[Pleasure World: ○Beasts! The Fallen Princesses' Lament]
[Theme: Strike! Control! Surpass!]
[Plot Background: As the last three princesses of the eternally unbreakable Elven Royal City, you have been surrounded by the ○Beast horde in the fallen siege fortress during the final battle of the Golden Age's end. Now, you issue a life-or-death challenge to the mighty chieftain!]
[Rules: The host (playing as the ○Beast Chieftain) gains a single-target forced command ability usable once per minute. The controlled target must obey—otherwise, it counts as a rule violation!]
[Note 1: The host holds absolute authority within the current scenario.]
[Note 2: As this is a 'duel-type script,' receiving three or more hits to vital spots will result in spiritual pressure annihilation!]
The childish, gleeful voice of Kowareta echoed in the ears of all four participants.
Almost the moment the words fell—
The black beastmen surrounding them, forming a makeshift colosseum in the clearing, erupted into thunderous roars. The soundwave pierced the sky.
The previously gray, statue-like figures suddenly came to life.
Sumijima Mera and the others widened their eyes at the absurd rules.
Forced commands? A script that can enforce something like this?
They'd never heard of a Zanpakutō in the Soul Society that could rewrite its abilities with every release!
This was beyond ridiculous!
"Wait—calm down."
Surprisingly, it was the usually silent Tsuchimuro Tsumiko who spotted the loophole first. Her muffled voice was sharp. "He said it himself—we each get three violations."
"His commands only target one person at a time, but there are three of us."
"Meaning..."
"We can ignore them outright—as long as we take him down within nine minutes."
The others immediately understood.
Rules existed to be exploited.
That was why their absolute nature was so crucial.
For a moment, the three women exchanged wary glances.
Someone with a Shikai this powerful was no pushover.
Yet Fujimiya Makoto's gaze merely flickered, a slow smile spreading across his face.
Their understanding of the rules was still too shallow.
They weren't the only ones who could exploit loopholes.
"Ready?" Fujimiya asked mildly, as if offering a courtesy. "If you've finished strategizing, I'll begin."
"Bring it!" Sumijima Mera scoffed, utterly oblivious to the danger.
The instant she spoke, Fujimiya took a single step forward—
And shot across the ground in a zigzagging blur, his upper body nearly parallel to the earth.
Two crisp slashes marked his path through the air.
"Don't look down on me—bastard!"
Sumijima roared, puffing out her flat chest as she spewed a wall of fire, engulfing the space before her in a ten-meter inferno.
But flames of this level were almost laughable.
"Second Form: Modified—Fleeting Ember!"
Fujimiya's voice cut through the blaze.
His figure burst from the flames, his blade sheathed in fire as he carved a scorching arc straight toward the red-haired girl.
"Iron Hammer!"
Tsuchimuro Tsumiko hurled her black short hammer at Fujimiya's chest, trying to knock him back.
Yet without hesitation, he used his first forced command:
"Hashihara! Block her!"
"Like I'd listen to you~!"
Hashihara Renge giggled, her golden hair lashing toward Fujimiya like whips.
But in the next second—
Her eyes flew wide.
Her hair, mid-motion, scattered.
Her entire body shuddered as her spiritual pressure abruptly withered.
[Character: Elven Princess Hashihara Renge]
[First Violation!]
Hashihara: [3] → [2]
Fujimiya: [3] → [4]
She clutched her chest, gasping at the sudden weakness.
Then—
Her hair lashed out against her will, ensnaring Tsuchimuro and Sumijima in a crushing cocoon before hoisting them into the air.
"Hey! Hashihara!" Sumijima bellowed, flames erupting from her body as she burned through the strands. "We agreed not to obey! What the hell?!"
"I-I don't know!" Hashihara stammered, but her body moved on its own.
Tsuchimuro, whose ability only allowed her to create ultra-dense hammers, had no means of escape.
The moment the hair wrapped around her, she was helpless—
"CRASH!"
She was slammed into the ground, her mask splattered with blood.
"HASHIHARA—!"
Sumijima's voice was livid as she blasted the remaining hair apart, dragging Tsuchimuro free before retreating. She glared at the sheepish Hashihara, veins bulging.
"W-wait, Mera," Tsuchimuro coughed. "This must be... a hidden rule of the script... Once a command is given, it must be followed."
"That's why... Hashihara couldn't resist..."
"Huh?"
Sumijima blinked, then whirled toward Fujimiya—who stood calmly, smiling.
"You sneaky little—!"
But Fujimiya only tilted his head, feigning innocence.
"Are you sure?"
"If the rules didn't state it, isn't this just speculation?"
"Maybe... you've always had conflicts?"
This time, Sumijima didn't even need Tsuchimuro's warning. She barked a laugh, sneering.
"Such an obvious trick! You think I'd fall for it?!"
"Don't treat me like an idiot!"
Fujimiya's smile deepened. "Really?"
"Think again."
"Mera! Attack!"
"Don't listen!"
Tsuchimuro knew Sumijima's temper—and worse, she realized exactly what Fujimiya was doing.
And it might just work.
"Leave it to me!"
Sumijima roared, charging.
How dare this guy use her friends to mess with her head!
"Hashihara, cover me!"
"Got it!"
Even the usually flippant Hashihara now glared at Fujimiya with genuine anger.
Yet Fujimiya merely watched, his gaze flickering between them.
Choosing his next target.
"Inferno! Rapidfire!"
Sumijima closed in, keeping her distance as she formed finger-guns, unleashing a barrage of flaming arrows.
Each shot barely missed Fujimiya as he zigzagged across the arena, his Shunpo leaving afterimages. Then—
He dropped, skidding along the ground in a sharp drift before lunging at Sumijima, blade gleaming.
"Heh—!"
The moment he shifted, Sumijima grinned, crossing her arms.
"BOOM!"
Every arrow she'd fired detonated at once.
A ring of black smoke and fire swallowed Fujimiya whole.
In the same instant—
Golden hair-whips sliced through the smoke at supersonic speeds, cracking like gunshots.
For a brief moment, Fujimiya seemed frozen in the inferno.
Then—
Tsuchimuro was upon him, hammer swinging down in a crushing arc.
But by now, the one-minute cooldown had passed.
Fujimiya turned his head slightly and uttered his next command:
"Tsuchimuro. Hit Sumijima—full power."
Tsuchimuro's body locked up.
After the last exchange, she'd already deduced:
If commands were enforced regardless of compliance, then pretending to obey was their best bet.
So she turned toward Sumijima, shouting:
"Mera!"
"I know!"
Sumijima wasn't stupid—just hotheaded.
She knew what to do.
Tsuchimuro would swap to a lighter hammer anyway.
No problem!
She braced herself, arms raised.
Then—
The hammer struck with obliterating force.
"CRACK—!"
Sumijima's tiny frame was launched across the arena, blood spraying from her mouth and nose.
Both she and Tsuchimuro stared, dumbfounded.
"Eh—?" x2
"M-Mera...?"
Tsuchimuro looked at her hands, then at Sumijima's crumpled form, utterly lost.
Somehow, she'd uncontrollably maxed out her hammer's density—swinging with zero restraint.
Had Sumijima been human, that blow would've killed her.
"Oi... Tsuchimuro..."
Sumijima crawled from the rubble, blood dripping from her lips. "...You trying to kill me?"
"N-no! I didn't—!"
But as they stood there, stunned—
A sharp rip echoed through the air.
They turned.
Golden hair rained from the sky.
Fujimiya stood before Hashihara Renge, his blade—sheathed in that eerie glow—
Buried in her chest.
"You guys... could've helped..." Hashihara whispered, her beautiful face twisting in pain.
Sumijima and Tsuchimuro froze.
Fujimiya slowly withdrew his blade, crimson dripping.
Noticing their expressions, he smiled gently.
"Don't worry."
"No one dies until the script concludes."
"However..."
As he spoke, Hashihara's body reconstructed itself in a swirl of light, reverting to her original form.
[Promise—once I pierce your weak point, you'll obey my every word.]
Hashihara stretched, her joints popping, before flashing her usual carefree grin—now directed at her former allies.
"Ara~"
"Sorry, Mera, Tsuchimuro."
She sighed dramatically. "Looks like I'm your enemy now."
The two women stared, stunned.
They'd never imagined betrayal would come in such a bizarre form.
Fujimiya feigned confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"Even after that hammer strike, you still think I'm the liar?"
"You...!"
Sumijima Mera was hotheaded, impulsive—but once she trusted someone, she trusted them completely.
And she knew—
This man was cheating somehow!
Gritting her teeth, she forced herself up, puffing her chest as she screamed:
"MEGA—INFERNO!!"
A tsunami of fire erupted, her entire body igniting as she unleashed the strongest flames of her life—
But when the inferno cleared...
A wall of golden hair stood intact, its outermost layers reduced to ash.
A thin, final barrier protected Fujimiya.
"Hashihara..."
Sumijima's voice was hollow.
She didn't notice—another minute had passed.
Fujimiya stood atop a mound of charred hair, looking down at her with that same gentle smile.
"If you refuse to believe..."
"Why not experience it yourself?"
Tsuchimuro's eyes widened. "Mera! Don't—!"
But Sumijima was already frozen, staring up at him.
Then, Fujimiya spoke his command:
"Sumijima Mera."
"Burn Tsuchimuro Tsumiko—at full power."
Silence.
Sumijima stood firm, unmoving.
Then—
[Character: Elven Princess Sumijima Mera]
[First Violation!]
Sumijima: [3] → [2]
Fujimiya: [4] → [5]
The arena was dead quiet.
Tsuchimuro was pale.
Sumijima, still staring at Fujimiya, slowly turned to her, trembling.
"...Tsuchimuro."
"Nothing happened."
"..."
For the first time, Tsuchimuro's masked face cracked with horror.
---
Fujimiya watched it all unfold.
During his last Zanzen, he'd obtained two wooden plaques.
The first, from the brat he'd disciplined:
[Yūsei: Dreaming Death]
The second, from the girl who'd killed him with rules:
[Binding Truth, Defining Falsehood]
[Binding Truth]: Within spiritual pressure limits, make truth into lies.
[Defining Falsehood]: Within spiritual pressure limits, make lies into truth.
What a delightful ability for playing with hearts.