Author's Note: Hey guys! Thanks for all the great reviews. I'll respond to them at the bottom of the page if you want to see.
Summary: The Final Getsuga Tensho was not enough to stop Aizen. With the last of his strength, he captured Ichigo and retreated to Hueco Mundo. Three months later, the Soul Society comes under attack by Aizen again, and this time they must cross blades with an opponent they never expected to fight.
Pairings: Ichigo x Orihime | Rukia x Renji | (Possibly) Grimmjow x Nel
Disclaimer: I don't own bleach or any of it's characters.
Warning: This story includes graphic violence, character death, and strong language.
Special Thanks: Lady Serai, co-writer of this story and who is and will be responsible for most of the battle scenes in this story. ;)
Enjoy!
Soi Fon observed the blonde Espada that stood before herself and her fellow captain. She was still taking in the knowledge that her true power was unacceptable because of that Sello Negación. And what was this about Lucifer killing people with their own zanpakuto?
These thoughts were cut short as Hallibel slipped her index finger through one of the holes on the hilt of her sword and quickly pulled it from its sheath. While it was in the air she quickly grabbed the hilt and readied it, expecting an attack.
"Apache, Sung-Sun, Mila Rose." She called out the names of her fraccion one by one, each composing themselves when they heard their names. "I want you to stand back from this fight. Don't get involved under any circumstance."
Apache lurched forward and attempted to make her way towards Hallibel. "But Master Halli-" She was stopped when an arm reached out in front of her and cut her off. She looked up and Mila Rose who did not seem phased by their leader's order. Mila Rose, in turn, looked back towards Hallibel. "As you wish Master Hallibel."
Before another protest could escape Apache's lips, Mila Rose grabbed a hold of her torso and sonidoed some miles away from the battlefield, with Sung-Sun not far behind. Once they were out of the way, Apache ripped herself from Mila Rose's grip and glared at her dark-skinned companion. "What the hell was that about?!"
"You really must learn to pay attention to those around you, my dear Apache." Sung-Sun countered as she turned her back to the bickering two and looked back at the ocean before them. "Master Hallibel already drew her sword. She is planning on taking this fight completely seriously. Besides, those captains aren't even in her league with their powers sealed off. Not to mention that Master Hallibel's true power comes from water, and she now stands in the center of the ocean. This will not be a fight but a slaughter."
Hallibel closed her eyes in contemplation for a moment, pleased that her subordinates would not get hurt during this conflict.
She then turned her gaze to the two captains below. "Must we engage in such barbaric campaign?"
Soi Fon narrowed her eyes at the blonde Espada. "As long as you associate with scum like Aizen, 'such barbaric conflict' is inevitable."
Hallibel closed her eyes and let out a small sigh. "Very well then. Let's get on with it." Her hand then reached up for the zipper of her jacket. She slowly pulled it upward, exposing her upper body by doing so. Her breasts were surrounded by the same white material that made up an Arrancar's mask. But there was a small opening in the armor where her breasts met that exposed her bare flesh.
Right there, plain as day, was the number five inked unto her breast. Hallibel finished unzipping her white jacket, revealing a mask in the shape of a shark's mouth covering her face from jaw to cheeks.
Soi Fon eyed the tattoo that marked Hallibel as Quinto Espada suspiciously. "Odd. As I recall, you held the rank of Tercera during the battle of Karakura Town. Could it be that you have lost favor with Aizen and been demoted?" Soi Fon then waited for a response. She by no means actually thought that could be the cause of her change in rank. But if it angered her in the slightest, there was a better chance of her screwing up.
But Hallibel's eyes gave off the same cold and stoic glance they always had. "It is true that with recent additions to the Espada, our ranks have undergone change. But do not for a moment mistake that to mean that I have grown weak."
As if to emphasize her point, Hallibel gathered her spiritual pressure. In all it's glory, her energy enveloped her and took the appearance of a golden beacon of light that shot up to the sky, and down to the abyss. Soi Fon reflexively flinched back from the power that radiated from her. She wasn't kidding. Hallibel's power was easily on par with that of Barragan's. Perhaps even greater.
Just as quickly as it had formed, the pillar of light vanished. And Hallibel charged towards Soi Fon.
Soi Fon quickly drew her own Zanpakuto to clash against Hallibel's. When the two blades collided, Hallibel's sword tore halfway through the Soi Fon's blade.
Not allowing herself to be taken aback, Soi Fon flash stepped down to the rock that Komamura stood on. The animal Captain was not as stoic as his peer though.
He examined the gash in Soi Fon's blade. "A Zanpakuto owned by someone at Captain level should be near impossible to break. For this Espada to damage it like that..." Komamura shook the thought away, remembering that this was no time to worry about that.
"Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!" As she released her Zanpakuto, a light enveloped Soi Fon's arm and materialized into a metal brace that settled on her wrist, while the rest formed a single metal claw on her middle finger.
She then flash stepped to the Espada hoping to strike her just above the eye. Hallibel instinctively ducked and swiped her sword at the assassin. Soi Fon too dodged in a back-flip, lowering herself closer to water level.
Soi Fon made to dash forward, ready to strike again. But when she tried, a powerful tug on her leg kept her from advancing. Soi Fon looked down and saw water from the ocean had crept up her leg and was holding her in place.
Soi Fon looked up to see her opponent steadily advancing towards her. Soi Fon tried again in vain to yank her leg free from the water. It felt more like pulling oneself from quicksand than water.
When Hallibel neared though, the large blade of Komamura's enormous Bankai collided with the water between them, blocking the blonde Espada from her target. Incidentally, the giant splash also sent vibrations hurling up the water around Soi Fon's leg. While it was still shaking, the Second Captain managed to break free of the liquid restraining her and flash stepped back to solid ground.
Hallibel looked over her opponents in contemplation. Unlike her fight with Captain Hitsugaya, this was not a simple back and forth between ice and water. One was already in Bankai, and the other despised her Bankai so much that she rarely if ever used it. And considering its destructive power, it would be careless to use it at this range. Not to mention the fact that their power was limited by at least eighty percent.
This next step then was most likely not even necessary. Regardless, she was ordered to end the battle as soon as she could. That meant no holding back.
Hallibel raised her sword up and pointed towards the captains before her. Both raised their own Zanpakuto in response, expecting an attack from the female Espada. This, however, was no attack. Yet it sealed their fate all the same.
"Hunt, Tiburón!" The water beneath Hallibel's feet shot upwards and encased her in a giant pillar, obscuring her appearance from the two captains. Inside yellow reishi glowed like a star.
Eventually, the water ceased its upward flow and gravity brought it back down in an ungraceful collapse. The impact formed a giant wave that came up to Komamura's Bankai's chest and forced both him and Soi Fon to flash step up into the air.
They then set their gaze downward and caught an eyeful of Hallibel's Resurrección.
In this form, her clothes and Espada tattoo were gone. Her mask remnants had become a collar, with extensions covering her breasts. She gained spaulders on her shoulders, which bore a resemblance to shark fins, and two ribbon-like protrusions on her back. A thin, spine-like structure formed on her stomach, spanning from her waist to the underside of her breasts. Hallibel wore a mini-skirt consisting of bones surrounding a dark undergarment. She also had on a pair of knee-length boots and elbow-length gloves. Her weapon had also changed, taking the form of a broad pata, which resembled an elongated shark tooth, featuring an unusual hilt with a hand guard which completely covered her hand. The sword possessed gill markings along either side of the blade, and power radiated from it in waves. Hallibel had also lost the three braids in her hair, causing her hair to become messy, and gained two blue lightning bolt markings on both sides of her face. Now free from the disturbing maw of her mask, it was clear that Hallibel was quite beautiful, though her expression was so blank that it was a mask in and of itself.
Soi Fon's eyes narrowed on the Espada. She had briefly seen this form in Karakura Town, but had ignored it in favor of focusing on her own fight with Barragan. Now she could feel the full power of this form, which had clearly increased over the past three months.
Komamura was not willing to wait for her to make the first move. He made to lift up his sword so that his Bankai might do the same. However, his limbs were completely frozen. Despite his efforts he couldn't move. It was just like when Lucifer had held down his sword in the Soul Society.
Realizing the cause, Komamura turned to see that while his Bankai was not being bound from the outside, water was leaking through the gaps from the inside of his Bankai's armor. It was just like how Hallibel had restrained Soi Fon's leg. She was no using it to restrict the movement of his Bankai.
Hallibel took note of the captain's surprise as he realized what she had done. "Do not tell me you thought I would be foolish enough to allow a Bankai of that power to remain active." She said with disdain as she raised her shark-tooth sword. The sword began to glow with a golden light before she brought it back down in one swift movement. "Trident."
Even though Komamura's Tengen was a sizable distance from her, the giant still received a gigantic slash to its' chest plate that ran from its shoulder to waist.
With a horrified expression edged onto her features, Soi Fon turned just in time to see her fellow captain receive the exact same injury to his torso. Blood flew free from him dying his haori a dark red. The pain that shot through him was so intense that he lacked the energy to scream. It caused him to loss balance and plunge downwards towards the sea as his Bankai feel back into the water and was over taken by it.
"Sajin!" Soi Fon screamed as she flew towards him. But before she could make another move, Hallibel was upon her. In the blink of an eye, Soi Fon found herself mere inches from the receiving end of Hallibel's massive sword.
"La Gota." Hallibel said calmly as water ran out of the gill-shaped openings along her sword, coating the end of it. Soi Fon had the foresight to flash step away just before the water shot outwards with the speed of a bullet.
When Soi Fon reappeared some yards away, Hallibel raised her sword again. "Hirviendo." Upon her command, water rose up from the sea around them and gathered around her in perfectly round spheres. "Cascada." This time, the water came together in a spiraling surge that flooded towards the assassin captain.
Once again Yoruichi's apprentice flash stepped out of the attacks way, only having to move a few feet to the side. However, the water twisted in a sharp curve and was aimed at Soi Fon once more. She turned around in time to see the attack, but not in time to react.
It hit her with its full force, eliciting a scream from the normally stoic captain. "It's so hot! It's burning my skin!" With this rush of boiling water crushing down on her, she could not flash step. Leaving her to be pushed back as the water poured down on her. After another moment, her back hit the lone rock that she and Komamura had been using to stand on. She screamed again from pain and did her best to shield herself by crossing her arms over her body. The pressure of the Cascada was so intense that the rock began to break apart and sink underwater.
By the time the cascade had ended, Soi Fon's skin was bright red with innumerable blisters rising up on her arms and legs. Steam tumbled off of her as she looked up at Hallibel, whose expression remained impassive. Though on the inside the Quinta Espada was quite pleased. One captain had already been swallowed up by the ocean. The other was in utter agony. Sooner or later she would have to simply surrender if she had any value for her own life.
Or not. Soi Fon flash stepped in front of Hallibel with her clawed hand raised. Tier still reacted in time to swing her sword, which collided with Soi Fon's claw. But rather than being pushed back, Soi Fon turned her body about the part of her claw that had blocked the sword, flipping herself upside down as she did so and landing behind the Espada.
Soi Fon took the opportunity and struck the center of Hallibel's bare back. The Espada growled in frustration as she spun around to face her opponent. But the damage was done. A butterfly-shaped stamp had inked itself onto Hallibel's back, marking the sight of the attack.
Soi Fon could not help but smirk. "I suppose Aizen thought he was being clever by locking most of our power away. Admittedly it was not a bad strategy for the most part, but out of all the Captains of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, I rely on raw power the least."
Hallibel's eyes narrowed in annoyance. "That arrogance will be the death of you." She vowed as she raised her sword again. "Cero."
Hallibel swept her sword in a wide arc and a golden cero followed her swing, though Soi Fon was already gone.
The Espada became quickly overwhelmed as Soi Fon flash stepped from place to place to create 15 speed clones of herself. The clones formed a perfect circle around the blonde arrancar, entrapping her.
This put Hallibel in a rather difficult position. The mark Soi Fon had placed on her was in a rather inconvenient blind spot. Soi Fon could lunge forth from any one of these clones and deal the additional strike she needed to finish her off.
"I'll simply destroy them all." Hallibel decided as she brought back her sword. "Casca-"
She was cut off as a figure burst from the water and charge up to the battlefield.
"Roar, Tenken!" Sajin howled as a phantom version of his Bankai's arm appeared at his side. Komamura swung his sword at the Espada with the transparent blade following his movement perfectly.
Hallibel, taken aback by the sneak attack, blocked the giant sword with her own. Now stuck in that position, Soi Fon finally leaped out from behind Hallibel, ready to strike her target.
Hallibel turned back when she realized what it was Soi Fon was doing. She took her free arm off her sword, causing her sword arm to tremble as it was forced to hold off the giant Shikai itself. With her free hand, she grabbed a hold of Soi Fon's arm before her claw could make contact. Soi Fon fought back with all her might to end her opponent right there, and finally managed to break free of Hallibel's grip, slashing her claw to the side as she did so and feeling a satisfying tear of Hallibel's flesh.
With her adrenaline kicking in, Hallibel pushed back against Sajin's blade and sonidoed away from the two. She appeared close to the surface of the water, with her back to the captains.
Both looked at her back intently as they waited to see what would happen. After a few moments, much to their disappointment, another mark appeared a few inches to the left of the one already on Hallibel's olive skin. Soi Fon cursed under her breath for so narrowly missing her target.
Meanwhile, Hallibel continued to look down into the water as she realized what just happened. Of course that one attack wasn't enough to incapacitate Komamura, he simply feigned pain and moved under the water waiting for the perfect moment to strike. She mentally berated herself for having been foolish enough to fall for it.
Hallibel then looked over her shoulder and down into the water to see the reflection of her back, taking note of how near one mark was to the other. That had been close. Too close. Her mistake had very nearly cost her her life.
She sighed once again for being so daft. This was not a time to worry about her pride. She could not worry about conserving energy or showing her hand. This had to end now.
"I'm impressed that you were capable of this much with your power held back. You have certainly earned my respect as warriors. That said..." She announced as she looked up to them sharply. "I was sent here by Lord Aizen himself, entrusted to retrieve the fragment of the Oken that is safeguarded here. I cannot afford to lose. So from this point on, I will not hold back."
Soi Fon's eyes widened at Hallibel's proclamation before snorting. "What nonsense. You have already released your true form. What further power could you posse-"
Soi Fon stopped talking as an intense spiritual pressure came raining down upon her and Sajin. Once again it became hard to move under its weight and the difference between its' power and theirs became terrifyingly apparent.
"You are correct," Hallibel said as her power rose to new heights and golden reiatsu tumbled off of her like steam coming off of red hot steel once submerged. "This is my Resurrección, and there was once a time where that would mean something. But the Espada have surpassed all limits and redefined what was once thought possible. The Espada I mentioned before, Ulquiorra Cifer, has a technique that is specific to him alone. Though over the course of the last few months, he has passed it on to all Espada numbered one through six."
Hallibel looked up at her foe's with narrowed eyes. But now, her sclera were as black as coal. "Gaze upon me Soul Reapers, for this is the true form of despair."
"Resurrección, Segunda Etapa."
IMPORTANT VOTE TAKING PLACE HERE!
I haven't started writing the next chapter yet. We're still in the interlude here where we're going over the Espada's battles though so the and I want to save Ulqui for last so the options are:
Toshiro and Kurotsuchi vs Starrk and Lilynette
Or
Kenpachi vs Grimmjow
Which of those battles would you like to see more? Let me know via comments and that's the chapter I'll go for.
I know I know, cliffhangers. But they are so fun to write ;P
Lord Jaric - where would the fun be if you knew?
777torn777 - What, you want Ichigo to hook up with Nel? NOPE! I'm Ichihime all the way.
Hime Ichi Ulqui Grim - Since when is anything that easy? PS we ALL love Orihime.
RSin the Emprahh 23 - I have something planned actually that hits the nail on the head for what you were talking about. It's a couple chapters in thoug so wait and see.
Veraozao - *kisses back*
Sephy-Chan - I hope this feeds your addiction! ;P
Thanks for all the Happy Birthdays and please remember to check out the stories of my co-writer Lady Serai.
AND REVIEW!
Happy Saint Patrick's Day! See you soon! ;)