Not a Mob: Psycho

"What the heck? How did we end up outside...?" asked Karin, staring wide-eyed at the blue, cloud-filled sky overhead.
"This isn't outside," replied Ohta. "It's the interior dome of Las Noches..."
Though he was just as surprised as Karin, Rukia, and Orihime, Ohta was a lot calmer than the trio as he scanned the vast stretch of desert in front of him, dotted with slanted red pillars more than a kilometer tall and slightly shorter white towers that were predominately cylindrical but sloped near the base. Ohta didn't know their exact height, but he approximated them to be at least 700m tall and well over a kilometer in diameter. Since there were windows interspaced throughout the structure, particularly near the top, he presumed them to be residences of some kind.
"How is building something like this even possible...?" asked Karin, unable to imagine what kind of technology would be required to construct such a colossal dome.
"Who knows?" asked Ohta, producing a platform of psychic energy before stepping onto it, compelling everyone else to do the same. The place they had exited from had them standing on a landing that appeared to encircle the entirety of Las Noches' interior outer wall, placing them at least 300m from the desert sands below.
Before Ohta could pick which direction to fly in, Rukia said, "If the Cuatro Espada is on the opposite side of Las Noches, that's where Ichigo, Renji, Chad, and Uryu are. We should leave him to them and focus on searching the palace of another Espada."
"Any preferences...?" asked Ohta, curious to hear what Rukia had to say. The only Espada he had a 'vendetta' against was Starrk, but it probably wasn't the smartest idea to charge into Aizen's palace to attack him. Not because he feared either of the two but because their battle would likely cause the dome of Las Noches to collapse...
Sporting a serious look, Rukia replied, "If we think about what's meant to happen after our return, we should try to eliminate as many powerful foes as possible. The Secunda Espada, Barragan, shares the name of Hueco Mundo's King. Assuming they're the same entity, defeating him before he can invade the human world could save many lives..."
"Someone's trying to redeem themselves..." teased Ohta, placing his hand on Rukia's head as he added, "I would 'love' to kill the so-called God-King of Hueco Mundo..."
As Barragan had purportedly been around since the formation of Hueco Mundo more than a million years ago, his existence and powers were well documented. Yourichi had warned Ohta to be wary but never told him not to fight the incredibly ancient entity. As far as he was concerned, that was the same as encouraging him to do so...
Shifting his attention to a massive, pure white palace complex visible on the horizon, meaning it was between 20-30km away, Ohta concluded that the interior of Las Noches was even bigger than the outside. However, as that was a common theme among the study chambers created by Kisuke, that wasn't particularly surprising. Spatial compression, as futuristic as it sounded, was regarded as a very old technology within the Soul Society, nearly dating back to its creation.
"If that bull mask was telling the truth, I assume that big ass palace over there is Barragan's," remarked Ohta.
"That would make sense..." replied Rukia, feeling a little embarrassed as Karin and Orihime stared at her with 'longing' as Ohta continued to caress her head. Fortunately, Ohta soon retracted his hand, rising into the air as he said, "I want to try something..."
Before the trio could question him, Ohta formed a rectangular prism-shaped barrier around Rukia, Orihime, and Karin as he slapped his palms together, shouting, "Bankai! Kuroinu-no-Anpu, Souten-no-Seigyo...!"
Brandishing his bandage-wrapped Bankai, Ohta gripped it with both hands before drawing a wide arc with the end resembling a khopesh. As he did so, a large crimson blade of energy was unleashed from the edge, its size exceeding fifty meters and its velocity exceeding Mach 3. This wasn't particularly fast considering the base speed of a flawless Shunpo was close to Mach 20, but that would change quickly as, each time Ohta received the rebounding crescent of energy, its speed, range, and overall destructive power effectively doubled.
Though the initial energy crescent only extended 300m, the second and third reached 600 and 1200m. Every subsequent crescent flew twice the distance in the same amount of time, so unless Ohta was interrupted, he simply needed to establish and maintain the same rhythm to receive and unleash each succeeding energy crescent.
By the time Ohta reached the eighth iteration of the energy crescent, its size had only grown to around 300m, but its speed had exceeded Mach 384. The energy within also caused space to warp as it traveled, ripping up sand from the ground and causing a violent sandstorm as it inevitably impacted Barragan's palace, producing a tremendous explosion that left the entire structure obscured by a cloud of sand and dust.
"..." x3 (Rukia, Orihime, Karin)
As his blade failed to return to him, Ohta clicked his tongue and mused, "Damn, I should have aimed up and gone for a ninth resonance. Well, you live, you learn..."
Brandishing his spear a second time, Ohta was planning to start the cycle anew when a magenta-colored beam of destructive light tore through the devastation he had wrought, impacting his psychic barrier. However, while the power within the presumed Cero was tremendous, it ultimately curved away from him, visibly veering as he unleashed the first crescent.
"You ant...!" screamed a deep, raspy voice that seemed to echo from every direction as what could best be described as a Lich tore through the sandstorm with a large, double-sided black ax in his hand. His body was garbed in billowing purple robes with a collar of abyssal black flames, but his most notable features were his skeletal visage, the golden, jewel-encrusted crown denoting his status as a King, the conspicuous, eye-shaped pendant around his neck, the bracelets around his wrists, and the many jeweled rings adorning his bony fingers.
With every instinct he possessed telling him to dodge, Ohta practically teleported out of the way as the monster he presumed to be Barragan cut through every layer of his psychic barrier as if it didn't exist, his oversized black ax leaving behind an eerie black trail that instantaneously decayed anything it touched, even the Reishi in the air.
"You dare launch a sneak attack on my palace...!?" shouted the lich-like entity, exuding a purplish-black aura from his body that reminded Ohta of his Kusho but more gaseous.
Spreading his arms wide, Ohta sported a toothy grin as he replied, "I dare, bitch...!" before cackling as Barragan surged toward him at a comparable but slightly inferior speed.
After realizing he might have jumped the gun a bit, Ohta intended to draw Barragan as far away from Rukia and the rest as he could. Fortunately, the barrier he created prevented their Reiatsu from leaking out, so the furious God-King hadn't detected them.
To preserve Barragan's focus on him, Ohta unleashed an energy crescent toward the enraged lich, shouting, "Eat shit...!" as he did so. He wasn't too surprised when Barragan didn't even attempt to dodge, barreling through the crimson energy crescent and causing it to scatter into motes of pitch-black energy. However, every hair on his body stood erect when the lich-like Arrancar opened his mouth, condensing a twisting mass of magenta-colored energy that abruptly became pitch-black as he fired it.
Dodging the near-instantaneous attack, Ohta's pupils contracted as he saw the black beam sweep through and impact the sands below. Instead of exploding, the eerie black beam caused the pure white sands to ignite, black flames spreading hundreds of meters per second until a section of desert more than twenty kilometers in diameter had become an abyss of death. In the process, every slanted red pillar and cylindrical tower in the vicinity was destroyed, swallowed up, and seemingly disintegrated by the abyssal black flames...
"Now you've done it..." said Barragan, turning toward Ohta and adding, "You will pay for this slight..." as if he were the one that had just destroyed a large section of the self-titled God-King's domain.
"Yeah, no..." replied Ohta, allowing his spear to float behind him as he brought his hands together, surprising Barragan by closing his eyes as he said, "I am immovable..."
In response to Ohta's words, his Kusho state was immediately activated. However, instead of forming a 3m sphere around his body, it was closer to ten as he added, "All things revolve around me..."
"Hmmm...?"
Though he had heard the reports of Ohta's power, Barragan's skeletal visage appeared particularly grim as he watched his Senescence Flames be drawn toward and seemingly devoured by the energy surrounding the former's body. Said flames could age whatever they touched, even Reishi, at extreme speeds. Even timeless beings like Hollows, which had no fixed lifespan, would be reduced to dust within seconds by his unique Aspect of Death, the power that had allowed him to reign as God-King of Hueco Mundo for more than a million years.
"You truly are a monster..." remarked Barragan, raising his ax overhead as he added, "However, I know the weakness of that technique! You cannot see or sense anything beyond the field that surrounds your body! Now, all I need to do is wait for you to run out of energy before your life is mine to collect...!"
As if in response to Barragan's words, Ohta slowly opened his eyes, the inverted crimson triangles that had replaced his pupils exuding an intense glow as he said, "Nothing escapes my pull..."
Opening his palms, Ohta revealed the usual sphere of black energy, but this time there was no discernible effect on his surroundings. Instead, the only thing drawn toward him was Barragan, startling the lich-like entity as he was abruptly pulled off balance and nearly drawn into the destructive sphere around Ohta's body instantly. He managed to recover and create a significant distance between them using several consecutive Sonido, but no matter how far he moved, he felt the pull on his body growing stronger.
"What...what is this...!?" groaned Barragan, the strain eventually causing his bones to creak as the robes on his body were gradually torn from his skeleton, revealing a fleshless rib cage, within which sat an abyssal black sphere.
"You dare...!?" screamed Barragan, attempting to use Sonido but failing to move more than a few meters. In response, he tried to condense another magenta-colored Cero within his skeletal maw, but the energy dispersed faster than he could gather it. Ohta had locked on to his specific Reiryoku, not his physical body, so Barragan felt like the marrow was being drained from his bones as he was invariably drawn closer to the destructive black sphere.
"I...WILL...NEVER...DIE!!!" screamed Barragan, charging 'toward' Ohta at the last moment, brandishing his ax with meteoric force to cut through the black sphere and execute the 'upstart' within. His ax was a condensation of his power, so it managed to hold up for several seconds as black, red-tinged lightning emanated from the impact, creating several prominent cracks within the destructive sphere. Unfortunately, while his ax was able to achieve a temporary stalemate with the sphere, he was unable to resist its immense gravitational pull, ultimately resulting in him clinging to his ax as his body was dragged feet first toward oblivion.
"I...I yield...!!!" screamed Barragan, fear overtaking him as his fingers slid along the embedded ax's handle. However, as Ohta was still senseless, the King's cries fell on deaf ears. Thus, after more than a million years of existence, Barragan, the self-titled Lord of Death, God-King of Hueco Mundo, ceased to be, leaving behind a crown and several pieces of gold jewelry, and a double-sided ax that ultimately rebounded away from the sphere and even survived the sea of Senescence Flames burning below...
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(A/N: O_O...)

"That was easier than expected..." remarked Ohta, drawing Barragan's ax, pendant, and crown toward him to get a closer look. He had used up most of the mental and spiritual energy he had been stockpiling since his arrival in Hueco Mundo, but he expected a being that had survived for more than a million years to have more trump cards...
"Hmmmm..."
Sensing traces of mental energy within the as and crown, Ohta wisely decided against trying them on. Zanpakuto and spiritual items such as Orihime's flowery hairpins could house the consciousness of Spirits, so Barragan's 'will' could live on within the two objects. Phenomena such as possession and curses were a thing, so Ohta created a barrier around the two objects before inspecting the eye-shaped pendant.
"What the hell is this thing...?" muttered Ohta, curiously inspecting the pendant from every angle. It resembled gold at a glance, but rather than a physical object, it was like a mass of Reiryoku. The 'ruby' representing the iris and pupil of the pendant was even more curious. It seemed to be 'exuding' Reiryoku, almost like a radioactive material producing energy as it decayed...
Since he didn't sense any traces of mental energy within the pendant, Ohta only hesitated briefly before trying it on. It was much heavier than normal gold, but he had no trouble enduring its weight as a cloak similar to the one worn by Barragan formed around him, replacing his billowing black hoodie with a two-layered robe of black and purple.
Though he felt a strong pressure enveloping his body, similar to being submerged deep within a pool of frigid water, Ohta's brows perked up as he felt Reishi from his surroundings flow into it, condensing into a thick veil of Reiryoku that both protected his body and allowed him to replenish his reserves by absorbing it into his body...
"Damn, with gear like this, it's no wonder he was able to rule over Hueco Mundo for so long..." remarked Ohta, a toothy grin developing across his face. He had been a fairly avid gamer before being drafted, so he equated the pendant and cloak to acquiring a Legendary or Unique-grade item in a dungeon crawler. If he could purge the remnant mental energy within the ax and crown, it could even become a set...
Turning his attention to said artifacts, particularly the ax, Ohta pondered for a moment before shaking his head and flying in the direction of Rukia, Orihime, and Karin. Having to carry the two objects around in a psychic barrier was annoying, but discarding them seemed like a waste. He also figured they might scare the piss out of any other Espada who saw them. If nothing else, they should at least get a rise out of Starrk...
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Seeing Ohta return with what they assumed were his war trophies, Rukia, Orihime, and Karin each exhaled sighs of relief. His newly acquired cloak made him look fairly terrifying, especially with the crimson glow from his eyes, but the pointed, somewhat fluffy ears protruding from his head did a lot to offset his intimidation factor.
Though she intended to be the first to greet Ohta after he touched down, Rukia lost the opportunity when Karin, aquamarine eyes glistening, rushed toward him and exclaimed, "Holy crap, Ohta! I knew you were strong, but that was on another level! And that cloak! So freakin' cool...!"
Exhaling a soft chuckle, Ohta extended his hand to ruffle Karin's hair, but something unexpected occurred. The moment his hand touched her head, she abruptly vanished, a faint warmth appearing within his cloak.
"What the heck!? Who turned out the lights!? And what's with this massive flame...!?" exclaimed Karin, her voice echoing with a ghostly reverberation from within the shadowy mass of Ohta's cloak. From her perspective, she was standing atop what looked like a black body of water, surrounded by darkness except for a colossal, tri-colored bonfire that cast a shimmering reflection on the lake's surface with its pink, blue, and purple light.
Before Karin could consider moving closer to the strangely alluring flame, she found herself standing in front of Ohta again, the latter staring at his outstretched hand with considerable intrigue. Then, before she could say anything, she was back inside the strange space, followed by a surprised Orihime and then Rukia.
"Can you guys hear me...?" asked Ohta, his voice reverberating from every direction but emanating from the tri-colored flame.
"We can hear you," answered Rukia, forcing herself to remain calm despite wanting to shout.
"What..what is this place...?" asked Orihime, briefly looking around before focusing on the tri-colored flame as Ohta replied, "It seems like this cloak can store people and objects inside of it. Brace yourselves."
Before the trio could respond, Ohta abruptly accelerated to his maximum speed, impacting the interior wall of Las Noches with meteoric force. The impact caused a powerful reverberation through his body, but all the girls experienced was the bonfire representing his intermixing mental, spiritual, and physical energies flickering with increased intensity before stabilizing.
"How was it? Are you okay...?" asked Ohta, preempting the trio's response by ejecting them outside, confirming they were okay directly.
Seeing the rubble that encircled them, realization donned upon Rukia's face as she questioned, "You did this while we were inside that strange space?"
Nodding his head, Ohta replied, "Yeah. I wanted to see if you would feel anything, so I rammed into the wall with full force. It seems like this cloak is even more useful than I thought."
Inserting herself into the exchange, Karin, sporting a wide-eyed, visibly excited look, asked, "So that place was inside your cloak? Or does it work as a portal that allows us to enter your body...?"
Chopping the top of Karin's head, Ohta said, "Don't make things weird..." in a flat tone. However, as he was also interested in learning the answer, he removed the pendant, the shadowy cloak disappearing from his body, leaving him with his bare-chested hoodie look. All three girl's eyes were immediately drawn to his abs, but at least Rukia raised her gaze when he held out the pendant and said, "Try this on."
"Uh...okay-!?" replied Rukia, accepting the pendant but nearly dropping it due to how heavy it was. Fortunately, while she didn't do much to improve her physique, she was still a burgeoning, Captain-level Shinigami. So long as she focused her Reiryoku, she could strengthen her body without limit, going from barely being able to 60kg to several hundred easily.
Donning the inordinately heavy pendant, Rukia felt its weight disappear, replaced by the same pressure Ohta experienced. However, instead of a black and purple cloak like Ohta's, hers was predominately bone white with a black interior. Over that, she also had a black mantle that framed her head and shoulders and split six ways, forming shadowy wings that gave her the appearance of an Angel of Death.
Clapping her hands together, Orihime sincerely chimed, "Oh, wow! You look amazing, Rukia~!"
Staring down at her ensemble, focusing on the pendant that had resized itself to suit her, Rukia remarked, "This is incredible...it feels like I'm in my Bankai form even though I've yet to release my Shikai..."
Interrupting Rukia's reverent observation, Ohta said, "See if you can store me within it. Then I'm going to see if I can break out."
Regaining her senses, Rukia replied with a perplexed, "Oh, sure..." before extending her hand and imagining Ohta being stored within the cloak. His body abruptly disappeared, but as it did, she crumpled to her knees, eyes wide and body shaking as if she were being crushed beneath a powerful Reiatsu. Fortunately, the sensation didn't last long as Ohta erupted from her back, tearing her wings and leaving a sizeable hole in the fabric that quickly patched itself.
Seeing his diminutive lover on the ground, Ohta promptly bent down to cradle her, asking, "Are you okay...?" with furrowed brows.
"I'm fine," assured Rukia, forcing a smile and patting Ohta's hand as she said, "But I think your Reiryoku density might be too great. The moment you disappeared, it felt like a mountain had fallen on me..."
"Yeah...I realized something was wrong the moment I was drawn inside. There was a tiny, bluish-white flame nearby, and when I tried to approach it, it began to flicker..." explained Ohta, adopting an apologetic smile as he whispered, "Sorry if I hurt you..."
Shaking her head, Rukia repeated, "I'm fine. In fact, thanks to this cloak, I feel better than ever."
Rising to a seated position, Rukia bounced to her feet with the intention of demonstrating she was okay. However, due to the flight capabilities of the cloak, she ended up floundering like a cat in zero gravity. She managed to right herself quickly, but the damage had been done. Ohta had an amused smile as he extended his hand to help her down while Karin outright burst out laughing...
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After a bit of experimentation, Ohta was able to ascertain that the cloak could store just about anything comprised of Reishi, but the wearer would feel an equivalent amount of pressure on their body. When his energy was being balanced by his jackal transformation, he had absolutely no trouble storing Rukia, Orihime, and Karin within the created space. Without it, he could still store Orihime, but because Rukia and Karin had much greater Reiryoku density than him, moving around felt like wading through a pool of mercury.
Curiously, while Ohta's cloak was similar to Barragan's, barring a lack of black flames, the pendant manifested unique outfits for Rukia, Orihime, and Karin. When worn by Orihime, it formed into a white gown with black trim that vaguely resembled the attire of a Priestess. For Karin, it was a white, double-breasted vest that looked like it had been modified into a swimsuit top, form-fitting white shorts, bicep-length gloves, and thigh-high boots, each with soot-black trim. Fortunately, it also provided her with a mantle, bone-white on the outside and soot-black on the inside, so it was at least better than her default Arrancar attire...
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Around the time Ohta had defeated Barragan, Starrk, lying atop a pile of pillows with a petite, pale-haired girl sleeping atop him, opened his eyes and frowned. He and Barragan didn't get along well, mostly because the ancient Arrancar hated him for being ranked first among the Espada, but Starrk lamented his death for two reasons. Firstly, Barragan was powerful enough to endure his Reiatsu, meaning he wouldn't just keel over one day by being around him. Secondly, because of his pride as the former King of Hueco Mundo, the ancient Arrancar took on most administrative roles and responsibilities as a matter of course. Without him to lead and keep the other Espada in check, Starrk would have to do it himself...
"What a pain..." groaned the messy-haired Arrancar, prompting the young-looking girl sleeping atop him to stir. Her slender frame was garbed in the same outfit as Karin, but instead of a Hollow mask resembling a forehead protector, she had on a thick helmet that also covered her left eye, bull-like horns protruding from its sides but with the left broken near its base.
Before Starrk could tell the youthful-looking Arrancar good morning, the petite girl abruptly grabbed his collar, headbutting him in the face with the crown of her helmet as she shouted, "Stupid, Starrk! Why the hell are you making so much noise!? Can't you see I'm trying to sleep here...!?"
Maintaining a serious expression despite blood leaking from his nose, Starrk replied, "Barragan's dead..." in a neutral tone. When he did, the anger faded from the pale-haired girl's face, replaced by a glimmer of melancholy in her distinctive pink eyes. She was created when Starrk's tremendous Reiryoku split into two, so they endured the same loneliness. Thus, while she often rambled on about how much she hated Barragan, referring to him as a stinky old far who should hurry up and die, she was saddened to learn he had passed. Even more so since his death indicated that many more of their colleagues would soon perish...
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(A/N: I need a cloak like that (O o O)...also, daily reminder that Not a Mob: Psycho is NOT a harem novel.)

Figuring they could cover more ground if they entered on opposite sides of Las Noches, Ohta told Ichigo, Renji, Chad, and Uryu to wait around an hour while he took Rukia, Orihime, and Karin around the perimeter of the megalithic structure.
Less than a minute after separating from the other group, Karin asked, "Say, Orihime, since when were you a Shinigami...?" while staring at the voluptuous ginger with a hint of suspicion.
Answering in Orihime's stead, Ohta explained, "I made her into one after she saved my life and helped me save Rukia." Then, before she could ask, he said, "I was willing to make you one as well, but only once you were a bit older. The higher your concentration of Reiryoku, the slower you age in soul form. That's another reason to reclaim your body and seal away your current power. I doubt you want to be caught in the middle of puberty for a hundred years."
"Ugh...yeah, that's a hard pass..." groaned Karin, borrowing a phrase from Ohta. She had only had to endure her period twice, but it was a harrowing experience. The thought of falling behind Yuzu in terms of 'development' also wasn't particularly pleasant, so as long as it didn't require her to give up her current power, she would revert to being human for at least a few years, maybe until she finished college.
Realizing there were still many things she wanted to accomplish in the human world, a grimace marred Karin's face. She and Yuzu planned to become fully-fledged Nurses, working at their family's clinic even after moving out to start their own families. Now that she knew just how 'big' the world beyond her family's clinic was, Karin wasn't sure she could ever be satisfied with such a 'mundane' lifestyle. Not when there was so much more to see and experience...
Though he had no idea what Karin was thinking, Ohta asserted, "You're overthinking things. Only fools think long-term when they don't even have control over their present. Focus on being happy at any given moment. If that proves difficult or impossible, focus on fixing or removing whatever it is that's making you unhappy..."
"I know what would make me happy..." contended Karin, staring at Ohta with half-lidded eyes as she added, "But I also know that's not an option right now..."
"You've got that right..." replied Ohta, meeting the petite Arrancar's gaze with half-lidded eyes of his own. She had become increasingly aware of her feminity during their training, and, thanks to her dumbass of a father, an otherwise ordinary crush became the seed of precociousness. It was perfectly normal for elementary and middle schoolers to have crushes on boys older than them, but because Isshin gave her 'permission,' Karin had expectations outside the norm, exacerbated by her induction into a world that defied general conventions and common sense...
Keying in on the 'tension' between Ohta and Karin, Rukia raised her brows before adopting a serious expression as she said, "You're much too young to have that sort of relationship with Ohta-kun, Karin-san. I could permit it once you reach your third year in Middle School, but not a day sooner..."
Blinking in surprise, Karin shifted her attention to Rukia, asking, "What do you mean you'd permit it? You allow other girls to be in a relationship with Ohta-kun...?"
Directing her gaze toward Orihime near the end of her query, realization struck Karin like a hammer to her head. At least, that's what she thought had happened. In reality, Ohta gave her a firm karate chop, stating, "This isn't a conversation that's going to happen right now..."
Turning to Rukia, Ohta made no effort to hide his displeasure as he said, "You crossed the line on this one, Rukia. I was fine with making Karin my protege, but now you've planted a dangerous seed in her mind that won't go away unless I crush it willfully..."
Realizing she had overstepped her bounds, Rukia hung her head, offering a faint, "It was never my intention to make things more difficult for you..."
Plopping his hand down upon the petite Shinigami's head, Ohta remarked, "Woman, if I didn't adore you, I'd have given your perky ass the boot the moment you started spouting crazy shit like having me 'gain experience.' Just let me decide when, how, and who I gain that experience with...I 'do not' need you scouting, much less grooming future lovers for me. I might be a monster, but I'm not a degenerate..."
Returning his gaze to Karin, Ohta firmly asserted, "I have no intention of entering a committed relationship with anyone but Rukia. If you overstep your bounds and attempt to force me to overstep mine, don't doubt for a moment that I won't cut ties with you..."
Though she furrowed her brows deeply, Karin didn't hesitate to respond, "I understand..." in an affirming tone. However, while she knew she didn't stand a chance in the present, she wouldn't give up. Not after what Rukia had just said...
Seeing the resolution in Karin's eyes, Ohta's frown deepened as he turned his gaze to the front. He knew the person most responsible for this series of events was Isshin, so while he was more than a little annoyed by Rukia and Karin alike, he didn't blame them. The former simply wanted him to be happy, and the latter was at an age where even normal kids were prone to delusions. Karin 'knew' she was special, and the more that sentiment was reinforced, the more disconnected she would become from conventional standards and reasoning. After all, there weren't exactly an excess of 11-12-year-olds that could fly around and fire off nukes at will...
("Looks like I need to give Isshin a piece of my mind once we return...") thought Ohta. At the same time, he increased the speed of his psychic construct, feeling a sudden urge to reclaim Karin's body and expedite her return to 'normality' before things became even more convoluted...
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After reaching the opposite side of Las Noches, using the imprints he had placed in Ichigo and the others as a point of reference, Ohta drilled a hole through its incredibly thick walls before leading the way in on foot. Inside, they found themselves in a seemingly well-lit corridor lined with torches, but if you looked up, the ceiling was so far away it was completely cast in shadow.
"From this point on, the three of you must remain together at all times; is that clear?" asked Ohta.
Representing the group as its de facto leader, Rukia answered, "We'll do our best to stay out of your way. However, unless a powerful enemy like an Espada appears, you should let us deal with them. Orihime and I need the experience, and Karin clearly needs to acclimate to her powers as an Arrancar..."
Punching her right fist into the palm of her left hand, producing a tiny shockwave, Karin exclaimed, "Right on! These assholes kidnapped me because I was weak. Now that I'm strong, they deserve to experience what it feels like to be helpless...!"
Noticing Karin's vest open to a dangerous degree when affected by the shockwave she produced, Ohta promptly removed his cloak, throwing it over her head as he said, "Put that on. Also, unless you have no choice, you should avoid killing anyone in your current state. I'll let you fight, but if I determine that things are getting out of hand, I'm pulling you out and grounding your ass. Understood?"
While donning Ohta's cloak with a smile, Karin half-heartedly responded, "Whatever you say, boss man. So long as I get a kick on that creepy emo bastard that abducted me, I'm fine with protecting Orihime and cheering from the sidelines."
Though it was a little awkward hearing Karin state she would protect her, Orihime pumped her fists and said, "Let's do our best to provide the best support, Karin-chan~!"
Raising her gaze to stare at Orihime's breasts, noticeably even with the cloak she wore, Karin clicked her tongue and repeated, "Whatever you say..." before averting her gaze to scan their surroundings. Her spiritual sense was unrefined, but her instinct and other senses had been amped far beyond their natural limit, compelling her to remark, "I think someone is watching us..."
"More than one..." affirmed Ohta, raising his gaze to the darkness above and peering into it without issue. There were hundreds of large, beetle-like Hollow 'slumbering' on the walls, but what caught his attention was the complex network of tracks resembling a miniaturized railway on the ceiling. He had seen similar setups in the factories of his previous life, but this particular setup seemed to be for surveillance as there were hemispherical devices resembling security cameras...
("The technology here is pretty advanced...") noted Ohta. ("An advanced monitoring system, and I'm assuming these beetles function similarly to maintenance drones or some kind of automated defense...")
Though he was tempted to extend his hand and trash the entire system, the circumference of Las Noches' outer wall was approximately 500km. It would take significant time and energy if he wanted to do any meaningful damage to it, especially if the slumbering, beetle-like Hollows really were maintenance drones. Considering the almost incomprehensible size of Las Noches, it made the most sense...
"What are you looking at...?" asked Karin, unable to sense the slumbering Hollows. Instead, what she felt was the figure wearing a skull-like Hollow mask, standing motionlessly atop a support beam that ran about halfway up the inordinately tall wall. Similar figures stood on every other support beam, functionally identical in terms of height, appearance, and Reiryoku.
Instead of responding to Karin's words, Ohta asked, "You assholes going to come down and say hi, or should I be the one to greet you...?"
In response to Ohta's words, an Arrancar with a bull-like mask appeared around a hundred meters away, his body garbed in a long-sleeve jacket with a high collar, a soot-black sash, white hakama, and black gloves. As for his Zanpakuto, it had a pale blue, practically white hilt, a rectangular tsuba, and an inordinately straight sheathe that matched the color of his grip.
Standing with his hands behind his back, the bull-masked Arrancar introduced himself, declaring, "I am Arrancar #61, Rudbornn Chelute of the Exequias. The place you have infringed upon is near the domain of Lord Barragan, the Segunda Espada. Lord Aizen advises that you leave and resume your conquest elsewhere..."
"Sure," replied Ohta. "Just tell me where the Primera and Cuatro Espadas live, and I'll be on my way..."
"Lord Ulquiorra's palace can be found near the southern gate, opposite your current location," replied Rudbornn. "As for Lord Starrk, he does not have a palace of his own but guards the entrance to Lord Aizen's..."
"Then I'm guessing that Harribel chick can be found in the East...?" asked Ohta, assuming the most powerful Espada guarded the cardinal directions while the weaker ones defended the intermediates.
"That is correct," replied Rudbornn, adding, "However, I would advise you to remember Lord Aizen's warning. If you attempt to eliminate-"
"I'm going to 'advise' you to shut the fuck up," interjected Ohta. "I didn't come here to play your Master's game. Once I'm finished with Ulquiorra, that gunslinging bastard will pay for what he did back in Karakura Town. Now, piss off before I fuse every single one of you into a sphere the size of a grapefruit, perfect for shoving up your Master's ass."
".."
Though he had been ordered not to engage Ohta, Rudbornn's body trembled with silent fury as he suppressed the urge to unsheathe his Zanpakuto. He was among the most loyal of Aizen's subordinates, so he couldn't stand hearing Ohta badmouth him. Fortunately for him, his loyalty also meant he wouldn't dare disobey Aizen's orders, so after a very tense silence, he abruptly disappeared along with the entire group of identical, skull-masked Arrancar...
...
..
.
(A/N: Could this be the start of Ohta's speedrun...?)

Chapter 81: Herald of Death