Chapter 23: Face Again
Hey guys.
To my genuine surprise, very few people seemed to have much of a problem with Zorin being reincarnated by Ichigo. I expected an overwhelmingly negative reaction, but only a few individuals actually expressed their annoyance with the fact that she was spared. Most of these criticisms were extremely fair, however, and there was only one review that amounted to "this is stupid." That aside, I received another review that touched upon the portrayal of Ichigo in the previous chapter. The reviewer claimed — correctly, mind you — that he was very out of character, and that it is not like Ichigo at all to toy with his opponents.
I was wondering if anyone would notice that, and I'm glad someone did. Rest assured, this was done on purpose. I would offer a more in-depth explanation, but I don't want to spoil anything for future chapters. All I ask is that you trust me to reveal everything all in good time.
Taking a step back, I'd like to talk about a very specific review I read while writing this chapter. It has been a LONG time since "Bloodstained Souls" has been referred to as a 'train wreck,' and I honestly found myself more amused than insulted by this person's comments. Still, I was prepared to write a somewhat petty reply, but doing so wouldn't make much of a difference in the long run. Instead, I will simply say once again that I am so glad that so many of you find this story enjoyable, despite some of its major flaws.
If I could go back and change one thing about this fic, it would be the romance aspect. I do not regret setting up the romance between Seras and Ichigo, but I DO think it could have been handled better. When I started this story, I was far more inexperienced than I am now, and I was in a rush to write a pairing. I now realize that building up a believable relationship is far more important than solidifying a pairing, and I will do my best to write more believable relationships as this story continues.
I am not a perfect/professional writer by any means, and I am always learning how to improve myself with each new day.
Additionally, before we begin, I would like to give a personal shoutout to SomethingAncient, who has been so helpful throughout this story in giving me constructive criticism and excellent feedback. I really appreciate every review I receive, but you have stood out among the crowd by pushing me to improve my storytelling skills. As I mentioned above, I am still learning new things every day, and reviews like yours help me improve that much more quickly.
AlucardsBro OUT!
(Deus Ex Machina; London England)
A normal person might have been worried.
A normal person might have been consumed by hopelessness.
A normal person might have admitted defeat.
The presence of two Captain-level Shinigami running around on the battlefield might of scared lesser men, but the Major did not consider himself such an individual. From his position at the head of the Deus Ex Machina's observation deck, he had been able to witness Ichigo Kurosaki's grand entrance in all of its magnificent grandeur. Cloaked in an aura of darkness, the boy radiated a power that put Alucard's to utter shame. Even the Reiryoku of Kisukue Urahara and Yoruichi Shihōin could not truly compare. It was a truly spectacular thing to behold… soon, His Majesty's lost son would finally be ready to return to the ranks of the Wandenreich.
"We… we have been betrayed!"
Arching a brow, the Major clasped his hands behind his back and turned to regard the Doktor, who seemed on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "Whatever do you mean, my dear friend? Who has betrayed us?"
The taller man adopted a look of shock, before thrusting an accusatory finger towards the airship's main windows. "Do you not see her, Herr Major?! Zorin Blitz stands with the Kurosaki boy! Her Reiatsu has been corrupted by Demonic Power! She has turned her back upon Millennium and His Majesty!"
Chuckling, the Major shook his head. "Ah, so that is what you mean? Fear not, dear Doktor… the former First Lieutenant has carried out her role in this grand performance just as it was foretold by our exalted Emperor. Though it is true that she no longer stands with us, Zorin has still completed her assigned task."
"What… what do you mean? Are you saying you knew this would happen?"
"But of course! Have you forgotten that His Majesty is all-knowing?"
"No, of course not," the Doktor replied, shaking his head. "But I do not understand… why would His Majesty allow one of his Sternritter to betray the forces of Silbern? Why not use the Auswählen to render her powerless?"
Shaking his head, the Major watched in amusement as the flames below continued to burn London to ashes. "I cannot truly say. But who are we to question His Majesty's grand design? What reason does an ant have to question the choices of a whale? His Majesty has allowed us to have our war, and in return he expects nothing but pure loyalty. I see no reason to deviate from that arrangement, do you?"
"No, Herr Major."
"Fear not, good Doktor. Though our foes may have immense power, we are still fully equipped to deal with them. Ichigo Kurosaki might be the most powerful Special War Potential on our list, but he is certainly not the most dangerous. Once our dear undead friend arrives, we can finally begin the final stage of our plan."
"And what of the others?" the Doktor inquired.
"An excellent question! Ichigo and Alucard aside, there are three other individuals running around down there who pose the biggest threats to our operation. Alexander Anderson, though not as physically powerful as the rest, possesses truly indomitable willpower. Even if he were to stare death itself in the face, I highly suspect he would still charge forward with a bayonet in hand and a prayer on his tongue…"
The Doktor remained silent, listening intently.
The Major continued. "Yoruichi Shihōin is dangerous due to her fighting skill. You see, my dear friend, although physical strength is a beneficial part of any battle, it does not always determine the outcome. The biblical David, for example, was far less imposing than the mighty Goliath, yet he still managed to slay the giant with nothing more than a well-placed hit from a slingshot and his own cunning. Miss Shihōin may not be as powerful as Ichigo Kurosaki, but she is still the former Captain of Soul Society's Onmitsukidō… that fact alone should be enough to make us engage her with some degree of caution."
"I see… and what of the final Special War Potential?"
"Kisuke Urahara. As the former Captain of the Shinigami Research and Development Institute, it would be a vast understatement to say that the man is a tactical genius. In fact, I am humble enough to admit that his knack for strategical development is far greater than my own. Mister Urahara's ability to outmaneuver his opponents by perpetually adapting his battle strategy is virtually unmatched… the only reason my confidence persists is because His Majesty has already informed me of the outcome of this grand war."
"Then… our victory is assured?"
Given that he was currently facing away from his subordinate, the Major allowed himself an amused smile. Victory came in many forms, even it was hard to recognize in some cases. Millennium would emerge victorious at the end of the night, but not in the way most would expect. "Of course, Herr Doktor! You have nothing to worry about — by the time the sun breaks over the horizon, we shall be basking in the defeat of our foes!"
"That is… very reassuring, my Major."
"I'm glad to have eased your concerns. Now tell me… how is my new butler?"
"The transformation was a complete success, and he is currently in the process of adjusting to his new body. However…"
"Yes? Do speak up," the Major said, turning once again to face his comrade.
The Doktor raised a hand, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "I fear the process was rushed upon him far too quickly. Even with the sample of D-99 I managed to synthesize from Sayo Hitsugi's blood, his genetic makeup has become incredibly unstable. His body needs more time to adjust to the change, but I highly doubt time is something we have in abundance. Enough physical trauma could cause a complete breakdown on the cellular level."
"How unfortunate… do you think he will still be able to carry out his assigned task?"
"I believe so."
Satisfied, the Major turned towards the other individual who had been present in the room for the duration of the conversation. Silent as ever, the Captain met his gaze unflinchingly. "And what of you, dear Captain? Are you feeling well after your own procedure? Will you be able to enter the fray when the time comes?"
The towering man merely nodded.
Turning back towards the windows, the Major trained his gaze on the distant form of Ichigo Kurosaki. "Wunderbar! I believe it is time to let our two guests make their debut appearance on the battlefield. Please inform Miss Basterbine and Miss Catnipp that they are to engage Ichigo Kurosaki with as much force as they deem necessary. He needs to be kept occupied until the dawn."
Watching his two subordinates leave the room through the reflection in the glass, the Major focused his full attention on His Majesty's lost son. Allowing himself to become lost in thought, the amber-eyed man chuckled under his breath at the hilarity of it all. The Kurosaki boy was a valiant soul, which heavily contrasted with the dark power now flowing through his veins. If he were to venture a guess, the Major had a sneaking suspicion that Ichigo might have a difficult time controlling his more violent tendencies for a time.
Though not as vile as the power of a Hollow, Demonic Power was still born of darkness.
It was a difficult thing to control for those of weak willpower, but Ichigo was a fighter. The Major had no doubts that the boy would grow to force his new power into submission. And when that time came, there was no telling what he would become.
It would be a truly spectacular thing to behold.
He could feel them all.
Hundreds upon thousands upon millions of souls…
Each crying out in agony, confusion, regret, and terror.
Closing his eyes, Ichigo did his best to block out the noise. Clenching both of his fists, he took a deep breath and attempted to calm the rage slowly building up within him. He didn't want to lose control again like he had back at the mansion — there was no denying that Zorin had deserved the beating he'd given her, but he was still appalled by how violently he'd behaved. It wasn't like him to actively enjoy nearly killing an enemy, and he never wanted to feel that way again.
As the screams echoing in his ears finally fell silent, Ichigo opened his eyes once more.
Surveying the battlefield, he looked towards the west. A large collection of gunships hovered in the air in that direction, and each bore the crest of Iscariot on their outer exterior. The attack helicopters rained a shower of bullets and munitions down onto the city, and even from his position several hundred feet away, Ichigo was still able to hear the cries of helpless civilians over the gunfire.
Scowling furiously, the former Substitute reached up with his left hand to grip Zangetsu's handle. Pulling the massive Zanpakutō forth, he focused a small amount of his Demonic Power into the blade. Once enough power had been gathered, Ichigo slashed through the air, discharging a fairly weak Getsuga Tenshō. The crescent of energy raced through the open air towards the helicopters, and passed through each of them completely unimpeded. The crafts exploded instantly upon impact, falling to the earth in burning chunks of metal and machinery.
In any other circumstance, Ichigo might have found himself hesitant to kill ordinary humans. But these people were slaughtering innocent bystanders, and that was not something he could allow. If Iscariot was willing to join Millennium in the carnage, then both organizations would find themselves reaped by his Zanpakutō before the night was through.
Turning towards his newest Rook, the orange-head narrowed his eyes even further. "Was all of this really worth it?"
Wisely, Zorin did not meet his gaze.
Nor did she respond to his question.
Part of him still wondered how he had been convinced to spare her so quickly. What she had done to the Wild Geese was well beyond forgiveness, and she didn't really deserve redemption of any kind. He acknowledged that fully, which only served to further contribute to his confusion. Zorin's abilities were useful to be sure, but that still shouldn't have been enough to convince him to waste an Evil Piece on healing her.
Making a mental note to voice his concerns to Sirzechs during their next encounter, Ichigo closed his eyes and extended his senses.
The little control he possessed over his Demonic Power was still mediocre at best, but it was safer to release his aura hundreds of feet up in the air rather than on the ground. Allowing his power to extend over the immediate area, Ichigo searched for any familiar signatures of Reiryoku. Although there were countless souls now wandering the burning streets of London, it was still fairly easy to pick out his comrades among the crowd.
Integra's Spiritual Energy was low — not surprising given her humanity — but it was still unmistakable. Her Reiryoku felt rather frosty and disciplined, which matched her personality perfectly. In a way, she almost felt like a much like a weaker version of Byakuya.
Much to Ichigo's surprise, his boss seemed to be in the presence of a few other familiar faces. From what he was able to sense, Balalaika and Eda were in the direct vicinity around Integra's Spiritual Energy. He wasn't as intimately familiar with their personal energy signatures, but he still remembered enough from their encounter in Tobioka City to be able to recognize them both.
Shockingly enough, it also seemed Kisuke was present as well. The dusty shopkeeper's Reiryoku dwarfed everything else in surrounding area, and Ichigo felt an immeasurable surge of relief knowing another Captain-class combatant other than himself was present to thin the number of Ghouls and Nazis roaming the streets. He had no idea why Hat-n-Clogs had decided to make an appearance, but he wasn't about to turn away the extra help.
Turning his attention in another direction, the orange-head quickly located Seras as well.
She was stationary, and appeared to be in the company of Sayo and Yuuko.
There was no telling how his girlfriend had reacted upon finally meeting his partner…
Suddenly, Ichigo found himself broken from his inner musings as two distinct signatures of Reiryoku flared from the east. Turning his head in that direction, the former Substitute Shinigami watched as two streaks of bluish-white light broke away from the massive zeppelin floating on the other side of the River Thames.
"What the heck is that?"
"Those would be the bitches tasked with killing you," Zorin supplied quietly.
"How powerful are they?"
"Powerful enough to be trusted with taking you on. But to be more specific, they're both on the level of a Captain-class Shinigami."
Tracking the streaks of light as they carved separate paths through the air, Ichigo weighed his options. After a moment of deliberation, he spared his fellow orange-head a quick glance over his shoulder. "Hang back unless it looks like I need help, alright?"
"You're the fucking boss…"
Utilizing Sonido, Ichigo instantly crossed several hundred feet of open air to close the distance between himself and the two new fighters. As he got closer, he quickly realized that he'd actually encountered one of them before. Both of the girls wore a similar variant of the Quincy uniform he'd seen Uryu wear in the past, with obvious customizations thrown in for style.
The taller of the pair, whom he recognized from Tobioka City, wore a white hooded cloak, a thigh-length trench coat, knee-high boots, a miniskirt, and black stockings with a red trim on her gloves and boots. A heart-shaped belt buckle was secured at her waist, and a white cap sat upon her head of dark brown hair.
The other girl, who possessed a nest of electric-green locks, had bright blue eyes that contrasted vividly with her hair. Her attire was a rather revealing version of the typical Quincy uniform, consisting of a double-breasted jacket that was tied up to expose her midriff, as well as a considerable portion of her cleavage. The pair of short-shorts she wore was held in place by a black belt with a green buckle, and her shoes only reached up to her ankles. As with her comrade, she too wore a white cap atop her head.
"Ichigo Kurosaki," the brown-haired girl bit out. "It's been a while…"
"Your name was… Brandy right?" he replied.
She sputtered.
Her green-haired friend snorted.
"My name is Bambietta!" the dark-haired girl shouted irritably.
"Oh… well my bad," Ichigo said, resting Zangetsu against his shoulder. "I don't really care what your names are. All I know is that you're working with Millennium, which means I'm going to stop you."
"You really think so, huh dumbass?" the greenette sneered. "You may not have heard, but we're strong enough to take on Shinigami Captains by ourselves without a problem. Do you honestly think you can fight both of us at the same time?"
"I'm definitely willing to give it a shot." To make his point clear, Ichigo allowed a small portion of his Demonic Power flare wildly. An aura of red and black energy enveloped his body, and the mere act of raising his power instantly crumbled the heavily-damaged building beneath him. The two Quincy girls were both blown back by the display, skidding across the open air as if standing on an invisible platform.
Bambietta looked at him in bewilderment.
Her green-haired friend, on the other hand…
"Is that supposed to scare me?!" she snarled, raising a hand. The ambient Reishi particles in the air collected in her open palm, forming an orb of condensed electricity. "Do you really think the power of a Devil will let you stand up to a pure-blooded Sternritter?!" With a loud cry, she hurled the sphere of crackling lightning in his direction.
Raising the hand not currently holding Zangetsu, Ichigo caught the attack without even flinching. Pumping the sphere full of his own power, he cancelled out the attack and caused to explode in a shower of bright blue sparks.
The green-haired Quincy released a choked sound of surprise.
"If that's all you can manage, this will be over quickly," Ichigo stated bluntly. "Now let's hurry up and finish this. I don't have all day…"
"Y-You think you're such hot shit…?!" the blue-eyed girl snarled, flaring her own Spiritual Power. "Well you aren't! When I kill you, His Majesty will finally give me what I've always dreamed of!" With that declaration, she blasted forward across the sky, forming a glowing blue sword of Reishi in her right hand.
"Candice, wait!" Bambietta cried after her.
Candice did not wait.
She did, however, swing her spirit weapon in a wide arc. The blade screamed through the air, racing towards Ichigo's neck. Luckily though, the former Shinigami managed to raise Zangetsu and deflect the attack at the last possible moment. The two blades scraped against one another, creating a bright shower of sparks that rained down between the two combatants.
"So you control lighting, huh?" Ichigo asked rhetorically.
Blitzing behind his opponent using Sonido, he raised his right leg and twirled around to catch Candice in the face with the back of his heel. Releasing yet another sound of surprise, the green-haired girl was sent careening down towards the earth, where her momentum carried her through several buildings. Each of the structures shuddered momentarily, before quickly collapsing to ground with several loud and reverberating rumbles. Preparing to deliver a finishing blow, Ichigo began to pump his Zanpakutō full of Demonic Power for a Getsuga Tenshō.
However, before much energy could collect, a searing heat spread across his back.
The orange-head's eyes snapped open, and his mouth contorted into a silent scream. His Demonic Power — along with his Hierro — prevented him from taking too much physical damage, but the heat was still of an unbearable temperature. Lurching forward through the air with smoke trailing off of his body, Ichigo quickly righted himself and glanced over his shoulder.
A sizable hole had been burned into the back of his Shihakusho between his shoulder blades. Narrowing his eyes, the former Substitute trained his gaze of the one responsible for the attack.
Bambietta glared back at him, already creating another orb of orange Reishi in her left hand. Her right grasped the hilt of a Reishi sword, nearly identical to the one Candice had formed. "You and I still have a score to settle…"
"We sure as hell do now." Blasting forward through the air, Ichigo raised Zangetsu for a horizontal slash.
In retaliation, Bambietta hurled her explosive orb of Reishi towards him. Swinging his Zanpakutō to deflect the incoming attack, Ichigo instead found himself caught by surprise when the orb of energy exploded as soon as it impacted the blade. The force generated by the detonation threw him to the side, and he soared through the air before crashing into a building. Gritting his teeth as his momentum carried him all the way down to the ground, Ichigo flipped in midair to land on his feet just before hitting the ground.
The concrete cratered instantly beneath him, and the orange-head flooded his Zanpakutō with Demonic Power. "Getsuga… TENSHŌ!"
The familiar crescent of red and black energy ripped free from his blade, demolishing the rest of the building as it soared towards his opponent. Though he couldn't see though all of the dust and debris raining down around him, Ichigo was still able to sense Bambietta throwing herself to the side just in time to avoid being bifurcated by the attack.
Stepping forward and preparing to leap back up into the air, Ichigo froze as something suddenly squeaked softly beneath his feet. Looking down, he felt his heart drop down into his stomach as his eyes landed on a charred teddy bear. The was no telling what had become of the toy's owner, but the likely reality was obvious…
Gritting his teeth, Ichigo flooded his Demonic Power into his legs. With an almighty shout of fury, he jumped up through the large hole in the building's roof. Slashing Zangetsu horizontally through the air five times in quick succession, he discharged an equal number of Getsugas. The crescents of energy tore through the open air towards Bambietta, and the Quincy girl scrambled to either dodge or deflect the incoming blasts.
She managed to successfully avoid the first three, but the fourth and fifth grazed her right outer thigh and left shoulder respectively. The spotless fabric of her outfit burned away where the attacks hit home, but the flesh underneath was spared from the same fate. A pattern of green, vein-like patters blossomed across the newly exposed skin, evidently protecting her from taking too much physical damage.
Bambietta scoffed in annoyance. "You're going to need to try a bit harder than that…"
"Fine with me," Ichigo retorted.
Running along an invisible platform, he dashed through the air and raised Zangetsu overhead. Leaping and releasing a shout, he swung his blade down to cleave through his opponent's right shoulder. Unsurprisingly, she quickly managed to raise her own spirit weapon and successfully block the strike. Zangetsu's blade slid down along her Reishi sword, and Ichigo briefly dismissed his Demonic Power to fall several inches through the air. The sudden lack of resistance caused Bambietta to stumble forward, and Ichigo took the opportunity to push through her guard and slam the end of his Zanpakutō's hilt into her stomach.
The Quincy choked as the air was forcefully driven from her lungs, and Ichigo quickly made sure to follow up with a headbutt to the underside of her chin. Thrown off balance, Bambietta stumbled backwards through the air. Ichigo swung Zangetsu yet again in a horizontal arc, but she managed to avoid being sliced in half by quickly utilizing Hirenkyaku.
Reappearing several dozen feet away, Bambietta raised her Reishi sword and blasted forward across the sky.
Following suit, Ichigo rushed forward and swung Zangetsu.
Their blades met.
The buildings below them crumbled.
Witnessing Ichigo fight was nothing short of incredible.
Completely entranced as her boyfriend seemed to effortlessly dance through the air, Sayo watched as he and the girl dressed in white continued to trade earth-shattering blows. Even though she was hundreds of feet beneath them, Sayo could still feel the pure power radiating off of both the combatants. She knew she was strong, but they were in an entirely different dimension as far as fighting strength was concerned.
A hand suddenly alighted on her shoulder, startling her. Turning her head, she met Yuuko's gaze.
"We need to keep moving," the older woman said. "Ichigo seems like he can handle himself just fine."
"R-Right."
"Hold on a second…" Seras spoke up.
"What is it?" Yuuko asked.
"Do you two feel that?"
"Feel what…?"
For a moment, the blonde didn't respond. Her crimson eyes narrowed suspiciously, but she eventually shook her head. "Never mind. Let's keep going."
Raising an eyebrow at the odd display, Sayo turned to lead their motley crew further down the desolate street. Here and there, several abandoned cars were parked along the curbs on either side of the road, wreathed in flames. Their owners were long gone, and likely already dead. Dispelling the depressing train of thought from her mind, Sayo squeezed her eyes shut tightly as another burst of pressurized air was created from Ichigo's overhead battle, whipping at her hair. As an assassin, she was used to dealing with death, but not on such a grand scale…
Sayo didn't even know much about Millennium, other than that they were apparently the organization responsible for stealing her genetic material back in Tobioka City. What exactly did they need it for? She had no idea, but she had a pretty good feeling that she didn't want to know. If Millennium was so mad that they were completely willing to slaughter innocent people in the thousands, she didn't want to think what nefarious use they might have for the regenerative properties in her blood.
Stepping over a corpse laying on the asphalt, Sayo was suddenly ripped from her thoughts as something large and metallic slammed into the right side of her body. She heard Yuuko cry out her name, but the bluenette elected to focus more of her attention on the car currently carrying her across the street.
Digging her boots into the asphalt to slow her momentum, Sayo reached up with both hands to dig her fingers into the car on each side of its hood. Gritting her teeth, she lifted the vehicle away from her body and into the air, hurling it away with a shout. It sailed through the air, crashing through the front window of what had likely once been a thriving café. Still sliding backward, Sayo raised her left leg and slammed it back down, sending chunks asphalt and concrete into the air.
Thankfully, her momentum quickly slowed to a halt.
Falling to her knees, she let out a deep breath. She wasn't really shaken, but the turn of events had still caught her completely off guard. The 'clicking' of a pair of boots quickly reached her ears, and she looked up to see Yuuko rushing towards her, with Seras only few feet behind.
"Are you alright?" he mentor asked, falling to her knees as well to worry over her. "What in the world happened?"
"Hell if I know…" Sayo grunted, brushing away the older woman's hands.
"That wasn't just an accident," Seras observed. "That car was thrown at you."
"A very astute observation!"
In unison, the three women turned towards the sudden voice. On top of a nearby roof, a unit of vampirized soldiers glared down at them hungrily. Each was covered head-to-toe in combat armor, and they all wielded Gewehr forty-three semi-automatic rifles. At the head of the pack, two familiar individuals stood against the backdrop of flame that burned across the expanse of the city.
"You…" Sayo snarled, eyes narrowing hatefully.
From the top of the building, Minatsuki Takami sneered back down at her. She was dressed in a floral-patterned yellow dress, similar to the one she'd worn in Tobioka. There were two noticeable differences from her previous appearance, however. For one, her hair was worn down instead of in braids. Secondly, an ugly patchwork of scars decorated her exposed skin. "Awww… I'm sorry cow-tits. I didn't mean to hurt you by throwing that car… I meant to kill you."
"What the fuck are you two doing here?"
Standing next to Minatsuki, Senji Kiyomasa pulled his hands out of his pockets to shrug carelessly. "Oh, you know. We were just in the neighborhood, enjoying the sights and sounds of jolly 'ole London. Our boss told us we might run into some familiar faces during our tour… looks like he was right."
"We have a fucking score to settle," Minatsuki snarled, still completely focused on Sayo.
"Then why don't you get down here?" she retorted, rising to her feet and rolling her shoulders. "Or are you gonna stay up there all night like a little bitch?"
Baring her fangs, Minatsuki ran forward and leapt off of the edge of the roof, completely ignoring her comrades. Falling through the air like a speeding comet, the brunette vampire raised a fist and slammed into Sayo with enough force to crater the street beneath them. The bluenette shielded her face from the attack by crossing her arms in front of herself, but the strength behind Minatsuki's strike still carried them backwards and through the nearest building.
Gritting her teeth as plaster and wood scraped across her back, Sayo grunted as her younger opponent continued to deliver blow after blow, screaming furiously all the while. Each strike was blocked rather effortlessly, but Minatsuki's barrage prevented her from immediately retaliating. Smirking slightly, Sayo dropped into a crouch to allow yet another punch to sail harmlessly over her left shoulder.
Kicking out with her right foot, the older woman caught the younger girl in the stomach. Minatsuki gurgled as she was lifted off of her feet and sent flying into the side of a nearby car. The vehicle's metal frame crumpled like wet paper from the collision, but Minatsuki pulled herself to her feet fairly quickly and charged forward yet again.
Deflecting each of the girl's strikes with open palms, Sayo grinned mockingly. "You're not half bad, kid. Have you been working out? This might prove to be a decent warmup."
"Shut the fuck up!" Minatsuki shouted, throwing forward a punch powerful enough to shatter concrete. "It's your fault that I'm like this! You made me ugly!"
Allowing herself to fall backwards to the ground, and under a punch aimed at her face, Sayo raised both of her legs into the air. Supporting herself on her hands, she kicked forward and struck her opponent's chin with the underside of her boots. Spinning around in a fashion visually similar to a breakdancing move, she subsequently slammed the top of her right boot into the right side of Minatsuki's ribcage. The younger girl cried out as she was sent crashing into and through another building, and Sayo quickly vaulted back to her feet to follow.
"You were already ugly on the inside, brat," she retorted, charging though the new hole in the side of the crumbling structure. "All I did was make the outside look like what was already there." Raising a fist, she punched forward through a cloud of dust. Her fist struck something solid, and as the dust was blown away by the impact, it turned out that the blow had collided with Minatuski's own incoming punch.
The girl's face contorted into an ugly snarl, and she cried out furiously.
In a display of speed that actually managed to catch Sayo by surprise, the brunette disappeared from sight momentarily, only to reappear again directly in front of her. The bluenette found herself too slow to react as she was violently backhanded across the face, sending her flying out of the building. She collided with the street with enough force to shatter the asphalt, and the ground instantly cratered beneath her. Her momentum continued to carry her backward, and all Sayo could do was grit her teeth as her body created a long trench in the street that ended up spanning several city blocks.
Her entire body ached, and it felt like she'd just been hit by a runaway train. Still, she knew she couldn't afford to slowly pick herself up off the ground. Rising to her feet as quickly as she could, Sayo staggered momentarily. Her legs shook like jelly, and she found herself barely able to stand on her feet. Clutching her right arm, which had been wrenched from its socket during her collision, the bluenette squeezed her eyes shut and forcefully shoved the limb back into its proper place.
It hurt, but the pain was nothing compared to being bitch-slapped by a homicidal vampire.
Speaking of whom, Sayo directed her gaze back towards Minatsuki's last known position. However, before she could locate the little brat, a low hissing met her ears. Frowning, she momentarily abandoned her search for her opponent to instead look down an adjacent street. What she saw made her want to bash her forehead against the nearest wall.
"Oh, fuck all kinds of duck…"
A rather large group of Ghouls gurgled and snarled as one, slowly shuffling towards her. The rotting creatures already had their arms extended in anticipation for their next meal, and disgusting globs of saliva dripped from their mouths. Once again sinking into a fighting stance, Sayo prepared to defend herself.
However, before she could take a single step forward, two thin whips of crimson sliced through the collection of monsters. Most of the creatures immediately fell to pieces, but a few managed to take a few more steps before they too met the same fate.
The whips retracted, and Sayo watched them return to the person they were attached to. Minastuki's expression was, unsurprisingly, set into a snarl, and she regarded the dead Ghouls with a disgusted glare. "She's mine to kill, you undead pieces of shit. Don't get in my fucking way."
On a mental cue, the young vampire's whips of blood raced forward again, this time towards Sayo herself. The bluenette swore harshly, throwing herself aside to barely avoid being sliced in half. Even though she now knew that she could regrow entire limbs, she wasn't entirely ready to try regenerating the lower half of her body. Rolling across the asphalt as one of Minatsuki's whips attempted to decapitate her, Sayo reached out and dug her fingers into the very first thing they touched.
Ripping the unlucky fire hydrant from the ground, she turned towards her opponent and pitched it like an oversized red baseball. The hydrant struck Minatsuki in the middle of her chest, audibly cracking bone and sending her skidding backwards. She didn't fall to the ground, but she was still momentarily thrown off balance.
Sayo seized her chance.
Charging forward with a roar, she delivered a right hook to the side of the younger girl's face. Every single pane of glass in the immediate area shattered from the shockwave generated by the blow, but Sayo didn't stop there. Throwing a left uppercut forward, the blue-haired woman stomped her right boot down on Minatsuki's left foot to prevent her from flying back as the punch landed. She'd made the mistake of letting the girl get away once, and that wasn't going to happened again. Unleashing a flurry of bone-shattering blows, Sayo roared her anger and frustration as she turned Minatsuki into her personal punching bag. The young vampire's face, already headily scarred, quickly became nothing more than a large, purple bruise.
Even so, it wasn't enough.
She wasn't going to stop until this girl was finally dead.
Grabbing Minatsuki by the throat, Sayo lifted her into the air and slammed her back down onto the ground. Forming another fist with her free hand, she slammed it into the brunette's face over and over again with enough force to destabilize any nearby buildings that were still standing.
Bone cracked.
Blood sprayed.
An agonized sound ripped free from Minatsuki's throat.
Ignoring it, Sayo raised her off the ground once more. With a final, furious roar, she spun around and hurtled Minatsuki forward like a shot-put. The artificial vampire screamed in pain as she crashed into the closest structure. Her momentum continued to carry her forward, through the building completely.
And then another.
And another.
And another.
And another.
Sayo watched as a gigantic cloud of debris billowed into the air, kicked up as each of the buildings fell to the ground with an echoing rumble. Before too long, her opponent was well beyond her line of sight. Their fight had been a brutal one, but she'd honestly expected much more from the girl.
As she turned away, a suffocating quickly aura filled the air.
It wasn't extremely heavy or powerful, but it was extraordinarily sickening and tinged with pure hatred. Pushing down the urge to gag, Sayo glanced back in the direction she'd thrown Minatsuki. Through the heavy cloud of dust, which was still billowing up into the night sky, she was able to make out a vaguely humanoid shape. Several moments later, Minatsuki herself finally limped into view. The girl was clutching her left arm, which was bent at an unnatural angle. Part of her right femur was visible through her skin, and blood dribbled from the open wound freely.
And yet, Minatsuki hardly seemed to care.
Disturbingly, a feral smile was stretched across the brunette's face.
Sayo immediately raised her guard.
"I was hoping you'd put up a fight…" Minatsuki giggled. Her pupils were heavily dilated, and her right eye twitched erratically. "The Doktor told me not to use my injection unless it was really necessary, and you've just given me a good fucking reason."
"What injection…?"
Wordlessly, Minatsuki dipped a hand into the front of her dress. Quickly pulling out what appeared to be a small syringe, she held it up for Sayo to see. A dark blue liquid sloshed around in the cylindrical tube, and the bluenette felt her heart nearly stop.
"No… no it can't be…"
Grinning like a maniac, Minatsuki held up her left arm and pressed the syringe's needle into the skin just above her wrist. The liquid was forced into her body, and the results were almost immediate. The brunette's veins visibly darkened as the potent concoction slowly spread throughout her body.
Then she began to twitch.
It was mild at first, but the movements quickly became more violent and sudden.
A sickening crunch echoed through the surrounding area as Minatsuki's bone snapped back into black. The wound slowly closed, and the rest of her cuts and bruises slowly disappeared as well. But the process did not stop there. Sayo looked on in horrified disgust as the young vampire's skeleton visibly rearranged and expanded beneath her skin. Several shards were forced through her skin, most noticeably on her knuckles and at the back of her elbows. Her muscles expanded, tearing through the fabric of her dress and reducing the material to mere scraps of cloth that barely covered her unmentionables.
Minatsuki screamed, momentarily exposing the rows of elongating fangs in her mouth.
The transformation finally seemed to reach its end, leaving a hulking monster in place of the young girl. Now standing at least seven and a half feet tall, Minatsuki reared her head back and unleashed an animalistic roar. The sound was guttural, primal, and filled so much anger.
"What did you do…?" Sayo breathed.
Looking down at herself, Minatsuki raised a hand and clenched her enlarged fist. "So, this is the power of D-99?" she mused aloud, completely ignoring the bluentte's inquiry. Her features quickly contorted into a feral snarl, and she snapped her eyes in back Sayo's direction. "Why don't you look like this, huh? Why am I the only one who gets turned into a freak?!"
In an unexpected display of speed for such a large creature, Minatsuki charged forward with a roar. Caught completely off guard, Sayo quickly found herself lifted off her feet and carried backward as her opponent collided with her yet like a rampaging bull. Before long, the bluenette felt her back connect with a solid wall, which Minatsuki slammed her into repeatedly. The younger girl's large forearm was pressed against her throat, cutting off her airflow.
Gritting her teeth, Sayo forced every ounce of strength she possessed into her left arm. Placing her open palm against Minatsuki's right elbow, she tried with all her might to push the girl's arm away. When that didn't work, she raised her left knee and smashed it into Minatsuki's ribcage. The young vampire was momentarily staggered, and Sayo quickly followed with two bone-shattering punches. The first landed on the lower half of Minatsuki's chest, while the second managed to catch her in the chin.
Unfortunately, the brunette was quick to regain her bearings. Bellowing out another hate-filled roar, she slammed Sayo against the wall yet again, sending a spiderweb of cracks racing across the brick structure.
"You don't deserve this power!" Minatsuki snarled, leaning forward. "Go ahead and die already!"
The arm holding Sayo in place was briefly pulled away, and the enhanced vampire violently plunged the jagged bone protruding from her right elbow into the bluenette's chest. Sayo screamed in pain, and once again tried to push the appendage away with renewed desperation. In spite of her attempts, she could feel the bone sinking deeper, inching closer to her heart. Blood poured out from the wound, dripping down her body and staining the fabric of her uniform with a deep red.
And then she felt it.
The metaphorical leash within her snapped.
The D-99 flowing through her veins refused to let her die, and the primal instincts clawing away at the inside of her brain commanded that she fight back.
Sayo opened her mouth. An inhuman sound came forth. Liquid fire raced through every fiber of her being, and the bluenette felt her teeth slowly extend into razor-sharp fangs. Crimson flowed into her eyes, replacing the normal violet.
Rearing back, she slammed her forehead into Minatsuki's nose. The younger girl cried out and staggered again. Sayo immediately pushed her further away. The bone in her chest was finally wrenched out, and the open wound quickly began to close. Charging forward, she gripped a handful of Minatsuki's hair and forced her to stumble forward, smashing the top of her head against the wall.
But Sayo did not stop.
Instead, she raised both arms above her head and brought them crashing down on the center of her opponent's back. A sickening crunch filled the air, and Minatsuki howled like a wounded animal. Sayo prepared to deliver another organ-liquifying blow, but a swift turn and a brutal backhand on Minatsuki's part quickly sent her flying down the street once again.
Flipping head-over-heels in midair, the bluenette landed on her feet. Her momentum continued to carry her back for several dozen meters, and her boots created deep gouges in the asphalt. Gradually skidding to a halt at the very edge of the River Thames, Sayo spared a quick glance at the body of water. However, a bellowing roar forced her to focus back on the matter at hand.
Turning back towards Minatsuki, Sayo watched as the hulking brunette slowly began to charge in her direction, building up more speed with every step. The tendrils of blood flowing from the young vampire's ears whipped out once again, raking along the buildings on either side of the street. The aforementioned structures shuddered as what remained of their stability was finally destroyed, and they all crashed to the ground as Minatsuki sprinted by.
Sayo narrowed her eyes and sank into a fighting stance.
She no longer possessed an advantage in strength, but that was fine. What Minatsuki likely didn't know about D-99 was that it rapidly ate away at your brain, until you were nothing more than a rabid beast that needed to be put down. Even now as the brunette charged forward, Sayo could see small bits of foam leaking from the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were incredibly bloodshot as well, and it looked like more than a few blood vessels had ruptured. It wouldn't be long until she degraded into a true monster.
Willing her strength into her legs, Sayo unleashed a roar of her own. Sprinting forward to meet Minatsuki head-on, she cratered the asphalt with every footfall. Drawing closer and closer to her opponent with each step, the blue-haired woman cocked back a fist and bared her fangs furiously.
"KILL YOU!" Minatsuki bellowed, raising her own fists.
Sending her enclosed fist sailing forward, Sayo felt the blow hit home on the girl's chin.
The resulting shockwave whipped up a considerable wind.
However, she also felt the bone shards protruding from Minatsuki's knuckles dig into her stomach. Coughing up blood, the bluenette fell to a knee. Closing her eyes, she clenched her teeth and manually pulled the younger girl's arm away. Met with very little resistance, she was easily able to slide the shards out of her gut so her new wounds could begin healing.
Something dripped into her hair.
Opening a single eye, Sayo glanced up at Minatsuki.
The younger girl was leaving against her heavily, and her entire posture was slumped. Blood dripped down her chest and what remained of her yellow dress, and it quickly became apparent why such was the case.
Her head was missing.
Glancing around, Sayo quickly spotted it as it sailed away.
With a grunt, she pushed the rest of Minatsuki's body away. It felt to the ground with a loud thud, and the blood pouring from the corpse's neck flowed out to stain the street with a deep red. There were many wounds that D-99 could heal, but decapitation apparently wasn't one of them. She hadn't been able to test that theory until now, but she was immensely glad that she'd been right. Collapsing onto her back, Sayo panted raggedly and stared up at the night sky.
"Looks like I win… ha ha… fuck it hurts to laugh…"
Yuuko danced between spurts of gunfire.
Ducking behind an abandoned car, she sank into a crouch to quickly catch her breath. The muscles in her legs burned as if on fire, and she desperately sucked down as much oxygen as she could. All she'd been doing for the past few minutes was dodging left and right to avoid getting filled with bullet holes — the Millennium soldiers seemed more than content to deal with her while Senji Kiyomasa combated Seras.
Unfortunately, due to the large number of men she was pitted against, Yuuko had yet to land a single successful attack of her own.
She was severely outmatched.
That being the case, the only thing she could really do was play it smart.
Taking in another breath, Yuuko darted out from behind her cover. Gunfire immediately peppered the ground at her feet as she raced across the asphalt towards a nearby apartment complex. The structure appeared considerably less than stable, but that suited her needs perfectly. As long as the soldiers stayed in place…
Swinging her katana, she cleanly sliced through the support beams keeping the building upright. The structure shuddered once, twice, and a third time. Then, with a resounding creak, it began to fall forwards towards the street. More specifically — just as Yuuko had planned — it began to topple directly onto the squadron of Millennium soldiers.
"Look out!"
"Get out of the way!"
"Get moving!"
An enormous cloud of dust and debris billowed into the air as the complex collapsed completely. The Millennium soldiers all managed to get out of the way easily enough, but Yuuko hadn't meant to crush them. She'd meant to force them to break their formation, and they had fallen into her trap rather beautifully.
Using the dust cloud as cover, the white-haired woman leapt into the air. Landing in the very center of the disoriented group, she lashed out with her blade. A wet gurgle met her ears, as did the sound of sharpened steel sliding through flesh and armor.
"There she is! Kill the bitch!"
Whirling around, Yuuko thrusted her katana forward. The man who'd attempted to charge at her from behind choked as the tip of the blade was plunged into his throat just under his bottom jaw. It pushed through muscle and bone, and quickly sliced through the vertebrae attached to the base of his skull. A killing blow. And even if it wasn't, the bastard would end up paralyzed for life.
Pulling her sword free, Yuuko charged forward through the dust and leapt into the air once more. Twirling several times, she slashed downward and cut into the left shoulder of another undead soldier. He released a scream of agony as the blade continued down through his ribcage and chest cavity, emerging from under his right armpit. His body immediately fell into two pieces, and Yuuko turned away again to deal with yet another target.
However, before she was able to take a single step, a loud boom caught her attention.
Craning her neck in the direction of the noise, Yuuko peered through the thinning dust cloud as best she could. Squinting, she was just barely able to make out a vaguely humanoid shape hurtling towards her at a rather alarming pace. Eyes widening, she immediately dropped into a crouch.
Senji Kiyomasa flew over her head not a second later.
The artificial vampire smashed through the front window of an empty restaurant, quickly disappearing from her line of sight.
Hesitantly rising back to her feet, Yuuko turned as she heard Seras approach. The blonde appeared no worse for ware, and showed hardly any visible indication she'd just punched a man clear over three city blocks.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
Yuuko nodded, only slightly jealous of the fact that her comrade barely seemed winded.
Evidently satisfied, Seras flared the power within her. Yuuko watched in mild fascination as the shadows surrounding them abandoned their natural positions in favor of heeding the red-eyed woman's call. Creeping down walls and across the ground, the shadows engulfed the remaining Millennium soldiers and promptly ripped them to pieces. The armored men screamed in agony as their flesh was torn from their bones, and their limbs were ripped off in splatters of crimson gore.
It was quite the grisly sight to be sure.
"Do you think you can finish him?" Yuuko asked, inclining her head towards the restaurant.
The blonde nodded, opening her mouth to respond. However, before she could do so, an industrial refrigerator slammed into her torso, sending both woman and appliance flying into a cluster of abandoned cars. The vehicles exploded upon impact, engulfing Seras' body in a plume of flame that stretched up into the night sky.
Eyes widening, Yuuko instinctively leapt back. Just in time too, it seemed — the edge of one of Senji's crimson blades carved through the space just in front of her eyes. If she'd reacted even half a second later, there was no doubt she would've been blinded. Several long strands of white hair fell free from her bangs, reverting to their natural brown color as they fluttered to the ground.
In retaliation, Yuuko slashed forward as well. Senji moved back quickly enough to avoid taking any serious damage, but the very edge of her katana managed to graze him just above the left eyebrow.
Backing away, the artificial vampire snorted in amusement. "What the hell was that supposed to be?"
"Oh, just the right kind of cut above the eye," she retorted. "The kind that bleeds."
As if on cue, a thin stream of blood began to leak from Senji's open wound. It wasn't much, but it was still just enough to do the job. The crimson fluid flowed down his face and into his one good eye, forcing him to reach up and wipe it away.
Yuuko took that brief moment to act.
Dashing forward, she slashed through the air with her sword, aiming to decapitate the former police officer. He moved back at the last possible moment, causing the blade to carve a thin line along his chest instead of through his neck. Refusing to give him a moment's respite, Yuuko slammed the end of her weapon's tsuka into her opponent's chest where his right pectoral met his shoulder. She then slammed her knee directly into his crotch.
Vampire or not, getting hit in the groin wouldn't be fun for anyone.
Senji howled in pain, promptly kicking her away.
The blow to her stomach definitely hurt, but she'd endured far worse in her lifetime. Managing to stay upright, Yuuko fell into another ready stance as the man opposite her finally seemed to regain his bearings. Snarling, Senji took a step forward. However, he quickly froze and looked down at his right arm in bewilderment.
"My… my arm! What the fuck did you do?!"
"I hit a nerve cluster in your deltoid," she replied smoothly, narrowing her eyes. "It might not have hurt, but I doubt you'll be moving that arm for a while. For a vampire, I must say that you have very poor regenerative skills…"
Senji bared his fangs, meeting her gaze. "Ya know… I honestly didn't want to kill you and your friend. I consider myself a pretty nice guy overall, but you're really starting to piss me off."
"You? Nice? You're aiding a Nazi organization in the destruction of a major city. Don't try and fool yourself into thinking such nonsense."
Senji rushed forward, eyes narrowed furiously. His right arm flopped uselessly at his side, but that didn't really make him any less dangerous. Yuuko raised her katana, prepared to defend herself as best she could. She'd witnessed Senji's blades of hardened blood cut through solid concrete before, and she didn't really want to test how her sword would fare against them. One careless mistake could leave her utterly defenseless, and that wouldn't be a very opportune situation.
Ducking under a slash, Yuuko rolled across the street and struck out with her right foot.
Senji dodged, throwing a punch aimed at her midsection. Yuuko twisted out of the way, allowing the blow to brush past her ribcage and shatter the asphalt beneath her. Small chips of debris peppered the right side of her body as she tucked her arms in and rolled out of the way, kicking out with her left foot to catch her aggressor in the chin.
Senji stumbled momentarily, and Yuuko took the opportunity to get back on her feet. Gripping the tsuka of her katana with both hands, she fell into a traditional Ko Gasumi stance. Sweeping her left foot back through shards of class and pieces of rubble, the white-haired swordswoman tensed the muscles in her legs before rushing forward. The length of her blade remained next to her face, and she only stabbed forward once she was well within her opponent's guard.
Blinking in surprise, Senji gurgled as two-feet of sharpened steel was plunged into his chest. Yuuko twisted the blade, making sure to cut deep into the artificial vampire's unbeating heart. With a single motion, she pulled her weapon free. The action caused a spray of blood to paint the asphalt with a deep crimson.
Staggering backward and reaching up to clutch at his chest, Senji gasped in an obvious mix of shock and pain as he looked down at the open wound. It was bleeding rather profusely — the blood continued to flow over and through his fingers even as he did his best to keep it where it was supposed to be.
Yuuko merely watched, lowering her weapon. "You've been beaten."
"Oh really?" Senji spat, hacking up a glob of blood.
Several crimson droplets splashed against the very tip of her left boot. Ignoring it, Yuuko narrowed her eyes. "I am not an expert when it comes to the supernatural, but I have been informed by an associate that vampires are capable of healing from grievous wounds. That does not appear to be the case with you. If you cannot heal, then you will bleed out within the next four minutes. As I said… you are beaten."
"You'd think so, wouldn't you? In any other situation, you'd probably be right." As he spoke, Senji raised another hand and reached into one of the loose pockets lining his overcoat. "Luckily for me, though… I brought a pick-me-up."
Every hair on the back of Yuuko's neck immediately stood on in as her eyes landed on the small syringe the artificial vampire produced. The blue liquid sloshing around within looked eerily familiar, but there was just no way her first assumption could possibly be correct…
The syringe's needle was pushed into Senji's left pectoral before she could even hope to react. The effects began to take hold almost immediately. Falling back, the artificial vampire repeatedly smashed the back of his head against the asphalt as if he were suffering an intense seizure. Yuuko could visibly see the bones beneath his skin as they enlarged and rearranged, causing several protruding shards to puncture through his flesh on his elbows and knuckles. Additionally, as Senji flipped over onto his stomach and continued to convulse, she looked on in horror as his vertebrae ripped through the skin along his spine, shredding his coat to ribbons.
As Senji's bones increased in size, the rest of his body slowly did the same in order to accommodate his new skeletal structure. His muscles visibly swelled, and patches of skin ripped in several places to expose the raw meat beneath. Senji screamed in plainly obvious agony, but the sound quickly devolved into a primal roar of fury.
The entire process lasted less than three minutes.
As it ended, and Senji's convulsions ceased, Yuuko took a very cautious step back as the artificial vampire returned to his feet. His previous wounds were completely healed, and he easily towered over her own near six-foot height by at least another three feet. The former police officer raised his hands, inspecting the elongated claws protruding from his fingertips.
"So, this is the Doc's idea of a perfect soldier?" he mused to himself, momentarily ignoring her. His voice was far deeper than before, and possessed a seemingly permanent growling undertone.
Senji's eyes snapped up towards her, and Yuuko cried out as an enlarged hand wrapped around her torso and lifted her off the ground completely. He moved with a speed far greater than what something his size should have been capable of, catching her completely off guard. However, it didn't take long for her to regain her bearings, and she immediately plunged her blade down into his hand. The strike was incredibly precise, and should have severed several tendons.
Despite this, Senji merely snorted. Plucking the katana from his flesh, he tore it from her grasp and threw it down the street carelessly. "That may have worked before, but it won't anymore."
"Then do your worst, monster. You won't hear me beg for mercy."
"I know."
Raising his remaining hand, Senji gripped her right arm between two of the fingers on his left hand. Giving a gentle tug, he effortlessly wrenched the limb out of its socket. Yuuko briefly cried out, but her mouth quickly clamped shut. She refused to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry and scream…
Senji's lips pulled up into a feral smile.
He gave another, more forceful tug.
Yuuko's arm was pulled away from the rest of her body in a shower of red.
Hot tears ran down her cheeks, but she still refused to make a sound. Instead, she bit her bottom lip so hard that blood began to trail from the corners of her mouth.
"You're strong," Senji commented with an amused snort, letting her arm fall to the street. "But you're still just an ordinary human. How long did you really think you'd last against me? You caught me off guard in Tobioka City, I'll admit… but I've learned from my mistakes."
Yuuko found herself raised over her tormenter's head, allowing the blood flowing from her open wound to pour down into his gaping maw. His fangs were stained red by the crimson fluid, and the enhanced vampire slowly angled her towards his open mouth.
Was this really how she was to die?
As food for an undead monster?
Blood loss had rapidly drained her of strength, and Yuuko knew she could no longer fight back in any meaningful way. She didn't want to die, but she still wouldn't beg for mercy either. Closing her eyes in resignation, the leader of Ampoule One sent a mental apology to the rest of her team.
She wouldn't be returning home…
Senji's hot breath blew against her face, and she prepared to face oblivion.
However, the enhanced vampire suddenly cried out angrily, and she was roughly dropped to the asphalt. Weakly opening her eyes, Yuuko tried to focus past the spots in her vision to see what had happened. After a moment of concentration, she was finally able to see that a certain blonde currently had her would-be devourer trapped in a headlock.
"S-Seras…?"
"Miss Sagiri, you have to get up!" Seras shouted, visibly straining to hold Senji still. "If you can get away, I can finish this!"
She didn't understand, but Yuuko still didn't question the blonde's declaration. Agony ripped through her body as she forced herself into a standing position, but she fought through the pain as best she could. Looking towards the two vampires one final time, she turned and began to hobble away as quickly as possible.
Blood still poured from her open wound, staining the entire right side of her body crimson. Even so, Yuuko continued to put one foot in front of the other in order to put as much distance between Seras and herself as possible. She didn't know what the blonde had planned, but she sincerely doubted it would be smart to stick around and find out. Taking another unsteady step, Yuuko nearly collapsed as her vision went completely black for the briefest of moments. Steadying herself on an overturned motorcycle, she forced herself to remain upright.
The pain was immeasurable, but still she took another step.
Then another.
And another.
And another.
She continued forward, even as unconsciousness threatened to overtake her. Patches of black crept at the edge of her vision, and it was only when she could push herself no further that she finally collapsed against the wall of an abandoned hardware store. Gulping down deep breaths of air, Yuuko groggily ripped a long piece of fabric from her pants. The white material quickly turned red as it was pressed against her gaping wound, and she did her best to keep pressure on the area.
It likely wouldn't make much of a difference, though.
Being a doctor, Yuuko knew a fatal injury when she saw one.
As she fought to keep her eyes open, she feltit….
An intense rush of heat, followed by a truly putrid sulfuric stench and a roar of unparalleled agony. The latter was no doubt from Senji, but it was echoed by what sounded like dozens upon dozens of tormented souls crying out in suffering. Each voice molded seamlessly to form a resonating chorus of horror, and Yuuko buried her face in her knees in a desperate attempt to block out the noise.
And yet, just as soon as it all began, the screams went silent. Likewise, the stench in the air evaporated along with the tremendous heat it had accompanied.
Leaning back against the wall behind her, Yuuko fought to stay awake.
However, it seemed her willpower alone just wasn't strong enough to keep unconsciousness at bay any longer. Her remaining arm fell limply at her side, and darkness finally overtook her.
The last thing Yuuko heard was her own name being screamed desperately.
Everything hurt.
Wincing, Candice blearily opened her eyes and eased herself into a sitting position.
A quick look around told her that she was in an abandoned hotel, and the massive hole in the ceiling reminded her of how she'd ended up here in the first place. Her cheek still stung where Ichigo had kicked her in the face, and her anger rose as she came to a sudden and humiliating realization.
She'd been knocked unconscious…
That orange-haired fucker had actually hit her hard enough to knock her out.
Embarrassed heat crept up along the back of her neck, prompting Candice to snarl as she shakily rose to her feet. How long had she even been in the fight? She remembered exchanging maybe four or five good blows before she'd been caught off guard. How pathetic…
Electricity crackled around her body, and Candice used her Hirenkyaku to move from the ground to the roof of the hotel in a split second. Scowling, she scanned the skyline for both her target and her fellow Sternritter. Her attention was quickly pulled towards the eastern horizon, where a large cloud was blown apart by a sonic boom. A flare of Spiritual Energy quickly followed, confirming her assumption.
Rising into the air, the green-haired Quincy blasted across the cityscape towards the ongoing battle between Ichigo and Bambietta. As she got closer, Candice was able to make out their humanoid forms darting through the clouds as they exchanged swipes and swings with their respective weapons. As the two combatants continued to duel, she found herself ignoring Bambi completely in favor of glaring hatefully at Ichigo.
All her life, she had been neglected, ignored, and forgotten. Now she had an actual chance for a better life, and the only thing standing in her way was the Kurosaki bastard. If she could kill him, His Majesty would reward her with her heart's most treasured desire. All she wanted was to have someone love her… and to tell her that she was their entire world. Was that too much to fucking ask?!
Hot tears trailed down her cheeks at the thought of being alone for the rest of her life.
There was no way in hell she could allow that to happen!
Letting out a furious scream, Candice pumped all of her Reiryoku into her right hand, forming another Spirit Sword. Gripping the weapon's hilt with both hands, she increased her speed and blitzed through the air.
Closer.
Closer!
Closer!
When she was but a few dozen feet away from her target, Candice released another scream of pain, fury, and desperation. Raising her sword just as Ichigo turned towards her, she trusted forward with every ounce of supernatural strength she possessed. A wet, tearing sound reached her ears, and a light spray of blood stained the front of her formerly pristine Quincy uniform.
Staring ahead blankly in honest disbelief, Candice started to laugh. Her furious snarl morphed into a toothy smile, and she gripped her weapon's hilt as tightly as physically possible. Her laugh gradually grew louder and louder, until it eventually evolved into a full cackle. She heard Bambietta say something, but the brunette's words were drowned out by the ecstatic feeling buzzing around in her head.
Ichigo gasped.
It was a soft sound, but Candice still relished in it.
She pushed her sword forward again, forcing it further into the orange-head's chest. It cut through bone and sliced through muscle with unbelievable ease. Adjusting her grip on her weapon's hilt, Candice twisted the blade and forced it to carve a path down through the left side of Ichigo's abdomen. He cried out loudly this time, and his warm blood bubbled forth and ran down the length of her sword. Her hands were stained red, and Candice gave one final shove that impaled her opponent completely.
Ichigo grunted.
His Zanpakutō slid from his grasp, falling towards the burning city below…
His hands weakly came up to clutch at her own…
He gave a deep, shuddering breath…
And then he was still.
Well goodness.
I already know some people will ask for specific details, but I will not be giving any spoilers explaining what just occurred. If you want to know what happened, you'll just have to stick around until next time. I know some of you will likely jump to wild conclusions, but hopefully most of you are reasonable enough to understand how idiotic it would be to kill off my main character at this point in the story. The only reason I'm even writing this is because I've had readers in the past who have abandoned this story completely just because they jumped to a false conclusion.
I don't want that to happen again over something as silly as a misunderstanding.
Therefore, I am trying to be as clear as I can without giving away any massive spoilers.
Now, that aside, allow me to once again express my gratitude towards all of you who have stuck with me over the course of this story. I know it isn't perfect, but it really does mean a lot to read your reviews claiming that this is your favorite story. I really appreciate it, and I will continue to do my best to improve myself as a writer. Like I said in the beginning Author's Notes, I know I could improve the romance aspect, and I have genuine plans to do so. I will also work very hard to improve my pacing.
Once this chapter is published, I will be working on finally uploading another chapter of "When Red Met Orange." Hopefully, if I can do that in a timely manner, I will be able to crank out another chapter for this story before the month is over. I make no promises, but we'll certainly see how everything works out.
Thanks again for being such great readers.
AlucardsBro OUT!