(Compilation post between me and Dex. =D)
As Rin finished chanting the first lines of her spell, she reached the scene of the fight. Staying back, she cloaked her reiatsu and watched things unfold from cover. Former-Captain Kayasaki was powerful, she knew that much from experience, having sparred him a great deal during her time as his lieutenant. In fact, he'd taught her quite a bit about how to fight during those old days. Despite this, it shocked her to see his comrade - who she recognized as the Captain of the Fifth Squad himself - cut down one of the Soul Society's oldest Captains while he was using his Bankai. Captain Nura, inexperienced as she was, couldn't hope to match either of these opponents for very long. On the other hand, she had a plan that would allow her to at least do some damage.
As Jin watched his adversary fall, Nura saw her chance. Flinging herself from the rooftop where she stood, she revealed her reiatsu only a second before she struck, slashing her blade powerfully at the back of his neck. Jin grabbed the blade with his hand, pinching it between his fingers. He looked at Rin, the typical uninterested expression she had known for years.
"Nice to see you again, Captain Kayasaki," Rin said with a friendliness that belied the killing intent in her eyes and the reiatsu concentrated around her in a veritable electrical storm. "While I'd love to chat about old times - maybe even ask for some advice on how to rebuild the Tenth after that stunt you pulled last year - I'm afraid that I can't let you leave your cell."
Jin stared blankly at Rin, holding his sword down by his side with it still in its scarab (I think Dex means "Scabbard," here, but I'm not sure, so I'll just leave it like this.). “You have gotten faster, but I could sense your intent since you entered this area. Didn’t I tell you? Always hide your true intentions, lest you fall victim to them." Jin gave a heavy pull to her sword, forcing it out of her hands and landing point first on the ground a few feet away.
The young captain's eyes widened in surprise as her sword flew from her hands, batted away so easily by her former teacher and comrade. Expecting a follow-up attack now that she was exposed, Rin regained her footing as fast as she could, and then bounded off to the side in the instant her blade was knocked away. Flash stepping, she launched herself to a spot near her sword, then moved away again, as though she realized she couldn't reach her sword before Jin could counterattack, and instead had decided to try confusing her target. In short, it seemed she was panicking. Unseen by the traitor captain, however, she moved with a much clearer purpose. As her sword had landed, she had appeared near it, placing her foot on the ornamental ribbon hanging from the hilt, hammering it into the ground with a pulse of reiatsu. This energy shot up the cloth, into her zanpakuto, and from there into the ground as Raikogaeshi Himorogi began assimilating spirit particles making up the earth, unnoticed by the others. As she flash stepped again, she strung out the ribbon along a line during her movement, obscuring the cloth from view with the cloud of dust she kicked up with her movements.
Suddenly, with a flare of reiatsu, Rin raised her hands, an azure tempest flashing into being around her form, bathing her in such radiant light so quickly that it was as though a pillar of lightning had descended from the heavens, engulfing the young captain's body. Then, concentrating this power forward, she poured it into her hands, and channeled it in a devastating stream directly at Kayasaki's exposed back as he recovered from the slight imbalance of his counterattack.
"Hadou 88, Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou!" Rin roared, a tremendous roar resounding through the air, the shock of the massive blast of power kicking up a titanic cloud of dust and debris as a torrent of raw energy split the battlefield, tearing toward the traitor captain with the force of a divine judgement. The recoil of the attack had been enough to push Rin sideways despite how she had braced herself - just as she had planned, for now, the ribbon was strung out to its full length, forming three sides of a square, with her standing directly across from her sword.
Jin turned and brought his hand up, the blast hitting it like a brick wall and scattering around him. Little did the traitor captain know, however, this had been just what Rin had expected - no, planned for. Her voice, drowned out by the sound of the explosion, had finished the chant she had started as she rushed to the prison.
"Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!" The young captain smirked, watching as her reiatsu scattered harmlessly away from her target, leaving him standing unharmed at the dead center of the square she had so carefully created. That storm of azure light now fell like rain around him, for due to his actions, the beam of power had passed him, and struck its true target: the brilliantly gleaming blade of Raikogaeshi Himorogi. As power flared through the ribbon, all Rin had to do to complete her spell was create one final wall, an action she had been preparing for that entire time.
"Hadou 90, Kurohitsugi!" She finished, leaping backward, her triumphant smirk only visible for an instant as the skies darkened, a pillar of darkness shooting up in a fraction of a second, forming nigh spontaneously thanks to her careful preparations. Engulfing Jin, the looming void was suddenly pierced from all sides by a multitude of spears, its immense gravity crushing down on the traitor captain's body. A fully inchanted Black Coffin, cast by a captain-level combatant, was nothing to be trifled with. However, neither was the traitor captain trapped at its center a man to be trifled with, and Rin knew she had little time. She had purposefully erected the coffin between her and Mugen, which would give her time to act through her next plan before he could come to his ally's aid. Spreading the reiatsu she had gathered around herself, she drew it inward. Then, she gathered herself, and flash stepped.
"Bakudou 26, Kyokko."
Jin stood at the center of the black cell, deflecting the spears with the scarab of his zanpakuto and dodging others. He broke through the fourth wall with little effort , looking at his former Lieutenant with a sense of boredom emanating from him. He flash stepped to behind Rin, bringing the blunt end of the scarab down on her back. In that instant Rin shattered, Jin finding himself caught in a kido net, watching as her haori fell down to the ground. “Molting Cicada, huh?”
Rin smirked. It had worked just as she had planned. Using Kyokko to hide her reiatsu signature and visible presence, she had quickly picked up her sword from the corner of the breaking coffin as Jin burst forth. The amount of raw power she had put into that kido net would make it seem like she was still there - that is, until it was too late. Placing her foot down, she tapped the very end of the kido net, releasing a surge of power through it.
"Hadou 12, Fushibi," She chanted, beginning to twirl her zanpakuto in front of her as a red gleam shot down the net's length, guiding it directly to its target. Channeling more of her reiatsu, she released it through her blade in the same instant.
"And now, Hikari e!" She cried, releasing a tunnel of kido that enveloped her target, closing inward and entrapping him just as the first attack reached its target. A flash of orange light and flames shone through the azure shield, then rebounded off of it as the Fushibi absorbed some of the power she had put into her sword's ability, redirecting itself back upon Jin's helpless form with doubled strength. The flash shone forth again, then was once again bounced inward, continually growing in power as the explosion's force was focused entirely by the barrier directly onto Jin's body. Continuing to twirl her zanpakuto, Captain Nura kept her barrier up as long as she could, reinforcing it any time it cracked and pouring more and more energy into the attack. Her former captain was powerful - she knew that from experience - but if she could just wear him down like this, he would be easy pickings for the other captains, even if she couldn't match him herself.
However, she could not maintain the traitor's kido prison forever. The azure ball cracked, then shattered, releasing the force of the now exponentially larger attack outward in a towering pillar of flames, sparks and ashes raining down upon the ruined prison in equal numbers. Rin took a moment to steel herself, concentrating the reiatsu she had left. The sky-blue light surrounding her had dimmed somewhat, but that brilliant light had not yet died. So long as she had power, she could fight! Gazing into the inferno, she waited to see if Jin would emerge from it, and for what condition he would be in. With Kyokko still up, she was invisible to his eyes and senses, as well as those of his rescuers, meaning she had a brief respite for a moment to prepare her next move.
This respite was short lived, however, for a lone form rose from the flames, and, with a sweep of its sword and a flash of light, batted the blaze aside, blowing it like it was a candle. There, charred but almost entirely unharmed, stood Jin Kayasaki.
Jin closed his eyes as the attack approach. With one quick motion, he let out a burst of reiatsu, breaking out of the kido net and forcing the inferno to swirl around him violently, but unable to penetrate the barrier of pure spiritual energy he had released, save for a few spurts that burned his left arm. He lifted his scarab and forced the flames away. His left arm was visibly burned, adding on top to the attack from Yuushi earlier. Hmm. Had to get serious for a second. Not ba-.
However, the traitor captain had no time to stop to think, for in that instant, the young captain appeared from thin air in front of him, slashing downward with both hands on her blade. As Jin parried this strike, she twisted her blade to the side, and let go of her sword with her left hand, making a slashing motion with two fingers, causing a red flash of light shooting without warning from within the folds of her long sleeves.
"Bakudo 9, Horin!" She chanted, the scarlet light taking form as a long tendril of flames and wrapping itself around their blades, tying them together inexorably. Nura smirked. "Even with your Zanpakuto, you can't effectively channel your reiatsu to break this chain without giving me power. Remember my shikai's special property, Captain? If I recall correctly, you were the one who helped me master it. The harder you try to free your weapon, the more powerful your bonds will become! Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanin! Look upon yourself with horror and tear out your own throat!" Chanting the incantation after casting the spell, Rin strengthened the power of the chain as Jin quietly struggled to free his sword, his reiatsu being drained off by her sword as Raikogaeshi Himorogi absorbed all that it could, delaying Jin by preventing him from breaking Horin quickly, as he should have been able to.
"I'm not letting you escape," Rin said, executing several more hand motions. "Bakudo 73: Tozansho." In an instant, blue lines formed in the air around them, converging on the ground between them as walls rose to seal them off from everyone else. "It doesn't matter what you do. I'm ending this, Captain."
Jin looked at Rin, the glazed over look in his eyes telling all he was thinking. “I grow tired of these games, Rin. I have entertained you long enough.”
As Jin spoke, Rin had already begun working to create her final attack. Focusing all of her available reiatsu around her, the azure lightning surrounding her turned a madder red, ten spears of light coalescing into existence behind the young captain.
"Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky!" She chanted. Her plan was now clear. She had trapped both herself and Jin inside a high level kido barrier, and had ensured that he would be unable to escape from her trap. Now, she intended to use Hadou 91, and blow the both of them up together. It was suicidal, but such a high level spell in such close quarters just might work.
Jin smirked, an expression many were not accustomed to seeing him use. “So this is your plan. I must say Rin, it’s not one I would use.” Jin let out a small burst of reiatsu, freeing himself from Horin.
"The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders!" Rin chanted, watching as her barrier sealing the two swords together cracked and finally shattered. Smirking, she suddenly altered her reiatsu slightly, using the power absorbed by her sword to once more channel energy into the scattering spirit particles. The broken flames of Horin suddenly turned to radiant gold, and, forming six large rods, shot inward once more from all sides, colliding at Jin's midsection.
"Bakudo 61, Rikujokoro!" She called before once more turning to her incantation now that Jin was safely paralyzed once more. Jin raised an eyebrow, realizing he may have not taken his former Lieutenant as seriously as he should have. He began destroying the rods one by one, letting out a small surge of reiatsu each time.
"Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower!" Rin chanted, her voice growing faster as the barrier began to break. With a final surge of power, the six rods shattered, and Jin's scarab swinging fiercely, continuing its swing straight toward the young captain's head with enough blunt force to take it off. Seemingly panicking, Rin frantically raised her now freed sword. However, in shikai, with all its reiatsu being poured into a powerful spell, there was no way it could withstand the force of the attack. Using what spare energy she had left, she hastily erected a tiny barrier.
"Bakudo 8, Seki!" As Jin's scarab struck the tiny orb of blue light, a massive backlash tore from the spell as it copied reflected the entire force of his blow, scattering dust even outside of the barrier. However, such a weak spell could not withstand the might of the blow, and the orb shattered, the force also being directed through Rin's sword and into her body, launching her backward as though fired from a cannon. Bursting through the wall of the bakudo spell in a shower of blood as the energy of the barrier lacerated her skin, Rin smiled, none the panic she had displayed before remaining on her countenance. After all, this had been exactly what she had planned, hadn't it? Even if her barrier was broken, it would take a moment to collapse, and a moment was all she needed now that Jin had so kindly knocked her out of the blast radius!
"Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired! Hadou 91, Senju Koten Taihou!" At once, the madder light surrounding her flared outward in an enormous wave, ten gigantic lances raging forward with the force of an unstoppable gale, tearing through the hole her own exit had punctured in the barrier's surface. Converging on Jin, they collided, and exploded in a terrific flash of light, rending the heavens with a titanic pillar of energy visible from across the Seireitei. But, the young captain knew, this would not be nearly enough to stop him.
But it didn't have to. That attack was only the beginning, meant to preoccupy Jin while she played the trump card she'd been saving this entire time, one she had been preparing to use since the very beginning. Flaring the last of her reiatsu as she flew backward through the air, she spoke three words, the power behind which was unmistakable.
"Bankai. Gaki Kamiraikou." In an instant, her sword changed, becoming larger, its energy flaring up in a tremendous light. She was putting everything she had into this final attack!
When she had been disarmed at the beginning of the fight, she had placed reiatsu into the blade of her sword, concealing this with an overwhelming amount of power in the form of two high level Hadou spells: Hiryu Gekizoku Shinten Raihou and Kurohitsugi. The real intent behind those attacks was not to harm Jin, or to weaken him, but rather to keep him busy so he didn't notice the power building up beneath them that whole time. Her sword's assimilation ability had converted almost the entire area beneath their feet into power, unnoticed that whole time due to the attacks Rin had rained down to distract her opponent. And now, it was finally ready. Her massive stockpile of reiatsu had concentrated itself directly beneath Jin's feet, and, contained by the collapsing barrier and the storm of destructive power, there was no chance for him to escape. Pouring her Bankai's entire power into that one attack, she used the finishing stroke with which she intended to end the battle.
"Ike, Daitsukiakari no Yari." With those four words, a tremendous quake shook the earth, and then, for an instant, all noise was drowned out. In that moment, a towering blast of azure light tore forth from directly beneath Kayasaki's feet, joining with the madder energy of the previous attack to form a brilliant white explosion that dwarfed the battlefield, rising even higher than Sokyoku Hill as it extended seemingly forever into the far heavens. And then, with a terrible sound, like the noise of final judgement and the end of the world itself, light, power, and an ear-splitting roar rent through that horrible, still silence, scattering everything like chaff before a hurricane as the entire force of a captain's bankai and reiatsu exploded from below the traitor, devastating everything indiscriminately. For several long moments, this light shone forth, a beacon of power both seen and felt across the entire Soul Society, the night sky turned to day by the second sun created through the young captain's uncontrollable power.
And then, slowly, it died out, fading to a single thread of silver luminescence, like the last beam of light falling from a dying star, and winked out. Rin, even though she had done her best to escape the blast radius, had still been caught in the shockwave, and carried backward until she struck a towering stone building almost half a mile away. Breaking through it, she fell, ripping across several rooftops before falling to the street below. Finally, after a period of hellish agony as her body literally ripped through the stone, leaving a long, shallow trench of destruction in her wake, her movement stopped, and she lay paralyzed by the pain, her vision blurring and fading as she passed out from the exertion and injuries she had sustained. The last sight she saw that night was her zanpakuto lying broken beside her, unable to handle the reiatsu she had surged through it. Sighing, she let her heavy eyelids fall, unable to keep them up any longer.
Sorry, Raiko. I'll bet that hurt you more than it did me. But we did it... Let's just... rest for now, okay?
Mugen looked on at the blast, breathing a sigh of relief as Jin stood there, unmoving with his eyes on his former Lieutenant. There were small cuts on his arms, legs and neck, but nothing that would weaken the former Captain of the 10th Squad to be unable to handle the others should the need arise. Mugen flashed stepped to stand beside Kayasaki, whose gaze was still fixed on his fallen opponent. “In the end, she wore herself out, huh?” Kayasaki nodded, lifting his sword from the ground and inspecting the scarab. “A year ago, I wouldn’t of even needed to use this. She’s come a long way.” Mugen nodded, taking his sword from his scarab and pointing it at her. “Should I finish the job.” Kayasaki shook his head, looking at Kalo who stood in silence. “How long until the gate is open?” Kalo held up her hand, signaling five minutes. Kayasaki nodded, and sat down. “Then we just need to last five minutes.” He looked up to a nearby building, one half-destroyed by Rin’s bankai. The sight of Hibari Hyuugamine, perched at the top. He was staring down at his former comrades, his sword drawn, but knowing that to approach alone would be unwise...
