Welcome to Gaia! ::

Falhannah smiled and then looked at Shizuka. "Shizuka-Taichou, we were created from memories of the past. Your abilities make us real in accordance to the memories of Linuen as he remembered before. You, of all people, should know that our thoughts during this timeline is as just as normal as it existed BEFORE we died." She responded to her question and then faced Linuen and Kei's direction once again. "However, knowing that we died fighting in the future is no different at all when we know that we will die in old age when we were all living beings. The feeling is mutual and normal, I can say. Kei-sama always had strange thoughts regarding everything that's why he knew something was strange in this 'reality'. I must admit, even myself didn't know that this was a reality created in the past of someone else." She added and then looked at the sky this time. Falhannah gave off a sigh.

There was a series of loud snapping sounds and shards of ice flung to the air once more. Kei Aoi stood looking at Linuen Frost, whom was shaking in fear uncontrollably. The young man's eyes stared at his Sensei with shock and astonishment. "Reckless, that is your weakness. Being a manipulator of the ice element doesn't mean you have superiority over water, Linuen-kun." Kei Aoi gently said as he raised his hands and ball of water appeared in his hands. "I'll give you an example." Linuen gasped in horror as he saw the water form into a watery spear as it floated before Kei's hands; he felt like running at once.

With a short moment, the watery spear shot to Linuen. Panicking on what to do, Linuen gave off a cry of horror and then waved his own spear and release a strong burst of cold reiatsu. But it was far too late when he realized a mistake; the water spear of Kei Aoi began ice as he expected it would be but it did not stop shooting at him. It was only a moment after when Linuen was struck by the frozen spear and got thrown in the air due to the intensity of the attack from Kei; the young man gave off a cry of pain at once.

"A perfect example of some of the disadvantages of ice. Though you can change its properties into solid, you can do almost nothing to twists the energy surrounding it. You can manipulate ice on some moments but that's because of your Zanpakutou's powers. However, when it came to water vs. ice fight, they are perfectly equal. Given the proper amount, I can melt you. Vice versa for you too." Kei Aoi. Linuen gasped for air and looked at Shizuka. He wanted to cry out for help because he thought the training was ridiculous; it would kill him at one point!

Falhannah smiled as she watched Kei and Linuen from the distance. "We may share the same thoughts but our opinions differ from time to time, Shizuka-Taichou. It is not because we are not really one but I am an entity that can think. I am always filled with fear at moment, especially when battling the enemies of Kei-sama. However, he had always been composed and still. He was not bitter, no. Yet, he was also not too wise too. He was... just him." She said and then turned to face Shizuka as the captain kicked the damaged pyramid. There was a loud shattering sound and the pyramid broke into thousands of pieces. This shocked Falhannah for a bit but somehow, she was expecting this. The Seventh Division captain was doubtful of Kei Aoi's resolve. It was also that moment when the five pillars that were once inside the pyramid broke into nothingness. Falhannh raised his arms and then with a loud snapping sound, an enormous barrier appeared around Kei and Linuen. The size of this barrier was far greater than Shizuka was kept in earlier and it was far durable than the tri-plate barrier; its sides were a total of ten. "Ten Protection Pillars of the Heavenly Sirens." She said softly as she looked at Shizuka. "I am sorry but this battle is something not for you to barge in. I do believe that you gave your word to Kei Aoi."

"Splash Rave!" Kei Aoi yelled out and a burst of pressurized water came from his blade. There was a short release of reiatsu which shook Linuen out of his senses. Was his Sensei this strong? He had no idea at all. He snapped back in reality when he saw the huge cascading amount of water go in direction. Enveloped by panic once again, Linuen dashed out of the way and then waved his spear, sending a cold burst of reiatsu that immediately froze the water surging towards him.

"What now, Linuen-kun? Are you just going to stop my attacks and do nothing at all?" Kei asked, who was now standing on top of the frozen debris. It was also that moment when a huge barrier formed around them and enclosed the battle in a huge containment. "Ah, The Ten Heavenly Pillars of Falhannah. She didn't like to use it since it was too much of a hassle. Looks like your captain is greatly concerned of you."

"Shizuka-Taichou?!" Linuen blurted out, looking for his captain through the barriers that formed around them.

Falhannah smiled and then with a soft swish of air she was now gone. There was a loud snapping sound and then one side of the ten-sided barrier disappeared into thin air, with Kei Aoi walking out of it. However, Linuen Frost was now hanging in his shoulders like a piece of clothing and was obviously damaged all over.

"I always thought he was already that strong but I guess I am mistaken." Kei Aoi said, smiling at Shizuka. "He is lost in terms of strength and tactics; he needs a guide. I might as well say that I need your help too."

Then, with a strong pull of strength, Kei Aoi threw Linuen into the air towards Shizuka.

Linuen Frost slowly opened his eyes when he heard Shizuka's voice in his head. Then, he snapped out of his daze and stood up. What happened? He asked himself. Within a matter of moment, he remembered that his Sensei attacked him so fast that he barely managed to see Kei step up to him. It was scary and Linuen was overwhelmed by this. He looked at Shizuka and then scanned the area in which he found out that his Sensei was standing before them along with his smile.

"Sensei wants me to fight alongside you, Shizuka-Taichou." Linuen said all of the sudden. Turning to check himself, the Third Seat was slightly shocked too see that his body seemed to have become younger in form. He was slightly shorter and his body was lighter than his current age; he didn't know if these were advantages or not but it did negate all the damage he received from his Sensei earlier. It must be his captain's doing.

Kei Aoi then raised a finger that was similar to a warning sign. "Ah! Do not get me wrong, Shizuka-Taichou. I did not underestimate Linuen-kun. Let's just say that this spar is for the benefit of both you and this kid there..." He said happily and then made a snap of his fingers. At that instant, Falhannah appeared beside Kei Aoi; the ten-sided barrier disappeared by this time too. "Protect us, Falhannah." He added gently and then there was a suden burst of overwhelming reiatsu from Kei. Then, the former Fourth Division captain pulled out his wakizashi from its sheath and as he pulled the blade out from it, it slowly changed in image appearing like a rectangular double-edged sword that was similar to a Chinese sword, Jian.

Kei Aoi swiftly moved his blade in a swirling motion and a cascading amount of pressurized water burst at all sides of Shizuka and Linuen. He made the first strike so sudden that all Linuen could do was let out a yell of shock as the sheets of waters curved around them and fell at their position with great intensity.

"Taichou, wait!" Linuen Frost called out to Shizuka as she leaped out of the pocket dimension that she created. Panicking on what to do, the Third Seat followed his captain only to arrive that Shizuka sent a bench flying towards Kei Aoi.

There was yet another loud snapping sound and a small triangle barrier appeared in between of Kei and then bench, causing the bane to crash at the firm shield. Splinters of wood flung in the air as Kei Aoi stared to Shizuka in silence. But it was also an instant when Kei noticed Linuen from the other side of the field and waved his spear. "Burst Pike!" he yelled out loud. Suddenly, there was huge ice spike that burst from the ground that head towards Kei Aoi's direction. Due to the intensity of the skill, the size of the spiked obelisk was about ten times of Kei's size. However, the former Fourth Division captain did not show any forms of distress.

Kei Aoi swiftly raised his sword and made a fast slashing movement. It was also a split-second when the huge ice obelisk broke into thousands of pieces with a loud shattering sound. Linuen gasped in shock as he saw the ice crumbled before his eyes.

"Well then, are you done measuring what I can do, Shizuka-Taichou?" Kei Aoi gently asked as he turned to Shizuka.

Kei Aoi's face was filled with seriousness when Shizuka activated her hypnosis. He did not anticipate such skill from her and was immediately captivated by the effects of it. Kei wanted to make a step but his legs would not move; he felt so tired and weakened. He faced Shizuka and then smiled. "Ah, now I understand. The powers of your Zanapakutou is related to the mind. Ability to recreate the past, move objects using the power telepathy, communication to other people through mind messages, and of course, hypnosis." Kei Aoi gently said as he tried to move his arms. It was no use as he was bound by Shizuka's ability. "However, do not expect that I am the only one moving here. Isn't that right, Linuen-kun?" He added with a smile just as Linuen was standing behind him and was about to wave his spear.

However, though the young man was shocked to discover that his Sensei knew about him, he did not hesitate. With a strong pull of reiatsu from his body, he pointed his spear at the ground, which immediately froze everything around Kei Aoi. In a matter of seconds, Kei's legs began to freeze and was trapped in huge chucks of ice. Then, Linuen thrust his spear forward and shot a swift force that was enough to put a hole in a normal human being. This was it!

"Nu ah!" Kei Aoi said suddenly.

There was a loud thud that rang in Linuen's senses and he realized that his attack disappeared in thin air, as if deflected. He looked around and found nothing different except that Kei Aoi was standing there trapped by his ice. "I told you that I am not the only one moving here." His Sensei added with another smile. And it was only that moment that a huge cube appeared directly around Kei Aoi. On top of the cube, Falhannah stood in silence, looking at Shizuka.

"I see... You manipulate enemies in terms of the mind, which, many Shinigami or enemies don't have. A very well formed Zanpakutou for the world especially these days." Kei Aoi said, looking at Shizuka after she explained the nature of her Zanpakutou, Getsuei. Suddenly, Kei felt Shizuka's reiatsu peak for a moment and then went back to normal. He was shocked to see that another figure appeared behind Falhannah. It must be Shizuka's Zanpakutou, Kei thought to himself. However, before he could act, a cold presence held his right arm.

Kei Aoi turned and saw a girl holding his wrist tightly whilst glaring at him. "Now..." The girl said softly. There was a burst of reiatsu and Kei's entire right arm was encased in a huge chuck of ice, thus trapping his entire arm. He gasped in shock as he looked at the girl. But unknown to his Sensei, Linuen was now behind Kei Aoi pointing his spear. With a short gasp of air, Linuen thrust his spear forward and released a violent burst of cold reiatsu.

"BURST PIKE!" He yelled out loud.

The cube immediately shattered into thousands of pieces as Falhannah looked at the direction of Kei Aoi. However, she too was taken aback by the sudden appearance of Getsuei and was unable to do anything but jump out of her range as she tried to attack Falhannah. But despite evading majority of Getsuei's attack, Falhannah acquired a slight slash in her shoulder and landed at the ground with an unbalanced step thus causing her to kneel at the ground. Falhannah looked at Kei's direction only to find the entire area around it encased in a gigantic obelisk of ice caused by Linuen's skill.

Linuen stood there, unmoved as he gazed upon the huge ice obelisk. "Is it over?" he exclaimed, whilst catching his breath.

There was slight and faint slashing motion that moved along with the air. Suddenly, blood burst from Linuen Frost's shoulders and he looked around in astonishment of the bane that struck him. Because of the force of the attack, he was thrown off his feet and dropped at the ground with a dull thud several feet from his original location. He gasped for air and he looked around for the attacker.

"It was never over, brat." Alestha gently said as she looked at the giant obelisk that stood in the middle of the battlefield. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Falhannah, who was now standing and disappeared with a short swish of air. The next moment, Kei Aoi's Zanpakutou was now standing before the obelisk with her arms raised.

There was a loud snapping sound a gigantic cube formed around the obelisk, much like the one Falhannah created earlier. "Reverse." She gently said and there was a short flicker of light inside the cube. It was only an instant when the gigantic obelisk broke into thousands of pieces with a series of loud shattering sounds. Kei Aoi walked out from it with the same smile on his face, though the rest of his haori was now tattered because of Linuen's attack.

"My attack was bit a late, sorry about that, Linuen-kun." Kei Aoi said. "I slashed the air about twice before he struck me with his skill to test how fast his ice-powers are. I am impressed that your Zanpakutou survived with the bane a struck her before you release that giant obelisk, Linuen-kun." He added.

Linuen immediately looked at Alestha's direction and was shocked to see her right waistline was bleeding profusely. She, however, tried her best not to look disturbed by her huge wound. Her breathing was hoarse but at the same light. "He struck me once and slashed the air for about two times before your attack encased him; his speed is impossible."

And Linuen stared in horror at Kei Aoi.