01: dying's discordance

Ashton’s cut did not draw Sumanai’s blood. Air swept through the hole his body had created and pulled the smell of decaying bodies and dragon fruit out into the festival. A cut rested on the shinigami uniform he had stolen, and blood covered it, but the Lieutenant would find that his abilities did not effect Sumanai. Hopefully the shinigami would be tricked, but he held no hopes in that regard. The man was as cautious as he was arrogant. 

“I’m disappointed at your lack of wit today, Lieutenant,” Sumanai said. He bent over and picked up a zanpakutou from a dead body lying at his feet. 

When he stepped out into the open, a man attacked him to his left. Loyal or not, his foolishness ended along with his life. Sumanai’s blade sliced his throat and let the body drop behind him in a spray of blood. “And you already released your blade. So hasty, Lieutenant.” 

Another man attacked and Sumanai took a step back just as a katana shot past his face. In the blink of an eye the offending arm was sent flying, followed by the shinigami’s broken body. Sumanai, half his face and body now covered in foreign blood, offered a knowing smirk to Ashton. “Do your abilities work on a man bloodied by his sins, Lieutenant?” 

He’s behind you, a voice echoed through Sumanai’s mind.

The afterimage faded away, and Sumanai fell to his knees during his throw. Ashton’s blade skewered some random innocent woman who was trying to flee the scene and impaled her to the nearest wall. As the lieutenant readied his bakkoto, Sumanai took the chance to appear beside the dying woman. He yanked the vibrating blade out of her stomach and hoisted it into the air.

“My my, Lieutenant, you killed all those scientists to hide the secrets of this?” Sumanai turned to face his opponent. His eyes narrowed. “Your sense of value is pretty off, Ashton.”

The air grew hot as the explosion washed over the festival. Bodies went flying as spiritual pressures spiked, the telltale signs of the shinigami beginning to release their shikai. The bloodbath was only growing worse as the denizens of the Seireitei resorted to more violent methods to kill a foe that, just five minutes earlier, had been their own neighbors.

Another explosion went off, this time freezing over into a massive ice flower. Black shapes jumped from rooftop to rooftop, and Sumanai took careful notice of them. The Onmitsukido were on the scene, and soon captains and other divisions would be coming as well.

End this soon, fool. You jeopardize everything with your games.

Sumanai chuckled. “Then we shall let the curtain fall.”

Sumanai was gone, appearing just before Ashton in mid-attack. The vibrating blade in his right hand shot out towards his heart but pulled back before it got close and shot towards his left leg. The stolen zanpakutou in his right hand had been flipped into a reverse grip and was now aiming to slash Ashton’s throat ear to ear.

A violet flash ended the fight. Sumanai stood in the crater, the ends of his hair blackened and his shinigami uniform turned to rags. Blood dripped from the few open wounds that covered his body, leaving small streams of fluid to steam at his feet. A dozen others had been caught in the blast, their corpses broken in horrible ways. The rest of the festival had spread out by now. The entire cityscape of the Seireitei was burning with the riot, and the sounds of blade on steel echoed throughout the streets. 

“Is that your strongest move, Ashton Arterius?” Sumanai questioned. “Those rat bastards in the Onmitsukido really gave you something dangerous, eh?” 

He took one step forward and then crashed to his knees. 

“Lieutenant Arterius!” a voice screamed. 

Seiryuu Mikono jumped over a broken food cart and skipped over a pile of bodies. Her hair, a beautiful blue, was stained with dirt and red blood. The kimono she wore, once likely a gorgeous piece of black, blue, and silver, was torn and revealing. Mikono’s blade was covered in gore. 

She appeared beside Ashton in a flash of shunpo and pointed her sword down at Sumanai. She’s the girl he saved, Sumanai noted. 

Sumanai’s smile grew manic. 

“I came to you when the fighting started. Captain Seiryuu wanted me to find you, Ashton. There’s an army marching towards the Sou--” 

Thunder rumbled and a white light flashed. 

Mikono took one step backwards and then another before falling to the ground as blue dust. Sumanai stood up, rolled his neck, and sighed through chapped lips. The few wounds he suffered were minimal at best, and he seemed none the worse for wear. 

“A bakkoto at that level of power is pretty weak, Ashton,” Sumanai plainly stated. His smile was still bright as he dusted off his shoulders. “I mean, it’s not even enough to get past Kage, let alone me. But, oh well. You had your chance.” 

When Sumanai raised his right arm, the sword he held was not the twisted burning katana pair on the ground. The blade was long and elegant, reflecting the fire and sunlight equally. Streams of white light burned through the flower-shaped guard, and leaves of electricity blossomed from the base of the blade and softly danced through the air. Every motion they made was accompanied by a soft rumble, as if thunder was echoing off in the distance. 

“I shall see you soon, Lieutenant.” And Sumanai dropped his sword into the shadow of the crater, not caring as it was swallowed up. 

A roar blazed through the chaos. It was different then the screams and curses of dying men that blanketed the Seireitei. Sumanai bowed once, took a step back, and disappeared in shunpo right as a massive scaled tale crashed into the ground he had been standing on. 

Mikono was no longer the sweet girl that hung off of Ashton’s every word. Now she was a towering dragon wreathed in blue fire, and as long as some of the biggest buildings were wide. Sapphire eyes turned towards the lieutenant, narrowed, and then closed as her mouth yawned into a terrifying roar. 

Sumanai reappeared on top of a burning rooftop. He swiftly kicked his sandals off, tied his hair back with a strand of crisped robe, and gave a look over his shoulder to the battle unfolding behind him. 

“If he lives, Kage, bring him to me.” 

The Shadow detached from his and slunk across the roof like sludge. 

“I hope his soul tastes as sweet as his blood.” 

Sumanai turned away and approached the edge of the roof. The crackling flames flared, causing half of the building to collapse. “Make sure to secure the schematics as well.” 

And then Sumanai was gone into the smoke of flames, a civil war and flaming dragon left to cover his tracks.