Shadows of Deceit
Overwhelm
I know I say this every chapter, but I really do appreciate everyone's reviews, reads, likes, and follows.
***ME NO OWN BLEACH! ***
***SoD***
The rain seemed unending, drenching the entire battlefield and wearing down the morale of the Shinigami. Meanwhile the Espada themselves seemed to only be encouraged by it, as if the water was washing away all fear and doubt in the outcome of the war.
Komamura, Shinji, Hachi, and Sui-Feng gazed upon the transformed form of their opponent, the Tres Espada. In her new form Harribel was covered in a white skeleton like armor, with dark blue coverings between the white bone-like pieces. Her weapon had changed from a large blade into a spear with a large shark tooth protrusion at the end.
The Arrancar's face was now unobstructed, and the four Shinigami could see her piercing gaze despite the heavy rain.
The greatest change of all seemed to be her dramatic increase in spiritual power, which seemed to feel almost like an ocean of weight was pressing down on the entire battlefield, coating them with its power.
Finally the Espada broke the silence with an almost relieved sigh.
"Diosa de las Ondas"
"So this is her equivalent of Bankai eh? If all four of them are this powerful we need to end this fight quickly, how about a good old fashioned three way assault?" Shinji suggested, and earning a nod from the other two as the combatants flashed forward. Shinji, being the least injured of the three, took center, while Komamura went to the side, and Sui-Feng circled around behind.
As the three charged forward the Espada leapt to meet them, moving out of the way from the heavy side slam and putting the Visored leader's timing slightly off with his horizontal attack. Easily parrying her blond opponent Harribel spun around and swung toward her rear flank.
The Second Division Captain barely managed to avoid what most likely would have been a devastating attack with a last moment activation of Shunko.
Unfortunately, they had been unaware of all the advantages of the Espada's new state.
A massive wave of water slammed forward, catching the woman by surprise and throwing her backward as she tried to negate the attack.
Next the Arrancar placed her free hand onto the other end of her spear, and slammed the center of the weapon into the face of the anthromorphic Captain, knocking him backwards and stunning him for a moment, before she completed her original spin with a diagonal slashed across Shinji's chest, cutting him deeply, as well as producing another wave of intense water to throw him from the skirmish.
Finishing up she kicked the remaining oversized Shinigami in the chest, launching him backwards a decent ways before turning her gaze on the so Kido specialist.
"I would suggest you leave this battle while you are able. It will be difficult for me to hold back from killing you in this state. I have already lost several comrades and a close friend and I have no interest in spilling more blood than is necessary."
Before the pink haired man could answer the Onmitsukido leader appeared to her left, fully coated in Shunko and driving her Zanpakuto towards the woman's head, only to watch as her target seemed to step out of the way, easily dodging the attack before slamming her fist into the overextended Shinigami's stomach, knocking the wind out of her.
"H-how…"
"My thoughts exactly, how did you manage to become a Captain, much less the head of the stealth force, if you are not only unable to sneak up on your opponent, but also cannot analyze the battlefield you are standing in. Since activating this form the entire battlefield has been soaked in rain. I control water remember? That means that I control the battlefield. I can use it to slow down your attacks quite easily." The Espada answered, before throwing the poor woman towards the ground and causing a decent sized crater from the impact.
"You all should give up now since my 'Illuvia Alma' has taken affect you no longer have any chance of surprising me or defeating me with raw speed. I could have just as easily slowed all three of you down and killed you during that last clash." The blonde woman continued, earning an annoyed growl from Komamura.
Again the largest Captain charged his enemy, intending on striking her down, only to watch in shock as his blade seemed to slow down before reaching her, as if he was trying to cut through the ocean itself. Easily stepping out of the way, the Arrancar slashed her blade forward, sending him flying into a nearby building with a wave of high pressure water.
"It also appears that you emit a wave each time you swing your weapon, is that true?" Hachi called out, in a very analytical tone.
"Indeed, 'Huelga de las Mareas' is now constantly in effect, allowing me to…"
But before the Tres Espada could finish her answer Sui-Feng flashed behind her, preparing to deliver a fatal strike to her spine.
As she slowed down the incoming attack the blonde caught sight of Shinji's spinning Zanpakuto, and his "sickening grin" as Aizen had called it.
Realizing what was about to happen, and being annoyed at herself for being caught in such a predicament, Harribel channeled her spiritual power letting forth an explosion of energy and water from herself in a sphere like release that seemed to take the water with it. The explosion condensed as it grew in size and speed.
"Esfera Maremoto"
The female Captain was caught first, being launched backwards by the initial burst and then caught in the hardened shell of water making up the edge of the attack. Next was Komamura, who had moved in for support after seeing the intended strategy. He was hit with what felt like a wall of solid steel. The Visored leader had the presence of mind to flash next to Hachi, who had erected a hasty barrier at the flux of energy.
Unfortunately the wall was crushed before the force, sending slamming into both of the Visoreds and sending them flying backwards.
"Well that didn't go as planned." The former Captain chuckled as he picked himself out of the rubble of a partially caved in building, along with his friend.
The other two Captains appeared by his side a few moments later, both fairly injured from the powerful attack.
***SoD***
As his form changed Stark recalled the training session around a week prior, when Ulquiorra had revealed his secret.
***Flashback***
"I wish to reveal to all of you something that not even Lord Aizen knows about." The pale Arrancar called out to the other four inhabitants of the training area. He had held off revealing this until he was sure that they would be safe from prying eyes.
"You see, through my personal training I have discovered a form beyond Resurreccion, allowing me to become far more powerful than before, and now I want to help you all achieve this state as well. The secret to this transformation seems to be the opposite of what was required to achieve our Resurreccions in the first place. We must focus on that driving force, that negative feeling that possesses us… and push past it to accepting that it no longer controls us." The Espada explained, receiving shocked and confused stares from his friends.
"Uh what do you mean exactly Ulquiorra?" the Primera inquired, scratching his head in a puzzled way.
"Well my aspect is emptiness. So by focusing on this feeling that nothing is important, that there is no need for emotions I achieved Resurreccion. But after I discovered my deeper friendship with all of you I have been able to accept that feelings and emotions are important. They drive us forward and allow us to plan for a future without war and conflict, a future of peace. It is through that realization that I activated this power, and I believe through this process you can all achieve the same."
***End Flashback***
The brown haired man simply shook his head, still surprised that Ulquiorra would have been the first among them to discover the improved state with his own lack of emotions. What had been even more surprising was that with this acceptance they could tap into a deeper part of their aspects than they had ever before.
"So this is your improved form eh Espada-San? I must admit that the increase in spiritual pressure is quite amazing but otherwise I feel like it is lacking in color." Shunsui replied with a chuckle.
Stark's outfit had changed into something resembling a cowboy's outfit. He wore a long black duster coat, with a similar undershirt and pants as before along with black combat boots. The white that had consumed his appearance before had been changed for blacks and browns. Finally a black wide brim hat partially concealed his eyes and face.
The most surprising change was that he no longer wielded his twin pistols. Instead they had been replaced with a single long rifle. With an image of a wolf engraved into the metal siding.
"So what do you call this transformed state? Since each Bankai has its own name I figure your new ability does as well." Ukitake called out, curious if his abilities had changed as well.
"It is called Lobo Solitario." Stark replied, eyeing the three from underneath his hat.
"Quite impressive, unfortunately you are at a decisive disadvantage due to your ally's ability Arrancar. You are currently soaked in rain water… Bankai!" The lieutenant called out, hoping to end their fight before it could begin.
A single gunshot rang out before he could complete his summoning, however. Stark had raised and fired his new weapon before the two Captains could even react, blowing a hole through the man's chest where his heart was located, and killing him instantly.
"I am well aware of the implications of her release, unfortunately for that reason I had to remove you as a threat. Someone who is powerful enough to injure your leader in his prime is far too dangerous to leave alive."
"You monster… he was only a lieutenant there was no reason to kill him!" The white haired Captain shouted in a rare moment of anger.
"Strange, he killed several of our officers and yet you don't even bother mentioning that. Do you truly believe yourselves to be the only form of life worth preserving?" The Espada questioned with a glare towards the two men.
"Please forgive my friend here Espada-San, all of this fighting and death has truly taken its toll on both him and myself." Shunsui apologized in a remorseful tone. "I would like to ask you about your attack though if you don't mind. It did not look like a normal Cero to me so I was curious if this was another modified attack of yours or not."
"I call it Disparo. It is a condensed Cero that travels far faster than the normal blast as you can see."
"Hm interesting, though I am curious as to why you would risk using such an attack against someone like Ukitake here…"
"Simple, his ability only works if he is able to parry the blast with his blade. If you truly wish to try such a foolish thing then I will be happy to fire at you. But I can tell you now it will not end well." The Arrancar spoke with finality.
Still the white haired man raised his blades, preparing for any future attacks.
"Hey Ukitake, perhaps we should resort to a more drastic solution to this duel eh?"
"I suppose so, especially if their ally really is creating this rain. There is no reason to think she cannot influence everything caught in it. I think it is time for us to even the playing field a bit. Bankai"
"Great, just when this fight was looking to be a bit easier on me…" the Primera sighed in annoyance as he watched the Captain's swords dissolve and be replaced by a Go board.
"You see Espada-San my full release allows me to…" As the man started on his explanation Stark immediately tuned him out and began strategizing, he already knew full and well what the Bankai was capable of. Did all of the Shinigami forget they had the stolen information on them?
'This is freaking great. I knew I should have removed him at the start rather than messing around with him and Shunsui to avoid killing anyone. This is what I get for trying to be a nice guy and cut the death toll down. Well now he has to be removed from combat, with his ability to swap the locations of any two combatants on the field and communicate with everyone telepathically he has the power to do some serious damage.'
"…So now you see that this battle is over Stark-San, I would recommend that you and your allies surrender peacefully." The Shinigami ended his explanation, not realizing most of it had been ignored.
"Yeah the problem with that is we aren't stupid enough to believe that you would be 'compassionate' enough to let us live even if we did surrender. After all you execute your own associates and family members for insignificant crimes while you allow others to carry out atrocities against your enemies."
"As you wish Espada-San, hopefully this will end with as little bloodshed as possible."
***SoD***
"Behold, I call this form La Verdadera Desesperacion. Know now that you no longer have any chance of victory, with the four of us in our fully released states all hope you have will dissipate before your very eyes." Ulquiorra called out, while the Shinigami before him struggled to catch their breaths under the massive increase in spiritual pressure.
Unfortunately Mashiro could no longer hold up under the pressure and fell from the sky, unconscious, forcing Kensei to save her and move to a safer location before returning to the battle.
"I appreciate you waiting for me to return, and allowing me to save my lieutenant Espada." Kensei called out to his opponent.
"As strange as this may sound we wish to keep casualties as low as possible on both sides. Exterminating you would serve no purpose in the long run." Ulquiorra replied, "You were wise to remove her from the area though. Of us four with a second release my Reiatsu is the most dangerous. If left exposed for longer periods of time she would most likely have died."
"Impressive ability, hopefully that is not the only thing to have changed in your new form though." Rose remarked, drawing his Zanpakuto once more and cursing the fact that he had no idea whether his Bankai would be effective again.
The Espada blurred forward, slamming his fist into the Visored's stomach, launching the man back and into a faraway building. Immediately he spun around, catching the silver haired man's fist and drawing back his other hand to smash the man's face in. He was forced to dodge out of the way from the prodigy's blade, though, and put some distance between himself and the two warriors while keeping them all within eyesight.
"It seems as though your physical abilities have also increased." Hitsugaya remarked, eyeing his opponent in an annoyed manner. He had to finish up this fight and move onto smearing Aizen all over the battlefield. "Unfortunately for you one of your allies has made a grave mistake. As you know I control all water and ice under heaven, thus by filling the area with rain she has unknowingly given me all the ammunition I could ever need for the upcoming battles."
Rather than the terrified expression he was hoping for the Arrancar merely stared back at him passively, as if he was waiting for the boy to tell him something he hadn't already known and accounted for.
"Now watch as YOUR hope fades before you in the wake of an ice storm!" the Captain shouted, before pointing the tip of his blade towards his opponent,
A moment passed and then another.
Kensei merely raised his eyebrow in confusion as the Tenth Division Captain's eyes widened in horror.
"Oh you were unaware? I had read that you are considered a genius the likes of which Soul Society has never seen. To have misinterpreted your opponent's ability, especially when you hope to use it yourself, is quite embarrassing. You see the water that now soaks all life on the battlefield is not rain it is Harribel's Spiritual energy itself taking physical form. That is why her opponents are able to remain standing on their own free will, while my other superior comrade is facing above Captain Class opponents himself, and thus those two are able to resist."
'Her residual spirit power has taken physical form!? In order for that to be true her transformation would have had to either release an absolute monstrous amount of power, or the density increased to such a degree where it would naturally become like this.' Toshiro's mind raced at the implications of what the Espada had claimed, and thus wasn't fast enough to react when the Arrancar appeared above him, and slammed him towards the ground with one of his wings.
Immediately moving to help Rose wrapped his Zanpakuto around his enemy's hand, preventing him from pursuing the assault. That is until Ulquiorra yanked the surprised Visored towards him and delivered a powerful blow to the man's face with his untangled arm.
The pale Espada then ducked under a surprise attack by Kensei, who had reactivated his Hollow mask. He then proceeded to throw his last opponent into the blond, who had just recovered from the blow and activated his mask as well. A split second later, the Arrancar sent a powerful Cero blasting into the two entangled men, dealing heavy damage to both and sending them careening backwards.
"Quite unimpressive I must say, I expected far more from a so called 'genius' and two former Captains turned Visored. Even with one of your Bankais being rendered useless you should be at least able to damage me in my new form." The Espada called out, earning a growl from the recovered white haired Captain.
"Damn you… after I turn you into a Popsicle I am going to tear your leader apart for what he did to Hinamori!" The Shinigami shouted out in rage and frustration.
"What exactly do you mean? I was not aware that Ichigo had any interactions with your friend." The black haired man responded, curious as to what the boy meant.
"What? No I mean Aizen you bastard! Why the hell would I be talking about that useless…"
Before he could finish his insult, the 'genius' found himself being choked by the Espada's tail, a look of rage on the man's face as he glared directly into his eyes.
"I will warn you only one time brat, if you speak poorly of any of my comrades again I shall rip your intestines out of your body and strangle you with them. I have not spoken poorly of your deceased friend or any that have been reported as being close to you and I expect the same respect from you." The Arrancar put an exclamation on this threat by tail whipping the boy into a nearby structure, causing part of it to collapse under the force.
Glancing at the other two combatants he was satisfied when they put their hands in a defensive way.
"Hey I never even met the kid so I have no problems with him, right Rose?"
"Uh yeah of course…"
***SoD***
"ALRIGHT NOW THAT'S WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT!" Kenpachi roared as he charged toward the transformed female. But before he could reach her Byakuya flash stepped in front of him, and brought his sword up to the man's throat, stopping his assault.
"What the hell do you think you are do…"
"Be quiet you moron, Renji!"
Instantly the red head appeared by his Captain's side. "Yes sir?"
"I take it you have noticed her dramatic increase in power?"
"Of course sir, I am able to stand but without Bankai I would guess my overall effectiveness has dropped by about half."
"I am impressed you are still able to stand at all. Either way we need to ascertain her new abilities, I have learned the hard way that ignoring her changes is dangerous and foolish."
"Speak for yourself you stuck up prick! We were kicking her ass before…"
"He is correct Captain Zaraki." Tessai noted as he appeared next to the three men. "Her power has increased substantially and if we recall she mentioned her defensive capabilities. I would imagine her tactic has changed quite dramatically now." The exile spoke as he gazed at their opponent.
The green haired beauty stood in what appeared to be a form of leather and bronze armor that covered her upper body and extended to her shoulders. She wore wrist and shin guards along with sandals and a mid-thigh length leather skirt. Finally a helmet adorned her head covering the sides and back of her neck with a center piece running down her nose. Instead of her lance she now bore a large dark grey shield and a curved short sword.
"Esmeralda de Soltera. In this form my aspect of devotion is brought to its pinnacle. My defense has increased to the point where I am near invincible. Allowing me to fight even against impossible odds for those I have sworn to protect."
"So what is the plan then, obviously if she claims to be the strongest defensively then her offense will suffer. Unfortunately by the looks of things the others will need our help soon. We cannot afford to get bogged down in a battle of attrition." Tessai commented, trying to formulate a plan to remove the new threat.
Before the others could comment, the woman shot forward at a high speed, swinging down with her new blade fast enough that Kenpachi barely had time to parry it, drawing a wide eyed look from the only lieutenant present. Spinning around instantly she cut into Byakuya's leg before bashing her shield into the spiky haired Captain's torso, sending him reeling backwards from the force.
Raising her sword she blocked the counter attack by the now bleeding Shinigami still in front of her before pushing his sword back with raw strength and kicking him in the chest.
The red haired man had extended his Zanpakuto towards the woman in retaliation but she merely stepped backwards, causing the blade to miss and exposing the man to her own counter attack, which she would have dealt but was forced to dodge back when the exile lunged forward with an open palm thrust.
"Now this is what I am talking about! LET'S RIP IT UP BITCH!" Zaraki shouted in glee as he swung his sword vertically toward his opponent, only for the Arrancar in question to lazily block it with her shield, appearing to ignore the blow entirely.
"It is time that we end this pointless battle, Scatter!" With that a massive surge of pink petals assaulted the woman from all angles, making it impossible for her to block or escape the assault.
"Aw what fun is a fight if you just end it…" Kenpachi growled out before looking on with an amused smile as the woman appeared completely uninjured from the attack.
She had crouched down and raised her shield to her head, creating a barrier around her that looked to be composed of multiple hexagon shapes connected by spiritual energy.
"Tortuga, As I have told you, my defensive powers are the greatest among all Espada, did you truly believe I would be defeated so easily?" The Espada called out after her shield faded and she resumed her normal stance.
"Perhaps not, but now I know exactly what your defenses are capable of, Senkei"
Immediately the petals began to form a dome of pink swords completely enclosing the five combatants within its shadowy confines.
"You are the second person to ever witness this ability Hollow, now I have sworn to cut you down with my own hands."
"Get in line Kuchki, now is when the real fun starts!" Kenpachi again charged forward, this time bringing both of his hands up to swing his blade down in a Kendo attack, greatly increasing the power.
Nelliel merely raised her shield again, and parried the blow stopping it immediately, much to the shock of everyone present.
"Is that it? You were praised so highly by the SRDI for your strength and swordsmanship, and yet you cannot even get me to budge from this spot." The Arrancar called out in a disapproving voice.
A second later she pushed back throwing the Captain off of her shield and spun to block Renji's Bankai, which he had released to catch her at unawares.
Again her guard completely stopped the attack, the Bankai not even succeeding in pushing her backwards, much to the man's surprise.
"Not bad but that wasn't the entire point! Hikotsu Taiho!" Immediately the skeleton head of his weapon charged a massive energy blast which impacted at point blank range.
Instead of the explosive impact he was expecting the blast was merely absorbed into the shield itself, which glowed faintly afterwards.
"H-how…"
Byakuya immediately charged in, hoping to take advantage of the woman's unguarded flank, but found she had already forced back his lieutenant's weapon and parried his with her own blade, before swinging her shield's edge forward like a weapon. His temporary blade shattered back into petals instantly and the nobleman being forced backwards before calling another two swords from the dome around them.
***SoD***
Hereyo
As the four, above Captain level, combatants clashed again and again Urahara began to realize that at the current rate several of them would be dead before a positive outcome could be reached, if they emerged victorious at all.
Suddenly Ichigo knocked the other two away, and raised his hand towards the shopkeeper.
"Cero" The boy uttered before charging a powerful red blast.
His inner scientist taking over, Kisuke raised his Zanpakuto before creating Blood Mist Shield before him, wanting to test the extent of Ichigo's new power.
As he fired the energy wave Ichigo looked on in annoyance at how he was still being "tested" by the man before him. He was still being analyzed with an almost sickening fascination, as if he was a lab specimen.
When the smoke cleared the shield had held, albeit severely cracked.
"Oh my very impressive Ichigo-kun, that was even stronger than your first Getsuga Tensho. Do you remember when we had our little spar? You trying to knock my hat off after running away for so long?" the man replied happily.
Ichigo growled his anger at not being taken seriously getting to him.
Again he charged an energy attack at the end of his hand, this time distinctively blue.
"Gran Rey Cero"
This time a considerably stronger blue beam roared forth, and Urahara once again raised his sword to create a barrier, only to be pulled out of the way by a pissed off woman.
"DAMNIT KISUKE WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"
"Awww come on Yoruichi…" The man said with a pout.
"No, not this time we both know the only reason your barrier survived the last attack was because you reinforced it with Danku at the last second. If you had tried that again it would have breached your barrier and turned you into a bloody mess, AND I REFUSE TO CLEAN UP YOUR SHIT AGAIN!" the dark skinned woman exasperated, punching the blond in the head before glaring at the third companion, as if daring him to make a comment.
"Unfortunately she is right Isshin, we need to take care of Ichigo before Aizen becomes any more powerful, and this is already going to be hard enough as is. Bakudo number Sixty One, Bakudo number Sixty Three, Bakudo number Seventy Nine." With that Ichigo found himself bound by six rays of light on his torso, a Kido chain wrapped around those, and finally eight black holes bound around him with one on his torso completely binding him in place.
"Kisuke what are you…." Isshin stuttered out, afraid of what the answer would be.
"I am sorry Ichigo… 'Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired. Senju Koten Taiho!" Kisuke declared, as he fired the ten pink spear-like projectiles towards the bound Espada.
"DAMNIT KISUKE NO THAT'S MY SON!" Isshin roared, as he charged forward, trying to intercept the attack.
Due to the massive fluctuation in spiritual energy, along with the shouting, the other combatants turned towards the commotion.
The remaining Espada's eyes opened wide in fear, realizing they would never reach the boy in time to protect him.
Even Aizen moved to try and intercept the attack, fully realizing he was immortal at this point but was unwilling to lose his new weapon. Unfortunately his opponent, albeit weakened, managed to block his path with a roaring inferno.
Ichigo simply gazed as the oncoming assault, with an almost bored look in his eyes.
Just as the attack was about to reach him… Ichigo vanished. But it wasn't as if he had broken free and dodged the attack. The binding Kido was still present, although the energy chain began falling towards the ground with nothing to be attached to.
All present watched, beyond shocked, as the powerful spell passed through the space the Arrancar once occupied, and continued on, impacting a nearby building.
Suddenly the boy reappeared behind Urahara, delivering a cut to his shoulder, and just to add insult to injury, his hat as well.
"You shouldn't apologize until your opponent is defeated Urahara, I would have thought that a genius of your level would have known that."
"B-b-b-but h-h-how?" The blond stuttered out, his brain running through dozens of scenarios as to what he had just witnessed.
The other Shinigami couldn't even form words to try and comprehend what had happened.
Was it Aizen's doing? Glancing over Isshin noticed the rebel leader's face was the same as Kisuke's, raw shock. Even the Captain Commander's eyes were open in surprise. Maybe it was Ukitake? The Shiba clan head had heard that he was able to switch anyone's positions on a battlefield using his Bankai, but as he squinted the two duel wielding Captains were just as surprised even from their distant vantage point.
Maybe it was the Hogyoku's doing somehow? Other than that Isshin had no freaking clue as to what could allow someone to completely free themselves from multiple binding spells…WITHOUT breaking them.
***SoD***
As the shock wore off, the battles continued. The Shinigami ignored what had just occurred, being under the philosophy of 'nope that didn't just happen, no way, because that would be ridiculous'.
Now Stark found himself pushing back the single opponent he faced. Even though the one had activated his Bankai it was limited in single one on one duels and was designed for mass combat where he could control the entire battlefield.
Shunsui had intelligently charged forward, forcing the Espada into close combat and trying to negate the speed and accuracy of the Arrancar's rifle.
Unfortunately the Primera was still able to fight back and after summoning his 'bayoneta' he was able to deliver quite a few cuts to his opponent even with a single weapon against two.
This pace abruptly stopped though, when Stark broke through Shunsui's defenses and aimed a powerful thrust towards the man's torso, only to be horrified when the blade stabbed into Ichigo instead.
Ukitake had switched the two combatants at the last second, causing him to stab his friend.
Immediately the Primera retracted his blade, throwing his arm forward to catch the surprised boy and prevent him from falling.
"I-Ichigo… I… I didn't mean to…"
"I know Stark, it's okay I still managed to avoid any internal organs being punctured, gotta say you pack one hell of a stab though." The boy weakly chuckled, trying to catch his breath as his regeneration kicked in.
"That bastard…" the Espada growled out, focusing his glare on the white haired man who watched on with the expression of a hardened warrior. "I was going to just injure him enough to cancel his Bankai but now…"
"He has to be stopped Stark, if that had been Harribel or Nel…"
"I know Ichigo… don't worry I am ending this bastard. Then I will help the others."
Ichigo nodded in reply and flashed back towards his personal battle, while Shunsui reappeared with a somewhat sympathetic look on his face.
"Sorry about that Stark-San, but this is a battle after all, and we will do whatever it takes to win."
"I am painfully aware of that. Unfortunately you made a very big mistake, not as bad as you could have but still… You see you have managed to piss off three of your opponents now. You made me stab my brother, and you injured the lover of the two Arrancar females. The only possible way you could have made this worse is if it had been one of the two girls instead. In which case Ichigo would have ripped Ukitake's head off with his bare hands." Stark spoke with a tone of hatred in his voice not present before.
"Niebbla de la ocultacion"
Suddenly the area surrounding the Primera began to fog up, concealing the Espada and his surrounding from the views of the two Captains
"Oh my, it appears he is changing the rules of the game on us. I wonder why?" Shunsui muttered to his close friend.
"I would imagine that he believes my Bankai works on the principle of being able to see my opponents, perhaps the SRDI had outdated information on their subjects? I certainly haven't used this power since it has evolved beyond that."
"Then I suppose we should try the 'Dogeza' and end this before he gets any more tricky eh?" Shunsui replied bringing his sword above his head as Ukitake took a pose where he bowed his hands and head to the ground.
As the standing man brought his blades down in a decapitating act Ukitake switched his position with that of Stark's energy signature, to put Stark into a position where he would be immediately decapitated.
The Eighth Division Captain only had time to widen his eyes in shock, as Ukitake was replaced not by their opponent, but by a humanoid figure made of red and black flames.
As his swords impacted the creature it detonated, creating a large explosion and heavily damaging the man.
Less than a second later a tremendous explosion emanated from the mist, shaking all of the surrounding buildings and causing heavy damage with just the resulting shockwave.
***Moments before***
Ukitake found himself in a deep fog bank, surrounded on all sides by strange creatures that seemed to be made of living flame.
"Foolish…" the voice of the Espada called out, before the four creatures lunged forward, detonating themselves upon contact.
***SoD***
As the fog subsided, and Shunsui struggled to regain his bearing, he gazed upon Ukitake's remains, falling from the sky. His body had been completely torn apart by the massive explosion, leaving no doubt of his demise.
"I told him that he would regret causing me to strike my brother. As you said we are at war and we will do whatever is necessary to win. Unfortunately he made the mistake of believing I thought his ability worked on sight alone. These creations of mine, Stark made a slight gesture to the hundreds of flame like entities standing behind him in military formation, share my spiritual signature, and the fog allows me to conceal anything I wish from view or detection. It was rather simple for me to hide all but a single one of my creation's presence senses."
"I am going to kill you Espada, Ukitake was my friend and if you believe that I will let his death go un-avenged then you are sadly mistaken. Prepare to die." The man brought up both of his swords, the tips extended downward as Stark instantly realized what he was about to do, and raised his fist, while bracing his raised wrist with his other hand. His rifle slung on his back.
"Ban…"
"Cero Eighty-Eight"
Instantly a black bolt of energy fired from the Arrancar's fist, traveling far too fast for the Captain to dodge or finish his activation. The attack slammed into the man's chest, causing what appeared to be a very small burst of energy, but massive damage to the Shinigami.
His body was nearly torn apart, ripping his limbs into bloody pieces while reducing his torso into a gory shadow of itself.
The Captain fell, mercifully losing consciousness.
***SoD***
"We need to think of a different strategy." Rose lamented, after being thrown into another building, and shakily picking himself out of it.
"Yeah no kidding, the problem is that the brat is barely even listening to us, he just keep charging forward forcing us to save his ass from being torn apart." Kensei agreed.
"Perhaps we should just give him an opening then?"
"Alright what do you have in mind Rose?"
Meanwhile Hitsugaya against charged toward the expressionless Espada, throwing a barrage of ice daggers causing his opponent to block them with his wing before swatting him away with hardly any effort.
"This is getting tiresome I believe I have been toying with you three for long enough."
Suddenly the Arrancar found the Visored's whip wrapped around his arms, binding them to his chest. Glancing over he found both Visoreds holding the weapon, Hollow Masks donned.
"Alright kid you got your opening. Now take him out!" the silver haired man shouted, earning a nod from the recovered prodigy who charged forward at full speed.
Instead Ulquiorra broke the tug of war, by charging toward the two Visoreds, using their own force of keeping him in check to help propel him.
Immediately Kensei released the whip and activated his Bankai, swinging his fist toward the pale man who ducked under the blow, and proceeded to head butt the blond. Gasping the Visored released the whip and stumbled backwards, forcing his comrade to try and engage the Arrancar in hand to hand combat.
Hitsugaya came in a moment later, trying to impale the man from behind, but was dodged at the last moment.
"There's no other option, at this rate we will lose." The flamboyant man whispered to himself before finding his resolve.
"Bankai!"
Knowing it was a gamble that their immunity would still be in effect Rose realized that it would be the only way to end the battle.
The Arrancar's eyes shot wide open, as he felt himself falling under the illusion from the former Captain's power, and dashed forward, ducking under a Bankai enhanced punch from the other Visored. Spinning around the Espada then used the edge of his wing to cut through the blonde's neck, severing his head from his body and killing him instantly.
"ROSE NO! YOU BASTARD!" the enraged former Captain shouted as he charged toward the executioner at full speed while swinging haphazardly at him.
"Hyoten Hyakkso"
Suddenly the sky opened above the two combatants as snow began flowing down at an alarming rate.
Luckily for the Visored Hitsugaya created a dome of ice around him, shielding him from the effect.
Just as the first snowflakes began to sprout into flowers on the Espada the white haired boys shoulder exploded.
The technique immediately halting as Toshiro looked wide eyed behind him as off in the distance he spotted Shunsui and Ukitake's enemy, a rifle raised in his hand and smoking from being recently fired.
Ulquiorra immediately flashed in front of the stunned warrior, placing his hand on the Shinigami's chest.
"Cero Oscuras"
The darkness completely consumed the young Captain, whose last thoughts were, 'Hinamori… I am sorry.'
Kensei could only watch on in horror as the shadowy Cero faded and no trace of the genius remained.
"Damnit…" the Visored muttered out, watching as the dome protecting him shattered.
"Now what, are you going to kill me too Arrancar?"
"Although it is certainly within my power to do so, I was thinking of a slightly different outcome." Ulquiorra replied, appearing in front of the man and stabbing him in the stomach with what appeared to be a green energy lance.
Kensei, having using up the last of his energy in his recent Bankai activation, fell towards the ground, losing consciousness as he did so.
***SoD***
As the two more powerful males struggled in a losing sword contest against the Espada Hachi had begun formulating a plan, and had called Sui-Feng to his side to finalize the details. Nodding in acceptance the woman disappeared in a burst of Shunpo to hide in wait for the signal.
Once Komamura had been launched backwards by one of Harribel's stronger kicks Shinji immediately shot backwards in a blur of Shunpo, leaving the woman a bit confused at his action.
Suddenly a large barrier of white formed in front of her, while a round circle appeared to her left and a honeycomb like structure to her right.
Glancing below she saw the Visored conducting a rapid motion with his fingers, creating a ring of fire above her and finally connecting all of the barriers with invisible walls, effectively sealing her inside.
'Interesting technique, I wonder what they plan to do now that I am stuck inside though…' the Espada pondered, before noticing her female opponent to the side of the box, her Bankai activated and preparing to fire.
It was then that the Arrancar realized the danger she was in, taking a contained shot from the Captain's strongest blast would severely weaken her, even in her Segunda state.
It was then that the circular barrier opened, allowing Sui-Feng to unleash her most powerful attack.
***SoD***
Nelliel had felt the buildup of energy, and immediately knew what was about to happen. Racing forward toward her fellow Espada she summoned speed even she wasn't aware that she was capable of, and managed to intercept the blast, shield raised.
***SoD***
Sui-Feng saw the other Arrancar appear a second before her attack impacted, smiling as she believed this would eliminate both at once.
All of the Captains could only watch on in shock as the explosion was absorbed back into the Espada's shield, leaving them both unharmed.
A second later Byakuya, Kenpachi, Tessai, and Renji arrived with the others.
"So she can even absorb an attack of that magnitude, incredible." Tessai muttered, earning a glare from several of the other Captains
"This wouldn't have been a problem if you could handle your opponent." The female Shinigami growled out in annoyance.
"Well if your attack wasn't so damn obvious then we wouldn't be having this conversation." Kenpachi retorted.
Before the two could escalate into a brawl Shinji interrupted.
"ENOUGH look we weren't getting anywhere with our opponent, and apparently you weren't either but now it is eight on two, should be much easier to eliminate one of them now that we have a larger assortment of options to work with."
"The blond haired creep is right! LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Zaraki shouted as he charged forward, earning a groan from the others who reluctantly followed, hoping to overwhelm the two.
Hachi immediately dissolved his barriers, allowing the two Arrancar to be flanked from all sides.
In an instant Harribel appeared behind Nelliel, backs facing each other as they prepared for the assault.
As Shinji began spinning his Zanpakuto, Nel caught sight of his action, "Shinji" she called out, to which Harribel replied by spinning her spear above her head, creating a whirlwind of water surrounding the two warriors and directing the upper funnel to curve towards the Visored leader.
"Ah crap…"
Were the last words Shinji got out before being hit full force, throwing him through a nearby skyscraper and into the ground, taking him out of the battle with force.
Kenpachi, however, was not deterred and cut through the whirlwind in an attempt to strike at the two women, only to find his shield blocked by the green haired beauty, allowing her ally to cancel the swinging motion and stab underneath the raised shield impacting the man in the stomach before violently throwing him to the ground with a burst of water sent at bone crushing force.
Following Nel spun around her friend's extended form, slashing the Onmitsukido leader across her torso just as she had flashed into position to stab the dark skinned Espada from behind.
After dropping the woman Nel raised a finger from her shield arm, and fired a Cero towards the barrier master, taking him out of the skirmish with a large explosion.
A split second later Harribel swung her spear upwards, creating a water geyser which knocked Renji's Bankai off course, and followed with a La Gota breaking several of the red head's bones and knocking him out.
Komamura's Bankai appeared above the two a moment later, swinging its massive sword downwards to split the two in half, instead Nel Swung her blade upwards, cutting not only through the blade, but also splitting the giant in half diagonally, killing its owner from the damage as well.
Sensing the danger her friend was in Nel immediately spun both of them around one hundred and eighty degrees, putting her shield forward, and blocking the enhanced white blade that the Kuchki family head had summoned in a desperate last attempt at victory.
"You should understand how pointless this battle is before you die Byakuya. My shield does not just block all attacks, it absorbs the energy of the blasts and the force behind the blows allowing me to channel it into my blade at will. Essentially you helped me kill your fellow Captain, and now yourself."
Byakuya's face expressed shock for the last time, as the Espada slashed forward, focusing the energy she had absorbed from his last attack to cut through his Bankai, and his torso in the process.
As the Sixth Division Captain fell, his life force draining, he imagined Rukia and Hisana standing before him with a deep sadness and disappointment in their eyes. Reaching out he tried to grab a hold of them, before they faded, his existence following shortly after.
Tessai had caught Sui-Feng after her fall, immediately applying healing Kido to try and save her life from the devastating wound she had received. Unfortunately he detected the two Espadas appear before him. Looking up he saw a questioning look in their eyes.
"Will she live?" Harribel called out, motioning toward the woman in his arms.
"Yes but her energy is exhausted, even if she does she will be no threat to you for the remainder of this battle."
"Very well, we will allow you to stabilize her and any others you can find. Remember this though, if they choose to try and attack any of us, we will not hesitate to strike them down." Nelliel replied, earning a nod of understanding from the man before they disappeared, joining Ulquiorra in the sky to observe the rest of the war.
***SoD***
Captain Unohana was trying desperately to save Shunsui's life, at this point she wasn't even sure she could with the massive amount of internal damage he had suffered from the Espada's last attack.
Suddenly she felt the barrel of a gun being pressed against the back of her head. Instinctively she reached for her sword with one hand, while keeping the other applying healing Kido.
"Don't move, you will not be able to draw and attack before I am able to fire. Even if you manage to dodge the fatal shot he will be killed in the process. I doubt you want his blood on your hands, Kenpachi Yachiru."
"What do you want Arrancar?"
"What the rest of us want, peace. I am tired of this war and bloodshed already. I hope you can save this man's life, because despite what he has done to me and my brethren I suffer no ill will towards him. Perhaps he will help bring peace between us."
"I must ask out of curiosity, what was that last attack?"
Sighing, the man thought back to their encounter, before diverting his gaze to the battles still taking place.
"It is called 'Cero Eighty-Eight'. It is a version of Cero Oscuras that is hyper compressed to a single shot. By doing so its raw destructive power is vastly diminished but all of its energy is converted into a single burst. My brother taught it to me as a promise that there would always be a bond between us that was unique. That is why I am one of the only two Espada who know how to use it."
"Then why did you not use it at the start of the battle?"
"Simple, it is almost always a killing technique. I had to turn down the power in order to avoid outright killing the man before you. If my brother were to use it there would be no possibility of his opponent surviving, or keeping their form afterwards. The only thing remaining would be the mist of their blood."
***SoD***
As the battles around them began coming to a close Kisuke was becoming to get very nervous. So far they had barely managed to injure their opponent while his attacks had taken a toll on the three of them. His fighting style had allowed him to not only combat three opponents at once, but once he began utilizing those chains of his it became incredibly deadly, allowing him to making holes in their defenses at any time and any point he wished that he could exploit with lethal accuracy.
Yoruichi had already lost all four of the pieces of armor the shopkeeper had created.
The blond was running out of tricks that he could utilize and was tiring from the Kido he was forced to activate.
Isshin was fairing the worst though, not only was he the frequent targets of their enemy's anger but his spirit seemed to be breaking just from the fact of having to fight against his own son.
Suddenly a massive wave of energy emanated from the direction of Aizen and Yamamoto's battle, and the elder Shinigami's energy signature dropped tremendously, signaling his defeat at the hands of the, now, immortal.
Ichigo spared only a glance in the direction before narrowing his eyes, almost in annoyance, and leaping backwards from the skirmish.
"It appears as though Aizen-Sama has finished his battle." The boy called out, earning a wince from his father at the honorifics he chose. "Too bad, I was hoping to beat the three of your heads in a little while longer before wrapping this up."
Shaking his head in a somewhat disappointed manner Ichigo raised his Zanpakuto horizontally in front of him, and gripped the blade with his left hand directly above the guard of the sword.
"Kisuke what is he…" Yoruichi whispered out before a flash of black energy consumed the boy.
***Flashback***
"Damnit! I still can't figure out this Resurreccion thing!" Ichigo shouted out in frustration, causing his four companions to glance over at him in question.
"Ichigo its okay, you are probably strong enough to beat anyone without it anyway. Why try and force yourself to feel such negative emotions?" Nelliel asked.
"Because I can't be sure I will be able to protect all of you without this… besides I feel like it is something that I am being left out of that you all share."
Stark smiled warmly at his brother before approaching him with a calm tone.
"Ichigo if you truly believe that then we will help you, we just didn't want to see you hurt any more than you already were when you arrived here. The way that I found my power was through meditation, it allowed me to force those emotions I had been suppressing to the surface of my mind and relive the pain. If you truly want this then that is what I would suggest you try."
Harribel glanced over at the Primera, scowling at the man's suggestion to bring back such painful memories.
Nodding in thanks the boy sat down before them and cleared his mind, before closing his eyes and thinking back to that terrible incident, the discovery of his friends.
Instantly his mind brought him back to the laboratory, staring at their bodies on the slabs. His eyes widened as their horrified faces turned to him.
"Why did you leave us Ichigo?"
"Why couldn't you save us?"
"I thought you said you would always have my back, where were you?"
"Why Kurosaki? Why did you fail?"
Ichigo could only watch as tears ran down his face at their accusations that he knew were true deep down. He had let them down, he had failed them.
Suddenly he looked up, and saw that instead of his friends, it was the four Arrancar that he had grown close to lying on the tables.
"You failed again Ichigo. You said that we were friends but you let us down."
"You called us lovers do you not even care enough to save us?"
"Once again everyone sacrifices themselves for you. Once again you let that go to waste."
"I called you my brother Ichigo so why did you let me die alone?"
That familiar feeling began to surface again, the feeling he had felt the first time he had been here, the feeling of loss and sorrow.
The feeling of Anguish
***End Flashback***
"Overwhelm, Aturdir"
As the energy sphere subsided, the three Shinigami gasped in shock, at the transformation.
Ichigo stood before them, his white clothing having been replaced by a black trench coat with torn sleeves at the shoulders. Along his bare arms wove two chains on both, spinning towards his hands in a double spiral pattern ending at two gauntlets covering his hands.
Underneath the coat was a tight black armor that accentuated his muscular torso. His legs were also covered by a black armor ending in combat style boots.
After a moment of silence Ichigo shot forward, blurring directly in front of the three ex-Captains. Kisuke reflexively raised his Zanpakuto to attack, but found his arm caught in a black chain.
Ichigo immediately slashed across the man's chest, blades seeming to appear out of nowhere from his gauntlets.
As Yoruichi activated Shunko to retaliate he easily caught her punch, and slammed his elbow into her stomach, throwing her back into a building and causing its collapse.
Seeing his two companions felled so easily Isshin raised his Zanpakuto above his head, hating what he was about to do, before swinging it downward onto the Espada.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
The Shiba clan head had to force the tears back from his eyes, he could weep over striking his son like that later, after the battle was won.
As the smoke cleared he could see that it wouldn't be necessary, a massive wall of chains had been formed between the two warriors and stopped the attack completely.
Bursting through them Ichigo slammed one of his hands, and the blade attached to it, into his father's stomach, causing the older man to cough up blood and sending him falling to the ground below. The man was conscious but was unable to participate further in the battle.
***SoD***
"Very well done Ichigo, it appears that we are only waiting on Gin's arrival before we proceed to our final victory." Aizen complimented as he appeared before the Espada, having undergone two transformations and thus sporting a new set of strange looking wings.
Moments later said silver haired Captain arrived, smirking as always.
"Sorry about that Captain Aizen, I finished up with Matsumoto early but I didn't see any good opportunities to interfere with the battles."
"Quite alright Gin, I see that the other four Espada have also survived." Aizen responded, gesturing towards the other four Espada who stood nearby. "I am quite impressed with the new forms that they have obtained, it will make the destruction of the Royal Guard that much easier. Now then, Gin if you would be so kind as to open a Senkaimon to where Soul Society has relocated Karakura town we can begin the process of creating the Oken."
As Gin stepped past the hybrid he reached out towards the man's blade, only to have his hand caught by a smirking Aizen.
"Did you truly believe I would let you immunize yourself to Kyoka Suigetsu? I no longer have the need for your attempt to assassinate me Gin, how unfortunate with you having been such a skilled lieutenant."
Aizen instantly back handed the startled man, sending him flying backwards. The rebel leader then smiled, preparing to charge forward and end the life of the double agent. Only to find his arm restrained.
"How about we stop pretending that I am going to stand by and let you murder thousands of innocent people Aizen? We both know this was going to happen one way or another." A voice calmly spoke, out .
Chuckling Aizen returned the challenge.
"I suppose our rematch is long overdue isn't it Ichigo Kurosaki?"
***A/N***
For those of you who are confused by Ichigo's actions… did anyone really believe he would just let Aizen massacre thousands of people? Even from the start Ichigo was never going to be an "evil" character. To do that requires too much fundamental changing of Ichigo's character, or just saying he is evil for no real reason. This was planned from the start, so I wasn't just making stuff up as I went along. Also all the Segundas have been planned out for a dozen or so chapters now.
Just in case anyone is worried, Ichigo's Resurreccion is going to be expanded upon next chapter dramatically. Also, and I am super excited for this part, Ichigo's powers ARE going to be explained next chapter as well, I wanted to build as much mystery and confusion surrounding them as possible before the big reveal.
Finally just to clarify. A question was asked about Nel and Ichigo's "death aspects" Nel's is Devotion while Ichigo's is Anguish. If you all remember I had a chapter named after Ichigo's a while back and Nel's was kind of hinted at when Stark was talking to Shunsui a chapter or two ago.
Segunda Etapa Descriptions below-
For those of you who can't picture Harribel's armor, just 'google' "Segunda Etapa Harribel" it's the result the actually looks like she's wearing clothing…
As for Stark's rifle, I picture it looking like a Winchester model.
Finally the best way to picture Nel's form is Brad pit's armor from 'Troy' but with a large circular shield like from '300'
Ichigo's Resurreccion looks a bit like his Bankai, but with torn sleeves and armor underneath. The rest of the description should suffice.
Translations-
Esmeralda de Soltera – Emerald Maiden
Lobo Solitario – Lone Wolf
Diosa de las Ondas – Goddess of Waves
La Verdadera Desesperacion – True Despair
Aturdir – To be so overwhelmed you are unable to think straight, no direct English translation.
Illuvia Alma – Soul Rain
Huelga de las Mareas – Tidal Strike
Esfera Maremoto – Tidal wave Sphere
Disparo – Shot
Tortuga – Tortoise
Bayoneta – Bayonet… did I really need to put this in here?
Niebbla de la ocultacion – Mist of concealment
Ejercito interminable – Unending army
Dogeza – Sitting right on the ground
Casualties thus far and person responsible-
Arrancar Forces:
Yammy killed by Komamura
Szayel killed by Tessai
Zommari killed by Hitsugaya
Nnoitra killed by Kensei
Wonderweiss killed by Kisuke
Tousen killed by Isshin
Baraggan killed by Kurotsuchi
Charlotte killed by Yachiru
Vega killed by Yachiru
Abirama killed by Chojiro
Findorr killed by Chojiro
Nirgge killed by Omaeda
Yylfordt killed by Renji
Rudbornn killed by Nemu
Di Roy killed by Hachi
Nakeem killed by Hachi
Aaroniero killed by Renji
Dordoni killed by Chojiro
Gantenbainne killed by Mashiro
Cirucci killed by Lisa
Shawlong killed by Yachiru and Nemu
Tesra killed by Yachiru and Nemu
Edrad killed by Yachiru and Nemu
Cyan killed by Mastumoto and Nanao
Hooleer killed by Kisuke and Isshin
Shinigami forces:
Iba killed by Powoww
Love killed by Baraggan
Izuru killed by Abirama and Findorr
Omaeda killed by Yylfordt
Lisa killed by Cirucci
Hisagi killed by an Arrancar
Momo killed by Ayon
Kurotsuchi killed by Ichigo
-New-
Sasikabe killed by Stark
Ukitake killed by Stark
Rose killed by Ulquiorra
Hitsugaya killed by Ulquiorra
Komamura killed by Nelliel
Byakuya killed by Nelliel
