New Threat - Chapter 13

New Threat
Chapter 13 – Bonded Veins, Part 4: Weakness

Two masked figures stayed near each other as they approached the Squad 6 barracks.  *both drew their swords quietly as a shinigami patrol walked by.

"I told you they'd be here Harumi."

The two masked men stopped and looked up.  Two women were sitting along the wall.  4th Seat Harumi Kazuhiro of Squad 7 and and 3rd Seat Atsumi Reido of Squad looked down at their husbands.  Atsumi had her Scimitar rested on her shoulder while Harumi's giant cleaver was being used as an arm rest.


"It's a good thing too Atsu.  The kids were beinging to wonder where their father was.  Sadly, I don't think I can bring myself to hurt Taiki."

Atsumi nodded in understanding.  "Wanna switch then?  I beat up Taiki and you can go after Hyoukai."

Harumi lifted her cleaver which began to glow as it heated up.  "I'll try not to burn him too much."

Atsumi's sword began to absorbwater vaper around the blade.  The water began to build up and glow.  "Please be careful."

The two women jumped forward as the men raised their swords.

**********Soukyouku Hill**************

Juria stopped on top of Soukyouku hill.  Much to her unshown surprise, Harigane stood there with his hands behind his back.  A saw like blade resting on his hip."

"Hey Skunkhead!  Did you come to see me?"

Juria silently drew her sword and wasted no time in bringing out her blood red zampaku-to.

"I see you did.  I hope you don't mind, but I brought so friends."

Two robotic replicates of Harigane shunpoed to either side of the first one.  Juria surveyed the scene and concluded that none of the 3 were the true Harigane.  The three machines each raised their copy of Harigane's Zampaku-to, Hachitsume.  Then, with their minds all synched, they charged at Juria.  

Juria carefully watched as all three vanished.  In her head, she calculated the most likely method of attack.  She back stepped and thrust the pole of her scythe behind her, smashing it into one of the robot's stomach.  She quickly followed up by throwing her first to the side, punching another Harigane right in his metal face.  Then she spun her scythe and slashed forward, removing the final Harigane's head as he just came out of Shunpo.  

The two remaining copies all stumbled, glaring at the emotionless girl.  "I see you've gotten better."

Juria looked at the one on her left, which was the one who appeared first.  "I haven't gotten better, cowards are just predictable.  A coward always attack from the blind point.  I just attacked what would have been my blind point if I retaliated to your first attack."

Both Harigane's roared and charged.  Juria waited until they were in range then spun her scythe a full 360 degrees.  One Harigane was cut in two.  The other manage to jump over the blade.  Juria took advantage of this defenseless position and grabbed this Harigane by the face.  

"Cowards are also easy to taunt.  An angry coward is the most predictable enemy."

Juria squeezed and crushed Harigane's head with her hand.  She sheathed her sword and began to head back to the Squad 1 Barracks.  

Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm and pulls it behind her back while one of her legs was kicked.  Juria winced as she was forced on her knees.  She turned her head and saw a different Harigane standing there.  Her eyes narrowed.

"As I said…cowards attack from the blind point."

Harigane chuckled.  "But a genius attack at the right moment.   Something you and I have in common…though considering your position, maybe not."

Juria shook her head.  "A genius also knows when one is not in danger.  A coward would be too focused on a prey they trapped…while a larger predator waited for their chance."

"Don't act so high and mighty, I know he's there dear.  Let's say hi."  Harigane pulled Juria back up and turned around, keeping Juria in front of him.  "Hello, Houtai."

The bandaged captain remained still.  His voice barely audible.  "Bankai… Sagirinai Borei Gaidoku."  White mist practically exploded from underneath the bandages, creating a fog around the entire area.

Rather than surprise, Harigane laughed.  "The seemingly powerful zampaku-to at it's finest.  Sadly it won't be any use, will it.  While you boast no weaknesses, it's actually full of weaknesses, isn't it?"

Houtai tilted his head.  "It slows down in the cold, but that's not much help here."  The fog condensed and formed a giant Cobra coiled around the captain.

"Oh don't play coy brother.  That's not a weakness.  That's basic physics.  No…the weakness is much simpler than that."

"Why not come here and find out."

"That's it's weakness isn't it." Harigane pulled Juri slightly closer to him.  "Borei Gaidoku is a living organism…a virus without a cure.  But a virus…it has a mind of it's own.  Doesn't it?"

Houtai straigtened up again.  His fist clenched, which is rare for his usually emotionless self.  

Harigane smiled.  "So it's true.  Let me form a Hypothesis.  The most you can tell Borei Gaidoku is what it can and cannot eat.  What you should do is tell it to eat specifically my metal alloy.  However…" Harigane tightened his grip on Juria's armed.  Juria reflexively closed one eye in pain.  "This girls arm…most of it's components are the same as mine, aren't they?"

The fog snake hissed loudly at Harigane.

"So…if you told your fog to eat any part of me…it would also rip apart this woman's arm and leg.  And since she has pain receptors in both limbs, the experience of being eaten would indeed be very painful and even more mentally scaring.  Correct?"

Houtai's head bent down about an inch.  The fog all retreated back underneath his bandages.  As soon as the mist clead Harigane raised one hand.

"Goog bye."

His arm split open and fired 4 long spiked.  One went into Houtai's heart, Another into his throat, and the final two both went into his skull.  The captain fell to the ground.

Harigane let out a meniacle laugh as Juria tried to rush forward to check her captain.

"Finally!  He's dead!  Houtai's dead!"

Juria stopped struggling and looked at her captain.  He didn't move.  He didn't even shunpo.  Why hadn't he?

"Harigane…you just gave him what he wanted."

Harigane pushed Juria back onto he knee.

"She up woman.  I won and he's dead."

"You think my arm is made up of the exact components as yours?"

"I designed this body that way."

"You have to get everything correct.  Not a single extra element added."

"I have the designs for your arm from Father's notes.  It's all correct.  So I hav-"

A thick white fog suddenly appeared around the area.

"Harigane…my arm has been upgraded since Kurotsuchi's design.  You just gave my captain a sample of what's in your body…and I think he just cross-referenced it with my arm's newest bleprints."

Houtai shunpo'd right behind Harigane, the spike still in his body.

"The wiring in your body has a type of copper that I no longer use."

Houtai pulled out his staff and stabed Harigane right in the chest.  All the fog rush into the staff and was able to spread through Harigane's body as it ate away at everything that even had a hint of copper.

Juria stood up and shunpo'd far away.  With her gone, Houtai changed his zampaku-to's parameters and watched as Harigane's body was slowly dissolved.

Juria returned once the deed was done.  Houtai looked at her.  "You were unusually chatty."

Juria stared at where Harigane's body used to be.  "Cowards are easily distracted.  I didn't want him to move before your trap was sprung."

Houtai nodded.  "Good judgement.  I'll need your assistance in a few minutes.  I need to rest before I can move much further."

Juria simply nodded as Houtai sat down and rested.

TO BE CONTINUED