Facing them stood a Quincy woman in flowing white robes, her beauty striking at first glance.
Yet for Byakuya Kuchiki, Abarai Renji, and Matsumoto Rangiku, there was no admiration in their eyes—only cold vigilance. None of them dared to relax.
The battle moments ago had already revealed her true nature.
Beneath that delicate, flawless face lurked a twisted, merciless soul.
The Quincy side had clearly dominated the fight, but this woman—this Bambietta—had not chosen to finish it quickly. Instead, she toyed with them, dragging out the battle for her own amusement.
At least half the wounds they now carried came from her deliberate cruelty.
From the sidelines, another Quincy smirked. Dorisq Belci crossed his arms and sneered."Bambietta, you've had your fun, haven't you? End it already. Kill them quickly—I still need to hunt down more Shinigami."
Beside him, Pepe Waccabrada grinned, his round, shadowed face twisted with malice."Yes. Make them die under their own Zanpakutō. That's the most fitting death for these Shinigami."
Bambietta Bastubine's lips curled into a pout of reluctance. She clearly wasn't ready to let her prey go, but after a brief pause she gave a nod.
Her gaze fell on the three manifested Zanpakutō spirits before her."Senbonzakura, Zabimaru, Haineko… Kill your masters. Do that, and you'll be truly free."
At her command, the blades stirred.
Byakuya's Zanpakutō, Senbonzakura, materialized into the form of a warrior king, his face hidden behind a fearsome mask, a headdress of sakura petals adorning his brow.
Renji's Zanpakutō, Zabimaru, appeared as a strange duo: an adult monkey girl and a young snake boy, bound together by a heavy chain.
And Rangiku's Zanpakutō, Haineko, emerged as a pink-haired cat girl, with furry ears twitching atop her head and a long tail swaying behind her. She wore a playful yet provocative outfit: a tight pink singlet and puffy pumpkin shorts.
The moment Bambietta's command fell, the first two spirits didn't hesitate.
"Bankai—Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
"Bankai—Hihiō Zabimaru!"
At once, the battlefield transformed.
Around Senbonzakura, two massive rows of enormous white blades rose into the air, standing like silent guardians. Then, with the sweep of a wind, the countless blades dissolved into billions of glimmering sakura petals that filled the sky, each one a blade waiting to strike.
Zabimaru's form shifted violently. In the snake boy's hands, his weapon grew into a monstrous skeletal serpent, its body lined with spikes, its head covered in thick red fur. It hissed and reared back, ready to devour Renji whole.
The two unleashed Bankai, and both aimed their overwhelming power at their original masters.
Beside them, Haineko tilted her head, her golden eyes narrowing with irritation. She crossed her arms and looked Rangiku up and down."Honestly… Big-breasted, empty-headed woman. If you weren't so stupid, I wouldn't have been sealed away for so long."
Rangiku's eyes flared with anger."You little brat! You're my Zanpakutō! Insulting me is the same as insulting yourself!"
Haineko only smirked, her lips curling into a mocking pout."That might have been true before. But now? I'm free. I'm no longer bound to you. So do me a favor, Rangiku—just die quietly."
She flicked her blade, and with a soft murmur spoke:"Scatter—Haineko."
Her weapon dissolved into clouds of drifting ash. Unlike Senbonzakura's sakura petals, Haineko's blade became fine, choking yellow dust, spreading outward like a deadly sandstorm.
Bambietta's smile widened, her expression hungry. She licked her lips as her eyes lingered on Senbonzakura."Ah… Senbonzakura. I like you the most. Make sure you slice Byakuya into a thousand little pieces. Or maybe…" she chuckled darkly, "I'll do it myself."
But she didn't have to.
The three spirits, once loyal Zanpakutō, launched their attacks without mercy.
The ocean of sakura petals surged toward Byakuya like a river of blades. Each petal carried enough force to shred flesh and steel alike.
The skeletal serpent that was Zabimaru opened its fanged maw wide. Energy crackled inside as it formed a dense sphere of red spiritual power, ready to obliterate Renji in a single blast.
Haineko's gray ash cloud twisted and swirled, spreading toward Rangiku with suffocating speed, ready to engulf and slice her body apart from within.
Byakuya, Renji, and Rangiku felt the air tighten around them. Their faces hardened, shock flickering for only a moment before they drew their own blades.
There was no hesitation. Each immediately released their Zanpakutō into Shikai form, the familiar cries echoing out as steel transformed.
But even as their weapons flared to life, they knew.
Three spirits, armed with two Bankai and one Shikai, now stood against them. And behind those spirits, three Quincies of the Sternritter—merciless hunters—waited eagerly for their downfall.
The Shinigami struck back with everything they had, blades flashing desperately against the storm closing in.
Yet their counterattacks looked pitiful, like sparks struggling against a wildfire.
Their strength, their pride, even their bond with their own Zanpakutō—everything was being crushed.
And in that moment, surrounded by betrayal, suffocated by overwhelming power, the three Shinigami realized just how fragile their resistance truly was.
In only a few breaths, the three Shinigami were already slashed again and again, their bodies torn with countless wounds from the storm of cherry blossoms raining down from above.
Renji cried out as pain shot through him. A glowing blue arrow pierced through his left arm, making his grip falter.
"Kageyoshi… Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!"
The red warrior—Senbonzakura's manifested form—raised his Zanpakutō high. The sakura petals in the air gathered, swirling and multiplying, until they filled the battlefield in every direction.
Petals turned into blades. Blades turned into a cage. A deadly, blooming prison designed to trap and cut.
The petals closed in, surrounding the three Shinigami. Their razor edges cut the very air itself. The intent was clear: imprison them, slice them into ribbons, and leave nothing behind.
Renji's teeth ground together as he stared at the sky full of glowing blades. His face twisted with despair."Damn it…! Captain Kuchiki, your Zanpakutō is too strong…"
If it had only been his own Zabimaru, he might still have hope. After all, no one knew a weapon better than its master. Renji knew Zabimaru's strengths and its flaws—the giant baboon king's overwhelming size, its raw destructive power. But he also knew its weakness: it lacked flexibility. Zabimaru wasn't designed to strike agile targets. Against something fast, the attacks struggled to land.
But Byakuya's Senbonzakura was different.
Its petals were endless, its angles limitless. No blind spots, no weakness. Once it locked onto a target, escape was nearly impossible.
Renji clenched his teeth harder, shoulders tensing as hopelessness sank into his chest.
Nearby, Rangiku's blue eyes flickered with the same despair. Even she could not mask the fear trembling at the edges of her gaze.
And Byakuya himself, though he stood with aristocratic grace, felt the weight of suffocation pressing in. Senbonzakura's power turned against him was a nightmare beyond imagining.
Bambietta's lips curled upward, her smile cruel and gleeful. A fiery hunger burned in her eyes.
She loved this moment.
The look of despair on her enemies' faces, the crushing pressure of death closing in—it thrilled her. What Bambietta enjoyed most was killing men, using their deaths as a way to release her own emotions.
And the more handsome the victim… the greater her excitement in destroying them.
Billions of petals whirled around the trapped Shinigami, shimmering like a river of blades under moonlight. Just one more heartbeat, and the flowers would skin them alive.
Then—
A deep black mist began to spread through the battlefield.
It rolled outward like a tide, swallowing light. Any sakura petal that touched the darkness vanished instantly, erased without a trace.
Renji's face went pale. His eyes widened as he recognized it."No way… This… this is—"
His voice trembled."The power of the King of Hueco Mundo…!"
Memories flashed before him.
In the war at Karakura Town, countless Shinigami had been horrified by the ability of Baraggan Louisenbairn—the former King of Hueco Mundo. His power of aging, of rotting everything he touched, had left scars on their hearts. Renji had never forgotten.
Rangiku's mouth fell open, disbelief flickering in her eyes."But… Baraggan is dead! He was killed by Nanaya himself!"
A sudden spark of hope lit her gaze. She spun her head around quickly, searching the battlefield."Could it be…? Nanaya!? Did he come to help us!?"
Byakuya's cold eyes narrowed, and even he looked to the shadows. Renji clenched his wounded arm and muttered through the pain, his voice filled with desperate excitement."It has to be him. Nanaya has the ability to turn others into puppets…! He must have taken Baraggan's power, and now he's using it here!"
The mist thickened, and a figure slowly emerged from its depths.
It was Baraggan Louisenbairn—or rather, something wearing his form.
A towering skeletal body draped in a black robe of spiritual fire. A jagged crown sat on his skull. In his hand he carried a massive black scythe, death itself given shape.
Not Baraggan. Not the King of Hueco Mundo.
This was Hell's Payne—a puppet controlled by Nanaya.
At first, the three Shinigami froze, unsure whether to feel relief or fear. But as realization struck, relief began to bloom.
Byakuya exhaled, his aristocratic mask sliding back into place. His eyes cooled, his voice calm once more."You arrived at the right moment. Well done."
Even in the face of rescue, he refused to show weakness. As Rukia's brother and as a noble of the Kuchiki clan, Byakuya believed he must never let a human look down on him.
Beside him, Renji and Rangiku felt no such restraint. Their eyes glistened with raw relief. Their hearts pounded with gratitude. At such a desperate moment, to be saved by Nanaya's intervention—it was impossible not to feel moved.
But then, the puppet tilted its skull-like head.
Hell's Payne, under Nanaya's control, spoke with a casual voice that cut across the tension."What are you even talking about?"
He laughed lightly, scratching the side of his head with the scythe."I was watching for a while, you know. I only stepped in when you were just about ready to give up."
The words dropped like cold stones.
The three Shinigami's expressions froze. Their joy turned rigid, caught somewhere between disbelief and humiliation.
Byakuya's jaw twitched. His aristocratic composure cracked as his mouth twisted. He ground his teeth, speaking each word with restrained fury."You're telling us… you just watched the whole time!?"
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