"You… you tricked me…" Theda hissed, her own fear creeping into her expression as she realized what she had done. The barrier fell around her, giving her access to the rest of the souls around her, just as they had access to attack her, but neither side moved. Judging by their enemy's reaction, Ruala was not supposed to die.
"And now you will perish as well." The female voice caught their attention as a different Royal Guard stepped forward. Kirio Hikifune, the guard that Ruala had been closest to, and the only one who knew the girl's trials and hardships, as well as their curse. "You have performed the taboo act of slaughtering your other half in an attempt to gain power that does not belong to you, and so your curse will remove you both from this world."
"She tricked me!" Theda snarled back in argument, though they watched in surprise as she backed away with each step Kirio took towards her.
"Did she? Or were you so overwhelmed with selfish hatred you attacked her in cold blood?"
The necromancer did not reply as she glanced at her hands, her skin turning dark and beginning to crack. Her single healthy eye widened in fear as she saw herself begin to crumble. Despite the shake in her hands as they fell to dust, she turned a glare up at the purple haired cook.
"I may no longer have a physical form, but death will always be waiting for you." She warned them. "There will be no mercy for you when this world meets its end, and your lives will be full of suffering and despair."
"If there wasn't, then Hope would not be there to keep us going when all seems dark." Kirio countered, kneeling beside Ruala's body, reaching over to close her eyes with a gentle touch. Ruala's body was becoming coated in white but otherwise crumbling the same as Theda's. "Life and Death must always have a balance. That's why we Soul Reapers exist to prevent the balance of souls from tipping too far in one direction or another. We know there is suffering, that our battle will never end. But the hopeful rebirth is always there to greet us."
There was a roar as the undead dragon attempted to charge away from the dragons towards his master, his movements stiff as the muscles lost their magic and the bones turned brittle. The back half began to go still first from where the spine had been severed in their battle earlier. Infiro knocked the stumbling creature onto his side, he and Noxis lighting the rotting flesh aflame to release the spirit from its corpse. The other dragons bowed their head in respect as their former king was finally freed from servitude to the angel of death.
Theda paid little attention to the loss of her pet, focused on those around her with mixed expressions of fear and hatred, a look of insanity creeping into her expression as her lips curled up in a cruel smile even as a tear fell from her eye. After all, there was no rebirth to greet her, her role was now in someone else's hands, and even if a new set of twins fell to the same fate, she would not be one of them. Her personal, conscious existence was ending even if her power was eternal. The darkness was creeping over the rest of her body, cracking and falling apart, and as it creeped up her neck she began to laugh. A laugh hollow of any mirth, only acceptance that she had been outwitted.
Along with her, Ruala became coated in white, appearing as if made of marble before beginning to disperse as dust in the wind. Toshiro watched with a pained expression as the white rose into the air, curling around the black and carrying it away into the sky. Sofia landed in between where the two girls had been, lifting her head up the sky with a mournful song. A familiar without a master was a sad creature indeed, some of her color fading as her power left among the dust, adding to it swirls of color that faded with the rest. On the ground, there was nothing left of either sister… just an empty presence and a crying beast.
But they had little time to mourn or feel despair for the loss of another Royal Guard. All they knew was that their worst opponent was gone, the undefeatable Death taken from their enemy and no longer a threat. Their dead would be left alone. There were still other threats, however, and no time to rest. The doorway was open. They had to move on.
As the warriors turned away to focus on preparing to enter the hidden realm, Toshiro approached Kirio still kneeling on the ground and knelt next to her.
"This was likely an outcome Dethmaiyn wanted." The purple-haired woman warned. "The only reason he would dare make allies with a woman like Theda. If he forced you to set her free, the only way to win would be if we lost Ruala as well."
"I was thinking the same thing." Toshiro looked sadly to where Ruala had once stood. "If I never opened the door to set Theda free, Ruala would still be alive, but then Dethmaiyn could just play the waiting game until he won, with no way for us to get to him. If we wanted to defeat him, we had no choice but to lose her."
"Which means the biggest threat to his darkness is no longer a threat." Kirio sighed. "And he doesn't have to worry about Theda destroying his world either."
Toshiro turned his attention to the pale white familiar still standing nearby, her violet eyes turned to him with sadness in their expression.
"I'm sorry it had to be this way, Sofia." He said to the bird of Hope, though she no longer carried that power.
The creature hung her head sadly. She knew exactly what was going to happen, but that didn't make it easier, having been the mage's familiar for centuries. At the least, not all was lost. Ruala had made sure her closest companion had a new master. She would lose the name Sofia, and probably her form as well, but she would grant her power to the two young souls who needed her protection most right now. Her feathered head reached out with a solemn purr towards her king.
Assuming the familiar just wanted comfort, Toshiro reached a hand out to pet Sofia's head, pulling back in surprise when there was a flash of light as his fingers brushed over the smooth forehead scales.
"You've been granted her protection." Kirio explained to the confused Soul King, watching his expression switch to understanding as he remembered Ruala's last message. "I'm not sure how much of her power that grants you, but at the least it seems Ruala wished to continue serving you in some way."
"So a familiar doesn't vanish with their master?"
"The one we knew as her familiar will disappear, but you likely now have the ability to call upon her power."
They both watched as the creature made her way past them and over to a cautious Karin Kurosaki, reaching her head out to the young woman same as she had for Toshiro. Karin had watched the interaction between the familiar and Toshiro, but being too far as she helped injured to Unohana she had no idea what it meant, simply giving the bird a head pat before pulling away as the same light flashed.
"She's protecting Karin too." Toshiro noted aloud.
"I'm sure that makes you feel better." Kirio looked to him with a motherly smile. "Are you ready to continue the fight, Your Majesty?"
"We don't really have a choice, but yes, I'm ready." With the knowledge that Ruala was still in some way helping them, Toshiro stood and turned towards the tunnel where half the army was still making sure the demon couldn't claw past them. The dark force had lessened their push with no more Fear to fuel them, so there wasn't much threat just yet. "A lot of us are injured, however… if only there was time to rest."
Karin was thinking along the same lines as she looked to how many people Unohana and her squad were rushing around to try and treat.
"Ruala had healing magic, do you?" She asked the bird still settled next to her.
Violet eyes stared back at her for a moment, taking in her request. Her powers had been greatly reduced, but as a very old familiar there were still a few tricks she had retained, and this would be the last one she would get to use before she became something new for the two souls she had been given to. Feathered wings spread wide and the golden swirls along her body began to glow again as she lifted up into the air, a trail of silver dust in her wake. She flew circles over where the injured were first, the dust falling like sparking crystal snow onto the bodies beneath. Cuts stopped bleeding, bruises became less tender, pain and superficial wounds vanished. Fatal injuries were still present, but were no longer life-threatening, giving the healers more time to get to each of them. It was not a miracle cure, but it was very helpful on the stressed doctors. More than that, the magic restored energy. As the bird made her way over the rest of the army, they felt reinvigorated and ready to keep going, as if given several energy drinks.
With each pass over the soldiers, the bird grew smaller in size. Even as the warriors all cheered and prayed for their continued victories, giving thanks to the familiar, the creature shrunk and began to look tired. Eventually, now about the size and appearance of a dove, she returned to Karin's side and landed a bit clumsily in her hands, shifting back into her more familiar domestic cat form.
"I must rest now…" The feline sighed tiredly. "Karin Kurosaki… and Toshiro Hitsugaya… ownership of my powers has passed to the two of you… I will explain… in time… But, for now… I must rest. I will still protect you… be alert, masters."
"Ownership?" Karin had so many questions, but the cat was already fast asleep, shifting into a mist-like form and disappearing. She had a feeling the familiar was around, though, if a little worried for the creature. "I guess once this battle is over Toshiro and I have some things to figure out…"
"Karin!"
The teen turned towards her brother as he hurried over to her.
"Next plan is to head inside, how are you feeling?" He asked, looking his sister over for potential injury.
"I'm actually doing fine, just a few scrapes." She answered confidently. "That passage looks narrow; wouldn't we just end up like the demons trying to go through?"
"That's something all the leaders are talking about. I was about to head over to Toshiro to see what he thinks, check on Yuzu for me?"
Though she would have preferred to go with her brother and hear what the plan was, Karin did want to check on her sister and nodded in agreement. Once her brother Flash Stepped away, she turned to look for the blonde-haired sister with a white dragon.
The teen was currently near Unohana. The Captain's dragon Laseiltha was a Flora type and made use of her power over plants to give little healing dragon Shimmer fuel to use on the injured and afflicted. The bag Shimmer usually carried had long been abandoned, emptied out a while ago and forcing the healer to be reliant on the larger dragon for herbs to use. Soldiers greatly appreciated the tiny dragon's work, and Yuzu herself was focused and determined as she shadowed Unohana and helped out any way that she could, even running off to help other healers on request. Karin almost didn't want to bother her as she was so busy.
"Oh, Karin, are you hurt?" Spotting her twin, Yuzu rushed over in a worried flash, almost mimicking Ichigo as she looked for injuries.
"I'm doing better than anyone over here, don't worry." Karin promised. "I came over to check up on you. Are you okay?"
"Oh I'm fine!" Yuzu replied cheerfully, but Karin could see the stress tightening her jaw and shoulders. "If you're sure that you're okay, I have to get back to work."
"Of course, be careful." Karin managed to snag her twin into a quick hug before she darted off. She could feel Yuzu relax and shortly felt a tight squeeze right after. "Love you, sis."
"Love you too." She replied, smiling gratefully at Karin before heading back into the hustle of healer work. Karin could tell that Yuzu was just as shaken by the immense losses they were facing as she had been. Of anyone in the Kurosaki family, Yuzu was the least prepared for this kind of life, yet here she was doing her best to help. It was inspiring, but also brought Karin some concern as she worried for her sister's safety, just as she knew Yuzu was terrified of her family being out in front of the fight.
Karin promised to make this war a victory, if only so her sister didn't have to lose another member of her family. Their mother would never forgive them if they went to join her before they even became full adults.
Meanwhile, their older brother was currently discussing with the Soul King on what their next course of action was.
"It's very likely those three will be waiting for us on the other end." Toshiro stated, meaning the last of the Solar Five Sisters that had briefly shown themselves before Theda jumped into the fight. "The demon wave is pulling away, so getting through may not be a problem anymore, but we should definitely expect an ambush."
"How do you want to deal with it?" Senjumaru questioned, she and the other remaining four Royal Guards close by along with the separate Soul Society leaders.
"I don't mind going in first, at the least you'll know if I get into a fight and I can hold off until everyone gets in." Ichigo volunteered, always prepared to take front if it protected his friends.
"How humble." Ichibe chuckled briefly. "Let's not risk any more of us in heroic sacrifices, new kid."
"If you need someone to test the waters upon entrance, my fellow Immortals and I wouldn't mind taking lead." Zeus spoke up, shooting a glance of respect to Ichigo for being so willing to risk his life in a potential trap. "Each one of us carries power equal to yours, and we do not have to fear a permanent death."
"If you're willing, it would be appreciated." Toshiro nodded to the King of Olympus. "We'll be close behind to help should they indeed have elites waiting. Even if you can eventually come back to a physical form, the less soldiers we lose the better, especially forces as strong as yours."
"That's settled then. Once the squads are ready, we will head inside." Zeus gave a confident grin and a small bow of his head to the Soul King. "Thanks to the dragon bird belonging to your guard, it seems most of the soldiers can keep going."
"A blessing indeed, since this war is just starting." Yamamoto grunted his agreement. "We're going straight into the unknown."
"At least Death is no longer trying to steal our souls." Ichibe added in with a lighter tone. No one was very amused, considering how many they had lost, the cries of their comrades forced back to life to fight their allies still in their minds.
"What about the dragons?" Ichigo asked, looking to the creatures he mentioned. Most of the dragons were too big to easily fit inside the tunnel, and it would cause a delay in invading the hidden realm as well as put the dragons in a vulnerable position since they couldn't fight.
"If the smaller ones want to get in and help they can, but they will likely have to either wait to go in or stay out here and protect the injured." Toshiro stated. Due to Myndrӕl's growth spurt in the last two years he was one of the ones that would have to stay behind, a fact he wasn't happy about. They had no choice though. Myndrӕl promised to keep an eye on those outside, Dyrilӕn beside him though she was just small enough she might be able to squeeze in after the army if she so chose.
"Alright then, let's make sure everyone is ready to go after the Dark Master himself." Oetsu was full of energy as always, turning to the mass of soldiers around them. "Get fired up, dogs, we're about to stomp this demon stronghold!"
There were some cheers in response from warriors ready to keep fighting, ready to put the demons in their place. Others were less enthusiastic and simply focused on performing their duty for the safety of their world. If they learned anything from the previous battles, it's that they couldn't let this massive dark force get out into the Living World in full. If multiple armies of multiple Soul Societies were having trouble dealing with them, there was no hope for the humans.
"You may take lead for this, King Zeus." Toshiro directed at the Immortal, giving him permission to take charge for this march.
"I am honored to have this position, Soul King." Zeus gave another small bow before heading towards the tunnels with the other Immortals at his side, each geared up and ready to keep going, ignoring the scratches on their arms and tears in their armor. "Forward march, brave warriors!"
Whichever faction they might have belonged to, any and all warriors fit to keep going began their march towards the Precipice World gate to invade, staying behind their leaders but otherwise following the mighty Immortals as the front runners. Toshiro and his Royal Guards marched in between the Immortals and the main force, prepared to hang back if necessary. Karin wished to join them but stayed with Rangiku, Renji and the others for now, knowing her brother and boyfriend would be fine.
A chill washed over them from the demon world, a few of the creatures attempting to rush forward only for Zeus, Poseidon and Aries to quickly demolish them. The chill carried with it a sense of foreboding and a dark fear of its own, if not as harsh and debilitating as the Fear made by Theda.
It was their warning to turn back, as once they made it in, the final battle would commence and there would be no going back. Once they stepped into the Dark Master's territory, there was no taking it back. Kamai had already declared war with his soldiers, once they officially retaliated on his own ground, there was no more holding back.
Only one side would be able to claim victory.