Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

"A clumsy hiding technique, was it?" Kōe waved the Getsuren Reikiri in his hand. "It can’t be helped. This blade really isn’t suited for sneak attacks. But since the problem lies with me, I can take back the praise I just gave you. You haven’t grown at all, Tōsen."

While Grimmjow was still wondering exactly when this Shinigami named Kōe Shihouin had hidden himself nearby, he suddenly noticed the man glance at him. Did he just smile?

Grimmjow braced himself. The aura Kōe gave off was far too harmless, which was highly unusual. When someone holding a sharp blade pointed right at you—someone who could plunge it into your heart in the very next second—didn’t feel dangerous at all, that was the most dangerous situation of all.

He was someone who made even his allies uneasy. If he was an enemy, he would keep you constantly on edge. That was Kōe Shihouin.

Precisely because of this, Tōsen appeared very calm, at least on the surface. "You still love spouting pointless nonsense from that mouth of yours. Thinking you can anger me with that is far too foolish, Kōe Shihouin."

"I don’t need to use such tricks to deal with you, Tōsen. If you had fled the moment you noticed me, I might not have been able to make you stay. But now?" Kōe chuckled. "Neither of you is getting away."

Kōe moved, but Tōsen seemed to move even faster. Ichigo only felt a blur before Tōsen appeared right in front of him. With a flash of cold light, the Zanpakutō at Tōsen’s waist was instantly drawn.

A silver-white, long-handled scythe suddenly stood in front of Ichigo, colliding with Suzumushi in Tōsen’s hand with a crisp *clink*. "Step back, Ichigo."

Taking Ichigo as a hostage was a smart move, but Kōe had no intention of giving Tōsen that chance. Stepping forward to close the distance, he threw a fierce left punch. "Grab him, Kōki."

*Crack!* Even though he tried to retreat, Tōsen was still grazed by the punch, his left arm instantly broken. Seeing Kōe raise that terrifying scythe once more, he hurriedly roared, "Do it, Grimmjow!"

Ganging up two-on-one wasn’t exactly Grimmjow’s style. That was why he hadn’t acted immediately when Tōsen secretly signaled him to help.

However, the sheer terror of this man named Kōe Shihouin completely exceeded his imagination. Although he couldn’t stand Tōsen, he still acknowledged the blind man’s strength.

Yet against a fighter like Tōsen, this opponent had forced him to the brink of defeat with just a single move. Grimmjow knew that if he let this continue, Tōsen would absolutely not survive, and that was definitely not something Aizen wanted to see.

Behind him? Was the target still Ichigo? Kōe sensed Grimmjow appearing behind him. Seeing the Arrancar slash his blade toward him, Kōe directly grabbed Grimmjow’s wrist with his left hand, which was covered by a black gauntlet.

*’Trash!’* Tōsen cursed Grimmjow in his heart. Dragging his now-useless left arm, he charged toward Ichigo once again.

A siege of this level wouldn’t work against Kōe Shihouin. The only possible way to fulfill Lord Aizen’s orders was to use a hostage as a bargaining chip to escape. Unfortunately, that idiot Grimmjow didn’t understand this.

At the same time, Grimmjow felt as if the gauntlet with the Hannya relief on its back possessed some sort of magic. Even though there wasn’t much physical force behind it, it instantly stripped him of control over his own body, sending him flying involuntarily.

*’A Shinigami can possess such terrifying power?’*

Just as Grimmjow marveled internally, he suddenly felt himself crash into something. It was none other than Tōsen Kaname, who had just stepped forward. The two immediately collided into a tangled heap, skidding across the ground for a distance before coming to a halt.

Having gathered the two of them in one place like this, Kōe naturally wouldn’t pass up the opportunity. With a light tap of his toes, he used Shunpo to arrive right where they had fallen, planting his foot firmly on Tōsen’s chest just as the man tried to get up.

He swung the long-handled giant scythe in his hand downward, suspending the moon-like blade right over Grimmjow’s chest. "Don’t move."

To have controlled both him and Tōsen in an instant—Grimmjow froze. He was actually a little frightened.

Was this feeling fear? Was this what fear was? Grimmjow’s eyes grew slightly dazed; he couldn’t even remember the last time he had been afraid.

Ichigo’s voice calling out from a distance jolted him awake. Seeing Ichigo’s relieved expression, Grimmjow’s gaze turned ruthless once more.

Fear? How could I ever allow such a thing to exist within my body!

Grimmjow violently thrust his chest upward, acting as if he didn’t care at all whether he would be impaled by that bizarre scythe. "Who are you telling not to move, Shinigami!"

Trading injuries? No. Facing the suddenly surging Grimmjow, Kōe didn’t even need to move his hand to completely nullify the attack. So, at best, this could only be considered trading his life for an injury—or rather, "throwing his life away" would be a much more fitting description.

However, Kōe chose not to do that. Instead, his right hand lifted in tandem with Grimmjow’s movement, using the scythe’s shaft to parry the sweeping strike of Grimmjow’s Zanpakutō. Immediately after, he thrust the butt of the shaft downward, tapping Grimmjow on the head and pinning him back down.

"If my previous phrasing displeased you, I am terribly sorry," Kōe said, switching to what he felt was a much more sincere tone. "Could I please ask you not to move, Mr. Grimmjow?"

"If you refuse to cooperate, I’ll be forced to resort to some rather excessive measures."

Such words didn’t seem enough to calm Grimmjow down. Kōe felt a bit helpless; it looked like those excessive measures were unavoidable. If the guy used his Resurrección, things would get slightly troublesome.

"Since Mr. Chōzuka said not to move, you shouldn’t move, Grimmjow."

Ichimaru Gin? Kōe turned his head. Although he couldn’t see him completely, that signature light purple short hair was instantly recognizable. Compared to Tōsen, Ichimaru Gin didn’t look much different from when he had left Soul Society.

At the same time, the splash of red dangling from the man’s hand was far too conspicuous. It was none other than Renji, who had left Urahara behind to rush over and help. Only, by the looks of it, he had ended up doing more harm than good.

"Did you sneak all the way over here while hiding your Reiatsu? How very cautious of you."

"Mr. Chōzuka might be here, so how could I not be careful?"

Kōe genuinely hadn’t noticed Ichimaru Gin sneaking into the vicinity. If the man had gotten any closer or launched a sudden sneak attack, Kōe would have been able to react. He could only admit that Ichimaru Gin had managed his distance perfectly.

"You’re quite something, Ichimaru. You’re on a completely different level than Tōsen."

"Is that so? You flatter me, Mr. Chōzuka." Ichimaru Gin smiled, then shifted the topic. "Why don’t you let Tōsen and Grimmjow go?"

Without waiting for Kōe to answer, he drew the short sword from his waist and pressed it against Renji’s neck. "If my previous phrasing displeased you, I am terribly sorry. Could I please ask you to let them go, Mr. Chōzuka?"

It was the exact same hostage exchange tactic, but the difference between him and Tōsen was that, by acting on the premise that Kōe had truly come to the World of the Living, Ichimaru Gin now actually had a hostage in his hands.

And it hit right at Kōe’s weak spot.

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