Magic Circle Corp INKS

Hey anon!

I’m actually a writer, not an artist. I occasionally do some edits and coloring, but wallpapers aren’t really my thing. I too, would love to see some more art of him!

Hopefully as Kubo writes more chapters people will get around his character more and start making some cool content for him!

Magic? The hell? Does this guy just use kidō all the time? His hopes begin to fall, as he generally prefers melee combat, but he’ll spar with the mage if it comes down to it. A ranged fight is better than nothing, after all. When Bruno gestures to his weapon, Kenpachi nods and places a hand on its sheath, the bandages that cover it brushing against his fingertips.

“they’re called zanpakutō. i’unno if you could call it magic, but they all have names and different abilities…”

A smile of pride comes to his face before he hears Bruno call out a name of his own, and a bolt of lightning come out of the air. The beast that manifests from its majesty is a sight to behold, nothing like he’s ever fought. The great wyrm stands before him, and Kenpachi lets out a bellowing laugh.

“ha! hell yeah, i’d love to fight one of ‘em! good show you put on for me… think i oughta give you one in return.”

The rusted blade scrapes against its sheath as it’s drawn, but as he brings it up and over his shoulder, a flash of smoke rises, obscuring both sword and wielder, before the smoke is blown away by a column of golden light. Where there was once a sword is now a gigantic cleaver, bigger than Kenpachi himself, slung over his shoulder easily.

“this here… is nozarashi.”

Bruno rocks his weight backwards into Rickenbacker to watch the other man’s demonstration and damn the residual mana coming off that fancy transfiguration is impressive all on it’s own. And the weapon itself? He whistles. Not only because its impressive looking as hell but also because the captain hefts it with and ease that only comes with incredible familiarity.

Bruno’s nearest equivalent would be the circles he practiced drawing until he could do them in his sleep. Every spell might require you to put a little bit of your soul into it, but that connection isn’t really equivalent to soul sharing. Him and Rickenbacker might count if the blade has sentience of some description.

“Weather-Beaten One?” His translation spell deciphered, “She’s very impressive. Bet the average dragon wouldn’t be able to stand up her, we’ll have to find you a proper strong Dark Dragon, or a Märchen.” Bruno pats at his dragons flank when the blue beast lifts his head to sniff curiously at the ambient mana, inspecting the war-ax from a respectful distance. “What do you think, Rickenbacker?”

The dragon huffs deeply, his nostrils flaring in a way that conveys his interest and approval to his rider and shakes his head, jolting Bruno back upright in the process.

Bruno jabs a disrespectful finger in the smaller mans face. “No, you do grunt work, because you are a lackey. And I”- he jabs a thumb back at himself - “do important director things. Because I am an important Director. And be respectful, brat, it’s ‘Director Bangnyfe’ to you.”

Which. Not exactly true, he had been trying to keep busy out here in the Eastern Branch, but there really wasn’t all that much actual work to be done. Just boring paperwork. So now he’s outsourcing for his entertainment.

“…i’unno what dental is.”

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that the East Branch of Soul Society is far more traditional than the West Branch. Almost painfully so. It’s not like Kenpachi really cares about it, given that he hasn’t had any points of reference other than the Rukongai and the Seireitei. His trips into the Living World are intentionally kept short by the Central Forty-Six to avoid massive collateral damage in the case he winds up getting in a fight there. Because of this, many concepts that would seem commonplace to Bruno are utterly alien to Kenpachi.

“well, if yer lookin’ for a combat force, look no further. i’m the captain of the eleventh division, the one that likes to fight the most out o’ the whole gotei thirteen.”

That sparks his interest. So, this guy likes to fight too? He wonders if he’ll be able to spar with him at some point. He’s trying to figure out how this guy fights, as he doesn’t seem to be carrying a weapon, when something else he says sparks his interests. Kenpachi’s eyes widen in sudden excitement.

“…dragons? what’re those? are they fun to fight? we just fight hollows ‘round here.”

“Huh. No kiddin’!” He takes a step back to get a good look at Kenpachi. He does look like he’s built for combat. Six and a half feet tall and absolutely strapped with corded muscle. Bruno isn’t a lightweight by any stretch but he looks twiggy next to the captain. “We’ll get in the ring together at some point. I want to see that eastern combat magic. I’m surprised so many of you have swords conduits, so you must be pretty specialized.” He gestures to the sword.

Only the Sabers use it back home and honestly. Some of the shit Director Sullivan can do with it... Scary. In a place where fucking everyone uses one, the standard for a Captain must be crazy high.

More important matter for right now though is- “You never seen a dragon?” There were rumors that they were near extinct in the East. And had been for a long while. It sort of makes sense that Kenpachi wouldn’t have seen one before, but Bruno grew up with them. He and Rickenbacker have been together for so long he can’t really remember what life before him was like.

He smirks, well this’ll be a treat then! “Rickenbacker!“

The blast of lightning behind him signals the rapid arrival of his war mount. Bright blue mana pours off him in an intimidating (and showy) display of power.

He pats the beast on his flank as the mana dissipates to reveal a great, four-winged battle dragon with bold cobalt scales and piercing, predatory blue eyes.

              How odd it was to realize that he was used to be analyzed so critically? 

              More than one pair of eyes had looked at him like that; with interest and perplexity combined into one look that took over the entirety of a person’s expression. But any offenses to be had here were quickly dismissed, and exchanged ( instead ) for the entity maintaining his locked-on gaze up until the stranger stepped out of sight, only to emerge on his other flank.                Circling, like a beast around another creature it did not know the scent or face of.                Understandable. 

               The Hōgyoku’s poise remained as it always was; at the ready, and naturally squared in all the right places, while relaxed just as much in others. Tiers parted when the god sighed a breath of patient acceptance, his head righting itself the moment he decided to relax the rest of the way.

“You have quite the observant mind, so you must have quite a plethora of resources.”           The potential access to knowledge was a thought that crossed the back of the sentient deity’s mind, but he dismissed it in exchange for heeding the circumstance at hand. Given that he knew not whom he was speaking to just yet, nor where his allegiances may or may not reside, it was safe to assume the worst.                “In any case,” He began expression growing even more passive as the seconds ticked, clearly not in dismay for the revelation of information to follow, “My Master called me the ‘Hōgyoku’. I suppose that is the only ‘title’ I know. But–…” 

              The Hōgyoku’s attention focused keenly on the other’s visage, giving him a once over and taking in the sight of him to begin analyzing exterior to start.                “Do, pray tell, confess what you are to me, won’t you? That’s fair, I think.”

Bruno scratches at his cheek a grimace like smile pulling at his features. “Technically.” There was the library. As for how much he made use of it... Well. His expression quick smooths back over though.

“Breakdown sphere. Huh.” That’s not a title for any magic artifact he knows of. Something new. 

“S’ not really a name, is it.” He doesn’t speak it like a question, though his words do create space for elaboration. But then if he - it? - is referring to someone else as ‘master’ maybe he - it - never thought to give itself one. Food for thought. There sure is a lot of shit here that’s way behind the times, this is just another in a growing list.

Wolfie is not going to be too happy when he hears how isolated the Eastern Branch has gotten from the people it’s supposed to be watching out for.

Bruno gives the man another look over, slowly circling him to get a good look from every angle. It took him a while to start differentiating the different spirit shapes by the feel of their mana, and at first glance he had certainly thought this one a shinigami by appearance. But his mana much more closely resembles that of a Philosopher’s Stone.

Which. Everyone knows that Philosopher’s Stone’s don’t have bodies of their own, or even wills. A Cintāmaṇi might have been a more accurate assumption, but Bruno has never seen one of those up close an personal and wouldn’t know how to recognise it’s mana even if it was right in front of him. He also doesn’t think he’s ever heard of one being corporeal like this.

“It doesn’t. Just that if you are what I think you are then you’re one of a kind. Never before seen type of magic.” Bruno isn’t much of an academic, but he is a wizard and he can appreciate a fucking brilliant piece of magic when he sees one. Plus. Replicating something like this? There is some serious fame lurking in there.