Disclaimer: This man does not own Bleach.
Quincy Craft
The sound of the rampant thunders roaring in the sky caused Yhwach to glance up as the Zombiefied Candice Catnipp soared down from the destroyed ceiling. At the same time, his skin tinged as destructive flames danced on the floor beneath him, courtesy of the Zombie known as Bazz-B. They both sought to converge on his position, but he had other plans.
Before he could enact those plans, he found himself trapped in a sudden darkness. His eyes widened in anger before he grabbed and destroyed the barrier with his single arm. Quilge Opie reared back as the Quincy Monarch loomed over him and grabbed his face before slamming him into the ground and yelled, "You can't hold me in your prison, Quilge! Know your place!"
However, he had not forgotten about Candice or Bazz-B. As soon as the woman grazed his cheek, he twisted around her before grabbing her arm and ripping it off. Her decaying face locked in agony before she was kicked away. The heat-controlling Zombie was knocked away after the man slammed the bloody shoulder blade of the removed arm into him.
Yhwach had stood up when three large shadows loomed overhead and above him. Mask de Masculine, Jerome Guizbatt, and Driscoll Berci were going to crash into him all at once. After a slight growl, the elderly Quincy stomped his right foot into the ground, creating a large barrier of Reishi that expanded outward from his body with a yell of, "Blut Vene Anhaben!"
Each of the corpses watched in complete surprise as the barrier began expanding, slowly consuming them and eating away at their arms. Several gunshots and explosions began rebounding against the barrier, distracting Yhwach enough so that the corpses could escape. As the barrier began collapsing, the corpses noticed that there was no one inside, even though they just saw him...
Robert Accutrone's eyes widened as the man suddenly appeared in front of BG9 and grasped the knight helm by his head. The being whined pitifully as more pressure was added, and it was crushed under the palms of his lord and savior.
Yhwach looked down at the broken fragments in his hand and began, "I created all of you...and this is how you repay that kindness...? Neither of you have the right to turn against me!"
With a swing of Yhwach's remaining arm, the elderly gunslinger found his head separated from his body. He then gathered Reishi at the edge of his palm and manifested his winged broadsword, turning it around and bringing down on the approaching Haschwalth's blade.
The blonde Zombie narrowed his eyes at his former leader before pulling back and swinging at the king's feet, forcing Yhwach to take to the air to avoid having his mobility cut down. Just as he did so, Haschwalth leaped into the air alongside him, hovering in front of him.
A shocked expression formed on Yhwach's face when two dark-cloaked figures appeared next to Haschwalth, and he found himself staring into mirror images of his own face, darkened by the reddish-tint of the Zombie. The absolute nerve of these-!
"ROYD AND LLOYD!"
He bared his furious fangs at the two Quincy twins that dared to pull this stunt. Haschwalth was the first to dive at him, and he sliced off his blade arm in retaliation. He then swung at one of the Yhwach lookalikes and cut him through his chest before sending him hurling towards the ground.
Yhwach looked to his right as the other lookalike manifested a Reishi bow behind him and shouted, "Sankt...Boge-!"
But he was interrupted by a cry of, "How dare you impersonate me!? Know your place, foolish imbecile!" and a violent headbutt, sending his head flying towards the other wall. His furious growl dropped slowly when he heard the whisper behind him.
"Turning your back while your enemy is still alive is poor form, old man."
He slowly turned to look over his shoulder in panic, realizing that Ichigo Kurosaki had sneaked behind him while he was preoccupied with the Zombies. The orange-haired teenager hovered in the air with wide eyes, his own blade in his right and a twin of it in his left hand that he recovered from Haschwalth's lost arm.
On his back with her arms wrapped tightly around his neck was the "Zombie" herself, Giselle Gewelle, waving her decaying hands to him. A large grin appeared on her face as she murmured, "...Bye...bye...!"
While twisting his body rapidly, Ichigo dug both of his blades into his chest and sent him to the ground painfully. The buildings and towers rumbled as the crater was created in the throne room.
Ichigo watched as the Quincy King plummeted into the ground before slowly descending towards the ground. With the looming Giselle over his shoulder, he eased his way over to the crater and looked down inside for Yhwach, but he couldn't see anything through the smoke. A sudden flash of blue-light, and he sidestepped the Heilige Lanze and it soared past him.
"Cheap move, Old Man. It's time to settle this now."
He stood by in a stance, waiting for the Quincy Monarch to show himself. As the smoke cleared, his grip on the twin blades tightened. Seconds passed by, and his eyes widened when he finally noticed it...
He noticed that Yhwach had disappeared. Except for the torn pieces of his tattered cloak, no trace of the man himself remained. Ichigo growled in disbelief before he looked around the room, shouting out, "Where the hell did he go!? Old Man!?"
However, he couldn't sense anything nearby. He then turned back to the crater and looked down at it. That was when he looked further and realized that the larger opening meant that Yhwach must have continued further down into it...
Meaning that he was most likely heading to the Soul Society. He was just about to follow him before a hand grabbed his shoulder, pulling him back from the opening. Ichigo turned around with a scream of, "Hey! What the hell gives!? I'm going to go and finish him off-!"
Staring back him with a bored expression, Askin Nakk Le Vaar interrupted with, "No you're not, Kurosaki. If you go down there and try to fight him head on... You'll probably die. And plus, what about your friends here? You're just going to leave them? I don't appreciate you leaving that human girl in my care without asking, and I'm not interested in baby-sitting."
With that, he gestured behind him at the entrance to the throne room and Ichigo turned as well. It was then that he noticed the crowd standing outside of it. Orihime, slightly banged up from the events earlier, waved happily at him as she allowed a wounded Bambietta down from her shoulder. Behind them, both Liltotto and Meninas barely held up an unconscious Berenice. Chad, Uryu, and Cang-Du all stood by with emotionless visages.
Bambietta took note of him, and then her eyes widened as she stared at all of the Zombies in the room. Some of them were still regenerating the lost parts from the confrontation earlier. Her eyes then fell on the Zombiefied Giselle on his back before she murmured, "I...didn't think you were capable of actually killing her. I'm surprised..."
Ichigo said nothing in response. The weight from his shoulders was lifted, and he watched as the Zombie girl skipped her way towards Orihime and the group. The sound of clapping feet alerted him to the reddened corpse of Haschwalth standing next to him, staring at the group as well. The corpse held its hand out expectantly.
He frowned slightly at the sight of his deceased mentor. His eyes popped for a moment as he suddenly realized something and threw the handle of his left blade at the corpse while saying, "I forgot, that belongs to you."
Haschwalth caught it before twisting on his heel and turning back to the other Zombies in the room. Ichigo turned back in time to see Giselle grabbing a shocked Bambietta by her hand and holding it in both of hers. She leaned in close to her and muttered, "...I'm...leaving him...to you...Bambi..."
The living Quincy girl blinked at the serene smile of the deceased Quincy girl. Giselle didn't give her a chance to respond before her skipping brought her back to Ichigo. However, she stepped past him, and he turned and watched as she raised her arms high in the air.
Each and every one of the Zombies began decomposing into Reishi one by one, and they all fluttered in the air before zooming towards Ichigo. He gasped as every grain of Reishi poured back into his body. He was almost thrown off balance as the small Zombie girl crashed into his chest directly after and wrapped her arms around his waist.
He looked down as Giselle beamed at him widely and whispered softly, "...Till next time...Strawberry..."
And then she too followed the others and became Reishi, flowing back inside of him. He stood there silently for a minute, taking in the events of what had occurred. A resounded expression appeared on his face as he turned to Askin, who was staring in the opposite direction towards his friends.
The man's attention was drawn to Ichigo when he noticed that the teenager was staring at him, and stared him down silently with a raise of his brow. The orange-haired Quincy's eyes narrowed and he began, "I understand that you're a neutral party in all of this... But can I give you the task of taking them back to Kisuke Urahara's place? With the way they are now, they won't be able to continue anymore."
Askin's gaze shifted back to the group at the entrance. He then simply stated, "Did you not hear me the first time...?"
Ichigo's brows furrowed in agitation before he exasperated, "Yeah, you don't wanna baby-sit or whatever...! You don't even have to stay with them, just get them-!"
"No. That's not what I meant."
With Ichigo's eyes locked on his in confusion, Askin glanced at him again before saying, "If you go to Yhwach right now, you are not going to win... Despite the loss of his arm, you will still die to him."
He noticed that the teenager's jaw dropped, and before he could begin to protest, Askin interrupted him with, "...How much do you even know about Yhwach's power? Do you even know what his letter stands for? Or how his Soul Distribution works?"
Ichigo gaped as he struggled to come up with an answer. Askin stared past him before grabbing his shoulders and pulling the teenager in with a yelp and a protest. He leaned closer to his ear and said, "Yhwach's letter...is the "A"...the "Almighty"... It's because his power is that of a God's... He can take and distribute his power among his subjects with his "Auswรคhlen"... And with the "Almighty", he can see anything and everything in the future...and any power he understands cannot touch him."
The teenager paused, his eyes widened at the horrible thought. That power sounded absolutely unreal. If Yhwach had a power like that, then Haschwalth never stood a chance to begin with. And Haschwalth had placed everything on his shoulders to beat this man. Hell, he didn't have a chance at beating him with that!
"It sounds impossible because it was never possible for you to win, Ichigo Kurosaki. You've yet to realize...that everything you've done was planned by him... Did you ever stop to think and understand...why is it that you've obtained the powers of every Stern Ritter that died...and he did not?"
With a dumbfounded, horrified expression on his face, Ichigo shook his head. And the Stern Ritter answered, "You see... Your power of Soul Distribution differs from his... Yours, formed by the remnants of your Hollow, allows you to consume our powers... And you split only your powers amongst those you chose, like Bambietta."
"Yhwach's blood runs through us all. All of our powers once his power... But he cannot use them unless we're dead, so they are ours."
His brows furrowed as he added, "On the other hand, Yhwach divides his life into us. Each of us Stern Ritter adopt a portion of his life... But we must die for him, because it is only then that he can keep himself from reverting back to his original state of mind."
"Long ago when He was younger, he was very weak. He could not move, he could not see, he could not hear, or even speak. But he was revered because the fragments of his soul could heal any wound, and he was able to share his soul with those around them. And when they died, those fragments came back to him. This is the birth of the Stern Ritter... those who possess those fragments."
Ichigo turned to the man who continued before he could even ask.
"Those fragments are his power...but we imprint ourselves on those fragments, and that is how we gain our powers. That is why they belong to him..."
"Yhwach allowed you to absorb all of his power...because he was confident that he could take them back from you when you confronted him... And there is no running from his challenge because he has gone directly to the Soul Palace...to kill his father, the Soul King, and throw the entire world off-balance."
He finally released Ichigo from his grasped and walked towards the group. But before he made it, he looked over his shoulder and said, almost solemnly, "You have to fight... If you don't, then everything is lost... But nothing can beat him... I realized a long time ago...that we didn't have long in this world..."
Askin rubbed the back of his head while sighing, "Ah, it was fun while it lasted... Anyway, I can take them back to Urahara's...because in the end, it really doesn't matter, right? We're all dead, anyways."
His mind had gone blank. He didn't even hear Bambietta's protest as Askin pushed them all outside of the throne room and closed the door behind him, leaving Ichigo alone in the darkness of the room. His mind attempted to process all of the information he received, but the only conclusion he came to was that there was no way possible for him to win.
If what Askin said was true, then he was completely right; with powers like that, he couldn't even delay Yhwach's ascension...and if he did nothing, then he'd only bring about the end. What the hell did Haschwalth and the other Quincy expect him to do without telling him crucial shit like that!?
But he knows that he cannot sit back. Even if it seems hopeless, he must do something. The only thing he hates...is that he knows who he has to speak to. His only option.
But why does his options keep leading him back to that man?
The sound of boots clapping against the ground arose Sosuke Aizen from his slumber, and a large smile spread across his face. He knew the identity of the person before they could even emerge from the darkness.
"If you are looking for Yhwach...he has already passed through here."
White boots emerged from the darkness, revealing an expressionless Ichigo Kurosaki. His gaze was locked on Aizen, who stared back with the largest grin that he's ever seen. With a questioning tilt of his head, he murmured, "...Oh, dear... You really are desperate at this point, aren't you? You must be, if you're coming to me for help."
Ichigo said nothing in response. At the sight of the despair apparent on his face, Aizen laughed slightly and said, "...It seems...that you are well aware of the fact that you cannot beat him with the power you possess... and that your only option resides deep within you. But you don't even know if that power will help you... Are you really gambling everything on this power?"
In response, Ichigo sharply retorted, "It's clear that I don't have a fucking choice. You understand this thinginside of me better than anyone since you're the one who created it. Greatest creation and all that shit, right?"
As if his grin needed to grow any wider... Aizen let out a small noise of amusement before leaning back in his chair and saying, "You're right about that, Ichigo Kurosaki. I do know about the power within you. However...not even I know its name... That power officially belongs to you, so only you can determine your power."
Right as Ichigo began to frown, Aizen continued, "You are right to bank on it, however. That power...is the perfect combination of Quincy and Hollow, a match that could not be made with an ordinary Quincy... It is a power that only you, Ichigo Kurosaki, could wield...because you are both Soul and Human. You must bank on that power if you want to defeat Yhwach... But you must also realize that your Quincy powers are susceptible to destruction as well?"
Ichigo's eyes widened as Aizen explained, "Giruhiko Dokugamine, the father of Riruka and Gina Dokugamine, tried to obtain the powers of a Hollow... Cursing both of his daughters as a result. Masaki Kurosaki was the other. She would've died if Isshin Kurosaki did not sacrifice his powers to save her. How different are you, I wonder? Could you survive?"
He blinked. The destruction of his Quincy powers... He would fall back to his powerless state, unable to fight to protect himself. His whole reason for existence was to gain the power to protect everyone, and now he was going to have to give that all up just to kill one man?
His decision was already made. He's already cast his life aside for the sake of protecting everyone.
Aizen watched as Ichigo closed his eyes, his hand gripping his glove tightly.
When his eyes snapped open, he saw nothing but darkness. The endless, infinite blackness that was his mindscape. He noticed a glowing light from over his shoulder, and turned to stare directly into the hollowed face of his 'Maskieren'. The Hollow virus floated aimlessly, and crouching right beneath him was a white silhouette whom he recognized.
"Suriel."
The silhouette stood from its position and looked over his shoulder. His white cloak flowed behind him as he began edging his way closer to Ichigo. The sunglasses perched on top of his head came into view, along with the black fur framing his neck. The Arrancar named 'Suriel' grinned as he appeared before Ichigo.
"Ah, I see you've returned. I thought I scared you away for good the first time we met... The last time I saw you, your hair was still masculine."
Ichigo frowned and exclaimed with a growl, "I don't have the time to play now! I need this power now before I confront Yhwach!"
Ichigo blinked at the realization and before he could speak, the Hollow chuckled and said, "...That's right... I'm an Arrancar... I rose above all of your other spirits, including the Old Man, and became the dominant Spirit of your body..."
He pointed behind him at the gaping mask and revealed, "...And Maskieren is my Zanpakuto and the source of my powers... I think... I was able to finally thrive in this new form thanks to you, Kurosaki."
Suriel reared back in surprise before he turned back to the oversized mask. He then looked at Ichigo over his shoulder and asked, "Have you figured out its name?"
Ichigo shook his head sadly, and Suriel sighed, "It's not like the thing ever talks to me, even if I am it's master. I guess it only recognizes you as its master, so only you can figure it out, Kurosaki."
Ichigo frowned. 'Maskieren' has never said anything to him either. If Zanpakuto's are meant to speak to their master, then why the hell won't this thing open its mouth!? In a furious rage, Ichigo kicked the giant mask in its tooth. Suriel watched in confusion as Ichigo constantly kicked it, causing him to comment, "Kurosaki, you've lost it. That's not going to help..."
"Well then... You help me! What the hell kinda use are you right now!?"
Suriel held his hands up in mock surrender, watching as Ichigo continued to bang on the side of the Hollow mask. It wasn't until a few moments later that he finally stopped, collapsing weakly at the side of the mask. Still floating, almost uncaring.
Ichigo rose his head towards the thing and shouted, "When the hell are you going to actually tell me something!? Give me a hint, or something! Don't just sit there in si-!"
Suddenly, the world began rumbling, much to Suriel's or Ichigo's surprise. The Arrancar yelped as he lost his balance and shouted, "Well, now you've gone and pissed it off, idiot! Well done, fucktard!"
Ichigo didn't have time to come up with a retort. At that very moment, the floor beneath them shattered like glass and he found himself falling. The Hollow, with its jaws wide open, waited below for him.
He was falling endlessly...into nothingness...
As I free fall...
How long has it been... Days? Months? Could be years... The only thing he knew was that he continuously falling...
The silence in this hole is deafening... A muted, cold abyss...
Just a continuous path of darkness... Nothingness... It felt...perfect
But oddly enough...I feel no fear...
Like... I belong here... In this emptiness... I understand...
I'm at ease...confident someone will find me...
What is that white light...? Haunting...jaws wide... That light opens its jaws to me...and prepares to swallow me whole... I realize...
But... Who?
I am nothing...
Ichigo's eyes snapped open. Aizen observed silently, wondering what had happened. The teenager looked down at him, before bowing closer to him.
"...I'll have to thank you...for giving this power to my mother, and allowing her to become one with my father and create me... I am absolutely thrilled that you've gone as far to gift such power to me..."
Aizen watched with a narrowed eyes as Ichigo rose to his full height and turned to walk away. As he moved further into the shadows, he continued, "...Because that will make it all the more satisfying to kill you with it in the end... You have until the end of your sentence or until you escape...to come up with a plan to stop me..."
He then continued up the stairs to escape from the Muken. As his voice echoed from the darkness, Aizen smiled widely, and laughed silently to himself.
"...At that time, I will return...and I will kill you, Sosuke Aizen."
It must have been hours before he finally reached the top of the staircase. The Soul Reapers really made sure that Aizen was trapped here for a good while. The light escaping from the entrance to Muken caused him to hurry his steps, eager to escape from the lonesome place.
His white boot stepped out into the light, and he sighed in relief after taking in the sun for the first time in a while. However, of course the mood wouldn't last long.
"...Ichigo...Kurosaki..."
He paused. A bunch of large, overwhelming Spiritual Pressures expanded above him, and his eyes gaze above him. His eyes locked on various silhouettes dressed in long overcoats. His eyes narrowed at the sight of them.
Dressed in black with lengthy white overcoats, the Gotei Thirteen's Captain-Class Soul Reapers loomed above him, each of them staring him down with expressionless visages. The voice, which had resonated from in front of him, belonged to the black-haired man whom arrived front of him. The one who's white coat was tinged with purple, and around his neck was a white scarf.
The Soul Reaper known as Byakuya Kuchiki, the Head-Captain of the First Division and the Gotei Thirteen.
"...Do not move another step... Ichigo Kurosaki... Surely you can spare us...a moment of your time?"
Trivia:
-It's just a small chapter, but mainly to set up key things and answer some questions for the next few chapters. Namely that Yhwach does have the Almighty and Ichigo's trying to find a way around it, and the existence of Maskieren that Ichigo and Suriel could not grasp during their last meeting back in Chapter 24.
