Chapter Nineteen
Steve arrived just in time to see a pale yellow cero completely decimate a random apartment building wall.
Ryohime wasn't doing well.
"Sway, Ningyōzukai!"
He had fought this Hollow before; it was a relatively easy one to control, and this time it didn't have its vile master around to help. Should be a simple enough battle once Steve entangled him in his Zanpakuto's strings...
"Nakamaru Fukotaichou!"
Steve whirled, for a moment feeling a sudden surge of panic. One of Caro's red-cloaked minions was standing behind him, Zanpakuto drawn... but then he relaxed, recognizing the newcomer's reiatsu.
"Sanseki," he said in relief, then scowled. "Don't sneak up on me like that. Just because you're ninja-trained..."
Sanseki ignored the light-hearted banter. "I came back as quickly as I could. The infiltration was a success, but it seems Caro beat me to the punch. He already has minions among the Fourteenth Division."
Steve froze. "W-What? No, that can't be."
"At least one, maybe more, of your companions have already been turned to Caro's side," Sanseki repeated grimly. "The only one I'm sure of is Kurosaki Ryohime. Apparently Caro encountered her alone one night, and ensnared her then."
"Impossible," breathed Steve, but a twinge of doubt tugged at him. Hadn't he heard, from Lilynette or Herald maybe, that Ryohime had indeed met with Caro? They had all assumed she had gotten away unscathed... but how would they know?
"No, she can't be," he said finally, shaking his head. "If she was one of his men, why hasn't she acted against us yet? The others were training all day yesterday, and through the night. They're in the basement now, exhausted... if she had wanted them dead there won't be any better moment. But she's up here, fighting that Hollow..."
Instead of looking encouraged, Sanseki's face paled. In a low, serious tone he asked, "In the basement... with that Black Hollow?"
.
Herald was napping when he heard the crack. In his sleep he disregarded it as unimportant, at least until Lilynette came running through the canyon he was exploring and knocked him to the ground, glaring at him.
Wake up! The Bakudos are breaking!
Herald looked longingly at the tea-shop up ahead, and the publisher waiting inside for his draft. "What are you talking about? There aren't any Bakudos."
You're dreaming, Starrk, and if you don't get off your lazy behind right now you're going to get chomped in your sleep. So get up!
With that, she bit his ear in the dream and Herald jerked awake, yelping in pain. He was back in the basement, his fellows sprawled all over the sand... and the persistent cracking on a Bakudo barrier on the other side of the chamber being smashed to pieces from the inside.
Told you.
There was a loud roar as Dikayumi's Hollow smashed through the last of the barriers they had locked him in, and the basement was flooded with black reiatsu. Herald's spine prickled, and he could swear Lilynette, despite being invisible, had just put her ears back and shown all her teeth. He grabbed his Zanpakuto.
"Walk with me, Lilynette!"
It was no longer, strictly, necessary for him to release his Zanpakuto manually. Lilynette came at the slightest thought, and often showed up anyway when he didn't call for her. Nevertheless, the proper release made them both feel more... ready for battle. This wasn't a walk they were going on, this was a fight.
"Don't give it to the dog, I'm not done with it!" yelled Edward suddenly, sitting up desperately. He looked around, blinking the sleep from his eyes, and looked at Herald in confusion.
"Their barriers are all down," Herald explained. "Dikayumi's out."
For a moment, it seemed Edward didn't quite pick up on what that meant. Then understanding dawned.
"Oh."
They both considered the others, still exhausted and out cold. Edward looked back at Herald.
"I'll try and get them out of here. Can you stall him?"
Herald patted Lilynette's ears.
"We can certainly give it a try. Go on, the sooner the others are clear, the better!"
With that, he and Lilynette flashed across the huge basement, towards the corner where they had cornered and locked away the Hollow Dikayumi had become.
The Black Hollow appeared to have taken over completely; apparently Dikayumi had been unable to wrestle his inner darkness into submission during his capture. The resulting Hollow was entirely comprised of black bone, with Dikayumi's black hair grown to an insane length behind him. Patterns wound up his arms, a darker black against dark skin, and his white Quincy uniform was in complete tatters, hanging like white ribbons from his wrists and shoulders, waist and ankles.
When they had first fought, the Black Hollow's mask had been only partially formed. Now it was complete, and there was no conflict in those burning teal eyes. Herald felt a surge of regret. It seemed Dikayumi had truly succumbed. He might still be in there somewhere, but the Hollow was stronger.
That Black Hollow now eyed Herald and Lilynette murderously, hissing through his black teeth. Lilynette snarled back, defiantly meeting the Hollow's glare with one of her own.
Nakamaru Edward, you'd better clear this room, thought Herald wearily as the pressure spiked. Quickly.
.
Ryohime steadied herself, forcing her tumultuous emotions down. Her chest ached at the very thought of Vance, and her hands trembled at what was ahead... but she couldn't afford to let that distract her. Muramasa was convinced they could still save him, and Ryohime knew she no longer had any choice. She had to do it.
It was either that, or lose Vance for good.
She stood alone, her Zanpakuto held firmly in front of her. Her heart was hammering, and for a long moment she could hardly get the words out. It was only when the horrible Hollow – all that was left of Vance - screamed at her again, charging another deadly cero on his finger, that she managed, in a whisper, to get those long-dreaded words out.
"Bankai."
Her reiatsu spiked, visible flurries of fiery teal reiatsu lashing around her. The hilt of her Zanpakuto seemed to grow warmer in her hands.
"Kodoku Muramasa."