Concurrency

"Do you think that is all of them?" Ganju Shiba asked, wringing his tired arms out.

"…Yeah, I think that is all of them."

Sado Yasutora stood over the broken rubble of the Wahrwelt statue, thinking about what he had just sensed happened. It felt like Ichigo was in serious trouble, Sado though, so I had to destroy these things as fast as I possibly could. But then someone else showed up. It was strangely familiar, but I can't put my finger on it.

"That reiatsu we sensed fighting Yhwach earlier," Ganju said, "It was really freakishly strong. I didn't think there were any guys like that on our side, except for Ichigo. But the other one that showed up with it…It was Uncle's reiatsu."

"…That has been something I've been meaning to ask you," Sado said, turning to Ganju. "Urahara explained everything about Ichigo to me and Inoue after Ichigo went to the Soul King Palace, so we wouldn't be unaware of what was going on. He said that Ichigo's father was a Shiba. So…Doesn't that mean you are cousins," Sado asked.

"Yeah," Ganju admitted. "It was a shock to me too, when Sis told me about it." He scratched the back of his head. "Geez, to think I wound up helping family after all, back then. Strange how things work out, isn't it?"

Sado smiled. "Yes, it sometimes can be." Sado looked towards the top of the Wahrwelt. "Ichigo's reiatsu, along with the others, left the Wahrwelt awhile ago after Yhwach." He started moving forwards along the path. But Inoue's reiatsu is still here. Why would Ichigo leave her behind? Did something happen?


"You mean you did WHAT?!"

Yoruichi, having regained Human awareness and her regular appearance, had piledrived Urahara into the wall of a nearby building, having finally reached her limit with Urahara's antics.

"Technically, I did not do it myself," Urahara explained in his usual, guilty manner. "I mean, I did, but…"

"DON'T GIVE ME ANY BUTS!" Grimmjow and Neliel could only wince as Yoruichi screamed at Urahara. "It is bad enough that you turned me into that disgusting form without my permission, but now you are telling me that YOUR FUTURE SELF sent future versions of one of Ichigo's Human friends and Ishida back into the past! Do you have any idea what could happen now? What would even possess you to consider creating something to allow people to travel back in time, anyway? Does your unfetteredness know NO BOUNDS!?"

Urahara looked at Yoruichi wide-eyed, his mouth a silent straight line. "Apparently, no."

Yoruichi growled in exasperation, and let go of Urahara's collar, letting his feet drop back to the ground. "Honestly, of all the things you have done, sending someone to alter the past is the craziest thing you have ever done!"

Urahara looked at Yoruichi's back, waiting for her to finish her response. "Still," Yoruichi admitted, "you never do anything significant without reason." Yoruichi stressed "significant", as there were a lot of things that Urahara had done in the past that were often childish, and for his own amusement. "For your 'best solution' to an outcome to be to change the past in its entirety…" She sighed. "…I imagine everyone dying would be the only thing you could come up with."

Urahara looked at Yoruichi solemnly. "It was also to fix my own mistake, I imagine," Urahara admitted. "I put so much trust in both Kurosaki and Kuchiki to finish things, but I never stopped to consider that they may behave contrary to what I expected of them. For all the fighting, they have done…both of them are still children, still very much in the dark about things."

Off to the side, Neliel looked at Urahara sympathetically, while Grimmjow stood there in annoyance. "So basically, all this happened because you screwed things up," Grimmjow said untactfully. "Not that I care, anyway." Grimmjow glared up towards the top of Wahrwelt. "We didn't come here just to help you Shinigami; they imprisoned Harribel, and we're gonna break her out."

"Yes," Neliel agreed, and looked up thoughtfully. "Just what did Yhwach want with Harribel? And…how can they even turn Arrancar into Quincy?"

"I don't care about that," Grimmjow said roughly, as he started walking towards the Wahrwelt. "All I know is that bastard brought war to our home, and captured one of our own. And we're taking her back."


Down at ground level, the city surrounding the main Wahrwelt palace lay in ruins from the battle that took place. The force of Gerard's blows was enough to fracture the very foundations of the surrounding areas, forcing Toshiro to freeze all the frozen pieces to prevent any from falling down to cause damage to the Soul Society and Seireitei, while Rangiku was using Haineko to pulverize whatever pieces did fall to a manageable amount.

Now, Toshiro and Byakuya stood on opposite sides of the colossus of light the Stern Ritter had become, both on the brink of exhaustion and running out of options. But even if I do use Tenso Jurin, Toshiro thought to himself, and Byakuya uses Hakuteiken, will that even be enough? We shattered this bastard into pieces, yet he recreated himself completely from just his legs.

This power…It hasn't been 'regenerating' his injuries, like a Hollow would; it is like he recreates his body more powerful every time any lasting damage is done.

Byakuya, on the other hand, was not so fearful for their chances. Still, I do not believe this power is limitless, Byakuya pondered. 'Miracles' are only called as such because of how rare it is for them to happen. And not all of his 'miracles' have been equal. After his left arm was cut off by Zaraki's…Bankai…

For a moment, Byakuya closed his eyes in disbelief. He had considered it bad enough two years ago when Ichigo, a Human, had attained the power of a Bankai in so short a time, though at least Ichigo had the privilege of using Urahara's techniques to do so. But for Zaraki, even for as powerful as he was, to attain both Shikai and Bankai in the span of two days…

Byakuya looked back up at Gerard, and returned to the task at hand. …His arm was regenerated differently. Instead of further improving that arm, as it did the first time, it just regenerated the arm as it was before. And then his left limb…it wasn't regenerated at all. And this form, Byakuya recalled the transformation that As Nodt took before his little sister destroyed him with her Bankai, reminds me of that. If this is just a second transformation of his Vollstandig to the height of his power, then it is possible that he may not grow any stronger. Whether we can do damage enough to kill him, on the other hand…

"YOU SHINIGAMI HAVE GONE SILENT," Gerard spoke in a bellowing voice, and he started to rise to his feet for the first time he entered this second form. Toshiro and Byakuya's eyes widened, and they jumped several steps back as Gerard's form rose before their sight. "IT IS UNDERSTANDABLE, WHEN CONFRONTED BY THE SPLENDOR OF ONE WHO BEARS THE POWER OF GOD."

"You say that," Byakuya spoke, "but I believe that we have already pushed you to your utmost limits…While we have yet to use the strongest of our abilities." I just hope they are strong enough to offset this difference in power. "He who has shown all they are capable of before their opponent is the one to lose the battle."

Byakuya began to prepare Hakuteiken. "Gerard Valkyrie, you, Yhwach and the Vandenreich have brought ruin to the Seireitei, killed Captain-Commander Yamamoto, trespassed in the Soul King Palace, and killed the Soul King himself. You are trying to destroy everything for the sake of empty vengeance." In a flash of light, the wings and blade of Hakuteiken were held in Byakuya's hands. His thoughts went towards Rukia, his sister, his pride. "I will not let you destroy the Shinigami. But above all, I won't let you destroy my pride."

Byakuya glared up at Gerard, who stared down at the Shinigami Captain.

Gerard suddenly spoke. "THE SOUL KING? DO NOT SPEAK AS IF THAT UNDEAD CORPSE WAS I. THE SOUL KING WAS MADE FROM THE BODY OF A QUINCY. I MERELY AVENGED MY DESECRATION."

Byakuya and Toshiro's eyes snapped open in shock as Gerard went on the offensive, manifesting two swords in his hands…


Off in the distance, within a cluster of still-standing buildings, Ikkaku and Yumichika reacted similarly, while Yumichika tended to Zaraki. "Oy oy," Ikkaku exclaimed, "that bastard did the same thing as the Soul King's Left Arm! And what's this about calling the Soul King 'an undead corpse' made from 'the body of a Quincy'?"

"Tch, do you think I care about any of that," Zaraki said in annoyance, as Yumichika did his best to try to tend to Zaraki's wounds. Even if he couldn't reattach his severed arm, he could at least preserve both the stump and limb so they could be re-attached later. "It's all a bunch of nonsense, to me!"

Yumichika, on the other hand, was deep in thought. But it is not nonsense. No one has ever seen the Soul King except Squad Zero, yet, in the span of a day, I have seen both the Right and Left Arms of the Soul King. Yet the Left Arm identified itself as a Quincy! The same way this Stern Ritter is identifying itself AS the Soul King, and as a Quincy! If it was just the Left Arm, I would have assumed that the Quincy leader did something to it to make it subservient. But if there are more than two pieces of the Soul King who side with the Quincy…!

"Ayasegawa-san," a familiar voice spoke from behind them, "allow me to take care of Captain Zaraki."

The heads of the Squad 11 members turned towards the source of the voice. Yumichika recognized immediately who it was, but there was something…different about him. "Ishida-san? What are you doing here?" It took Yumichika a moment to notice the Stern Ritter that was stalking behind him. It took him a moment to recall the scene they saw before Yhwach invaded the Soul King Palace. Yumichika gritted his teeth in anger. "Are you here to…?"

"No," Ishida assured them, "I am not your enemy."

"It is…a rather long story," Ishida said with a fond smile, "but let me just say that he is on our side for now…and that I am glad to see all of you again, after so long."

Ikkaku raised a curious eyebrow. "What's that? That ain't something you say to someone you just met again a couple months ago, especially after we saw you with the enemy. Anyway," he jumped up, "what are you gonna do to help the Captain? Unless you have Inoue-san with you, you aren't going to be putting back the Captain's arms, or repairing the break."

"I have a slightly different plan in mind," Ishida began to explain, but his attention was diverted by a set of reiatsu that were moving along the roof-tops, and would soon pass over them. He recognized both reiatsu – Kyoraku Shunsui and Nanao Ise. He quickly looked up, and then back at Gerard. That's right! The holy relic of the Ise Clan, Shinken Hakkyouken. Ishida gritted his teeth in a fearful realization. If any of the Aspects of the Soul King see the very thing that helped create them…!


Byakuya and Toshiro struggled to avoid the brunt of Gerard's attacks. Although they could dodge his sword strikes, it was just barely, and the wind pressure generated from each swing still buffered their bodies. Both of them realized that, if they get too exhausted and slip up, it will only take one blow from Gerard's swords to end either of them.

Byakuya paused in his movements for a moment, and prepared to strike with Hakuteiken at an incoming sword blow. "KUCHIKI!" Toshiro yelled out in alarm from a distance. As Gerard's blade bore down on him, Byakuya swung Hakuteiken. As with every aspect of his Zanpakuto, Hakuteiken's power had been increased substantially not only by the training he endured with Squad Zero, but also his contemplation on his relationship with his Zanpakuto, one born from wondering if his Bankai was so easily stolen because he did not fully understand his own relationship with it.

With the power of all one hundred million sword blades of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi focused into one blade, Hakuteiken collided with Gerard's sword. In the space of a second, Hakuteiken's blade pushed through the reishi sword, and severed it in two. Around Byakuya, the wind pressure blasted up debris and dust, and the shock from the colliding blows coursed through his arms.

But he still stood on his feet.

"HOH, IMPRESSIVE, YOUNG SHINIGAMI. TO IMAGINE YOU ARE THE THIRD TODAY ALONE TO DAMAGE ONE OF MY – NNNNGH, WHAT'S THAT LIGHT?"

Byakuya looked at Gerard in confusion. "Light?" He followed Gerard's gaze towards the limb of the Wahrwelt from which they had come. Standing on top of a building, he saw Captain-Commander Kyoraku standing there with Lieutenant Ise, who was holding a strange sword in her hand. Wait. That blade is…

"SHINKEN…HAKKYOUKEN?!" Gerard exclaimed. "THEN THAT MEANS LILLE BARRO …!"

"That's right, Quincy-San," Kyoraku explained, "this blade is what defeated your Nakama. By the way you are reacting to it, it seems that you are also susceptible to it as well. But given you even know its name," Kyoraku added solemnly, "I suppose that is a hint as to "who" you really are..."

Gerard's body suddenly went rigid. "I DO RECOGNIZE THAT CURSED BLADE."

Toshiro and Byakuya reacted to Gerard's change in speech. It was like what happened when he reacted to Byakuya's speech. "A CURSED BLADE, FORGED AS A WEAPON AGAINST THE DIVINE BEINGS THAT ONCE LIVED IN SOUL SOCIETY. A WEAPON MADE BY THE ISE MATRIARCH, WHO USED THE SOUL OF HER OWN HUSBAND TO CREATE IT, AFTER SHE BORE A DAUGHTER."

Kyoraku's eyes widened, and Ise reacted in shock at the declaration. The first Ise Clan Head…Killed her own husband to make this blade?!

"THAT IS THE SOURCE OF THE BLADE'S DIVINITY-SCATTERING POWER – THE GENERATIONAL SACRIFICE OF THE HUSBAND'S SOUL, SO WIFE AND DAUGHTER CAN CONTINUE USING ITS CURSED POWER…A POWER WHICH CREATED ME."

Ise felt her grip on the blade slacken unwillingly. Shinken Hakkyouken takes the husband's soul to maintain its power so that the women of the Ise Clan could use it. But that means…Father died because I was born! What does this Quincy even mean by it creating…?

"Ah," Shunsui said darkly, "so you really are one of the lost pieces of the Soul King, aren't you? I read up on you lot after Juushiro told me how he was host to Mimihagi. A big fellow like you, I imagine, must have been its Heart. That form of light…it is a real contrast to those black things that came down from here…and Mimihagi's form."

Gerard stabbed his remaining sword into the ground. "DO NOT THINK ME AS EASY TO DEFEAT AS BARRO, WITH THAT BLADE. I KNOW WHAT IT CAN DO. I KNOW BETTER THAN TO EVEN TOUCH IT…"

Kyoraku saw Gerard ball his massive hand into a fist, and he gritted his teeth. Even though he had managed to come this far with Nanao, he was still not fully healed from his injuries. He didn't know if he was fast enough to grab Nanao and avoid what was coming.

Gerard raised up his arm. "…SO I WILL JUST SMASH THE GROUND APART, AND SEND YOU FALLING DOWN TO THE SOUL SOCIETY!"

Toshiro reacted instinctively as he swung Daiguren Hyorinmaru. Although the barriers of the Soul King Palace kept anything of flesh and blood from passing through them, Toshiro could not be certain that those same barriers were still in place, after the Wahrwelt was made over the Soul King Palace. After all, the Vandenreich had its entirety moved from the Soul Society to the Palace.

The ice of Hyorinmaru enveloped Gerard's arm as he swung it down…Only for the ice to be smashed apart as Gerard's fist seemed to lose no speed. "Dammit!" Toshiro screamed, as Gerard's fist impacted the ground.

The right side of Gerard's body fissured and cracked while the ground remained unharmed, as if Gerard had broken his body against an indestructible object with that blow. Then, his right arm exploded and fell off from his body, as if it had been cut by an unseen force.

"WH-WHAAAT?!" Gerard screamed, grasping at the stump of his arm.

"I'm sorry, Gerard Valkyrie."

All eyes suddenly turned towards the source of the new voice, seeing a tall, lithe, black haired Quincy wearing glasses step out into the open. "But I can't allow you to do that."

"Ishida?!" Toshiro and Byakuya exclaimed in shocked.