CHAPTER 11: THE ARCHANGEL'S SORROW
Wave after tumultuous wave of energy coursed over the horizon and across the water, colliding with the Archangel every second as he ran with relampago across the vast ocean's surface. The waves were coming from the direction of La Tercera, the district east of the centrally-located Primera, and each of these waves was enough to push the water itself away, leaving Archangel drenched from the momentum-driven spray. Ahead, rising high into space were thousands of bright, crimson and violet bolts of electricity, each shining with the brightness of the sun despite their being nearly a six hundred miles away. While each lasted only milliseconds, their numbers indicated a battle of incredible devastation, something far beyond the capability of the now fallen Officer Jeroboam or Commodore Nebuchadnezzar's zanpakuto or proficiency with priesthood.
"Such destructive power…" gasped Archangel as a particularly intense wave collided with him, slowing his relampago nearly to a halt upon the surface of the waters. "Who in Jizengensei has such immense priesthood strength?" Another strong wave blasted into the Head Commodore, and with that he knew he could delay no further; despite the force being sent out from the distant battle, he needed to intervene. He needed to destroy the Giant, the Sorrow – and he needed to do it now, before any more life could be lost.
With a great release of his own spiritual strength the Archangel pressed his feet upon the water, hardening the liquid with reiatsu and leaping against it into the air. This added considerably to his speed, pushing it well beyond the realm of relampago; in fact, this specific form of movement was something only known to and used by the Archangel himself and his wife Red Nova, though he had not come around to giving it a name. Regardless of its title, however, the movement sped Archangel through the air like a meteor, and within seconds he had traversed the ocean, now sailing high in the clouds above the land. As with most manifestations of the spirit, Archangel did have some measure of control over this movement, and as he came upon the Southern Rim Mountains he lowered his speed and came to rest upon the high peak of Fujitakai. This peak sat well above fifteen thousand meters above the ground, it being the tallest of the east-west range that lined the northern shores of the southern ocean, and atop it Archangel could finally see the distant location of the battle.
While still a little more than a hundred miles away, the incredible height of Fujitakai gave Archangel a glimpse of Tarui, the village of La Tercera wherein lived Elder Zipporah. From this distance the large village appeared no more than a few specks on the horizon, and the energy and fiendish bolts rising spaceward dwarfed it like an elephant standing above a few ants. With each release of energy came a shockwave of force, the power reaching up into the stratosphere and clearing away the clouds; even Archangel had to carefully maintain his footing to prevent being tossed off the jagged, rocky peak.
"Could this be the work of Zipporah?" wondered Archangel with awe as the energy continued to pour out from the beleaguered village on the horizon. "Is she fighting against the Giant?" Archangel took a breath and prepared to again launch himself forward to battle, but before he could do so an immense explosion rocked the village in the distance, blinding him with the flash of burning light. Seconds later the force of the explosion caught up, and the peak of Fujitakai began to crumble as the earth shook violently below. Something terrible had happened in Tarui, and Archangel, now climbing up the crumbled mountaintop to a better vantage, knew what it was.
"If that was Zipporah, she just used the ninety-eighth priesthood," continued Archangel to himself, observing a climbing mushroom cloud in the distance. "So reckless; her whole village will be wiped out with that…technique…" Archangel's words slowed to a halt as through the smoke and airborne debris a violet streak of light shot out, literally appearing as a falling star trailing through the heavens. Darkness and fear permeated the light atmosphere around the Archangel as this object sailed in the great distance beyond, and the Archangel knew it then: whoever had been battling the Sorrow ahead had lost. Without a single moment of hesitation Archangel leaped off the mountain peak after the Sorrow, the rocky spire behind him crumbling even further with the force of his take-off.
Pursue as quickly as he might, however, the Sorrow's flight was too much for Archangel – even using his greatest movement technique – to catch up. The violet streak through the air distanced itself further and further from Archangel as he sailed through the clouds, the condensed vapor nucleating on his skin as ice, only to be then blown off by the harsh, shearing winds blowing against his body.
"Damn it…" whispered Archangel to himself as he lowered his spiritual output, thus dropping his speed and altitude. Within a few seconds the grassy plain of La Septima, north of Primera, was reached, Archangel landing upon it lightly as a feather, his body heaving for breath; such a movement technique combined with the intense waves of force drained his body excessively of energy, and it would take several minutes to recuperate. Ahead the streak vanished behind the distant horizon, from whence arose a great red light into the atmosphere, silent from the distance. This light persisted for quite some time as Archangel stood hunched over, waiting for his body to recover. Such a time was dangerous, however; the time difference between the arrival of the Sorrow to Zipporah's home earlier till now had only been three minutes at most. Any time spent resting would only mean the death of countless more souls. It was thus, as Archangel fought internally whether to run forward or rest his weary body that he found himself surrounded by a bright orange haze accompanied by a gentle ringing sound.
"This is…?" wondered Archangel aloud, his fatigue preventing him from realizing immediately what was happening.
"Just rest, husband," said the smooth, kind voice of Red Nova, now stepping out from behind Archangel. "I will restore your strength as best I can, and together we will destroy the Sorrow."
"But Red…" stammered Archangel, shocked to see his wife away from her commission. "You shouldn't be here, I can handle the Sorrow on my own!"
"You're lying to yourself, husband," retorted Red Nova. "I was given a report just moments before meeting you here that Cyrus and Jeroboam were both killed in a matter of seconds. Both of us need to fight together to stop the Giant, and you know this." Archangel closed his eyes and lowered his head; he knew Red's words were true, and he knew he needed her help if he was to stop such a powerful, terrible villain, but at the same time he also knew that the likelihood of he and his wife being killed was near certainty. How could he, as a good husband, allow his wife to walk towards suicide like this?
"Red, I can't…" started Archangel, but before he could finish the orange haze evaporated and Red Nova cut him off.
"I knew that by leaving my commission to join you I would most certainly die," declared Red Nova proudly as her long, lovely red hair floated in the wind as she gazed at the great, white light emanating from the northern horizon. "Seeing the awesome energy of the Sorrow makes me fear, but I know this fear is wrong. I should not be afraid to die, for defeating evil is my solemn duty as a daughter of God walking the Eternal Path."
"Red…"
"I will not leave your side, dear husband," concluded Red Nova resolutely with a warm smile that lifted Archangel's spirit. "Now, we haven't a moment to lose; I'm sure what we are seeing ahead is Elder Ulnius confronting the Sorrow, which should buy us plenty of time to reach him and give him aid. Your body should be recovered enough now with my help that…"
Behind Red Nova, the blazing red light on the horizon suddenly intensified, becoming brighter than the sun and hundreds times larger in the sky. This intense, immense blast burned briefly against the exposed skin of the two commodores, leaving Archangel – who got full view of the event – temporarily blinded. Beneath them on the grassy plain of La Septima the ground began to shake, growing more violent with each passing second, until after only a very short moment the entire world around them shook with such violent temblor that neither commodore could stand. Beyond, the great blaze in the sky dissipated, leaving only a massive, impossibly expansive wall of charred, broken earth scaling upwards through the heavens.
"Red...?" gasped Archangel, his vision returning in time to see the climbing wall of earth. "Red, what is this?"
"It's like an asteroid colliding with Jizengensei…" replied Red Nova, the shaking now beginning to subside, though on the horizon in all directions smoke and ash rose from the widespread destruction. Ahead the wall of earth stopped its ascent, after which it began falling back towards Jizengensei, each city-sized boulder crashing into the ground bringing with it more destruction and agony. Coupled with this heart-wrenching destruction was a sound, a sucking noise that seemed to drain all the life, happiness, and energy from the whole world around them.
"This is the work of the Giant," observed Archangel to his wife, both of whom felt the draining effect but were unaffected. "He weakens his foes, then consumes their spirits. I saw him do it to my commission."
"But why would he want to consume our souls?" pressed Red Nova, her face awash with stress as the world around them seemed to be at its end. "What good would it do anyone?"
"I don't know…" replied Archangel. "But the First Sorrow did the same. With this intense a destruction and weakening of Jizengensei, it is possible he could consume half our people."
"That is so terrible…" gasped Red Nova, aghast at the thought of death and torment of her beloved brothers and sisters of Jizengensei. "Archangel, we must do something!"
"I know," replied the Head Commodore. "Let's go…"
"You're not going anywhere."
Archangel and Red Nova both became silent as this new voice interrupted them, deep and growling like an intelligent, murderous beast. It was a dark voice, bereft of joy and contentment, filled with hate and loathing, and the two commodores turned to the right to see a being several hundred yards off, its presence overwhelmingly dense and vile; even looking upon the being at that distance was enough to crumble the hearts of weaker men.
"Giant…" growled Archangel as he looked upon the Sorrow. "How could you have done this?" Ahead, the Sorrow's appearance had changed drastically since Archangel had witnessed it through Shared Vision with Commodore Nebuchadnezzar; instead of a full, light grey demonic body of form-fitting armor, it was now clear that the Sorrow was missing nearly half of its chest and left side, leaving two legs and one arm for the monster. The severe wound also was not healing (as it had been rumored in Sorrow studies that Sorrows could rapidly heal from even life-ending damages), and in this state the Sorrow leaned to the left for balance, his violet eyes scowling upon the commodores, each breath emitting a glowing vapor of the same hue.
Interesting… thought Archangel as he observed the hideously damaged state of the Sorrow. The wound is not healing; there isn't anything the Elders could have done to stop the healing process, unless Giant is already pushed to his spiritual limits. He is weakened to the point where he cannot heal himself without defeating himself with unconsciousness. One powerful strike should be enough…
"Heh," laughed the Sorrow, its voice warped and distorted through the armor. "Once I kill you two, nothing will stand in my way."
"Giant, please!" pleaded Red Nova, her body beginning to tremble under the enormous weight of the Sorrow's energy. "You are better than this! You were always such an amazing soul; you're considered to be the Fourth Legend!"
"Consuming you will fill my mind with unimaginable knowledge," continued the Sorrow, ignoring Red Nova's words. "I can't wait!" Ahead the Sorrow shifted his position to one of preparation for an attack, and Archangel and Red Nova knew it was time. Giant, the Sorrow of Jizengensei, would have to be defeated right then. So too must have thought the Sorrow towards his foes, for as soon as he had taken this stance he launched himself towards them, the violet, violent energy released form his body tearing apart the ground below like it was made of paper.
"Red, now!" shouted Archangel to his wife who already had her hands raised towards the approaching monster.
"Divine Blossom, separate us from the world!" cried out Red Nova, her hair beginning to radiate and shine as she spoke. "Prepare the greatest defense of all: Godless Domain!"
"GYAH!" cried out the Sorrow in pain as he collided hard with a blurred, orange plane, this plane a single wall of a cube now surrounding his body. The force of the impact strained the barrier forward several feet, but in the end the Sorrow could not break it – he was trapped.
"It is over, Giant!" shouted Red Nova, her hair glimmering and shimmering with power. "You are trapped inside the Godless Domain, a spilt-off universe of my own control. Of all the defensive techniques known of Jizengensei, nothing save the Lightbringer's Armor of God is stronger. You cannot escape!"
"And your terror upon this world will now end," added Archangel. "Piercer of Heaven, come forth."
"I am here, Archangel," said a deep male voice, and beside Archangel materialized a man dressed in a fine, neat, and long black coat, his handsome, pointed face topped with a regal mane of black hair tied into a neat ponytail.
"The Sorrow is weakened to the point of defeat," declared Archangel, to which the Sorrow growled and furrowed. "His body cannot heal itself due to the intensity of his battles with the Elders. Use your full power; we have to make sure he is completely and utterly defeated and disabled."
"With pleasure," agreed Piercer of Heaven, Archangel's legendary zanpakuto, and with that he raised his right hand high into the air above him. Ahead, the Sorrow's violet, demonic eyes lurched open in fear as Piercer of Heaven drew a breath and gently spoke while dropping his hand.
"Getsuga tensho."
The land split apart at the utterance of these words, the blinding spray of white light mingled with crimson blackness enveloping the entrapped sorrow completely in its wake. From out of Piercer of Heaven's hand proceeded this onslaught of power for several moments, crashing over the Godless Domain like a deluge from a broken dam. After this moment the energy dissipated and vanished, leaving the Sorrow upon his knees, his body torn and his armor cracked. All around were remnants of the shattered cell formerly holding him captive, and in addition to his already missing left side, now his right arm and half his skull on the right side were gone. Nevertheless highly damaged to the point beyond which any soul in the further realms could survive, the Sorrow still continued to breathe, its breath wheezing through openings into its air passages and sinuses.
"R-Ridiculous…" wheezed the Sorrow, his speech filled with wheezes and coughs. "Y-You are nothing…you are weak…I am power…"
"You are defeated," interrupted Archangel. "You cannot heal, and I am obligated to ensure the dispersal of your soul."
"It is for your own good," added Red Nova, her glimmering hair now returned to its original state. "You've become the enemy of God, and you must be destroyed forever. To let you live would be…"
"And who says…I'm going to…give up…to your God?" grumbled the Sorrow with labored, heavy speech, his remaining, glowing eye squinting from pain from beneath his armor. "I don't care if I die…but I will never stop fighting him. He is anathema to me…"
"Come, Red," spoke Archangel depressedly, knowing that soon his best friend would be destroyed under the dispersal wrought from the Witherstone Wasteland. "We must cast him out of the city." Beside him Red Nova nodded in agreement, but both were loudly interrupted by the Sorrow.
"I've gained so much knowledge!" cried out the Giant, his eye now wide open as he struggled to stand. "With each soul I gain new life, new insight, new knowledge to help me find peace! With each soul I consume, more power is given to me to make things right in the universe!"
"Red, be on guard…" whispered Archangel to his wife while the Sorrow monologued.
"My master sent me on a mission!" continued the Sorrow pastorally, his armless, wrecked body now trembling upon his two armored feet. "I cannot let him down – not with the peace he has promised me! Even if it means the loss of my will and my mind, I will not cease until all the children of God are consumed within me!" The Sorrow then lowered his eyes from the sky and scowled upon Archangel before speaking once more, his voice now again deep and malevolent, hateful and cruel, with every ounce of humanity gone from its tones.
"Then, and only then, will my master fulfill his promise."
It was at these words that something changed within the almost undetectable spiritual aura of the Sorrow, a tremor of energy so slight the Archangel would have missed it had he not been paying attention. And then he was gone, completely vanished in the blink of an eye from before them, disappearing without even a hint, whisper, or disturbance of the torn dust beneath their feet.
"What the…" started Archangel, but the sound of cracking bones and crushed flesh piqued from beside him.
"Piercer!" screamed Red Nova, holding her hands to her face as she and Archangel both saw the horrific sight, the latter being only feet away from the horror. Beside the Head Commodore stood the Sorrow, his body restored and his arms reformed, each hand holding a bifurcated piece of Piercer of Heaven's body. Piercer of Heaven could only gasp for breath as he sat wide-eyed, his lower half having been torn off without his even knowing it. With a second, final gasp his spiritual body vanished into millions of speckles of light, all of which returned instantly to Archangel's trembling, over-shocked body.
"How is this possible?" asked Archangel, his trembling growing as he leapt away from the freehanded Sorrow. "I defeated you! How are you doing this?"
While before the Sorrow had given a prompt response, now he only stood and glared, his breathing mimicking the soft growl of a lion ready to pounce. Indeed, this observation seemed astute; whereas before the Sorrow's body and persona maintained a semblance of humanity, now it seemed far different: hunched over, crouched and alert, its eyes glancing rapidly like a predatory animal readying its attack. No longer a fallen soul of a man, now the Sorrow seemed to be nothing more than a beast to Archangel.
"You monster…" said the Archangel to the Sorrow's animalistic sounds, the commodore's emotions beginning to lose control at the grisly defeat of his cherished zanpakuto. "You monster!"
"Husband, look out!"
Red Nova's words were quick and well timed, but Archangel in his enraged, distracted state could not stop the Sorrow's blindingly quick strike. With such force as to crush a mountain the Sorrow's fist collided with Archangel's chest, pulverizing his internal organs and crushing his ribcage inward, after which he flew backwards with the speed of a bullet until crashing into a nearby bluff, shattering the earth thereof and sending it skyward. The Sorrow then let out a roar, high-pitched and piercing, the vocal strength blowing away the airborne dust form Archangel's impact; surely enough, the tonal composition of the roar eliminated all doubt from the Archangel's mind as he lay broken upon the cratered hill of the plain: the Giant was gone forever, only a murderous beast left in his place.
Too great was the damage, and too weakened was Archangel already to rapidly heal himself, and in this state he felt his end was at hand. The Sorrow would undoubtedly consume his soul just as it had done to Officer Jeroboam and Commodore Cyrus Nebuchadnezzar, and he as the Head Commodore of Jizengensei would have failed his God forever. As expected, the Sorrow began to slowly approach its prey upon all fours, a terrible, toothy grin upon its heartless face, but before it could get any closer Red Nova stepped between them.
"Oh Giant, how far you've fallen!" stated Red Nova loudly and resolutely while the Sorrow scowled and squinted his glowing, violet eyes at her. "I always loved and respected you above all other Holies, and do you know why? Because of your love for your fellow brothers and sisters! Because of your unwavering faith and tremendous charity! Now, you have reduced yourself to a beast of Hell. I know what you did, Giant; you sacrificed the souls you had consumed, as well as your own spirit to rebuild your body, but it has left you an empty, instinctual abomination!"
The Sorrow let out another earth-rattling roar and leaped forward, his claws bared like a leaping tiger. His speed was incredible, but so was Red Nova's as the Sorrow crashed empty handed into the grounded, sending a spray of liberated earth hundreds of feet angled into the air ahead of him. Red Nova, on the other hand, had already used relampago to avoid him and her move was already prepared.
"Divine Blossom, Sacred Plane!"
Again Red Nova's hair flashed brightly with crimson light, and from her hands shot out a razor-thin sheet of translucent, orange energy. Her aim was true; the dividing plane connected directly with the flatfooted Sorrow, cleanly slicing off the left vertical third of his body, but to no avail. Without any visible negative effect the sliced off section of the Sorrow's body reformed in an instant, and now was his turn to successfully strike back. Shooting out like a cannon he launched off the ground and sunk his claws into Red Nova's frantically outstretched hands, these forming a small, quick shield of the same orange material – though in her haste this shield was nothing like the cage or Sacred Plane. Instead it was short and asymmetrical, formed as quickly as she could while trying to stop the Sorrow's crippling blow – though the efficacy was only partial as the Sorrows claws had successfully ripped into her hands. To Red Nova's horror blood began pouring out of these wounds, this bleeding caused by the wild, unorganized spiritual pressure of the Sorrow ripping her own spirit apart. As she observed this terrifying fact she forcefully blasted away the shield, this knocking her several yards away from the assaulting Sorrow. Blood dripped from her delicate hands while her chest heaved with heavy breath, her spiritual power being greatly challenged by this monstrous being, and as she breathed her hair flickered in its rich, crimson luster.
Red Nova is in trouble… thought Archangel to himself as he lay in a partially comatose state in the hillside crater. Her zanpakuto is infused into her hair, and the earth-moving force of the Sorrow's last attack is stressing it to its limit. Red is also terrified; she is a fierce warrior, but against someone she loved so much I don't think she has the will to…
"I can see I have no choice…" declared Red Nova, interrupted Archangel mid-thought. "I will have to do whatever it takes to stop you, Giant." Even in his beleaguered state, these words caused Archangel's heart to skip a beat and his eyes to grow wide with fear.
"No…" whispered Archangel before forcing his voice into a full on shout. "RED, DON'T!"
"Become my blade, Divine Blossom!" cried out Red Nova, her hair burning brightly with fire as her zanpakuto agreed to her request. "Help me deliver Jizengensei from the clutches of darkness!"
"Divine Blossom will die!" screamed out Archangel with his remaining strength. "Red, don't do it!"
"Divine Blossom agrees with me, husband," replied Red Nova calmly, the conflagration upon her head now beginning to wane as a blade began to form in her hands. "Please respect our agency, and I will do my duty to God." While he wished to protest further, Archangel's body simply could not support another outburst. Meanwhile, Red Nova's long, fiery hair was shortening as her sword grew longer, and once the transformation was complete she was left with short hair no longer than two inches, sticking out and patterned like a boy's cut – though it did nothing to detract from her incredible beauty.
The sword in her bloodied hands, however, was beyond what Archangel had ever imagined it looking. The general shape and blade was that of a long, brilliantly silver katana with orange wrappings on the handle, but it was the hand guard that caught his rapt attention. Instead of being small and conservative, this hand guard was massive for a katana with six flower petals sticking forward out of the circumference at a sixty-degree angle off the blade. Each of these petals were colored the same as Red Nova's barriers, and each was lined with a steel casing giving the sword the appearance of a lovely steel flower against her spotless white gown.
"Red, she'll die…" whispered Archangel at the sight of the beautiful katana in his wife's hands, and even though a whisper Red Nova did hear him.
"Just watch, dear husband," said Red Nova warmly. "I will save Jizengensei from the Giant, and when I am finished, I will heal you."
Red Nova then faced the Sorrow, its animalistic transformation proceeding even further as he now stood on all fours growling like a wolf beneath his horned mask and armor. The lovely female commodore smiled gently and took a breath, but before she exhaled she vanished from Archangel's sight – but only for a moment as he saw her now standing several yards behind the Giant.
"I told you, I would save Jizengensei."
Archangel's eyes couldn't believe what they were seeing from his vantage in the crater; Red Nova's movements had been so quick he thought he had imagined them, immediately discounting them subconsciously as unreal. But in fact they had happened, and it was her that enacted the attacks upon the Sorrow who was now entrapped, his monstrous body divided by at least twelve glowing, orange planes. Each of these was stationary and firm, silently cleaving his body into countless parts between their many intersections and various angles.
As Archangel's eyes caught up with his mind he began to understand; each plane was the result of a slash of Divine Blossom. Red Nova's speed was so intensified from Divine Blossom's blade transformation that it exceeded even Archangel's greatest relampago; all her strikes had slashed through the Sorrow's body and armor before it had even given a fraction of a breath, her zanpakuto so greatly strengthened from the transformation that it cut through the monster like it was made of thin sheets of paper. Graceful and precise were her movements as his mind caught up with him, each turn and each spin reminding him that her extraordinary healing skills were not the only thing that made her "legendary".
"Un…unbelievable…" gasped Archangel, astounded by the goddess-like ability of his wife who was now walking towards him. Her body seemed to be growing weaker as she approached; the zanpakuto transformation was a difficult one to bring about, and this usually resulted in the loss of the zanpakuto. Specifically put, the transformation liberated the zanpakuto's spiritual energy and reorganized it into a small, compact form, in this case a sword. This compaction would have incredible effects upon both the blade and the user, but these effects would be short lived as the transformed zanpakuto would lose its ability to hold its spirit together. Without exception, all such transformations in the past had led to the death and dispersal of the zanpakuto spirit, forcing it to leave the world of Jizengensei to wander alone in the Mortal Realms until it found a new user. Truly, no more terrible thing could be done to a little zanpakuto spirit, since the division between master and zanpakuto was greater than all other relationships save husband and wife.
"I will leave him there," said the now shorthaired Red Nova in reference to the entrapped, silent, and motionless Sorrow. "He will not be able to escape the Godless Planes dividing his body; no amount of spiritual strength could break them." Red Nova's walking had now turned into a limp, and before she could get closer her legs gave out from beneath her and she collapsed upon the ground, her sword landing next to her.
"RED!" cried out Archangel, pushing his spirit body to the point of bleeding from his wounds as he forced his weakened body to crawl. "RED! NO!" Red Nova slowly put her hands upon the ground beneath her and struggled to push herself back up as Archangel slowly approached.
"Husband, I'll be fine," declared Red Nova, shakily returning to her feet and halting Archangel's crawl after which she picked up her sword Divine Blossom, the latter being in perfect condition still.
"How is she still alive?" wondered Archangel, his body beginning to feel lighter now that the Sorrow was entrapped and defeated. "No zanpakuto can survive the transformation, unless…"
"I am giving her my own life energy," replied Red Nova. "And she is giving me hers. The bond Divine Blossom and I share intrinsically links our souls; really, it is this way because I'm a poor zanpakuto maker. I could never get her to properly form as a separate individual, and that's why she never left my body – instead becoming my hair. That's also why she's only good at one thing, and why I'm so unskilled in combat. We will both become exceedingly weak because of this transformation, but in time we will recover in both our original forms."
"No, you were brilliant, Red," consoled Archangel, rolling onto his back and exhaling in relaxation. "I've never seen someone with such finesse with a sword…"
GRRRAAAAWR!
Red Nova spun around with shock in her eyes as the Sorrow let out a scream so piercing and intense that the earth a hundred miles around them fractured and cracked. The planes dividing and trapping his body began to flicker and vibrate with a hum, and one by one they began to show tiny cracks.
"I-Impossible!" gasped Red Nova, summoning as much strength as she could to prepare against another strike. "How can he be breaking my Godless Planes? I know of no such power!"
While Red Nova was confused at the Sorrow's resistance, Archangel knew what was happening; he had heard of it long ago when he was given the title of Head Commodore. Then, the previous Head Commodore had given to him what, at the time, he thought was peculiar and ridiculous teaching, that what made Sorrows so terrifying was that they could dissolve spiritual techniques such as weapons and barriers simply by breathing upon them. Now in the presence of one such Sorrow, however, Archangel finally knew what his predecessor was implying.
"It is his Sorrow power!" cried out Archangel amid the Sorrow's din. "He gains power by destroying his spirit, and that unorganized spirit matter is dissolving your technique! Red, he is going to break through! You have to get away…!"
Archangel's words came to late, and the many golden planes binding the Sorrow's body shattered with tremendous force, this force blasting the earth like a hurricane and tearing all the plant life from the planes out of the ground. In the face of this front, Red Nova stabbed Divine Blossom into the now-barren earth to support herself against the torrent while Archangel held his ground by laying down flat and digging in his hands. What happened thereafter was a mystery to Archangel as he could not see it occur, but the aftermath was one that tore his heart and soul in half.
A sound of crushing earth, a stifled scream, a loud thud – and Archangel opened his eyes to see Red Nova lying on the ground next to him. Blood poured out of her torn-open throat like a river as she trembled, her eyes open wide with shock and disbelief.
"R-Red…?" stammered Archangel, unsure if what he was seeing was an illusion. "Red?" What answered him was not from his wife, but from a shadow that overtook them both: a powerful, cold, lifeless sucking sound like wind rushing into a vast, expansive underground cave. All life and happiness vanished from Archangel's soul as he felt it being ripped from his body, and in this defeated state he awaited the mysterious void of the Sorrow's unquenchable, profane soul.
Archangel, what is happening? Why is my world falling apart?
I failed, Piercer of Heaven, replied Archangel in his mind to his zanpakuto. Red is going to die, I'm going to die…I have failed my wife and my God.
What are you talking about? I have recuperated, and we can stop the Giant!
How can we stop such a terrible being of hatred? asked Archangel defeatedly. You saw what he did to Red's ultimate power…how can I do anything?
You already know the answer, retorted Piercer of Heaven, his tone and words piercing Archangel's lost attitude and restoring his resolve. Before, he could not heal himself, but then he did something to gain more power. While recovering, I was watching; his own, original spirit had already consumed and melded with his zanpakuto, El Demonio Duodécimal, long before our battle, but this presence has all but evaporated with this latest, animal-like change. Don't you see, Archangel? He had to sacrifice his own spirit to continue his destruction of Jizengensei, and each and every move he makes further degrades his soul without any form of recompense.
You mean to say he's…
He has used his trump card! Red Nova may not have been able to fully stop him, but I can sense it – his spiritual body is barely holding itself together after Divine Blossom's splendid attack. We have to force the Sorrow to exhaust the remainder of his strength through regeneration. One powerful strike, applied equally to both his heart and mind, will be able to stop him!
But how am I supposed to do anything? asked Archangel sorrowfully, feeling the last few strings of life holding spirit to his body break. I cannot move, let alone use any priesthood fast enough or strong enough to…
Use me, interrupted Piercer of Heaven. I will give you all of my strength, and we will use that technique.
Absolutely not! I will not allow you to perish!
If you do not grant me this wish of my own free will, then all of Jizengensei will be destroyed! countered Piercer of Heaven angrily. If death is unavoidable, then it is better for one to perish than a whole civilization! Please, master…allow me to help you, as the protector of this realm, to defeat this evil!
Nearly gone was Archangel's spirit, but to this request of his zanpakuto he could find no further denial.
Very well.
Power and life flowed back into Archangel's body like water from a broken dam, and without even the slightest hint of effort he rose to his feet beneath the Sorrow's soul-sucking force. This startled the Sorrow enough to force a cessation of his meal, causing him to leap back defensively and resume his growling. Before the Sorrow, Archangel's appearance had changed; no longer was he simply donning the spotless white cape and uniform of the Holies, but now he had a gloriously beautiful sword in his hands. White from tip to hilt, this blade was long and straight unlike the typical katana, and its handguard boasted four bent prongs in the shape of the manji*.
"I can't let you go on like this," started Archangel to the Sorrow, the Head Commodore's elaborate cape flowing gently from the energy leaving his body. Below, Red Nova could no longer breath as her eyes looked vacantly up at her husband; Archangel could sense nothing from her in this state, and in his mind he knew she was likely already dead.
Ahead, the Sorrow's eyes scowled as puffs of electric purple energy seeped out of his facial orifices like a leaky faucet. Seeing this act caused great sadness in the heart of the Archangel; he knew how Sorrow's functioned, even if it was only taught to him in classes. The Giant, now a Sorrow, was shredding his soul to pieces and using the released energy as a weapon; indeed, this was how Red's Godless Planes were shattered – not by force, but by dissolution. The high-energy, disorganized matter – in this case seen as violet wisps – battered and disrupted the elegant, living bonds of normal spirit matter like a strong acid upon the mortal human body. However – and this became very clear to the Archangel as he looked upon the Sorrow in his elevated state of being – Piercer of Heaven was right. Red Nova's attack had drained the Sorrow nearly completely of his energy, and only a few threads of power held the monster's consciousness together.
"You were right, Piercer," said Archangel to his sword, though his eyes never left the growling Sorrow ahead of him. "We will use that technique to end this now…but you will die shortly thereafter. Are you sure this is what you want?" Archangel half expected his sword to respond with a resounding no, but to no surprise the answer came back very clearly in his mind.
Let us save the world, Archangel.
With a sigh Archangel raised his sword into the air and took a deep breath, to which the Sorrow wasting no time launched himself towards the Head Commodore. Archangel was to be its final barrier to winning the fight against Jizengensei, and even in the monster's animal like, barely coherent state, Archangel knew the Giant was in it to win. The ground beneath the Sorrow shattered several hundred meters deep as he sailed like a comet through the heavens, his claws bared and ready to tear out the throat of the Archangel as he had done to the Red Nova, but as the Giant slashed at the Head Commodore's neck he vanished.
"The Eternal Piercer of Heaven: Blades of the Inner Cross."
His movement was beyond anything the Sorrow was ready for, and like Red Nova's technique there was nothing the Giant could do to defend. One vertical slice from the crown of the head down, followed by a horizontal slice through the heart and upper chest…and it was over. Inside the Sorrow's body, pulses of razor-sharp streams of spiritual energy raged through each and every cell and each and every muscle, tearing his physical and spiritual body to shreds internally. The Sorrow fell to his knees, where he rested for a moment before falling flatly upon his face.
"You never knew this technique, Giant," said Archangel mournfully, tears pouring down his face as he spoke. "I wanted to show it to you, somehow, before I underwent pasaje, but I never knew how to do it without killing my zanpakuto. As it is, however…" Archangel turned and gazed tearfully upon the ravaged body of the Sorrow; its armor had shattered from Archangel's ultimate technique, revealing the Giant's curly dark brown locks of hair set atop his darkly tanned, handsome, strong face. From Archangel's vantage he could see one of the Giant's exposed, open brown eyes, a peculiar and harrowing look of confusion mixed with terror written within it.
I would like to think he had no idea what was going on, thought Archangel as he looked upon the ruined body of his best friend. But, I know better; the damning, terrible trait of a Sorrow…is that they know exactly what they are doing. Archangel's thoughts were interrupted as Eternal Piercer of Heaven's blade began to shatter at the end.
"N-No!" gasped Archangel, falling to his while trying to pick up the constantly falling, tiny shards of his dying zanpakuto. "No, Piercer, we won! You don't have to die! Please…please don't die like Red!" Archangel's eyes filled with tears as he saw his sword wither and crumble, leaving him all alone upon the field of death. Archangel had won the battle, but everything he had ever loved was now taken from him; in this saddened state he placed his head into his hands and began to weep – but not for long, as a gentle hum coming from below him caught his attention.
The Head Commodore uncovered his face and opened his eyes, only to see Piercer of Heaven's humanoid body being restored below him upon the ground below an orange haze. Every detail, every muscle, every whit of clothing and life was there, being brought back from the dead, and while the restoration of his blade was celebratory, Archangel's eyes could only drift over towards his wife. Earlier thought to be dead, Archangel saw her lying upon the ground, her throat torn out and face bloodied, and her arm pointing out towards him. She could not utter a single word as Archangel sat motionlessly upon his knees, unable to move or react in any way as his wife used up the last ounce of strength from her soul to restore his zanpakuto. For several seconds this continued, but once Piercer of Heaven was restored her arm fell, her face became still, and her own zanpakuto, Divine Blossom, shattered into six parts, one petal to each fragment.
Red Nova was dead, her last gift in life to her husband given, and after the damage had been cleared and the bodies collected, Archangel stood atop the great outer wall of Western Jizengensei, looking out into the wasteland as the Giant's ruined body fell deep down off the high wall. Many minutes the Sorrow's body fell, each of these minutes weighing heavily upon the Archangel's soul as he stood joined by Commodore Jezre'el, Holies Zeezrom, Anthony, Teng, and Helena, as well as Mayor Petre Romanof.
"This day shall be marked with infamy forever and ever," observed Jezre'el, her beautiful, dark olive skin covered in tears for the passing of her comrade and brother-in-law.
"But it will not be the end, nor can it ever be," added Zeezrom. "As darkness fades, the light will rise over the mountains, bathing the world in light and life. Whenever darkness falls, light will also rise." It was upon the word "rise" that a flash of light appeared from far below the heights of the wall, and like billions of stars dancing heavenward the spirit particles of all the victims of the Sorrow were liberated, filling the sky before the Holies with unimaginably beautiful light and joy.
"Death is merely a step towards Eternal Life," declared Archangel, his eyes unable to stop the flow of tears despite his smile. "Whether through pasaje or by other means, there is no victory of death over the eternal soul. The Giant, however, is relegated to Hell for eternal punishment; such is his fate for his choices."
Days passed, and life began to be renewed in Jizengensei; the crater northward became filled by the displaced rivers, indicating the formation of a new ocean, and little by little joy returned to the immortal world. Archangel, however, could not escape the empty hole inside his heart, and each and every night he would kneel down in prayer, hoping that somehow, some way, Red Nova would hear him wherever she was.
Thank you, my love. I promise I will find you again.
Ichigo Kurosaki started blankly at the other members of his party as they stood waiting in the Himalayan snows, his mind returning to him like it had been off on some random, subconscious vacation.
"Ichigo?" asked Declan Greenleaf. "Are you all right?" Ichigo gulped as his mind tried to find anything to tell them, but words seemed hard to form within his mouth.
That felt so real… thought Ichigo, his eyes moving towards his wife. Orihime…she was Red Nova…
"Is it the cold?" asked Jasper. "Let me prepare the Burning Bosom priesthood again."
The Sorrow…beneath his armor he looked so much like Chad. That…that doesn't make any sense…
"Ichigo, please tell us what's wrong!" pleaded Orihime. "You were out for almost ten minutes!" Ichigo gulped again and took a deep breath, lowering his eyes to the ground as the words finally came.
"We're all going to die."
Next: CHAPTER 12 – A DIFFICULT SHINIGAMI
BONUS!
Wife had a baby. Started an internship in Oklahoma. Moved away from Utah for three months. I will try to get back into the swing of things, but the overall result? No bonus this week. Next time, I promise.
*The shape of the manji is somewhat similar to what is commonly called a swastika – only without the evil. The prongs are thinner compared to the central square, and the overall look is that of rotation.