Bleach - Sea of Fire

The Dance of Fire

A barren desert.; a fake world; an eternal night.

A cheap imitation of Hueco Mundo, that's how Yamamoto defined the place, in the first minutes after crossing the rift and stepping into unknown territory. He was terribly angry because of the long time spent trying to find the enemy's location. The squads that formed Gotei were, without a doubt, formed by powerful shinigamis. However, it lacked much so that they could be considered complete.

The commander knew it was necessary a very organized management to separate the squads considering their specific qualifications. If the Gotei had a division in charge of intelligence, planning and experiments involving the spiritual energy and its different manifestations, surely the situation would have been resolved more efficiently. But he admitted to himself that it would take a pioneer to implement such changes. Yamamoto didn't like to get involved in those things. It had been very hard to train and command thousands of shinigamis, becoming their leader. An immeasurable responsibility fell on his shoulders. He was more than a shinigami. More than a captain, or even a commander. He was an inflexible and proud warrior.

"I hope they are strong" said Unohana, walking quietly beside the commander. Their footsteps left ephemeral footprints on the desert. The wind in that world seemed an angry entity, casting furious blows on the face of those who ventured through the dunes.

"If your desire is a bloody fight, why don't you challenge me?"

The question took her by surprise. An exciting idea crossed her mind, but then she said cautiously:

"I'm not a fool. You can look at me and see nothing but a violent beast, but we both know very well you are the real demon."

"I hope time teaches you some courtesy" complained Yamamoto. "You are a captain, what means you should be speaking to me with more respect."

"I am the Kenpachi" she boasted, with a tone that bordered on sadism." I have a reputation, what means I can't be too gentile."

The commander only snorted. They walked for hours without anyone harassing them. Suddenly, behind dunes and forests of dry trees, they saw the ruins. Pillars and cracked walls, just the remains of what had once been a marble dome. But why anyone would bother to create a fake world, just to fill it with ravaged palaces?

It was when something gigantic moved underneath them. Dunes were undone in seconds. An earthquake made everything tremble. Then the creatures emerged behind the dead trees. Some of them went out through walls and half-destroyed pillars. The shinigamis found themselves surrounded. Dozens of hollows eagering to devour them.

"Menos..." she mumbled. "Most of them are Gillians, but there are some Adjuchas."

"Get rid of them."

"It's boring ... definitely not the kind of job I feel like doing."

"I don't like repeating myself..."

She accepted the commander's orders, feeling nothing but boredom. 

Being forced to cut those creatures down was like demanding the most skilled craftsman to create earthen vessels; tedious, waste of time and talent. Ceros were fired from all directions, dense spiritual energy bursts that sought to destroy everything in the way. Unohana didn't even bother to dodge them, so upset she was. Conjuring a sequence of barriers to protect her from the attacks, she swung her sword cutting the Menos that were trying to get close to her.

While the captain was working, the commander moved on. He felt the presence of his friend. His spiritual energy was weak.

"Ginrei" he murmured, when three enemies emerged from nowhere. Moving in circles, surrounding the commander..