Bleach Fanstory: After the War

Bleach Fan story: After the War

By Michael Xu

Initial Comments:

Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo

This is purely a fan story and I don't own any of the characters in it, apart from OC I may create.

Summary

Aizen Sousuke has succeeded in creating the King's key, and has taken his place as God of all Dimensions. The Soul Society is in ruins, with Karakura Town completely obliterated. The survivors of Karakura Town and the Gotei 13 have retreated back to the real world, merging into normal society, in the hopes that one day; they may truly overthrow Aizen for good. The story begins four years later, with Ichigo continuing his double life as a substitute Shinigami.

Story so far: After returning to Hueco Mundo, Ichigo, Rukia, Ishida, Sado and the rest of the Gotei 13 begin their preparations for the invasion of the King's Realm. During the month long preparation, Ichigo trains his division into a highly disciplined fighting unit, helps Rukia attain her Bankai and the two of them along with their families arrange a marriage that will be held upon the conclusion of the war. Elsewhere Sado asks the Vizards to help him suppress his inner hollow, whilst Ishida and Ryuken are accepted as official agents of Soul Society. Two weeks before the invasion, Commander General Unohana gathers all the captains and vice captains for a council of war, where terrain maps, enemy forces, strategies and logistics are discussed in great detail. In front of everyone, Urahara reveals the Royal Key at last and explains the invasion plan. After arranging for Tatsukis, his sisters, Keigo, Mizuiro and the other newly dead from Tokyo City to be enlisted in the Shinigami Academy, Ichigo, Rukia, and his entire division assemble at a staging area. Urahara inserts the Royal Key into the Well of Souls and creates ten simultaneous portals across Seireitei. At Unohana's signal, Ichigo and Rukia take their division through the portal. The Great Heavenly War has begun...


Chapter 29: In God's Realm

Ichigo and Rukia gasped for breath as they reappeared on the other side of the portal. The transition had been extremely disorientating, and somehow the density of the air around them felt much greater than they had experienced in Soul Society. The two of them ran ahead for a while to allow the rest of their division members through. All two hundred of their soldiers felt the same discomforting experience.

"So this is the King's Realm," Ichigo said as he and Rukia finally caught their breaths and looked around. In some ways, it resembled a surreal version of Soul Society. The sky was an overcast grey, with not a clear drop of blue at all. The surroundings around the portal, whilst full of trees and grassland, seemed devoid of any signs of habitation, and resembled a wilderness of sorts.

"It doesn't seem very lively," Rukia muttered. "I thought this place would be more beautiful than this."

"Maybe Aizen had something to do with it," Ichigo said. They ordered their division to march forward slowly, covering as much ground as possible, looking for any potential enemies. After walking a few hundred yards, Ichigo spotted a large encampment of men up ahead. They wore armour that resembled the Akuma and Tengu soldiers who had been guarding Seireitei during the retaking. Ichigo quickly signalled his men to hide amongst the trees.

"Those must be the Royal Guard soldiers," Rukia whispered.

"Let's take them using the line and rank approach," Ichigo said. Rukia nodded. She retreated to the rear of the division and motioned to Mariko to gather up all of the Kido users together. Ichigo told Minazawa to the same. The entire division was assembled into four rows of fifty, with the front two rows consisting of swordsmen, and the rear two rows consisting of Kidou users. Ichigo observed the movement of the enemy camp, confident that none of them had noticed his troops' movements.

"Alright, on my signal, everyone marches forward," Ichigo said in a clear but not overly loud voice. "Once we get within thirty feet, the swordsmen shall drop to their knees and the archers shall fire a volley of Hadou at the enemy. Then the swordsmen will stand up and advance to kill off the stragglers." His subordinates nodded. Ichigo moved slightly out into the clearing and raised his left hand. Then in unison, the entire division marched out at a swift pace. Before the soldiers in the encampment realized they were under attack, the front two rows had crouched down, and the rear two rows of Shinigami fired a hundred Byakurai and Soukatsui spells into the large mass of Akuma and Tengu troops that were still trying to reach for their weapons. It was a complete massacre. Dozens of enemy soldiers were shot on the spot, some directly in the head. After the relentless volley of Kidou, only thirty enemy soldiers had survived. A few of them took out what looked like mobile phones, clearly phoning the Royal Palace. The rest made a blind charge towards Ichigo's lines.

"Ready your swords!" Ichigo shouted. The front two rows of Shinigami held their swords in an upright position directly in front of them. As soon as the enemy soldiers got within melee range, the swordsmen advanced forward and in one fluid motion swung their swords in a semi-circular arc outwards. The Akuma soldiers screamed in pain as they mere mercilessly cut down. As Ichigo ordered his entire division to march forward again, only a few enemy soldiers were left. Realizing they were completely outnumbered, they raised their hands in surrender. Ichigo took out a golden metallic rod from his captain robes and placed it in the middle of the small encampment. It lit up and sent a glowing current that ran all the way back to the portal.

"The area's secure. Everyone start setting up tents." Ichigo ordered. "We'll set up camp here until we receive further orders."


At the same time, the other Gotei 13 captains had made their moves through the portals. Kenpachi's division was one of the first to through, and like Ichigo's group, they were disappointed with the King's Realm.

"This place sucks," Kenpachi said. "It's like a drab version of Soul Society."

"I totally agree captain. It's not very beautiful at all," Yumichika did a flourish.

"Why don't we just find the guys we have to kill and be done with it?" Ikkaku asked. Kenpachi grinned.

"Sounds like fun," he said.

"Yay, let's do this!" Yachiru cheered. Like a giant pack of hungry wolves, the entire eleventh division charged out from the portal and spread out in search for prey. Within minutes they had found some; a force of about ninety Tengu soldiers guarding an outpost. The Royal Guard force never stood a chance. In an almost berserk rage, the entire might of Soul's Society most fierce division fell upon them, its four strongest officers leading the charge. Within minutes, all of the Tengu soldiers had been utterly slaughtered.

"Tch, what a bunch of weaklings. I thought these Royal Guard goons were meant to be strong," Kenpachi moaned. "Oh well, what the heck. Let's just plant the beacon and set up camp here." He placed his golden rod on the ground and linked it up with the portal, as his men got to work pitching tents up.


Byakuya took his time observing the surroundings of the King's Realm, as his vice captain Nanao went around making sure all of his division members had gotten through safely. Like Ichigo and Kenpachi, he was disappointed by the decor of the realm. He had imagined the King's Realm to be a place bathed in shining light and colour, completely incomprehensible to the mortal eye. Now it resembled nothing than an antique version of Soul Society. The portal had opened out in the middle of a dense woodland forest.

"Captain Kuchiki, our men are in position," Nanao said as she ran beside Byakuya. "We have spotted enemy troops in an encampment five hundred yards up ahead."

"Good work. We shall commence our attack," Byakuya said. "Assume attack formation delta." His division assembled into a wedge shaped formation, with him at the apex, Nanao and Rikichi behind him, and the rest of his men spread outwards. Byakuya gave a hand signal to move out. He sprinted forward, and his division members followed. After five hundred yards they arrived at a fairly large clearing in the forest, and Byakuya could see the large group of enemies up ahead. There were about ninety soldiers, most of them dressed in armour that resembled demons and crows. The soldiers in the encampment spotted the sixth division's approach and hastily grabbed their swords. However, they didn't have enough time to get into position. Byakuya scythed through the first few rows of soldiers, slicing their necks with precision accuracy. Nanao and Rikichi followed up by taking out the soldiers to the immediate left and right of the ones Byakuya himself had killed. Then, like an unstoppable force of medieval knights on horseback, the entire division lanced through the enemy soldiers, cutting them down before they even had a chance to flee or surrender. By the time Byakuya ordered his men to stop and turn around, only a few survivors were left. They quickly surrendered were taken prisoners.

"Start setting up your tents right here," Byakuya said. "We shall wait in this camp until we receive further orders." He took out the golden rod he had been given from inside his captain's robe and placed it on the ground. It sparkled up and sent a streaming beam of energy running back towards the portal five hundred yards back.

"Captain, six of our men have suffered injuries," Nanao reported. She pushed up the glasses on her face as she stood close to Byakuya.

"Tend to their wounds as best as you can. We have enough time to rest and recuperate," Byakuya said. Nanao blushed and nodded.


'Tell me, how did we get into this situation again?" Renji asked his vice captain Lisa. He and his division had stepped through the portal and into an open plain full of rocks-and enemies. A large group of Tengu and Akuma soldiers about a hundred yards away had spotted them as soon as they appeared and started firing mass amounts of Kidou spells at them. Renji quickly gave the signal for his men to hide behind the rocks, and for more than ten minutes, they had been withstanding the constant barrage of beams and blasts.

"We couldn't have anticipated that those goons would spot us as soon as we appeared," Lisa shrugged her shoulders.

"Tch, whatever," Renji grumbled. "We've been hiding behind these rocks for far too long. We need to come up with a good attack strategy.""

"How about we spread out into individual groups so that the enemies can't target all of us at once. Then we gang up on them two on one," Lisa suggested.

"Good idea. Let's try it," Renji nodded. He signalled to his third and fourth seats to get ready. A few seconds later the entire eight division charged out from behind the rocks. Instead of running as a group, Renji's men separated into multiple pairs, each one at least three body lengths apart from another. The enemy soldiers, upon seeing so many targets spread out across a vast area, panicked, and started shooting randomly. Byakurai, Soukatsui and Shahakko spells flew everywhere. Most of them landed harmlessly on the grasp. The rest were easily swatted aside by the eighth division members. As soon Renji got within an arm's length of the nearest enemy soldiers, he released his shikai without saying his chant, flinging Zabimaru outward in a semi-circular arc. The extraordinarily long sword-flail caught many Tengu and Akuma soldiers upon its blades, tearing them in half.

Lisa followed her captain's example and called out her Shikai, "Dominate, Sureibu Okami!" Her sword changed into a long black rope that wrapped around the necks of several enemies, instantly crushing their throats. The rest of Renji's men managed to surround their enemies and outnumber them three to one. Each small group quickly sliced up an enemy soldier and moved on to the next nearest target. Soon enough, every single Tengu and Akuma soldier in the vicinity was dead. In return, about a dozen of Renji's men had suffered minor and serious injuries. Renji pulled out the golden rod he had been given and stuck it into the ground. The rod glowed a bright yellow and sent a beam of light running back towards the portal.

"Alright, let's start setting up our tents here. We'll rest and recuperate from our injuries and wait for the Commander's orders," Renji barked. His division members nodded and got to work.


"So, what do you think?" Isshin asked his vice captain Hiyori. The two of them were hiding in a somewhat dense woodland, observing a group of about ninety or so soldiers guarding an outpost. His entire division had exited the portal and found themselves in the middle of a forest. Isshin had sent Hiyori out to conduct reconnaissance work. She had returned a few minutes later saying she had found enemies nearby. Now his men were waiting for Isshin to make a decision.

"How should I know? If we charge out there blindly, we're going to suffer lots of casualties trying to overwhelm them," Hiyori shrugged her shoulders.

"I see," Isshin placed his right hand on his chin in contemplation. "Maybe we could lure them into a trap. We trick them into going after a few vulnerable targets and then when the enemy's overstretched itself, we attack both their flanks and completely encircle them."

"That's a good idea, but who are going to be our 'targets'?" Hiyori asked. Isshin looked at Kiyone and Sentaro, who were standing behind him. Both of them shivered nervously."

"Um, captain, you don't plan on us being cannon fodder do you?" Kiyone asked.

"I think he's dead serious," Sentaro whispered.

"The two of you are good at running away right?" Isshin asked with a smile. A short while later, Kiyone and Sentaro were tasked with walking up to the soldiers ahead, getting their attention and retreating as fast as possible. As they walked out in the open, Sentaro accidentally stepped on a twig.

"Ssh, quiet! We're meant to sneak up on them and then get their attention!" Kiyone hissed in Sentaro's ear.

"Hey, the captain never said anything about being quiet!" Sentaro protested. They both stopped arguing when they realized the enemy had already seen them and were now charging at them, swords drawn out. The two of them screamed as they ran all the back into the forest. After about a hundred yards in they joined up with a few division members directly under their command. As the small group of Shinigami readied to defend against the charging horde, Isshin and Hiyori jumped out from both sides of the path, along with the rest of the division. In a brief but utterly brutal fight Isshin, Hiyori and their men slaughtered the hapless enemy soldiers. When the carnage was over, not one enemy was left. Isshin then ordered his division to move forward to secure the encampment. He took out his golden rod and placed it on the ground. The rod sent out a light that linked up with the portal.

"Good job my men!" Isshin laughed. "Let's set up some tents and get some rest."


Hitsugaya slashed the chest of an enemy soldier and kicked him away. Matsumoto, who was standing beside him, did the same to another enemy soldier.

"Damn, these fools won't give up and we're in a seriously bad position!" Hitsugaya swore. His division had exited the portal and found themselves in the middle of a long and narrow mountain pass. As they tried to escape the pass, they were confronted by a large group of Akuma soldiers who decided to blindly charge at them. With the pass only wide enough to fit ten Shinigami at most, Hitsugaya's division couldn't bring its full strength to bear.

"Captain, why don't you try to attack them from behind?" Matsumoto asked.

"How would I manoeuvre around them in order to do so? This pass doesn't seem to have any hidden gaps or entrances. Besides, the portal's right at the back," Hitsugaya said. Matsumoto and Hinamori looked at him and each other and realized the predicament they were in. Despite the fact that they had killed dozens of soldiers already, they and their other members in the front row were clearly getting tired and there were still a lot more soldiers coming their way. Suddenly, Hinamori thought of an idea.

"I know! Why don't we all use our Shikais to blast at the enemy and whilst they're down we charge forward and surround them?" she asked.

"That's actually a good idea," Hitsugaya nodded. "Let's do it!" He unleashed Hyorinmaru and blasted a stream of ice at the first row of enemy soldiers, turning them frozen solid. Matsumoto released her Zanpakto and used Haineko to shatter the soldiers Hitsugaya had frozen. Finally Hinamori released Tobiume and fired multiple Kidou blasts at the soldiers right behind the ones that had been turned to ice. The concerted attack succeeded in causing panic in the enemy ranks.

"Alright, everyone charge forward and surround the remaining stragglers!" Hitsugaya shouted. He, Matsumoto and Hinamori Shunpo-ed towards the enemy soldiers that were left, followed by the rest of his division. In a few short minutes they encircled and killed every soldier that remained. Once the battle was over, Hitsugaya expected the carnage they had caused and then walked up to Matsumoto.

"How many casualties did we suffer?" he asked.

"Um, all seven of the members who were beside us in the front row have come down with serious injuries. There's a few in the second and third rows who are wounded as well," Matsumoto explained. Hitsugaya shook his head. They had taken far too much damage from this brief skirmish. He placed his golden rod on the ground and linked it with the portal two hundred yards back in the pass. Then he ordered his men to set up their tents and wait for further orders.


"Are you ready, Izuru?" Rose asked his vice captain. Kira nodded. The two of them were standing side by side as their entire division had formed into a circular shaped huddle. They had been caught off guard when a group of about ninety Tengu and Akuma soldiers had surrounded them as soon as they had exited their portal. To make matters worse, they were in a semi-enclosed area, with the cliff walls offering only one potential escape route that was now blocked. Rose had been quick to order the weaker members of his division into the centre and his top twenty seated officers to form a cordon around them, Kira and himself included. For nearly an hour they fended off multiple attacks by the Tengu and Akuma soldiers, and succeeded in cutting down a dozen or so. There were still plenty more enemy soldiers left and the outer row of Shinigami, including Rose and Kira, were getting tired and bruised.

"I'm ready captain," Kira nodded. He held out his sword and said, "Raise your head, Wabisuke." The blade of his Zanpakto became blunt and bent twice so that its head was rectangular in shape. Rose waited until nearly all of the enemy soldiers were closing in on them. Then he instructed his top seats to extend their swords outwards and start moving in a clockwise direction. Slowly the entire division began to spin like a rotating wheel. As Kira's blade came into contact with the enemy soldiers, his Zanpakto's effect caused all of their swords to become heavier. After the formation had spun around several times, Kira had struck the Tengu and Akuma soldiers enough to cause their swords to multiply in weight by so many times that they fell onto their knees.

"Alright, let's spread out and eliminate them!" Rose called out. At once his men dispersed and ran towards the nearest enemy soldier they could find. Before the soldiers could defend themselves, Rose's division members slit their throats and stabbed their hearts. Soon, all of the Tengu and Akuma soldiers were dead. Rose went around and inspected the number of casualties his division had suffered. Seven of his seated officers and a few of his regular members had been injured. He quickly placed his golden rod on the ground and connected it with the portal his division had exited from.

"We shall set up a camp here," Rose said. "Get some rest and recuperate from your injuries. We shall wait here until we receive further orders."


Kensei and Hisagi were hiding in a clump of dense bushes, observing a group of about ninety Royal Guard soldiers huddled around an encampment. The rest of his division were also hiding in the bushes surrounding the outpost. He and Hisagi had spotted the group early on and had ordered his men to blend into the trees. For nearly an hour they had waited and watched, observing the movements of the soldiers, trying to spot an obvious weakness.

"I think it's time we move in," Hisagi whispered to Kensei.

"Yes, we've been lying here for an hour now and they still haven't noticed us," Kensei said. "But first, I want you to send a hell butterfly to the other division members. Our strategy won't work unless everyone is coordinated." Hisagi nodded and quickly whispered some instructions into a hell butterfly. The butterfly flew across the gap in the woods, thankfully without the Tengu and Akuma soldiers noticing. A few minutes later the hell butterfly came back and flew beside Kensei's ear.

"Captain, we see you. As soon as you move out, we'll follow you," the butterfly whispered. Kensei stored the butterfly back and motioned to Hisagi. After counting down with his fingers, Kensei gave the signal to attack. In a flash he and his entire division jumped out of the trees and ambushed the enemy soldiers. There was barely any resistance. Within a few minutes only a few Akuma soldiers were left, and they easily surrendered. In return, the ninth division suffered a few casualties, with several Shinigami receiving some severe injuries. Kensei took a deep breath, took his golden rod out and placed it on the ground. The rod glowed brightly and ran a current back to the portal his division had exited from.

"Okay everyone set your tents up here. We're going to wait for further orders," Kensei said.


Love watched and waited in the bushes along with his men, His division had spent more than an hour setting up hidden traps along the forest path. After Mashiro spotted a large encampment of enemy soldiers in a clearing a few hundred yards up ahead, Love ordered her to lure them into the forest. He heard the scream of a distinctive voice.

"Alright, here she comes," he said. "Get ready to attack."

"Ah, I'm being chased by murderers!" Mashiro squealed. She was running at a languid pace, slow enough to allow a huge number of Akuma and Tengu troops to chase after her. She ran past an invisible trigger that raised a razor sharp string right in the middle of the path. The enemy soldiers that were chasing her failed to notice the string, which was at shoulder height. Dozens of them had their heads sliced off by the string, their bodies toppling over into a crumbled head as their heads rolled on the ground. The remaining Akuma soldiers managed to duck under the string and continued chasing after Mashiro. She silently acknowledged Love as she ran past him.

"Now!" Love shouted to the men that were beside him. A dozen Shinigami on both sides of the path shot synchronized Byakurai blasts at the heads of the enemy soldiers, killing them instantly. With only a few dozen soldiers left, Love ordered his entire division to leap out of the trees and surround them. Mashiro turned around and joined in the fun. With an overwhelming superiority in numbers, Love's men easily finished off the Akuma soldiers.

"Phew, that was pretty hard work," Mashiro wiped sweat off her brow. "How was I Love? Was I a good distraction."

"Very good. Almost too good," Love said. "For a second I thought you were actually scared of these goons." He and Mashiro inspected the casualties they had suffered. A few of their men had been cut, and some had suffered serious bruises. Love took out his golden rod and stuck it in the middle of the path.

"We'll set up camp here and wait for further orders," he said.


Urahara, Sado, Ishida and Ryuken walked through the portal. Like everyone else who had gone through before, they were taken aback at the rather bland nature of the King's Realm. All of them had assumed it would be a place so wondrous that mortal eyes would be unable to comprehend it. A short while later they were met by Tessai, who had already set up an advance camp.

"Yo, Tessai! How's it going?" Urahara asked.

"Very good. I've received messages from the other captains and they've all managed to wipe out their enemies and set up forward bases."

"Good. Now we move onto the next part. According to Isshin, the Palace walls should be half a mile ahead of the forward bases. Tell them to pack up their tents and advance another five hundred yards. That should take them out of this encircling forest and within sight of the Palace walls," Urahara said. Tessai nodded and started sending hell butterflies to the other divisions.

"Urahara-san, shall we stay with you or find Kurosaki?" Ishida asked.

"You can do what you like. It'll take some time for the catapults to come through," Urahara replied. Ishida and Sado nodded. They sensed Ichigo's spiritual pressure and ran towards it. Urahara and Ryuken watched them leave.

"Aren't you going to follow your son?" Urahara asked.

"Why should I" Ryuken replied, lighting up a cigar. "He's already a grown adult. I don't need to tag after him all the time."

"Fair enough," Urahara pulled down his hat. The two of them went to work joining the portals together.


Half a day later all ten divisions had established bases a few hundred yards outside the palace walls. As Ichigo watched the twelfth division people push through the catapults and cannon balls, he observed the layout of the palace. It looked significantly bigger than Soul Society. The walls were at least two hundred feet high, and diamond white in colour. Far in the distance he could a gigantic citadel rising thousands of feet into air like a gothic tower. Grey clouds hovered around the pinnacle, obscuring most of it from view.

"That spire over there must be Aizen's palace," Ichigo pointed.

"It certainly is. What a formidable fortress," Rukia nodded.

"We're going to need a lot of firepower to bring it down," Ishida said. He and Sado had caught up with Ichigo and Rukia, and the four of them were staying in Ichigo's command tent.

"Speaking of firepower, check out that catapult," Ichigo said. They watched as some twelfth division members pushed a monstrous siege engine towards the very front of the fifth division's camp.

"Hey Ichigo, Rukia, how's it going?" Renji asked, walking alongside his vice captain. Their camps were only a few dozen yards spaced apart; on a whole the entire Soul Society front line covered half a mile and was centralized upon the fourth division's camp which had now turned into a makeshift hospital.

"We're doing alright," Ichigo said. "Just how many of those catapults are there?"

"There's about twenty, two for each division. And those science guys are stocking them up with about fifty cannon balls each," Renji said.

"Fifty cannon balls!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Gosh that's a lot."

"Well, we're going to need all of them. I can't see how we're going to break through that wall without a darned miracle…" Ichigo, Rukia and Renji all glanced at the palace walls, wandering what was going on inside that forbidden city.


At that moment, alarm bells were ringing throughout the outer palace area. Hundreds of common soldiers, guards and the heavily armoured Bakemono brigade were rushing to the walls as word of a Soul Society invasion had spread throughout the King's Palace. Deep inside the citadel, a group of extremely powerful individual walked along an elegant hallway lined with exquisitely decorated paintings. Each one was a skilled fighter with centuries or even millennia of experience. Some of them were hardened veterans jaded by countless battles, others were members of high ranking nobility. A few of them were former captains of Soul Society who had been forcibly sent to the King's Realm. Regardless of who they were before, each of these Royal Guards was a powerful force on the battlefield, and each one was suspicious of the others.

"I heard the outlying border guards have all been massacred," a robust man in armour whispered.

"Apparently the Gotei 13 have invaded the King's realm," a scantily glad woman with pendulous breasts said.

"Are you serious? Don't they know what it means to anger the King?" a gaunt looking man with a goatee asked.

"Perhaps they don't appreciate the fact that our current king usurped the previous king," an old man with flowing white locks and a white scarf replied.

"Or the fact that our king basically destroyed an entire city and killed some of their most beloved officers," a middle aged man with a carrying a staff and a fan said.

"How dare you question our master's actions and motives? He is the great Lord of all creation and the bringer of all wisdom," a bald man with an enlarged head barked.

"Now, now, let's not argue with each other. We're the seven protectors of the king. We have to work together to accomplish our mission correctly," a slightly rotund man with a happy face grinned. The seven Royal Guards entered the throne room, where four other Royal Guards, three men and one woman, were waiting. A long rectangular table was placed at the centre of the immense chamber. The four Royal Guards who were already present greeted the seven who had come in. All of them proceeded to sit beside the table. They cast their attention to the man sitting on a magnificent throne at the very apex of the room, the Spirit King himself, Aizen Sousuke.


The King's Realm has been invaded. The Gotei 13 divisions have established a secure foothold to launch a concentrated attack on Aizen's palace. Have they brought enough firepower to bring down the walls? And what about Aizen and the Royal Guards? How will they respond to the attack? The siege of the Royal Palace begins next chapter.

Notes: I have to admit this chapter was incredibly tedious to write, as I basically repeated the same scene ten times over showing how each division wipes out the initial cannon fodder. Despite this, those scenes were absolutely neccessary for the story. Having seen how disastrously Kubo's Winter War has unfolded, I wanted to show how each division of the Gotei 13 fights when it is fully mobilized, showing both the strategic and tactical planning that is involved, and giving an insight into the fighting styles of each division. Keen readers may notice that each of the captains employ a different strategy to annihlate the group of Royal Guard soldiers they are pitted against. Some go for a pitched battle, others try to ambush, whilst a few manage to employ a blitzkrieg style attack.

One thing I forgot to explain in the early chapters that's mentioned frequently in this chapter: The Tengu and Akuma. Both terms are used to define individual soldier ranks amongst the Royal Guard Army. The Akuma are the low class privates. The Tengu function as sergeants and corporals, with a secondary role in battle that will be explained later. The Bakemono are like the lieutenants of the Royal Guard, the equivalent of the officer seats in a Gotei 13 Division. Most of the Royal Guard soldiers were either originaly Shinigami who were transferred from the Gotei 13 or Rukongai citizens forcibly drafted into service.

Also, there wasn't enough time in the previous chapter to explain what the golden rods were. They were essentially devices that mark territory, kind of like signal posts. Each of them contains highly concentrated reishi that responds to the reiatsu from the portals.

I hope everyone who reads this chapter understands the way I way planned it out. I've really enjoyed the feedback and reviews you've given me so far.