The motivation for Xion's calling the emergency meeting had been dire indeed, as anything that called for such a meeting was bound to be.  No sooner than the word 'dismissed' had left the man's mouth, the Fifth Captain had rose from his seat and made the preparations necessary to see the Captain Commander's will done.  The Senkaimon would see much use today, something that fell under the jurisdiction of his Division.  Leaving orders to allow the exceeding amounts of traffic that would be inevitable within the hour, Alexander gathered the Lieutenants to himself as ordered and ventured to the section of the world of the living that was dominated by the Quincy.  In the heartlands of Germany, a massive castle town stood that was simply referred to as the Vandenreich Castle.  Stepping through the Senkaimon, the Fifth Division Captain stepped down a short distance away from this castle so as not to alarm the inhabitants.

 He was clad in his Captain's uniform, complete with white haori that would spell out to anyone that could see him that he was one of the thirteen leaders of the Seireitei's military.  Those that accompanied him were theoretically also wearing the distinguishing tools of their office, the Lieutenant's badge, which would be more difficult to spot but would identify their ranks as well to any who knew what to look for.  In short, the force that stepped through the Senkaimon appeared to be exactly what it was, a squad composed of Lieutenants led by a Captain, who at the moment was standing still and looking at the castle in front of the group.  

"Lieutenants, I expect that I do not need to remind you as to why we are here.  We are not here to declare war, but to ascertain whether or not the Quincy know of our missing Captain.  You are not to draw your Zanpakuto except for on my order or in response to an attack by the Vandenreich.  That being said, let us go."  Walking to what was essentially a gate that led to the interior of the castle, Alexander unknowingly mirrored the Tenth Division Captain who was currently in Asia by knocking on the door of the Vandenreich Castle.  Oh, it went without saying that the Quincy knew that they were there, but it was at least polite to knock, correct?

So much for Carlotta spending the day in her office sleeping. Instead, the Captain Commander had issued an order for the emergency meeting, which Carlotta had been pretty much forced to attend. She didn't mind much, but it irritated her as today was supposed to be her day off. But, here she was in the human world with the other Lieutenants, as well as Captain Xan, a man she barely knew, and didn't really intend to get to know either.

She listened closely as Xan issued his own command. Not to draw their weapons unless ordered to, a command Carlotta was not used to, as she was a member of the 2nd division, one of two divisions that was trained to always be prepared to use your weapon. However, with a sigh, she would nod to this order.

"Very well, I'll listen to that pointless order if I must. If you need me I'll be in the shadows."

With that, she would vanish from sight, using her shunpo to push away from the group to hide in the shadows, as well as suppress her reiatsu presence. If things got out of hand, she could put all of her training to do a sneak attack.

Arius sighed as he stood behind the 5th Division captain, not altogether comfortable being in this place. Walking willingly into enemy territory only invited disaster, no matter that they didn't actively seek out the Quincy, but neither side was particularly fond of the other. He nodded his head in acknowledgment of the order, "Hai, Xan-taicho, it will be as you command." Then he rolled his eyes as Carlotta disappeared in a shunpo and tried to hide her reiatsu, a feat that-while impressive- was lacking in finesse as her skill (or lack thereof) did not allow her to hide from those with training in it. But Pelagios made no movement to acknowledge her presence, as that would defeat the whole purpose of her action. 

Shinkai rumbled in his head about not getting any exercise, but Arius merely shook his head slightly as if he were flicking hair from his face, which incidentally did occur. He wasn't going to antagonize them, but he would be ready if they struck first.

As Alastair stepped through the Senkaimom he knew this would not go down with so sort of confrontation he stood next to Xan. They had been working together a lot these past months with kido and thought it was best for both of them to go in first in the event the quincy had a surprise waiting. In any case he would not provoke him as asked but definitely would prepare his mind for battle. He watched as another lieutenant disappeared in a poor attempt to hide her reiatsu. He didnt bother saying anything but let her continue her foolish mistake. If anything Alastair would stay quite only reaching into his pocket to pull out a piece of candy from his Shihakushō pocket unraveling it and eating it silently to calm his nerves. He would pull back from Xan's side as he knocked on the door. The captai could hold his own so he would not have to be over he shoulder.

Kamiko questioned what she was even doing her as her eye darted between the shinigami assembled before her. She was taking up the rear end of the group, though not for any tactical reason. If anything, it was a sign of her reluctance. From the Captain leading their mission in his haori to the assembled lieutenants each wearing a badge on their shoulders, each shinigami that stood in front of these castle walls wore a symbol of their power. Each one except for Kamiko. The closest thing she had was her eye-patch that signified her survival of the Blue Moon War. That's what it meant to her, anyway. They had strict orders not to draw their weapons. Kamiko hadn't responded. Kamiko wasn't sure if she could rely on her weapon either way. This would normally be the time when her Zanpakuto would practically be begging to be released, but she was silent. She wanted to feel protected by a group of senior shinigami around her, but she just felt like a liability with a target painted on her.

The journey from Asia back to the Vandenreich Castle was a long one, but the Imperial Army finally made its return, although it wasn't quite as triumphant as it would have liked. Still, they had secured an alliance with two other races, one being the Bounts and the other the more mysterious Vizards, which was no small feat considering what transpired on that field of battle. The promise of cooperation potentially ending in the acquisition of the First Cross was the only reason he agreed to the entire thing, no matter the other benefits. Upon his return, Ekkehardt ordered for a good deal of Soul-Silver to be prepared for shipment to the Masked Army. 

Alexander had barely settled into his throne when he was informed of a group of Shinigami at his doorstep, something that he found intriguing, but not something he hadn't concluded would happen if they ever came into a bind. The proud always called upon those they considered less then them when they were in over their heads, but in a manner that made it seem that it was more of a favor to them (those they were asking) then bending their necks and asking for help. He would entertain them for the moment to see what they would ask of him, but he held no illusion that they would not try and flout their position as Soul Reapers to try and cow him. 

He would take great pleasure in crushing that illusion into dust.

He sent a single Soldat to escort them to him. Ekkehardt expected them to try something, and so he also posted troops in hidden alcoves along the path they would be taken. He also called his elite Stern Ritters to stand beside his throne as to present a united front against the arrogant souls. He detested Shinigami after what they allowed to happen to his family all those centuries ago, and he would see them repaid in kind, although that would only happen if they attacked first. No need for the whole of Soul Society to attack them.

Roughly five seconds after the Lieutenant of Division Two departed to the shadows where she made the attempt to hide her reiatsu, Alexander turned towards her approximate location with a light frown on his face. "Correction, you will be standing here with the rest of the Lieutenants. This is a mission of diplomacy, 2nd Squad Lieutenant, and it will be handled as such. If any of the Quincy can sense your presence, then you will only rouse their suspicions by keeping to the shadows." Anticipating the immediate response of obedience, Alexander turned his attention back towards thinking on precisely what he should say in the presence of the Quincy Emperor.

Relations between Shinigami and Quincy had never been particularly positive, and so he would have to speak with care lest he unintentionally create yet another problem for the Soul Society to deal with. No, he had been entrusted this task, and he would perform his duty to the best of his ability. In truth however, he doubted that the Quincy would be of much help in this regard. 'Though I suppose that there is always the slightest chance...' Just then, the entrance to the Vandenreich's castle opened, and the group was ushered inside by a low-leveled Quincy. While the Captain and Lieutenants were being escorted, Alexander opened his senses, and sure enough there were several Quincy that he could not see but that he could sense. 'Hmm...I can only hope that these Lieutenants with me can understand the delicate matter that is diplomacy. Otherwise it'll be a rough going to try to get out of this castle.'

Eventually, the group of Shinigami were escorted before a throne that housed a man that had to be the Quincy Emperor. Just as Alexander was accompanied by the Lieutenants, this man was surrounded by what felt to be high-level Quincy...undoubtedly the powerful Stern Ritters. 'Why is it that those in power always feel the need to flaunt it? At the very least, he could try being subtle about it.' The Captain mused to himself as he waited for the Emperor to address them. Might as well allow the man to have his fun within his court, after all.

"Fuck."

She would mutter that word under breath as Captain Xan not only belittled her, but lectured her. She may not have been good at sensing reiatsu and using kido, but if there was one thing she was good at when it came to reiatsu, it was suppressing her own presence. She was an assassin after all. However, with reluctance, she complied with the order.

Instead of heading to the front of the group with everyone else, she would instead return to the rear where a familiar blonde girl stood, looking scared and nervous. Carlotta would attempt to comfort her friend...no...that wasn't the right word. Not after what had happened in the seventh division showers that day. Lover was the right word. However, she would try her hardest not to reveal it to the group. She didn't want them thinking Kamiko was just a liability to them.

"Hey. Nervous?"

She directed her question directly to her lover and gently wrapped a comforting arm around her, a little lower than what was acceptable in the 'friend' realm, but everyone had their backs to them, so Carlotta didn't care.

Arius' eyes darted this way and that as they walked through the halls of the Vandenreich Castle, keeping track of the many Quincy that were out of sight but not out of mind, as their numbers indicated something, perhaps a threat? He dearly hoped it was a simple show of force and not something more sinister, but as he hadn't had any direct (or indirect) contact with the Quincy before today, he was incapable of making even an educated guess lest he cause insult or worse: war. It was taking all he had not to simply reach for his sword, with Shinkai's urgings bouncing around in his head encouraging the action. He was not looking forward to speaking with the Emperor. 

When they were finally before him, the sheer power being put before them was intimidating to say the least. This was not to say that he could not beat any of them, but all of them in the same room created an atmosphere that was oppressive to the 10th Division Lieutenant. Arius stood silently behind Xan-taicho, hoping beyond hope that nothing would happen that would spark a fight, as he was quite sure they would lose.

Alastair took in that happened simce he entered the castle. The reaitsu of the quincy bounced from wall to wall flaring letting everyone know that if we even thought of acting out it would be the end for us. In any case Alastair still attempted to formulate a plan. Most of his ideas would work and he knew nothing of anyone powers and capabilities one his own. He would mentally sigh if one if they do a single thing wrong they would be done for. Alastair still stood closet to Xan yet he gave him plenty of distance be was expected to be our speaker. He had no knowledge outside of kido things about this captain. He knew he could certainly give a speech and has done so on more then several occasions. In any case he trusted the Fifth Division Captain completely.

Alastair would would shift his body weight to become more comfortable to show they meant no harm or intent to cause trouble. Yet still mentally he would be prepared to attack.

The gates had been opened and they would be escorted inside by a member of the Vandenreich. She had imagined that they wouldn't be allowed into the castle for whatever reason. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she had hoped that they wouldn't need to enter the castle. As she walked through the corridor, she felt an ominous aura in the air or perhaps she was simply feeling the pressure of the various Quincy surrounding their group weighing down on her. She couldn't see them and yet their presence was undeniable. This was the Vandenreich. It was the pressure of having a blade against her neck. She didn't belong here.

She couldn't easily shrug off these feelings, but if there was a person that could make her feel safe, it was Carlotta. The lieutenant had come to comfort her and though Kamiko was slightly embarrassed, she extremely appreciated it. She had been embarrassed ever since the transfer request that Carlotta had made. It was one particular comment her Captain had made that seemed to imply he understood the romantic aspect of their relationship. But did he really know or was it just a assumption. He may have even meant it in a platonic way.

Just what kind of relationship did they have anyway? She remembered Carlotta calling her "lover", once. She didn't know if she would use that word. It sounded too lewd to her. What they had was sweet or at least she thought so. If she had already said yes, she could be her fiancée. She would have to ask Carlotta about this when she gave her answer. There were so many details about their future that they had yet to work out.

As Carlotta's arm wrapped around her, her worries began to thaw away albeit slowly. Carlotta didn't seem to have any scruples about interacting with her in public, even in enemy territory. Though she attributed this to her fearless nature, she felt guilty that she couldn't return the gesture. What would the others think? She cared about Carlotta but she would be embarrassed if the other shinigami present had noticed her feelings or her vulnerability. She had actually flinched when Carlotta had touched her and as they approached the Emperor, she brushed her hand away. She had answered her question with a cold "Yeah." She was slowly driving a painful dagger into her own heart and yet she couldn't help herself. What would Carlotta think of her actions?

They stood before the Emperor himself and his most elite soldiers. Even without fully exerting their reiatsu, she felt incredibly intimidated. It was like standing in front of a firing squad in anticipation. She didn't want to look weak. She tried to stand confidently but her stiffness betrayed her. Though her head was level, her gaze was directed towards the ground meters away from the throne, in the direction of the lover she had just blown off out of insecurity.

The Quincy Emperor stared down at the group of Shinigami from his throne, face blank as he took them in, weighed them. That they had sent so many Lieutenants and a Captain, as indicated by their badges and haori, gave the impression that something serious had occurred. Although the presence of the female without a badge of office caused him to quirk an eyebrow. "So," he began softly, "What brings 5 Soul Reapers, one being a captain, to my doorstep?" Alexander stopped there, letting his words settle in their ears and minds. The show of force was merely to impress upon them not to try anything, as if they did they would be put down as a master would his dog. There powers were unknown to him, but he was confident that, in the event that they attacked, the Soul Reapers would not prevail. 

"There are not many occasions that call for such an envoy as yourselves to make your way into Quincy lands. So I wonder, what would that reason be?" His voice had grown slightly, becoming louder causing it to echo slightly in the large throne room. Emperor Alexander II shifted his gaze from one Shinigami to another, settling just long enough for them to feel his eyes on them before moving on to the next, and finally resting on the captain, waiting for his response.

The wait for the Emperor to acknowledge their presence was thankfully not a long one, and the man launched directly into the point which also caused Alexander to be rather thankful. As long as the group of Shinigami had to be here in this moment, they might as well not be here for longer than necessary. He asked the most simple, direct, and obvious question that could be asked at this moment, which was namely: why are you in my lands, Shinigami? For a moment, Alexander did not answer. He met the Emperor's gaze and held it, staring directly into the eyes of the Quincy leader. Only after eye contact had been established and held for a moment did he speak.

"One of our own is missing, your Eminence. We have reason to believe that he might have come to or perhaps through your lands and simply desired to know if you or your fellow Quincy had seen him or felt his presence nearby. He would have been dressed in a haori that bore the appearance of a lab coat, and his spiritual pressure would have felt exceedingly powerful as befits a Captain of the Gotei Thirteen. It is doubtful that he would have given a name, but if he had he might have used the name Kyroku Kokujin. Has this individual been seen or sensed within your lands?"

Alexander's tone was rather formal, such as he might have used if speaking to the Captain Commander who had sent him here for this diplomatic mission. This was of course appropriate, considering the fact that he did not desire to offend the Quincy Emperor, merely to ask of him questions before departing. Did he truly expect the answers to said questions to lead him to Kyroku? No, but it was at least worth the time to make the effort either way.

Carlotta ignored what was going on around them. It didn't interest her, not anymore. She also knew that Shikko, her zanpakuto spirit, would give her hell later for complying with the no kill order. However, there were more important matters at hand. Such as the fact her lover had just casually, and somewhat coldly, blew her off. An action that caused her more pain than Shikko ever could. She wanted to make a scene, oh how she wanted to make a scene. But she knew this wasn't the right place or time.

Feeling a tear streak down her face, she would turn her attention back to the matters at hand. She hadn't been paying attention to the entire ordeal, so she hadn't seen the Quincy Emperor attempt to make eye contact with her. An action which is never a good thing. Nor had she been paying attention to the captain's retelling of the reason they were here in this god awful palace.

In her head, Shikko was gnawing at the seams of her sanity. He wanted bloodshed, and he wanted it now. He didn't care who bloodied him, as long as there was blood running down her blade. In her minds eye, she saw herself turn around and stab her blade into her lover's gullet, and then proceed to brutally slaughter off of the quincy and her fellow shinigami there.

Blinking, she would turn around to see that it was all in her head. Nobody was dead, there was no blood on her blade. It had all been an incentive for Shikko. Her body was now covered in a thick coating of sweat, and she was visibly shaking. Not with fear or from being cold. But from trying to keep hold of her sanity.

A chill ran down Arius' spine as the Emperor looked at him, the sheer power behind those eyes was terrifying and he couldn't help the shiver that struck him when it focused on him for those brief seconds. That he could do nothing to displace it only brought home the situation at hand: they were surrounded by an age-old foe that held no liking for them and they only lived at his discretion. Sure, Xan-taicho and himself and the others would be able to put up a fight, but against an Emperor? It would be suicide, especially with the numbers at his side.

He closed his eyes briefly as he collected himself, drawing on the calm that Shinkai was offering, no matter that moments before he was raging for battle. There was a difference between battle and slaughter after all, as the fight would be heavily in the Quincy's favor, so Arius did his best to remain in control of his fears, waiting for the Emperor's next move.

((Skip my post this go around. ))

She had listened to the inquiry of the emperor and she had listened to the Captain's response. The various lieutenants and the Stern Ritter that stood around the throne stayed quiet. They had no place in the conversation and had no choice in the matter. She couldn't speak for the rest of the assembled soldiers but she hated being left out of the conversation and she always had. Of course, there was nothing she could do about that.

She had briefly looked up from the ground. She had been doing so periodically. While she couldn't muster the confidence to look the emperor or his men in the eye or even in their direction, she didn't feel comfortable not being able to see them and her left side was her blind spot. That was when she made eye contact with the emperor unintentionally. They were absolutely piercing, like an arrow. In a knee-jerk reaction, she had turned her head away from him and arguably worse, her eye had fallen upon Carlotta and the single tear that had fallen from her eye. Once again, she averted her eyes though she attempted to use more discretion. She didn't want to attract attention towards the girl though she worried her almost inaudible gasp had already done so. She was looking towards the ground again. She didn't think that she had hurt Carlotta so bad. She knew they would have to talk later, but she felt like apologizing already. If only to show that she at least acknowledged her, she subtly let her hand lightly bump into her side.

The insinuation that he might not have sensed someone so powerful in his realm was nothing less than insulting. He stared deeply into the Soul Reaper Captain's eyes, very much unimpressed by his declaration. Ekkehardt had not in fact sensed any such individual in his lands, but he would make these Shinigami work for the answer they sought, no matter that it was a negative. If they thought that such a person would come here of all places, whether to hide or simply pass through, they were grasping at straws. 

"You ask for something that I do not feel interested in giving. Why should I tell you? You who have entered my lands, but given no names." Alexander honestly did not care who they were, (they were, after all, Soul Reapers) but that did not mean they were not dangerous. He then felt a darkness emanating from the blue-haired Lieutenant, which passed fairly quickly, mind, but it's presence was there for a moment, giving him an impression of who she was. The tear falling down her face, which pointed to something of the heart, told him that one of the present had caused it, as being further away from the cause helps in many cases. He was not an unfeeling bastard, however, so he would leave that alone. For the moment. "I advise you to keep a leash on your subordinates, Captain, we wouldn't want any incidents, now would we?" 

Ekkehardt's eyes flashed briefly toward the one-eyed Reaper that had accompanied the group, still not entirely sure as to why she had come along, and so he addressed her, singling her out from her fellows. "You, the Reaper with the eye-patch. What is your purpose here? Did they think to insult me by sending someone obviously lacking in significant rank along with the higher-ranked Reapers? Come, girl, tell me why you are here."

How long had it been since he had seen the sun? Felt its warm rays,  embraced its light?  Such a thing used to spark joy within Kazuma, now there was only darkness. He wondered to himself what that first step would feel like again. He had submitted himself to the confides of his Masters for centuries, being given an actual order had been...ecstasy. As he walked forward,  the garganta began to tear. The sound of the world tearing asunder would be heard by those around,  as he knew their would be.  Germany had been his destination,  he knew exactly where he would end up and he was prepared for what followed.  

Kazuma rarely dwelled in his sealed state. The dark embrace of his ressureccion was a pleasure he could not indulge in enough.  His sealed human form reminded him of an era ling past.  An era lost to his Hollowing.  Yet not one forgotten. He wondered if any among the Gotei still knew his boon.  He had been called the Kings Guard at one point , but had taken on "Swordbreaker" instead.  Those below would find out why soon enough.

As the garganta opened he could already hear the sirens going off,  faint cries for reinforcements as his reiatsu came crashing from the mouth of the portal. He had arrived.  His black sleek frame pierced the sunlight like a shadow that didnt belong.  One would see it as a tightly worn armor,  yet was his body. His face his behind a black mask,  accented with red.  Its shape was round across his face and pointed at the back of his neck.  Thin round slits were cut into it to form the eyes.   The red circled his orange eyes and thined as it was drug along his cheek to his ears if they had shown.  The lines meet the point on the back of his neck.  The armor was all but heavy.  Its black pieces molded to fit perfectly along his muscles,  leaving little space as they stacked against each other.  The only flaw was the hollow hole that rested at the base of his stomach.  The only indication he was a beast instead of knight of old.

Kazuma gripped his blade bitterly as he shifted his gaze quickly towards the castle below him. the flat broadsword was thirsty for blood.  If his information was correct,  as it always was,  the throne room was directly infront of him. He was here for only one purpose.  The Emperor. He quickly picked up other traces of reiatsu as well. They would not be a problem however. Kazuma was an unstoppable beast and he knew it. He would go to any length to serve his masters and had done so already.

He raised his hand towards the walls that separated him from his goal. "Cero Obscuras" he said softly from the mask. A pitch black ball of energy formed quickly within his hand.  What followed was a devastating blast that would decimate anything within its path.  This case the castle walls. He knew their thickness or material  wouldn't be enough to save them, not from this.  Those below would only be spared by the little resistance given from them however.  But that would not save them from him. He slowly descended from the sky into the newly form opening with ease.  He waited for the rubble to clear before he moved any faster.  He didn't know who all was present after all.  A wrong move was deadly and he could not fail.  He wouldn't fail.

move used:

The destruction of the outer walls sent a pulse through the stronghold, them having detected the disturbance only seconds before the walls destruction. Ekkehardt rose from his throne, which had been unaffected by the blast, and summoned his sword, it's silver-gold blade glinting in the sunlight streaming in the damaged wall. He had not anticipated a third party attacking this day, but that did not mean he would fall to such a cowardly move as this. And daring! The fool attacked in the heart of Quincy territory; he would not be leaving here alive.

Alexander was calm as he focused power into his blade, the gold half lighting up as he pulled it back before thrusting forward, a cutting beam of pure light surging toward the now-revealed enemy. 

Actions :

(ooc: for those wondering, the new posting order will be as stated:

Kazuma, Ekkehardt, Kazuma, next opponent, Kazuma, next opponent, Kazuma, etc.

Kazuma will only react, he will not attack anyone who has not posted or is not their turn to post.)

The inner sanctum. The information he had been given was accurate after all. He turned his head to the side as the Quincy Emperor stood from his throne to the mans left. He had missed the throne by 10 yards, barely leaving the throne itself and its master. Such a thing was intentional however. He had a mission to carry out after all, one that needed to be done quickly and without fail. His Masters so hated failure. He turned his body to face the Emperor as he poured his Reiatsu out into the room. Its thick aura would suffocate those around them with the thick pressure of an arrancar, just incase their was any question about it before.  

The Emperor before he stood at nearly 6 feet tall, small compared to Kazuma's 7' 3". The man wore what he would expect of the Emperor, which made identifying him all that easier. Yet Kazuma had been sent because he was the perfect man for this job and they would soon learn why. He looked into his targets dark blue eyes for the hint of surprise that their was. Normally, Kazuma would have been in the mans position, reacting to an enemy, but today called for a different circumstance. As the mans sword formed in his hand, Kazuma almost let out a chuckle from beneath his blacked mask.

He saw the man pouring forth Reiatsu into his blade and the golden shimmer that ran along the width of the blade. As the blade was pointed towards him a white brilliant light shown from it and began its travel towards him at a fairly quick speed. Kazuma didn't even bother moving. The Light came towards him and crashed into a barrier a foot away from him. If one paid attention closely, they would see a glimmer of a pale glowing distortion resonate from the impact site, covering the man in a bubble. This was what made him the perfect being for this job. Reiatsu and its like were useless against him. A trait that had once been limited to his Hollow Mask as a Vizard, now shown through as his innate ability. After the smoke cleared from the failed attack, Kazuma quickly formed a fist. A glowing red hue formed within it. A split second later, the mass of reishi that was a Bala shot forth from his fist towards the emperor. Its speed doubled that of the mans attack, surely to take him off guard. He then began walking towards the man slowly. He hadn't even noticed the shinigami around him. They were little concern to him after all; for he was the Swordbreak and nothing could stop him.

moves used:

Alexander sighed in his mind, a small frown appearing on his face to indicate his disapproval.  Though he had not expected the Emperor to be completely cooperative, he had at the least expected the man to be somewhat less petulant than he seemed.  Not knowing a piece of information and admitting it with displeasure was one thing, but to imply that you knew something when you more than likely did not was simply being pretentious.  This pretentiousness was only magnified by the fact that the man felt the need to issue hardly veiled threats, something that annoyed Alexander simply due to the fact that the man was not even trying to be subtle about it.  When he turned towards the only non-Lieutenant in the room to single her out, Alexander decided that he was not about to allow the Emperor to target her.  At that moment, Alexander thought to himself that he preferred fighting the Arrancar to dealing with the Quincy Emperor. At least that had been simple and direct.  

Just when he was about to speak on the Lieutenant's behalf however, he sensed something that forced the words to dissipate in his mouth.  What was this sudden spiritual pressure?  "An Arrancar."  The Captain said as he turned, and began to reach for the swords on his back.  At that moment, the wall separating the throne room from the outside wall was torn asunder and a burst of pitch black reiatsu could be seen to pierce through the now broken barrier.  This was not the first time that Alexander had seen such a dark reiatsu attack, and his eyes opened slightly wider in surprise.  A Cero Oscuras?  Not just any Arrancar, but an Espada then.  The Captain drew his swords just as the Emperor was pointing his own and directing his attack.  "Gentei Kaijo."  Alexander said clearly, the words translating roughly to limiter release, the phrase stated to break the seal that bound most of his power.  He could see the Arrancar clearly now, and he thought he saw the Emperor's attack connect, though a more prolonged glance showed the fact that the enemy had protected itself by means of some form of barrier.  Definitely an Espada then, if the ocean-like reiatsu and Cero Oscuras had not been hint enough.  "Lieutenants, release limiters and engage freely."  He said after the Emperor's failed attack.

The armoured figure was not slow to react in kind to the Emperor's technique, forming a mass of energy in his hand and releasing what was obviously a bala at the man.  Standing in front of the Emperor still, Alexander was swift to jump to his right and allow the technique to sail past him.  When he landed however, he was also swift to release his blades.  "Bankai."  He muttered, not bothering to enter Shikai, considering the fact that his particular Zanpakuto gave his abilities too much power to use in such a small setting with allies nearby unless it was in Bankai.  The twin swords turned into blue energy which Alexander was quick to place into his chest.  The blue energy spread from the center of his torso where he had placed it to the rest of his body, taking the form of deep blue symbols of power.  These runes were visible even where clothing might have covered them, with the symbols appearing on the clothing in opposite coloration to the garment.  Six blue swords appeared behind Alexander's back, one of which he grabbed and held in his right hand.  His left was held outward, a purple ball of energy forming in it.  "Hado number 54, Haien."  The Captain stated, releasing the purple energy ball to launch towards the armored figure.  He personally doubted that the attack would break the man's defenses, but he figured that it would be better to start off relatively on the low side and work his way up to the castle-destroying Kido that he could produce.  On that note, he prepared himself, for if the Emperor's attack had taught him anything, it was that the armoured figure did not appreciate being targeted by attacks and was likely to return an attack in kind.

Kazuma watched as the Captain infront of him evaded his bala and let the emperor deal with said attack. It was somewhat amusing, Apparently the gotei had follow short of its standings since Kazuma had been among their ranks. He turned now to face the shinigami as he entered his bankai. This one appeared smarter than the rest, skipping shikai and sealed state altogether. The mans Bankai was odd to say the least. It seemed that blue runes surrounded his body and six swords formed around him. Small for a bankai, Kazuma thought to himself. That didn't matter however. The man clearly was a kido user. His weak frame and toned body accounted for that. He had little meat on his bones, though that wasn't always a sign of power. The Captains kido was expected. Shinigami were all the same. Nearly every one opened with a kido of some sorts. This Captain seemed to be remarkably skilled at it. Kazuma thought he could possibly be facing the Kido Commander. In which case, it would be a pleasure to rid the man of power.

His "Kings Guard" was impenetrable and that didn't extend to his Hierro. Kazuma was nothing short of a tank. As the hado came towards him he didn't even flinch. Like before, the pale shield caught the kido and disintegrated it, having an explosion of power radiate from its hit point. Smoke surrounded him as he stepped from its encloudment unaffected. He had originally had no intention of Attacking the shinigami at all. He would simply by pass them towards his target. This man however made things interesting. Memories of his past arose within him. He craved to break the mans sword. At one point he had perfected it, applying just the right amount of counter reiatsu to his blade to snap his opponents in two. It had been such a long time since then however, he was hesitant to know if he could preform the move on his first swing like he had thousands of times before.

With a static sound of a bass note, like one had torn a speaker apart, the man appeared infront of Xan. His right arm was raised high, with his broadsword in hand. Its slate black blade spanned a total of 4 feet long. Its double edged blade meant he could strike from any angle, making it a very versatile weapon, though simple it might be. It came crashing down on the Captain infront of him that was no more than a foot away from, intending to cleave the man in half from his left shoulder across his stomach to his right hip.

He was now mindfully aware of anything that might attack behind him. Many were in this room, but it wasn't likely that they would attack him al at once. They would take turns, one after the other. That is, if they had any skill at all. Attacking one target when you had many in these tight spaces was something to be taken cautiously. Friendly fire was quite common for anyone who dared make a wrong move, Something Kazuma would make sure to use to his advantage. It wasn't the first time he had taken on these numbers.

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Arius drew his blade, already in its Shikai form. He frowned as the Arrancar easily defeated Xan-taicho and the Emperor's attacks, but he had to try himself before he would try something else. "Gentei Kaijo," he intoned, letting the restraints that held his power back fall away. Then, following the example of his commander, called out, "Bankai." Arius' body was shrouded in water for a moment as his blade turned to liquid and began to change into its advanced form. When he became visible, his body was covered in steel armor reminiscent of the Middle Ages that was coated with water, and giant wings made of liquid that flapped on his back, creating a slight breeze and spraying water over those who were near him with each flap.

Pelagios turned his armored head toward the Arrancar and gathered more of the liquid in his throat, leaned back, and shot his head forward, releasing a giant ball of water at the armored Arrancar. Immediately after firing, he started to gather his Reiatsu, which covered the length of his body, casting a navy-blue glow as it was concentrated.

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