Senzaikyū (Palace of Remorseful Sin)

[Bloodedge]

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4318/36146128585_f6ca399097_c.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/X57mHx)

At the center of Seireitei is the large white tower of the Senzaikyū, which is linked to the Sōkyoku Hill where executions take place using the Sōkyoku (双殛, Twinned Punishment). The walls of the Shishinrō (四深牢, Four Deep Prison) within the Senzaikyū are made of Sekkiseki (殺気石, Spirit Reducing Stone). Its presence interferes with the prisoners’ ability to sense Reiatsu. In addition, the constant exposure to the mineral drains their Reiryoku, reducing it to its absolute lowest level. This leaves them particularly vulnerable to powerful Reiatsu.

[Apollymi]

About 30 minutes after the meeting at the Central 46, Kumori Raizen was being escorted to the Tower of the Senzaikyu, by four guards from the Kidou Corps who were each holding a pole tethered to the young man's neck. Accompanying this caravan of people was also the Captain of the 10th Division a young blonde haired woman named Himotoya Saori. She had up her hood leaving a shadow across her face, but the visible kanji for the number 10 let all who passed her know who she was. Soon enough they would be crossing the bridge from Soukyoku Hill and find themselves within the Tower of the prison. It had a singular window which Raizen could see out of, but otherwise the cell was pretty much barren. The walls of this place were made out of Sekiseki stone and as such would begin to lower the Vice-Captain's Reiryoku throughout his stay here, and also make it impossible for him to use his own. They'd aim to move Raizen within his cell and once he was there, the Kidou Corps would remove the tethers connected to his collar and lock up his cell, leaving him to chat with his Captain a red collar around his neck.

[Bloodedge]

Raizen stepped in unison with members of the Kidou Corps across the bridge to the Senzaikyuu. It felt like no time at all before he was being released from their tethers, which was quite a relief. His release occurred at the window, which gave a view of Soukyoku Hill and the Soukyoku itself across the bridge. "That's fun. They even left me a lovely view of the thing they'll use to execute me if Ayatsuki-taichou fails to find evidence. I don't at all believe she would fail at anything of the sort, though," he said to his Captain. Suddenly, Raizen's Reiatsu plummeted to an unreasonably low quantity; one could indeed say it immediately reached the absolute minimum possible for a soul after only moments of exposure to the sekkiseki. "Hmm. Sou ka. I suppose I'll continue my training while I'm here."

[Apollymi]

"Yeah, it's pretty weird. Apparently they like giving people time to make peace with their impending demise," Saori said only to go a bit further. "Not that you'll be dying, 'cause you're really right, Aki-nee is the best at these sorts of things. But I still think this is pretty cruel and totally unnecessary. They could have just turned you over to Akiko to the same effect. I was hoping they would." she said frowning. She'd only had her Vice-Captain for a year and he was already in a situation she couldn't properly save him from. It was like she was doomed to have this sort of luck. "Maybe, I'm just bad at having Vice-Captains... " the woman said seeming disappointed. Only to have a look at the young man who thought to make this entire thing a training exercise.

[Bloodedge]

"That seems like quite the cruel punishment. If I were a criminal, I think I'd much rather be executed on the spot. Of course... in this case, I'm glad that's not how they function. Even I couldn't have talked my way out of that situation without time. They even took Mugen from me," he said. As he gazed through the window, though, a wide grin crossed his face; he'd seen something quite pleasing to him. "This sekkiseki is more effective than I thought it would be. I really can't sense anything beyond these walls. Still, I can manage. I hope you don't mind being minus a Third Seat as well." As if on cue, the registered 3rd Seat of the 10th Division entered the prison through the very window Raizen had been looking through, sporting her usual massive horn-like hair adornments and her long, black cowl. At her left hip was a Zanpakutou whose red tassels and hilt wrapping, as well as the four obtuse pointed segments of its guard, could only have belonged to Raizen's katana: Mugen. "Ara ara~. Look what you've gotten into now, Rai-kun. Konbanwa, Taichou," she said, greeting the Captain in her unusual manner which suggested an evening meeting no matter what time of day it was.

[Apollymi]

"Of course they did. It isn't like they would willing give you your weapon and let you into prison. Any time a Shinigami is under investigation the first thing they do is take their weapon," she said, though she didn't really like it as an idea, it was a pretty sound tactic as far as keeping prisoners were concerned. Of course, this probably didn't make as much difference with one such as Raizen as they might have thought. The current third seat of the 10th Division soon enough floated in through the window, this seemed to shock the Captain just a little bit. "I mean that's fine and all, everyone will likely assume she's stricken with grief and unable to do stuff until you're released. I am sure the 4th and 5th seat would like a bit of positive attention after their negative showing in the Tournament as well, but how the window exactly?" she asked seemingly confused by the occurance, not that she'd be telling anyone about the combination of her imprisoned Vice-Captain and the missing third seat. "Oh and hello~" she said seeming to not wish to be rude to her third seat who was carrying his Zanpakuto and was also his Zanpakuto.

[Bloodedge]

"Wings~" was the simple reply of the woman who went by the name Tanaka Atsuko. As she gave this response to the Captain, she threw her arms over the shoulders and around the neck of Raizen, dropping the sheathed Zanpakutou into his open hands. "Arigatou. Taichou, I'm certain you'll make sure there's plenty for me to do when I'm finally out. If my assumptions about how long I'll be here are right, I'll have plenty of time to make a few breakthroughs while I'm imprisoned."

[Apollymi]

"Wings, of course... I totally should have thought of that..." said Saori before chuckling to herself. The relationship between Raizen and his Zanpakuto was rather strong for her to manifest in such a way that she was visible to literally everyone around and enough her own person to be completely separate of him, when she felt like it. This was the sort of thing someone like Akiko would have probably loved to look into of her own accord, but given their present predicament would likely be put to the side in favor of more relevant research. "Hai, I'll make sure you have stuff to do when you get back, and we'll celebrate I think~ Now that I'm sure you won't be bored, I should probably get back and reassure everyone. They are probably all freaking out about what's going to happen to you," she said of the Division the lad had only been part of for the last year but was already a very integral part of. "Ja ne, you two. I'll be back with news and updates..." she said giving a parting wave to him and his Zanpakuto she'd disappear.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. Sayonara, taichou," Raizen said as he sat within the cell and crossed his legs. Atsuko, or rather, Mugen, joined him in this position while remaining latched onto him. With the departure of their Captain, their typical brand of training would begin without hesitation. "This sekkiseki is a hindrance. I won't be able to use Shikai for more than a few moments while keeping my Reiryoku intact. Will we be able to continue?" the man asked. In response, the silver-haired woman chuckled. "I'm not nearly selfish enough to lock you out for a reason that simple. We can still chat like always; you know how I enjoy our talks~" she replied.

"I expected as much. In that case, return to the sword for now. In the time we have here, we have nothing more to do than get even further acquainted with one another."

[Apollymi]

A few days after Raizen's capture, he had a visitor from the 12th Division. A young redhead wearing bandages strapped over her chest, on her hands and wrists and also in the place of shoes. She was also wearing the standard Shinigami hakama though they were riding rather low on her hips. She'd only just returned from an outing in the Material World, stopping by her own Division only long enough to check the progress of a couple of her experiments and discard the gigai she'd been using. As a result she'd be seen putting her hair up into the ponytail it was normally in as she approached from the bridge. After passing though the necessary security checks, she end up outside of Raizen's cell, arms above her head as she finished wrapping her ponytail. "Ohayou, Kumori-fukutaichou~"

[Bloodedge]

Days later, Raizen still sat in the same location he had been in during the leave of the 10th Division's Captain. He seemed to have not moved at all, and with his Zanpakutou in his lap, he had apparently been performing Jinzen the entire time he'd been here. Something about this meditation was a bit less immersed than the norm, though, as the approach of another individual was met by the spreading of lids to unveil Raizen's glowing golden eyes. He looked up and bore witness to cascading crimson locks, which belonged to only a single individual he knew. To this day, his Reiatsu signified minute traces of Reiryoku within his body, but he did not seem to be bothered by this at all. "Niwatoko Benihime. Ohayou gozaimasu. Did Ayatsuki-taichou send you?"

[Apollymi]

"Well, yes and no..." she said of the reasoning behind her visit. It seemed that she was one of the few approved to do whatever she felt like doing by virtue of the rules within the laboratories. Most recently, she'd been helping her Captain sort through and catalog the countless bits of information she'd taken from the Daireishokairō. Arranging seemingly unconnected bits of information into a working theory for why the Vice-Captain was innocent of any actual meddling with the nature of his being. They were presently being organized into a couple of different blind case studies for Benihime and a few of the other high seated officers to pick through. "I just got back from a research trip to the Material World. I was gathering some samples and stuff. Ayatsuki-taichou when I arrived back in my lab, mentioned that she was 'too deep in this shit' to leave and she'd forgotten to stop by yesterday. So, I offered to come and chat with you in her stead, if ya' don't mind that is~" said the young redhead as she lowered her hands from her head. Leaving her left elbow seemed to rest upon the hilt of her Zanpakuto as if it was most natural while her right rested on her actual hip.

[Bloodedge]

"Sou ka," Raizen said. Overall, he seemed no worse for wear in being imprisoned so unjustly. With Benihime offering the information that she'd come at least partly of her own desire to do so, he gestured toward the open space on the floor near himself. "They gave you your own lab, then? Good," he commented. Assuming Benihime took a seat, Raizen moved his Zanpakutou out of his lap, placing it on the floor at the opposite side of him while shifting himself to face the redhead. "Alright then. What made you decide to come here?"

[Apollymi]

Benihime nodded at the bit about being given her own lab. "Hai, the day after your arrest I made a thing, and Ayatsuki-taichou gave me a laboratory of my own and a bunch of written materials on things that could help me, and will likely help her helping you," she said. The research materials she was given were about the composition of souls, the creation of Zanpakuto and a few other choice things which Benihime found interesting and figured related to whatever theory the Captain of her Division was trying to put together to defend the young man's innocence. Beyond this she was offered a seat next to the young man and as such she took it, not seeming to bother much with ceremony she had one leg in front of her like she meant to sit cross-legged but the other propped up so she could lean her chin on it while she spoke. "I wanted to check on you. This place seemed a bit outlandish when I read about it, and it seemed like it'd be really boring to be in here all alone," the young redhead said. "I was also a bit curious about the effects of Sekkiseki stone on a soul, but that is just a bit extra."

[Bloodedge]

"Good for you. You deserved your own lab, if your earlier showings of scholarly attributes were any indication of your ability." Though Raizen was quite genuine in his statement, he seemed somewhat disinterested in the goings on of the 12th Division as a whole. It was bothersome that developments were occurring and revolving around his existence, but it seemed Benihime's reasons for approaching the Senzaikyuu were a bit more personal than one may initially assume. "Hoh. Well, I have Mugen. It's not so boring, thanks to that. As for the sekkiseki... did you intend to use yourself as the test subject?"

[Apollymi]

"Arigatou gozaimasu~" the girl said, seemingly very pleased with the appreciation of her abilities. Though she wasn't really one for showing off, or describing in any great detail the way her mind worked, it was obvious that Kumori Raizen held at least a little bit of insight into how people thought, herself included. When he went on to explain that he wasn't really bored because he had his Zanpakuto along for this confusion spread across the redhead's face. "Sou ka, you're performing Jinzen while you're in here... I'd do that too if I was all alone with just my Zanpakuto..." she said, knowing that she likely already performed Jinzen at a frequency which most would consider outrageous because of her own loneliness, not that it mattered in present company. But soon enough they were moving on to her apparent research into Sekkiseki and it seemed the Vice-Captain of the 10th Division was a bit more keen on her ideas than she'd realized. "Hai, I'm using myself. If you were normal, it'd be the case that you were already in here too long to be used as an adequate measure of the rate at which it affects souls," she said, thinking it over a bit more. "But, I can't really assume you're being affected at the normal rate anyway, not with your innate abilities..." she said seeming to be deep in thought about it, as she remembered the feeling of his Reiatsu being suppressed to the core at a level she almost couldn't fathom in their previous meeting. She'd soon enough shake off the deep thought, which was contributing to an idea for something she was trying to work on right now. "I trust my own measurements of my own Reiryoku a bit more than all the supposed measurements in the books and I'll need them for something else I'm working on~"

[Bloodedge]

"Then you likely wouldn't care much for this place. They took away my everything, including my Zanpakutou," Raizen said as his own posture became more relaxed. His right knee rose as his right forearm moved to rest atop it. Upon placing his chin in said forearm, Raizen began listening to the information regarding the redhead's research here. "Clever girl. You even understand the concept of that little trick I used. I'm impressed," he said. During their battle in the tournament, Raizen realized Benihime saw through his ability, but he had previously only toyed with the idea of her comprehending its inner workings and how it was, in fact, much more than simply concealing one's Reiatsu. This one was certainly not to be short-changed when receiving credit for her mental capacity, much like the pink-haired Captain she served. "This other thing you say you're working on, then, must be a device made to mask one's spiritual presence. Are you using Gigai technology for it?"

[Apollymi]

"Well that sounds boring," she said her gaze shifting to the Zanpakuto he clearly had, there were a few possibilities for why he possessed it now, if they'd taken it from him. Benihime found herself running through those possibilities before she settled on the most likely. "That strange 3rd Seat, Tanaka Atsuko, brought it to you, huh?" she still wasn't quite sold on that one. She wasn't sure why but something about the 3rd Seat of the 10th Division had always felt a bit strange to her. So strange that she even remembered the woman's name without further prompting. Whatever the case, it seemed she was to receive a bit of praise for her cleverness in figuring out a bit of how the Vice-Captain of the 10th Division suppressed his power. He stated he was impressed that she'd figured this out which made the girl's eyes widen just a tad, her head shifted slightly as she felt the heat of a blush creep up her face.

"Ano..." she managed wondering how she'd ended up blushing from so simple a compliment. As their conversation progressed it seemed that Raizen understood the type of project she was trying to work on by visiting him here. She would have normally been completely astounded by this knowledge, but given the kind of clever this man was, she wasn't really surprised that he'd figured out her plan. "You know, I can't even be surprised you understand what I'm going for in this section of my research~" she said acknowledging this man's intellect. "Hai, Gigai would be an easy way to incorporate it and if I am right, it will make them more comfortable to wear, they always feel a bit too confining to me," she said thinking about the application of this spiritual invisibility. "And the utility of being able to hide in plain sight cannot be understated, especially given the other things I am busy looking into. If it works out for the Gigai I have a secondary option to make it useful for my daily life," she said. She had a few plans for the usage of this technology.

[Bloodedge]

"... Hai," Raizen said with a raised brow. "You two are acquainted then, are you? She never mentioned," he continued. Raizen soon discovered that Benihime did indeed have an idea for this project of hers involving Gigai technology. In the past few minutes, he had considered the pros and cons of such a thing, so by the time he was given this confirmation, he had a bit of advice to give to the young woman. "Gigai would be an interesting start. Give up on it. Go with the other idea first, and you'll probably leave yourself open to versatility before limiting a Gigai to its functions. Besides... if the Central 46 discovered such a thing existed, you'd be exiled. That one is an actual law that would be broken, in that particular case; nothing like my situation."

[Apollymi]

Raizen soon went on to confirm her suspicions about how he'd reacquired his Zanpakuto. Along with a strange statement about knowing the woman who'd brought it to him. She then gave her head a firm shake from left to right as her chin stayed rested upon her knee. "Iie, I don't know her. I just remember her because her Reiatsu feels a bit strange... I haven't figured out why yet, but I've also not seen her enough to have put forth the effort to try and figure it out," she said shrugging off after thinking about it for a few more lingering seconds.

The Vice-Captain soon went on to explain his thoughts on her next experiment and giving her the advice that she should forego the idea of incorporating it into a gigai initially so that she wouldn't get herself exiled. "Aww, come on. That can't really count, it isn't a weapon... well..." she paused thinking about the situation presently unfolding in front of her involving Kumori Raizen she could say that it would likely get her exiled. But it'd be an awesome thing to make regardless. "Alright... but... it would have been a violation of the spirit of that law, not the actual letter. And yes, I realize thinking like this is exactly why I'd get exiled~" she said a small smirk appearing on her face. "I'll make it just for me then... I likely was going to anyway, though it will take a bit longer than I'd like..." she said. The secondary option was secondary because it would take longer to create than the one which had immediately available technology to manipulate.

[Bloodedge]

"... Sou ka," he said while looking at the woman curiously. For her to say such things about Tanaka Atsuko, she was officially a very intriguing individual to Raizen himself. This meant something very interesting indeed. Moving on, it seemed Benihime wished to argue against her potential exile for making the sort of Gigai she had planned, but as one whose Captain was very versed in Gigai technology and workings, Raizen knew well how other would see this creation. "It may not be a weapon, but it would be considered an easy way for a renegade Shinigami to escape Soul Society and never be found again. Trust me; I've already given consideration to an even more ridiculous Gigai. The Central 46 barely approved of the original product, according to Himotoya-taichou."

[Apollymi]

Benihime took the opportunity after she spoke to study Raizen's face, she was certain he was curious about something but had no idea what it could have been. Moving right along, he went on to explain his position on why it was a bad idea to make the kinds of modifications she wanted to the Gigai. Even going on to mention that his Captain had a hard time getting them approved of in the first place. "Hai hai, though to be fair, whatever I choose to make with that technology could be considered dangerous for the same reason, so I guess I won't be telling anyone about it~" she said before she began pouting just a tad. There was always some old person or persons in her life keeping her from doing things she'd find amusing. "The Central 46 is the reason the humans have cooler stuff than we do... halting science because they are scared of their own shadows," she said before allowing her face to fall into a grin. "Hai, I'll trust you and not do something to get myself exiled. For a while at least~"

[Bloodedge]

"You may be right, but it's much easier for them to discover a strong Gigai than it would be for them to discover the purpose of something previously unseen." As the conversation progressed, Raizen retrieved his Zanpakutou and returned it to his lap again. This time, he went far enough to unsheathe it before doing so. "Good. It would be a waste if you were exiled. Ayatsuki-taichou has much less freedom to stop and chat."

[Apollymi]

"That's... pretty good actually~" she said thinking about it more she supposed she could put a bit more work into letting her newest concept hide in plain sight. With this in mind she had pretty much all she needed to continue with her research. As time progressed Raizen was soon returning his sword to his lap, this time though, the blade of it was unsheathed and it caused the young woman's gaze to shift to it. It was quite different from most sealed blades she'd seen, it had a mysterious aura about it, and this was a lot considering what the girl's own weapon looked like. Though she would have liked to stay a bit longer, her own time here was up, and as such she soon stood. "Hai, Ayatsuki-taichou will likely be by a while from now. Though if she can't come, I'll visit again," said the young woman as she stood stretching her left hand soon finding the back of her head. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Kumori-fukutaicho. See ya' later~" she said seemingly in good spirits as she got up. Much like their fight, she seemed to be a bit rejuvenated, and she had more than a few ideas for the next thing she'd create. With all of this in mind, it was like her normally dormant mind was abuzz beyond normal reason.

[Bloodedge]

"Hai. Mystery is not to be underestimated," he stated. Generally speaking, this was Raizen's outlook on most things in this world; the unknown was intriguing only to inquiring minds such as theirs, while all others simply left them as unsolved mysteries. This was where these sorts of individuals could shine like no others. As he expected, Benihime had entered this prison within a certain window of allotted time, which had now come to its end. "Sayonara," he said as she prepared to take her leave. Whenever the redhead vanished from sight, the previously mentioned 3rd Seat of the 10th Division appeared from a ghastly aura spawning in a corner of the room. "I thought we were going to be allowed some alone time," she said. In response, Raizen looked toward her with an unwavering gaze. "Obviously, you thought wrong. I do find it interesting, though, that you had nothing to say during any of the guards' visits." The silver-haired woman scoffed at this statement, turning her head away from the Vice-Captain while crossing her arms in a huff. "Well, excuse me for thinking I might have a reason to be jealous! I have to maintain my position as top woman around here."

"Whatever you say. Now, let's take it from the top."

[Apollymi]

Some three months after his initial arrival at the Senzaikyu, Kumori Raizen would be receiving visitors for the last time. In the form of a pink haired woman with two cat tails and cat ears, sporting a white lab coat modified to include cat paw like attachments at the ends. She walked beside a young woman of similar height but extensively different build. A voluptuous young girl with both hips and more than ample bust with striking red hair pulled up into a pony tail atop her head. Fringes and bangs covered the girl's left eye as she happily strode along side her Captain, her chest, wrists and feet bound in bandages which were replacing normal articles of clothing. "Good news... we're getting you out of here, Kumori-fukutaichou," the Captain of the 12th Division said. "And a whole month early at that~" she added seemingly overly pleased with her accomplishments.

What the trio might not be aware of, as a group of noble assassins headed to the Prison at the news of Kumori Raizen's release. Regardless of what the Central 46 had to say, apparently some nobles still thought that the young man needed to die. And so they were acting in a renegade sort of way, aiming to take him out while he was weakened by his stint in the Senzaikyu.

[Bloodedge]

When the 12th Division's Captain and 5th Seat entered the prison, they would find Raizen sitting in the darkness. Physically, he looked rather frail, and his Reiatsu seemed almost nonexistent. His eyes were closed, and his Zanpakutou was no longer in his lap. He'd been alone for about two months, left to his own devices for far longer than he needed for his own development. When Akiko spoke, his eyes slowly peeled open into a vacant stare at the floor. "Hai," was all he said, spoken in a tone which implied his voice had gone unused for a very long time. He stood, seemingly having no problem whatsoever rising to his feet. Raizen was prepared to vacate the prison, but he chose not to move until the others led him outside.

[Apollymi]

Raizen looked a bit frail compared to what Benihime remembered, but the man seemed perfectly capable of pulling himself up. Once he was standing and had spoken Akiko looked at him her brows coming together. "Uh... alright, look you haven't been outside for a while, it's gonna be a bit before you feel like your normal self. But I could get you mostly fixed up at the lab if you wanted," she offered the young man, such a thought made Benihime's face shift into a bit of a grin, as she figured this man wasn't nearly as frail as he looked, then again, she also knew he'd been up to a bit more than necessary to get through here. Instead of such an offer, she pulled a small capsule out of her pocket and pressed the button on top of it, releasing from within it a bottle of water. "Kumori-fukutaichou, you sound like you haven't spoken in a while, here ya' go~" she said offering it to him.

He'd subsequently be led down by the duo of women to retrieve his weapon and be let outside. Once they were outside the prison and across the bridge on top of Sokyoku Hill they'd be met by a party of 6 individuals. All of these people dressed in black, masks covering their faces, appearing to belong to some obscure branch of the Onmitsukidou. "Halt! We're here for Kumori Raizen, you two stand aside..." said the leader of this group who seemed to have an insignia'd headband unlike the other people. "Yeah, that isn't really gonna happen. I figured someone would try this, but... really I didn't expect someone like this," she said seeming annoyed by the whole thing. "We don't care what the Central 46 decided, they can forgive us later. He's an abomination and he deserves to die along with the name of his clan!" the man seemed to be adamant and all of the people around him drew weapons as well holding them up to their arms. Benihime looked at the group and their stances her hand soon came to rest on the hilt of her Zanpakuto. Mostly because she didn't like being threatened, she liked even less, the idea that they'd attack a man they thought incapable of defending himself. It was cowardly.

[Bloodedge]

"I'll be fine," he said to the Captain. Within moments, he was being offered a bottle of water by the red-haired lass. True enough, he hadn't spoken or had a drink in quite some time. He accepted the bottle without hesitation, and quickly drank its contents before speaking again. When next he spoke, his voice was indeed much clearer. "Arigatou."

Soon, Raizen was stepping out into the light he had only recently seen through a window. Ahead of him and his escorts was a group of individuals after his life, which was something he'd also come to expect during his time in the sekkiseki walls. These assailants, of course, did not halt his progress forward. Without so much as a word, Raizen stepped out ahead of Akiko and Benihime, stopping just ahead of them both. "You heard them," he said to the two women who were now behind him. "Step aside." Interestingly enough, Raizen's tone was now one of a very demanding nature. He was quite serious; despite his apparently minimal amounts of Reiryoku, he intended to meet these assassins. Whether he actually intended to forfeit his life to them, though, would remain to be seen.

[Apollymi]

Benihime waved off the thanks for the water and was more than content by the time they reached the would be assailants to engage them in some way. But soon enough Raizen moved past both her and her Captain. Akiko managed to look a bit confused for the first time as Raizen apparently offered himself up, she couldn't figure out what he was actually up to at this moment. Benihime on the other hand, allowed her hand to fall away from her Zanpakuto and instead allowed her left elbow to rest on it. "As you wish~" she said as she moved out of the way. "Really? Just gonna wait and see..." Akiko asked of the girl whose motivations had become even more unclear the longer she'd known her. "Yep, he always does interesting things, it will be worth spectating~" she said. Akiko had no argument for this so she did the same, offering the girl a black lollipop, as if she knew something were amiss but this was simply an educated guess.

The men didn't seem to bother with whatever the women had to say and instead seemed pleased that Raizen had offered himself up. "Good, attacking a Captain is a completely separate crime and I didn't want to risk it," said the man as he held his sword before him. "Your death sentence will be carried out swiftly, since you were kind enough to comply," he said and would immediately move forward to do so, aiming to cut the man's head clean off with a single swipe of a katana from left to right. The other members of this crew surrounding the man and blocking the path of the two women should either of them have felt the need to interfere. But if one looked to Benihime she'd be sitting on the ground near her Captain's feet, a lollipop stick hanging out the corner of her mouth her chin propped up on her right knee as she watched with large red eyes. While Akiko stood next to her with her hand on her hip wondering if it was actually okay to just let this young man do whatever he wanted.

[Bloodedge]

With the others aside as he desired, Raizen was left to face his attackers directly. The apparent leader of this group seemed to believe he was offering his life to them, but this was not at all the case as far as Raizen was concerned. "Comply?" he questioned as the primary male lunged toward him. Raizen's right arm rose casually, resulting in his relaxed hand being in the assassin blade's path. Upon hitting his skin, the blade moved no further, as if Raizen's body were made of a much greater substance than the man's sword. "Iie. You'll all be my test subjects for what I've been working on during my stay here," he said. Suddenly, it seemed as if something within the white-haired man freed itself. His Reiatsu, previously barely even detectable, flared. It quickly reached an intensity equivalent to that of a superior Captain; enough to make even some individuals of Vice-Captain tier buckle and cower. Its presence even seemed to distort space itself within the affected area. Raizen's left hand would then grip the handle of the katana at his left hip, and with a lax hold on it, he began unsheathing its gleaming blade.

"Bankai."

The gleam of his blade became a bright glow which encompassed the entire sword, as well as Raizen himself. "Itsuwatte," he said as this glow became a flash, which faded only to reveal a new form of Raizen's Zanpakutou. The Vice-Captain now wore flowing robes in various layers, along with a cape that seemed to have a mind of its own the way it billowed. Three swords of very different designs were at his left hip, his left hand wielded a staff with a large crescent as its head, and his right hand telekinetically supported an open lexicon larger than Raizen's own torso. "Mugenteki Shintoku." With the release of his newly developed Bankai, Raizen held his lexicon forward. A purple glow emanated from the pages, forming runes which sealed themselves in and imposed an effect on everyone in the vicinity. From that moment forward, any who blatantly sought the slaughter of another would have their murderous intent converted to doubts, as well as visions of their own greatest fears coming to light as a result. These dreams would only intensify until such a time as Raizen deemed it necessary to stop the effect, which he decided would be only after these assailants were driven to literal insanity for aiming their blades at him.

[Apollymi]

"Nani?" the assailant figured that the Vice-Captain would be at his weakest following an extended stay in the Senzaikyu. He was more than a little surprised when his blade didn't find its home in the young man's neck, nor did it continue past his hand at all. The others aimed to move in at this time, but overwhelming Reiatsu, the likes of which they only expected from a high tier Captain, flooded their persons. It gave them pause, several of them falling to their knees in the process. Benihime aptly already sitting on the ground held herself up with a hand as she felt dazed by the presence of this Reiatsu, but didn't fall to it, if only because of the lollipop so recently given her by her Captain. "Arigatou gozaimasu, Ayatsuki-taichou~" she said to the woman. "Yeah yeah, you can only say thank you if you didn't know it was coming. You were sitting down when you took it, meaning you knew it was possible you were going to fall in the first place," said the Captain. Her 5th Seat was starting to be a rather strange individual to her, even more so than when she'd first showed up. The circle of other individuals still maintained their murderous intentions but were unable to move forward with their attack.

"BAKANA! You die here, nothing you can do will change that!" the leader of these assailants found it to be completely impossible. But soon enough he was witnessing the unveiling of Raizen's new Bankai. That sword which glowed mysteriously became something else entirely as Raizen's Reiatsu changed the space around him. "Sugei!~ That's really cool!~" Benihime let slip from her mouth happy that she was able to watch this. Akiko watched this Bankai and found herself stunned that he'd developed it while incarcerated. And even more so that than, the ability of Raizen's Reiatsu to distort space was an ability only seen in the highest possible tier of Captain, like the Captain-Commander who could make poison with theirs. It was something which she wasn't at all used to experiencing from any but the oldest and most powerful. 'Wow, that's... I don't even really know what to think about that...' she thought knowing that this young man was likely one of the most powerful individuals she'd ever seen. This form change didn't seem to initially have an effect, but soon enough all of the assailants who'd gone to attack Raizen seemed to start to go crazy. The last one who spoke began backing away, grabbing his head, dropping his sword trying to claw his own eyes out as he saw the things which frightened him most crawling all over his skin. The others around Raizen also fell in similar states, injuring themselves superficially against things which only they could see. Such was a rather strange thing to watch happen, but both Benihime and Akiko were clever enough to piece together at least in a general sense what was happening here. "That's one scary Bankai, Kumori-fukutaichou~" said Akiko, which made Benihime scoff. "You mispronounced 'awesome', Ayatsuki-taichou~"

[Bloodedge]

"These visions will never stop haunting you. If any of you retain any semblance of sanity, use it to deter others like yourselves," Raizen said to the assassins while he assumed they retained some capacity to comprehend and retain his speech. When that was out of the way, his multiple weapons and elaborate ensemble collected at his left hip in the form of his sealed Zanpakutou. The problem these attackers would have, though, would be that Raizen's abilities did not disappear at this time. Whatever they were plagued with would continue to torment them until the rule Raizen set was adhered to fully.

When Akiko commented on the ability of Raizen's recently discovered Bankai, and Benihime went on to correct her choice of words, he turned his head to look over his shoulder at the ladies. "For reasons I'm sure you've long since figured out, I've been avoiding the use of Mugen's true abilities. I figured I could make an exception in the presence of you two alone."

[Apollymi]

If the attackers had any semblance of their sanity left, it wasn't showing in the present moment, though Raizen's speech was heard by all present. Soon after the young man's Bankai with all of its different pieces reverted to its sealed form and he peeked over his shoulder, acknowledging that he'd heard what they were saying. When he looked back Akiko would be tapping the redhead atop her dome frowning slightly. "I said what I meant, though I am surprised you're just okay with all of this. You're weird," she said to the redhead who shrugged it off choosing now to stand since the pressure of the area was no longer overwhelming for her. "And, I understand... I'd say its strange to hide things like that, but considering the situation you are now walking away from I guess I can condone a bit more non-scientific secrecy," said the Captain of the Twelfth Division.

Benihime gave a curt nod as she stretched. "Yep, I figured it was something like that. Though execution was top notch~" she said of the young man's abilities. In fact she was quite giddy having seen such a thing, it was well beyond anything she normally expected from anyone, but Raizen always seemed to impress her in some way. It made him a point of interest for her, "Also Ayatsuki-taichou, you can't call anyone else weird. I don't know if you've seen you, but you definitely can't. I am also the most normal person in the entire division, you specifically can't call me weird," said Benihime, prompting her Captain to raise a finger as if she wanted to argue only for the woman to stop. "You know what, I'll let you have that one," she said to Benihime who smiled in a most innocent way as the cat-eared woman pursed her lips. Benihime then bowed in front of the woman and looked up at her with those red eyes. "Arigatou Gozaimasu~" she said before returning her attention to the Vice-Captain of the 10th Division, as her Captain addressed him once more. "Alright, so you're all free now, got a nice new power to hide from everyone~ I assume you're going back to surprise Saori-chan, I didn't tell her what I was doing today, so it will be a nice surprise for her~" she said as they walked away from Sokyoku Hill, leaving the bodies of these fallen men, knowing someone would eventually be around to collect them.