At the top of the tower, the Collector stood watching over the city as it burned at the hands of the Soul Reapers, the Arrancar, and the Visoreds. Stubbornly believing victory was still within his grasp, the Collector turned towards the strange drill device where Yuzu was being strapped in by the wrists to the large metal ring and slowly raised, facing towards the burning city.

"Behold child…the last sight you will ever see…what the Soul Reapers believe to be their finest hour, will actually be their final hour of life as we open the gateway to the Soul King's realm and dispose of him. Be proud child, for you are the instrument of their demise and in the rise of the LeBlanc Empire." The Collector said as Yuzu squirmed in her harnesses with tear filled eyes.

"My lord, the Porte Faiseur is prepared. Shall we commence firing?" a LeBlanc asked with a bow.

"I shall begin the firing sequence myself." The Collector said as he moved over to the controls of the device.

"Please! Don't do this! I don't want to die!" Yuzu shouted fearfully with tears streaming down her face.

"How curious…a Soul Reaper afraid of death…how very curious indeed." The Collector said as he raised his crook vertically in both hands and then put the hook over the tip of the drill. Instantly the drill started to glow with bright blue energy. The drill began to spin and swirl in a brilliant glow as Reishi particles flew up towards the tip as the Collector removed his crook from the tip.

Yuzu slowly hung her head as she sobbed to herself, bracing herself for what was to come. She then felt a warm hand on her right shoulder.

"Hey…why the long face?" a familiar voice asked. Yuzu's eyes shot open and she quickly looked over her shoulder to see Ichigo in his Bankai form.

"You ready to go home Yuzu?" Ichigo asked with a smile on his face as Yuzu gave a teary smile and nodded.

"Alright then." Ichigo said as he raised Zangetsu and quick as a flash he cut the iron ring into small pieces, causing Yuzu to drop down to the ground, mere seconds before the beam fired into the empty air.

"What the-?! What's happening?! Why isn't there a door opening?!" The Collector asked, having not witnessed what just happened.

"The Key girl is gone sir!" one of the LeBlancs shouted before suddenly getting bifurcated in a diagonal line and fading away.

"Yeah, and she's coming home with ME!!!" Ichigo shouted as the Collector glared at him in anger. Yuzu was standing behind him, clinging to his hakama.

"Why you little, insignificant, FOOL!!! I have had enough of you and your kind getting in my WAY!!!" the Collector roared as he raised his crook.

"Fracture! Je Suis Ishida!" the Collector roared as his bone armor shell broke apart and he suddenly grew eight long and spindly arms attached to his back with a Steele Schneider at the end of each arm.

"Ishida?!" Ichigo asked in disbelief.

"Yes, I am one of your friend's ancestors! But that is irrelevant! I will destroy you here and NOW!!!" the Collector roared as he lunged at Ichigo who quickly flash stepped out of the way.

"He's fast." Ichigo said mentally as he quickly turned in time to deflect a blow from the Collector.

"You're too slow Soul Reaper. Even with your Bankai, you cannot hope to catch up to me in this form!" the Collector growled as he reared back all eight of his Schneider arms and lunged them all at Ichigo. Ichigo however flash stepped out of the way and then proceeded to "rip" his Hollow mask onto his face.

"You were saying?" Ichigo asked through his mask as he caught the Collector off guard from behind.

"I'll destroy you YET!" the Collector roared as he continued the fight.



From the Ground Below…

Kaichou, Kukaku, the twins, Ganju, and Momo watched the bursts of energy being released with each blow.

"The kid's got skill I'll give him that. But do you think it's enough to beat that guy?" Kukaku asked as she smoked from her pipe.

"Ichigo's pretty powerful. His Spiritual Pressure alone is strong enough to beat that guy." Ganju said as Kaichou sighed.

"He's stronger yes, but he still can't control it enough." Kaichou said.

"So are we going to do anything Captain?" Momo asked as Kaichou remained silent for a while in silent thought.

"Captain?" Kukaku asked worriedly.

"Have everyone pull back away from the city and put up a Kido bubble barrier over them…they'll be safe as long as that barrier is up." Kaichou said softly as she started walking towards the castle.

"Captain?" Momo asked confused.

"Momo…that was an order." Kaichou said calmly without stopping to turn and look. Momo gave a worried nod before she and the others quickly turned to carry out Kaichou's orders.



Back in the sky over the city…

The fight had spilled out into midair as Ichigo and the Collector fought with savage skill and might. Whenever it seemed like one would get the upper hand, the other would quickly turn the tide in their favor and then it would switch again.

The constant seesawing back and forward was getting continuously strenuous and Ichigo, try as he might, just couldn't deal an effective blow against the Collector.

"I've got to do something and quick! Otherwise my mask will shatter again!" Ichigo said mentally as the fight continued to rage.

The Collector then started firing the Steele Schneiders from his arms at him. They were instantly replaced with other Schneiders which were quickly fired at Ichigo along with the others. To Ichigo it was like a machine gun of Steele Schneiders being fired at him and all he could do was deflect. Finally the barrage stopped and Ichigo was panting heavily through his mask. His Zanpakuto was even steaming from the constant deflections.

"Is that all you've got?" Ichigo asked defiantly as the Collector growled and then proceeded to lunge towards Ichigo with his crook raised again.

Ichigo rocketed back towards him and continued to fight the fiendish monster.



At the top of the tower…

Yuzu stood watching the fight with a look of awe on her face as she quietly cheered for her brother. She didn't notice the LeBlanc sneaking up on her from behind.

"Hello little girl." The LeBlanc said as Yuzu whirled around and saw the LeBlanc approaching her.

"And hello to you too ugly! Dekiagari-SHUI-KASAI!!!"

Suddenly a thin beam of white light pierced through the LeBlanc's skull, causing him to crumble into dust and vanish, revealing Kaichou standing behind him with her Zanpakuto in its shotgun form. She had fired the shot at point blank range.

"Aunty Kaichou!" Yuzu exclaimed as she collided into Kaichou with a hug.

"Hey there kiddo…sorry we took so long getting to ya." Kaichou said as she hugged the youngster.

"Ichigo's over there fighting that monster. But I don't think he's going to make it though. You've got to do something Aunty Kaichou!" Yuzu pleaded as Kaichou nodded and her Zanpakuto morphed back into its basic Shikai form.

"Oh I plan on doing something Yuzu. You might want to stand back a ways." Kaichou said as she raised her open left hand in front of her face as a strange but familiar black substance started emanating up from the top of her shoulders and head.

Meanwhile Ichigo and the Collector continued their fight.

"Face it boy! There is no stopping me!" The Collector roared as he raised the bottom tip of his crook and aimed it at Ichigo before unleashing a Fleche Vent.

"And I'm telling you, that you're as good as DEAD!!!" Ichigo roared back as he dodged the Fleche Vent and hurled a Kuroi Getsuga back at the Collector.

"Your power is limited boy! Mine is INFINATE!!!" the Collector asked as they charged at each other again with their weapons reared back for a devastating attack. Mere seconds before getting within range, Ichigo felt a crack suddenly appear on his mask, causing his eyes to widen in horror. He brought his blade back around to block the Collector's blow and their weapons hit in a blinding flash of light.

Ichigo's mask had broken to pieces but he strangely didn't feel any pressure against his Zanpakuto. None whatsoever. He then looked up and saw why.

"Bankai. Ichigo Hensen Tatsujin."

It was Kaichou in her Bankai form, holding her elongated sword up against the Collector's crook.

"Aunt Kaichou!" Ichigo said in shock as Kaichou's gaze glanced back at him.

"Ichigo, rest up for a moment, I'll take it from here." Kaichou said with a sinister smile on her face that could rival Gin Ichimaru's.

"He needs to pay for what he's done! And I want to be the one to make him!" Ichigo yelled angrily. Kaichou glanced back at him again with an annoyed glare before violently shoving the Collector away and getting less than a centimeter from Ichigo's face with an angered expression.

"I said…back OFF!!!" Kaichou roared as she flung Ichigo down towards the tower where he crashed into the top of it.

"This will keep the two of you out of trouble, Bakudo number eighty one, Danku!" Kaichou said as a massive pillar of transparent Kido magic appeared around Ichigo and Yuzu. Kaichou then turned back towards the Collector.

"Now to deal with you." Kaichou said as her sinister smile returned and she raised her hand towards the sky, causing the otherwise clear blue sky to suddenly darken as massive dark clouds appeared overhead and the black tendrils started snaking down towards the ground around them. The LeBlancs on the ground suddenly found themselves grabbed by the tendrils and their energy being drained from them like someone sucking a drink through a straw. The tendrils kept sapping their energy until there was nothing left but powder and dust and then the tendrils would seek new victims.

"You seem to recall, last time we met, that I only had a limited supply of energy. Well that limitation is gone and as long as my tendrils can find victims with spirit energy then I can become as powerful as I need to be." Kaichou said as the Collector growled angrily.

"We'll see about that! SANGSUE!!!" the Collector roared as the blue beam shot from the end of his crook towards Kaichou but she merely smirked and hurled what appeared to be a Kuroi Getsuga only with a purple aura at the beam, destroying it in midair.

"Your old tricks won't help you this time, Collector!" Kaichou said as the Collector smirked.

"Are you sure…then perhaps if you had a taste of your own medicine!" The Collector said as he raised his crook in the air. Suddenly five Maison type LeBlancs burst out from the sides of the Castle and quickly merged with the Collector who started glowing with blue spirit energy.

"Ooh clever. Did I inspire that?" Kaichou asked with mock appreciation.

"Oh indeed you did my dear. And it shall be your UNDOING!!!" The Collector roared as they suddenly clashed together with a brief yet blinding flash. Kaichou flash stepped off to one side and the Collector bleu sautered to another before flying together into another clash.

They repeated this process for several minutes, neither displaying any sign of weakness. Kaichou's blade started taking on a black hue with every swing while the Collector's started taking on a deep blue.

"It would seem as if we are stalemated Soul Reaper." The Collector hissed as they came together in another clash. Kaichou's eyes narrowed in anger at his words. He was right. They were stalemated and there was no way either of them could emerge victorious on their own. But Kaichou knew what needed to be done.

With a violent swing she hurled the Collector away again and raced straight towards the tower.

"Why you little-!" the Collector growled as he raced after her. He found her standing over Ichigo's semi-unconscious form with her back turned towards him.

"Let's face it Collector…neither of us can win. Let's just give it up." Kaichou said with her smile now absent as her Bankai form started fading away.

"Maybe a few minutes ago, but now that you've given up, I'd say that I have just WON!!!" The Collector roared as he quickly lunged forward and ran the curved portion of his crook through Kaichou's chest. The crook burst out from her back as Kaichou grunted in agony.

"You…shouldn't have…done that." Kaichou grimaced as blood started running down her chin from her mouth.

"Oh? And why not?" the Collector asked with a grin on his face as Kaichou weakly raised her hand and pointed behind him. The Collector froze as he sensed a sudden incredible surge of Spiritual pressure, the likes of which he had never felt before. He looked behind him to see an angry looking Yuzu Kurosaki glowing with golden spiritual energy as Ichigo stood off at the side with a smirk, dangling what looked to be an empty sheath.

"You really shouldn't have done that." Ichigo said as the Collector's eyes widened as he turned to look back at Yuzu and he started backing away in fear as he saw what she held in her hands. Sanctus Curator.

"BAN-KAI!!!" Yuzu shouted angrily and a massive burst of beautiful white light appeared that could be seen all the way from the Soul Society.

On the ground the Soul Reapers, Arrancar, Visoreds, and the others stood in awe of the spectacle.

"It's…beautiful." Grimmjow said in stunned admiration.

"It's not just that Grimmjow…its Yuzu." Kisuke said as he removed his hat with a smile.

Karin had even awoken by this time to see the massive light appear.

The light then faded away slightly to reveal the tall angelic woman with the halo over her head and the crisp broadsword in her right hand.

"Sanctus Curator Lux Lucis" Yuzu said as the Collector fell backwards and attempted to crawl away on his hands and feet in fear but Ichigo blocked his path.

"NO-NO-PLEASE-HAVE-MERCY-PLEASE-DON'T-KILL-ME!!!" the Collector cried in absolute terror.

"Judicium Lux Viscus." Yuzu said as she placed her hand on the Collector's head and instantly he felt a strange sensation sweep over him. Without warning, his core exploded with a beam of white light coming from within. Large cracks of pure white light started appearing from around his core and quickly spread across his body until he finally exploded in a burst of light. (Translated: Justice of the Heart)

Soon a gentle breeze was felt as the clouds parted, allowing a beam of light to pierce through and bathe the entire city in light. All of the wounded were instantly healed, including Kaichou, and every surviving LeBlanc suddenly found themselves crumbling into dust.

Kaichou proceeded to faint with a smile on her face from the experience as Yuzu smiled at Ichigo who smiled back at her.

"Ilicet" Yuzu said as she closed her eyes and returned to her normal form. Only this time she was awake and fully aware of what had happened.

"Thank you Ichigo." Yuzu said as she collided into her brother with a hug.

"Let's go home Yuzu. Let's go home." Ichigo said as he let her climb onto his back.

"Wait for me…I may be old but I can still get around." Kaichou said as she pushed herself up off the floor and changed Hensen Tatsujin into a cane. The three then saw a shadow appear over them. They looked up and saw Retsu Unohana and her Lieutenant on the back of the manta ray shaped creature of Retsu's Zanpakuto's Shikai, Minazuki.

"Could you use a lift?" Retsu asked with a gentle smile.

"Retsu, your timing is perfect as always." Kaichou said with a smile as the climbed on the back of the creature which proceeded to fly them all off into the distance towards the rest of their friends and allies.

The Soul Reapers had scored the ultimate victory against the LeBlancs…



End Chapter 55.

The Black Wrangler: Behind the Scenes…

The camera was switched on and Tosen was still in the middle of his Justice rant. The camera zoomed out to reveal him sitting in front of a colorful rainbow adorned set with the words "Justice is fun" written on the rainbow. Then a person in a large fluffy bunny suit bounced up to him and squatted down next to him with a twitchy nose. The bunny then placed a pair of plastic bunny ears on Tosen's head as two shorter bunnies bounced in. Immediately the three bunnies started doing the Caramelldansen. Tosen was unfazed as the three danced around him.

The camera turned around to show the whole gang from the Mega Twister game plus Kenpachi, Ulquiorra, Yammy, Gin, and Aizen, but without Yuzu and Uluru, standing behind Wonderweiss who still had the camera.

"Cue the girls." Grimmjow said as Ichigo quickly dragged Nel, Orihime, Rukia, Yachiru, Tatsuki, and Kaichou inside the room. Instantly the girls went into a squieee frenzy and savagely glomped Tosen, causing him to stop his rant in bewilderment. The three bunnies removed their furry heads to reveal Kisuke Urahara, accompanied by Yuzu and Uluru.

"We did get footage of that right?" Kisuke asked as he put his hat back on and the camera bobbed up and down a couple of times. Then Soi Fon entered and scoffed.

"Rabbits…what, no cats?" She grumbled. Kisuke snapped his fingers and instantly a person in a large black cat costume danced in while doing the Caramelldansen. This sent Soi Fon into a squieee frenzy and she glomped the giant cat.

"Were the costumes successful?" Nemu asked as she, Uryu, and Szayel entered. Yachiru appeared next to her making a peace sign with her hands.

"Huge success!" Yachiru exclaimed happily before rejoining the glomp party as Tosen shouted for help.

"That'll keep him from going into another justice rant any time soon. Especially since we have video footage." Grimmjow said as everyone nodded in agreement.

End