The next chapter is here. The fights with the Privaron Espada start here. Don't worry the battles are nearing the end. I try not to go beyond five chapters of straight battles unless absolutely necessary. I want to give you a break from reading fights and so they don't get too boring and see to the characters interact with each other again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. I do own Gild, Antonio, and Esteban though.


Uryu fired off his arrow hastily. He narrowly made it in time, killing a hollow that was seconds away from biting off Asano's head. The loud mouth annoyance jumped for cover not realizing that Uryu had taken care of the hollow chasing him. Once he hit the hard pavement of the road he finally looked up to see that he was out of danger. Asano laughed nervously. The brunet produced a smile that was just as weak and awkward as the laugh. Uryu rolled his eyes at Asano's antics. The Quincy did not have time to deal with Asano's idiocy. He was after all up to his neck in hollows.

The archer moved with an incredible burst of speed. He was out of the masked vermin's sight only to reappear in front of them. Surprised by his near instantaneous reemergence the hollows were stun. Blue arrows shot through their heads, stealing their lives. Uryu gathered spirit particles onto the soles of his feet and accelerated beyond human's normal speed to the next enemy. They scurried about following the spiritual power that radiated from his core. He had to keep moving in order to lure them away from Kojima-kun and Asano.

Their journey to Karakura High was filled with nothing, but woes and dangers. Karakura Town had been emptied of nearly all of its population. Only a few inhabitants remaining the trio of boys stuck out like a sore thumb. A rabid group of starved hollows found them almost instantly. They sought to consume their souls. Uryu would not allow such a thing. He pulled out his bow and with just a pull of a string the fierce predators became prey. He wasted no time in exterminating every hollow his eyes laid on. The battles were short, but numerous. He would kill whole sets of hollows just for more groups to descend upon him much to his frustration.

The stinging in his right shoulder nagged him for his exerting himself. Damn it all. These were common hollows, small fries. They were nothing. He could eliminate them without a second thought. This would have been the case of it were not for his injury. Ryuken's warnings were not unfounded after all. If his father could see him now he just knew he would sneer at him for his rash behavior. The raven haired man growled. Ryuken's condescending half smirk was as visible as the bone like exterior of the hollow's mask in front of his eyes. It thrashed around, attempting to claw at him, but it might as well have been standing still. Uryu sprinted sideways. He escaped the hollows reach. The Quincy retaliated with arrow of blue energy. The arrow flew right through its head. The misshapen creature fell to the ground, causing the earth to shake under its weight.

"Ishida!" cried a terrified Mizuiro. He pointed in Uryu's direction. "Behind you!" he cried a second time.

Uryu followed the warning and turned around. A muscular figure that was twice his height stood over him menacingly. Its razor sharp claws posed to dig into his chest. Its face was canine like and possessed the breath to match it. The canine hollow snarled as if it were an actual dog. Unacceptable, this was simply unacceptable. Getting caught off guard and having a hollow actually sneak up behind him. Thank god his grandfather was not alive to see this humiliation. How could he become such a stain to the proud Quincy legacy? The hollow opened its mouth to let out a mighty roar that forced the earth itself to quiver in fear and submit to it.

"Ishida!" yelled Keigo. He watched as the horror show that was a hollow pounced forward to sink its teeth into his uptight friend. His heart was on the verge of jumping out of his chest when Ishida shimmered out of existence. The breath that he had been holding had been released in a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God. A few years have probably been shaved off of my life after that," he complained. Keigo put a hand over his heart. It was still racing against his chest. If he did not want to discard any more years of his life span he was going to have to relax. The irony of those words was not lost on him. Ichigo and Mizuiro had been telling to relax for years now. His endeavor was doomed from the start. The hideous beast let out terror induced roar. He would be damn if it did not frighten the color out of his skin. His body responded to one of its most primal urges by shutting its eyes tightly. "Why does this have to happen to us?"

Keigo kept muttering halfhearted words of self-assurances that they would all make it out of this alive. "He made it!" he heard Mizuiro shout in glee. Keigo opened his eyes. He was greeted with the image of a large white body, lying on the road. It was unmoving like a statue. Standing feet away from the most likely dead monster, Ishida with his reiatsu designed bow outstretched. Keigo looked into those blue eyes hidden behind the glasses. They were focused and frozen. That glare brought a chill from the deepest part of his soul out. His bones felt frozen over, goose bumps formed. He had never seen Ishida with this look in his eyes. It denied any who suffered it gaze the very right to exist. He realized that gravity of the situations that Ichigo, Ishida, Chad, and Inoue had been in. Those four fought demons like these so many times. It was maddening to think about it.

He saw them all the time at school. They acted completely the same. Ichigo was still a short tempered punk. Ishida was stuck up nerd. Chad was silent with Inoue being a sunny babe that ruled the hearts of men everywhere. How could they act so….so normal? Why weren't they different? They walked around like everything was normal, as if they did not fight these things on a daily basis. It was second nature to them. Keigo was afraid. He wasn't afraid because of the hollows, although his fear of them was fully intact. He was afraid because his friends had gotten used to this. They had fought battles like these so often that it had become normal to them. It was not right. No one should have to fight these hollows, let alone fight them on a regular routine.

'I have been complaining about stupid stuff, like Ichigo ignoring me or Mizuiro teasing me. But all this time Ichigo and the others have been fighting these things….. Everything I have been whining about seems so shallow in comparison to this. They don't complain. Not even once. I could never hope to have their strength. Ishida you are out of this world,' Keigo dwelled on new found respect for the Quincy, ignorant to the unusual look Mizuiro was giving him.

He approached Keigo tentatively. The height challenged young man did not know what to make of Keigo's haunting silence. The only time he heard Keigo quiet for this long is when he was sulking. Even when he was afraid he would still talk up a storm to keep his mind off of his fear usually. "Keigo," he called out. Uncertainty attached itself onto his words. Keigo was unresponsive. Mizuiro's concerns only grew more. "Asano-san," he tried again. He was acquainted with silence. Now he knew this was serious. For Keigo to ignore his hated nick name something serious was going on. Ishida had just killed the last of the hollows. Shouldn't Keigo have been feeling relief not whatever it was he was feeling now? Careful not to startle his shocked friend Mizuiro tapped onto his shoulder lightly. His touch was so light that he questioned if Keigo felt it. While he contemplated touching him again Keigo looked at him. Still he was not his normal self. One look into his eyes told him just how shaken up Keigo was. His mouth was dry. It was so un-Keigo like.

"Mizuiro…..what is it?"

"Are you ok?"

The brunet shut his eyes brushed his face as if to wipe away some unknown filth that was invisible to Mizuiro's sight. He inhaled a deeply before finally exhaling. Perhaps he could exhale this anxiety that had built up. Mizuiro was staring at him like he was some kind of nut. No, not the usual stares he got either. Keigo could tell there was a difference in this one. "I am ok, Mizuiro. It is just the weight of everything you know." Out of the corner of his eye he saw the cellphone enthusiast give a simple nod. "Until today I never really realized just what Ichigo and Chad were up against. They along with Inoue and Ishida fight monsters like these. It is crazy." He hugged himself. "They really are strong, huh?" A smile escaped the once dejected masked that set itself on his face. Unlike his usual overly large and wide grins this smile was small and sincere. It was more infectious at least it seemed to have infected Mizuiro. The shorter boy was also smiling happily.

"Yes. They are strong." They both decided that their friends were strong indeed, stronger than the people of their fair town would ever realize. Ishida walked over to them. His expression betrayed no sign of emotion. Stoic as always, Ishida put away his bow. "Ishida…."

Uryu cut him off, "I am fine, Kojima-kun." The impassive mask broke to reveal a reassuring half smile. He knew that Asano and Kojima-kun had not seen these types of battles often. It was to be expected that they would be worried about him. Under the circumstances they were both holding up well. He had to give them credit for that. It was for that reason he did not wish to worry them with his shoulder. All the moving around had caused it bleed out even more. It was soaking his bandages. The mild stinging had transformed itself into strong burning sensation. It pained him to move it. He needed to find Inoue-san quickly.

Keigo noticed the red stained bandage had gotten worse. He furrowed his brow. "Ishida how is your shoulder?"

Damn. Asano was not as oblivious as he would have liked him to be. Kojima-kun's curiosity had been roused. "I can endure this much. These hollows are nothing. I can easily exterminate them even with these injuries."

"Is that so?" an unknown voice spoke. All three of them turned to their sides. A man dressed in white with flame like hair as black as the midnight sky appeared. He wore an amused, but taunting smirk, with his arms crossed. The air around him was smothering. The aura he gave off drew them all in just to smother them. It was as if this man refused to be ignored. His aura screamed for everyone to acknowledge him. The glasses cladded man's lips fell into a frown. "How about I, be your opponent then, Quincy?" He revved his reiatsu to intimidate the humans.

Keigo and Mizuiro collapsed to their knees. The pressure the man's spiritual power created grabbed ahold of their bodies and squeezed them as tightly as it could. Both could feel their bones bucking under the force emitted from the man. Neither of them could even open their mouths to speak. Uryu threw his body in front of them as a makeshift shield. Anger ravaged his face. "Arrancar!" he screamed. "Stop this now! Your battle is with me! Leave these two out of it!" Blue energy consumed the Quincy Cross strapped onto his wrist. The spider web like bow formed. He took aim at the Adonis arrancar. His enemy continued to smirk broadly. He despised the sight.

The human was sure of himself that much was certain. Everything that Joaquin had told them about the young Quincy was true. The icy cold glare devoid of any sympathy, the impassive and stern expression, and the way he carried himself was all as Joaquin had said. The only thing that contrasted the assessment was the dark red patch staining his right shoulder. Luck had smiled on him. To think that the Quincy would be wounded by the time they met. This would be an easy kill for him. Joaquin said the Quincy was strong, a claim he had taken to heart. This was the man who defeated one of their comrades, Cirucci. She did out rank him. He expected to have to fall back on his Resurreccion. 'This will be child's play,' the arrancar thought. Esteban suppressed his reiatsu, much to the two humans on the ground's relief.

Keigo and Mizuiro greedily took oxygen into their burning lungs. Feeling light headed the pair had not recovered enough strength to stand yet. They lied on their knees with their ragged breath. The important thing was that they were safe, for the moment. He had to take out the arrancar as soon as possible. In order to do that he would have to ignore the raging burning in his shoulder.

"I have done what you asked. Does that give you some comfort?" Esteban asked. His tone was haughty. It rubbed the Quincy the wrong way. "I do hope to accommodate you before you die."

"Hmm, I take it that you intend to kill me then?" The arrancar let his proud smirk speak for him. However, this time it was Uryu's turn to smirk. The arrancar did not know who he was dealing with. Shinigami were not who hollows should be afraid of. "I see you are ignorant just whom you are facing." He chuckled arrogantly.

"It is you who are ignorant to whom you are facing. I am Esteban Murillo. I am arrancar number 109. When I was among the Espada I was known as novena. However, do not let my rank fool you. I am maybe one of the weakest of the Privaron Espada, but my technique allows me to defeat even the strongest enemies."

He narrowed his blue eyes at the arrancar. His foe did not lack confidence in his ability to fight. Were his claims about his technique true? Arrogance was a common trait among the arrancar. His battles with them had at least taught him that much. The arrancar's technique may not have been as deadly as he boasted. On the other hand it would be wiser to defeat him before he used said technique just in case. The arrancar continued his ramblings. God, how long winded was he?

"I came here specifically to kill you. We cannot allow you and your allies to interfere with our plans."

"The Spirit Keystones," Uryu interrupted.

Surprised the emerald eyed arrancar broadened his eyes in astonishment. "How do you know of the Spirit Keystones?"

'Urahara-san was correct then.' Uryu continued, "I know that they keep the worlds in place. If they are destroyed then the worlds would collide with each other, such an event could be devastating to all life in the worlds."

"That is your view. However, in our view the worlds would combine into one new world where we will all live. Hueco Mundo would cease to exist. It would be a part of the Human World. We arrancar and hollows would be able to roam free without fear of shinigami. The entire Human World would be our hunting grounds, our paradise. At last you humans won't be the only ones who enjoy this world of light."

"You are truly ignorant, Esteban Murillo. You think it is the shinigami you should be afraid of…." His finger curled around the bowstring then pulled it back. The trade mark blue spiritual arrow manifested itself into reality. "….when in actuality it is the Quincy you should be afraid of!" He released the string and watched the arrow fly off.

He scoffed at the human's actions. Did he really expect Esteban to fear him with such a slow arrow streaking towards him? The human had much to learn. The handsome dark haired man jumped into the air. The arrow missed him by a mile. Satisfied he opened his mouth to gloat when the raven haired teen disappeared from his eye sight. His eyes moved left to right frantically trying to search for his opponent. Shit. He had been careless. His ears picked up a swish sound. Fear crept into his heart as the realization set in. The Quincy had gotten behind him and he had been unable to follow his movements at all. It can't be over. How could he meet such a pathetic end? In the end he had completely failed his beautiful Silva. A loud buzzing indicating an arrow was born. Preparing for the worst he closed his eyelids. Instead of feeling an arrow impaling his back he heard a pained groan. The sound made him turn around. Luck was still favoring him. The human grasped his injured shoulder. The newly formed arrow dispersed. Esteban's lips curled into a U shape that displayed his joy. Without warning he rammed his left hand into his bloody shoulder, worsening the injury.

"Ah!" cried out the archer.

He shoved the heel of his foot onto the shoulder. The glasses wearing man was forced down into the earth. As soon as the body hit the pavement a small quake rang. Small hairline cracks opened up beneath the human. Sonido allowed him to materialize right next to the fallen human just as he was struggling to get up. "The terrifying Quincy that I am supposed to be afraid of has fallen," he jested. He did not need to look into his eyes to know that the human was grimacing. He reached for sheath on his hip. He freed not a sword, but a staff. With a simple twist the staff extended, reaching his height. On the end on the staff was a blade. The Adonis arrancar twirled the spear once. "Hehe, you were arrogant to challenge me with your shoulder so badly wounded. If it weren't for that you would have been able to shot your arrow and killed me from behind." The blade was lined up inches away from his wounded foe's face. Loathing exuded from the cold steely blue spheres.

"Ishida!" Keigo shouted. He and Mizuiro had recovered and returned to their feet. The pair raced to their friend's aid. The unknown man barely speared them a glance. Pressure forced them to submit to his will. They collapsed again. Breathing had become a difficult task for them. "I…..I….ca…..n't…..bre….ath," he barely choked out.

Mizuiro trembled uncontrollably. His mind attempted to force his body to stop shaking, but it was to no avail. "This…gu…..y."

"Don't bother trying to get up. Your reiatsu is insignificant in comparison to mine. By merely exerting a small percent of it I can stop you right in your tracks. Neither of you can hope to stand as my equal." Feeling he had graced those insects with enough of his time he turned his attentions back to the Quincy. "Watch as I finish him off." The blade moved to his enemy's neck. In one motion the near extinct Quincy clan would be down to just one member. Just as he was about to slit his throat a great force emerged to battle the force his reiatsu produced, disrupting the flow. This could only signify the arrival of someone with great spiritual power. He ignored his defeated enemy. He looked up to find what appeared to be a teenage girl in a school uniform. She wore glasses and possessed raven hair just as the Quincy. The glint from the sword she carried in her hands caught his emerald eyes. He thought the sight was odd. However, he still thought the girl was attractive. The uniform she wore supplemented her body perfectly. A lecherous half smirk formed. He wouldn't mind a night with her. "Who might you be?" He went default mode, lowering his voice and narrowing his eyes hungrily. He had melted many hearts with just a look. He knew he could do it again.

Not far from the new girl Keigo and Mizuiro shared the same question the arrancar had. That girl was unfamiliar to either of them. Was she an ally to Ishida?

Lisa scanned her new surroundings. Three humans were there. The brunet and the dark haired guy next to him had more reiatsu than average human, but were still weak. The last one held a great amount. No doubt he was one of Ichigo's friends. A closer inspection revealed the silver pentacle cross. This was the Quincy then. Urahara told them about this one. After Ichigo he was supposed to be the strongest of their group. How did he wind up in this position? Oh well. She would question him later. The goal had to be defeating the arrancar. "The arrancar have finally come out to fight. I was wondering how many more hollows we would have to kill before you emerged."

It didn't surprise him that she had participated in killing the hollows. If she had enough reiatsu to disrupt his own she should be able to easily cut down common hollows. "Are you carrying a zanpakuto?" he asked.

"Yes. I am."

"You are a shinigami then."

Lisa turned her cheek catching him by surprise. "I do not wish to be associated with shinigami. Although, it seems I have no choice," she mused.

"Oh!" Esteban whistled wolfishly. "You are odd, woman. Perhaps you can tell me your name then?"

Seeing no harm she decided to comply. "Yadomaru Lisa," she replied. The former vice captain could feel the arrancar's lingering gaze. He stared at her more than he needed to. She raised an eyebrow. Interestingly enough it appeared even arrancar could succumb to lust.

"Allow me to return the favor. I am Esteban Murillo, arrancar number 109. I…."

"I don't need your life story," Lisa cut off. She expected him to be upset. He was the opposite and chuckled.

"A feisty one, you remind me of my love. Tell me Lisa, would you consider putting your sword away, so that we may get to know each other?"

"Sounds like a date to me." He did not deny nor confirm what she said. "Forget it. I have no desire to date a guy like you."

"What is wrong with me?" he asked clearly offended.

"I don't like guys too into their own looks. I can tell just by looking at you that you are in love with yourself." She stuck her zanpakuto out in front of her. "Sorry, but you aren't my type."

Following suit Esteban took a battle stance. "Don't say that. I would much rather go out with you then fight you. I prefer not to kill beautiful young women. I can think of much more enjoyable activities the two of us can partake in," he said suggestively.

"No," she reiterated her position.

"Such a shame," he said sadly. He sighed. There seemed to be nothing he could do to deter her. "Killing one as lovely as you brings me no joy."

"Do not concern yourself. I won't be the one who dies here," she declared. They both exchanged looks. Auras mixed as they both puffed their reiatsu out.

Reeling from agonizing pain Uryu could only bear witness to the battle that would ensue. Several questions raced through his mind. The foremost of these questions being the identity of the girl who had rescued him. 'She carries a zanpakuto, but she does not wear the shinigami robes, similar to Urahara-san. Are these his allies?'

The young woman jumped toward the arrancar. Once she reached her destination she swept her sword at him. The arrancar stopped it with his spear. He pushed her back. Lisa did not go far, which worked into Esteban's plans. He stabbed at her chest. She hopped and successful dodged his strike. She leveled herself on the spear by placing her hand on the staff part of the spear. She could read the shock in the arrancar's eyes. The vizard delivered roundhouse kick to his cheek. The impact of her strike was enough to throw him a good 20 feet. The glasses cladded girl fixed herself back to the ground. Drawing reiatsu to the soles of her feet Lisa shot off like a rocket, riding on Shunpo. The arrancar picked himself up just when Lisa closed the gap.

Shocked the 109th arrancar stood there frozen. 'Fast…..' was the only thought he managed to get out. Swiftly she swung her blade against the spear, causing the pretty boy as she deemed him to stumble a bit. She then started to swing and jab her sword at him. Esteban was finding great difficulty in keeping up with her fluent and swift strikes. To an outside observer it would appear that Lisa was performing an eloquent dance. Her zanpakuto twirled and swung about almost as if it were ten swords. The spear successful met each strike though it was apparent that its owner was barely keeping up. In need of a new strategy he retreated backwards in hopes of putting distance between them. However, Lisa chased him down. The tip of his spear crossed with her sword. They each exerted force to push the other one back. Neither was successful and achieved a stalemate. The face he prided himself on was riddled with creases as he strained to push her back. She looked bored.

"Your strength is surprising, for someone of your body structure."

"I can't say the same for you. I didn't expect you to be this weak."

"Do not make baseless assumptions. I have yet to reveal my true strength," Esteban revealed.

Lisa's eyebrows raised slightly in interest. "You are holding back your strength then?"

"Naturally, we may be enemies, but you are still a woman. I do not wish to strike down lovely woman with my strength. It is uncouth." Her lips curved right. The half smirk was sexy in his opinion.

"Shall I show you a reason to stop holding back?" She did not wait for him to reply. A hand hovered over her face. The confusion on his face made her grin wider. Hand washed over her face. A white diamond shaped mask materialized onto her face. For the first time she laid eyes on the blazing green eyes they were coated in fear. Lisa flicked her wrists. Her enhanced hollow strength she was able to easily push back. The arrancar caught completely unaware tried his hardest to stand his ground, but no matter how hard he pushed back on the air the woman dominated him.

"Impossible….What is this power? That mask…" She swung her zanpakuto wildly and pushed away. He did his best to gather spiritual energy to form a platform to slow himself down, but when he tried to shape his spiritual energy it disbursed. The poor arrancar flying at uncontrollable lightning speeds until he crashed into a nearby building. Sore from neck down Esteban let out a small groan. Debris had soiled his crisp clean white uniform. Breath taking pitch black hair had small patches of gray rubble in it. His back was killing him. "Ha….ha….such strength, no it is not just her strength. Her reiatsu is completely different. It is vicious and destructive, feral even. It is almost exactly like a hollow's. How can this be? That mask and that reiatsu are all hollow characteristics."

"You can't figure it out." The masked woman came out of thin air, hovering above him. He could hear what sounded like two different voices coming from her. One was her normal calm and authoritative tone. The second one was low and raspy. "Arrancar are born when hollows remove their masks and break the barrier separating hollow and shinigami, to gain shinigami like powers. Hollows are not the only ones who can obtain this power. Shinigami can also break the barrier and gain hollow powers." She pointed to her mask. "This mask is a representation of the power we vizards control."

"Vizards?" he muttered.

Uryu managed to carry his worn out body to the new battle ground. He had no idea who the woman was. She had his thanks for taking the battle away from Asano and Kojima-kun. They would recover faster now that the arrancar's reiatsu was further away. He could not in good conscious leave her to battle him the arrancar alone after that. It would be cowardly to do such a thing. Besides for a Quincy to run away from a hollow was beyond shameful. He followed them he felt the unknown woman's reiatsu transform. Not only was it more enormous it became feral and dark, just like a hollow's. He increased his speed. Now that he had caught up to them he saw the woman was wearing a white mask. Realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. The dark reiatsu, the human clothing as opposed to shinigami attire, and now the mask, this woman was the same as Kurosaki. She was a shinigami who also possessed hollow powers. She had to be one of those vizards that he heard about, the ones who taught Kurosaki how to control his hollow powers. These people were there to back them up, outcasts among shinigami and no longer saw themselves as shinigami. In a strange way he could almost see them as akin to the Quincy. The hollow nature prevented him from calling them allies. He watched as the vizard spoke to their common enemy.

"Unlike you I will not hesitate to use my strength and crush you." Lisa removed her mask, ending her hollowfication.

"Why did you remove your mask? It contradicts your words," he pointed out.

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "The only reason I removed my mask was because I can defeat you soundly without it."

"What?"

"You are weak." She tightened her grip on the handle of her sword. The former vice captain prepared to finish this battle. However, the arrancar did not look worried in the slightest. If anything he looked happy. Why would he be happy though?

"I will make you regret those words." He got back up then twirled around his spear. Little by little the twirling became faster and faster until it was a circle. The no nonsense girl remained unimpressed. Despite he could find no openings in her defense. She was a true warrior if nothing else. It only added to her appeal in his book. "Gaze, Medusa." Emerald green glow took hold of the spinning spear. Eventually the glow inched itself onto the wielder and the spear faded into nothingness. Three rings encircled different positions of his body. One appeared near his feet. The second one manifested around the torso. The last one surrounded his head. Burst of emerald light shot up into the sky. The vizard and the Quincy both stared at the awesome display. The energy dispersed just as quickly as it appeared. The arrancar emerged in a new form.

He wore a long white sleeveless robe that went all the way down to his legs. On the bottom of the robe was black trimming. White scales had decorated every inch of his arms. The breathing taking midnight locks had vanished. They were replaced several long serpents flowed from his head. They were numerous and completely covered his scalp. The deadly serpents slithered around, hissing away. Emerald orbs had become more reptilian, while fangs sprouted from his mouth. Unlike the rest of his horrifying features Esteban's handsome face was not ravaged by the release of his hollow form. This new form was met with the same apathetic expression.

'Is this all? His reiatsu may have increased, but compared to mine it is still weak. Is he so arrogant that he is blind or does he have something else?' She readied herself for the next clash.

Suspicious of the arrancar's Resurreccion Uryu's eyes contracted. The form the arrancar took was familiar. He knew he had seen it. The name also rang a bell. Medusa was supposed to be a Greek myth. He studied it in ancient world study in history. She had the ability to turn anyone who looked into her eyes would be turned to…. 'Stone!' Was that this arrancar's ability as well? He had to warn this woman or else. "Watch out!" The vizard cast her gaze on to him. "His technique could be dangerous. He told me it makes up for lack of strength!"

"So that is his game, huh?" she whispered to herself.

"His technique may….."

"Meet my gaze and remain beautiful, Lisa!" The serpent heads focused onto her. The raven haired girl made the deadly mistake of looking him in the eye. It was over.

"No don't look him in the eyes or…."

Instantly she shut her eyelids, but the damage had been done. Lisa felt numbness in her left arm before feeling completely abandoned her arm. Forcing her eyes open she chanced a glance at her arm. "WHA!" Her heart jumped and stomach dropped. Grayness contaminated her entire sleeve and arm. It was stiff and dense. No matter how much she willed it she could not get her arm to budge even an inch. The Quincy below them was just as horrified as she was. "It's stone," they both said in unison.

"My technique transforms all living beings into stone. It is because of this ability that I am known as the ultimate shield of the arrancar. No enemy can oppose me without falling prey to my technique. However, you were able to avoid being completely transformed it seems. I praise your quick reflexes."

"It is just like the Greek myth. Everything that looks him in the eye will be turned into stone. Fighting him in close range is impossible. I understand why he was confident in his technique now." This was supposed to be one of their weakest members, yet he had such a powerful technique. Privaron Espada was more deadly than Uryu originally thought they were.

Esteban smiled charmingly at his latest victim. "Thank me for allowing you to remain your beautiful self without me having to harm you."

"I should thank you for turning my left arm to stone. You have an unusual sense of gratitude," she quipped, trying to ignore her now dead arm. "I'll have to do is avoid looking into your eyes and I can fight you." She closed her eyelids and tuned her sixth sense to his unique reiatsu. This type of fight would be hard for her. She had never trained herself to fight by solely relying on her sixth sense. Her ears picked up the unmistakable laughter of the 109th arrancar. He laughed carelessly without a care in the world. It really pissed her off.

"If it was as simple as that do you think it would be known as the ultimate shield? Anything my eyes lay upon shall meet the same fate regardless of whether they see it with their own eyes." To prove his point Esteban locked his gaze onto Lisa's left leg. The stone transformation began.

Shit! Now her thigh felt numb and it was getting worse. She vanished using Shunpo to the earth below. She landed closely to a fellow raven haired. Most of her leg had already become stone. "Is it spreading any further?" he asked her.

Lisa replied, "No it stopped at my leg. I don't understand how he is doing this though."

"It seems his technique can really turn anything into stone just by looking at it. Close range is completely out of the question at this point. It would be wiser to fight him form a distance." He activated his bow. "I will handle this. You…."

"Are you stupid?"

The question caused him to nearly fall to the ground. Anger coursed through his veins. His eyebrows twitched and glasses fogged. He hated, absolutely hated when people insulted his intelligence, especially someone who did not even know him. "WHAT ABSURD QUESTION IS THAT? OF COURSE I AM NOT STUPID!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. The girl covered her ears and frowned. "It is obvious that if you fight him up close that he will just turn more parts of your body into stone! I can attack him from a safe distance out of his range. I can also cover a wide range as well as fire multiple arrows at once. I am better choice to fight someone of his abilities."

"You are analytical. Everything you said is true, but there are things you have no considered."

Still sore from her insulting question Uryu turned his cheek to her. "Such as," he challenged.

"We are unaware of how far his range reaches. For all we know he could cover 50 feet. The serpents also focus on whatever he wants to turn to stone. It is possible he can see through their eyes as well. That makes up for any blind spot he has. If he sees you he will just use Sonido to close the range between you and put you within his range of attack. You are also wounded. The reason he defeated you before was because he attacked your shoulder right?" She saw him nod out of the corner of her eye. "He will target you there. Leaving things to you alone is too risky. If he turns your other arm into stone you will be unable to fight at all."

He hated to admit this, but she brought good points. A revision to his plan was in order.

"It would be better to let me fight him and you back me up. His technique still relies on catching someone within his line of sight. If I can just evade him I should be good. His technique is not fast acting. I was able to avoid being transformed completely twice. It must take time for him to completely transform someone into stone."

"Are you up to it? His choice to target your left leg was not random. He knows by turning one of your legs into stone that your mobility has been compromised. Can you move fast enough to continue to avoid his technique?"

"I have no doubts. Is your shoulder going to get in the way? I am sure you have lost a good deal of blood."

"I will just have to endure."

"Are you sure about backing me up? After all you are a Quincy and I was a shinigami."

"From what I learned from Kurosaki and Urahara-san you vizards were banished from the Soul Society and made outcast by the shinigami due to your hollow powers and Aizen. You are not official shinigami and you said it yourself. You were a shinigami, past tense. You no longer view yourself as a shinigami anymore than I do. A team up between the two of us is possible."

She scoffed. "Your reasoning is a bit faulty. Quinces despise hollows just as much if not more than shinigami. Vizards are both shinigami and hollows. You should hate us more than either."

"You aren't a hollow. You may possess the power of one, but you do not feed on souls of the innocent do you? If I were to consider you a hollow that would mean I would have had consider him a hollow. Despite everything that happened between us…" His memory took him back to Hueco Mundo, where an out of control Kurosaki brutally attacked the Espada known as Ulquiorra. Kurosaki in his crazed state recognized Inoue-san and attempted to reach out to her, claiming he would protect her, the same Kurosaki who returned to normal and cursed himself for losing control. He saw the self-loathing in those brown eyes. That wasn't something a hollow would have. A hollow would never feel remorse from his actions. Most certainly a hollow would never protect anyone. "…he still retained his humanity. You can't be considered a shinigami at this point. It does seem odd for a Quincy to team up with shinigami or vizards. However, my sensei was the last advocate of Quinces and shinigami working together to defeat hollows. This is what I am doing right now."

"Is that why you are allies with Ichigo?"

"Are you done questioning me yet? The arrancar is done waiting for us." The reptilian arrancar flickered across from them. "If you are going to take the lead now is the time to do it."

She understood. He would probably never admit it, but the reason he allied with Ichigo was not out of sensei's plans. It was friendship. He saw past the hollow that once lived within Ichigo's soul to see the person he had always been. Vizards were a group that usually kept to themselves they had something in common with the archer. They were friends of Ichigo's.

"I have given you enough time to conspire." His tongue emerged involuntary. He could not always control his serpent impulses. "No matter what you do against me it is useless." Uryu super sped behind Esteban. Lisa raised her sword. "Are you going to take me from both sides? That is your best chance to defeat me. Come on." The vizard ran toward him at high speeds. On his back the human prepared an arrow to fire. The three way battle between the arrancar, vizard, and Quincy had commenced.


He would be defeated by that fat ass. That was laughable. There was no way he would be defeated. Let the shinigami think he had this won. He would make him realize how wrong he was when he annihilated him. He summoned his reiatsu into his muscles. Antonio pulled against the rods. Slowly they were becoming loose.

Hachi was taken aback. He did not think that the arrancar would use brute force to fight back. He had casted a number 62 Bakudo. Brute force would, should not be enough to break it. Memories of a berserk hollowfied Kensei breaking a 63 Bakudo on the night they were transformed into vizards flashed before his eyes. What was the probability of it happening a second time? This wasn't just a common hollow after all. Readying another spell would be sufficed.

The rods quivered trying to keep him pinned. His strength was too great for them to keep him down. "GAH!" The pitiful prison yielded. A shockwave vibrated from his physical strength. It broke down the rods into shreds. Ecstatic at his well-earned freedom Antonio ascended into the sky. "Don't make me laugh. You can't defeat me. Not in your wildest dreams could a fat ass like you ever hope to defeat me." The 108th arrancar went on the attack. He slashed at Hachi only to have it blocked by light green barrier. He pulled away then jabbed his blade forward. Like before it was stopped by a barrier. This one was placed in his front. Antonio hacked away, but each strike was blocked by a barrier. The short temper he was known for was in the verge of exploding. The old man was becoming a pain in his ass. "Are you just going to keep defending? Grow some balls and actually attack me!"

The warm hearted vizard zipped backward. He threw an arm forward and directed it at his hateful enemy. "Bakudo #63 Sajo Sabaku!" He closed his hand into a fist. Yellow reiatsu chains wrapped enveloped the hollow-shinigami hybrid. He mentally commanded the chain to tighten its hold to prevent anymore miraculous feats. If he had any doubt the binding was loose they left when he heard Antonio yelp. The tips of his fingers began to glow with an unearthly orange. Hachi traced large diamond shape in thin air. Next he drew a rectangle. Gently he pushed the constructs into the direction of his opponent. The shapes enlarged. First the diamond shape prison engulfed Antonio, trapping him into a cramp space. The rectangle went over the diamond forming a large barrier that was three times the size of the first. "His movement has been restricted completely. If does manage to break out of the Sajo Sabaku he will not be able to do the same with the next two."

Fucking shinigami, he was such a coward. He kept using sealing Kido to contain him, but not finish him off with attacking Kido. He would not stand for this indignity. No barrier or seal could help to contain him! He called upon all of his strength. Try as he might he just could not get the chains to budge. This binding was stronger than the rods he broke out of. Perhaps he was fighting a hopeless battle. Breaking the chains were not going to solve the problem; he would just be forced to break two more. There no other choice, but to use that.

The arrancar was trapped. This left him time to prepare for a technique that would finish him off. He preferred to use Bakudo Kido he was no stranger to Hado Kido. He could always cast one of those. Still the idea did not appeal to him. He could always use one of his unique brands of Kido to erase the arrancar. Reiatsu illuminated his hands as used them as a focal point. He clapped them together getting ready to cast the spell.

"Detonate!" Hachi's concentration was broken. Hoping to discover what the arrancar was up to he decided to watch him. "Explosions!"

BOOM!

A huge explosion swallowed up the barriers. The fires rose high into the skies attempting to burn the heavens themselves. The airwaves carried the deafening tune of the explosions that would have evoked the attention of anyone within the school had it not been emptied. Both Orihime and Tatsuki heard its roar and saw the great almost blinding flash. The red-orange haired beauty was thankful she had gotten her friend safely into the school. She prayed that Hachi was not caught in the explosion. Her prayers were answered. The round vizard was only thrown away by the combustion. Other than his heart jumping out of his chest he was no worse for wear. The shield he had created played a big part in that. Instinctively he was already creating the shield by the time the explosion happened, his training from the Kido Corps in action.

Having no further use for the shield he dissolved it. The jolly had abandoned his face leaving only a sense of foreboding in its wake. He had to be on guard. The arrancar could cause this level of destruction he could not be taken lightly. Black smoke that was the aftermath of the explosion cleared. A lone figure emerged from it. Hachi could make out who it was. The arrancar stood there nonchalantly. He noticed some changes in his appearance. Antonio now sprouted thick white armor on his chest with matching bone like knee and shin guards. Right in the center of the chest plate was teeth marking. Spikes came out of the strip that was the remnants of his mask. On his back was a tail like appendage. "He released his zanpakuto. His appearance has only changed slightly, but if he can create an explosion of that magnitude I should not take him lightly."

It felt so good to stretch his legs out and return to his hollow form. Tail that he had come to miss wagged just as happy as he was at its return. Now wasn't the time to marvel at his hollow form. Business came first. He closed his hand into a fist, determined to finish that man off. "Do you like what I did to your barriers?" Hachi did not reply. "Not talking? You said you would defeat me didn't you. You talk too big. Shinigami or vizard whatever the hell you are, you don't stand a chance against me. I'll show you just why!" The teeth markings on his chest opened up revealing it to be mouth. The Kido user watched carefully. He doubted he could see what was going on. Antonio was taking in the air and spirit particles around him. He then combined that with his reiatsu. He opened up his hands revealing holes had opened up. Dark orange ball of energy formed. The balls grew in size until they became eclipsed the size of his palms. The balls solidified, becoming a bone like substance. With everything he had seen in his many decades Hachi had to admit that this was one of the most peculiar. It only became more peculiar when a crack appeared in the middle. They opened up into two winged reptilian yet bird like creatures. Their wings were covered by combination of feathers and fur. Their necks were long and slender. They had talons, but also two shriveled hands that were as dead. Their faces were just as shriveled up, it seemed like wrinkled baby. Their eyes were black without a shred of life within them. It was a horrific sight.

He threw the demonic looking birds. They took over and began to fly of their own power. They screeched bloody murder. "Cuervos Bomba (Bomb Ravens)C rank!" he cried.

Hachi waved a hand and brought a brick wall into reality. He brought his hands together and began to chant. "The impenetrable wall that shall not yield, the impassable shield that will not fail; no sword shall cut it, no spear shall pierce it, no arrow shall break it, Renga-Dzukuri no Kabe ni Ugokanai (Unmoving Brick Wall)!" The wall expanded new stacks of bricks materialized and stacked themselves up into a grand wall that dwarfed its creator. It composed of three layers of bricks. The demonic entities crashed into the wall, exploding on impact. Neither was big enough to even cause the wall to quake.

Antonio was not deterred. He created more creatures. This batch was far large than the last pair. They were half of his size. "Cuervos Bomba B rank!" They took flight, while the arrancar created more to join them. He created ten in total. He wondered if the wall would be able to handle ten of his B rank bombs.

He created a reiatsu barrier to serve as a new layer for his wall. His original intent was to add another barrier. He decided against it. It was better to see how powerful these new bombs were so he could create future barriers accordingly. The first three collided smack head first. Unlike the first pair they caused the wall to vibrate. It was far from falling. The second wave ushered in a new explosive shockwave that destroyed the first layer and left the second one with several cracks. The third wave made up the last three flight-bound fiends destroyed the second wall. The third one though some miracle remained perfectly intact.

Foolishly he allowed himself to relax at his small triumph. He paid the price. The hollow-shinigami hybrid broke straight through the wall. With bulged eyes the vizard only let out a soundless gasp. There wasn't enough time for him to react. Antonio grabbed at his shoulder. Before he realized anything was wrong it exploded. "Ggggaaahhhh!" Hachi tended to the charred shoulder. He could feel the wetness of his blood. The arrancar put a hand over his chest.

"Boom," Antonio taunted.

Sheering pain erupted from his chest and the small explosion occurred. "Ugh!" Hachi flew backward to escape. More of his bird-like minions pursued him. He countered with a circular shield. It was successful in stopping them. "Bakudo #61 Rikujokoro." Six yellow thin beams hit Antonio's midsection; each one came from a different angle, creating a flower like pattern. His enemy just cackled. He moved his tail to the yellow bands and they were no more.

"Idiot! No matter what type of barrier or seal you create I will just destroy it. The name of my Resurreccion is Explosion. With a name like that my power is obvious. I am destruction incarnate itself. Go on and keeping using barrier and sealing Kido on me you are just wasting your reiatsu. I am Antonio-Mariano the Emperor of Destruction! I will destroy everything in my path!" He straightened out his tail. A compartment opened up. Several dark orange orbs burst forth. They covered the sky much to Hachi's dismay. In no time the arrancar had surrounded himself with more large monstrous birds. "77 Cuervo Bomba B rank, is one of my favorite techniques. I use it destroy whole armies. There isn't a barrier you can make that will stand up to so many, not at B rank."

"I see. You rank your explosions in letters. The very first ones you used were ranked C. They were relatively small and the explosions they created were proportional to their size. These are B rank and are much larger than the ones you ranked C. When they explode it is large."

"You figured that out nicely. It is just as you said. I rank all of my bombs from S to D. I used D rank bomb to on your shoulder and chest. That is why they those explosions were small."

'C and B rank bombs were made into creatures that can move on their own. But the D rank seemed to use my body parts as the medium for the explosions, making them the bomb.' Golden-orange energy case enveloped his shoulder and his chest. Skin regrew, while the black scorched marks erased themselves. 'Every time he creates a bomb the center of his chest opens up. He must be taking in spiritual particles and oxygen to mix it with his own reiatsu to create them. However, when he touched me that did not occur, if he uses an existing object or person as a medium he just has to transfer his own reiatsu to make it a bomb. He used that to destroy Rikujokoro by touching it with his tail.' Wounds were healed and clothes mended.

"That is an interesting healing technique. Too bad you can't use it when you are blown to smithereens."

"Bakudo #81 Danku." A translucent rectangular wall materialized in front of him. Using high level Kido one after the other was taxing. What he needed was some time to recuperate. Danku could stop attacks with power up to level 89 Kido. If he was lucky it would hold up until he regained some strength.

A mirthful Antonio exclaimed, "That is pointless!" The ravens of death attacked.

The round vizard was not listening. His mind was only resting. The ravens crashed into the wall. An enormous boom deafened him. He felt the heat on his face despite being shielded from the explosion. Thankfully Danku was holding up brilliantly. The ravens continued to rush forward and detonating. Danku still was not weakening. The former Espada saw this with his own eyes. Perhaps it was time to up the ante.

Holes opened up chest, tail, and forearms, dark orange reiatsu race out. The rampant reiatsu formed into a huge orb above him. Next it solidified taking the form of a dragon. Its wings blanketed the sky. It arms were thin, but its claws razor sharp. Its neck as long as the eye could see. Horns came out of its head, eyes were black and lifeless, and spikes rested on its tail, back, and neck. Antonio only came up to its leg. A twisted satisfied smirk broke out on his lips. He directed his dragon to strike the unsuspecting vizard.

The ravens ceased their assault. Unsure why they would stop Hachi became bewildered. The ravens cleared out of the way of much larger and much fiercer demon. Fear crawled into his heart. "What is that?"

"Bomba de la Destruccion del Dragon rank A," he stated as if to answer Hachi's question. "You won't survive this nor will that pathetic barrier of yours! I will destroy everything!"

The dragon soared through the air. Despite its size he was almost ghostly thanks to its speed. If that exploded here it would probably take out everything within surrounding the school where Orihime and her friend were. Hachi used Shunpo to travel upward. His ploy worked, for the beast followed after. If only he had worked on his Shunpo more. He took three steps and he was only cleared ten feet and the dragon was approaching him fast. "Detonate," he heard the destruction arrancar say. The dragon radiated with the same dark orange coloring. Everything stopped. Time had slowed to a crawl. His golden eyes bulged out of their sockets. His mouth fell open. He was right at the center of the blast. The dragon's form gave away. It was a large burst of energy that inched closer to the former vice captain. It washed over him. The sky lite up as orange dome enlarged, becoming a second sun.

The windows shattered. Orihime reflexively summoned Santen Kesshun to protect them from the glass. The two best friends observed the sky being set ablaze. "Hachi-san," Orihime muttered.

"Go out there and help him." The healer was surprised by Tatsuki's outburst. "I will be fine. Go out there and help your friend fight. I swear I will be fine." She looked Orihime straight in the eye. Tatsuki willed her to believe her. The truth was she would be fine. Orihime had to go out where she was needed. She seemed to have realized that to. She returned Tatsuki's gaze, letting her know she understood her best friend's message.

"Please be safe, Tatsuki-chan."

"I will. You be careful out there."

"Yes." Orihime gave Tatsuki one last look then ran to the nearest exit. 'Hang in there Hachi-san. I will be there to help you.'

The dome died. The debris flew about. Antonio and the ravens hovered, taking in the sight of his handy work. He was a bit out of breath, but it was not enough to damper his joy. The fat ass was finished. He had taken the blast full force. There was probably nothing left. That smile was soon turned upside down. Immense pressure rained down on him and threatened to force him down. What the hell was going on? No one could survive such an explosion at close range. Absolutely no one could survive that up closer. He was certain. Whatever this force was it could not be coming from that fat ass. The Emperor of Destruction had become as white as ghost. Ghost was appropriate word considering he was seeing one. The man stood there un-fazed and uninjured inside of golden barrier. What was more disturbing for Antonio was the fact that he now wore a mask that looked hollow-like. "What the hell do you think you are doing with that mask on? Are you trying to mock me or something? Trying to imitate us hollows won't do any good."

The golden sphere around him dropped. "I do not intend to insult you."

'Even his reiatsu has changed. It is more like mine. This bastard possesses a hollow's reiatsu.'

He scanned the remaining bird-like bombs. There was 34 left. It was simple enough to stop them. The Kido master snapped his fingers entrapping one of the demonic ravens into a golden orange cube. The arrancar gave it a curios look. "This won't work." His warnings were ignored. Hachi snapped his fingers several more times erecting more cubes around the hated death birds. With one last snap the final raven was trapped.

"Ha, I told you it won't work. I'll just detonate them and your….."

Clap!

Hachi slapped his hands together on cue the bombs were erased. "My, my Cuervo, they are all gone." He threw glare full of spite towards the hollow wannabe. "Fine. I will just make more." Several more ravens appeared. "Attack!" They flocked toward the bastard.

Hachi shimmered out of existence.

"Shit. He is gone." His avian creations were engulfed by the cube. They came undone. "Damn it all." He looked above to the mask foe standing there. "I will not be made a fool of! Anger the Emperor of Destruction and you will be annihilated." His tail spat out several smaller birds. Their smaller size should make it harder for him to imprison. A golden hexagon of reiatsu materialized in between the vizard and the bombs, blocking them from their intended target. The small explosions joined together into a large one. They might as well have been yearn balls for the little damage if any they inflicted.

'So his barriers have strengthened,' Antonio observed. C, B, and even A rank bombs were unable to destroy his shields or barriers. That left D and S rank bombs left. There was no way D rank bomb would destroy these new barriers. S rank took so much of his reiatsu that after he used it he would be exhausted. He still had to battle other opponents, like that woman who killed Salvador. Hachi pointed at him. Alarmed he drew reiatsu into his feet and ran away. 'I can't get caught in one of his barriers. If I am then I will be destroyed just like with my bombs…..' A blue pillar stabbed him in the back. His pace slowed somewhat, but he pushed through it and continued to run. Three more pillars punctured his back. He let out pained cry. His enemy was right on his tail. Apparently his speed increased too. He launched a few more bombs for cover. Not surprisingly the hollow wannabe disposed of them. It distracted him long enough to charge Cero. He fired it by swinging his left arm. However, the masked man stopped is with his bare hand. "Shit. Shit. Shit," cursed the arrancar.

He had no choice. The only way he could possibly come out of this alive was to use S rank bombs. He failed his tail unleashing more C rank bombs to cover him. The vizard blocked them. He increased his speed and left Hachi in the dust for now anyway. Once he was sure he was clear stopped. He opened his mouth and took a huge breath, absorbing oxygen and spirit particles within his body. Orange aura manifested from his body. It was weak at first, but as he took in more spirit particles and oxygen it grew. The aura became flame like then into an oval before finally become a large sphere. That was when Hachi arrived. "Too late fat ass," he mocked. "I have already started it. My ultimate bomb, Con una Explosion (Out with a Bang) S rank. By taking in a large amount of sprit particles and oxygen I can combine it with my innate reiatsu. Instead of expelling it to create a bomb I can build it up to unleash a wave. Everything this wave touches will be turned into a bomb." He heard the Kido master hushed cry. "That's right every barrier or wall you create will be turned into a bomb. I'll turn your body into one bomb."

Antonio balled his body up. The last strike was about to be dealt. At last he would be rid of this nuisance. Across form Antonio, Hachi flared his reiatsu, allowing it to go wild for once. Already he was preparing a counter. He only hoped it was enough. The former octava uncurled his body and release the energy he had built up. "Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!"

The instrument of his doom as the arrancar intended it to be rippled. Fast to act Hachi summoned large golden poles. Mentally he arranged them in a triangular formation with them inside. Beams of light formed on the points and connected together, sealing the pair off from the outside world. He had insured that the attack would not go any further. Wave passed over him before being stopped by the new barrier.

"I don't know what you expected to accomplish. My technique has already infected you. Now my reiatsu is inside of you. With just one command it will explode and take you with it. Maybe if you beg I won't detonate you."

"I do not think you would stop your detonation even if I were to beg." He placed an octagonal field around himself.

This caused a small laugh from Antonio. "That won't help you. Your body has already been infected with my bombs. Putting a barrier around your after the fact is going to do nil. Detonate." The loud boom he was expecting never came. The hollow wannabe was unscathed. "I-Impossible…..You actually stopped my technique….. Your barrier stopped it, but….." He remembered the unique healing Kido the vizard used. "You healed yourself with the barrier. Of course it makes sense now. By using a healing technique he could expel alien reiatsu from his body. Healing Kido wouldn't be able undo my technique alone. My reiatsu would combine with the targets so completely that it cannot come undone so easily. Healing Kido which can expel foreign reiatsu would take time to remove it. This technique is more than just that."

"I am afraid that your techniques have no effect on me."

"Bullshit! I am the Emperor of Destruction! I destroy everything in my path. My techniques can destroy even Kido."

"My abilities are the perfect counter for yours then. Your abilities allow you to destroy mine allow for me to erase that very destruction."

"I won't accept this," he muttered. "DIE! FINAL EXPLOSION!"

"Huh?"

Reiatsu erupted from the arrancar consuming Hachi. He failed to put up a barrier in time and was thrown away in the current of reiatsu. The triangular formation ended abruptly. The blast of reiatsu was brilliant, but brief. The left part of his tux was destroyed, his shoulder scared. The injuries were minor. However, there was a huge crack right down the middle of his mask. Hachi felt blessed. Despite the name the Antonio's Final Explosion was not final at least for him anyway. Antonio was worn out. His breathing was unsteady, reiatsu low; it was all he could do to keep in the air. Fatigued the arrancar landed along with his opponent.

God he hoped to inflict more damage than this. He spent too much of his power when he used S rank bomb. The Final Explosion was weak because of it. He had one last gambit to play. He just needed to sale it. He fell to the ground feigning weakness. God help him if this failed.

Hachi removed his mask. Good thing the fight was over. He did not want to go over his time limit lest he wanted to exhaust his reiatsu and stamina past the breaking point. The arrancar was down for now. It would be unwise to leave him there. The best thing to do would be to capture him and take him to Urahara-san for interrogation. He took a step toward the arrancar when something snapped onto his foot. "Uh!" The something was cross between a bear trap and mole or what he thought was mole. The beast ignited, blowing up right in poor Hachi's face.

Scheming Antonio dropped his act. "It actually worked." He got up jubilant over a small victory.

Hachi rested on one knee. His left arm limp, patches of skin burned off with ugly scars decorating it. Red liquid trickled down the left side of his face. His breathing was shallow. He was foolish for not taking precautions when approaching an enemy. He was too lax. Damn his enemy for taking advantage of him. His left arm was useless. Without both of his arms he could not heal his body.

"Just like I thought, when your mask is on your durability and power go up, but without they aren't nearly as high. One of my bombs could injury you if you weren't wearing it." Ravens emerged from the back of his tail. "As you are now you won't be able to take any more bombs." They swarmed for at the fallen vizard. The avian terrors were about to strike a golden orange triangular shield materialized in front of jolly giant and protected him. "Her again."

Orihime arrived, out of breath. She saw that Hachi-san had been saved by her Santen Kesshun. Weight of her heart was lifted. She made it in time. Antonio she saw was glaring at her for her interference. She furrowed her brow to give him a stern and unforgiving glare. Santen Kesshun traded places with Soten Kisshun. Immediately she started to heal Hachi. "Hachi-san you will be good as new in no time."

His lips parted into a welcoming smile akin to the one a warm grandfather would give to their granddaughter. "Thank you, Orihime-san."

"You two are annoying. Every time I am about finish one of you off the other one interferes."

"We are allies. Of course we will step in to help each other if we need it," she told him sternly.

"It pisses me off." A new ball formed in the palm of his hand. "That shield of yours won't stop a B rank bomb."

"Orihime-san, he is right. Santen Kesshun won't be strong enough to stop that. Let me out now. I have recovered enough strength to mount a defense for us." She refused him. "Orihime-san!"

"Please sit there and focus on recovering. I will handle this."

"If that's what the girl wants let her do it. I won't kill her, just mess her up a bit." He prepared to throw it, but a golden streak flew through it, triggering its detonation. Orange flames engulfed Antonio incinerating his body burning away all of his feelings except for pain. He let out a blood churning scream.

Orihime could not bear to see a man burned alive. She turned her head and closed her eyelids shut as tightly as she could. The screaming still painted a vivid picture of the arrancar's fate. She never wanted so badly not to hear anything in her life. Once the screaming stopped it only filled her with a sense of dread. Orihime opened her eyes for a peak. What she saw made her want to vomit. The arrancar or what was left of him had its skin burned off. His head was gone, incinerated in the blast no doubt along with his right arm and part of his torso. Colored in nothing but red and black, it was reprehensive of death itself. The healer shrunk away. She could not believe she was the cause of this.

"You had no choice. If you had allowed him to thrown that you would have….."

"I know, Hachi-san. I know. There was no other choice," she told herself. "I will be fine." She had done the right thing. The arrancar was going to kill Hachi-san and was responsible for bringing so much destruction to Karakura. To protect everything she loved and held dear she had to stop him. If that led to his death so be it. No it wasn't that simple. She still killed someone. That realization would stay with her.

"I once said you were unsuited for battle because of your kind heart," he mused remembering their first meeting months ago. "However, I was incorrect."

"Huh?" she uttered. Inappropriately he thought she was adorable. Her eyes shimmering with curiosity, but had a afterglow of innocence in them.

"Your kind heart makes you suitable to battle. You understand how precious life is and the grief it causes to end it. Someone who understands that understands the need to protect it. Orihime-san, you did not murder the arrancar in cold blood. You killed in order to protect life. It is not wrong to what you are feeling. I understand this because you and I are similar. I went through the same thing until my former captain; Tessai-san told me the same thing."

A small smile found itself way on her lips. "Hachi-san," she called. "Thank you." He smiled back at her. The two healers healed their wounds both physical and spiritual.


Gild rammed his fists into the ground. He launched himself straight at Sado. As usual he streaked across the sky at great speeds. Having seen this move a few times by now Sado already moved out of the way by the time Gild finished ramming his fists. The hollow powered human dodged the giant arrancar. Unbeknown to Sado though Gild expected this tactic and had something in store for it. Gild drew his innate reiatsu and spirit particles in the air to create an invisible wall to stop. He then pushed off the unseen object starting a new charge. The poor bastard didn't even see it coming. By the time Sado turned around he was near him. He was like a deer caught in headlights.

"Got ya!" he hollered. He threw a punch. Not enough time for him to dodge. That left Sado with no choice, but to hide behind his shield. He braced himself for the overwhelming power. The giant fist came into contact with his shield. His eyes widened. He did not feel the overbearing power he felt when he blocked Gild's blows. His arm was not stress nor did it cry in agony. The momentum Gild built up forced him back, heels dragging on the pavement failing to keep him rooted.

'What is going?' Sado thought. 'His strike feels different from last time. Before it was like a locomotive, overwhelming and unmoving. Now this punch feels anything, but strong. It feels so weak, like there is no strength behind it at all.' They slowed down. The momentum finally died down. Eventually they came to a stop all together. The two brawlers broke apart.

"Impressive, you can take one of my weaker punches now. This will be loads more fun now."

Sado looked down at his right arm. He moved his fingers, testing to see if everything was working properly. Nothing was out of place. Nothing was injured. Confidence sprang forth. Suddenly Gild did not seem so invincible any more. White armor manifested on his left arm.

"Oh, ya getting ready to attack me. I got warn you that the strategy you pulled last time won't be so easy to pull off. I know what to expect….." He stopped in midsentence. A white fist rammed itself straight into his stomach. Breath was knocked right out of his lungs. Lungs in desperation for life sustaining oxygen tried to take it back. Sado's lips curved into a cocky half grin.

The results of his 2 months of training, the strongest Hierro overcome? The invasion nears its end.


Antonio is dead, Esteban is in the middle of a fight with Lisa and Uryu, and Gild is fighting Sado. The vizards might come off as weak to some in this chapter, because Antonio and Esteban are weak members of the Privaron Espada a group inferior to the latest generation of Espada. This was not my intentions. I tried to overcome this problem by giving Antonio and Esteban powerful or unique techniques that would make up for their lack of raw power. I did try to show Hachi and Lisa can handle them easily, before they used their Resurreccion. I felt it was more believable to have vizards that were vice captains/lieutenants to have some trouble with Esteban and Antonio than the ones that were captains like Shinji or Love.

That brick wall Kido is totally made up with help from Google Translator. Sorry for the mistakes. Tired eyes miss things. I want to thank everyone who has been reading this story. I am happy with all the interest people are showing in it. I never thought it would get this big. It is has been a long ride so far. In 17 months since I started this story (weird coincidence I assure you) I think I can safely saw the end is in sight. I have an end planned out already and know where I want to take the story. Uploads might not be as frequent anymore, but I still brainstorm lol. I don't have a number in mind, so I can't tell you. All I can say is that the Privaron Espada threat I have imagined to have three major events and we have passed one (the midnight battles in chapters 29-33) and the second one is this invasion right now. The last one will be final battle between our heroes and the antagonists. I think the third event/major battle could start in chapter 50 or sooner. After that battle happens I will show the aftermath and an epilogue that will take us to beginning of Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. Like I said I have no idea how many chapters that will be from now. This story could last for six months or three months. I wanted to tell you guys, so you have some idea when this long ass story will end. I am sure people are tired of reading 10,000 words.

If you are one of those people that actually like this story and are for some reason crying at this announcement. Do not worry. The sequel I keep talking about is going to happen. I really do want to write my own version of the Lost Substitute Shinigami arc. I have been brain storming ideas for that story now. I really did like that arc until the ending. It had a lot of untapped potential in my opinion. When I read I had all these different ideas pop up in my head, so I thought why not make a fan fiction? I guess that is it for now. Please review and if you know a good beta who likes reading long as chapters to proof read give me a shout.