Slime Soul (Tensura x Bleach Crossover) (Patreon)

Chapter 10: The Cost of Hesitation

Hueco Mundo — Caius vs Kenpachi

Meeting Kenpachi head-on, we clashed in the middle of the battlefield, sending a shockwave blasting in all directions as our blades locked, neither of us gaining the upper hand.

Not that either of us was going all out, of course. Even still, I couldn’t help but notice how effortless it was to block his attacks now that I’d evolved into a Demon Slime and Awakened into a True Demon Lord. He moved so slowly, almost like he was moving in quicksand, that I had to hold back from just decapitating him and calling it a day.

Of course, I wouldn’t be doing that. I had no interest in dealing with Yachiru Unohana... or Retsu Unohana, as she was currently going by anytime soon. There was also the fact that if I did, I would be making an enemy of the Soul Society and I didn’t want the risk of doing that just yet.

Applying a bit more pressure, I easily overpowered Kenpachi. His eyes widened in surprise as I brought up my right leg and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him flying again, crashing into the distance like a missile through drywall.

Now normally, I wouldn’t be so skilled with a sword, given my near-zero experience before reincarnating, but that was no longer the case, and it was all thanks to Aaroniero. With his power set being so similar and compatible with Gluttony, Raphael had fully integrated his abilities into the now-Ultimate Skill: Beelzebuth.

That meant I could now use Aspect Manifestation freely, allowing me to summon the knowledge, muscle memory, and talents of anyone I’d devoured.

With Raphael’s help, I now had centuries of swordplay experience at my fingertips. Every movement, every stance, every instinct honed by those I’d consumed was mine to command.

I paused briefly, analyzing the situation. Kenpachi was tough, obviously, but beating him wouldn’t be the problem.

‘He’s not going to stay down unless I leave him on the brink of death, is he?’ I sighed inwardly. ‘Oh well. At least Unohana should be around to patch him back up if I go overboard.’

As if on cue, Kenpachi burst free from the rubble and lunged at me again with that same maniacal grin.

But this time, I didn’t wait.

Using Sonido, I vanished from his line of sight and reappeared at his side in a flash. Before he could blink, my blade sliced clean across his torso, dealing a heavy blow, and I was back in my original spot before he even had time to react.

“Kenny!” Yachiru’s voice echoed in concern from her perch atop some destroyed building.

Kenpachi, instead of reacting to the pain, brought a hand to his chest and looked down at the gash. His grin only widened as he stared back at me.

“Wahaha, you’re strong,” he said with genuine joy in his voice.

“You’re holding back, aren’t you?” I asked, my face unreadable.

He didn’t answer, just kept grinning.

“You should stop doing that if you don’t want to die. Frankly, you’re too weak right now to be any real challenge to me.”

It might’ve sounded like a taunt, but it wasn’t. I was being completely honest.

At this point in time, this version of Kenpachi was nothing compared to the monster he’d become in the Thousand-Year Blood War once he truly awakened his Zanpakutō.

“Isn’t this great!? This is awesome!” Kenpachi shouted, completely ignoring the deep wounds on his chest as he charged at me again without an ounce of hesitation.

‘Idiot,’ I thought silently but said nothing, stepping forward to meet him once more.

As our blades clashed, another shockwave erupted, but I effortlessly parried his swing to the side and brought my own blade down, slashing another heavy blow across his chest, this one forming an X.

Kenpachi stumbled back a few steps, glanced down at the wounds now marring his torso, and clicked his tongue in frustration.

“Seems I have no other choice,” he muttered before raising his hand and ripping off the eyepatch covering his left eye, the seal holding back most of his spiritual pressure.

The moment it came off, the air around us thickened, vibrating violently as his full power was unleashed. Sparks danced in the air as raw spiritual pressure flooded the battlefield. Kenpachi stretched, cracking his neck with a wide grin.

Even so, I remained unaffected. His spiritual pressure was impressive sure, but it didn’t faze me one bit. Another side effect of my evolution I’m guessing. Instead, my attention drifted briefly toward Neliel’s fight.

Their spiritual pressures had both spiked sharply a while ago, meaning they had probably released their Resurrección. While I trusted Neliel’s strength, I was more concerned about her heart. Their shared past, her reluctance to kill, it wouldn’t surprise me if she held back.

And in a fight like this, hesitation could get her killed.

‘Hang in there, Nel. I’ll be there soon,’ I thought with growing urgency, refocusing on Kenpachi. It was time I stopped holding back too.

=====

Hueco Mundo — Neliel vs Nnoitra

“Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Kehahahaha! What’s wrong, Neliel!? I thought you were finally gonna kill me!” Nnoitra bellowed with manic glee as he unleashed a storm of attacks, his six arms swinging blades relentlessly.

Neliel, in her Resurrección form, was forced onto the defensive, retreating slowly under the pressure, unable to gain ground, or room to counter.

“Tsk.” She clicked her tongue, gritting her teeth as she parried another barrage of brutal blows, several slashes already cutting across her torso.

“Finally realized I’m stronger than you now?” Nnoitra jeered, his grin wide and unhinged as he continued his onslaught. “Guess it’s better late than never!”

Neliel frowned, struggling to keep up under all his attacks, his 6 arms only making it harder, until a memory surfaced.

“Let’s both come out of this alive, alright? I still have a lot to talk to you about… so don’t hold back. Win.”

Caius’s voice. His words. His faith in her.

Neliel’s grip on her lance tightened as resolve flooded through her. With a burst of strength, she batted Nnoitra away, causing him to slide back across the ground before raising her lance high overhead.

“Let’s finish this, Nnoitra.” Her voice was calm, steady. Prepared to do what needed to be done.

She reared back, charging her energy.

“Lanzador Verde!”

With a roar of spiritual energy, the lance launched forward like a missile, spinning, spiraling, its power building as it tore through the air.

Nnoitra’s expression twisted. He raised all six of his blades to block, but it wasn’t enough. The lance easily drilled through his defenses, shattering his swords and slamming directly into his gut.

“AAARRRGHH!!”

A burst of smoke and debris exploded as he was launched backward. Using Sonido, Neliel instantly reappeared at his side. He was sprawled on the ground, her lance buried deep in his stomach.

She ripped it free, earning a wet grunt of pain.

“This is it, Nnoitra.” Her voice was cold as she raised her weapon to finish it.

But at the last second, she hesitated.

She saw his face. Heard his voice from years past. Remembered all the time she'd spent with him, protecting him, believing he could change his destructive path.

That hesitation cost her.

A wet, sickening squelch rang out, and her eyes widened in pain and shock. Blood spilled from her mouth a second later causing her to look down slowly.

Two of Nnoitra’s arms had pierced through her stomach from below, coming out of her back.

“Kehahahaha... fool. Still as sentimental as ever, huh?” he sneered, pulling his arms out roughly, worsening the damage.

Neliel dropped to one knee, holding her abdomen, trying to stop the bleeding. Her teeth clenched in pain and frustration. She had known better. And yet…

Nnoitra slowly rose to his feet, bloodied but grinning, as new blades regrew from his arms.

“Unlike you, Neliel,” he growled, “I don’t hold back. Ever.”

He lifted his blades.

Neliel looked up, already knowing she didn’t have time to block.

‘Sorry, Caius… seems I won’t be able to keep our promise after all.’

Her mind next turned to Pesche and Dondochakka.

‘Please… watch over them in my place.’

She closed her eyes.

And braced for the end.

=====

Moments Before — Caius vs Kenpachi

Staring at the wounded, heavily bleeding Kenpachi as he stood back up from my latest strike, I couldn’t help but sigh in frustration.

The berserker just wouldn’t stay down, and honestly, it was starting to get really annoying.

At this point, I’d have to knock him out with one of my skills, which would no doubt piss him off when he woke up. Not that I cared of course.

“Wahahaha! You really are strong!” Kenpachi roared with a bloody grin as he wiped his mouth. “This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time!”

“Does that mean you’ll give up?” I asked dryly, raising an eyebrow. I already knew the answer obviously, but hey, it never hurt to ask.

“Are you kidding me!? Give up!?” he barked, looking almost offended. Then he grinned even wider. “This just makes me wanna fight you more! Now come on! It’s just getting good!”

He launched himself at me again, eyes wild with excitement.

“Tsk. This is getting ridiculous.” I muttered, shifting my stance and preparing to deliver a stronger blow, something big enough to finally lay him out.

That’s when I heard Raphael’s voice in my mind, her tone tight with urgency.

“Master. Your comrade Neliel is in danger. I suggest you stop holding back.”

My eyes widened. That was all I needed to hear.

In an instant, I vanished, and reappeared directly in front of Kenpachi. He didn’t even register I was there before my palm slammed into his chest in a precise, crushing blow.

He grunted, stumbled, and a moment later, his eyes rolled back as he collapsed into my arms before I let him drop to the ground carelessly.

“Kenny!” Yachiru shouted, appearing at his side in a blur of Shunpo, shaking him quickly.

“He’ll be fine,” I muttered, already forming a magic circle beneath my feet. “I just knocked him unconscious.”

Before leaving, I threw the small pink-haired Lieutenant a cold look.

“If he points his blade at me or my comrades again... I’ll kill him.”

Without waiting for a reply, I vanished.

I reappeared a moment later and immediately activated Thought Acceleration — which, as the name implied, drastically increased the speed of my thought processes, allowing me to assess the situation in fractions of a second.

I had arrived just a few feet from the scene of an injured Neliel on one side, and Nnoitra looming over her, ready to deliver the killing blow.

My attention snapped to Nel and more specifically her bleeding torso. Her injuries were severe, but nothing I couldn’t fix. Then my gaze shifted to Nnoitra, a hole in his gut, likely from Nel’s lance, but not a fatal one.

‘I see… so Nel really couldn’t go through with it after all,’ I thought, my expression softening briefly as I looked at her. But there was no time for sentiment. I shook off the thought and moved.

Returning my perception to normal, I blurred forward, appearing in front of Neliel just in time to shove her backward, out of harm’s way, as Nnoitra’s blades tore into me. I felt the sting of impact, with one of my arms even being severed from my body and hitting the ground beside me.

Neliel and Nnoitra took a moment to process what had just happened before they responding in kind.

“C-Caius!” Neliel cried out in horror, her wide eyes locking onto my seemingly bleeding form.

“Kehahaha! This is great!” Nnoitra roared in delight, looking absolutely ecstatic at the sight of my injuries. “Not only do I get to kill you, Neliel, but now I get to make you watch me gut this bastard first! I wonder what kind of face you’ll make at knowing he will die because you were too weak to kill me?” He laughed like a maniac, eyes gleaming with cruelty.

But they hadn’t noticed something important.

I wasn’t bleeding.

I simply stood there, motionless, head tilted down, arms at my sides, a picture of eerie calm.

“Leave him out of this, Nnoitra!” Neliel shouted, struggling to her feet despite the pain, using her lance as a crutch. “Your fight is with me!”

“Shut yer damn mouth. Obviously I’m not listenin’ to a damn word you say,” he sneered, not even sparing her a glance. His full attention was on me.

“Kehahaha… Still don’t get what Aizen-sama sees in you,” Nnoitra muttered as he raised his blades again. “But this is the end, dumbass! Have the pleasure of dying by the hands of Nnoitra Gilga, the strongest Espada!”

“Caius!” Neliel screamed, sprinting toward me, ignoring her wounds in desperation.

“Shut up already,” I muttered, my voice cold and casual, cutting through the chaos like a razor.

That made both of them freeze.

The “me” standing in front of Nnoitra shimmered… and vanished like smoke.

“Do you love the sound of your own voice that damn much?” My real voice came from behind him, and with it, the sight of my hand bursting clean through his chest.

Clutched in my palm was something still beating.

His heart.

As if in disbelief, Nnoitra looked down at my hand in confusion, not fully understanding what had just happened. A weak cough of blood escaped his lips, and he sluggishly turned his head to face me, eyes slowly losing their light.

“Y-You bastard… cough... how did you survive... cough that? I know I cut you,” he rasped, barely clinging to consciousness.

“That’s none of your business,” I replied coldly, my voice flat and expression unreadable. “Now die already. I’m tired of hearing your voice. Beelzebuth.”

As soon as the words left my mouth, Nnoitra was consumed by a swirling purple void, devoured completely by my Ultimate Skill. Not even his blood remained.

Turning to Neliel, I let my hardened expression soften into a gentle smile. “Hey Nel. Sorry I’m late.”

Still stunned, she needed a moment to process that I was really there, really safe. Then her face relaxed into a beautiful, relieved smile.

“Caius! I’m so glad you’re alright,” she said, and as her Resurrección faded, the last of her strength left her. She pitched forward.

In an instant, I was at her side. I caught her carefully and lowered us both into the sand, cradling her gently.

“I’m not the one with two holes in my stomach, silly. Now hold still,” I said, lightly scolding her as I rested a hand over her injuries. I activated Biokinesis, and the wounds began to rapidly close under my touch.

“T-Thanks,” Neliel said with a grateful smile, then surprised me by burying her face into my chest.

“Thank you for saving me... and more importantly, thank you for being okay,” she whispered, voice soft and raw against my shirt.

I blinked, caught off guard by the gesture, then smiled and held her close. I gently ran a hand through her long, soft hair, whispering back, “I did promise, after all.”

We stayed like that for a moment, her breath warm against me, until she slowly pulled back. A blush dusted her cheeks, standing in stark contrast to the fierce expression she’d worn during battle.

“Yes... yes, you did,” she murmured, one hand unconsciously gripping the front of my white shirt.

As much as I was enjoying the moment, I cleared my throat and shifted my gaze. My face turned blank and cold again, which made Neliel blink in surprise, until she registered what I said next.

“Now then,” I called out casually, but with unmistakable edge, “how about revealing yourselves, Captain-san? It’s not very polite to be eavesdropping on private conversations.”

Neliel immediately tensed and adopted a serious look of her own, one hand drifting toward her Zanpakutō.

A moment later, the air shimmered like glass cracking, and three Shinigami emerged from their cloaked state, a woman standing at the front, with a man and woman kneeling slightly behind her.

I recognized her instantly: long black hair with a single front braid framing her calm, unreadable face. My eyes narrowed slightly.

‘Unohana… huh?’ I thought silently, shifting mental gears in an instant. I wasn’t about to underestimate the first Kenpachi.