Though he was interested in experiencing Zaraki's power directly, Vahn tore his gaze from the current-generation Kenpachi and released his hold on Laev-tan, causing her to spin behind his shoulders before settling near the small of his back, suspended horizontally in his domain.
"Your welco is appreciated, but as a foreign entity who has done little to warrant it, you need not show deference or bow before ," expressed Vahn, cupping his right hand with his left but keeping his head raised and back straight as he held Yamamoto's gaze with a smile.
"You exposed the traitors in our midst and nded the condition of one of our longest-serving Captains..." countered Yamamoto, his expression and tone firm as he asserted, "Acknowledging your status and welcoming you is the least we can—and what we must do."
"Fair enough," conceded Vahn, offering a slow nod before scanning the gathered Captains with his eyes. To Yamamoto's right, there was the smiling Ukitake, the refined and stoic Byakuya, the deceptively gentle-looking Unohana, and the petite, perpetually angry-looking Sui-feng. To his left, there was the mountainous, masked Komamura, the disheveled dandy Kyoraku, the grinning, battle-ready Kenpachi, and the grotesque, blue-haired, black-and-white-faced, gold-toothed mad scientist Mayuri.
'And one more...' mused Vahn, shifting his gaze to a seemingly empty spot in the hall—occupied by a slender, refined-looking woman with long, inky-black hair, fair skin, and naturally sharp grey eyes accented by purple eye shadow. A large, golden, crescent-moon ornant adorned her head like a halo, and though she wore the traditional Shihakusho of a Shinigami, it was sleeker and more refined, bound by a rose-colored obi beneath a white, long-sleeved Captain's haori, and angular white robe, fastened at the front of her body like a pure white mantle. From this, six gold-hued, doll-like arms protruded, allowing her to keep her actual hands and arms concealed as she stood poised atop thick, single-toothed, bokkuri-style geta platforms.
Seeing Vahn stare directly at her, the woman, Captain Shutara Senjumaru, Fourth Officer of the 0th Division, also known as the Great Weave Guard, narrowed her eyes but didn't reveal herself. She was primarily there as an observer and to confirm the nature of Vahn's existence, so after their very brief eye contact, she shifted her gaze to Yamamoto and pretended to be oblivious to the fact her presence had been discovered.
"We are aware of Vahn-sama's identity, so we will now formally introduce our mbers..." stated Yamamoto, kicking things off by appending, "I am Yamamoto Genryusai Shigekuni, Founder and Captain-Commander of the Thirteen Imperial Court Guard Divisions."
Adhering to established procedure, Sui-Feng followed Yamamoto's words, puffing out her nearly non-existent chest and boldly declaring, "And I am Sui-Feng, Captain of the 2nd Division and Commander of the Stealth Task Force, the Onmitsukidō."
With the Captain of the 3rd Division currently sitting in a cell, the next to speak was Unohana, appearing gentle and motherly despite her Reiatsu being tainted by the tens of thousands she had slain, her smile softening and head bowed as she stated, "I am Unohana Retsu, Captain of the 4th Division. It's a pleasure to make Vahn-sama's acquaintance."
"Mmn...likewise..." responded Vahn, offering a curt nod before shifting his gaze to Byakuya as the Noble-looking Shinigami, utilizing his smooth and exceptionally deep voice, expressed, "I am Kuchiki Byakuya, 28th Head of the Kuchiki Clan and Captain of the 6th Division. When opportunity allows, the Kuchiki Clan would be honored to host a delegation from the Dragon's Pavilion to express its gratitude regarding recent matters."
"I'm certain that can be arranged," affird Vahn, offering a second nod before turning his attention to Komamura, preempting the inordinately tall man's introduction by stating, "Komamura Sajin, Great Grandson of Ōgami, Son of Gekirin, and Captain of the 7th Division...though I understand your reasons, how do you intend to formally introduce yourself to wearing a mask?"
Stunned by Vahn casually divulging his lineage, Komamura stared at him with his mouth, hidden behind his komuso mask, hanging open. His face and heritage had been exposed during the failed attempt to detain Aizen, but since only a select few Captains had witnessed it, he elected to don a new helt.
Exhaling from his nose, Vahn assured, "It's fine. If you want to keep your face hidden, that's your choice. I just happen to believe that true power and growth stem from acceptance and overcoming oneself. Realizing your potential while masking who and what you are will be difficult."
"There is great wisdom in Vahn-sama's words..." conceded Komamura, his voice solemn as he swept his gaze across his fellow Captains, stopping when he t Yamamoto's. It was after the latter offered an affirming nod that he reached up, loosening the clasps keeping his mask in place before removing it entirely, revealing his wolf-like features as he stated, "Though it is clear Vahn-sama is aware of my identity, allow to introduce myself properly. I am Komamura Sajin, Captain of the 7th Division. Please excuse my previous rudeness."
"Excellent...a Captain of a venerated organization like the Gotei shouldn't conceal their face but take pride in the efforts that led to their holding the position..." asserted Vahn, causing Yamamoto to close his eyes and nod in consensus. He had inford Sajin nurous tis that he did not need to conceal his identity, so he greatly appreciated Vahn's words.
"I guess it's my turn...?" asked Kyoraku, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand and smiling lazily as he appended, "It's a little long, but my na is Kyōraku no Jirō Sakuranosuke Shunsui. I'm presently the Captain of the 8th Division, but my real interests include drinking sake, teasing my cute subordinates, long, unbroken naps, and admiring beautiful won as they dance or play the shamisen."
"Then we have much in common," affird Vahn, narrowing his eyes and smiling before turning his attention to the youngest-looking and shortest of the Captain's present.
Seeing Vahn set his gaze on him, Toshiro closed his eyes and exhaled a faint sigh before opening them, forcing himself to sound deeper and more mature than he was as he stated, "I am Hitsugaya Toshiro, Captain of the 10th Division. I have never encountered or interacted with a Dragon God, so if I say or do anything that inadvertantly offends you, know it is not my intention to antagonize you or the Dragon's Pavilion..."
Though he waited for Toshiro to finish speaking, Zaraki made his priorities clear by asking, "I'm curious, just how strong is a Dragon God...?" in place of an introduction. This earned him a withering stare from Yamamoto, but Vahn took it in stride, shrugging casually before admitting, "To be honest, I'm weaker than everyone here. However, even if you were to team up and take on as one, you wouldn't be able to defeat or seal away. You're welco to try, though."
"Oh? How curious. Are you suggesting that, regardless of the asures we take against you and the Dragon's Pavilion, they are bound to fail from the outset...?" asked Mayuri, his voice raspy as he unblinkingly eyed Vahn with his amber-hued eyes and a disconcerting smile.
"Your world rits a fairly high classification, but it's far from the highest across the multiverse," responded Vahn. "But discussing such things isn't why we're here. Also, you, Captain Mayuri, would be wise to remain silent in my presence. I'm not fond of overlooking monsters, so if you give a reason, I will remove you from my sight permanently..."
Narrowing his biochanical eyes, Mayuri briefly considered challenging Vahn's assertion but ultimately decided against it. They still knew little about what he was capable of, but one of the few things they did was that he could enter and leave their world as he pleased. Presuming his claims of representing a transdinsional organization were legitimate, it wasn't difficult to imagine him displacing those he didn't like to locations where they could no longer threaten or disturb him...
"Ahem...allow to continue..." interjected Ukitake, gesturing to Zaraki and Mayuri as he said, "These gentlen are Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of the 11th Division, and Kurotsuchi Mayuri, Captain of the 12th. The title of Kenpachi is traditionally granted to the strongest Shinigami, so if the two of you battle at so point, please conduct it soplace where collateral damage can be kept to a minimum. As for , my na is Ukitake Jushiro, Captain of the 13th. And while I cannot speak for the entirety of the Soul Society, I personally hope we can establish a mutualistic relationship with Dragon's Pavilion."
"As do I," affird Vahn. "But that ultimately depends on what the Soul Society desires from the Dragon's Pavilion and your willingness to work alongside the person recognized as your world's representative."
"Our world's representative...?" repeated Yamamoto, his beady crimson eyes narrowing as he asked, "Though it may not be proper, I feel I must inquire as to the identity of this representative. If nothing else, we owe them our gratitude for your intervention in the previous matter..."
"You owe them for quite a bit more than that..." affird Vahn, nodding sagely before revealing, "As for their identity, everyone here should be at least tangentially familiar with the na Shiba Kukaku."
"Shiba Kukaku..." repeated Ukitake, recognizing the na alongside Yamamoto, Sui-Feng, Unohana, Kyoraku, Komamura, and Mayuri. Even Zaraki recognized the na Shiba, but as he had no interest in matters related to politics, he stared absently into space and picked his left ear with his pinky finger.
Nodding, Vahn revealed, "Kukaku-san managed to co into contact with the Dragon's Pavilion and the broader cosmos after receiving an invitation to a place called the Tower of Ascension. She initially had little interaction with us, but after learning of Kuchiki Rukia's imprisonnt and correlating it with the untily demise of her elder brother, she could not remain idle as Aizen led a second Great Noble House to its downfall."
"So the younger sister of Kaien is still alive..." muttered Ukitake, a look of regret flashing across his face. He was one of the few who attempted to defend the Shiba Clan, but as the descendent of a lower noble house, he had limited sway outside his Division and the Gotei.
Electing to reveal herself at that mont, causing several of the Captains present to tense and beco alert, Shutara, appearing to materialize out of thin air, asked, "What does it an for one to be the representative of a world in the broader cosmos?"
"So much for keeping things hush-hush..." sighed Kyoraku, exhaling from his nose and shaking his head in mock exasperation.
"Those who receive invitations from the Tower are typically figures whose actions significantly influence or shape the fate of their world as a whole," answered Vahn. "Becoming a representative doesn't necessarily make you the most important person in your world. Rather, it indicates that you have entered into an agreent with the Dragon's Pavilion, gaining our support and the right to request our assistance. In the simplest of terms, it ans that Kukaku-san's voice and opinion have priority over the other denizens of your world. We can enter into agreents with other parties, but only if they don't conflict with our agreent with her."
"And what agreent is that...?" asked Shutara, narrowing her eyes as if attempting to peer through Vahn's words and ascertain concealed truths or hidden anings.
"Nothing that would be considered contentious by a reasonable person or group..." responded Vahn, shaking his head before revealing, "She simply requested that the Dragon's Pavilion protects the surviving and collateral descendants of the Shiba Clan. There's more to it, but it's not my place to disclose the specifics of a private contract or agreent."
"In other words, if our agreent with the Dragon's Pavilion jeopardizes the Shiba Clan's continued existence, we can't move forward...effectively granting Kukaku-san the exclusive right to veto..." concluded Kyoraku, his sole visible, usually unfocused brown eye exuding a glimr of solemnity as he carefully gauged Vahn's reaction.
"More or less," confird Vahn, nodding before explaining, "But, as I explained to Ukitake-taichou previously, the Dragon's Pavilion doesn't specifically require anything from the Soul Society. If not for the matter regarding Rukia-san, we would not have revealed ourselves. Now, if you decide there is nothing you want or need from us, we will revert to being observers—only intervening in your world when the life or general well-being of a Shiba Clan descendent is jeopardized."
"That said..." started Vahn, shifting his gaze to Shutara and adopting a narrow-eyed smile as expressed, "Please give my regards to the Monk Who Calls the Real Na. And tell him that if he wishes to maintain the status quo, it would behoove him not to try what he's currently planning. I don't mind people targetting , but targetting those under my protection is a line that shouldn't be toed—much less crossed..."
Though she was tempted to retort that she wasn't a ssenger, Shutara silently held Vahn's gaze for several seconds before grabbing space using her artificial hands and pulling it around her like a blanket. A split-second later, she was gone, her presence completely vanishing as she effectively stepped outside space-ti via the Garganta, a space between spaces in the sa vein as the Dinsional Gap of DxD...
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