Chapter 12
The journey to the Eastern side of the mountain didn't take long, as all four of them were proficient enough with their versions of flash step to traverse the distance in no time flat. They flew through the air and ran through the trees so swiftly that the branches didn't even have time to rustle from their passing breezes, which meant that their approach had gone unnoticed.
A glimmer of firelight in the distance slowed them to a halt as they ducked down flush with the snow on top of a small hill. The orange glow flickered from a small torch, seated in a metal bracket next to the entrance to a dark tunnel, only covered by a heavy, distressed wooden door. It opened every once in a while as familiars came and went, all carrying small torches to see in the darkness that seemed so absolute.
"There it is." Ichigo whispered, watching as more familiars stepped through the door, ranging from old men to no older than he.
"It looks as if the tunnel is dug directly into the mountain." Byakuya said just as quietly, never once taking his eyes off the door.
"Most likely," Uryū pushed up his glasses, "I'd imagine Overlorde uses his familiars for general construction as well as for more... intimate uses." He added as a small group of three familiars approached along the pathway, all holding small torches to light their path.
Byakuya's throat rumbled with anger, but he pressed on, "We need a torch."
"No we don't. I can see in the dark." Grimmjow scoffed.
"What good will that do us if we are completely reliant on your eyes alone until we enter the castle?" Byakuya asked, shooting Grimmjow a sidelong glance.
"Do you really need more than me to take out any hostile familiars? How the fuck did you take out Yammy?" Grimmjow grimaced.
Byakuya rolled his eyes, "It wasn't solely I who took out that barbaric monstrosity."
"Wish I could've seen it." Ichigo said simply.
"You had bigger problems to deal with." Byakuya said, glaring at the orange haired teenager.
"So? Still wish I could've seen it." Ichigo shrugged.
"It scared Renji." Said Uryū.
"He tried to butt in. It is no problem of mine that he cowered in the corner like a frightened puppy after I scalded him for it." Byakuya said as he looked back to the wooden door.
"Fair enough, Pretty Boy." Grimmjow quietly snickered.
The four went back to watching the door as a single familiar exited, holding a torch firmly in her hand. She was small, cloaked in a black cape with the hood up to protect her face from the slow, but icy breeze. She closed the heavy door with a metal on wood thunk before she headed down the path well travelled through the snow.
"Come." Byakuya whispered before rising to a crouch and starting down the hill.
The other three followed close behind, making sure to follow Byakuya's path through the snow as he got in behind her and flash stepped to cover the remaining distance.
In an instant, Byakuya brought his arm up and swiped it down across the back of her neck, slamming his hand into just the right spot to knock her clean out without a sound. He reached out before her torch could even tilt in its drop, catching it in his hand as she hit the snow at his feet.
"Wow... Nice one." Grimmjow smirked as he and the other two caught up, having raised their hoods as well so none could see their faces so easily.
"A simple knockout. It is nothing worth noting." Byakuya said, flipping his hood up with his available hand before starting back towards the heavy door.
The light of their torch lit their path back to the door where Grimmjow rested his ear against the wood, listening for the sounds of anyone approaching.
"We're clear." He said as he grabbed the thick, rounded and metal door handle and heaved it open.
The small torch was only enough to light a few feet in front of them as they walked in a single file line. Byakuya tried to squint through the darkness, to see passed the small field of orange the torch allowed, but the blackness was too true, too absolute. It was like walking in a bottle of ink.
"Grimmjow, can you see anything passed the light?" Byakuya asked quietly, the tool scared walls being enough to send his words right back into his ears, giving them weight.
"One sec... Comin' up." He said from the back of the line.
The tunnel was wide enough for two standing shoulder to shoulder, but Grimmjow still turn to the side as he stepped passed Uryū and Ichigo to walk side by side with Byakuya.
His blue eyes narrowed as he looked passed the orange light, managing to pick out that the tunnel bent to the left a little ways up.
"It turns left up ahead." Grimmjow said as he placed a hand on the side of his face to blot out the torch, "Pass that back to Uryū will ya?" He grumbled.
With just a huff, Byakuya passed the small torch back, ridding the front of the line of the orange glow and leaving them to the sole guidance of Grimmjow.
Now that the light was gone, the darkness parted to the Panther King's keen eyes, revealing more than just a left hand bend up ahead. There were several more passages that turned off into different directions and a full fork at the end of the tunnel. They had choices to make.
"Damn... There's a ton of ways to go up ahead. Includin' a fork in the tunnel." Grimmjow said, his eyes fully adjusting to the dark. He could see perfectly.
"Shit... Did she happen to mention which way to go, Byakuya?" Ichigo asked, staying a few steps back and holding the torch to light his and Uryū's path.
"No. She only mentioned how we could get in. It's all she had time for." Byakuya said, clenching a fist in the dark.
"I would advice against splitting up." Uryū said from the back of the line.
"As would I. Overlorde's powers are too great to encounter alone." Byakuya said as he dragged his hand over the cold stone as they walked.
"Kinda weird hearing you say that. You're usually the first to take something on alone." Ichigo scoffed.
"I only did that once and it was to protect my clan's honor. Do not give me grief for deciding it best to go alone." Byakuya shot Ichigo a glare back over his shoulder.
"I could've helped."
"You did help and I even thanked you for it. Must you constantly nag, Ichigo Kurosaki?" Byakuya groaned, following Grimmjow's easily seen blue hair through the dark.
"Oi! Don't get all snooty again just because I'm calling you out on your bullshit!"
"Shush! Jesus, Kurosaki, we're trying to be sneaky here." Uryū scalded in a harsh whisper as he smacked Ichigo's arm.
"I agree with Uryū. Quiet down-"
Before Byakuya could continue, the hot washing fell over him again and went straight to his core, crashing headlong into his abdomen with enough force to cause him to gasp. He stumbled and leaned heavily against the stone wall to stay on his feet, grateful for its coolness to help stave off the heat that was now churning in his gut with building pleasure.
"Again?" Ichigo asked as he quickly passed the torch to Uryū and prepared to catch Byakuya, just in case.
Byakuya's breathing became airy and long, ragged from the rising pleasure in his abdomen as her soft voice began to whisper in his head. Her voice was long, airy, her whispers echoing in his skull, but he could understand them without missing a word.
Just as soon as the pleasurable heat had come, it was gone, leaving him holding his head in the palm of his hand while still leaning against the stone wall.
"It was Nyruki... Her and Overlorde are in his bedchamber towards the top of the castle." Byakuya said as he focused on breathing to bring himself back under control.
"The tallest tower kind of thing?" Ichigo asked.
Byakuya shook his head, "No. His bedchamber is separated from the rest of the castle, only accessible via a bridge that extends from the main tower. It's built on top of the mountain to provide for the biggest area of sky." He finally stood up straight on his own, but kept a hand on the wall.
"How do we get there?" Grimmjow asked, still looking down the dark tunnel to stay on his guard.
"I don't know. She doesn't know the way from here." Byakuya said as he released a long, held breath; the last of the heat that had nearly doubled him over again.
"Do the thing." Ichigo said.
"What thing?" Byakuya asked with a crinkle in his brow.
"The red ribbon thing. Where you can track a Shinigami by finding their spirit ribbon." Ichigo said as he took the torch back from Uryū.
"A reiraku track. I fear the stone of the mountain will interfere." Byakuya said.
"But you resonate with her. Use the same method without the... horniness." Grimmjow rubbed the back of his neck as he mildly cringed.
"It's not like I can help it. She's initiating the resonation when she's... when she's in her throws and it's transferring to me." Byakuya said as that all too familiar dull ache began to thump in his chest.
"That's gotta be unnerving. Experiencin' what your woman is going through with another dude." Grimmjow visibly shuttered.
That was precisely the wrong thing to say, as Byakuya snarled angrily and gripped two full fistfuls of Grimmjow's coat, throwing him up against the wall with partially bared teeth and fury in his eyes that burned with the absolute desire to kill.
"It kills me knowing she's doing this just to keep us safe and it kills me even more that I have to feel it. I feel every touch, every breath, every bite and all it's doing is adding fuel to my rage that I will inevitably use to kill that son of a bitch." Byakuya hissed through clenched teeth and with a voice so low, that it rumbled with his rage.
"Ok... Ok... Easy... Easy. I just meant that I'd be pissed too." Grimmjow said, holding his hands up in surrender to the furious Shinigami whom had him pinned against the stone.
Byakuya grunted as he released his furious hold on Grimmjow's collar and stepped back, still shaking with barely contained fury.
"It more than pisses me off. I've had a controllable lid on my temper for a century and I plan on removing that lid just for him." Byakuya said coldly. He meant every word.
"Then track her reiraku and tell me which way to go. I'll lead you straight to her, Pretty Boy." Grimmjow said.
Byakuya sucked in a long breath as he wrestled to bring his near boiling rage back under control. The more he thought about their entire situation, the harder it got, but he needed to concentrate, needed to sense her, to feel her.
He closed his eyes and thought of her, the feeling of her spiritual pressure, the weight it was capable of. He thought of the moment at the Juice club, how he felt her existence in every fiber of his being, how every thought, every touch, every word she said hung on every fabric of space and time, locked in an immortal orbit.
It was then that his abdomen began to bubble and toil with that pleasurable heat, pulsing in perfect rhythm that sent his blood racing. His breath came hotter, faster, more airy as his whole body lit with that sickening pleasure. His hand glided up his chest to rest against his throat as his heart ached, pulled at him until the softest flutter of silk grazed against his cheek.
His eyes shot open in that instant to see a crimson red ribbon fluttering around him like it was underwater, caressing his skin with nearly each pass. It was the only thing he could focus on. His body no longer writhed with pleasure, he no longer gasped airy breaths that were laced with moans. His entire consciousness was sewn into that ribbon.
"Go to the fork and take the right leg." Byakuya said with his eyes locked on the red ribbon that only he could see.
"Got it." Grimmjow grinned as he started down the tunnel.
Byakuya quickly followed, keeping his concentration locked on the ribbon. They had broken out into a run, following Grimmjow closely as he guided them through the dark. They reached the fork and headed right, just as Byakuya had said and followed its twisty path that was laid out by the red ribbon.
"Follow along here." Byakuya said as he picked up speed, determined to get to her as fast as possible.
Before long, the four were at a full sprint, darting through the darkness with reckless abandon. With Grimmjow at the front, they didn't need the torch, which Uryū had discarded before they had taken the right fork.
"Got two directions comin' up fast. Which way, Pretty Boy?" Grimmjow asked, continuing to run and lead the group.
"Left." Byakuya said simply.
The group turned left and followed it along its new dark path until the blackness began to break from small torches that were bracketed to the wall.
"Up the stairs and through the door." Byakuya said.
Now that they could all see, their speed increased even more and they bolted up the stairs taking multiples with each bound. At the top of the stairs, they ground to a halt, where Grimmjow quietly pressed his ear to the wooden door and listened.
"Clear." He said quietly before cracking open the door and peaking inside.
The room they now found themselves in was dimly lit with fire sconces, being a long corridor with white marble flooring that was blanketed with a long red runner trimmed in gold. The white marble walls were carved with more elegant vines, curling around victims and only broken by the hanging tapestries that showed various scenes of erotica.
"This dude is seriously... I'm a pervert, but damn." Grimmjow scoffed as he examined one such tapestry, being a woman enthralled by three men.
"This way. You can admire the art later." Byakuya said as he wasted no time in heading down the corridor to the left.
The other three followed, resuming their quick sprint. Byakuya followed the beckoning ribbon, leaping up another short flight of stairs that ended with another door, being a solid wooden door with heavy bolted hinges.
Grimmjow, again, pressed his ear to the door and listened.
"There's people on the other side. Sounds like... three, maybe four." He said, still listening.
"Same method the Captain used?" Uryū asked in a low whisper.
"Do not kill these people. They are most likely from the surrounding villages Overlorde attacked and destroyed. They're probably under his influence." Byakuya said, also whispering.
"If that's the case, then if we take out Overlorde, his hold on them should be released." Ichigo said.
"There's no way to prove it, but yes. That is one such possibility." Byakuya said.
"Ssh... Shut your traps." Grimmjow hissed, still with his ear pressed to the door.
"What?" Ichigo asked.
"Shut up, Ich... I'm listenin'." Grimmjow ground his teeth together.
The other three silenced themselves to award Grimmjow a chance to listen to the conversation on the other side of the door.
"Master is certainly infatuated with his new mistress. Maybe he'll keep this one around for awhile."
"She has been the one he has searched for for a hundred years. She is our queen now so we should get used to it."
"Perhaps we will be rewarded for bringing them here."
"Perhaps, but I imagine we have awhile to wait."
"I have no doubts about that."
"Do you think Master will allow us to take mistresses now for giving him our villages?"
"Now that he has his, I hope so. This life is far better than the one we were living before. We have power, respect."
"It was worth turning our villages over. I would rather live a life of guaranteed servitude than an uncertain life of power."
"Exactly. I do not regret the decision."
"None of us do."
With an angry growl rumbling in his throat, Grimmjow lifted his ear from the door.
"They aren't under anyone's powers. They willingly turned over their villages." Grimmjow said as his face contorted into a scowl.
"You're certain?" Byakuya asked, glancing at the others with his brows furrowing.
"I just fuckin' heard it, Pretty Boy." Grimmjow hissed.
"Then lets take them out." Ichigo said with a similar hiss as he reached behind his back for the hilt of Zangetsu.
"Not you two. You two stay here." Byakuya said lowly, locking gazes with the two humans behind him.
"What? Why?" Ichigo asked, dropping his hand from his Zanpakutō's bandaged wrapped tang.
"They are simple, unturned Pluses, Ichigo Kurosaki. They are not Hollows. You do not need that on your conscious while you're still human." Byakuya said firmly.
"I'm here to help, Byakuya."
"I understand that, but as they are simple Pluses, it would be an execution more akin to murder." Byakuya said.
Ichigo glanced back at Uryū, "We're here to stop Overlorde and that means his minions too. If they willingly turned over their villages, than they're no better than Hollows."
Uryū nodded his agreement.
Byakuya took in a deep breath, "You are sure?" He exhaled.
Ichigo and Uryū nodded.
"Then we cut them down simultaneously." Byakuya nodded.
Grimmjow returned the nod as he pressed his ear back to the door, hearing the familiars voices as they continued to talk, unknowingly that they were being heard. He watched Byakuya, waiting for the signal to breach the door where all four would rush and silence the laughing voices whom were all too happy to have committed such a dubious act. He nodded once that he was ready and when Byakuya gripped the handle of Senbonzakura, he knew it was time.
Firmly planting his hands against both walls to steady himself, Grimmjow arced back enough to hike his knee up to his chest. He thrust his leg forward with all his considerable strength, slamming his booted foot into the door and breaking it from its heavy hinges with an echoing twang.
The moment the door shot out from its frame, Byakuya and Grimmjow were through, immediately followed by Ichigo and Uryū.
Grimmjow was the first to reach a familiar, grabbing the familiar's head with both hands and flipped around backwards before yanking his head down hard over his shoulder. The sudden snap of the familiar's neck rang through the room as Byakuya drew his sword and slashed it across another familiar's torso in the same motion. Blood spurt from the massive wound as the familiar dropped to the floor, clearing the way for Ichigo to bear down on the third.
He brought Zangetsu down in a vertical slash, cleaving the third familiar down through the meat of his shoulder, all the way to his stomach which sprayed a massive plume of blood, peppering Ichigo with red to match his blood covered blade.
With one familiar remaining, Uryū extended his right arm out in front of him and clenched a fist, bringing up an overly large, radiant bow of blue white reishi with a spider web center. It hummed with power as he drew back his left arm, forming a glowing arrow that was poised for the ready and trained on the only remaining familiar with eyes filled with terror.
"Wait! Stop! Don't kill me!" The familiar pled, trembling, but still kept a hand on the sword at his hip.
"You have no honor." Uryū said coldly before he released the arrow.
With a whooshing howl, the arrow shot forth from the bow and slammed headlong into the final familiar's throat, piercing it entirely through before the arrow buried itself in the marble wall behind him. Blood blew from the hole left behind to mix with the already sizable pool on the floor from the other slashed two and covered the one with the snapped and protruding neck.
In the span of only a few seconds, four lay dead on the floor without a drop of blood remaining in their bodies.
Byakuya sheathed Senbonzakura as Ichigo replaced Zangetsu on his back, once again wrapped in the ever changing bandages that adorned its hilt. Uryū's bow of reformed reishi vanished from sight, withdrawing back into the five pointed charm that dangled from his wrist as Grimmjow simply crossed his arms and smirked.
"What's wrong with you three? I killed mine without even drawin' my sword." Grimmjow goaded with a smug grin.
"Their deaths are no laughing matter. There are enough problems within the Soul Society. It most certainly does not need more." Byakuya said.
"Suddenly Hueco Mundo isn't lookin' so bad." Grimmjow scoffed.
"Both are not without their problems, but at least in the Soul Society, your first thought isn't 'Are they going to try to kill me.'" Byakuya said.
"Alright... I'll give you that one, Pretty Boy." Grimmjow said, rubbing the back of his neck.
As he released a stiff sigh, Byakuya cleared his mind once more to concentrate on Nyruki's spiritual pressure, breathing in several stuttering breaths as the heat in his gut began to rear its head, but far quicker than before, it vanished and the red ribbon returned.
"This way." Byakuya said, stepping over the bodies as he made for a closed door at the far end of the corridor.
Again, Grimmjow listened, but there were no voices on the other side, so he kicked the door open and proceeded through without hesitation.
The new room was an armory of sorts, filled from wall to wall with wooden racks of cradled weapons. There were spears, halberds, swords and pikes, short blades, long blades and even several styles of morning stars. Each one was placed delicately in their stands, almost as if they were prizes that Overlorde had collected through his long two thousand years. There were paintings hung in thick wooden frames along the walls, depicting scenes of war and violence from every era he had been graced enough to live through.
"What a trophy room." Grimmjow breathed as he at least took a moment to admire the sizable collection.
"Overlorde is certainly a man of presentation." Uryū said as he ran a gentle hand over an ornate blade of Middle Eastern design.
Byakuya's eyes narrowed as he examined a rack of several blades, all of different shapes, but all had similar, different colored handles with different cross guards and wrapped with different colored cloths.
"These are Zanpakutōs." Byakuya exhaled, running a hand over the silver blade of the top sword.
"What? All of them?" Ichigo softly gasped as he slowly walked the room.
"I think so. He's collected two-thousand years worth of Zanpakutōs from Shinigami he's killed." Byakuya said as he retrieved his hand, unwilling to touch the trophies any longer.
"Low level Shinigami... How's he managed to keep the blades intact? I thought they broke once the Shinigami died?" Uryū asked with a firm furrowing in his brow.
"They do. They shatter." Byakuya said simply.
"This is intense, Pretty Boy. There's even a few Resurreccións in here. He's killed Arrancar too." Grimmjow said, slowly shaking his head.
"He consumes them... devours their energies regardless of whom they are." Byakuya said.
"That ends today. Which way, Byakuya?" Ichigo asked, squaring his shoulders as he steadied his resolve.
Byakuya drew in a breath and refocused on the red ribbon, which floated through the racks of keepsakes to the opposite door. He headed for it and opened it before Grimmjow could listen, finding that it opened up into another long corridor that was decorated with erotic art and alcoves that housed statues of the same nature. They ran down the corridor's length with Byakuya at the helm, not even stopping to pay the collected art its due.
The red ribbon lead them to the opposite end to another closed door, but this time, Grimmjow planted an ear and listened.
"It sounds like... wind almost. There's a bit of howling." Grimmjow said quietly as he listened.
"Large room?" Ichigo asked.
"Maybe, but I can't tell. I don't hear any voices." Grimmjow said, standing up straight.
Byakuya went to open the door, but the heavy metal lock was closed and they didn't have a key. The lock was far too solid to kick open, and the thick bar that stuck into the doorframe was far too thick to cut. If they couldn't get the door open, then their trail of red ribbon ended there.
"Move aside... Let me see it." Uryū said quietly as he pushed passed Ichigo to the door.
Grimmjow and Byakuya stepped aside as Uryū knelt down, digging around in a small pouch on his belt that wrapped his hips. He pulled a small compact case the size of his palm and flicked it open with a twist of his fingers, revealing it to be a sewing kit complete with a small selection of needles, some thread and an ultra small pair of scissors.
"This does not surprise me." Ichigo grumbled as he planted his face in a palm.
"Shut up, Kurosaki. I've used it for more than just fixing clothes." Uryū said as he pulled the two largest needles from the case and closed it.
"Field medic shit?" Grimmjow asked, crossing his arms as he watched.
"Yes. Not my preferred method of medical attention, but enough to keep someone moving." Uryū said as he pushed up his glasses.
He steadied his breathing as he inserted the first needle, using it to explore the interior of the heavy lock. It was a simple mechanism, nothing meant to be so secure that whatever was beyond the door was inaccessible. There was a simple tumbler with a single turn style and Uryū concluded that the lock would be easily picked.
With the second needle slipped into place, Uryū rotated the lock's tumbler to the left. It clunked loudly as the tumbler seated into its new position, having pulled the heavy bolt back from the doorframe and unlocking the door that immediately hung open.
"Remind me to use more than one lock." Ichigo mumbled as he pushed open the door and stepped through.
What lay beyond the door was not what they were expecting, as standing before them was a massive central column that was wrapped with a winding staircase, encircling it all the way up through the ceiling. Surrounding the column was a wide room with four fountains at each corner that trickled water down the lithe bodies of the stone woman trapped in the throws of passion. The walls were covered with massive paintings and tapestries and the top of the walls, close to the high ceilings, were stained glass windows that tinted the moonlight in a rainbow of colors.
"This is the main foyer." Uryū said, his eyes following the massive central column upwards toward the ceiling.
"Yeah. There's the throne room through that back door." Ichigo said with a quick point.
"Yes. However, we're go up." Byakuya said as he started for the wide base of the wrapping stairs.
He followed the red ribbon on its course up the column, whose stairs were built directly into the white stone. There was no guardrail to keep those who traversed the stairs safe, so the group ran in a single file, close to the column, as they bounded up the sloping stairs.
When they reached the ceiling, the stairs continued up, now being entirely encased within the main tower's walls. The windows shone moonlight in steady intervals, joining the orange glow from the fire sconces on their journey up to the first landing. It was a large landing with a double wide door before the stairs continued up. The door was thicker than all the others, being more solid to keep out the cold and bolted together tighter to be more secure.
"Here. This is the bridge." Byakuya said as he drew Senbonzakura from its sheath.
In a pair of crossing slices, Byakuya severed the doors from their hinges where they fell to the stone floor with loud wooden clatters.
However, as Byakuya took a step to begin the journey down the bridge, he didn't get more than a step before Ichigo had snatched his Shihakushō, keeping him from continuing.
"Let go of me, Ichigo Kurosaki." Byakuya warned in a voice that screamed that he wouldn't hesitate to smack the boy.
"That bridge is entirely open, Byakuya. There's no cover at all." Ichigo said, keeping his grip on Byakuys's sleeve.
"What is it you're implying?" Byakuya asked with a snip of anger in his tone.
"Haven't you ever played a video game?" Ichigo asked without thinking about it.
"Really, Kurosaki?" Uryū deadpanned.
"Oh... Right," Ichigo lightly blushed, but pressed on, "Anyways, there's no cover, so how much you wanna bet there's some sort of defensive measure on that bridge?" He continued, finally releasing his grip on Byakuya's sleeve.
"Such as?" Byakuya asked with an arc of a brow.
"Use your imagination." Ichigo scoffed.
"Why would he defend the bridge? It's not like anybody here is willin' to go up against him besides us." Grimmjow snarled lowly.
"You don't make it two thousand years without being a cunning son of a bitch." Ichigo snapped back.
"Perhaps you have a point, Ichigo Kurosaki. What is it you suggest we do?" Byakuya asked as he glared down the expanse of the wide open bridge.
"Make some noise." Ichigo said flatly.
"And what, exactly, are you hoping to achieve by alerting the entirety of the castle to our presence?" Byakuya asked, furrowing his brow even more.
"Get the familiars to come running. When they get here, we grab one and toss him across the bridge and see what happens. If there's nothing, than we bolt for the bedchamber." Ichigo said with a half shrug.
"Such a crude plan." Byakuya exhaled as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"I like it." Grimmjow grinned wide as he cracked his knuckles.
"Of course you do." Byakuya grumbled.
"Do the honors, Grimmjow." Ichigo said as a growing smirk spread over his lips that made Byakuya nervous.
Grimmjow's grin turned into a predatory snarl as a strong blow of air hissed from his flaring nostrils. His teeth were bared as he sucked in a full lungful of air, filling his chest out completely as his nose crinkled. His eyes glistened with intent, almost as if he was stalking his prey and near ready to pounce and his throat began to rumble with a growl so low, that all could feel it shutter the very air.
With his lungs near bursting, Grimmjow rolled his shoulders back as his throat ripped with a thunderous roar that forced the other three to cover their ears. His mouth opened as wide as his jaw would allow as the roar drawled on, echoing off the mountain over and over until the sound had completely filled the ravine. Snow fell from the mountaintop like crashing waves in the rolling ocean, falling into the chasm in a white haze that still wasn't powerful enough to drown out the roar.
After a long moment, Grimmjow's lungs finally ran out of fuel to power the tremendous roar. The echo began to drift off, bouncing away from them in waves as the roar calmed, taking on a double undertone of deeper notes as it faded in Grimmjow's throat.
"There... That'll do it." Grimmjow smirked as he huffed what remained of the roar out through his nose and cleared his throat.
"You think? You caused an avalanche!" Uryū snarked as he rubbed his ears.
"If Overlorde didn't know we were here, he certainly does now." Byakuya said, lowering his hands.
The distant echoes of approaching voices came drifting up from the ravine, filtering up from the long spiral staircase as well as down from the top of the tower.
"Here they come." Ichigo said lowly as he gripped Zangetsu and removed the large blade from his back.
Byakuya's grip on Senbonzakura tightened as Grimmjow rolled his neck with Uryū stepping back far enough to form his large glowing bow. They listened, readied themselves for the battle that was quickly coming. They dared to step out a few steps onto the bridge as the yelling voices drew closer where nothing happened until the door at the opposite end burst open.
A dozen or more familiars, all armed with drawn swords, formed ranks at the other end of the bridge, while another two dozen formed up behind them, blocking any sort of exit either up, or down. They were boxed in.
"Great idea, Ichigo Kurosaki. Remind me to feed you to my fish when we get back to my estate." Byakuya growled through clenched teeth as he gripped the handle of Senbonzakura with both hands.
"Koi eat meat?" Ichigo scoffed as he kept his eyes on the group blocking their way from retreating down the stairs.
"They will when I'm through with you." Byakuya snarled.
Suddenly, the sound of an opening door drew their attention to a wide balcony a ways up the mountain, protruding from a gleaming white structure that rested at its peak.
"My my my... Such a fearsome roar to shatter my mood." Overlorde's deep voice echoed through the ravine, appearing on the balcony with a bare chest, but wearing the stirrup leggings and trailing belt.
"Yeah well, we figured you've had enough fun for the night." Grimmjow snarled as he clenched his fists tight.
"I don't really think that's for you to decide." Overlorde said as he rested his hands on the stone railing of his balcony.
"I don't really think you have a choice." Byakuya said, somehow managing to keep from boiling over with anger the second his eyes had set upon him.
"Oh goodie... You have no idea how pleased I am to see that you've returned. Why not put that away for now and come on up. The fun is ripe for the picking." Overlorde said as a lustful and crooked smirk spread over his licked lips.
Byakuya's jaw tensed, "Let her go." He said cooly.
Overlorde's throat rolled with a low sultry laugh, "Oh, I don't think so. Especially not now after I've gotten to taste that forbidden fruit. Would you like to know what it tastes like?" He grinned.
Byakuya's eyes flared with rage, "I will cut you down before you get another chance."
Overlorde lolled his tongue from his mouth as he raised a finger and sucked on it, softly moaning with eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"Mmm... Tastes like a Spring time rain. She bathes using your soaps doesn't she." He laughed after slipping his finger from his mouth.
Byakuya bared his teeth, "I'll kill you."
"Do try... After the beating she just spent the last couple hours giving me, I'm aching for some blood shed." Overlorde mulled as he trailed that same finger down his chest.
"I'll be more than happy to oblige." Byakuya hissed as his ears began to turn pink with fury.
Overlorde moaned with soft lips as he sucked in a ragged, pleasure filled breath, "Oh, do continue speaking like that. Your rage is getting me all fired up again and I fear our little Nyruki won't be able to handle it. I might need you to take what I'm aching to give out."
"Why don't you come down here and fight then instead of making your minions do it!" Ichigo howled up over his shoulder, keeping his eyes firm on the groups of familiars.
"Where's the fun in that? I'd like to think that my familiars are more than capable of handling you four. They're Shinigami after all." Overlorde smiled as he replaced his hands back on the balcony guardrail.
Byakuya's eyes widened, "The Zanpakutōs in the trophy room... You didn't kill the Shinigami for their swords, they turned them over to you!"
Overlorde laughed, "How astute of you, my beautiful butterfly. They willingly joined my ranks and in doing so, they surrendered their Zanpakutōs. We wouldn't want them tempted to kill me now would we?" He smiled.
Just as Overlorde's words had left his grinning mouth, Uryū released an arrow that screamed through the air with frightening speed. It seemed like a true shot, that it would find purchase dead center of Overlorde's chest, but with just a swipe of his hand, the arrow was deflected, careening into the side of the solitary bedchamber instead.
"Fair enough... Kill them and bring the pretty one to me!"
With their order given, the familiars attacked, yelling, sprinting and with their swords drawn and ready to take blood. There was no more time for words, no more place, and Byakuya was very much content with that.
"Scatter; Senbonzakura."