"You bastard..." Renji Abarai ground his teeth in fury. "Your spiky hair is tacky as hell!"
"Your red hair is the tacky one," Gantenbainne shot back without missing a beat. "Especially the part where it's gone bald!"
"Your orange hair isn't any better!" Renji Abarai shouted. "Orange hair is what I hate most!"
"Hey!" Ichigo Kurosaki dodged the incoming golden disc with a flash. "I'm not letting that slide! What did orange hair ever do to you?"
"Yours is tangerine!" Renji Abarai corrected him. The moment his eyes shifted toward Ichigo Kurosaki, his expression tightened. "Look out!"
The golden disc hummed as the cord running through its center pulled it into a sharp arc toward Ichigo Kurosaki.
Ichigo Kurosaki raised Zangetsu in front of him to block. The golden disc spun at high speed, grinding apart the Reishi surging along Zangetsu's blade.
"And you still have time to listen in on other people's conversations..." The other end of the golden disc's cord was held by a female Arrancar. No. 105, Cirucci Sanderwicci. "It seems I've been far too gentle with you!"
Cirucci had wavy purple braids, teardrop-shaped purple marks on her face, and eyes and lips of an alluring purple. Her mask, shaped like a hair ornament, sat on the left side of her head. Her petite body was wrapped in a short white dress, with two strange plate-like pieces attached to her back.
The cuffs of her white fingerless gloves were purple, and even the straps of her garter stockings were purple.
While keeping to the Arrancar's standard white aesthetic, Cirucci had added her favorite color in plenty of subtle places.
The Zanpakutō in her hand was unlike an ordinary sword. In structure, it looked closer to a yo-yo or a diabolo than a blade. As her arms pulled, the golden disc spun through the air, giving off waves of a chilling, hypnotic hum.
Barely holding off the golden disc's attack, Ichigo Kurosaki spotted an opening and swung his blade.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A deep blue crescent flew toward Cirucci with terrifying force, only to be intercepted halfway by the golden disc and shattered into nothing.
"Is that all? With a face like yours, I thought you'd be strong too." Cirucci pulled on the cord, making the golden disc accelerate in front of her as its hum grew faster and sharper. "In that case... hurry up and run."
"I don't think..." Ichigo Kurosaki gripped Zangetsu with both hands. "I can run from an enemy I can't beat."
"Idiot. Of course you can't run!" Cirucci swung the golden disc. "But if you try, I can kill you from behind and avoid seeing that pretty face of yours get smashed apart."
With a flick of Cirucci's arm, the golden disc shot through the air, stirring up a sharp gust.
Ichigo Kurosaki dodged in a flash, and the spot where he had been standing exploded into flying brick and stone.
This wasn't working...
Ichigo Kurosaki's gaze sharpened. His opponent specialized in long-range attacks, while Getsuga Tenshō lost force after being fired. Unlike her weapon, which had the strength of the cord behind it, his attack had a hard time reaching her.
It would be best to have someone who could fight at range handle her...
"Renji!" Ichigo Kurosaki shouted. "Switch with me!"
Compared to long-range Cirucci, Ichigo Kurosaki would have a much easier time dealing with Gantenbainne, whose attack range was shorter.
"No need!" Renji Abarai swung Zabimaru. "I have to take him down myself!"
"Nice spirit. Unfortunately..." Gantenbainne shifted slightly aside, avoiding the blade. "One."
Renji Abarai flicked his arm, and the extended Zabimaru swept across.
Gantenbainne took one step back. "Two."
Renji Abarai raised his hand, and Zabimaru followed the motion, slashing upward.
"Three." Gantenbainne punched Zabimaru away, then suddenly charged forward. "Once your sword extends, the maximum number of attacks you can make is three!"
After three attacks, Renji Abarai had to retract Zabimaru if he wanted to attack again.
And while Zabimaru was retracting, he could not attack.
Gantenbainne could use that opening to close the distance.
His clenched fist swung out, the attack nearly upon Renji Abarai, while Zabimaru still had not fully retracted.
But... Renji Abarai knew his own weakness better than Gantenbainne did.
He activated Shunpo. His figure blurred for an instant, slipping past Gantenbainne's strike.
At that same moment, Zabimaru finished retracting. Renji Abarai swung, driving it toward Gantenbainne's chest.
A strange sound rang out, and Zabimaru struck nothing.
Renji Abarai turned to look behind him, but before he could finish the motion, Gantenbainne's horn-shaped dagger was already buried deep in his lower back.
Under the force of that terrifying blow, Renji Abarai was sent flying backward, his body nearly folding in half.
"After three attacks, you retract your sword." Gantenbainne crossed his arms in front of his chest and did not pursue. "If the enemy attacks at that moment, you use Shunpo to dodge while counterattacking. And then... you lose the ability to deal with my Sonído."
Renji Abarai struggled to his feet, blood pouring from his lower back.
His opponent had aimed for an extremely precise spot, one that would be pulled and strained by almost any movement.
Especially with a special weapon like Zabimaru, which resembled a long whip. To bring out its full power, he had to drive it with the strength of his entire body.
Gantenbainne's single strike had robbed Renji Abarai of at least half his fighting power.
"I didn't use my full strength just now." Electricity crackled at the tip of Gantenbainne's horn-shaped dagger, snapping through the air. He urged him on. "I know you still have power you haven't shown. Use it. In the name of God, let us fight without holding anything back."
"I... didn't want to use this so soon." Renji Abarai tightened his grip on Zabimaru. "The Captain told me that a Bankai you haven't mastered is, in some ways, worse than a Shikai. You have to learn how to fight with the basics before you can properly handle greater power."
"Battle isn't a game that goes the way you want." Gantenbainne looked at Renji Abarai with anticipation. "If you want to live, you have to give it everything you've got."
"Who said I'm just trying to live..." Renji Abarai roared hoarsely. "I'm trying to win! Bankai!"
Zabimaru swelled in his hand amid a golden light. A long series of eerie clacking sounds rang out as an enormous skeletal snake head took shape. Countless beige serpent-bone joints extended behind it, forming a massive skeletal serpent that coiled around Renji Abarai's body again and again.
"Hihiō Zabimaru!!!"
Gantenbainne's crossed arms lowered unconsciously. Renji Abarai's enormous Bankai had exceeded his expectations, and its visual impact was overwhelming. He could not help but murmur in admiration.
"What a beautiful form..."
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