Sorcerer of Heaven Chapter 4: A stormy mission (Patreon)

Harry presented Captain Ukitake with the latest reports from his subordinates in the mortal realm. Once again, Rukia Kuchiki’s reports and data collected from the sensors were a mismatch. The endless complaints and checks yielded nothing substantial. However, the mission objectives were being completed despite the technical glitch in Rukia’s communication device.

“So, Rukia’s communication device is still damaged?” Captain Ukitake asked after reading through the report Harry submitted.

“We can communicate back and forth with Kuchiki-san. Only the sensors seem to be slightly misbehaving. We’ve asked Squad 12 to restore the device, but they seem unable to correct or identify the problem.”

“I see.” Ukitake hummed thoughtfully.

“I recommend pulling Kuchiki-san out of the mission.” Harry suggested.

“Has she shown any discomfort in Karakura town?” Captain Ukitake asked with a frown.

“No, sir.”   

“Then she may remain at her post. She has been doing phenomenal work so far.”

“That’s true, Captain. She seemed to have found the drive she had lost.” Harry also concurred.

“It seems that your decision to send her into the world of the living was right. You’ve done well.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

“Now that that’s over, we can discuss another matter. The Head Captain has assigned a new mission to take down the elusive hollow called Benzarenza.”

“Oh. I have heard of that one. Isn’t that an Adjuchas that hides away in the ocean and makes a nuisance by crossing into the mainland in a feeding frenzy?”

“Yes, that one.” Captain Ukitake nodded. “The Head Captain has assigned Squad 10 to bring an end to this hollow. It has eluded our grasp for too long.”

“Captain Hitsugaya could bring the hollow down for good. He’s a good choice.”

“I agree. The Head Captain offered all the resources of Gotei 13 to Captian Hitsugaya, and he asked for one thing only.”

“Oh, what’s that?” Harry asked, curious what the Captain of Squad 10 had chosen.

“You.”

Harry was taken aback by surprise.

“Excuse me?”

“You alone were asked by Captain Hitsugaya. The request just reached the Head Captain’s office, and he approved it.”

Harry just gaped at his captain at the sudden turnaround.

“Now, wait a minute…”

“You’re hereby assigned to Squad 10 under the command of Captain Hitsugaya, at his request, until the completion of this mission,” Captain Ukitake said before pressing his seal on a scroll.

Just like that, Harry was officially relieved of all duty in Squad 13.  Since Harry was asked to join Squad 10 immediately, he went to his office to finish any pending affairs as soon as possible. He assigned Kiyone to take up internal affairs while the mission control of the squad was handed over to Sentarou.

After that, he went to his quarters and packed some essential belongings for the journey.

There was no telling how long the mission would last. After all, it was not the first time the Head Captain issued a mission to kill Benzarenza. The hollow was one of the more elusive creatures of its kind. Its speed and intelligence were something to be reckoned with. The fact that it made a lair deep inside some of the coral reefs at the bottom of the ocean was also another problem. It occasionally came out of the ocean floor and made a mess in the world of the living as it hunted for its prey.

According to some of the past reports on the hollow, Harry had read it had several uncanny abilities that allowed it to escape the Shinigami squads. He supposed Captain Hitsugaya was selected because he wielded the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto in existence. If the reports of Benzarenza’s powers were accurate, Captain Hitsugaya might stand a chance to force the hollow to fight in unfavourable conditions.

When he finished packing, he slung the small backpack on his shoulders and slid the door open. To his surprise, a guest was waiting outside.

“Hi.” Rangiku winked sultrily.

“Huh?” Harry said in his own ‘intelligent’ way.

“Oh, come on. Is that the apt response when a beautiful woman comes to your room?” Rangiku pouted with hands on her hips.

“You! You were the one who pulled me into this mission.” Harry pointed an accusing finger at her face.

“Yes, I did.” Rangiku said proudly, making Harry gape at the blonde-haired woman at her admission.

“Why in the world would you do that? Do you know the amount of paperwork I’ll be saddled with when I return from this mission?” Harry asked with a horrified look.

“Pfft! You’re exaggerating. Besides, your zanpakuto’s powers are uniquely suited for dealing with the hollow. When I explained this to Captain, he was the one who asked the Head Captain for your participation in the mission.”

“Wait a minute! You know of my Zanpakuto’s powers!” Harry gaped at the blonde menace.

“Of course, I know.” Rangiku said brightly.

“How?” Harry asked with dread.

“You told me, dummy. You really don’t remember much of that night, do you?” Rangiku gave him a sensual wink.

“Oh, kill me.” Harry whispered in horror.  

Rangiku let out a tingling laughter after seeing Harry folding in on himself with despair.

“You don’t need to worry your pretty little head over this matter, Harry-kun. I only told Shiro-kun. I’m sure he’ll keep your secret.” Rangiku promised.

Rangiku threw her right arm around his shoulder and forcibly dragged him out of Squad 13 barracks before his subordinates.

“Stop doing that. You’re embarrassing me in front of my subordinates,” Harry gritted out, blushing at the comments and pointed looks from his subordinates.  

“Am I?” Rangiku asked, an amused tilt to her tone.

Before he could stop her, Rangiku turned around at breakneck speed, keeping a firm hold on his neck.

“Listen here, everyone. We are going out on a ’mission.’” Rangiku winked, insinuating they were doing something else, “We’re not sure when we’ll be back, so behave.”

Having said that, Rangiku pulled Harry away from the barracks with a flash step. Harry could hardly object to Rangiku's actions, given his numbness and mortification, so he went along with her silently.

****

Harry was still mortified when he stepped out of the senkaimon and joined the rest of the Squad 10 in the world of the living. He had a feeling that all those rumours about him sleeping with Rangiku Matsumoto would pick up more chatter among his subordinates.

‘How am I supposed to instil discipline in my subordinates if they don’t respect me?’ Harry thought gloomily.

“Matsumoto. Why is he looking half-dead? What did you do to him?” Toshiro Hitsugaya asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry.

“I’m offended that you’d think I had anything to do with this Captain.” Rangiku shot the short white-haired captain an affronted look.

Hitsugaya scoffed, not believing a word from his lieutenant’s mouth.

“Whatever she did, I hope you’ll put that behind you, Harry-san. I’ll need your full attention in the battle against this hollow.” Captain Hitsugaya said.

Harry nodded at the young captain of Squad 10, regaining his composure.

“Good. From what Matsumoto told me about your Zanpakuto, it has the power to suppress Benzarenza.”

“I don’t know what she said, but…” Harry started, but he was immediately cut off.

“I know your Zanpakuto has some kind of spatial powers that can seal way energy attacks. Am I right?”

Under the pointed stare of the Squad 10, Captain Harry had to speak the truth.

“Yes, Captain Hitsugaya.” Harry said gloomily.

“I won’t ask why most people think you have a lightning-type Zanpakuto. But this is not the place for deception. There will be no holding back. Am I clear?” Captain Hitsugaya said sharply.

“Yes, sir.” Harry nodded stiffly.

“Good.” Captain Hitsugaya nodded with a pleased look. “Let’s go and wait for the hollow to make landfall.”

Half an hour later, Harry patiently waited with Rangiku and Captain Hitsugaya near the fishing harbour as giant waves crashed into the land. The turbulent sea destroyed the boats in the harbour. Thankfully, the humans were safely evacuated from the harbour by their authorities. Ginat arcs of lightning split the sky open while a massive storm started to make landfall.

At the centre of the storm stood Benzarenza, a giant hollow in the form of a dragon. But they didn’t make a move and instead waited patiently for the hollow.

The scanner in Rangiku’s hand started to beep.

“The hollow is inside the spirit barrier. All limiters have been released.” Rangiku reported.

Harry could feel the limiter seal on his spiritual pressure come undone in the next moment. He could also feel a barrier go up, quartering off a large area into a separate dimension to shield the world of the living from the battle against the hollow.

He watched from the sidelines as Captain Hitsugaya sent his seated officers, with the support of regular Shinigami from Squad 10, to attack the hollow. As the Squad 10 shinigami formed a perimeter, they started bombarding the hollow with kido.

But Benzarenza was no normal hollow to be easily bothered by level 30 kido spells. Most of the spells even fizzled out as the storm surrounding the hollow intensified, acting as a defence mechanism. Despite that, squad 10 refused to suspend their assault on the hollow. They kept the kido barrage, which made the storm more ferocious. Powerful gales of wind started to wreak havoc on their fellow Shinigami.

“The hollow is starting to manifest its true power. It’s time to cut off its escape.” Captain Hitsugaya muttered, slowly unsheathing his Zanpakuto from its sheath.

Harry let out a shiver as Captain Hitsugaya’s spiritual pressure started to rise. He had to summon his own spirit energy around his body to counteract the effects of Captain Hitsugaya’s spiritual pressure’s physical manifestation.

“Lieutenant Harry. Be prepared to intervene.”

“Yes, sir.” Harry nodded.

He watched as Captain Hitsugaya disappeared using shunpo to appear high in the sky. Storm clouds started to gather in the sky, and the temperature plummeted at an alarming rate. The veritable storm that was surrounding Benzarenza started to dissipate slightly, and Harry laid eyes on the hollow for the first time.

Benzarenza was huge, almost as large as a five-storey building. The hollow took the shape of a dragon with wide, expansive wings almost 20 meters long. It had wicked-looking curved horns protruding from its hollow mask. Its hollow hole was at the dead centre of its chest.

“Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyorinmaru.”

Harry looked up just in time to see Captain Hitsugaya release his zanpakuto.

Harry had to actively engage his spirit energy to form a shield around his body to withstand the effects of the strongest ice-type zanpakuto. A dragon made of ice formed from the tip of the Captain’s sword. With a flourish of the sword, Captain Hitsugaya directed the ice dragon to freeze the sea below.

“He is freezing the sea to prevent the hollow from escaping into the depths of the sea.” Rangiku explained.

“That’s not good.” Harry muttered, seeing the hollow open its maw, charging a cero in its mouth.

“I think that’s our cue. You coming?” Rangiku said, quirking an eyebrow in his direction.

Harry nodded.

Together, they disappeared from the ground using shunpo and appeared before the hollow.

“Growl, Hineko!”

Harry took note of Rangiku’s zanpakuto, which was a straight blade, unlike the other katanas in the Gotei 13. But unlike his own, it was not a ninjato. Its blade was as thin as an ordinary katana with a dark red handle with two metallic triangles overlapping each other for a hilt.

Once her zanpakuto was released, the blade turned into ash, leaving only the handle and the hilt intact. With a flick of the hilt, Rangiku directed the ash into the veritable storm surrounding the hollow.

‘All that ash. It might as well be her sword. That hollow will be shredded to pieces.’ Harry thought, watching the ash cloud become part of the storm and begin to slice into the hollow.

However, Harry’s eyes widened when he noticed that Benzeranza’s hierro was strong enough to keep Rangiku’s Zanpakuto from drawing blood.

The hollow let out a growl before it fired the cero at Harry and Rangiku.

Harry supposed this was as good a time as any. Besides, his Zanpakuto had been complaining about not having fun once he became a Lieutenant. Harry unsheathed the sword from his back and placed his left palm on the flat of his blade.

“Reign over the upper heavens, Amaterasu.”

A flash of blue light engulfed his body, with his spiritual pressure skyrocketing without the limiter in place. When the light vanished, Harry’s forearms hosted five rings each.

Harry punched the air with his right hand just as the cero reached them. The rings on his right arm flew out and met the cero head-on, except for one ring, which stayed behind. That sole ring on his right hand cackled with lightning, and soon, the other four rings lit up with the power of lightning.

The four rings lit up with high electrical energy as they smashed away the cero with a thunderous roar.  

Usually, Harry was not a fan of using such flashy techniques. His usual reaction to a cero was to dodge and trap the hollow with a kido spell and cut it down with his sword. It was the efficient way of tackling most hollows. It was also a strategy that took advantage of the destructive nature of hollows. Most hollows loved a fight and enjoyed getting into long and elaborate battles. Harry had often taken advantage of this weakness in these creatures and purified their souls without seeking a fair battle.  

But today, things were a bit different. He was not in charge, so he had to abide by Captain Hitsugaya's orders.

“What is the point of having such incredible powers if you’re not going to show off, Harry?” Amaterasu asked with a pout.

“I thought great powers were reserved for powerful enemies.” Harry whispered hack to the other half of his soul residing in his inner world.

“How many such powerful enemies have we encountered?” Amaterasu asked blandly.

“Few.” Harry said diplomatically.

“None!” Amaterasu contended, letting out a huff, “It’s boring to watch you shoot some kido on a poor hollow and cut it down with your speed before it knows what happened. This is more interesting.”

“I’m sure it is.” Harry said with a scoff.

“Besides, you could show off before that busty blonde and make her fall for you.” Amaterasu squealed.

“How does showing off my powers make Rangiku fall for me?” Harry asked incredulously.

“You know nothing of how a woman thinks, Harry.” Amaterasu shook her head with a knowing smile.

Benzarenza let out a loud roar, and the cyclone surrounding it intensified, occluding the hollow from their eyes. As if that wasn’t enough, several cyclones started to form around the hollow, almost as if creating a defensive barrier. The kido spells that Squad 10 soul reapers were using fluttered harmlessly against the cyclones forming around the hollow.

“That’s too bad.” Rangiku muttered as she called back the ash cloud and reformed her Zanpakuto.

“That hollow is a crafty one. It is blowing apart my Zanpakuto.” Rangiku pouted at being denied to deliver a strike at the hollow.

Benzarenza let out a roar, and its body started to glow with arcs of purple lightning.  

“I think that’s your cue.” Rangiku said, nodding at the hollow.

Harry swore never to drink again for having spilt all about his Zanpakuto’s powers in a drunken stupor to Rangiku.

‘Oh, quit mopping around, you dolt. Let’s attack that hollow.’ Amaterasu screamed at him from the depths of his soul.

Harry let the rings fly out of his hand one by one until only one remained in each arm. The other eight rings floated in a circle around him while he eyed the hollow. Gathering spirit energy to the soles of his feet, Harry disappeared using shunpo.

Just as he appeared near Benzarenza, an arc of listening thundered towards him. The moment he sensed the bolt of energy, he used shunpo and disappeared from the spot. He reappeared a few feet to the left, and the hollow struck again using its purple lightning. Harry started consecutively disappearing using shunpo as he dodged several lightning attacks, but he carefully closed in on the hollow. When more cyclones started to form around the hollow, Harry stopped moving around the hollow.

He stood his ground and faced the hollow head-on while readying Amaterasu. The hollow charged an enormous amount of energy between its two long horns on its forehead and shot a massive purple bolt of lightning.

He swung his right hand, and the eight rings flew one by one in front of him, meeting the lightning head-on.

“Nakatsukuni.(Land in between)”

The lightning impacted the first ring and was completely absorbed by a spatial tear opening within the ring. The runes on the rings glowed purple one by one until the two remaining rings on his hand glowed with purple lightning.

Harry smirked at the hollow as its power became part of his own. All ten rings became saturated with purple lightning, and Harry threw his right arm forward as if he were punching the air. The rings vibrated with energy before they shot straight towards Benzarenza. One by one, the rings cut past the cyclones and punched straight into the underbelly of the draconic hollow with a bang.

The hollow let out a howl as it was consumed by its own lightning released upon impact. Harry supplemented that attack by enforcing the purple lightning with his own spiritual pressure. The explosive power of the attack was so strong the hollow was blown out of the sky, forcing it to lose control over the cyclone it was using as a shield.

But as the hollow fell, it opened its giant maw and fired off a cero in defiance straight at Harry.

Just as the beam of energy reached him, the two remaining rings on his arms glowed a bright purple, and he was bathed in purple lightning from head to toe like armour. Harry blocked the cero with the palm of his hand, bathed in purple lightning, which cut the cero in half.  

The red beam of destructive energy split in two and passed around Harry without harming a hair on his body. He summoned the rest of the rings back to his side and unleashed a barrage of attacks on Benzarenza. The rings converged on the hollow and began bombarding the hollow from all directions while energised by the lightning coursing through the rings.

When Harry finally halted the assault, the hollow was sporting a cracked mask and a weakened hierro.

Benzarenza tried to escape the battle by trying its luck against breaking the frozen sea and escaping into its depths. So, he was not surprised when Captain Hitsugaya immediately consumed the hollow in ice before shattering it into a million pieces.

The massive storms and climate-altering spiritual pressure of the hollow vanished almost immediately. But the temperature kept plummeting down because of Captain Histugaya’s Zanpakuto. The aforementioned captain powered down his shikai, making the cold weather recede slowly. Harry followed suit by sealing Amaterasu once he landed on the ground.

Immediately, Rangiku accosted Harry, throwing an arm around his shoulder and pulling at his cheek.

“See, Captain. I told you Harry-kun is a real cutie and might come in handy in the mission,” Rangaku said with a giggle while Harry tried hard not to blush at her antics.

“Not bad, Lieutenant Harry. I suppose this concludes our mission,” Captain Hitsugaya said with a respectful nod before turning towards the rest of Squad 10's seated and unseated officers.

“Even Shiro-kun likes you, and we managed to kill a sneaky hollow. I think this calls for a celebration.” Rangiku loudly proclaimed, making Harry’s blood freeze.

He knew exactly what celebration meant for Rangiku. So, the moment the senkaimon was opened, he ditched the bubbly woman and ran for his squad quarters to safeguard his remaining dignity.

****

Rukia Kuchiki walked along the river road leading to Karakura High School, deep in thought. If she were a normal teenager, she would be worrying about homework and exams.

But she was no normal teenager. She was a Shinigami and a seated officer of Squad 13 of Soul Society. She was supposed to be a Shinigami looking after the balance of the world and helping pure souls to cross over into Soul Society. Instead, she was stuck inside a gigai and forced to count her last days in this town helplessly.

It was only a matter of time before her colleagues in Soul Society found out what was going on in Karakura town. She had hoped to go under the radar and hopefully regain her powers, but that was no longer possible.

Yesterday, Ichigo was unceremoniously pushed into a situation where he ended up confronting a lot of hollows, and he even managed to hold himself against a Menos. It was truly an incredible achievement for Ichigo, who was only a human with temporary Shinigami powers. To take on the full blast of a Cero and deflect it to injure the Menos was unheard of, especially for someone so less experienced as a Shinigami.

It was for this reason she knew her time in the world of the living was numbered. There was no point in hiding any longer. A Menos stepping into Karakura town would’ve undoubtedly increased scrutiny over her. She could no longer say everything was going well in her daily reports to her lieutenant. So far, she had avoided being found out by claiming her soul tracker was damaged.

Now, it was no longer possible to make that excuse.

‘If Lieutenant Harry doesn’t kill me, my brother will.’ Rukia thought.

She knew a harsh punishment would await her once the Gotei 13 sent Shinigami after her for breaking so many rules. She’d be sentenced to a century or two in prison if she were lucky. If she was not as lucky as she thought, then execution was most likely the punishment for her transgressions.

But she was not worried about the punishment she would incur for her crimes. What worried her was what would happen to Ichigo and his friends.

The Shinigami powers that she had transferred to Ichigo in her desperation had affected not only Ichigo but also his friends. She had assumed Ichigo’s shinigami powers would weaken over time, but they only strengthened every day. With the increase in spiritual pressure, it was only natural that Ichigo’s power started to affect souls around him.

Chad developed some kind of power that allowed him to manifest an armoured right arm. Inoue Orihime was also able to develop strange powers of her own. Both Chad and Orihime were able to fight off the hollows that came after them yesterday,

Then there was Uryu Ishida, a Quincy. As far as she knew, the Quincy were exterminated on the orders of Soul Society. She didn’t want to be responsible for the death of a Quincy survivor even if Ishida was the one responsible for attracting the attention of Menos by using a Hollow bait.

Every waking moment she spent with Ichigo and his friends increased the danger they were in. As it stood, she’d be lucky to convince the Gotei 13 to leave Ichigo alone. They’d no doubt hunt him down and forcibly extract the Shinigami powers from his soul.

She could not let something like that happen. Unlike her, Ichigo was young and had a long life ahead of him. He also had the responsibility of looking after his orphaned sisters and helping out his widowed father.

‘I’ll not be the reason to bring more grief to the Kurosaki family.’ Rukia vowed in her mind.

“Kuchiki-san!”

Rukia was broken out of her musings when she heard a familiar sound calling her name. She saw Orihime skipping towards her with a wide smile.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Orihime.” Rukia smiled at the bubbly redhead girl.

“Let’s walk together.”

“Of course.” Rukia resumed walking with her classmate. “You’re earlier than usual.”

“Oh, yes. Now that the summer vacations are nearby, I can’t help but be excited.” Orihime happily squealed and did a small twirl, “I’m so happy. I think I might just float away.”

Rukia chuckled at the friendly girl’s antics and excitement.

“What are your plans, Kuchiki-san? I’ll be going to the Fire Festival with Tatsuki-chan.”

“Fire Festival?” Rukia asked curiously.

“Oh yes. There is a huge fire festival in August. It’ll be so wonderful. You’re welcome to tag along. You can also bring Ichigo if you want.”

Rukia resumed walking while smiling and acting excited whenever Orihime was over the moon with her summer plans.

‘I won’t be here to see the festival, Orihime. But I hope you get to see many festivals in the future and remain as happy as you are now.’ Rukia thought with a fond smile at the excitable girl.

She wished the same for each friend she made in Karakura town. She was not even afraid to accept her punishment. So long as her new friends were safe, she was happy. She was a Shinigami of Soul Society. It was her duty to protect souls and guide them to the afterlife. So, she was content to sacrifice herself if her human friends got to live their lives.

‘I see now what Lieutenant Harry was trying to teach me.’ Rukia thought.

However, she was sad that she had lied to her lieutenant repeatedly since she had lost her powers. She hoped he wouldn’t get into trouble because of her actions.