This chapter has been rewritten and now contains new information. This chapter leading up to chapter 35 have been altered so if you wish to read please go to the beginning and read from there so that you are not lost. Thank you.
United Against the Legion of Flames
Chapter 35: Desert Storm Approaches
Urahara looked down at his experiment; he had been planning this particular one for some time now, along with several other things. He had decided to move away from it for a time; he had many other matters that had taken up his attention over the last few hours. With the Sternritter being present in Hueco Mundo he would need to formulate a plan to counter and inflict heavy casualties against the Wandenreich. Also with recent breaches into the Shadow Realm within the World of the Living he had hardly the time to clean them up.
Luckily he knew a nice bunch of people to do it, it was not often they got to do anything and he was sure they would welcome the chance to get some exercise in. But sadly he didn't have time to contact them and explain what they needed to do. So he handed that special duty to his best buddy Mayuri.
"So you think you can get Shinji to do it?" Urahara asked, looking at the screen as he worked at his table, he had a lot of equipment brought in, multiple experiments were going on around him at the moment.
"Should be simple enough, the man is quite dull in the head and if I coerce him enough it should be easy to make him do as requested." Mayuri replied, his usual dismissive drawl thick in his words. "It is getting him to convince her that is the issue."
Urahara smirked a little at the comment, he wasn't wrong about that. Hiyori did tend to get a bit rowdy whenever Shinji tried to order her to do something. Luckily they had someone there that could help them out.
"I am sure they will be fine, I'll have a friend help them." Urahara waved off, moving past the reishi distiller that was working on draining spiritual energy from some blood samples. "Also how is that data coming along?"
"It is promising, the theft of the Bankai has the Captain's concerned, their loss and apparent use by the enemy has them worried over the next battle." Mayuri stated.
"I understand, if the enemy can take them at will then we need to find a means to counter it, although Xrach has given me a good idea on where to start." Urahara replied, the data Xrach was able to provide had been invaluable on determining a means to counter the Quincy and Sternritter.
"Yes, it would explain the Quincy's zealous dedication to the eradication of hollows, self-preservation tends to do that." Mayuri drawled.
He was quite right; Xrach had uncovered the weakness of the Quincy, one that would be pivotal in their attempt to reclaim Bankai and also likely a feasible bioweapon if they got time to work with it. But for now he was busy getting some test samples ready, if he could do this it may be possible for Bankai to be reclaimed. In fact he determined that three of the four Bankai's may be in Hueco Mundo, if that was the case they could reclaim them.
"That will prove useful in getting our Bankai's back and preventing any others from being stolen; it may even prove to be a potential weapon if I have enough time to utilize the energy." Urahara replied, his enthusiasm shining through where Mayuri's did not.
"It may be needed, if what Xrach gave us on the Sternritters is correct we will need to plan our offensive carefully. Although three elude us, designations A, B and K. It would seem he couldn't read their minds, something about interference." Mayuri replied, always being picky with his information, something that often made Urahara love the man, because then he could show him up by fixing that issue like it was nothing. "But he has presented us with a great deal of information on the rest. If we counter them the main bulk of the Quincy's forces are defeated."
"Maybe not, did you identify those Sternritters I sent you?" Urahara asked, a serious gleam in his eye, he knew some of them, but a few seemed to be new, or at least unknown.
"I did, we have several that are known. Designations: Bambietta Basterbine - The Explode, Cang Du - The Iron, Liltotto Lamperd - The Glutton, Marie Mercury - The Miracle, Meninas McAllon - The Power, Mask De Masculine - The Superstar, Candice Catnip - The Thunderbolt and Giselle Gewebe – The Zombie."
Urahara nodded, these are the ones they knew about, but even among those they were familiar with BG9 was an enigma to them still. Xrach was unable to determine his powers and abilities, only that he was affiliated with someone named Herr Faust, who was his creator.
"While this black cloaked man is their leader we have no information on him." Mayuri continued. "Plus with BG9, the three females, and the old man are unknowns, if they are Sternritters, than Yhwach has the ability to make more."
Urahara frowned, if these new guys were Sternritter than they were wild cards. The battle for the Seireitei had only ended about fourteen hours ago, and yet somehow Yhwach had rebuilt their numbers in such a short time.
If that was the case than it was possible that the ten they had confirmed killed may have been replaced with fresh new stock. Yhwach never did create all the Sternritter at once, he made them over the course of several years. The last group being made was a group of five girls. But Xrach did make it clear that he had a former Sternritter in his presence, along with a Stenritter class fighter who was known as Raven. Aside from that these new players were unknown to them, their Epithets were not known.
"I could understand why most of them are here, if they are hunting down Tier Harribel then they picked quite a formidable group to do it." Urahara commented, he suspected that this was meant to be an extermination rather than a simple attempt to recapture the Arrancar.
"Agreed, I would advise you get out of there, that place is done for." Mayuri stated seriously.
"Aww. I didn't know you cared so much!" Urahara said with a goofy smile, and enjoyed the man's dulled aggravation.
"I truly do not care, I just want that equipment and any samples you have, so send them before you die." Mayuri said, cutting the connection and leaving Urahara to chuckle.
He always liked doing that, making fun of the man for anytime he did something of moral conscious. But still he had to take this seriously; the Sternritters outnumbered them by a large number. He would need to level the playing field; he had a few people here that could help. Grimmjow would be a great asset, but he was only one, and he doubted they were aware of his presence or the reinforcements. So they likely wouldn't expect him and the rest of the Arrancar he brought with him, along with the other Espada.
That could work in their favor. His eyes turned to a small furred object on the table, it wasn't done yet but he should see about getting it completed soon. The extra help would be useful for the upcoming fight.
"Kisuke Urahara."
Turning the former Shinigami Captain saw Tier Harribel standing there, her face impassive even behind that high collar she wore.
"Please call me Urahara!" The shopkeeper said jubilantly, moving about his experiments as he spoke with the Arrancar Queen.
Harribel did not react to his expression of joy with any kind of emotion, a simple stare showing her desire for serious conversation. Urahara decided to accept that request and took on a more serious expression.
"So what's up?" Urahara asked.
"Do you have a plan to deal with these Sternritter?" Harribel inquired, she knew the man's intellect enough to know he likely had a few contingencies in place. Knowing them would likely aid in her ability to fight against the Quincy, she needed information and even with the data on the Sternritter and their abilities it only offered so much.
"I have a few ideas, mostly keeping some of our people out of sight. Me, Grimmjow and Nel are likely going to need to do a few things." Urahara said.
"That will only go so far, we are still outnumbered nearly three to one, against Sternritters none the less." Harribel replied. "From what I have learned of their skills and powers they are likely specifically chosen to counter me and Sangre. I can hold my own but even against overwhelming numbers the others may not be so secured."
"Yeah, that may be right, there isn't much we can do other than hope that we can beat them. More than likely they will attack in groups of two or three. One would be the main attacker; the others would wear you down. You will be facing against Candice Catnip and possible another that can counter your water." Urahara stated.
Sangre from what he could gather had high speed regeneration ability and also a thick Heirro. So maybe Bambietta would face him but apart from those single suggestions there was no telling who else would go against the other.
"Yes, meaning I will need to rely on my sword and my other techniques to counter whoever I fight." Harribel stated, her battle against Captain Class fighters was not the concern, but the simple overwhelming enemy force.
They number close to one hundred and the enemy had five times as many forces as hers. She could hold herself out against whatever was sent her way, but her people would be slaughtered in the wake of an overwhelming force. How was she meant to lead when all of her people were dead? She needed to make sure that their plan counted on them all surviving. She needed to know what Kisuke knew.
"We will need to divert their forces, split them up, and disrupt their strategy." Harribel stated. "If we can keep as many Sternritter away from our forces as possible we may be able to remove their strongest fighters one at a time."
"Still outnumbered though, also they have about five hundred Soldat stationed here, max that with fourteen Sternritter, against our one hundred Arrancar, we are not looking good right now. Most of them wouldn't last against a Sternritter, for very long anyway." Urahara said, looking at her grimly.
"Can you do nothing to change that?" Harribel inquired.
"I can give them something that may be able to damage or bypass the Quincy's Blut, but even then they would still be at a disadvantage to a much stronger foe." Urahara replied.
Harribel growled under her breath, it was true, even with extra help from the Shinigami and the returned Sexta. But she had no idea about this former Tecera, or her power, she was but a child, so how would she be of use Harribel had no idea. But regardless if their level of power it would be impossible for them to face off against a Sternritter.
Grimmjow's power was easily on the level double that of a Captain, meaning he would likely be able to face several opponents, two or three depending on who he was facing. Anymore and then he would be bested quickly. If Nel even matched his level of power it would be the same. Kisuke Urahara would likely be the same, meaning they would only take nine to twelve potential forces out of the fight with their own warriors. Best case scenario they still had only two random Sternritters to worry about, worst case, it was five. Be if two or five that still meant little with five hundred Soldat at their backs. It would be a slaughter.
"We need reinforcements." Harribel said simply, there was no way around it, they had to get more warriors.
"Don't think we will be getting any, the Arrancar as far as they know are the only survivors left." Urahara replied, there may potentially be others, but wherever they may be was a mystery.
"Not Arrancar." Harribel stated.
Urahara looked at her for a moment, wondering what she was thinking, it took all but a second to realize but he never would have thought it possible. Was she actually considering getting reinforcements from the Shinigami? He had never expected that from her, his presence was tolerated. Any more Shinigami, who would likely hold some contempt for her and her kind would likely not sit well with the Arrancar Queen.
"You want to ask the Gotei?" Urahara asked, he didn't know if it was possible, or if they would send reinforcements.
"No, but I never thought that I would accept this. But I think I will need to accept Xrach's offer for support." Harribel replied.
She just hoped that the man would be back soon, and that he brought that support he had promised. Otherwise they would be going into this fight without a hope of victory.
Seireitei, 1st Division
Shunsui looked up when he saw the doors open; he noted that the High Shaman had finally arrived. He was a little late and from the way his spiritual energy was fluctuating at low levels it was apparent something had happened. He had always seen his power to be close to that of a Captain, all that raging spiritual power and he could only bring so much to the front. But to see it almost depleted, that was strange.
"What happened to you?" Kyoraku asked, noticing that there were a few scrapes on his armor, ones that were not there before.
"An issue I could not get away from, I am free now, how went the meeting?" Mairne inquired, shifting the subject back to the matter of his arrival.
Kyoraku could tell that something had occurred and he did not want to discuss it, so he dropped the issue. He got the feeling that Mairne would only bring something up if it was of importance to defeating the Quincy and if not it didn't matter. He had to agree with that logic as well, he didn't care unless it involved the Quincy.
"Central 46 is pissed, they don't like it that you are here, and they are mad that you are interfering with their affairs." Kyoraku replied. "They want you gone."
"Did you dissuade them from such actions?" Mairne inquired, glancing at the Shinigami as they walked towards the meeting room.
They were finally going to discuss the preparations for the defense of the Seireitei, and he could not be booted from the city before then. The next engagement was only days away and they had not the time to deal with the antics of politicians as they delay them.
"Pretty much, told them that with our forces so low we likely wouldn't be able to protect them when the next attack comes, that shut them up real quick." Kyoraku replied, his face grim despite the obvious amusement in his eyes.
"Good, then we have no other issues aside from fighting against these Quincy, but first we need to know the details." Mairne said, entering the chamber to find several people waiting for them.
Mairne noted his own commander Kallista Glaivestorm and Lysander Reinhart, both of them standing side by side and in light discussions with one another. To their left was the Second Division Commander Sui-Feng, they seemed to be waiting patiently near a circular table with a rough design of the Seireitei etched into the surface.
"Yeah, we've been waiting for you to discuss the Quincy's infiltration of the Seireitei." Kyoraku replied. "We also need to plan and offensive and counter attack, so I thought we could see what this master plan of yours was."
Mairne nodded his head and looked down at the map, showing off key buildings and structures within the Seireitei. The locations of each Division, distinguished by specific Japanese numbers, and buildings such as the Noble Houses and Shino Academy were all displayed. Along with a few other non-essential places that held only tactical advantages apart from simply being barracks or high value locations.
"Commander." Lysander said, saluting towards Mairne while Kallista simply gave a light bow.
"Marshals, have you been briefed?" Mairne inquired.
"We have sir, we know what to do." Lysander replied. "Only need to wait on you two so we can begin discussions on the upcoming invasion."
Mairne nodded and then turned towards Sui-Feng, who was having a quiet yet aggravated conversation with Kyoraku. He could not hear the conversation but it was obvious that them being present were causing her some agitation. Eventually she relented with a drawn out sigh before she turned back to the table and walked over.
"Let's begin." Kyoraku said, looking down at the model for the Seireitei. "So let's start on the Quincy and their attack vector."
"Where did the Sternritter entered from?" Mairne inquired, looking to Sui-Feng, he trusted that she would be privy to that information.
She glanced at the bull for a moment before glancing at Shunsui, obviously not liking that they were working with a previous enemy now. Although she did not say her piece, it was obvious that she did not like the fact they were taking part in matters they had no role in. The Gotei was not meant to deal with the affairs of those in the Present World, even if they were not originally from this world.
She was met with a nod, telling her it was okay to speak and a slight order telling her to communicate. Sui-Feng gave no outside reaction that she did not like doing what she was doing but relented to simply following the request.
"These are the locations where they struck, they appear random but each point was close to a specific area." Sui-Feng responded, placing down specific markers on the map. "Each pillar opened up close to a Division; in fact they opened up between them."
Looking at the locations where each pillar was located was strange; some appeared within buildings, others in locations that were in the open. But they all did share the similarity that Sui-Feng stated; all were between the different Divisions.
"They wanted to cut off interaction between the Divisions, preventing any cohesion going for the Gotei." Lysander said, observing the locations of the pillars across the city and looking for any distinguishable patterns.
Each Pillar was placed close to Divisions but also in points where the Divisions would be cut off from one another. One pillar would appear near the Divisions and attack, while another would appear in a random point between two Divisions and run interference to prevent the Captains and Shinigami from regrouping with their forces.
"But they maintained their distance from the inner circle, and away from the First Division." Kallista noted, looking at each point intently. "They did not want to attack there; they wanted to cause heavy casualties to the other Divisions."
"But why?" Lysander asked, not finding the motive right. "If the First Division is among the Elite Divisions it should have been targeted along with the others."
"The First Division suffered over a hundred casualties twenty four hours before the Quincy Invasion. Another one of their attempts to cause strife between us, I think I told you about that." Kyoraku replied, glancing at Mairne who nodded his head.
He had been informed of the attack on the First Division by a fake Xrach and a possible revived Orrick, if that was the case that would explain why the Gotei was so adamant on fighting. But still that was in the past now, and they needed to focus on the now.
"So they had no reason to attack the First, because they had already dealt a blow to it." Kallista surmised.
"Yes, more than likely that is the reason, but it is also possible that they did it to draw attention to the other areas and away from the First so that their leader could infiltrate it." Sui-Feng growled out.
When she first saw the lights when the invasion began she couldn't believe she didn't see it beforehand. Each one was on the outside perimeter, but she never expected this to occur, never expected the Quincy's leader would attack the First Division. It was not until she learned of the breach into the Muken that she realized that danger that presented, luckily they had no escapees.
"What about troop movements, where were the men at this time when the strike came?" Lysander inquired, leaning on the table.
With a little time Sui-Feng filled out the blanks with patrols and their routes as well as the location of all officers that had been out and their general location during the incident when the Fleet attacked. What they found was most surprising.
"That is too convenient." Kallista said.
Most of the random points on the board show that the attacks were situated against the largest clusters of Shinigami still within the confines of the Seireitei. They had not gone after patrols, but the largest groupings of Shinigami.
"They hit us were we were gathered, the lights drew in everyone nearby and they attacked." Sui-Feng said. "Moths to the flame."
"Moths only come to a flame that is close, patrols can be predicted and thought up. But after our attack your forces came running in every direction. They knew where to strike to cause the highest casualties because they had been watching the entire event." Mairne said, looking down at the map with narrowed eyes.
"That can't be right, how could they do that?" Sui-Feng inquired. "I can believe that they have information on us and even know how to fight us. But I cannot believe that they were able to watch us that closely."
"The enemy is pragmatic and uses their logic to win their battles, they strike with deadly efficiency." Kyoraku said. "Each point was calculated and weighed; each attack on the Divisions was carried out quickly. But while most went for the Divisions others attack areas of strength. They hit the Fourth Division, instead killing off anyone trying to vacate the wounded. They wanted those that can heal to be killed off."
"More than likely they cut off reinforcements and medical aid because they didn't want their kills getting back up." Lysander stated.
"The enemy's attack points will be to cause the most amount of damage as quickly as possible; from there they would simply strike at any point where they found someone." Kyoraku continued. "The reports we got on their military tactics show they are skilled at Hit and Run tactics as well as blitzkrieg, they attack with overwhelming force very quickly."
"The next attack will not be the same; if they plan on all-out war then the next strike will be for the jugular." Lysander said. "This, was just to kick us to the ground, what comes next will be to put us in it."
"Preparing for this will be difficult, if they knew about the patrols we may not know if they are monitoring us as we speak." Mairne replied.
"My men can't find anything in the city, nothing. How is it that they can spy on us and not be here?" Sui-Feng stated.
"They exist in the Shadow Realm, a dimensional plane that runs parallel to the natural one. They are unseen by all there, and Xrach said himself they have been within it for some time and have learned to master that dimension almost effortlessly." Kallista said. "If they can breach your defenses, than spying on us is simpler. Travel through the realm is easy, they can move from almost one side of the world to the next with ease, and likely see us from afar."
"Yeah, Reginald told me about that, says that there are layers in there. Likely the Quincy are situated in the deepest part, while on the areas that just border the realm they cross besides are like oceans, allowing them to move freely." Kyoraku said. "That would mean our defenses are useless and also that no matter what we plan they will know about it."
"Then we have no defense! No means to defend ourselves." Sui-Feng growled out.
"No, but we can still make one. The Quincy rely on quick effective strikes to eradicate their enemies in rapid succession, we need to counter this advantage." Mairne reassured the Captain. "With the Divisions scattered too far apart and movement in the streets impossible we need a better method of fighting where we are needed."
Mairne knew that the major disadvantage to fighting in this city was being in the open as well as the distance between the Divisions and points of interest. They simply did not have the time to move between battlegrounds and different Divisions to fight, they needed to have quick and easy deployments from area to area to maximize their fighting strength in areas it was needed.
The Fleet had deemed this an effective strategy fighting the Legion, by countering the demons with their massive numbers by fighting only at points where they could deal as much damage as possible with minimal damage to their own. This same strategy can work for them, but they would need to be careful, the Wandenreich was a very dangerous group to deal with, they were not reckless as the Legion in some cases. They plan their offensives carefully, and they always go for the quick kills.
"What did you have in mind?" Kyoraku asked.
"Garrisons, they are small fortifications to act as deployment areas and defensive positons for our troops." Mairne stated, placing down several smaller markings around the map, showing the locations where he would want these Garrisons to be built and placed.
"We have the Divisions, we don't need this." Sui-Feng retorted, having more bases would divide their forces to much, it would narrow their numbers and make them easy pickings and force them to defend more terrain.
"They are too far between one another; also the areas between the Divisions would likely be points of interest the Sternritter and Quincy would exploit. Having defensive areas where we can retreat to with wounded and hold out in case of overwhelming numbers is a good idea." Lysander said.
"If we can negate the Quincy's ability to ambush us between points we can mitigate casualties and also allow us to fall back in the event of overwhelming numbers." Kallista stated.
"How many can you get us?" Kyoraku asked, he would need to know more about these fortifications first but he had an idea on what they would be used for.
"We can have fifteen up and ready within twenty four hours, another twenty two in thirty six." Mairne replied. "Depending on how long the Quincy takes to engage we could have forty to fifty up within the next three days."
"What advantage would this give aside from a place to defend?" Sui-Feng inquired.
"We use fortifications like these to defend points of interest and also as evacuation sites, portals are set up at the main command posts and we can funnel in reinforcements quickly. As well as evacuate in the event the area is overrun." Kallista stated. "We use them to put our troops on the field where they are specifically needed, having the troops all the way across the city takes away their usefulness, if we can have them moved from one side of the city to another in a second it maximizes our field of deployment to push back the aggressors."
Sui-Feng did not doubt that sounded like a good idea, if they could maximize their fighting potential and have their people deployed in areas of need then they could stem casualties and inflict more upon the enemy. Reinforcements would be brought in quickly and they would be able to retreat to areas of protections.
"That could work, the Quincy got us because our forces were scattered in the attack, if we can rally them the next time won't be so one sided." Sui-Feng said, she had been sold and if this allowed them to keep what few men they have left and also strike against the Quincy in more strategic ways than she would not complain. "I would like more information on this, I want to know what kind of advantages these forts can bring in detail."
"I can brief you later if you wish." Kallista offered, and was met with a nod. "But even with this the Garrisons will not stand against the Sternritter, their powers are simply too much for most of us to handle."
"The Captains are meant to engage them, that is our job in this fight." Kyoraku stated.
"Yes, but recent information shows that may not be possible." Mairne stated. "I have learned that Yhwach can give powers to other, specifically new Sternritter."
"Yeah, we got a message from Urahara in Hueco Mundo, apparently we have got five new Sternritter." Kyoraku stated. "It would seem that Yhwach has replaced those he lost."
"This does not look good, if he can replace his elite troops so easily…" Kallista said aloud.
"He cannot, the effort is stressing to him, and apparently the process seems to drain him somehow. He does this by creating a well of power within the Sternritters to draw upon, they possess power within and out thanks to this ritual of him." Mairne said. "But I have learned recently that the letters are insignificant, he can give his powers to others that share the letters, it is simply a sign of rank rather than a limiting factor."
They looked at him for a moment; if that was the case then it did not bode well for them. It would means that the restricted twenty four Sternritter was not true, the system likely was done to limit the numbers only for command positions; if that was the case then Yhwach could create more if he wanted without issue.
"Do you know any of these new guys?" Kyoraku asked.
"No, but I have learned that one shares a letter with another, one that is still alive." Mairne replied.
"Who?" Kyoraku asked.
"Alexander Sigismund, his power is the Truth; specifics of his powers are that of Erudition, the ability to learn from an individual from prolonged contact, abilities, skills, and even their basic character." Mairne replied.
"How did you learn about this?" Sui-Feng inquired.
"Recent events have come to light, this Sternritter exposed himself and Xrach was able to learn this. It is possible that there are other candidates that are in wait to fill the void in the ranks of the Sternritter." Mairne replied.
"So, we may be fighting an endless wave of Captain-class fighters." Kyoraku inquired, that didn't sound too good.
"Yes, but worse is that this shows that the Sternritters are only bound by their masters power. Meaning that there is no telling how many he could create, especially if he gains more power." Mairne stated. "He likely only maintains the numbers as is because it is easier to maintain, but if he decides to simply change the rules he could go over the numbers he has."
There was silence as they digested this new information. The Sternritter outnumbered the Captains two to one already, now that their ranks have been refilled. If more could be made than this would get harder before it got easier, it would be fighting one Sternritter after the other. From their previous engagements fighting them on even ground was near impossible without their Bankai.
"What can we do?" Kallista asked. "Kill teams likely would not be able to succeed against some of them, it has shown that some can be dealt with in groups of the right caliber, but others simply are too powerful to face without someone of equal might. Ascendants are our only option aside from Captain's but even then it is likely not to succeed. Mojin failed to defeat one and we do not have many Ascendants left."
She is right, and even then there are those such as Bambietta and Bazz-B, their powers are too deadly to face in open combat, even with those of power equal or greater." Mairne said. "Some battles we can fight and others we cannot."
"Their numbers were near two times higher than our own; with your forces we have the number advantage." Kyoraku stated.
"You should know numbers only work when we fight without regard for casualties or there is not defining power disadvantage. The Quincy uses tactics and strategy to defeat their enemies, and with their abilities they do so very well." Mairne replied, he did not dissuade himself that he can win simply with numbers.
He had fought against a weakened Sternritter and still lost, losing consciousness to that man despite knowing who he was. If that was the case he could not risk his people's lives by simply trying to overwhelm their enemy.
"From what we know the Quincy are capable of inflicting heavy casualties on the Arrancar, most of their population is gone and if that was only against Soldat, I fear what will happen when they take to field here in force." Mairne stated grimly. "Also even with numbers our enemies possess abilities that can render them useless. As suggested by my Ranger General, The Explode and the Heat are not something we can engage in open warfare and hope to survive. Their Soldats my forces can fight, but the Sternritters are far beyond our capabilities."
It was true, based on what Urahara had given them it would seem that the Arrancar have suffered heavy casualties against the enemy. They suspected that for about every three soldat one Arrancar could be defeated. Power didn't mean anything; the Quincy used advanced fighting tactics and strategies to bring down their opposition. That is why they were so deadly, there was no fighting with reckless abandon, their success was in their teamwork to improve on strengths and remove weaknesses.
"Yes, about the Sternritter. We have nothing that can match them on open ground easily, Saronite negates some of their spiritual capabilities but they can still draw it in." Kallista stated. "We take away their ability to take it within them, but if they manipulate it outside their body it becomes pointless."
"Sternritters main strength is their well of power, we negate that they lose their major advantage over their Schrifts, kills teams can work but we need to have Special Forces made to counter them. Saronite is still a valuable commodity for us, we cannot use it recklessly." Mairne replied.
"Death Knights then?" Sui-Feng stated, although shuddered at the thought of letting those things do more killing.
"Yes, but not alone, Death Knights can beat some but they need help to get in a hit, and even then they are still outmatched. We need people that can match up to a Sternritter and hold them until we can get the strike in." Mairne stated. "We need to form teams with Shinigami in them, Shinigami that can fight against a Sternritter."
"Only Captains can do that." Kyoraku said.
"Maybe, but it is possible if we can enhance them, then maybe we can cause much more damage." Mairne offered.
Kyoraku and Sui-Feng looked at the High Shaman; it would seem he had an idea, one that would potentially give their troops the potential to actually fight against Sternritter. They were intrigued.
"What did you have in mind?" Kyoraku asked.
"I want you to bring any and all Seated Officers to the Garadar, you will like this I think, and I also believe we may have a perfect testing field to carry out an attack against the Sternritters." Mairne said, smiling slightly.
"Where would that be?" Kyoraku asked, quirking a curious eyebrow.
"Hueco Mundo." Mairne replied.
Los Noche
Lille looked out over the desert, the white moon in the sky illuminating the sand for miles in every direction. Completely barren and devoid of all life, yet he could see the small flickers of light as his Soldat forces scour the area for anything trying to breach the perimeter.
"We have an idea where the Arrancar might be, when we took this place we found information on a location where the Vasto Lordes of the Espada held dominion, one of them is likely where Tier Harribel is located." Lille stated, turning and finding the rest of the Sternritter present along with several Soldat officers. He turned to an Executive Captain and nodded his head, giving him a chance to speak.
"Sir, we have located a formation of ruins near the western section of the Hueco Mundo frontier, it is a small mountainous formation that is located near its center. It is here that Sosuke Aizen located the Tercera Espada nearly ten years ago." The officer said. "This is likely where she would go to ground in order to escape detection."
"Why is that?" Cang Du queried.
"The stones are thick and block out spiritual energy outbursts, as well as having deep caverns beneath its surface. Along with that it is highly isolated; there are nearly no other ruins in its vicinity." The Officer stated.
"Very good, we have also information that Ichigo Kurosaki was present here before the Invasion of the Seireitei. Meaning that accompanying him were others, we have confirmed that these individuals are Kisuke Urahara, Sado Yasutora, and Orihime Inoue." Lille stated. "Kisuke is a danger, but Special War Potential Orihime Inoue is also a threat. She is to be killed on sight."
"The human girl?" Sonia inquired. "Wouldn't capture be more prudent, if the girl is in the hands of the Arrancar after they are all dead she can simply come with us?"
"That may not be possible, more than likely she will aid the Arrancar and heal them if they are injured, and reports show she is here to aid them." Cang Du stated.
Sonia looked at him confused; why this Orihime Inoue would help the Arrancar was beyond her. They were soul eating monstrosities, why would a human willingly help something that would kill her as soon as they looked in her direction. There had to be something else going on here, maybe the girl wasn't exactly of stable mindset, maybe she was simple mad and deranged.
She would see soon enough, if the girl was insane she would make sure she was put out of her misery.
Garadar
Caderyn walked down the halls of the Garadar, trailing behind him were over two dozen Shinigami Seated Officers. They all looked around in wonder, mesmerized by the strange technology and species that surrounded them.
"Damn, never seen anything like this before." Mari said, smirking as she noticed the strange rays of light that moved through the channels along the walls. "What is this stuff?"
"Some form of unknown energy, more than likely what powers the ship and is the power for many of these people's abilities." San Tsuluz stated, his face hidden by a bandana, while his chest was fully exposed.
"Geez, you Second Division guys really know how to make anything soul dull." Arashi said, looking bored as he roamed around the hall. "At least there be some fine alien woman here."
Passing them was a group of Sentinels, who did not even bat an eye or even dignify the Shinigami with a glance as they moved. They certainly did not tighten their grips on their bows when he sent an appreciative whistle their way.
"What the hell are we doing here? On this ship with these people." Link growled out, looking as a large bull man passed, who didn't even look at them. "These guys are freaks."
"Will you shut up Link, I heard it was these guys that saved your worthless ass, and look as what they get, you bitching like they didn't put the bandages on right." Tai said his tone a drawl.
He ran a hand through his short black hair before glancing at the man. Even if he was a Tenth Seat he didn't care that he was messing with a now newly promoted Third Seat. Link was an asshole, always has been, always will.
"You better watch it asshole, I outrank you, and I will not hesitate to put you back in your place, little rodent." Link said.
"That's rich, didn't you come from the Rukongai, one of the outer ones, heard those places suck." Tai asked.
Link moved forward with a growl, but was halted when he felt someone eye him and a small amount of heat brush across his skin. He looked over to the Dwarf leading them, his skin was slightly burning with sparks and fire, and his glare was just as tempered.
"Control yourself." Caderyn barked, looking at the Shinigami Officer. "You hold rank yet you cannot hold your emotions in check, change that and you may actually be worthy of your position."
Caderyn turned and continued on his way, the fire gone and his steps calm as he led the Seated Officers further into the ship. Although what stung Link more was the mocking glances he got from his fellow Officers, he couldn't understand why they were acting so casual about this.
"Oh, damn, that must have stung." Tai murmured over to Arashi, who smirked a little.
Link growled under his breath, he had been promoted to Third Seat within the First Division after his predecessor was promoted to the position of Lieutenant. Now he was being hounded and laughed at not only by the other officers, but this damn midget who thought he could order him around.
"Link, please don't, we were told not to do anything." Haven said, trying to calm her brother down.
"She is right, we are allies now, we should do well not to antagonize them." Daichi stated, his wounds had healed and he was back in fighting form. Although when he was still suffering from twitches, that lightning he was hit with really did a number on him, he was surprised he was actually alive.
"I am only following orders, but can we really trust them?" Oak asked, she was nervous about coming here, ordered by the Captain-Commander to come to this ship with these unknown creatures to do something. It was probably worse than whatever would await an unwanted guest entering the Twelfth Division.
"Calm down, these guys healed us up good, they can't be that bad, I mean like this guy here!" Arashi said, gesturing to a strange stone-like creature that passed them, oddly enough he looked to be made of stone and looked really oriental in design. "Seriously, what the fuck is this guy?"
They chose to ignore him as he looked at the strange creature that bore an odd resemblance to a Chinese Guardian Lion.
"Apart from being from different species they don't seem to be any different than humans. Don't know if that is a good think or not." Souta said aloud, old habits die hard and he couldn't get past it.
"Souta, my dear friend, you came back. Still have that massive stick up your ass I see, how unfortunate."
"You!" Souta shouted, glaring at the Warlock near the corridor. "You son of a bitch! You never told me they were going to fucking kill me!"
"What did you expect? Then to leave you in the First Division and then walk out?" Xrach replied with a drawl. "Besides I made sure you lived, and you were dead for less than a day, so quit complaining."
Behind Xrach stepped forward a man in dark armor and having a hood over his head, the Shinigami instantly felt unease work its way into the bones as they saw it. The feeling of a void in the body was certainly disconcerting as they gazed at the undead.
"Now, back to the matter at hand. Caderyn. Kyoraku and Mairne are in the Elemental Chamber, everything is prepared, get them in there, I will be getting some extra help to go with us to Hueco Mundo." Xrach said, walking past the Dwarf.
"Who you getting?" Caderyn.
"My uncle here is going to help me get his band of psychotic murderers to help us. Should be fun, I haven't visited them in a long time." Xrach drawled.
"Varro still doesn't like you." Reginald said as they passed the Shinigami.
Caderyn let out a low huff of laughter, before he turned and moved on. The Shinigami Officers following close behind, shaking off the unsettling feeling of being in the presence of a Death Knight. The feeling was so perverse and wrong that they hoped not to be near one again.
"That is wrong, really wrong." Oak said, shivering slightly as she held herself.
"Another reason not to trust them." Link growled out.
"Hey, better they are on our side than not. Heard that metal they use is deadly, actually is more lethal than whatever the Quincy use." Arashi said, looking serious as he made the declaration.
It was not long before they were escorted through the hall and into a large open chamber. It was brimming with spiritual energy, but it felt strange and different from that within the Soul Society. The spiritual energy inside felt unique, some felt very heavy and dense, while other felt like flowing energy. It was cool and hot, rough and smooth, as if it had a different attribute toward it, or that it came from different beings.
"What is this place?" Mari asked, looking around at the almost barren landscape, aside from a few trees, and populated with mostly stone ruins and platforms. Among them were carved images and symbols, showing off worshipers to strange beings, bulbous and large.
"Looks like some kind of ruin, but the spiritual energy here is strong, and strange." San Tsuluz said, looking around with narrowed eyes, he could feel this energy coming from something. "Something is off here."
"Over there." Arashi said, looking over they saw a group standing in a small circular ruin, as they approached they found platforms along the outer part of the platform with strange stones and objects placed on them.
In the center of the ruin stood Mairne and Kyoraku, both were in deep conversation and it would seem that Kyoraku was quite pleased with their discussion. From the way he was speaking he was actually quite happy with what was being said.
"Glad you could make it." Kyoraku said, looking at the Officers, the few that were still alive.
"Taicho, what is this?" Link asked, stepping forward and addressing his Captain for the group, and ignoring the comment behind him that sounded like 'kiss-ass'.
"You are here to get your Zanpakuto enchanted, was that the right word?" Kyoraku said, looking over to Mairne for confirmation.
"Yes, against our enemy we will need any advantage we can, and therefore we have chosen you to be the next line of defense against them." Mairne said. "You will be empowered, to fight against Sternritter."
They all looked at one another in shock and no small amount of worry, murmuring broke out between them. They couldn't have heard the Shaman right, them? Fighting against Sternritter? That couldn't be right.
"Yeah, no offense, but we got our asses kicked by them last time, how is getting our Zanpakuto 'enchanted' supposed to change that?" Arashi asked, rubbing the back of his head as he looked around, and noted that he felt some strange energy coming off those stones.
"In time, but for now, find a stone or item for yourself. If you are worthy it will give itself to you." Mairne replied, gesturing to the many tables around the temple.
The Shinigami moved about the temple, looking at the different stones and items, some appeared to be bones and other assortment of multicolored crystals. Mari moved about and eventually felt something, a strange feeling as she passed by a strange white bone, it looked like a skull. Smaller than normal, but engraved with strange symbols. It looked serpentine, but had a much longer snout and the structure looked completely alien to her.
She reached forward and touched it, feeling the strange spiritual signature within. Whatever she was sensing it seemed to respond to her, because she felt a flash of power when her fingers touched the snout.
"I see you Soul Reaper."
Mari stumbled back as she felt the voice reverberate through her being, it was almost like a Zanpakuto spirit, but a lot stronger. She could even feel Fenikkusu screaming that something got inside her head, claiming that she saw something too, and Mari did not doubt that.
"Interesting mon."
Mari looked up to see someone there, a strange creature garbed in strange bone-like armor, he was a troll. Tall and very dark purple fur and hunched over slightly, he jumped down and stood before Mari, who backed off slightly. He then turned to the bone and lifted it up and examined it, smiling slightly.
"I see that it is not the elementals that draw your attention, but the Serpent." The troll said. "You seek to wield his power? The power of the flame?"
"What the hell is this?" Mari asked, looking around to see that others were finding similar results, seeing those holding stones and other assortments of items.
"These stones." Mairne called out, drawing all attention back towards him. "They are spirits, powerful entities that have reverted to a simple form and are awaiting someone worthy of their power. Not all are worthy, but you all have some worth to them, a hidden piece of yourself that can be brought out, should you accept them as they accept you."
"You plan on putting a spirit into our Zanpakuto?" Souta said, surprised by this. "How? Do you have a forge or something?"
"I will not be carrying out the process, I have two who will aid in the task, and the man who will be forging the Zanpakuto will be him." Mairne said, glancing off to the side to see a man with a small afro and wearing shades. "Oetsu Nimaiya."
"Well, never expected this when I came here, that I would come here and let you guys mess with my pride and job." Oetsu said. "But I don't have time to complain, I got to get back to the palace, I got two guys fighting for their lives right now and leaving them unattended aint a good idea. Besides Senjumaru Shutara is getting annoyed as well, complaining that she has been reduced to taking commissions. "
Mairne nodded his head in understanding.
"Can you do this?" Mairne inquired.
"I can, but I have to say this is a bit unorthodox, implanting secondary spirits to act as mediums between Zanpakuto and Shinigami, seems like a cheating move to me." Oetsu said. "Give them extra power without them working for it, without realizing the actually purpose of the Zanpakuto. Shameful it is, shameful that you people are getting off easy with this trade secret."
They looked at him and wondered the meaning behind his words; they did not understand how this was meant to be. How were they getting off with a trade secret? How was learning from these spirits meant to anything but good? If these spirits improved them and empowered them further, than it was all for the better, right? As if sensing this internal question within everyone he responded.
"The Zanpakuto are not just weapons, they are manifestation of your power. The spirits? Your Zanpakuto spirits, they are not some random intelligence inside your head, they are your power." Oetsu stated with some annoyance, like he had just revealed the greatest secret ever. "I designed the Zanpakuto to break down and speed up the process of learning how to wield ones power, to understand your power is the first step, to understand yourself, your true self comes from learning from that spirit."
"The Zanpakuto spirit is born from prolonged contact with your Zanpakuto, you all know this, but what about the spirit themselves? Why are they all so different, why do they have such unique personalities and names? Why is that?" Oetsu said, trying to get these fools to think.
"Because they are a reflection of ourselves, they are made from our personalities and are given form, they help us wield our power." Arashi said, thinking that was the right answer.
"Correct but wrong." Oetsu said. "They aren't just some buddy that gives you a boost, they aren't a friend or ally, they are not your partner or your lovers!"
Many were surprised by the clear irritation he was showing to them, they had no idea where it was coming from.
"Why do you people always fuck this up, why do you forget what you were taught and don't look at the bigger picture?" Oetsu said, clearly disappointed. "You guys just think that this sword is to swing at an enemy and make your life easier. Why is it that when you know the name that you grow and become more than you are, that you feel wiser as well as stronger?"
"Because we bond with them?" Mari guessed.
"Them?" Oetsu said. "There is no them! You still do not get it, and that is the problem with you people, you have no idea what it is you wield or why it is to be wielded. The reason you guys, even those damn Captain's don't get anywhere is because you lock yourself down by doing what you do now, you cut yourself off from your Zanpakuto and that makes you weak."
"What do you mean? We train hard to get our Zanpakuto names, to try and work with our spirits." Oak defended.
"To understand them you must understand yourself, and even that is pushing it on how much I need to tell you, and if you can't get it then, you guys are really pathetic." Oetsu said, he turned away from them and moved towards the Shaman. "I don't agree that they should be given a handicap, they need to learn on their own, and I hope they still can, would make it useful."
"The spirits do not give their wisdom freely, to grow on one's own is to make them strong, the spirits will simply show them the right way, and if they can actually do that, than they are worthy." Mairne responded calmly. "I hope that their wisdom can be passed on."
"Hope so too." Oetsu said, sighing a little. "You got a good forge around here? I need a decent one. And I mean something other than a crappy anvil and furnace."
"I have one of the most advanced forges in the cosmos, the Forge of Irons; you will work in the same forge that gave birth too many of the races of Azeroth and the greatest force to walk across the Cosmos." Mairne said.
"Now that I can dig, cannot wait, should I know anything else? Like if I can make some more fine Zanpakuto ladies with it? I could always use a bigger Harem." Oetsu said, walking beside the Shaman.
"Hibal and Ullvar tend to get annoyed with people easily, try not to talk nonsense."
"When the hell do I do that?" Oetsu asked.
OC Shinigami: As you have seen the Seated Officers are being taken to the Garadar to be outfitted with enhanced weaponry and also Armor. The reason is simple as they need to extra power and protection in order to defeat the Sternritters when they face them in Hueco Mundo. Now because they are Seated Officers they have no chance against such opponents but with a few little tweaks here and there they can get the strength needed to fight back.
That will actually be explained in the next chapter actually.
Oetsu: Now Oetsu is on the Garadar because he is the foremost expert on the Zanpakuto and will use his knowledge and skills to basically help alter them to allow for the elemental spirits to enter the swords. From this the Shinigami will be given a different font of power to fight against the Sternritter.
Senjumaru Shutara: As you probably picked up she is also on the Garadar and currently in the Forge of Irons speaking with Ullvar and Hibal on getting some 'commissions' done. You will see in the next chapter.