It was quite a wait, but here is the next chapter! Enjoy!
UNLEASH HELL
Rukia, Eve, Train and Ichigo sat at a small round table. Small meals were placed in front of them but no-one was hungry. Ichigo had told Eve all about her abduction and how Sven was injured trying to find her.
The little blonde girl listened intently but her expression betrayed her calm facade. Rukia gave her a hug but Eve just stared at the walls blankly. She was recalling the last memories she had, of her encounter in the Doctor's dungeon. The sickening acts he performed. How he had tried to dissect her. She slid down the sleeve of her arm and found traces of scars running up her arms. She whimpered and looked to Train for support.
"It's okay Princess. You're safe now. That doctor is dead and gone now." Train patted her head and she gave a light smile. Train laughed and sat back in his chair. "We should be safe for now. The hounds from Soul Society should have their hands full for a while with preparations for their next strike."
"We should leave this place. Orihime's apartment is a target now and we cannot just stay here like sitting ducks. We have to move." Ichigo explained.
Train nodded. "We'll wait for Sven to wake up. When he's up we can move off and find a new place to set up camp."
Eve looked over her shoulder at the man in question. He laid slumped on the sofa, his eyes closed and his chest slowly rising and falling. "He's awake..." She murmured, pointing a small finger at him. Everyone turned to him and watched on curiously.
"He should wake very soon. For now, why don't you have something to eat! You must be starving!" Orihime set down more bowls of food and began to tuck into her own meal. The others followed suit, taking small bites but trying their best to recharge their expended energy. If the next fight would be more intense, then they needed all they could to survive.
They ate in relative silence. Occasionally someone would mention something to arouse small talk from the others. When they were all finished Orihime cleared up while the rest sat down and chatted quietly.
Eve left the group and sat in front of Sven, her gaze fixated on his face. She stared at him wordlessly for what felt like a very long time and was soon going to leave, but then his eye flickered. She froze and her eyes narrowed.
Sven's eyelids fluttered and then opened fully to stare at the young girl sitting before him. He merely stared for a moment before he could manage a smile. "Eve..."
"Sven!" Eve jumped up and wrapped her arms around him accidentally hurting him. She apologised sheepishly and then hugged him again. The others gathered around and watched the celebration.
"So you finally got enough beauty sleep, eh Sven?" Train joked, flashing a kind grin.
Sven squinted at him as if unsure who he was, and then it dawned on him. "Train? You're..."
"Alive and well. How are you?"
"Could be better." Sven sat up and coughed. He rubbed at his stomach where in his last memory he had been cut to shreds. He frowned at the sudden realisation that the wounds were gone. "What happened? I was ripped to shreds! Where are my wounds?"
Orihime stepped forward and raised a hand. "I healed them."
Sven shrugged his shoulders and looked at the larger group. "So we've dragged more poor saps into our little battle huh? What happened while I was out?"
"The Gotei 13 has been sending their highest ranking officers to try and hunt us down. We've send two of them running with their tails between their legs, but next time we won't be so lucky. We need to move while we still have the chance." Train helped Sven get on his feet and then they took inventory of what they needed.
"Shouldn't Sven rest?" Eve asked.
Sven placed a hand on her shoulder and laughed. "I think I've had enough rest. From what I've been told we need to move as soon as possible." There was a brief pause before, "You were really worried about me weren't you?"
Eve's cheeks blushed bright red and Sven laughed. "Thanks for caring. At least someone does..."
In the hall outside, a man in ninja attire eavesdropped on the newly rejuvenated group. The man bowed his head and nodded as he overheard the last of their conversation. He then bolted outside and waited until his captain arrived.
Soi Fon glared at the apartment building and then back at the guard. "Are they still there?"
"Yes, master Soi Fon. Those who were previously injured have all been healed. I suggest we wait for support from the other squads before making a move."
Soi Fon scowled. "The other squads are busy right now...I shall try and gather a sizeable force of troops; you monitor their location report back to me when they start moving."
"Yes ma'am." The ninja bowed and then returned to the apartment.
Soi Fon watched him go and gave one last glance at the apartment block. "I shall destroy you Train Heartnet." She snarled with clenched fists and gritted teeth. "No-one has ever defeated the Fon Ninja and lived to tell about it. The disgrace I suffered at your hand shall not go unpunished. I shall avenge myself and reclaim my honour!"
She cursed and trudged back the way she came. "Until then, I have work to do!"
River looked around in stunned awe. The Chronos headquarters was a war zone. Equipment had been smashed and knocked down. Walls had collapsed and corpses littered the halls, both shinigami and Chronos members.
"What's going on?"
Xiao Li chuckled. "A few problems occurred. We're going to put things right and expel those shinigami from our organisation. Unfortunately, as force is the only thing they understand we must use it against them to convey our message."
"And why do you need us? We've been waiting in a hangar for hours doing nothing and now suddenly you've brought us out."
"Well, Sephiria is fighting an adversary of incredible power. She is no doubt unable to fight for now. As she has the fighting abilities of a hundred me, the natural way to compensate is to have a hundred men fight alongside us." Xiao Li explained simply.
"You're crazy. We're only sweepers! We don't need to get tied in with your stupid little war!"
"Well, we are in charge of you all. You still must obey orders, no matter how much you don't want to."
"Hell no!" River shoved Xiao Li aside and stormed out of the building. A large number of the sweepers began to follow suit.
Xiao Li desperately tried to call them back but none listened. When he knew he had failed he cursed under his breath and frowned. "This won't be good...If the Sweeper Alliance try to escape, chances are the Gotei 13 will try and bully them into serving. I can't let them do that!" He stopped and thought for a moment.
"Hmm, if they won't follow me, then I'll follow them." He jogged off after the retreating sweepers.
Naizer and Byakuya clashed weapons again in a furious rain of sparks. Naizer instantly launched a furious combination of strikes. Byakuya guarded each strike with expert precision. Neither could land a hit on the other for several minutes until finally Naizer had some luck. His tonfa slammed into Byakuya's side, knocking him off guard. Naizer then followed up with a jab to the stomach before finally placing the tonfa side by side and swinging the weapons like baseball bats. When they hit Byakuya a shockwave erupted from the site of collision and Byakuya was thrown through the wall into the next room, and then through that wall into the next one in line.
Naizer stalked his wounded opponent, leisurely strolling over to where the wounded captain lay in a pile of rubble. The Chronos assassin smirked and raised his tonfa in the air. "It's over!"
He brought the weapons down but was shocked by the surprisingly powerful force that blocked them off. He jumped aside as a large scimitar hacked at the empty space he once covered.
Another one? Where is he?
The rubble was knocked aside and the new opponent staggered out. He glared down at something at his feet. "I told you to stop your friends from attacking me! Where were you?"
A chunk of wall was thrown away and Jenos crawled out, coughing. "I was under you remember? Geez, how much do you weigh? I feel like I've been crushed."
"I'm not fat! The wall collapsed on us you moron! How could someone so dumb become an assassin?" The captain sighed and shook his head. He noticed Naizer and chuckled. "One second big guy." He returned to Jenos. "See your friend here looks well organised. I'm sure he'd understand a simple command!"
"Oh shut up! What are you, my mother?" Jenos rubbed the back of his head and for the first time noticed Naizer's presence. "Naizer?"
"Jenos what the hell are you doing? Why were you helping you enemy?" The bald assassin growled.
"Because he won't let me go until I have a drink with him..." Jenos muttered ashamedly.
"Drink?" Naizer cocked his head. A second later he was cut down by the newly arisen Byakuya Kuchiki. Blood spurted from the large gash in his shoulder and he was forced to drop one of his tonfa, now fighting with just one.
Shunsui and Jenos watched on, unsure whether to interfere or not. They looked to each other and nodded. "It's best to leave them..."
"Yeah." Shunsui led the way to the kitchens leaving the others to fight on.
Sephiria staggered towards a wall. She leaned against while she wiped the blood from her eyes. Her battle with the captain commander was getting vicious. Every single strike from her opponent was a strike to kill. She had only just avoided decapitation, but she didn't get out unscathed. A nasty gash on her forehead was oozing its grim crimson fluid. She cursed and tore off part of her sleeve, making a simple bandage. She tied it around her head like a bandana and then took up her sword once more.
Yammamoto panted heavily. In his old age such a strenuous battle took a great toll. He had avoided any harm, but he was getting exhausted. Despite Sephiria's attacks being easy to guard against, the incredible frequency of those attacks was draining him. He easily overpowered her in terms of strength, but her speed was unmatchable. Luckily his defensive capabilities seemed to outweigh his opponent, giving him an advantage.
Sephiria closed her eyes and meditated, regaining her bearings and preparing for the next bout.
Yammamoto glanced down at his sword and scowled. "Let us end this now." He kept his head bowed down and began to chant the release for his zanpakuto. "Turn all creation to ash..." His head shot straight up and his blazing eyes focused on his foe. "Ryujin Jakka!" In an instant everything within a two metre radius was burned to cinder and a raging ball of fire enveloped his body.
Sephiria prepared herself. The start of the battle was only a minuscule portion of this man's power. Now she truly understood despair. Her shaking hands gripped her sword and held it out defensively. She steeled herself for the next strike, which would surpass anything she had ever experienced before.
"Die you witch!" Yammamoto roared, swinging his sword and unleashing a flickering fireball that stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
Sephiria dashed out of harms way as the ceiling collapsed in on itself. She nervously scanned the rubble and found a plume of smoke rising from between two chunks of debris. She smirked and charged, thrusting her sword through the gap. When a red spray erupted from the gap she felt more at ease.
"Hmm. Your power was far too much for this place to contain. You thought you could destroy me in one devastating attack, but its immense power worked against you! Power is nothing without strategy. That is why you shall die!"
"So you think." Yammamoto burst out from the rubble and grabbed the edge of the sword with his bare hand; it cut into his fingers as he tightened his grip and wrenched the sword out of his chest. He relished in Sephiria's awe at his feat of fearlessness.
"Unbelievable..." She whispered.
"I have been a warrior for thousands of years! To have the hide to think of me as inexperienced is a disgusting insult! Underestimating you opponent is the worst thing you can do in combat. That is why you shall die!" Before she could react the ancient man struck out with the back of his fist. It connected with her face and hurled her several metres away where she crumpled and lay still.
Yammamoto stepped out from the rubble and took up his sword. Flames lapped at the blackened, ash coated blade. The flickering orange tongues danced gracefully along its length creating vivid shadows against the ground.
"Destroying this area was no accident. It was necessary to make room for this move!" The old man gave a hint of a smile as he began to chant softly.
Sephiria couldn't hear him but she knew it was bad. She reached for her sword but the old man stomped on the blade, pinning it down. Desperately, she tugged at it, trying to free the weapon but it was too late.
Yammamoto glared at her and roared. "Hado 91, Senju Koten Taiho!"
Sephiria scrambled to her feet and stared at the spears of light that rushed towards her. Her eyes widened and she stood there, stunned. The spears exploded in a wide blast, razing the entire building and destroying the entirety of the Chronos Headquarters. The devastating explosion sent out shockwaves that made sure nothing remained standing, whether it be a wall or a living thing.
As the explosion passed and fires raged all over the compound, only one man remained standing. A lone old man who stood atop a pile of rubble with his flaming sword held high.
The inner struggles within Chronos and the Gotei 13 takes an unexpected turn. A massive explosion destroys the entire compound and countless warriors within it. Who will make it out of the rubble alive and will this devastating attack finish the battle, or is there more to come? Find out in the next chapter!
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