What's up, ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry. Sorry this took so long, sorry there was no word on the whole hiatus. Things have just really caught up with me. Not only that but I was wanting to wait for a bit of research so that I can name some of these guys, however we barely got anything on that front. Regardless, I'm here now so hopefully, fingers crossed, should be able to do more on this fic for you guys.
As always, please leave me some feedback, I appreciate every review I get. Enjoy. - Tommo2304
Chapter Ten
Die Dämmerung Kommt
Ichigo exploded from the sky, shards of blue and white splintering about him and spiralling across the horizon. With Ishida's capture in his mind, he grabbed the end of his hilt and pulled it behind him. Almost instantly, five Quincy appeared in the air in front of them, retracting the strings on their bows. Inoue was still hanging from his arm as he slung his blade forwards, slashing through the first soldier. Two more appeared before them and Ichigo cursed, his orange hair falling over his eyes and obscuring his vision.
"You're ours!" The first one shrieked, unleashing a torrent of arrows towards them only for Inoue to whip up a shield of warm light, the arrows exploding on contact in a plume of icy blue smoke. The Quincy spluttered, a green glow barrelling through the smog. Chad punched through, landing a devastating blow in the first one's stomach. His bow shattered and Chad followed through, reaching out with his bone white arm, blue orbs of light gathering on the end of each finger.
"La Muerte," the man whispered and he slammed his fist into the Quincy, a shockwave effect rippling across the sky. Two more appeared in the sky above, only for two shadowy figures to cut them down from behind. Ichigo looked up sharply, the two uniformed soldiers falling fast beside him.
"Who?" He spluttered, Ikkaku and Yumichika coming into view, the sun glaring brightly behind them leaving them as little more than silhouettes on the surface. They were bloodied and bruised, beaten to pulps but they were standing, panting heavily. Ikkaku raised his snapped Hozukimaru into the air.
"Ichigo! It's about damn time!" The bald man screeched. Disappearing, the two eleventh division members stepped down beside Ichigo. "The situation has gone to hell. We tried to evacuate as many Rukongai members as possible, but both Shinigami and civilians have turned on us!"
"What?" Chad gasped.
"It's true," Yumichika brushed a strand of hair aside, "the fires raged through Rukongai. We don't quite know what's caused the people to act like they are but they all possess a strange star symbol on their foreheads. Can these enemies really be...?" Yumichika grimaced. Ichigo however, simply nodded with a stern expression.
"Yeah, they're Quincy. There's no time to dwell on that now though. We have to save as many people as possible!" Ichigo barked, Ikkaku and Yumichika nodding in agreement. The two of them vanished with a flash, Chad turning to Ichigo. "Can you go and help out people on the ground?" Ichigo asked, Chad giving him a thumbs up.
"What about you?"
"I need to get Inoue to the front lines as fast as possible," the orange haired boy replied.
"Kurosaki-kun...," Orihime whispered.
"I know you can do this, Inoue," Ichigo grinned. The girl felt herself reddening and she flushed with embarrassment. Chad nodded firmly and took off, rings of green light flourishing from his shoes as he zipped towards the turmoil on the battlefield. Ichigo sped downwards, soaring through the smoke and fire that licked the sky. His eyes watered as he rippled through the air, his hair blowing backwards, caught in a draught.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried out to him over the howling gales. "Down there!" She pointed to the ground where Hisagi, Izuru and Matsumoto stood. Hisagi was badly wounded, blood pouring from a tear in his side and Izuru was attempting to heal him while Matsumoto formed a shield with the fury of Haineko. Nodding, Ichigo bolted towards the ground, his sword gathering a great wave of blue energy as he went.
"Getsuga...," he whipped his weapon above his head as they loomed over the advancing Quincy, "...Tenshou!"
Toshiro lay on the floor, motionless. His Daiguren Hyourinmaru faltered, some chunks of it melting away as his eyes slowly began to flicker open. Through his blurred vision, he could just about make out the shape of someone standing over him. It was the blonde haired Quincy, the man eyeing him through thin, cold eyes.
"Your Bankai is still active...how unfortunate for you," with that, the Quincy drew a strange disc from within the folds of his cloak and held it above Toshiro. A strange black reiatsu clawed at the boy, pulling his Bankai from him, stripping him of it. Toshiro cried out with his last efforts, blood running down either side of his agape mouth. The blonde Quincy placed the medallion back in his cloak, content with leaving the little captain to suffer on the ground.
"Your Saketsu and your Hakusui have both been shattered by the blast of a single arrow. You will, in time, lose the entirety of your Shinigami powers. This way, at least your Bankai can live on in the hands of superior wielders," the blonde haired man whispered coolly, turning on the spot and waltzing away through the numbing explosions. Toshiro attempted to lift his arm but it felt like lead and his head lolled back.
"Matsumoto...everyone...what have I done?"
Across the battlefield, Komamura swatted away a number of Quincy with the colossal arm of his shikai. The captain was breathing slowly, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Warm blood caked his forehead and he cursed under his breath. His yellow eyes scoured the terrible state that was the ravaged Rukongai.
"At least we managed to get a lot of the people into Seireitei...the Quincy won't be able to break in there," Komamura thought to himself, twisting round as a new wave of enemies ran at him. "The battle is nearly done...these last few moments will decide it!"
Rukia sobbed as she sat hunched over Byakuya, the man's breathing erratic. Streams of red rain down his face as he had taken a wave of arrows. Renji continued to fight with everything he had, protecting the two from their enemies.
"Nii-sama...," Rukia whispered, moving some of Byakuya's blood soaked hair from his eyes. Suddenly, Renji was thrown backwards, his arm torn from his body. Rukia's face drained of colour as she watched him topple into a wall, the brickwork collapsing on him. "Ren-," she choked. Then, she realised there was someone standing in front of them. It was a ghoulish looking figure, a Quincy who stood hunched over. His white cloak ran to the ground, obscuring his body completely. His hair was long, as black as night and fell to his breast. Lifting his head slowly, Rukia's voice trembled at the sight of his face. He bore a black, leather mask that wrapped itself around the lower half of his face, five large, evil looking spikes adorning it, running down to his chin.
The Quincy's eyes were black and empty, void of life and love. Rukia ran her hand down her brother's arm before readying herself. She clutched loosely at her zanpakuto and it shook violently. However, Byakuya placed a hand on her own and she froze.
"Don't," she heard the man breathe. The captain climbed slowly to his feet, swaying on the spot as blood trickled down him. His kenseikan fell apart in shards from upon his head allowing his hair to unfurl upon his eyes. He reached for his blade, the weapon rattling in its hilt as he shook. "This...cowardly fiend...has attacked a member of my squad. As their captain...," Byakuya lifted his head as though it weighed heavier than anything in the world, the strain evident in his voice, "...I would only be failing them if I stood by."
"Nii-sama...," Rukia cried to his back as he took defiant steps towards the Quincy. Byakuya raised his blade, the agonising pain now at the back of his mind. All other fighting seemed to stop. Now, Captain Kuchiki stood alone in the midst of emptiness, his cold gaze fixed upon his foe.
"Rukia...," Byakuya said, his back to her now. "Make sure Renji is...alright," the man asked. Without a second thought, Rukia scampered over to the bleeding lieutenant, applying her healing skills to his severe wounds. "Whatever you do...," Byakuya continued, "...whatever he says. Please, do not let him join this battle," as he said this, the captain closed his eyes. Rukia dared not look up, her shoulders shaking as tears flooded down her face.
Now, Byakuya faced the enemy.
"You...who trample over the Soul Society...," Byakuya sighed heavily, "what do you want?" The Quincy did not answer. Instead, he pulled open his cloak and revealed a thin arm, his sleeve buttoned all the way up to the wrist. His hands were deathly pale and skeletal with spidery fingers and black nails. "Is it revenge?" Byakuya asked again as the figure reached into his cloak. Scowling, Byakuya took a defensive step backwards, shuffling his foot along the ground. He was badly wounded and his leg was trembling, the warmth of blood sickly sliding down his calf.
Without warning, the Quincy swiped outwards, a thorn of blue light blasting towards Byakuya. Cursing under his breath, the captain lunged towards it and cut it from the sky, the arrow shattering like glass. Byakuya darted forwards, his body creaking and numb. Swinging downwards, his sword connected, the Quincy merely lifting his arm to defend against the attack.
"He...blocked it?" Byakuya's eyes widened.
"Nii-sama!" Rukia cried. Byakuya stared into the pits that were the Quincy's soulless eyes. The two of them stood locked in a stance for a moment until Byakuya broke off, leaping backwards and landing heavily on his back foot. He winced, his knee buckling. As soon as he looked up, there was another thorn screaming towards him. Swinging upwards in an arc, he split the thorn in half and it broke into a million tiny shards. Byakuya's black hair plastered itself over his face and he coughed, the pain wracking his body.
"How did he block my attack with his arm?" Byakuya thought to himself, narrowing his eyes at the foe. "I'll attempt something new," he wondered, vanishing on the spot. The Quincy remained rooted to the ground, not even bothering to turn around. Byakuya appeared above him, his sword pointed straight down to the ground. The Quincy lifted his hand to catch it but Byakuya disappeared. The Quincy's bulbous eyes widened and he twisted on the spot as the captain hung suspended in the air behind him, his tattered, trailing haori flying upwards like wings.
"Hado 33, Sokatsui," Byakuya grimaced, aiming his hand point blank at the Quincy's face. A blue orb of light exploded, showering the combatants in sparks and smoke. Byakuya stepped down and fell to one knee, wiping his mouth with the back of his gloved hand. "Did I strike him?" Rukia lifted her head, her eyes following her brother as he climbed to his feet again. The smoke began to part. There, standing unharmed, the Quincy was absorbing the kido from the sky, the blue light circling him and surrounding him.
"Impossible...," Rukia said softly. Byakuya grit his teeth. The Quincy looked around at the mess and the rubble as the wind blew his long hair about his face.
"That seems...," he spoke suddenly in a deep, monotone voice that was somewhat muffled from behind the mask, "...to be all you have." With that, the Quincy began to advance on him again. He threw another arrow Byakuya's way, the captain cutting it down before him. Two more arrows were fired towards the man and Byakuya grunted, striking forwards and slashing them down with a skilled parry, his sword glinting in the sunlight behind him.
"Why are you cutting them all down? Isn't it a waste of energy?" The Quincy asked, Byakuya's shoulders rising and falling rigorously. "They are only measly arrows. What do you possibly have to fear?" The Quincy stood as Byakuya charged at him, swinging outwards and connecting with the Quincy's forearm with more pressure than before. The Quincy's fastened sleeve tore open to reveal pale white skin, that was more bone than flesh. However, upon the skin, strange, red markings appeared. The veins fattened and bulged, rising to the surface where Byakuya's sword was apparently making contact.
"What...is this?" Byakuya choked, blood dribbling down his chin. "Are you...human?" The Quincy batted him aside however, the captain crashing to the floor, twitching. Rukia screamed and got up, dashing over to him across the battlefield. The Quincy watched her go silently, drawing from the air another thorn of light. Rukia fell to her knees beside the man and grappled at his hakama, tucking her hands into the folds.
"Nii-sama!" She shrieked. Then, she noticed the thorn coming straight for her. Her eye widened in horror when she was thrown aside, Byakuya getting to one knee as the thorn ran him through. Rukia lay, her mouth hanging open in silence. Across from them, Renji's eyes began to flicker open and he groaned, most of the colour drained from his gaunt face. Rukia was crying out now but most sounds were a distant ringing to Renji. His eyes watered and blurred and then, before he knew anything else, he was being lifted up. Rukia watched as a gigantic bear of a man stomped over and picked Renji up by his head, his entire hand cupping the man's face. The Quincy bore a strange mask like those seen on television in the living world and he had an extravagant belt on.
He was a rather disgusting sight, with a tatty blonde moustache poking out from beneath the mask and a protruding stomach that hung a little over the belt. His arms were the size of tree trunks and now Renji was in his grip.
"Oi, Äs Nödt! You didn't tell me you had found some real enemies!" The man boomed, his fat lips curling upwards menacingly as he eyed Renji like an insect, or a fish dangling from the end of some bait. The Quincy apparently known as Äs Nödt proceeded to ignore the man and approached Byakuya. He watched him through dark eyes. Byakuya got to his feet, hauling the thorn from his chest with his bare hand and crushing it in his palm.
"Captains truly are resilient," Nödt murmured to himself. "Persistent, just like fleas." Byakuya charged at Nödt again, clashing with him, the Quincy merely having to block with his arm. Byakuya could feel himself becoming dizzy and weary, his limbs freezing up. He stopped and swayed, attempting to regain his balance. He did not have time however as Nödt hit him around the head, the captain crashing to the ground. Rukia cupped her hand to her mouth and screamed, tears streaming from her mouth. Nödt looked devilishly over the fallen man.
"Nii-sama...please...," Rukia whispered. The Quincy, hunched over Byakuya, merely flung a thorn towards the girl. It embedded itself in her shoulder and she spluttered, her eyes widening at the pain. Staggering backwards, Rukia drew her weapon, Sode no Shirayuki glittering like snow in the sunlight. Her head heavy, she tried to stumble forwards, her weapon loose in her fingers. Howling, she rushed at Nödt, the Quincy hastily impaling her with another arrow. Rukia flew backwards and hit the ground, lying there still for a moment as she felt small puddles of blood forming beneath her back.
"Bah!" Everyone heard as the large Quincy tossed Renji's limp body into a nearby wall, dust and debris rolling down it like a landslide. "You already beat him to death, Äs Nödt! What the hell am I supposed to do now?"
"You could return to base. I suspect Haschwald will be calling us back any moment now," Nödt explained. The fat Quincy grumbled to himself and caught sight of Renji's hand flex in his beady little eyes. A wide grin spread across his face as he stomped over to the lieutenant's body, the ground shaking beneath him with every movement.
"No! Wait!" Rukia screamed, torn between the two victims lying on the ground now. Blood caked the floor everywhere and she collapsed, her own injuries getting to her. Suddenly, she felt a strange sensation. The injuries began to freeze up and she felt herself shaking. Images flashed into her head as the fat Quincy crashed towards Renji through the rubble. With every step, she saw horrors unimaginable. Renji, lying in a sea of blood on the floor, his body broken and cracked beyond repair.
"Hoo boy, I'm looking forward to this!" The fat Quincy reached down and grabbed Renji's leg, lifting him into the sky. Rukia's heart pounded in her chest, a vision of Äs Nödt's empty eyes and pale skin streaking across her vision. She screamed until her throat went hoarse, a final, desperate picture of Byakuya's corpse on the ground. Maggot infested and ancient, left to die in a hole somewhere. Rukia clutched her head and found it difficult to breathe.
"W-w-what...what's going on?" She thought to herself. Nödt watched her from behind, a sinister gleam of satisfaction in his heartless eyes. She did not even notice the Quincy slam Renji into the ground.
"You are truly resilient, Lieutenant, just like your brother," she heard Äs Nödt's voice drip over her shoulder like a cold, icy snake wrapping itself around her fragile neck. "However...you can feel your mind...slipping away, can't you?" Rukia cradled herself, the battlefield now an intense, crushing black pit. Ichigo and Orihime, everyone, they stood before her, smiling and laughing with a warming glow on their cheeks. Then, they were no more. Empty spaces, cobwebs and dust and graves. Blood ran thick through the floorboards. Rukia screamed, an insurmountable pain encroaching her every fibre.
"Time to die, Lieutenant!" The fat Quincy roared, aiming a colossal fist at Renji's chest when, out of nowhere, a surge of pink shards wrapped themselves around the Quincy's arm. Taken aback, the fat man staggered only for blood to erupt from his forearm. "WHAAAA-?" He bellowed, clutching at his arm. Nödt span around, too late however as Byakuya had gone, taking Rukia with him over to Renji's body. Nödt directed his attention to his flailing comrade.
"You fool. You should have had your Blut Vene up at all times," the Quincy reprimanded. Deciding to ignore his colleague's cries, Nödt turned to Byakuya, the man's face contorted with agony. He was clutching at his wound with one hand, the other holding an empty hilt. "Bankai?" Nödt muttered, his eyes following the swirling swarm of blades that encircled Byakuya and the others. "I see," with that, he removed from his cloak a metal disc, the Vandenreich symbol emblazoned upon it. Byakuya sent the wave of shards soaring towards his opponent, only for a black reiatsu to surge out of the disc and capture the petals, strangling them and tearing them away from Byakuya.
"M-my Bankai!" Byakuya grunted, blood spewing from his mouth. He watched as the black reiatsu swallowed the Bankai whole, the last remnant disappearing into the medallion. The two Quincy faced them, the fat one grinning maniacally.
"Can I kill him, can I, Äs Nödt?" He asked, gibbering like an idiot. Nödt took no notice of him, instead stepping up to Byakuya. The black haired captain raised his arms, pushing Rukia behind him. His eyes did not falter, instead, he stared into Nödt's sockets.
"No...," Äs Nödt replied coldly after a moment of thought. "This one is mine," he hissed, drawing the medallion again. Byakuya readied himself, forcing Rukia and Renji behind him. Suddenly, someone came crashing down behind the two Quincy in a flurry of dirt and dust. Looking over their shoulders, Äs Nödt and the fat Quincy squinted to see through the smoke, Byakuya staring through the mess. The air parting, Ichigo Kurosaki stood to his full height, his orange hair blowing around his shimmering eyes.
"You guys want to kill someone? Try me on for size," Ichigo growled darkly.
"Wha-," the fat Quincy gulped.
"It's the special war potential, Kurosaki Ichigo," Äs Nödt sighed heavily, reaching through his flowing black hair and placing his fingers against his ear. "Haschwald, he's here. We're pulling out."
Ichigo took a defiant step towards the duo however, raising his sword angrily. Orihime was behind him, a look of terror on her face as she stared at the sight of the three Shinigami, covered in blood from head to toe.
"I'm not letting you leave!" Ichigo roared but it was too late. He swung his broad sword around but a jet black shadow appeared in the sky before them, covering the fat Quincy and then Äs Nödt, the Quincy staring at Ichigo through his ghostly eyes as the darkness consumed him.
"I'll make you understand fear, Kurosaki Ichigo," Nödt whispered before his voice trailed off onto the wind as he disappeared altogether. Ichigo found himself gripping his sword even after the shadow had vanished. Orihime's cry shook him out of his stupour and he span around, rushing over to Byakuya. The man had collapsed, his eyes shut, his sword rolling from his hand.
"Shit! If only we'd gotten here sooner!" Ichigo cried, exasperated, Byakuya, Rukia and Renji lying unconscious on the floor.
"Don't do that to yourself, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime said, attempting to sound calm as she summoned her shields and wrapped the three wounded soldiers in them, the warming glow caressing them soothingly. "I-...," Orihime bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. "I can still save them!" Ichigo simply watched in silence from behind, his eyes shallow and cold. The battlefield was Rukongai, or at least what was left of it. The Quincy had, for the most part, retreated completely. Smoke drifted lazily from the razed buildings.
It was almost surreal. The entire of Rukongai and all its many districts had been reduced to ash. The ground was no longer littered with buildings of all shapes and sizes but now was a flat, barren wasteland, blackened and scorched from war. The silence of death was eerie and lingering. Ichigo stood, seemingly on his own, the wind licking at his hair and robes. Meanwhile, the Seireitei was rammed with people, some shouting and searching for their children, others taking up refuge in any space they could find. Shinigami were barking orders left and right, rushing about and scurrying all over the place. Captains Rose and Kensei began to file people into groups, attempting to form some sort of district system with what residents remained, while Kenpachi Zaraki cleared the remainder of the field. They had all felt it. Two great reiatsu just disappear.
Komamura Sajin scoured the ravaged war zone in his tattered state. Lifting his snout to the sky, he squinted into the sun's glare. A group of Shinigami walked beside him, the captain sniffing the sky.
"He went down over there, I saw it out of the corner of my eye," Komamura explained, taking them across the wastes, pieces of wood and bits of houses lying scattered in their path. Finally, they came across a tiny flower poking out of the woodwork of a torn down house. It was frozen, minuscule little icicles hanging from the drooping petals. Looking up, Komamura pointed to a space that was totally iced over, Toshiro lying still in the centre. "Over there, move!" Sajin ordered, members of the 4th Division rushing over with a stretcher.
"Captain Komamura, what about your injuries?" Piped up Hanataro, the timid member stood in the shadow of the towering Shinigami, his knees knocking as he laughed nervously. Komamura seemed not to hear him however and eventually the little Shinigami returned to his business. Studying the air, Sajin turned his nose up at it, thick, black smoke still clinging to the clouds.
"Quincy...how is this possible?" The captain thought to himself before turning and swiftly making his way back towards the great walls of Seireitei.
"We have to tell them!" Ukitake cried, his hands on the table's edge. "They have a right to know, to know about the past, the present, the lies...," Jushiro doubled over, coughing violently into a balled up fist. Inside the room, only he, Kyoraku Shunsui, Retsu Unohana and Genryuusai Yamamoto sat in vague silence. The sun was setting, casting an amber softness across the pine walls and tinting the wood in an auburn glaze. Their faces were painted bronze by the glow.
"I have to admit, it's a distressing situation," Unohana sighed heavily, gazing out of the balcony that overlooked the Seireitei. Shunsui tipped his hat, the man leaning on the wooden beams. Yamamoto continued to sit at his desk, attempting to avoid conversation as he rustled through some paperwork.
"Seireitei is fine for now," Ukitake went on, "but we cannot keep the citizens here forever. The Vandenreich did not strike to attack them but to incapacitate us. They don't care what happens to regular spirits." The white haired man seemed to be directly speaking with Yamamoto now, the elderly captain's tired eyes closing. "The younger captains will be shocked, they will be scared. People died today, Genryuusai-dono. What about Sasakibe? What would he want from you?"
The silence continued.
"Yama-jii...," Shunsui croaked, removing his hat and running a hand through his knotted brown curls. "They will be back. We can't hold them out forever," Kyoraku reminded the old man.
"Very astute, Captain Kyoraku," a voice echoed from the darkness at the end of the room and they all looked up, springing into action. From the shadows, a white shoe emerged, followed by a hooded cloak and military suit. The figure lifted his head and removed his hood, letting his blonde hair fall down his back, obscuring the Vandenreich's star symbol. He opened his crystal blue eyes before staring at the Shinigami.
"Haschwald...," Yamamoto growled. The blonde Quincy raised an eyebrow.
"So you do remember me. Then, you must remember your sins in great detail, oh captains of old," Haschwald took another step forwards, his hands linked behind his back. "Then, you must also know who I come on behalf of." At this, Yamamoto's hands stiffened and he curled his fingers up into a ball.
"Juha Bach!" The old man snarled, his brow furrowing.
"You see, we managed to complete the objectives of today's invasion as well as a couple of bonuses. Uryu Ishida has defected to our side," Haschwald said calmly, Ukitake's eyes widening. "Not only this, but we managed to take enough souls to begin to awaken the Sternritter from their slumber. You may notice some of their handiwork already beginning to emerge. They are weaker than usual at the moment and only a select few have been freed. But soon...," Haschwald closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.
"You're insane," Ukitake breathed, his eyes wide.
"Is that so? But, I'm acting only out of a sense of duty to my people, to my family and friends. The ones who brought this down upon yourselves are you captains. Fear not," Haschwald drew from his cloak his Quincy cross and dangled it in front of them, swinging it back and forth like a pendulum, "the Dawn is coming. Die dämmerung kommt." With that, the shadow came and clawed its way through the balcony and snatched Haschwald in its hands. The captains did not move, instead, they simply sat and watched him disappear, his icy blue eyes slipping away into the darkness.