Bleach: Cero Devastador

'Pain pain pain'.

It was no longer an even fight. 

Too fast to track, too strong to block.

*BAANG!*

She closed the distance between them in an instant, her speed catching Ryoma off guard. Her first punch was like a thunderclap, slamming into his guard, by passing it and landing with full force; forcing him back several steps to catch his breath.

But before he could react, Kurayami was on him again. Her strikes were relentless—each one a calculated combination of power and precision. Ryoma managed to deflect some, but most landed squarely and caused a great deal of pain and damage. A crushing uppercut sent him staggering, Ryoma grieved having lost his katana and sought an opportunity to go and get it, but she wouldn't let him.

Kurayami didn't say a word, it was as if she was in the zone. She circled his staggering self like a tigress sizing up her prey. She lunged again, her fists a blur of shiny releases of energy.

'Shunko' used to the limit of what she could handle.

'Why am I giving it my all?' She asked inwardly, one punch at a time. Phasing across the field like afterimages, chasing after Ryoma who had yet to fall. 

'An opponent without a sword who can't defend himself'.

Ryoma barely managed to dodge the next series of blows, but even as her gauntlets grazed his skin, her strikes left deep bruises, like a sharp edge. Blood spilt like she was flurrying with blades. By now there was a little crowd in the darkness of the night witnessing what was a fight of blurring shadows.

Kurayami pressed her advantage, yet as the fight continued, a strange feeling crept over her. Despite landing blow after blow, Ryoma's expression remained unnervingly calm. No fear. No desperation. Just a quiet, chilling focus.

Ryoma's mind wandered as he took the hits, his thoughts dragged back to his childhood. He could almost hear the bark of his father's voice. 'You want to be strong? Then take the pain of the strong!' The memory of brutal sparring sessions—of fists meeting flesh and a bloodied boken striking his body; unrelenting howls of misery coursed through him like fire.

'I'm blasting him... I'm overusing my power... I'm rendering him into a helpless state... so why do I still feel like the prey?!' She thought.

With a low chuckle, Ryoma wiped the blood from his mouth. "You hit hard," he said, his voice carrying an edge that made Kurayami's pulse quicken. "But you're making one big mistake."

"What's that?" she shot back with irritation that almost hit the peak of her life; an opponent that wouldn't go down no matter how much he was struck. She failed to notice that as Ryōma spit blood, his wounds closed slowly. 

"The motive of a fight is everything. Your motives are weak, Kurayami. I? I fight to be the best. You are strong, but you are not the one they call Kenpachi! I won't fall before I get to fight the strongest!"

Ryoma lunged forward, fists flying. His movements were unpredictable his skills worthy of acknowledgement. But it was all useless, the disparity was too massive. 

Kurayami disappeared, and the next thing he saw was a fist coming his way, less than an inch away. 

'Stand up, Ryōma'.

...

The woman picked him up, she sweated, breathed heavily... shivered... the energy around her scattered, unable to use Shunko again. But the man no longer moved. Her gauntlets were marred in blood. 

"Answer... me..." She growled, "Answer me! R-Ryōsuke... what was he doing in the 78th district!?" Although she screamed, her voice sounded feeble.

'Your motive is weak, Kurayami' She heard his voice in her mind, but his lips were silent. 

"Depending on your answer... my sister... I could prove that my sister is not a traitor–"

*cough!*

Blood fell on her face, and next, she was shown the middle finger. Kurayami gasped in disbelief.

"I don't give a fuck about you or your sister".

!!!

*BAANG!*

A punch straight to the face planted Ryoma against the shattering ground. She took him by the hair, his mask shattered and exposing his true face.

"I was a fool for expecting something from a criminal like you. In due time you will talk".

However, at that time... Ryoma's eyes opened once more. 

"Hahahaha so you finally show up. I-I had been wondering who was it that followed me from corner to corner. It was so annoying. Hahahaha...hahahaha!"

"... have you gone insane?".

What his eyes saw was one green and slit massive eye staring at him in the darkness. These eyes felt like the peak of intimidation. In front of it, Ryoma felt small. However, the slit of this massive green snake eye was like a mirror in which he could see his reflection. 

'Stand up, Ryōma'.

It was no longer his father's phantom voice of a ghost that refused to relinquish; but instead a charming woman's voice. To him, it resembled Sakuya's but it was bereft of the latter's innocence. Instead, it was sharp, abrasive and demanding. 

He felt like myriad tendrils coiled around his body tightly, posessively. The sight of the snake brightened up showcasing the wondrous display of a massive purple snake devouring its own tail. 

'Stand up, Sword King... my name is...'

"Hebimaru".

*WHOOSH!*

An explosion in the distance, a flying object returning to its master. Ryoma caught the flying sword. It wasn't too late by the time Kurayami realised what was going on. She flash-stepped away, the sword only managed to grace her skin. 

!!!

"AAAAAHHHH!!!"

But even then the pain did not fail to arrive. It was immeasurable, inconceivable. Kurayami clenched her teeth so hard they almost shattered, she stared at her shivering hand with bulging veins. Occasionally seeing phantom images of her arm missing and bleeding profusely, only to close her eyes, open them... and see it still there, attached and with her gauntlets on.

But regardless of reality or illusion... the pain was still there and it was indescribable. It was like the sword was still slowly slicing her skin one millimetre at a time, taking its dear time. 

"Ughhh!!!!" She resisted the urge to kneel down as she heard steps in front of her. With a darkened expression, Ryoma approached, holding his sword. 

'S-Shikai... no, Bankai!? What is this ability?!'.

Ryoma stared at his sword which looked no different than usual, only... a violent purple aura gushed around it, embracing him like the hug of a snake. 

"Let's go, Hebimaru".

*WHOOSH!*

His body disappeared like a phantom, trying to mirror something he had seen but never tried. 

!!!

'Impossible!' Kurayami gasped, she grit her teeth and glided away from the trajectory. Ryoma's technique was subpar, Kurayami managed to evade easily but the shock couldn't be moved off her mind. 

'That was a Shunpo... no doubt'.

He tried again, slicing forth, Kurayami evaded but the sword of Ryoma's slice once again graced her skin; this action alone brought apprehension beyond belief, and sure enough... the expected result.

"AAAAAAHHHH!!- UGH!"

She didn't have time to howl in pain; another flash, an upper roundhouse kick to the neck sent Kurayami's head into the pavement. She saw the sword coming down for judgment and flickered away. Ryoma gave chase. 

Slash after slash, it didn't matter if he struck or missed. The pain was there and it was relentless, vicious. 

'Why?!'

She couldn't understand where the pain was coming from. In her last stretch, with a bloodied and shivering body, a mind clouded with howls of distress... Kurayami too refused to fall but the point clouded her mind until her knees gave away. 

*BAANGG!*

Growling, outraged but pained... Kurayami's knees hit the ground in front of the incoming Ryoma. Her body contorted, veins bulged out. Phantom images of her limbless bloodied body, arms and legs scattered on ponds of blood.

Her gauntlets flashed and returned to that beautiful and pristine white sword.

"B-Bastard. w-what is this?" She asked with a stutter, the pain so massive it prevented her from even uttering coherent words. 

Ryoma didn't answer and instead, bent down to pick up the sword that looked pristine for him, yet coated in blood for her. 

He licked it with that maniacal expression of his, and then she saw it... those green slit eyes. Something began to manifest, like white goo flowing into his face. 

!!!

"Y-You are..." She extended her shaking hand forward and Ray sliced down her sword, Shitsutora. 

Kurayami's finger flew off, blood poured... it was then that the purple aura that had been coating Hebimaru, now coated Shitsutora. 

The pain returned, this time it wasn't a mere illusion; Kurayami collapsed, breathing heavily under the blood moon, unable to put two and two together. She saw her finger not too far away, resting on that puddle of blood that her mind didn't seem to be able to get rid of. 

Just then a hand grasped her by her voluminous white hair, lifting her up like cabbage so that she could finally face him. 

So that she could see a real demon head-on. 

Half of Ryoma's face was covered in a black mask that was too obvious for her, although this mask wasn't white like a hollow's... it was black. A pointy horn pointed at her, so close she felt it was going to pierce her eye. And lastly, those green slit eyes that penetrated her soul. 

"IF I KILL YOU NOW, WE WON'T FIGHT AGAIN..." That voice didn't resemble a human anymore. 

Ryoma's tongue extended forward, and he licked the blood out of Kurayami's cheek, but even at that slightest touch, all she could feel was numbing pain. As he did so, the mask scattered and his face returned back to how it was before any injury or bruise she could have caused. 

"Come fight me again, and you can get your finger back," He said longingly and caressed the spot where he had licked, the same spot that was now swollen and sore as if itching.

"..." 

Kurayami had no words to say, nothing other than to stare at those eyes with brutal wrath; nothing that could explain the humiliation she was going through; nothing that could scatter the pain she was feeling all over her body. 

Nothing could describe the feeling of watching her opponent walk away after defeating her in a fight, carrying her finger and her Zampakutō with him.

"K-Kami...shiro... R-yōma!".