25. Hoffnung
KAMAKURA ISLAND
Hollows, two gaping wounds in the sky and a terrifying child with an incomprehensible power. How would the Gotei 13 solve this massive problem?
Kommamura stood up from the wreckage. "Let me hold of the hollow...You should all fight that girl up there."
"I will fight this girl." Byakuya came forth. "I have nearly defeated her once, I can do it again."
"Are you crazy you can't take her alone." Hisagi tried to reason with the noble officer but he wouldn't budge. He left in a flash and in an instant reappeared in front of Mariko.
"Don't worry I'll compete for her blood as well." Kenpachi went on a blind pursuit of the Diclonius, wishing to repent for his shameful defeat against Lucy previously.
"Go now. I will fight the hollow." Kommamura glowed red as he called forth his massive Bankai. It would kill 30 hollow in one sweep but still was barely holding them off.
Meanwhile the remaining captains Looked in concern at the image of Rukongai in the sky. A captain class officer and a small pink-haired girl suddenly jumped out from the large crack.
"Captain Izuru."
"This looks bad guys. I noticed the hole and decided to help out." Once he had a look at Byakuya and Kenpachi fighting a crazed Mariko he nearly collapsed in shock. "What has she become!?"
"I believe she has transformed." Mayuri hypothesized. "Her reiatsu seems similar to that of a captain class Shinigami. If I were not mistaken, perhaps she has become acquainted with her 'zanpakuto'."
"But she is not a Shinigami. How would that be possible?" Izuru questioned the madman's theory.
"Well after brief researching with the Diclonii species it seems they are clearly superhuman in comparison to an ordinary soul. It would be possible to achieve Shinigami like status within days of being exposed to Soul Society's high reishi levels." Mayuri rolled the eyes in the back of his head in delight.
Izuru felt uncomfortable about such a possibility so he turned his attention to the more pressing issue. "We need the Diclonii to seal Hueco Mundo and Soul Society."
Shunsui responded. "Well they were hanging around us just before we got here...we went through this forest and once we got here they left."
"Does that not alarm you the slightest?" Izuru attacked Shunsui's laid back nature.
"I thought they were just taking a break from all that work." Shunsui shrugged his shoulders.
"I'm sure they'll show up captain." Hisagi reassured.
Izuru then remembered something Mori had told him. "Hey Mori." Looking down at his assistant Diclonii. "You said you can sense your friends at close range right?"
"Yes usually...but..." She frowned.
"What is it Mori?" Izuru parting her smooth hair.
"Mariko is all I can sense. She is interfering with my ability."
Izuru bunched his fists in frustration. The time they needed the Diclonii most and they were not around. All he could do was wait and hope Byakuya and Kenpachi' were able to defeat Mariko.
MEANWHILE...
"Hahahahahaha!!!" Mariko seemed to produce an infinite amount of vectors; Byakuya though was too fast for her slow strikes. It seemed that for the luxury of increased power, her vectors had additional weight. Multiplied by over two-hundred and she would be swinging a skyscraper.
Byakuya too was facing frustration. She had ten times as many vectors as last time and so could deflect and block all of his moves – even a thousand tiny blades. This was soon becoming a war of attrition.
"I know I'm hittin somethin but I don't taste blood." Kenpachi seemed to be of limited assistance as he simply sliced at transparent limbs.
Ichigo and Nana returned to help the captains. Ichigo had now donned his hollow mask.
"Hey Ichigo." Nana quickly deduced a plan.
"Yes"
"Try and create a diversion for a while...if I can reach her head I should be able to cancel her vectors long enough for you to stab her."
"Can you guys really do that to each other?" Ichigo was interested.
"No only I know how to do it." Dodging a flying arm. "Quickly! Go!"
Ichigo darted to the left of Mariko's body and had a chance to speak with Byakuya. "Hey Byakuya can you help me distract this girl. We have a plan."
"We? I am dealing with her. I need not help from a commoner." But there was no time for bickering. A near encounter with a vector changed that. "OK I'll help you boy."
~I nearly lost my head there. I must not be so arrogant.~
Byakuya swirled around his many cherry blossoms as Ichigo flung small Getsuga blasts at Mariko. She responded by moving her arms indiscriminately, Kenpachi took an unsuspecting blow and fell a hundred metres to the ground. Luckily the vector bounced off his sword so he was unscathed but stunned.
"Dammit its no use." Ichigo was contemplating defeat.
"I know a move that will keep her occupied enough for a decisive blow." Byakuya morphed his blades into a sphere which engulfed Mariko's body.
"What the hell is this?" Mariko couldn't swipe away the blades as her arms were too long now.
A gap was made for someone to enter. Nana came through with her vectors ready for the paralysis strike.
KOMMAMURA'S BATTLE
Kokujo Tengen was starting to rust at the prolonged use against the waves of hollow. Hisagi soon came to help, so to Shunsui, but still it was getting exhausting. Not only that but the more hollow they killed the crack in soul Society became larger and larger.
Izuru panicked, "Soul Society is collapsing into the World of the Living. The balance has been altered...WHERE ARE MY DICLONII!?"
MEANWHILE...
Nana stopped in her tracks, centimetres from striking Mariko. A heavy hand had just managed to grasp her torso.
~Oh no! She has caught me...~
Nana struggled in vain as the heavy hand bagen crushing her ribs. She winced as she was being tortured, only this time death was inevitable.
"Nana" Ichigo reached out.
"NANA." Kurama felt helpless below.
Nana's once elegant dress ripped and burst under the pressure. It was merely hanging on her shoulders now. Not that it would matter as Mariko produced one more vector hovering around Nana's head.
"Shame we couldn't be friends Nana."
The vector thrusted towards Nanas head but then diverted and missed terribly. What had happened? Mariko disliked the feeling she had when imagining killing someone and ripping them apart, only for it not to come to fruition.
But where was her arm? She looked at the missing left limb plummet to the ground. It was not the orange haired boy. He was too far away. So too Byakuya and the others. One thing was for sure...
"KYAHH!!! NO!NO!NOO! IT HURTS!" As she swung around she dropped Nana. Nana was too weak to use her vectors, Kurama managed to catch her.
"Pa...pa...I got my dress ruined...I'm sorry..." She fell unconscious.
"It's okay Nana."
Mariko clasped at the area where her left arm once was. "Dammit which one of you did it? I will show no mercy to whoever cut off my arm."
"Stop whingeing little girl. You will only make yourself bleed more..."
Mariko, Ichigo, Byakuya, no-one expected to see her again. But she was here now. Now able to form reishi under her feet to stay afloat, her four vectors brought fear to even Mariko.
"So your finally arrived. Former queen..."
The showdown between Lucy and Mariko begins...who will win?