Chapter 7, when things finally begin to get serious. Also, a little reference to Bleach's main story.
Chapter seven : The Fields of Athenry
part one
Jake Johannsen
Vasto Lordes never cease to amaze me.
Human figures, with an insane standing and nobility. They truly are Lords among the feral Hollows.
Facing one of them was never an easy task. And knowing that we could become Hollows for an unknown reason sure didn't make things easier.
This one wasn't very intimidating in shape, having a smooth silhouette, without animal traits. But still, he had to be powerful.
We were there, Holley, Hartigan and I, standing in front of the walls, and Quayle on the top of them, ready to support us. An African-American woman, as gentle as she was beautiful. Quite possibly the best chick among the high-ranked Reapers.
Anyway, the most peculiar thing about this is that the Vasto wasn't here to command the Hollows. A big Adjucha was already here, far away behind him. And, of course, a shitload of normal Hollows were here, drooling at the idea to eat our souls. To them, we're kind of a huge cooked turkey that smells awfully good, but with superpowers, and ready to fight.
_Right, said Kelly. I'll whack the big stupid thing.
_What ? No ! It's too far away, if you're infected, you're done for !
_Don't worry about me, Duncan.
She jumped past the Vasto Lorde. She seemed quite confident.
The Hollow Lord laughed.
_Quite the foolish girl, isn't she ?
_I assume you know about the "disease", said Duncan.
_Indeed. That's why I'm here.
_I wouldn't turn Hartigan into one of yours if I were you. She's violent enough like that, so if she becomes a monster...She would kill more Hollows than Reapers.
_Maybe, maybe. So, I'm against you two...
_Nope, said I, much to Holley's surprise. I'll manage all the little Hollows, so that you can fight without any disturbance.
_Are you out of your mind, Jakob ? Shouted the scientist.
_What ? You're the one with the Unleashing here. And Sheena's watching over you, you lucky bastard.
I flashstepped into the swarm before Duncan could answer. They growled in their excitation. I just drew my Soulcutter.
_So, any last thoughts ?
Hartigan, Holley and I Released our swords at the same time.
_Shred 'em to ribbons, Rabid Cat !
_Oh, you on your eternal throne, be the judge of our feats ! Primeval Lord !
_Squash them, Starlight Mirror !
Duncan Holley
Damn hot-headed viking.
He's right, I can fight the Vasto Lorde without major trouble, as the 2nd Division Lieutenant is watching over me. But the real plan is, no doubt, to take the monstrosity four to one, once all the little snots around are wiped out. Also, Johannsen was very fond of flashstepping, from afar, in the path of a Cero in order to reflect it with his weapon.
Still, I wondered if Hartigan could really defeat this big Adjucha without a scratch.
The Hollow facing me looks at my Released Soulcutter.
Primeval Lord looks like a round stone pillar. Nothing terribly sexy for a weapon, I know that.
My opponent says nothing. We look at each other for a little while, and he suddenly moves right behind me with his Sonido. I parry his attack without trouble. Two triangular-shaped bricks fly out of the stone pillar I'm wielding, and attack the Hollow swiftly. He moves several meters away from me.
_Hum. A decomposable weapon. Annoying.
The bricks get back into my Soulcutter.
_Annoying indeed.
We both charge.
One hundred meters from there
_You know, it annoys me to the max when a Reaper goes all heroic. Yago is a young Vasto, you could beat him easily if you fought him together, so why split up ?
_I don't like it when there's other lads in me fights.
Kelly Hartigan stretched her limbs while the big Adjucha was talking to her. Metal claws were attached to her hands and feet. Knuckle-shaped Soulcutters were rare, because of their short size, ill-suited to destroy Hollow masks in one hit. But in her hands, even short claws could have the penetrating power of a cannonball. Not to mention the fact that she liked beating her enemies into a red pulp, regardless of purification issues.
_Oh, a duelist ? Well, I'm afraid you won't be able to beat me easily.
_Yeah, like every Hollow I guess.
_Come on, if you don't believe me.
The evil spirit opened his long and flexible arms, and left himself wide open for Kelly's attack. The Reaper charges without any second thoughts, and delivers a kick to the head of the monster. There is a deafening sound, but the Hollow didn't budge.
_Oh, a tough one.
_Yep, says the lost soul. Being an agile type, you're at a disadvantage, ranked Reaper or not.
_I guess yer right. But I still feel like Hartiganizing ye.
The invented verb was pretty self-explanatory. The Hollow smiled. All he had to do was to injure the Irish girl. By far an easier task than killing.
Kelly howled, and resumed her assault.
Jake Johannsen
It was pretty sad to see.
Around me were the destroyed homes of hundreds of positive souls. For us Reapers, getting out of the Soul Fortress meant going into a world where we were lords. Feared, loved, but always respected. This place, the result of our ageless work, was heartwarming, fulfilling. But since the beginning of the siege, the Field of Souls was only bringing fear. Nothing too terrible for a Lieutenant, but still, it was sad. We felt alone, and even after the tide of Hollows disappears, this place would still be empty and cold.
But.
I like complaining, but only in an angry way. And wasting Hollows was so goddamn fun.
I was cutting through their masks one after another. Only a handful forced me to use special powers. Only one thing kept bothering me, as I was watching Holley's fight, waiting for an opportunity to reflect something huge.
Menos Grandes usually use Ceros as their primary means of powered attack. But the one fighting Duncan didn't launch even the tiniest Bala. That could mean many things, but the most likely was bothersome.
Figetti had told the Hollows how the Lieutenants fight.
One hundred meters from there
Kelly was not giving up, dodging effortlessly every attack, and the Hollow remained unscathed. The Reaper sighed and sat up on the gigantic shoulder of her opponent.
_Mind if we take a break ? Asked she.
_Bah, I guess I can give you that much. At least you're light.
_Yep. So, where do ye come from ? Yer voice sounds like some kind of Asian.
_Yeah, I'm Chinese. The call was issued in pretty much every part of the world. But I didn't think that much comrades would actually come.
The Hollow tried to attack the Irish by surprise, but she just flashstepped instantly on the other shoulder.
_Funny, I would have said Japanese.
_What ? Oh, no, the Japs are under the rule of some batshit insane dude. A Reaper, no less. Rumors say he performs experiments on them, and have them obey like little doggies...I don't think you will find any Jap among us.
_Experiments ? Tough shit. We do have some crazy lads here, but this sounds pretty serious.
_Anyway, we're looking completely ridiculous right now. You often chat with your opponents while sitting on them ?
_Sometimes yes, I like playing with me food. But yer right.
She jumped down to the ground, and taunted the Hollow.
_C'mere, Hollowfy me if ye can.
Unfortunately for the Reaper, her opponent was waiting for this opportunity. He wasn't here by chance.
Preparing his special power, the Hollow made a step towards Kelly.
Duncan Holley
Something wasn't right.
The stones of my soulcutter were hurting the Vasto Lorde, but for some reason, they were flying slower and slower.
_Oh, you noticed, said the Hollow Lord, looking at me.
_What have you done ?
_It wouldn't be fun if I told you.
_Too bad, then.
Primeval Lord exploded into a hundred of sharpened bricks. Slowed down or not, It wouldn't prevent me from crushing the evil spirit between them. I hated doing that, as nothing but pulp remains of the Hollows afterwards. Nothing left to study. But this time, I had to finish this quickly. He was up to something.
All the stones converged towards him. But suddenly, they slowed down quickly, to the point of stopping in mid air.
_This is my special power, said the Vasto Lorde. Solidifying the air around me.
Damn. Just the opposite of my Soulcutter's type. It couldn't be a coincidence.
He came here specifically to fight me.
In one swift movement, he caught me off guard and severely injured my left arm. I shouted out of frustration and fear.
_Sheena !
_I got you covered, Duncan ! Watch over us, Gentle Morning Sun !
I felt relieved as the warm light of the 2nd Division Lieutenant's Soulcutter healed my arm. But it was not over.
Far from it.
I had to get serious.