Bleach: Stirring Up a Storm

”Let them go? Fine.”

Kōe was decisive. With a backward kick of his heel, he sent Tōsen skidding over. Turning to face Ichimaru Gin, he continued, ”I’ll give you one first. Release Renji, and I’ll release the other.”

”Don’t joke with me, Mr. Chōzuka. At this distance, whether I release him or not makes no difference to you.”

In truth, with Tōsen, Grimmjow, and himself, they might not be entirely incapable of covering each other to retreat safely from Kōe’s grasp. It was just too risky. Considering the man had managed to manifest two Zanpakutō, Gin wouldn’t be surprised no matter what bizarre techniques Kōe pulled out next.

And once Renji was back in his hands, at this range, it was entirely possible for Kōe to snatch back the two he had just handed over. It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that none of them—Gin included—would be able to escape.

”Can I trust you?”

”Of course you can.”

Kōe fell silent for a moment before letting out a cold sneer. ”Two defected former captains, and this guy named Grimmjow—he must be a fully developed Arrancar just like those two from yesterday, right?”

”If I disregard Renji, I won’t let a single one of you three go. And compared to taking you down, the price of Renji’s potential death is not something I can’t stomach.”

”So you might be mistaken about something, Gin. I am the one holding the initiative here. The bargaining chip in your hand doesn’t give you the right to act so arrogantly. Don’t push your luck!”

Ichimaru Gin drew in an exaggerated breath and asked in return, ”Then can you truly bear such a price, Mr. Chōzuka?”

”If it’s unavoidable, then I simply have to bear it. It has nothing to do with whether I can or cannot,” Kōe stated, issuing his final ultimatum. ”Release him right now, and I will let the three of you leave. That is the only option you have left.”

This time, it was Gin’s turn to fall silent. He dropped his smile and asked seriously, ”Can I trust you?”

”You have no choice but to trust me.”

”Trusting you right now is far too dangerous, Mr. Chōzuka,” Gin said, bringing his short sword even closer to Renji’s throat. ”Just as you said, you are the one holding the initiative. How could I dare hand everything over to you?”

In the face of this threatening gesture, Kōe didn’t even blink, as if Renji’s death was entirely inconsequential in his eyes.

*This is exactly what makes him so troublesome,* Gin sighed inwardly. *Kōe’s attitude toward people is always so elusive. You can never tell if his words are true or false. It’s a real headache.*

If the hostage in his hands were Kuchiki Rukia, he might have felt a bit more confident. But Abarai Renji? The probability of Kōe abandoning him was far too high.

”Alright, who asked you to hold the initiative right now?” Gin’s grip suddenly loosened, actually releasing Renji of his own accord.

Seeing this, Kōe also relinquished his control over Grimmjow. Just as everyone present thought nothing else would happen, Kōe suddenly swung the scythe in his hand. An incredibly fast Reiatsu Slash shot out, its target naturally being Ichimaru Gin opposite him.

*This guy’s words really can’t be trusted,* Tōsen thought as he used Shunpo to appear in front of Gin, raising his blade to block the Reiatsu Slash that was clearly a feint.

Gin, however, raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, calling out unhurriedly, ”If Mr. Chōzuka hasn’t forgotten what he just said, it would be best not to act rashly right now.”

Even knowing it was a feint, there was nothing he could do. Feeling the scythe hovering right above his head, Tōsen didn’t dare move an inch. He had no idea why Gin had suddenly released Renji, and could only hope he wasn’t just bluffing now.

”What do you mean?”

”My bargaining chips weren’t enough, which is why you held the initiative. But what if I have *enough* chips?”

Kōe chuckled lightly, seemingly not buying Gin’s rhetoric at all. ”Then let me see what chips you have that can buy your freedom from my hands.”

*What other chips could there possibly be?* Just as Tōsen Kaname was sighing inwardly, Gin’s voice rang out from behind him once more. ”Then, as you wish.”

”Take your positions, everyone.”

As soon as Gin’s words fell, the sky above Karakura Town distorted once again. One, two, three... a total of nine Gargantas slowly tore open, forming a ring that completely encircled the city.

Unrestrained, powerful Reiatsu poured out. Some were as violent as roaring beasts, while others were as oppressive as thick, dark clouds...

The nine distinct Reiatsu signatures each gave off a different feeling, yet they all simultaneously conveyed a malicious intent. With just a single signal, they would unleash an absolute massacre.

”The entirety of Karakura Town. Is this chip enough?”

Kōe’s gaze turned icy, and the massive scythe in his hand inched a fraction closer to Tōsen. ”I hate the feeling of being threatened.”

”But you *are* being threatened.” Gin tilted his head, looking past Tōsen to meet Kōe’s eyes directly. ”That is the truth.”

”These are all fully developed Arrancars, correct?”

”That’s right. But the name ’fully developed Arrancar’ sounds far too unpleasant. Allow me to introduce them to you.”

”Numbered 1 through 10, they represent the ten most powerful existences among the Arrancars, and they are also Captain Aizen’s most satisfactory creations to date. As you can see, they are all here now. Captain Aizen has specially bestowed upon them the title—Espada!”

”Each of them possesses extraordinary strength. Using them in a place like Karakura Town is honestly a bit of a waste of talent. I reckon this place would be leveled to the ground in a matter of breaths, wouldn’t it?” Gin said, moving his index finger from his temple to point at Kōe. ”And whether or not destroying this place becomes their very first joint mission depends entirely on your attitude, Mr. Chōzuka.”

Destruction is always far easier than protection. Even for Kōe, and even if he added Urahara, Yoruichi, Hirako, and the others to the mix, completely protecting Karakura Town from the highly focused Espada would be an impossible task.

Of course, if things truly reached that point, Gin and the other two would at least be left behind here, and a few of the Espada would likely be taken down as well.

But whether it was worth trading the lives of tens of thousands of Karakura Town residents for such an outcome was a matter of perspective. At least in Kōe’s eyes, making such a trade was utterly meaningless.

”This is Aizen’s arrangement, I presume,” Kōe said, retracting Getsuren Reikiri and resting it behind his back. The implication was clear: Gin’s bargaining chips were enough to buy back the three of them.

”If you were truly here, an arrangement like this was the only safe bet.”

”But if you had just kept your promise and let us go earlier, we wouldn’t have needed to threaten you with something like this. I do hope you won’t take this little matter to heart.”

Kōe stared at Gin for a moment before speaking slowly. ”You managed to scrape by with your life this time. I just wonder if you’ll have such a safe arrangement to save your life again next time.”

”Then you should be careful too. Next time, you might be the one racking your brains to find bargaining chips.” Gin gave Kōe a slight nod and continued, ”Now, I’m going to take Grimmjow back. You won’t interfere anymore, will you?”

”Get lost.”