigo Kurosaki.” Aizen spoke with a beautiful soft smile, sheathing his blade while ignoring the horrifying sight of Byakuya barely still alive behind him.

“Brother!!” Rukia shouted as she tried her best to rush over, but Renji gritted his teeth as he held her back while glaring at Aizen.

“W-What the…What the hell did you do that for?!” Ichigo exclaimed with a glare and Aizen smiled despite the hostility as he sheathed his sword and stopped a few meters away from them.

“I simply did not wish for Captain Kuchiki to interrupt us while we have this discussion. I must admit that I am quite impressed by what you all have done in the past few days.” Ichigo wanted to focus on the captain's words, but he couldn't help his heart pounding as he felt the Shinigami's monstrous Reiatsu rippling across the hill.

Even with the distance between them, Ichigo forced himself to stop shaking and was glad that he wasn't the only one as he saw Renji struggling to stand while Rukia looked caught between a mixture of confusion, shock and fear.

“Why…why are you here?”

“For her.” Aizen answered while gesturing towards Rukia, who looked surprised as both Ichigo and Renji frowned.

“For what?”

“You truly don't know, do you? Fascinating. I believe Kisuke Urahra did not inform you of why exactly he sent you here.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Ichigo snapped, trying to keep himself calm and Aizen smirked before responding.

“Within her lies something I desire. Something that should have never been placed inside of her in the first place.”

“What do you mean?” Renji asked with a frown and Aizen's smile widened as he continued.

“Let me take you back to the core fundamentals all Shinigami strive to master: Kido, Zanjutsu, Hoho and Hakuda. However, even if one achieves perfect mastery of each of these four categories, it will still not be enough for those that truly strive to be the best. Therefore, one Shinigami had an idea. What if one could break that boundary? What if one can rip away the barrier that separates Hollow from Shinigami?”

“Kisuke Urahara.” Renji whispered as he put the pieces together and both Ruki and Ichigo was shocked as Aizen gave a slight nod.

“Very good, Renji. It is impressive to see that you use that brain of yours.”

“W-Well, let's say you are telling the truth. What the hell does Rukia have to do with this?”

“Please be patient, Ichigo Kurosaki. I am still explaining.” Aizen reprimanded the Shinigami with a slight smile and Ichigo gritted his teeth as Renji took a deep breath to ready himself.

“Now where was I? Ah yes, the barrier. As Kisuke Urahara continued to work on breaking this barrier, he finally was able to do so and his research resulted in an artifact of immeasurable power. An artifact…known as the Hogyoku. Now this Hogyoku was quite powerful in the right hands…but it was also quite dangerous in the wrong hands.

Kisuke Urahara saw this problem and decided to cease researching it further, even going so far as to seal it away. However, he knew that in time, the Hogyoku would be set free and so, he had to resort to a forbidden method in where he sealed a foreign object inside of a soul. With the Hogyoku sealed inside of the soul, it would devour the spiritual energy of said soul and reduce them to a mere human.

“Can I assist you, Ms. Kuchiki? Perhaps…with a gigai?” Rukia's eyes widened as a look of understanding flashed in her eyes and a gleam of sadistic amusement appeared in Aizen's eyes as he noticed it.

“It appears you have figured it out, Ms. Kuchiki. Yes, the day after you gave your spiritual energy to Ichigo Kurosaki here is also the day when you received a gigai from Kisuke Urahara. From that day forth, I made plans to not only ensure that you are brought back post-haste but that you are executed by the Sokyoku to ensure that the soul obscuring the Hogyoku would be burned away.

“You…you planned all of this?” Ichigo asked with a growl and Aizen smiled as he tilted his head while looking down at them with a nod.

“From the very beginning.”

“That is quite the story you paint there, Aizen Sosuke.” A deep voice rumbled across the hill and both Renji and Rukia looked relieved while Aizen smiled as he turned around.

“Sorry, captain Aizen. It appears that we were caught off-guard.” Gin spoke with a teasing smile as a busty, orange-haired Shinigami held her blade against his throat.

To the side, Tosen frowned as he was held back by a dog-like humanoid dressed in a captain's uniform while holding his massive nodachi to the back of his neck while they all were surrounded by what appeared to be nothing but lieutenants and captains.

Aizen turned his gaze towards the new arrivals, remaining calm despite the overwhelming odds stacked against him as his sharp eyes quickly analysed each figure.

“Captain-Commander Yamamoto.” Aizen greeted with a small yet polite nod, not even sounding slightly concerned as the elderly commander of the Gotei 13 gazed at the former captain with an intensity that could burn the sun itself.

“Your betrayal runs deep, Aizen Sosuke. Did you truly believe we would let you go after this travesty?” His voice was heavy with restrained wrath and Aizen gave a soft chuckle before answering.

“Betrayal? That is quite the accusation. I would argue that it is merely a divergence in ideology.”

“Enough of your lies!” Soi-Fon, captain of Squad 2, snapped as her Zanpakuto was already released in the form of a black-and-gold gauntlet around her right hand, with only her right middle finger being covered by a stinger-like blade as the rest of the fingers were left unprotected.

“You killed and deceived your comrades. Do you truly believe you will walk away unpunished.

“Oh, I believe nothing of the sort. I merely understand the futility of your resistance.” Aizen replied his voice smooth as silk as he tilted his head before his Reiatsu surged forward.

Where it had felt as if one was caught in a windy day before, the entirety of the Sokyoku Hill trembled and a wave of immensely powerful Reiatsu made several of the lieutenants and even some captains stagger.

Their legs buckled beneath the weight of his power, but some of the captains held firm as Kyoraku whistled with a smile while Ukitake, Chojiro and Yamamoto frowned.

“Gin, Tosen. It appears our time here has come to an end.”

“Well, it has been fun, Rangiku.” Gin spoke and in a single fluid motion, Rangiku grunted in surprise as he slipped out of her grasp and appeared besides Aizen in an instant.

Tosen moved swiftly from Komamura's hold as well, surprising his friend with the sudden surge of powerful Reiatsu before he vanished and appeared on the other side of Aizen.

“We won't let you leave!” Soi-Fon exclaimed as she rushed forward, each step accelerating her further and further as she appeared in front of Aizen with her right hand held back.

Yet, her eyes widened as Aizen kept her gaze even as she vanished and appeared behind him, easily catching her gloved hand before sending her ragdolling across the hill with a swift kick.

Ichigo barely had any time to ready himself before Aizen was right in front of him, the Substitute Shinigami trying to raise Zangetsu only for the former captain to place a finger on his shoulder and force the teenager to a knee.

“You have potential, Ichigo Kurosaku…” Aizen spoke softly as he barely struggled to keep Ichigo growl while the Shinigami in question tried his best to break free before he stilled as Aizen leaned down with a smile.

“But you are still far too inexperienced to challenge me.”

“Enough!” With one single yet simple command, the temperature had skyrocketed as Yamato took a step forward, the sheer magnitude and potency of his Reiatsu being enough to warp the very air and ground around him.

“This treachery ends now.”

“I would love to indulge you, Head-Captain, but I'm afraid I have pressing matters else where.” The next moment, the world around them shattered and everyone looked surprised to see Aizen standing with a glowing orb in his hands.

“Rukia!” Spinning around with panic raising in his heart, Renji looked shocked at the sight of Rukia lying in Ichigo's arms with a hole in her heart.

“Do not worry. Any damage done to the soul while I was extracting the Hogyoku will be healed in due time, but for now, this is where we bid you adieu.”

“Burn all of creation to ash, Ryukin Jak-!” Before Yamamoto could finish his release command, he sighed as he saw three pillars of golden light slamming down onto the three betrayers.

“Until we meet again, Captain-Commander Yamamoto.”

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“Oh, he's waking up!” Chad groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, blinking slowly before wincing at the bright lights above his head.

“A-Ah, sorry! I should have kept the lights on dim.” A familiar voice spoke and Chad frowned as he sat up, wincing at the pain around his body before blinking at the sight of a grinning Ichigo sitting at the foot of his bed.

“How you doing?”

“Not that good, but it's better than the time we first went drinking.”

“Why am I not surprised that you two delinquents went drinking?” Uryu's voice spoke up from the sides, Chad turning only to raise an eyebrow at the Quincy having bandages wrapped around his neck, forehead and arms.

“Do I want to ask?”

“Kenpachi thought he was strong.” Ichigo answered and Chad blinked at that before turning as he felt a familiar healing aura surrounding his body, Orihime smiling happily while Tatsuki gave a nod from where she was relaxing on a chair next to Orihime with her arm in a sling.

“I see. What happened exactly while I was out cold?”

“Oh, nothing much. Just that we all got our asses handed to us, Rukia is now safe and not going to be executed anymore and we're also now stuck in a war.”

'…That explains this.' Chad thought with a frown as he looked at the screen in front of him, which was a dark red compared to the usual green from before while the outer edges were a pitch black.

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You have been exposed to a powerful artifact. Potential has been boosted slightly. Power has been boosted slightly. Barrier between Human and Hollow has been torn down.

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Name: Chad
Race: Fullbringer
Reiryoku Levels: Immense
Reiatsu: Spirit Class Rank 3

SKILLS:
*Fullbring: Expert
*Hand-to-Hand Combat: Expert

-HOLLOW:
*Bala: Advanced
*Cero: Expert
*Descorrer: Advanced
*High-Speed Regeneration: Expert
*Hierro: Expert
*Pesquisa: MAXED
*Sonido: Advanced

-Armadura Malévola del Guardián Demoníaco(Malevolent Armor of the Guardian Devil)[Incomplete]:
*Brazo Derecha el Gigante(Right Arm of The Giant): Expert
*Brazo Izquierda del Diablo(Left Arm of The Devil): Advanced

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Before the fight, most of his skills were at a rank of Journeyman with some at Advanced and some at Expert.

Now, Advanced was the lowest rank most of his skills had and even the percentages of gone, which was a bit of hassle since he had now clue of knowing how close he was to a new rank.

However, he could also see the merit of this as he would be now focused on training harder and by instinct to find out when he would gain a rank.

“Hey, you hear us, Chad?” Chad blinked as he snapped out of his thoughts and stared at Ichigo looking back with a frown.

“You sure he's okay, Inoue?”

“Uh, he's fully healed up.”

“Just stuck in my thoughts.” Chad answered and Ichigo groaned as he nodded.

“I understand you there. The guy I fought had me thinking for the past couple of days on how I can better myself and I think the same could be said for everyone else.”

“Uh, I just helped a lot so I don't need to think much about what I accomplished.” Orihime chimed in with a happy smile and Ichigo couldn't help his chuckle as Tatsuki patted the girl's head with a smile.

“Sure, Hime. What about you, Chad? From what I hear, you fought one of the strongest guys in the Gotei 13. Also, that captain you fought against is also one of the strongest guys so technically speaking, you contributed a lot more than we did.”

“Speak for yourself. I had to fight two captains and a lieutenant while you were busy lazing around with your battles.” Uryu spoke with a huff and Ichigo rolled his eyes before Chad looked to the window sill right as a black cat spoke up.

“Enough of your little talks. Let Chad have his rest since he just woke up.”

“You sure you just don't want to talk to him in secret?” Ichigo asked with a snort before he hissed as Yoruichi drop-kicked him in the face, landing with an elegant smile before hopping onto Chad's bed as Tatsuki nodded while Orihime giggled.

“We'll do that. Come on, Uryu.”

“Do not tell me where to go.” Uryu spoke with a grumble even as he stood up and followed after Tatsuki, who rolled her eyes as the others followed closely after.

“Did you wish to speak with me in secret?” Chad asked and Yoruichi nodded with a hum before Chad froze in his seat as the cat gave him a glare that was fuelled with a precise burst of Reiatsu.

“I am going to ask this once and only once. Yasutora Sado, do you know Sosuke Aizen?”

A/N: And we end on a cliffhanger as Chad is now under scrunity from Yoruichi. Why? We'll find out next week with the next chapter.

Also, sorry for the late upload but my family wanted to do some renovations/ new additions and changes to the house i.e. I was up all day moving stuff around.

Which is also why I'm only going to write the chapter for The Spiritual Don tonight but probably only half of it as my entire body is very stiff and sore.

That and I haven't been getting much sleep thanks to work so I'm going to go sleep early tonight.

Anyway, as always, read, enjoy, review and until the next one…

Ba-Bye~!!