Disclaimer: I do not own any characters, names, and any copyrighted material used in this work. This is a fanfic, period. Everything belongs to their respective owners. Comments and constructive criticism are all very much appreciated.

The Light of Destruction

Chapter 2

Multiple pillars of blazing reishi erupted across the Seireitei, throwing the Shinigami across the fortress-city into further confusion. Whether intentional or not, the timing of the Vandenreich attack was perfect. The Shinigami were only just beginning to prepare for war, leaving their backs wide open to their enemies.

The closest an enemy is to defeat is when they are closest to victory with their lines extended and vulnerable to counterattack…and when they are preparing for battle when their soldiers are in no condition to fight.

Actually quite a few of the Stern Ritter found this means of opening the battle more than a bit overdramatic. After all they could just as easily appear from the shadows…but it did bring an advantage of its own.

For starters the arrogance of the Shinigami was such that they would never send their captains out first and prefer to let their seated officers and lieutenants take the front line to gauge the strength of the enemy attack. The reishi flares would serve as lures to the rank-and-file and their officers, allowing the Stern Ritter to mow them down wholesale.

Only then would the captains join the battle, by which point the Stern Ritter would have gotten the measure of their enemy and inflicted heavy losses on their army. And unlike the Shinigami who placed greater value on their captains over their rank-and-file, the Quincy – while considering the elite Stern Ritter as the hammerhead of their forces – knew that in a war it was the side with more and better boots on the ground who would ultimately claim victory.

And the Emperor was confident that the Soldat could easily outmatch the Gotei 13's foot soldiers and match the Royal Guard's foot soldiers, to say nothing of the elite Stern Ritter compared to the old-fashioned and tradition-bound captains.

"Anything yet…?" Ninth Division Lieutenant Shuuhei Hisagi shouted at the Twelfth Division specialist as the guard forces under his direct command surrounded one of the anomalies.

"I'm sorry sir, but the interference is such that…"

Hisagi cursed under his breath as the pillar continued to burn in front of them. "…wait…" the specialist said as the flare began to wane. "…the interference is clearing…reishi resonance and reiryoku frequency confirmed! It's a Quincy!"

"Stand your ground!" Hisagi shouted as he drew his sword and the flare burned out…and then he staggered back a few steps, blinking his eyes in surprise. "W-what…?"

Dimly he recognized the cloaked and hooded Quincy before him with a longbow in a ready position…but there was no arrow. Was he…shot? He remembered hearing from survivors of near-death experiences about strange sensations as a result…was it supposed to be like this?

Hisagi fell to his knees and forward onto the ground, a bloody hole blown clean through his torso. "Lieutenant Hisagi…!" one of the seated officers behind him shouted in alarm.

"Bastard…!"

"It's an enemy! Release our shikai!"

The three seated officers drew their swords and opened their mouths to release their blades…and then gore and headless corpses were flying back to the horror of the Shinigami rank-and-file behind them. Ichigo dismissed his bow and strode forward while palming his Quincy Cross again and bringing out his arming sword.

"That…that's as far as you go…Quincy…" Hisagi gasped from behind him, and Ichigo turned to see Hisagi struggling to his feet with his sword held weakly in one hand and with the other hand clutching at the bleeding hole in his torso. His face was set with determination.

Brave but foolish…if you'd stayed down, you might have lived longer at least until the next phase of the invasion begins. Well if you want to die…

Spirit-forged steel flashed and Hisagi's head fell along with sparkling shards from the Shinigami's zanpakutou, and Ichigo turned to see the broken soldiers of the Gotei 13 break and flee. "Sorry…" he said while switching back to his bow. "…but His Majesty ordered us to kill all of you. Run while you can…for all the good it will do you in the end."

Heilig pfeil flew through the air, and screams echoed across the bloody streets.


The Shinigami couldn't even scream as he was torn apart by a pair of metallic claws. Many of the other Shinigami broke and fled, but others held their ground and charged with angry shouts to avenge their fallen comrades.

The Stern Ritter 'I' the Iron Cang Du didn't let any expression show on his face as he tore through the enemy without mercy. Unlike most of his fellow Quincy, Cang Du didn't have any real hatred for either Shinigami or Hollow. As far as he was concerned, he could care less about what the enemy was, just that their deaths were commanded by the Emperor.

The Emperor points and we obey, as is our duty to His Majesty and the Empire.

Another Shinigami died by his claws, and the rest broke and fled save for one. Brave…he could respect that. The man shouted at his comrades – shaking as he desperately fought his fear and terror – to stand their ground and fulfill their duty as members of Thirteenth Division.

A man of honor…a worthy foe then…

Cang Du took a step forward with his claws raised to strike…and then he paused as he sensed the approach of another, more powerful foe. "A captain…?" he thought to himself. "No…it's close but not quite there yet. A borderline captain…most likely one of the more formidable lieutenants."

"Step back soldier." A petite woman with short black hair ordered the trembling Shinigami, her released sword held in a low guard.

"Lieutenant Kuchiki!"

Ah…Rukia Kuchiki, younger sister to Sixth Division Captain Byakuya Kuchiki and the lieutenant for the Thirteenth Division. She has no bankai, but her skills with swordsmanship and kidou are all above average.

"This enemy is not someone on your level can fight against." She said, and the Shinigami opened his mouth to protest.

"You should listen to your superior, Shinigami." Cang Du said in his low voice much to their surprise. "Earlier you were going about your duty weren't you? If so, then is it not your duty to obey an order from a superior officer?"

The man blinked at Rukia who nodded at him before he retreated. "I must say I am surprised about your restraint just now…" Rukia said as the man ran off, under no illusion that the Quincy could kill her subordinate the moment his back was turned. "…however I must also express my gratitude."

"It is accepted." Cang Du returned as his body tensed. "I am the Stern Ritter 'I' the Iron Cang Du – those that live together should die together. That is the code I live by, and therefore I can respect those who live by comparable codes."

Rukia tilted her head questioningly but kept her guard up. Cang Du's respect for her rose just a bit higher. "According to your code…" she began. "…those that live together should die together. And yet despite being an enemy you allowed my subordinate to escape."

"This battle is between comparable foes." Cang Du answered. "I can always catch up with him later, when I have paid my respects to one of your not-insignificant standing. It's all the same in the end."

"I see…" Rukia said as her eyes narrowed. "…then there's no real point in putting this off any longer, is there?"

"Indeed…" Cang Du whispered…and then Rukia's eyes went wide as the Stern Ritter blurred with hirenkyaku's speed. Metal claws swung towards her head, and the petite Shinigami found herself being hard-pressed and being driven back by the Quincy's fast and brutal assault.

"Impressive defense…" Cang Du silently praised his opponent. "...how's her offense?"

Curious despite himself, he allowed a gap to open in his offense and as expected the lieutenant caught it and launched a counterattack, swinging her blade at his neck. "Fast…!" he thought, catching her blade with a raised claw. "But her defense is left open in the process!"

Cang Du's other claw swung at her neck, and Rukia disengaged immediately, jumping back using shunpo but keeping her blade pointed at him. "San no mai…" she said, her reiatsu spiking. "…Shirafune!"

This time it was Cang Du's turn to be surprised as a lance of ice encased her blade and shot out towards him at lightning speed. The Stern Ritter side-stepped and shattered the lance with a single blow, but the time it took for him to switch back to offense from defense was enough for Rukia to follow-through. "Tsugi no mai…" she said while stabbing the ground around her before taking a new stance. "…Hakuren!"

Cang Du cursed, shocked out of his usual stoicism. This foe was proving more formidable than he expected. He gave way before the avalanche of freezing air, buying time to point his hands towards his enemy and place his claws on top of and opposite each other. "She Jin Zhao…!" he shouted.

A serpent head-shaped blast of energy erupted between his claws and slammed into Rukia's attack, overpowering it and striking the Shinigami and sending her flying as the resulting explosion reduced the surrounding blocks of the Seireitei into rubble. "Well fought lieutenant…" Cang Du congratulated her as he surveyed the devastation and felt her presence wane into insignificance. "…you have forced me to fight seriously, if only for a moment. This Stern Ritter extends his respect."


"Burner Finger One!" the Stern Ritter 'H' the Heat Bazz-B said loudly while pointing his finger at his opponent. Hitsugaya dodged the laser-like beam of compressed flame, instinctively sensing the danger. His lieutenant however was not so lucky, the blonde woman screaming as the beam blew an arm off.

"Matsumoto…!" he shouted in concern before glaring at Bazz-B. "Damn you…!"

Bazz-B smirked as the ice dragon from the captain's sword dove at him. He easily dodged it…and was impressed when it moved to follow him up into the air. Supported by hirenkyaku he lashed out with a leg and blew the dragon to bits with an intense blast of flame. He pointed his finger again and fired.

Hitsugaya dodged again and risked a glance at his lieutenant. "Matsumoto…" he asked her as she slumped against a nearby wall. "…are you all right?"

"I-I'll be fine…"

"Damn Quincy…"

"Before blaming me…" Bazz-B replied while rolling his eyes. "…why don't you ask yourself why you dodged when you knew your lieutenant couldn't?"

"What…you're blaming me?"

"Well you're a captain aren't you?" Bazz-B said with a smile and in all seriousness. "Surely you know your subordinates limits better than this!"

Hitsugaya just made an incoherent sound of anger before swinging his sword again, multiple ice dragons erupting from Hyourinmaru's blade and diving towards Bazz-B. The Stern Ritter cackled madly as he stamped hard on the ground with a foot and unleashing a firestorm that destroyed the dragons on impact. "I can do that too!" Bazz-B barked eagerly as he gestured with his arms, unleashing twisted torrents of flame that lashed out at Hitsugaya and Matsumoto.

The Shinigami evaded using shunpo, but Bazz-B already had his crossbow in his hand and tracked Hitsugaya with his eyes. "Dance boy…" he shouted as he pulled the trigger. "…dance!"

Hitsugaya cursed as he narrowly avoided the fiery heilig pfeil, which blew the building behind him into rubble. "Is this the best you have, captain?" Bazz-B taunted. "Honestly…you may have bankai, but if this is all you've got then you shouldn't be a captain! I'm not even serious yet!"

Hitsugaya arrived near Matsumoto and held his sword up in a defensive position as Bazz-B followed, landing some distance in front of them. Bazz-B smiled grimly as he felt Hitsugaya's reiatsu build. "Are you sure you want to use bankai kid?" he asked.

"Matsumoto…" Hitsugaya said softly. "…I'm going to use bankai. He'll probably seal it, but when he does keep your eyes open for any indication of how they do it and how it can be broken. Got it?"

Tenth Division Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto nodded, thankful that the heat of their enemy's attack had also cauterized her injuries. "Be careful captain." She said, and Hitsugaya briefly smiled before his face turned stern once more.

"Bankai…" he said as his reiatsu flared. "…Daiguren Hyourinmaru!" Bazz-B smirked and brought out his medallion, and Hitsugaya's eyes widened as his bankai disintegrated and was pulled into the medallion leaving nothing behind save for a profound sense of loss.

"Hyourinmaru…! Answer me, Hyourinmaru!"


Sixth Division Lieutenant Renji Abarai snarled as the cloaked and hooded Quincy repeatedly parried his attacks. Renji and three squads under his command had moved to staunch the collapse of the Ninth Division troops to the flank of the Sixth Division's area of responsibility…only for the troops and seated officers under his direct command to be slaughtered by a deadly volley of arrows from the same enemy in front of him.

Twice Zabimaru lashed out, and twice the Quincy blocked it. Renji pulled his sword back, and once again the enemy refused to take advantage, holding his ground with an air of relaxed indifference.

Smug bastard…

"What's wrong?" Renji taunted as he launched yet another series of attacks. "Aren't confident at close quarters Quincy?"

"If you insist…" the Quincy responded in a terrifyingly familiar voice as he dove forward onto the offensive, an arm raised to deflect Zabimaru's segmented blade to the side. The Quincy's sleeve tore from the impact, but the blade merely bounced off of the Quincy's skin with only an inky pattern beneath it to mark the point where the blade had failed to cause even the slightest damage.

The European-style blade stabbed towards Renji's face, and the Shinigami was forced back several steps while pulling Zabimaru along a fashion to drive the enemy to the side. The Quincy jumped up over the blade, and somersaulted back and causing his hood to fall behind him. Renji's eyes could only widen in shock at the sight of the Quincy's face. "Ichigo…?" he gasped.

Ichigo responded by switching to his bow and firing a lethal volley of heilig pfeil at Renji, aiming for the stunned Shinigami's vital spots. All arrows would be deflected harmlessly to the sides as Byakuya arrived with the tell-tale blur of shunpo. "Ichigo Kurosaki…" he began. "…what's the meaning of this?"

"Hey there Byakuya…" Ichigo said with a sad smile. "…you're looking well."

"Answer my question."

"Well…" Ichigo said while switching back to his sword and holding it in one hand, and scratching the back of his head with his other hand. "…to use your own words from long ago: I have something to protect. I have other reasons, but that's the main one."

"I see…" Byakuya said…and then he blurred only for his blade to be blocked by Ichigo's own.

"You tried that trick before." Ichigo said neutrally. "I blocked it once before, when I was still a Shinigami whose power was a mere shadow of my current one." Steel flashed again, and again both blades clashed. Ichigo then took hold of his sword with both hands and threw Byakuya back before the captain could attempt a point-blank Kidou attack.

"Renji…" Byakuya said to his lieutenant. "…it would seem that Kurosaki is to be treated as a traitor."

"Captain…?"

"Such is the reality of war…" Byakuya said, a brief lowering of his eyelids the only concession to emotion. "…and like the rest of his fellow Quincy rebels, it would seem that he is an enemy that cannot be defeated without bankai."

"Captain…!"

"When he seals my bankai…" Byakuya said. "…activate your own bankai, and use it to defeat him and force from him the secrets behind how they seal bankai."

Without another word Byakuya raised his sword and inverted it before letting it drop point-first to the ground. "Bankai…" he said. "…Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."

Ichigo smiled nostalgically as he pulled out his medallion and Byakuya's sword sank into the ground like it was water. Their surroundings darkened as hundreds of blades rose to their flanks…and then Byakuya's eyes went wide with shock as his bankai disintegrated and the fragments were sucked into Ichigo's medallion. "This is not a seal!" he said in horrified realization. "My bankai…was stolen from me!"


"Tetsuzaemon...!" Seventh Division Captain Sajin Komamura shouted to his lieutenant. "Inform the other captains: the enemy doesn't seal bankai, they steal them! Hurry…!"

"Yes captain!" Seventh Division Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba said as he ran to fulfill his captain's orders.

If only he could use Kidou…

"And where do you think you're going, lieutenant?" Bambietta shouted while firing bombs into his general area, the explosions erupting around the Shinigami who went down with a cry of pain.

"Damn Quincy…!" Komamura roared as he swung his sword at Bambietta. The adolescent girl smirked as she deflected the sword to the side, and fired a bomb at point-blank range that sent Komamura staggering back. She raised an eyebrow at the fact that he only seemed to suffer superficial injuries, even if the same could not be said for his chest armor.

"Tough aren't you?" she remarked. "Well it isn't my power, but I suppose there's a delicious irony in using your greatest power against you. Let's try it out shall we? Bankai: Kokujou Tengen Myou-ou!"


Apacci smugly walked up to Quilge's apparent corpse where it lay half-buried in the sands of Hueco Mundo. "Not so smug now are you, Quincy?" she gloated.

Steel flashed and stabbed the Arrancar through the chest, and the blade twisted before ripping out sideways through the female Arrancar's body. As Apacci fell dead to the ground, Quilge shakily rose to his feet, but his eyes were alert.

"Apacci…!" Franceska and Sung-sun shouted in horror.

"Well that was enlightening." Quilge said while cracking his neck and wiping the blood from his mouth as the ink-like patterns of Blut Vene disappeared with his injuries. "I must admit that I never imagined mere Arrancar to be this strong. It seems that I must really go all out on you people."

In an eye-blink Urahara had drawn his sword and was charging forward, instinct warning him that letting the Quincy finish what he was planning would be disastrous. Too late; Quilge dismissed his sabre and raising his hand, removed his sanrei glove.

The resulting flare of reishi lit the desert for miles around, the glowing pillar stabbing high into the sky before terminating into an ominous Quincy Cross. "Get back all of you!" Urahara shouted as the pillar flared out and exposed the Hunt Captain's altered and seemingly-angelic form. "This is the ultimate Quincy technique, Letzt Stil! It rivals a Shinigami's bankai, so don't…!"

"Letzt Stil…?" Quilge echoed with a tone of offense. "No Kisuke Urahara, Letzt Stil is an outdated and obsolete form. This is the result of centuries of research, innovation, and improvement – Quincy: Vollstandig. The difference between this technique and Letzt Stil is as great as the distance between heaven and earth."

Quilge paused and chuckled. "Do not lament your ignorance, Kisuke Urahara." He continued. "It is only natural considering that your only contact with the Quincy was probably Souken Ishida and his descendants, the men who denied the Quincy's evolution."

Quilge paused, and then split Ayon in half as the giant attempted to attack him from behind with a roar. "I won't let you get up this time." He said scornfully as he raised his sabre, reishi flaring brightly as it gathered at the point and with a massive explosion blew Ayon and Apacci to dust.

"NO!" Franceska and Sung-sun screamed before wildly charging to attack.

"Wait…!" Urahara shouted to no avail, as both women were quickly cut down by Quilge. And then his eyes went wide as Quilge's blade sank through his chest and into his heart.

"You are too dangerous to let live." Quilge said. "You are after all a former captain." As he pulled his sword out, he blurred with hirenkyaku and cut Chad's right arm off as the adolescent moved to attack. "Stay down if you please. I'd rather not hurt you too much lest I displease His Majesty by taking too much liberty with the Daten's general orders."

"Sado-kun…!" Orihime shouted as she ran towards her friend. "Souten Kisshun!"

Quilge turned away from the fallen boy as the girl arrived and began to patch him up: they were of no further threat to him, and it seemed that amazingly enough the two Arrancar females were still alive.

Impressive…they may be of use to His Majesty after all.

A sudden surge of reiatsu drew his attention, and the Quincy glanced to the side sharply as a blazing beam of red blindsided him. "Really now…" a certain Arrancar complained while cracking his neck as he walked over a dune in the distance. "…can't a guy get some sleep around here?"


A/N

Match-ups for this chapter: Cang Du vs Rukia Kuchiki…winner: Cang Du

Bazz-B vs Toushiro Hitsugaya…winner: pending

Ichigo Kurosaki vs Byakuya Kuchiki and Renji Abarai…winner: pending

Bambietta Basterbine vs Sajin Komamura…winner: pending

Apacci is dead, and so is Ayon (since without Apacci neither Franceska nor Sung-sun can summon it again). Do you really think Urahara will die?

Take a wild guess as to which Arrancar it is…