Chapter 1.3

Across Hell, Hueco Mundo, the spiritual sensitive on Earth, and Soul Society, they felt a strange presence.

Twisted, subtle and somber.

Like death was behind them.

Ever so casually hovering at their back, breathing down their necks, waiting to take them.

All of Hueco Mundo looked to the dark sky in surprise.

Including Aizen and his subordinates, as they briefly looked up too.

Aizen returned his gaze to his table, saying:

"Hmm…"

Feeling this, Head Captain Yamamoto, sitting down at the desk in his office, darted his gaze to Sasakibe, to confirm if this was real.

However, he was already looking at him too.

Following a brief pause, with a gruff and serious tone, he said to his lieutenant:

"Something unnatural… has taken form."

Slowly approaching the arrancar, the seemingly ghastly and decrepit Akane asked her:

"Emi Etollin, I'd like to speak with you for just a moment."

Frozen, she didn't reply.

The gaze of Akane shifted downwards.

"This bankai of mine… tells a story."

Bringing his hands together, he had each finger outstretched.

"A poor old fool dies naturally… yet fails to pay off his debts… leaving the ones he knew and loved to pay the price."

Slowly curling his fingers in, the only finger fully extended now, were his pointer fingers.

"Their cries for his passing were replaced with rage."

From his conjoined pointer fingers came the glyph of a diamond floating in the air.

"Their cries and desperate wailing accompanied the falling snow on that day."

A small beam of energy shot from his hand.

Putting up her palm, she attempted to stop it.

Fortunately it failed to hit her.

"Ha… you're useless… even now."

Without missing even a split second, he said:

"No, that was intentional."

But something happened, which came shortly after the moment Akane used the spell.

Like energy was forcefully taken from her, and sent to him.

Her breath failed, leaving her to momentarily gasp for air, while clutching her chest, over the hole that signified her hollow status.

Akane's voice remained tranquil.

"My bankai… is an allegory for that little tale."

Akane made the same hand gestures again, but with a faster speed than before.

Her muscles twitched and contracted, making it difficult to keep up with her thought processes.

The delay in her attempt to flee allowed Akane to get her into his focus.

A blast of energy cleanly shot through her lower thigh.

Again, came the feeling of depletion.

Wide-eyed, she looked at the blood splattering from it.

From beneath the plates of her armor, a grunt of pain resounded.

Breaking free of her fear, Etollin reached for the grip of her sword.

"The dead leave the living with nothing, except for their debts."

With his hands, he quickly began to perform another incantation.