Disclaimer : I do not own anything from Bleach.
Main Pairing IchigoXGiselle, IchigoXMulti
The March of the Star Cross
The Head-Captain's Office, 1st Division Barracks - June 13th
Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni suddenly had a bad feeling as he listened to his fifth-seat officer's reports, the very same feeling that has been bothering him from time to time. It has been a whole year since he started to feel this anxious, without a way for him to pinpoint the cause. It truly was unusual for him to feel as such...
"That would be all, from the 11th, and 9th Divisions."
"I see..." Yamamoto replied to his fifth-seat officer. There really wasn't anything new to the reports from the other Divisions, as it has been for quite some time. Nothing new to the reports meant that there were no major problems at the moment, which was a good sign.
"Moving on to the 10th Division... Gah!" Yamamoto's eyes widened in surprise, as his subordinate let out his last breath at the hands of the uninvited guests. It turns out, that today was the very day he would find out just what had been bothering him...
"Who goes there?" The Head-Captain asked, observing the group of white-clad intruders. They were concealing the identities of themselves with their masks, in addition to their cloaks. Yamamoto noticed that there was a strange familiarity to their attire.
"We meet for the first time, Head-Captain of the Gotei 13, Yamamoto Genryūsai Shigekuni-dono." The figure in the middle spoke up, the casual tone bothering the Head-Captain. They knew who he was, and dared to show such relaxed behavior while intruding his office?
Yamamoto was about to retort, when the masked man broke the news. "We have come to declare war..."
One of the masked figures scowled at the poorly attempted dramatics. Although Sternritter 'A', Kurosaki Ichigo had to admit that the messenger had guts if the way he spoke to the Head-Captain was any indication. He didn't know his name, not that he knew the names of any of the Arrancar Vanguard... Probably no one in the Sternritter did. Anyway, it kind of reminded him of the way he himself spoke to the Head-Captain a few years earlier... And that was really saying something.
"I find it quite surprising, that it was this easy to infiltrate this office... despite it being the office, or rather the personal quarters of the Head-Captain of the Gotei 13. Isn't the security a little too... lax? You might do well to put some more effort into the security measures." As the messenger continued to speak, Ichigo became certain that he really had a death wish if he was trying this hard to get himself killed. To think that his mission was to keep him alive, so that the Arrancar could make his report to his majesty back in Silbern...
"Worry not. I am here. What better security can there be, other than myself?" Yamamoto replied, causing Ichigo to nod his head in the background. The Head-Captain was someone who had the right to say such words, even if some would think of it as arrogance. Ichigo had gotten a lot better in sensing other people's reiatsu, and he had to admit, the Head-Captain was a monster in his own right. That wasn't even counting his Zanpakutō, which was one of the strongest in existence.
"I see..." The messenger spoke, obviously not convinced at all with the Head-Captain's answer. Ichigo had to try hard to stifle a scoff at that. "Those will be your last moment of arrogance, Yamamoto Genryūsai."
Ichigo really had a hard time to stop himself from sighing as the office became overwhelmed with the uncomfortable silence. He could literally feel the temperature of the room rising, an obvious sign of the Head-Captain's displeasure. Why did this overly confident Arrancar have to tread on such thin ice?
It was then, a Heilig Pfeil flew into the room with a Shinigami skewered with it. Ichigo had to give some credit to Driscoll for his masterful timing, as it broke the tension in the room.
"Sasakibe...!" Yamamoto's eyes widened in shock at the sight of his most trusted subordinate's bloodied form, pinned to the wall by a reishi construct.
"You should praise him, rather than to mourn for him. He was kind enough to show you the path that your kind will follow soon. In other words... you will find yourself dying in despair, after struggling to fight us with everything at your disposal." Yamamoto's eyes twitched in annoyance at hearing such arrogant words, which the Arrancar didn't notice. "In five days, the Soul Society will be annihilated at the hands of the Wandenreich."
A shattering sound could be heard as the Head-Captain released his Lieutenant from the Heilig Pfeil. Ichigo shivered slightly at the sight of the now released Ryūjin Jakka held tightly in Yamamoto's lone hand, knowing full well of its capability. He wanted nothing more but to clash his sword against it, but this was neither the time nor the place. He at least needed to get his hands on an Asauchi if he wanted to fight Yamamoto on equal grounds, and by the time he did... Ichigo expected the Head-Captain to be dead. It was quite sad, really.
"Those eyes... I can see the questions you have in it. You wish to know who we are, but surely you already understood that we will not provide you with an answer to that. It isn't all that hard, for you to deduce the...?!"
Ichigo instantly disappeared from his place and appeared in front of the messenger, forming his reishi sword from his Quincy Cross. Yamamoto swung his Zanpakutō with all his pent up fury, releasing a wave of flames. Ichigo let out a sigh, blaming the Arrancar at doing such a good job at riling up the old man.
Ichigo swung his sword, releasing his own wave of light to match the flames of Ryūjin Jakka. He inwardly thanked Jugram for teaching him this nifty technique. Until he actually gets his hands on an Asauchi, this was the best he could do with a sword... But it probably was more than enough to match a hastily formed attack on the Head-Captain's part.
The two waves clashed, neither one overwhelming the other. It didn't take long before the waves diminished, leaving nothing but scorch marks left on the floor. Yamamoto didn't make another move, surprised that one of the men who merely stood behind the one who goaded him, actually succeeded in nullifying his attack. Also, there was something off with the man's reiatsu. Just why did he get the feeling, that he knew this man?
Sternritter 'I', Cang Du smirked at his fellow Sternritter's show of power. While the other soldats were frozen in their place from the pressure they had felt, Cang merely admired the way Ichigo took care of the situation. They should've departed as soon as their job was done, but apparently their messenger's mouth didn't know when to stop blabbering.
"We should take our leave." Ichigo stated coldly, reminding the Arrancar that while he was under their protection he most certainly wasn't in charge.
"Ah, yes. I guess you're right about that. It seems like we've overstayed our welcome, considering our dear Head-Captain's unexpected outburst... Farewell, Yamamoto Genryūsai." Ichigo scoffed at the Arrancar, finding the way he tried to assert his control over the mission to be annoying. Anyone could've expected that coming if they heard how he pissed off the old man... The Arrancar just had to make him get a gist of how much of a fierce battle he could've had with Yama-ji, which only served in saddening him further.
"Hold it!" Yamamoto released another wave of flame, only to realize that the intruders had already disappeared. 'They managed to escape! Their reiatsu has already vanished completely from the Seireitei, which means they must have a way to bypass the Shakonmaku completely...' Yamamoto thought to himself as he stared at the now non-existent office wall his flames had caused.
"Ge, Genryūsai-dono...! Th, There is... something important I must tell you...! They can... Bankai..." Yamamoto sighed as his Lieutenant stopped breathing. It seemed, that a loose end on his part would result in the death of many, after a thousand years.
'Sasakibe...'
The Throne Room, Silbern - June 13th
As seven figures walked into the throne room, the man in the middle eagerly discarded his mask and cloak. The man had a confident smile etched on his face as he walked, and soon noticed a familiar individual on his way to the throne.
"Ah, Ebern! How admirable of you to bow your head before me. I can only presume that you were a bit too impatient, and acted rashly in an attempt to earn some favor. Yes?" The man chastised Ebern who had multiple wounds and burns covering his body, feeling some superiority over the fellow Arrancar. He was tasked with carrying out the declaration of war, while the other had to sneak out in an attempt to do something worthwhile which obviously failed.
"Are you out of your mind, Luders? As if anyone would bow their head before you..." Ebern retorted, obviously not in the mood to be belittled by Luders out of all people.
"Excuse me...? Who do you think you're talking to...?" Luders glared at Ebern, only to be interrupted by the man of the highest authority.
"Enough..." There was a flash of light, and everyone in the throne room saw that the Arrancar was now missing one of his limbs.
"Aaaaaagghhh!" Luders screamed in pain as he clutched the stump of his arm. Ichigo frowned, wondering if his majesty really had to make him suffer more than necessary. The fact that the Arrancar would be disposed by his hands later on wouldn't change, after all...
"How many times must I tell you? I will not condone such childish behavior in my presence. I dislike such conflict..." Yhwach drawled out, his body leaning out from the throne. "Now, let's hear your reports..."
The soldats who followed on their mission hastily walked out to the sidelines, while the three Sternritter kept their posture. Luders was panting against the floor, the pain from his now missing limb straining him.
"There is no need to over-exert yourself. It must be painful for you to even sit upright in your current state. I give you the permission to lay down as you speak." Yhwach said with a little mirth hidden under his voice, which the Sternritter caught on easily. They knew that the emperor was not finished with his words.
"As, as you wish... your majesty." Luders replied, only to be cut off by Yhwach's following words.
"Although, If you're not going to sit... It wouldn't be wrong for me to presume that you have no further use for those legs, yes...?"
"You, you jest, sir! Your humble servant, Luders would never show such arrogance in your presence... To speak to you while lying down disrespectfully on the ground, your majesty!" Luders stuttered out hurriedly, not wanting to lose his legs in addition to his arm.
"I see... Then you may begin your report." Yhwach ordered, his hands clasped under his chin.
"Yes, your majesty... We were able to breach Yamamoto Genryūsai's office without being spotted. The security was lax, showing Yamamoto's arrogance... Which was later confirmed with his words of stating that his presence itself was enough security. Sternritter 'O' was successful in his task, if the way Sasakibe Chōjirō entered the office while impaled with a Heilig Pfeil was any indication. I gave Yamamoto Genryūsai the word that the Wandenreich will annihilate the Soul Society in five days. Before we took our leave, he released his Zanpakutō and attacked with a massive wave of flame, which was negated by Sternritter 'A'." Luders reported, doing his best to refrain from showing any signs of pain while doing so.
"Five days, you say...?" Yhwach questioned.
"Yes, your majesty. It should be a fully sufficient amount of time for both our forces and the Soul Society to prepare for the upcoming-."
"So you speak of the future."
"You, your majesty?" Luders muttered in confusion.
Luders looked at the emperor, unsure of where this conversation was heading towards. Ichigo on the other hand, knew of what was to come, and merely shut his eyes. He didn't want to see blood being spilled when it wasn't a necessity.
"Do you consider yourself a prophet, Luders Friegen?"
"I, uhmm... what...?"
"I asked you a question, Luders. Are you, a prophet?" Yhwach pressed the Arrancar Vanguard for the answer.
"Ah... no, your majesty. I am not..."
"If that is the case, why do you speak of the distant future? What I wish to hear of, is the present..." Yhwach stated, an icy expression creeping up his face.
In a blink of an eye, blood exploded from where the Arrancar was a moment ago. Ebern who was kneeling right next to Luders, shivered in fear as the blood splattered on his face.
"Ebern?" Yhwach addressed the Arrancar without any change in his expression.
"Yes, your majesty!" Ebern quickly answered, not wanting to follow his fellow Arrancar's footsteps.
"I see no reason for me to either praise or rebuke you."
"I, ah... Thank you, your majesty!"
Ichigo sighed, as he closed his eyes once more. He could understand his majesty's treatment of the Arrancar, considering how Quincy Blood makes one openly despise Hollows. He himself would've been the same, if not for the fact that he had a Hollow side inside of him. Even he disliked Hollows ever since he started to walk the path of a Quincy, but just because he understood it didn't mean that he had to like it.
"Your role is now over... I commend you for your services." Yhwach raised a finger before the Arrancar could respond, instantly turning the Arrancar into a puddle of blood with a flash of light.
"Are you sure that was wise, your majesty? I was under the impression that the Arrancar Vanguard was a valuable asset to us, considering how they need no formal training for combat to be of use in the war..." Jugram questioned the emperor, while Ichigo took off his mask. Cang and Driscoll quickly followed suit, not finding the mask to be comfortable at all.
"It is of no consequence. For every Arrancar Vanguard I lose, I can just recruit more..." Yhwach said as he walked up the stairs of reishi he formed with each step. He pulled the curtain that obstructed the view of a small space. "Hueco Mundo is my domain now."
As the dark skinned female Arrancar was revealed, Ichigo couldn't help but pity the woman. It wasn't that she was weak, considering how she became the rightful Queen of Hueco Mundo after Aizen's sealing. She was just outmatched, as the Quincy emperor stood far above her level. The blonde haired Arrancar was bound with chains, showing her revealing attire which was actually her Resurrección form. Her skin was even less covered than Candice, whose attire was already scandalous enough. Ichigo refrained from letting his eyes wander over the woman, out of respect for both the Arrancar and his girls.
"Ichigo?" Yhwach called out to his successor.
"Yes, your majesty." Ichigo quickly replied.
"Does it bother you greatly?" He realized what the emperor meant, and answered honestly. "If I were to say I am comfortable with it, I would be lying. I do understand the usefulness of the Arrancar Vanguard, but I honestly think we don't really need them to win this war. It is our war, after all..."
"I see. I shall consider your opinion on the matter. Have you thought about my offer?" Ichigo blushed as he remembered the emperor's offer.
"Yes, and I'm afraid I'll have to refuse, you majesty. My hands are already full, and I do not think I need to put my life on the line of danger unnecessarily."
"A pity... There was no word from Quilge about the spotting of an Arrancar that meets your description, in both forms. He has my orders to leave her and her companions be, and to only subdue her should she interfere. That would be more than enough to repay your debt." Ichigo nodded in gratitude at the emperor. There weren't that many people he owed his life to, and Nelliel was one of them.
"So, you negated Yamamoto's attack in his Shikai?" Yhwach asked, his eyes still focused on the former Queen of Hueco Mundo.
"Yes. The messenger just couldn't keep his blabbering down, and riled up the old man pretty badly. I also think Driscoll's perfect timing to send in Sasakibe Chōjirō skewered with his Heilig Pfeil had a hand in his outburst." Ichigo replied.
Yhwach turned towards his successor, and examined his face. "You seem troubled, my son."
Ichigo almost rolled his eyes at the emperor for stating something that obvious. "Of course I am. It was the first time I practically participated in killing someone. But such is what war holds, and I know that it will fade over time. I'd rather have the blood of the enemies spilled instead of our own..."
"Excellent... Are you going to take your captive to the Seireitei when we launch our assault?" Yhwach asked out of curiosity.
"Well, she has been training for this day to show her master how much she had progressed... Considering how her master became the Captain of the 2nd Division, it would result in one less Captain to deal on our part. Needless to mention the drop of morale it would induce to the Shinigami if they saw one of their former Captains on the enemy's side. Also, I do not believe she will switch sides on the battlefield... Actually I would say it'll be more likely for her to persuade Shihōin Yoruichi to change her affiliation considering the circumstances of her reinstatement. I am hoping that this move would eventually lead Urahara Kisuke to actively join our forces." Ichigo stated, eliciting a look of awe from Cang.
"That is... quite impressive. One decision made on your part leading to the possibility of gaining three Captain-level Shinigami to our forces... And a Special War Power at that." Jugram spoke up, receiving a chuckle from Ichigo.
"Don't get me all flattered, Jugram. We do not know if it will happen as I said, since it is merely a possibility. And I really don't know what to expect from Urahara. One thing I know for sure, is that Shaolin won't join the Gotei 13 on her own no matter what."
Yhwach hummed as he eyed his strongest Sternritter with a calculating gaze. He was a much better fit for the position of his successor than he had initially thought. His progress in skill and strength was something he had been expecting from the moment he sent one of his Sternritter to recruit him. His drive to become the absolute best, combined with his extraordinaire latent ability was more than enough to place him at the top of the Sternritter after a whole year of holy training. He had even earned Gremmy's respect, a feat probably no one other than the emperor himself achieved. Ichigo had a good enough relationship with most of the Sternritter, if not all. He was highly respected among the soldat even before he was named his successor, with his warm nature added to his strength. Jugram could've made a good successor, but he knew that Ichigo would prove to be the best choice. When this war reaches its end, Ichigo would become the perfect ruler the Wandenreich needs.
"I commend you for your thoughtfulness, and I expect to see the best of your capability soon enough..." Yhwach said while pulling the curtain back to its original state.
"I shall not disappoint, your majesty." Ichigo replied quickly.
"But it seems that there was a mistake on my part, in giving the task of declaring war to an Arrancar... Five days to prepare? We have been ready for nearly a year, ever since you joined the ranks of the Sternritter. Should we just strike when they have yet to ready themselves? It seems only right for us to return the favor from the first war..."
Surprisingly, it was Cang who spoke up after a short moment of silence. "We are at your command, your majesty. Be it today or five days later, we shall bring you victory no matter the circumstances."
"That is most reassuring... Sternritter Berci. Were you successful in stealing the Lieutenant's Bankai?" Yhwach turned his attention to the large man who had a bored expression on his face. Driscoll quickly erased the expression and replied. "Of course, your majesty. The man was pathetic to be honest, but his Bankai... It was worthwhile enough for the effort."
"I see. You are all dismissed until further notice. Know that I am most pleased with the competency of my Sternritter." Yhwach said as he leaned back against his throne, considering his options on when to launch the first strike. Jugram stayed, as expected from the advisor of the emperor.
The three Sternritter bowed and left the throne room. As soon as they exited the door, Driscoll commented. "Cang, did you do anything in this mission anyway? It seems that Kurosaki had a fun time with the old man... What about you?"
"The task of killing the Lieutenant was given to both of us... And you expected me to do something on that mission?" Cang replied with no distinguishable shift in expression.
"He has a point, Driscoll... It's not like Cang wouldn't have been able to succeed the task on his own. And just how many did you kill anyway?" Ichigo drawled out.
"Dunno... Maybe a little over hundred, give or take about twenty." Driscoll replied nonchalantly.
"A hundred kill counts in what... two minutes? Not bad, Driscoll."
Ichigo inwardly sighed, as he felt the weight of war that was to come. He would have to kill, that was for sure. How many? That, he was unsure about. Ichigo was about to take his leave, when he felt someone drape his arm over his shoulder.
"Hello, Askin... Should I assume that you want to hear about how the mission went?" Ichigo said without even sparing a look towards the said person.
"Ah, Ichigo...! How did you know it was me? I didn't even say a word yet!" Askin exclaimed in mock-surprise. Ichigo couldn't help but roll his eyes at the man's antics. He was a bit too much like Urahara, and they would probably get along reasonably well in his opinion.
"No one does that to me except Bambi... You certainly aren't her." Ichigo deadpanned.
Askin let out a gasp which was obviously exaggerated. "You wound me, Ichigo. Must you be so cold just because of the fact that I'm biologically male? I suppose that was to be expected from the man who owns a harem, but still..."
"Yes... Let go of me and I'll tell you what happened. The Arrancar Vanguard we went on the mission with was just too much similar to you, that I couldn't help but be worried for your well being." Ichigo muttered, which brought out a rare grin from Cang Du.
"If you put it that way, I think I'm inclined to agree with you. They have the same 'Holier than thou' atmosphere around them, don't they?" Cang added his own piece. Ichigo and Driscoll erupted in laughter, while Askin was shell-shocked at hearing that.
"ME? Holier than thou? You've gotta be joking!" Ichigo stared at Askin as if he was looking at something weird. "I think it's a little disconcerting if you didn't know about it."
"Agreed." Cang nodded in agreement.
Askin looked at the two in disbelief for a moment, and then held his head up high. "How should I know if I had such attitude, when I'm just that great?"
Ichigo collapsed while laughing at that point, while Cang scrunched his nose in distaste. Driscoll was nowhere to be seen, which none of the three Sternritter particularly cared.
"Anyway, you said you'll tell me about your mission... So?"
"Fine, fine... Let's go grab some lunch, and I'll tell you about it there." Ichigo turned towards the direction where the mess hall was at, and started to walk away.
"Alright, lunch it is... Wait a second, won't your girlfriends be there at this time?" Askin asked, realizing that he had been tricked.
"Probably." Ichigo shrugged, a smirk forming on his face.
Urahara Shōten, Karakura Town - June 13th, a hour earlier
Urahara Kisuke stared at the strangely dressed Arrancar who happened to appear out of nowhere, now standing on his favorite table. He really had no idea of why something like this had to happen on a fine day like this.
"So, Arrancar-san. I don't think I've caught your name yet. Care to indulge me?" Kisuke asked while adopting his usual mask of cheeriness. The said Arrancar didn't even notice the cold calculative gaze of the mastermind.
"Ebern... It's Asugiaro Ebern if you prefer the full name. But you seem to be mistaken about something... Me, an Arrancar you say?" Ebern's expression hardened as he raised his arm, a Quincy Cross slipping out of his sleeve. "I am no Arrancar..."
Before Ebern could form a reishi weapon, Kisuke shut his fan as he let out a sigh, and pointed his finger towards Ebern. "Bakudō #61, Rikujōkōrō. Bakudō #63, Sajō Sabaku."
"What...?!" Ebern gasped, as six beams of light slammed into his body at the first Kidō. His arms were bound to his torso with ropes of light as the second Kidō made contact.
"If you wish for a fight, you should've just asked! You see Ebern-san, I have the perfect place in mind. You should know that it was quite rude of you to try to fight me in my shop!" Kisuke said cheerily as he dragged Ebern towards his underground training area. 'I've been expecting something to happen soon, but an Arrancar with a Quincy Cross...? Things are going to become quite interesting...'
Ebern put up little resistance as he noticed that Kisuke had every intention of releasing him from his binds for whatever reason. When they reached the ladder that lead to the training area, Kisuke placed Ebern right in front of it. Ebern suddenly had a bad feeling, which became a reality barely a moment later.
"I wish you a fun ride, Ebern-san!" Kisuke said jovially as he shoved the Arrancar with his foot. Ebern tried to protest, only to be silenced with the pain as Kisuke's wooden sandals dug into his back. "Ahhhhgh!"
Unfortunately Ebern had landed headfirst to the ground, not being able to shift his posture with all the binds restricting his movement. Kisuke landed gracefully right in front of Ebern's face, who was groaning in pain.
"Now let's see what you're made of, Ebern-san!" Kisuke said, as he released the binds on the Arrancar.
"Urgh, couldn't you have shown some leniency and at least let me get down on my own?!" Ebern complained, already falling for Kisuke's mask of deception.
"Nope! Now get up and show me what you can do!"
"If that is your death wish, it would be wrong of me to ignore it..." Ebern muttered, his arrogance showing from his words. A crescent shaped reishi construct formed from his Quincy Cross, with four canon-like protrusions. Kisuke's eyes gleamed as he confirmed the technique as a Quincy's reishi manipulation. Now if only he could find out about how that was possible...
"Hmm... So, Ebern-san. I know that you are an Arrancar, but you seem to be quite affronted by that claim. Do you perhaps, consider yourself as a Quincy?" Ebern furrowed his brows at Kisuke's words.
"Consider... Consider?! I do not consider myself as a Quincy, Urahara Kisuke. I am a Quincy!" Ebern yelled as he fired blasts of reishi from his weapon. Kisuke's eyes widened at the power behind the attacks, a little surprised by it. 'This is... maybe a little lower than Ishida-san's level. I wonder if this is the Quincy King's doing?'
Ebern's eyes shone with glee as he thought his attack had made contact with Kisuke, only to be surprised when there was nothing behind the clouds of dust that cleared up.
"You seem to be rather worked up, Ebern-san. Might I recommend you to put a little more effort in your awareness of the surroundings?" Kisuke said as his Zanpakutō slid out of its sheath that took the form of a cane. He raised his brows as the blade met with Ebern's skin, facing a considerable amount of resistance. He recognized it as the Arrancar's Hierro, but it wasn't all that strong in his opinion if he was able to actually cut it without releasing Benihime.
"Gah! You...!" Ebern disappeared with a buzz of sound, putting some distance between him and Kisuke. He started to fire a barrage of reishi blasts, only to miss his target each and every time.
"What's wrong, Urahara Kisuke?! Can't keep up with me anymore? You should show some effort by at least using your Bankai!" Ebern taunted, completely ignoring the fact that he had failed to land a clean hit on Kisuke the whole time.
'Bankai?' Kisuke thought to himself. Was this Arrancar, or Quincy... or whatever he was, under the impression that he had released Benihime's Shikai? Or was there another reason that caused him to mention the word? Kisuke considered his options, and decided to play along for a little amusement.
"Oh, well... I suppose it is a little hard for me to keep up with my Shikai. But are you sure you want to see my Bankai? I mean, no one knows about my Bankai because every single one of them died by my hands..." A malicious grin formed on Ebern's face, confirming Kisuke's suspicion of his enemy having an ulterior motive.
"You think your words scare me, Urahara? Not only will someone walk away alive with the knowledge of your Bankai today, but you will never be able to wield it again!" Ebern's grin grew as Kisuke's hands settled on his Zanpakutō, which was still in its sealed state.
Kisuke almost sweat-dropped at the sight of Ebern practically screaming his objective out-loud. Seriously, did this man even know what the word 'subtle' meant?
"Oh, you really leave me no choice then... Bankai..." Kisuke said as he stifled a snicker, releasing a considerable amount of reiatsu to fake the release of his Bankai. In reality, all he did was to release his Shikai without using the release phrase.
Ebern's eyes gleamed as crimson-red reiatsu exploded around Kisuke, thinking that he had successfully tricked the supposed most intelligent man in the three worlds. 'The most intelligent man, yeah right.'
"Ha! Say goodbye to your Bankai, Urahara Kisuke!" Ebern shouted in glee as he held up a medallion. What he wasn't expecting was the medallion to not respond at all. "What...?!"
"Ah, so you were trying to do something to my Bankai. You really must learn to be a little more subtle if you are to succeed in your task, Ebern-san. I doubt that anyone would fall for it if you're practically screaming at them to use their Bankai. The Quincy King really won't be pleased with your incompetency!" Kisuke smirked as he noticed Ebern shivering at the mention of the Quincy King. 'So Yhwach really has returned, and he's making his move. I suppose this Arrancar should be a mere pawn to him then. Considering how much the Quincy fear Hollows on their instinctual level, the thought of an Arrancar holding a high position in their army is quite laughable.'
"How, how is your Bankai unaffected...?!" Ebern muttered in disbelief, not understanding the situation quite yet.
"Oh, you mean this?" Kisuke raised his Zanpakutō, and answered Ebern's question cheerfully. "This is Benihime, my Zanpakutō's Shikai form! Oh my, you really aren't the sharpest tool in the shed if you fell for this. I wasn't even using my Shikai when you mentioned my Bankai, if you hadn't noticed yet Ebern-san. Does this answer satisfy you?"
"You, you tricked me?!"
"Of course I did, Ebern-san! Did you expect anything better from me? I don't really have the reputation of fighting fair if you didn't know already. Nake, Benihime!"
Kisuke slashed down with his sword, firing a crimson-red blast of energy at Ebern. Ebern failed to react, still in shock at being fooled so easily. He sighed in disappointment when Ebern was engulfed with the blast, not meeting his standards even at its lowest. Even Kurosaki-san when he first learned his Zanpakutō's name was more amusing than this!
Ebern emerged from the cloud of dust caused by the blast, covered with burns all over his body. He screamed in rage and started to fire more reishi blasts of his own, albeit failing spectacularly at hitting his target. It didn't take long for Kisuke to figure out that the Arrancar had nothing more on his sleeve.
"Ah, this won't really help me as much as I thought. You're just a foot soldier, aren't you Ebern-san? I doubt that the Quincy King's main forces would be like this... short on both power and intelligence..." Kisuke sighed, and bound Ebern again with the repeat of his earlier Bakudō. It really was a waste of time on his part.
"So, Ebern-san. What does the medal do? Seal our Bankai? Destroy it? I wonder what it could do." Kisuke said as he held the medallion in his hand. "I'm quite certain that I won't be able to get any important information out of you, since it's obvious that you don't hold an important position in Yhwach's army... but I suppose I'll just ask. Do you know the name Kurosaki Ichigo by any chance?" Kisuke asked, searching for any kind of reaction at the mention of Ichigo's name.
Ebern's eyes widened as he recognized the name, much to Kisuke's delight. Ebern remembered that the Sternritter 'A' had the same name if his memory served him correct, but why was Urahara Kisuke asking about him? He regretted not reading about Urahara Kisuke from the Daten more thoroughly.
"Oh, you do know about him! Is he under the banner of Yhwach?"
Ebern knew that the longer he stayed here, the more Kisuke would find out from him. He wasn't expecting something like this when he decided to seek the Special War Power Urahara Kisuke, and attempt to steal his Bankai. He could only hope that his majesty would show mercy for this, but part of him doubted that he would be that lucky.
"Hmm?" Kisuke quickly took a step back as the shadows erupted behind Ebern and engulfed him. The Bakudō on him melted as it made contact with the shadow, and Ebern stood firmly once more.
"Don't worry. This shadow only conceals those who have been chosen..." Ebern muttered, and disappeared into the shadows.
"That wasn't a Garganta..." Kisuke muttered while holding the medallion tightly, a little disappointed at the amount of information he was able to gain. 'So, Kurosaki-san was with the Quincy King all this time. I wonder if Kurosaki-san is still pissed at me?'
Kisuke decided to leave the job of cleaning the mess for later, and returned to the shop. He was certain that the war would break out anytime soon, and he needed to warn Yoruichi about it. He would be a too much of a bad friend if he neglected to inform her of such important matter. Little did he know, that the said person was already aware that things were going to get messy.
"Urahara-san! We have a problem!"
When Kisuke heard a familiar female voice as soon as he set his foot back into his shop, he just knew that he was in for a very long day.
The 1st Division Barracks - June 13th
The entirety of the Gotei 13 was assembled to commemorate the unfortunate passing of the 1st Division Lieutenant, Sasakibe Chōjirō. Every shinigami was present, even the ones who were on active duty had returned temporarily to attend. They listened solemnly as the 6th Division Captain Kuchiki Byakuya spoke of the fallen Lieutenant.
"Sasakibe Chōjirō Tadaoki... was a Shinigami deserving of the Captain's post. According to the records, he had mastered his Bankai before most of our Captains were even born. And yet, he had never used the ability in the presence of others ever since the founding of the Gotei 13..."
As Byakuya went on, Yamamoto merely stared at the pyre while lost in his own thoughts. He had already realized that the upcoming threat could only be the Quincy. All the signs they showed were pointing to the same direction, and he also now understood why one of the intruders had a disturbing reiatsu. Who could it be, other than the former Substitute Shinigami who had disappeared a year ago? Kurotsuchi Mayuri was never going to hear the end of this from the other Captains, but that was not the main problem. How many of the Shinigami's morale will be affected negatively just from the knowledge that the Hero of the Winter War was now their enemy? What was he to expect from the reinstated Captains who claimed themselves as Kurosaki Ichigo's allies when they fought against Aizen? But he put all that matters aside for now.
"Sasakibe Chōjirō had sworn to support Yamamoto Genryūsai as his Lieutenant for as long as they both should live. That man, used his Bankai in battle for the first time... and lost his life. Young as we are, cannot possibly fathom the grief the Head-Captain is experiencing at the moment."
There was a long silence, before Yamamoto spoke. "Light the flames."
The members of the Kidō Corps who had been standing at the sidelines stepped forward and raised their blazing torches, and lit the pyre.
'If it is war you want, Yhwach... Then so be it.'
Silbern - June 13th
"There is a report from the First Jagdarmee. Special War Power Urahara Kisuke has been sighted in Hueco Mundo with three notable individuals, Inoue Orihime, Yasutora Sado, and... Ishida Uryū."
"I see. The time has come much earlier than I thought. Relay my orders to the First Jagdarmee, to keep Urahara Kisuke occupied." Yhwach said as he stood up from his throne.
"Your majesty?! Where are you going...?"
"Must you ask the obvious, soldat? To the Soul Society, of course. I cannot possibly fathom the reason Urahara Kisuke decided to take a stroll to Hueco Mundo, but there is only one Special War Power available to the Soul Society at the moment. What better time to bring them to their knees?" Yhwach chuckled as he continued his way. He noticed that the the youngest child of the Ishida was also in Hueco Mundo, but didn't comment. "Oh, send word to the Sternritter. The Wandenreich will invade the Soul Society... as of now."
'A direct order from the emperor to the Sternritter! All participants of the first invasion is to gather at the Gate of sun immediately!'
As the Gate of the Sun was being activated, Jugram stood at the head of the formation with Ichigo. The other Sternritter were lined up behind them, awaiting for the activation of the Gate of the Sun. It didn't take long for the Gate of the Sun to be ready for use, the opening of war.
"Don't die, you dolts." Ichigo said as he walked into the Gate. Jugram let a faint smile slip on his face and followed suit without a word.
"What he said." Cang commented, and disappeared through the gate.
"Such kind words, as expected from Sir Ichigo! I shall not disappoint and put the villains down where they belong!" Mask practically ran through the gate, while some of the Sternritter facepalmed at his antics.
"Whatever. It's not like I need him to worry about me." Bambietta frowned.
"But you like it when he worries about you." Giselle pointed out, which Bambietta answered without thinking ahead. "Well, yeah. but... Shit!"
Bambietta disappeared through the gate before any of them could tease her, causing the girls to giggle. "Wait for me, Bambi-chan~!"
"You know, the Shinigami will be shocked out of their minds when you show up wearing that." Candice commented, which Shaolin... A.K.A Sui-Fēng, replied easily. "The color white doesn't go well with an assassin like me, but I'll admit that this is better in a fashionable way... And should I really care about what they would think about me?"
"No, I suppose not... Do you think your master will molest you if she sees you wearing that?" Candice teased, which caused Shaolin to blush instantly. "That is none of your concern!"
"You bitches... Will you just shut up? We're the last ones left..." Liltotto muttered.
"Fine." Candice huffed and entered the gate, while Meninas merely stared at it.
"What's on your mind, Meni?"
"It's just... I lost the bet." Meninas answered Liltotto's question. Shaolin raised her brows at that part, a little curious of the subject. "What kind of bet would that be?"
"I bet that Bambietta would start dating Ichigo before the war starts, and Candice bet on after. The winner becomes the official second... It's not that important but still..." Meninas sighed.
"Oh..." Liltotto rolled her eyes, and shoved Meninas into the gate. "Lil...!?"
Shaolin couldn't help but grin a little at that. Shaolin and Liltotto stared at each other for a moment, and walked into the gate with a faint smile.
1st Division Barracks, Emergency Captain's Meeting - June 13th
"Their true identity... is the Quincy. We do not know of how they survived or expanded their forces, but there are two important points that are worth our attention. They have the means to easily bypass the Shakonmaku, which is the main source of defense we had against intruders. Also, according to Lieutenant Sasakibe's last words... they can either seal, or neutralize our Bankai..." Mayuri explained their current situation, only to be interrupted by the Head-Captain himself.
"That would be enough, Captain Kurotsuchi." The Captains present were surprised that there was some venom seeping from the way Head-Captain addressed the 12th Division Captain. "What I require from you is the location of their headquarters..."
"I'm afraid We possess no knowledge on that matter..." Mayuri replied.
"I see. Then we have no way to launch an offensive on our part... All Captains are to prepare for the upcoming battle! The Vanguard of the enemy declared that the war would commence in five days time, but it would be naive of us to trust those fiends' words. They could be planning a sneak attack even at this moment..." Yamamoto said, gaining a questioning gaze from one Captain.
'But wasn't it us who did such an heinous act during the first war, Head-Captain...?' Unohana thought to herself. She wasn't really one to talk since she herself was an active participant during that time, but what right did they have to degrade the enemy should they repay them in the same manner?
"Make all necessary preparations for battle immediately! We will not allow the enemy to catch us off-guard for the second...!" Yamamoto paused in the midst of his words, as he felt the large concentrations of reiryoku all over the Seireitei. No. They could see the pillars of condensed reishi all over the Seireitei, from where the wall had been burned to ashes by Yamamoto himself.
"Speak of the devil..." Shunsui muttered, as he adjusted his kimono.
"What an impatient bunch. They actually launched a sneak attack on the very day they declared war on us?" Tōshirō said in disbelief.
"Head-Captain, your orders?" Komamura asked in an almost growling manner.
Yamamoto slammed his staff to the floor, the temperature in the office rising drastically. "Alert the Seireitei of the situation with Tentei Kūra! All Captains are to return to their respective Divisions and prepare a counterattack. The 5th Division will be tasked with the protection of the 4th Division. Head out immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
As the Captains quickly left for each of their destinations, Yamamoto noticed that Captain Kurotsuchi hadn't left yet.
"Why are you still here, Captain Kurotsuchi?"
"Oh, it's just to say I told you so. Didn't I constantly warn you of the possibility of this happening ever since I encountered the Quincy Ryoka? Had you listened to me back then, we would've been obviously better prepared..." Yamamoto's grip on his staff tightened at the 12th Division Captain's disrespectful words. He had half a mind to burn the brat alive right and there, but refrained himself from doing so. It was an emergency situation, and the said scientist was a valuable asset to the Gotei 13 in such time of crisis. Actually, he had something to say to the disrespectful Captain this time that would shut him up.
"Is that so? And what do you have to say for yourself when the former Substitute Shinigami Kurosaki Ichigo has joined their forces, most likely because of your Division's atrocious experiments?" Yamamoto asked back to the Captain, eliciting a look of surprise.
"What...? He, how?"
"Know that the drop of morale among our forces when this piece of information is revealed, lies on your shoulders Captain Kurotsuchi. Now if you're done with your petty business, head to your Division immediately."
"...Yes, Head-Captain." Mayuri replied while gritting his teeth.
Yamamoto glared at the pillars of light as he searched for the murderer of his Lieutenant. He had yet to say farewell, and he will only do so when the said person's head was on his sword.
Hueco Mundo - June 13th
Quilge Opie looked up as he sensed a newcomer. He hoped that this new opponent would prove to be a competent one, since his earlier opponents were barely worth his time. The three female Arrancar who happened to be the Queen of Hueco Mundo's subordinates could pass as an entertainment, if he was being honest... But they were far from requiring his full strength.
Ishida Uryū's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of three female Arrancar sprawled over the ruins of Las Noches. Quilge blinked at the sight of the newcomer, and proceeded to wipe his glasses. Uryū looked at him in confusion, only for it to change to an expression of surprise as he saw the Quincy Zeichen-like insignia on the man's uniform.
"Hmm, I did not expect to see you here..." Quilge muttered as he put his glasses back on.
"You... know me?" Uryū asked, already realizing that the man in front of him was one of the Quincy King's forces.
"Oh? Of course, I do... Ishida Uryū. Why do you seem surprised by that fact? Perhaps you thought we didn't know about your existence, since no one was sent to recruit you?" Uryū's expression hardened as he listened to Quilge's words. "I suppose I would have to admit that a part of me did think of that possibility... But no. I was merely surprised when I noticed your insignia. So, the Quincy King has finally decided to make his move?"
Quilge raised his brows, not expecting such response as he wasn't aware of the fact that the young Ishida had any prior knowledge of his majesty or the Wandenreich. He soon came to the conclusion that the knowledge was either passed on from the older Ishidas, or provided by someone else... Urahara Kisuke if he were to place a bet.
"Quincy King? No, young Ishida. It's the Emperor of the Wandenreich now... But why the animosity to his majesty? As a Quincy you should know that his majesty is a man who deserves to be respected. Even your friend, Kurosaki Ichigo respects the emperor greatly after all!" Quilge exclaimed, a confident smirk building on his lips.
"What...?! Why the hell would Kurosaki...! Don't tell me that he doesn't even know...?" Uryū said as he furrowed his brows.
"Doesn't know of what? Is it so hard to believe that your friend is one of the most loyal followers of his majesty?" Quilge asked as he ran his finger down the blade of his sword. He stared at the blood that stained his glove disdainfully, and dissolved the sword back to reishi. Such filthy blood... Even though he understood his majesty's reasoning for using the Arrancar as their Vanguard, he himself wanted nothing more but to wipe out those good for nothing vermins.
"The fact that his own mother is dead because of the Auswählen!" Uryū almost screamed out loud, which earned a dumbfound look from Quilge.
"Oh, oh! I see now... So that was the reason of your antagonistic reaction towards his majesty! Of course Kurosaki knows of it, Ishida Uryū! Did you think that he was serving his majesty under our deception? But I suppose you don't even know half of the reason that caused Kurosaki to actively hate the Shinigami..." Quilge chuckled in amusement. Uryū stared at the Quincy in disbelief for a few seconds, and let out a sigh.
"You don't have to try that hard to mess with my head. Kurosaki would never turn his back on his friends, no matter what. If you thought your words could make me doubt him, you're sorely mistaken."
Quilge sent a look of mild annoyance at the younger Quincy, not amused at the fact that Uryū thought of his words as a little mind game that held no purpose. It was too bad for him, that he was not in the mood for some friendly explanation time. Quilge merely smirked and gathered reishi around his feet, and appeared in front of Uryū. Uryū found himself at the receiving end of the enemy's sword tip, and stepped back a considerable distance while using his Hirenkyaku. "So you wish to fight."
"Let's say, I am in need of some entertainment and leave it at that. I'll have to introduce myself to you properly first. I am the Sternritter 'J', Executive Hunting Captain of the first Jagdarmee, Quilge Opie. If you win, I shall tell you the reason Kurosaki hates the Shinigami. If you lose... You will be brought back to the Wandenreich, where all Quincy belong!" Quilge dashed towards Uryū at a speed he had quite the trouble of following.
'He's fast!' Uryū thought as Quilge attempted to pierce him with his sword. Uryū redirected his attack by forming his Ginrei Kojaku and smashing it into the side of Quilge's blade, and fired a barrage of arrows at point blank. Uryū's eyes widened in shock as he noticed that his arrows failed to harm the opposing Quincy, not even leaving a scratch on his skin.
"The power behind your arrows aren't all that bad... It barely meets the Echt standards, which is quite the feat for a Gemischt really. You just might've made it into our ranks as a Gemischt had you joined earlier." Quilge drawled as he forcibly shattered Uryū's Ginrei Kojaku and placed his sword against his throat. It seemed that he wouldn't be able to get his entertainment after all.
"...Just what's so important about the whole blood thing anyway? I know that the Auswählen forcibly removes any Gemischt Quincy's powers, but what actually makes an Echt different from a Gemischt? You're obviously not talking about superiority from blood purity..." Uryu asked in confusion, a little wary at the sword tip aimed at his throat. Quilge merely chuckled at the young Quincy's ignorance.
"You don't even know what differentiates an Echt from a Gemischt? That's quite odd... Your father should've taught you the difference in the earlier stages of your holy training, considering the fact that he is the last Echt Quincy alive in the World of the Living. You see, young Ishida... An Echt Quincy is not only born with more power, but they are gifted with the ability to use the Blut naturally." Uryū sent a questioning gaze at this, his frustration at his own father growing every moment.
"Oh, so you do not even know of the Blut? It's actually quite surprising that your arrows pack such power without being empowered by Blut Arterie. You see, the Blut is what we call a technique that can either empower your offensive ability which is the Blut Arterie, or used to strengthen our natural defense and regeneration, the Blut Vene. A Gemischt must learn from an Echt to utilize the Blut properly, which I can easily deduce from your response that your father didn't train you in it. Hmm, if you were trained in the Blut, you just might be on par if not above some of the Sternritter. But without it, you're no match for any of us." Uryū seethed in frustration at Ryūken for not even informing him of such a technique. A moment later, a stray thought came across his mind.
"When Ryūken said I lack the talent as a Quincy when I was younger... He was implying that I was a Gemischt unlike himself? Tch..."
Quilge laughed upon hearing Uryū's words.
"The Blut Vene is somewhat similar to the Arrancar's Hierro, but I'd say Blut Vene is above it on the pure defensive aspect. It's a shame that you can not use the Blut, as you would've proved to be a much more formidable opponent with it. Without the Blut, you are just too vulnerable to any kind of attack... Such as this." Quilge smirked as he left a deep gash on Uryū's side, causing the younger Quincy to gasp in pain. "Oh? It was meant to split your stomach. I didn't expect you to be able to react to that."
Uryū gritted his teeth as struggled to keep his posture, the stinging pain from his side bothering him greatly. He stepped back while clutching his side, knowing that with a wound of this caliber he really couldn't face this opponent alone... Not that he thought he would be able to gain the upper hand even without it. But he needed to stall some time at the least, or bring out an opening. "Since when did a Quincy use a sword as a main weapon anyway...? It's ridiculous."
"Ah... An Ishida by blood, through and through. We've been using swords long before Ishida Sōken left the Wandenreich if you insist to know. I've heard that the Ishidas were known stickers to the old-fashioned ways, but I must say... You really are awfully outdated." Quilge replied as his lips formed a smirk.
"If all the Quincy under your King share the same sentiment, I refuse to acknowledge them as a Quincy..." Uryū muttered as he executed the very best Hirenkyaku in his capability to gain some distance, despite the pain from his side proving to be a hindrance to his movement. Uryū quickly formed his Ginrei Kojaku once more, and started to fire volley after volley of reishi formed arrows. The arrows were considerably more powerful than his arrows in the World of the living due to the reishi rich environment of Hueco Mundo.
Quilge sighed as he gracefully weaved through the rain of arrows, swatting away any of the projectiles he couldn't dodge. It didn't take more than thirty seconds until he had Uryū under his mercy once more, and sent a look of warning that he really could kill him if he wanted to do so.
"Apparently I owe a favor to Kurosaki, so I would have to refrain from harming you... or your friends too badly." Uryū's eyes widened as he realized that Quilge had known what he had been trying to do from the beginning. "You have potential, Ishida Uryū. With the proper training, you would most likely surpass even myself... It's just too bad that you didn't have the chance. Now, shouldn't your friends come out if they don't want to see you unnecessarily harmed further?"
"Wait, don't hurt Ishida-kun!" Quilge's eyebrows arched upon hearing a voice that belonged to a orange haired female, who he easily noticed as one Inoue Orihime. He knew that she would've been considered to be a Special War Power if her powers did not have a noticeable limit.
His eyes moved on to a tall, muscular man with dark skin who he easily recognized as Yasutora Sado. It seemed that all of Kurosaki's friends from the past had decided to visit Hueco Mundo for some reason... And he understood the reason a moment later upon seeing a child-like Arrancar hanging on the said man's shoulder.
"Ah, I see... Apparently your friends came to Hueco Mundo at that particular Arrancar's request. Yes?" Uryū looked like he wanted to refute Quilge's words, only to give up on that thought at seeing Quilge's knowing look. "You seem to be a bit too much well informed about us... What did you people do to Kurosaki to learn such information?!"
"Oh, don't you know when to give up? We didn't do anything to Kurosaki, despite your belief that we are using him as we see fit. You would be quite surprised at just how well he adjusted to the Wandenreich. Some would say, he actually might be much more happier compared to the time he spent in the World of the Living..." Quilge chuckled as the three teenagers' expression changed into one of disbelief, although he wasn't sure about Yasutora.
"As I was saying, I could easily deduce the reason your little band decided to visit Hueco Mundo... all thanks to one little information I had from the very start... Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, or should I say Nel in that child-like form?"
To say that everyone except Quilge himself was surprised would've been an understatement.
"Ahh! The bad man know'th my name?!" Nel squeaked in surprise, eliciting a feral grin from the 'bad man'.
"Of course! You see, I was requested... or rather ordered to leave Nellie Tu Odelschwanck and her companions unharmed. None of the Quincy of the Wandenreich particularly cares about the well-being of Arrancars, with only one exception. It isn't all that hard for you to deduce the identity of the said person, won't you agree?"
"...Itsygo a'thked for my 'thafety?!" Nel asked with her eyes sparkling with joy, completely disregarding the situation.
"Well, now wasn't that obvious? You see, apparently Kurosaki happens to owe a debt to you. I do not know the specifics of the debt, but he explicitly stated that you are under his protection. You are quite lucky to have Kurosaki in your debt, Arrancar." Quilge said while he adjusted his cap with the unoccupied hand.
"I remember 'thaving him from Nnoitra... but..." Nel knew that she had failed to subdue Nnoitra at the end, but it seemed that Ichigo thought of it to be enough for him to owe a debt to her.
Uryū's eyes narrowed as he pondered about Quilge's words. "Wait a second... Ordered? Are you saying that Kurosaki holds a higher position than you?" Uryū questioned with a little doubt, not believing his own words all that much even as he asked.
Quilge sighed in as he realized that he had apparently slipped too much information, not that it was any important at this point. The time of war has already come after all.
"If I say that you're right in your assumption, will you finally accept the fact that Kurosaki is under his majesty's service on his own free will? I'd rather not have to say it again, since stating the obvious is not my favorite activity. And also...?!" Uryū blinked in surprise as Quilge was swept away from his place in front of him, a giant fist in the place he was a second ago.
"What in the world is that beast...?" Quilge muttered as he separated himself from the wall he was embedded in, and cracked his neck. Apparently a muscular beast with a dear skull on its head accompanied with long thick manes had smashed him with its fist. He looked a little farther and recognized three figures standing at some distance, away from the giant beast.
"Don't forget about us... Did you think we were out of the fight for good?" Mila Rose growled.
"I did warn you, that you shouldn't take us lightly." Sung-Sun said with a calm expression, which was soon followed by her fellow Fracción.
"Show this pompous four-eyed asshole just what you're made of... Ayon!" Apacci cried out, a roar from the beast backing up her words.
Quilge observed the beast and came to the conclusion that it would be unwise of him to face the beast in his current state. When he placed his hand on the Leiden Hant, Uryū couldn't help but let out a gasp as he realized what the other Quincy was about to do. Quilge merely chuckled and prepared for the activation of his Vollständig. "Young Ishida, as I said... You are awfully outdated. This isn't the Quincy: Letzt Stil."
The insignia of the Wandenreich on the Leiden Hant flared with concentrated reiryoku, and soon exploded in a giant pillar of reishi with a large Quincy Cross at its tip around Quilge. Uryū gaped at the sheer amount of reishi that had gathered around Quilge, which surpassed anything he had ever seen. As the pillar of reishi started to diminish, the changed form of Quilge was revealed. With the wings of reishi and a halo-like reishi construct on his head, Quilge could be easily considered to have an angel like appearance.
"This, Ishida Uryū... is the perfected version of the Quincy: Letzt Stil, the Quincy: Vollständig. Unlike the Letzt Stil, which is a relic of the past... the Vollständig allows us to retain our power. You should know what kind of power comes upon the use of the Letzt Stil, but the Vollständig surpasses that of the Letzt Stil. It truly is the completion of a Quincy's power, which surpasses the Shinigami's Bankai..." Quilge frowned as he sensed a well hidden reiatsu with his enhanced spiritual awareness, which comes with the Vollständig. "Oh? It seems that you had more company, quite well hidden if I might add."
Before he could further comment on that, another roar from Ayon could be heard. "How troublesome..." Quilge muttered as he raised a hand to block Ayon's fist, only for his eyes to widen in surprise at the moment of contact. Ayon's fist simply smashed Quilge's arm, and sent the man flying into the air.
"Yeah! Put that monkey into his place, Ayon! Those freaky eyes were giving me the creeps!" Apacci cheered as Ayon pounced at the sprawled form of Quilge, and started to pulverize the Quincy into the ground. Orihime shielded Nel's eyes from the gruesome scene, while Uryū grimaced at the sight. He wasn't all that sure if the Quincy was telling him the truth about Kurosaki or not, but he had a sinking feeling that the Quincy just might be speaking of the truth. If that was the case, was this Quincy truly his enemy? 'But why would Kurosaki blindly follow the man that killed his mother?'
"This is too much... He's completely out of control!" Chad muttered, shocked at the brutal show of primitive violence. There was no skill or technique or whatsoever. The only thing he could see was the sheer power of the beast being fully unleashed at the opponent.
"Ayon is a monster created by the fusion of our three left arms. He ain't short on power, but he ain't smart enough to listen to our orders either! I'll give ya' a little piece of advice, kids. Run for your lives if you don't want to lose 'em!" Apacci said with a smirk.
"Well, the smug bastard got what he deserves. He's got nothing on Ayon, whatever the technique he used." Mila Rose commented.
"Don't be so sure yet... He fought us three on himself and won without a scratch." Sung-Sun chastised the other Arrancar.
The three Arrancar's attention was swiftly brought back to the fight, when they heard a sound of explosion vaguely different than the ones caused by Ayon's fists. They gasped in surprise at the sight in front of them as Ayon toppled for a moment, and fell backwards to the ground.
"As I said, the Quincy: Vollständig is the completion of a Quincy's power... You are quite mistaken if you expected this mindless beast to win against myself in this perfect form, but I suppose its power is quite impressive. I'd rather not have its hands on myself again, and I think I would prefer this instead of tainting myself with this wicked beast." Quilge drawled as he lazily adjusted his neck, which was obviously broken. He then fired a Heilig Pfeil at Ayon from the tip of his reishi sword, which immediately morphed into a giant cage at contact.
"Grrrg!" Ayon roared as it slammed into the cage, the bars of its prison not even budging at the beast's phenomenal strength.
"Ayon!" The Tres Bestia yelled, only to slump to the ground a moment later with identical holes formed on their chest. Quilge flicked his sword to remove the blood of the Arrancars from the blade, and turned to the other group.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly to the newcomers. I am the Executive Hunting Captain of the first Jagdarmee, the Sternritter 'J' as in 'The Jail', Quilge Opie. Would you show some courtesy and reveal yourself now, Urahara Kisuke?"
There was a silence with uncertain looks traded by the three teenagers, soon broken with the usual jovial voice of the former 12th Division Captain who appeared besides Uryū. "My, my. It seems that your Quincy: Vollständig heightens your spiritual awareness, if you were able to sense me. Ishida-san, may I suggest a tactical retreat for the moment? It seems that we are quite outnumbered, and myself and Pesche-san successfully secured our main objective."
Uryū looked around, and saw that they were indeed outnumbered. The soldats under Quilge's command were surrounding the group with their reishi weapons aimed to fire at their Captain's command.
"I'm afraid that won't do, Urahara Kisuke. You see, the first invasion has commenced as soon as I reported your presence in Hueco Mundo to his majesty. My next orders are to delay you with everything at my disposal. With Inoue Orihime's presence here, I suppose I am allowed to be a little rough even to Kurosaki's friends!"
Seireitei - June 13th
"Reishi analysis team! Are you not done yet?!" Lieutenant of the 3rd Division Kira Izuru asked in an urgent voice.
"I'm sorry, sir! The density of the reishi is just too high, that our instruments aren't functioning as well as it should... Reiatsu identified! Confirmed as a 93% match with our existing reiatsu samples! It's a Quincy!"
"...I see him! Attack!" Izuru ordered, only to be struck down with a Heilig Pfeil fired from the reishi pillar.
"Lieutenant Kira!"
"A sneak attack?! How disgraceful! Release your Shikai everyone! Make him pay for this atrocious move!"
"Disgraceful, you say? I find it rather funny, hearing such words from the Shinigami... You would do well to know, that this is war. And in war, you don't play fair. We had to learn it the hard way..." The cloaked figure muttered, the lifeless bodies of the 3rd Division's seated officers falling to the ground behind him. The Quincy noticed that the Lieutenant who he had initially thought to be defeated was still alive and breathing, even with the rather large hole he had under his ribs. The wound had been treated hastily in the short amount of time, the Lieutenant's efficiency surprising him greatly.
"Raise your head, Wabisuke! You'll pay for what you just did to them..." Izuru glared at the Quincy coldly, which his opponent responded in an unfazed manner.
"Such bold words, but can you back them up? I admit that I didn't expect you to be able to react to my Heilig Pfeil, which is a somewhat impressive feat for a mere Lieutenant... I suppose I could spare a little time for you before seeking out a more worthy opponent. I live by the belief that those who lived together should stay together even after death, so I'll be letting you join your subordinates shortly, Lieutenant Kira Izuru." Izuru's eyes widened in shock at the enemy's comment.
"Don't be so surprised. We have been preparing for a very long time... There really is almost nothing we don't know of in the Seireitei. I am the Sternritter 'I', Cang Du. Prepare for your death, Shinigami."
Bambietta ripped through the bodies of the enemies, none of them being capable of matching her sword for even a single blow. Thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, she counted as the bodies she had sliced in half fell to the ground, lengthening the trail of the enemy's corpses that lied behind her. It truly had been a long time since she was given the chance to relieve her stress, something her friends and Ichigo only served to increase. The knowing look Liltotto gave her all the time was simply infuriating!
'No, it's Ichigo who's infuriating! He's fucking dating three girls at the same time, and he doesn't have the guts to ask me out?!' Bambietta thought to herself in rage. Ichigo had quickly warmed his way into her heart, becoming not only her best friend but her first real crush. His body only improved over time with all the intense training, but what really made her crazy was his hair which had grown to the point where it reached his upper-back, something she really appreciated.
But she couldn't take out her anger at the girls or Ichigo since she really did care about them, and she was also banned from killing a random soldat to blow off some steam. Bambietta had been waiting for the moment of war to come greatly, and she intended to make the best of it.
Of course, her orders were to take on a Captain-level opponent at the earliest chance and steal their Bankai. But she didn't want to waste her time trying to find a Captain, so she came to a simple conclusion. If she killed off anyone in her sight, she would eventually come across a Captain. Her simple thoughts were proven to be true soon enough as a large man with a wolf-like head instead of a human's grabbed her arm to stop her from slaughtering more of the lesser Shinigami.
"Even such a young girl is among the enemy's forces...?" Komamura growled, only to be rebutted with Bambietta's snarky comment.
"I didn't know that the Soul Society gave stray doggies the position of a Captain. Are you guys really that short on man power?"
Komamura merely growled in response, and raised his Zanpakutō.
"Meni, do you think that guy is the one who I think he is?" Candice asked, impaling another Shinigami with her Heilig Pfeil.
"I think so... And he's coming to us." Meninas replied with a small frown, firing her own Heilig Pfeil.
"Well, we are just THAT attractive... Too bad for him that we're taken." Candice giggled.
"Bitches... You do know, that he's Ichigo's to finish off... right?" Liltotto said while sucking on a candy bar. The other girls could never understand how she pronounced all her words clearly while doing so, which was one of the many mysteries of the Sternritter.
"Well as far as I know, Ichigo didn't forgive him, but he isn't hell bent on getting revenge on him either." Meninas said, putting her Quincy Cross back into her pocket.
Abarai Renji frowned as he blocked Meninas' Heilig Pfeil, feeling the strength behind it. The invaders were killing off their soldiers mercilessly, and he needed to put a stop to it as expected from a Lieutenant of the Gotei 13.
"The hell are you talking about...? Well, I suppose three on one would be a good enough workout! Roar, Zabimaru!" Renji released his Zanpakutō with a confident smirk on his face, earning a disdainful look from the girls.
"I'm sure he won't mind as long as that bastard is still breathing when we're done with him. I'll just have to put him in his place!" Candice said as sparks flied around her, causing the other girls to step back a little.
Renji frowned as he noticed that two of the opponents seemed pissed at him for whatever reason. 'Now what did I do wrong? It's not like I was staring at their body no matter how tempting...'
"You're gonna fight me alone?" Renji asked, surprised that the enemy didn't instantly gang up on him.
"Obviously... You don't look all that strong, in case you're wondering why. You're also obviously overcompensating the lack of your length with your Zanpakutō too..." Candice taunted with a smirk, earning an indignant cry from Renji. "I'm not overcompensating anything! Go, Zabimaru!"
Candice merely grinned as the Renji's Zanpakutō stretched out to her, not feeling threatened at all. Candice caught the Zanpakutō with her bare hand with ease, causing Renji to become alarmed at his enemy's strength instantly. "I suppose this is what I should expect from a Lieutenant, nowhere near a real Captain's level I see. I'm Sternritter 'T' Candice Catnipp, 'The Thunderbolt'. Sorry to say, that I won't be the one to kill you... But I'm gonna beat you up, badly!"
Renji screamed in agony as Candice released a torrent of electricity, which he couldn't avoid due to his Zanpakutō being held firmly in the girl's hand.
"I think I'm just gonna watch them fight... There's no point at killing all those men, since it's not like they can really harm us." Meninas muttered while playing with a lock of her hair.
"...You have a point." Liltotto agreed, and sat down against a wall. "You know, you've been a bit too lax in your training if he blocked your Heilig Pfeil without even using his Shikai."
"I had better things to do with my time..." Meninas replied with a small blush adorning her cheeks, which was answered with Liltotto's foul words as usual.
"You, you're supposed to love me! Why...?!" PePe whined indignantly with his dying breath. He had thought that it was a good idea to seek out the so called strongest Captain of the Gotei 13, Zaraki Kenpachi to make him his slave of love... Only to be proven wrong with his own body being split in half at Kenpachi's Zanpakutō. He had been so sure that his Schrift had worked properly on the man, that he didn't even have the chance to use his Quincy: Vollständig.
"The only thing I love is fighting, you moron..." Kenpachi replied in annoyance.
"If so, then I shall give you a fight which will be your last." A man with an eye on his forehead said as he leisurely walked towards Kenpachi. Kenpachi blinked in surprise at the shifting form of the man, which started to resemble someone he knew very well... Himself.
"Oh? Now this is gonna be interesting to fight against!" Kenpachi shouted in glee at the sight of Loyd LLoyd who had changed into a carbon copy of himself.
"I am Sternritter 'Y', 'The Yourself' Loyd LLoyd. Let's see how well you fight against yourself, Zaraki Kenpachi!"
Yoruichi swiftly arrived at her Division, only to be greeted by an enemy who had been waiting for her in the shadows.
"Who's there... Sui, Sui-Fēng? You're alive?" Yoruichi asked, and her voice cracked while doing so. Shaolin couldn't help but smile at the thought of Yoruichi worrying about her, which made her feel bad for what she was about to do... Only a little.
"It has been quite some time since we've last seen each other, Lady Yoruichi. The Captain's Haori fits you much better than myself, even if it was forced on you. Oh, and I go by the name Shaolin now since I'm not the Head of the Fēng Clan anymore." Yoruichi blinked in surprise at the change in Sui-Fēng... no, Shaolin's demeanor. Apparently she became a lot more relaxed over the year of her disappearance, even when she was talking with her 'Lady Yoruichi' who Shaolin basically worshiped the very ground she walked on.
"I see... But what's with the clothes you're wearing? Did you become a part of the Quincy King's forces, Shaolin? Don't tell me that the Quincy brainwashed you?"
"I did not join the Quincy, Lady Yoruichi... I still am technically Kurosaki Ichigo's captive, after all. Not that I am treated as such." Shaolin thought the last part to herself. She was treated more like a guest, or a friend to the Sternritter girls. It was so much better compared to just how much she had to stress herself out while trying to train her troops, and keeping her Lieutenant in check. Yoruichi's eyes narrowed at the mention of her more recent pupil, her suspicions having been confirmed. 'So it really was Ichigo who faked their death and took Shaolin with him, to the Quincy King. But why? Why is Ichigo doing all this?'
"And for the brainwashing part, I could say that your guess isn't that far off from the truth, Lady Yoruichi. The only thing that happened to my mind, was the removal of my loyalty to the Gotei 13." Yoruichi gasped at the piece of information, while Shaolin continued on. "But I'm somewhat thankful that it happened. I've never thought that a day like this would come, but the Gotei 13 and the Nobles, the Central 46... It's all disgusting to me. I didn't know that my loyalty blinded me that much, but I possessed the knowledge of the deepest secrets of the Gotei 13 as the Commander in Chief of the Onmitsukidō. You knew most of it as well, and wasn't that a part of the reason you and that 'man'... Decided to leave the Soul Society oblivious to the upcoming threat of the Quincy? I know that he would've been able to figure out what had been happening, or at least the gist of it."
Yoruichi flinched at the accusation, but chose not to refute. Of course she knew the darkest secrets the Gotei 13 had been keeping, a burden that comes with the position of the Onmitsukidō's head. She herself wasn't all that loyal to the Soul Society anymore, with the hundred-years of exile and the recent 'reinstatement' as a Captain serving as a big factor. Kisuke most certainly wasn't one to place something like 'loyalty' of all things above his interest, proven by his creation of the Hōgyoku. He had his morals without a doubt, but he was a cold and calculative man when he needed to be.
"Did you know, that there was a piece of information which was revealed shortly after Aizen's imprisonment... Ordered to be never spoke again by the Central 46? I'm quite certain that you or the other reinstated Captains have never heard of this, Lady Yoruichi." Yoruichi's eyebrows arched in confusion, not at all understanding where Shaolin was going with this.
"The very reason that made Kurosaki Ichigo an active participant of this invasion. The truth of his mother's death... And the event that happened to her after her soul was purified." Shaolin muttered with disdain evident in her voice, causing her former master to bite her lower lips.
"What... exactly happened to her?"
Kuchiki Rukia rushed towards the closest pillar of reishi from her location, and noticed the lower-class Shinigami sprawled all over the place. Most of them were still breathing, albeit barely to her relief. The count of death was surprisingly low, barely reaching double digits. Rukia's head snapped up as she raised her Zanpakutō to block an arrow, and nearly dropped her sword upon contact. 'The power behind this arrow... It's unbelievable...'
"Well blocked, Lieutenant Kuchiki. I expected no less from you. I thought my emerging point was supposed to be near the SRDI, but since I met you out of all people I must be near the 13th Division Barracks then. I wonder where Gigi is though..."
"I, Ichigo?!" Rukia gasped at the sight of her friend, dressed in a white uniform. He wore a white cloak on himself, which concealed the upper-left part of his face with the hood. There was a black pattern etched on that specific part resembling his Hollow mask. She also noticed that his hair had grown noticeably longer, about the same length of her adoptive brother. He held a blue bow which was formed out of reishi, a clear evidence that he was the person who fired an arrow at her.
"It's been a long time since we parted our ways, right? It just so happens that we find ourselves on the opposing sides of a war now." Ichigo muttered, a melancholic look on his face as he had to face one of his friends in battle... The very one he had been dreading to face against. Kuchiki Rukia was the one who connected him to the Afterlife, the one he had shared a special bond with. It pained him greatly that this was something inevitable, when he knew that Rukia would never turn her back on someone's trust.
He couldn't help but be tempted to mess with her memory like he had done so a year ago to Shaolin, but he couldn't do that to his friend... Who was probably his best friend. He doubted that he could bring himself to mess with even Shaolin's memories with the friendship they shared now. The kind of power his Schrift held was enough to corrupt someone, and Ichigo was determined to never lose himself to it.
"Why, why are you doing this Ichigo?! I know that the Soul Society's involvement with the incident a year ago was a complete disgrace, but are you going to stand against us in a war because of that...?"
Ichigo chuckled in response, not that surprised at her obliviousness. He doubted that anyone outside of the Captains during that time knew of his reasons, even the newly reinstated Captains - former Visoreds.
"Rukia... My mother was left to die by a Shinigami just because she was a Quincy, and so was I... I'm not sure if I could've forgiven him if that was all, but I learned something that made feel so... vengeful, angry, and it wasn't something I couldn't just let go. I hated almost everything related to the Shinigami with all my being for a few months, that I even thought to never use my Zanpakutō again. I've calmed down a little overtime, but that doesn't mean I don't feel obligated to pay back what my mom had to suffer." Ichigo explained his reasons with a cold voice, but Rukia could feel the somber tone under it.
She had never known that Ichigo's mother was a Quincy, but if what she had heard from Kisuke years ago was true... It really wasn't surprising to her that something like that happened to Ichigo. The same had happened to Uryū's grandfather after all. She came to the realization that this wasn't something that she could just bring Ichigo back to his senses. He was fighting for his own reasons, and so was she.
"Just what did your mom suffer, Ichigo...?" Rukia asked in a soft voice, even if she knew that they were merely delaying the inevitable with small talk. She could see that Ichigo really didn't want to fight her seriously, a shared sentiment on her part. Ichigo pondered about whether he should tell her right now or not, and suddenly adopted a small grin on his face.
"You know what...? I'll tell you after we have a little match between us. I want to see if you improved over the time we hadn't seen each other, and you'll never be able to show me your best if I tell you right now. The longer you hold me back, the less of your subordinates will find themselves at the receiving end of my bow. If you win, I'll even step back in this invasion..." Ichigo formed a sword out of reishi as he spoke, which Rukia recognized as Ichigo's Bankai. "It's not the real Zangetsu, mind you. It's a mere imitation, so I'm not using my Bankai in case you're wondering. Your call Rukia. Are you just going to let the enemy go on his way to wreak havoc? I've killed some of your subordinates, no matter how many I tried to spare. Surely you can't let it abide as a Lieutenant of the Gotei 13?"
"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki..." Rukia immediately released her Shikai with a look of determination on her face. If the power she felt from Ichigo's reishi arrow was any proof, she needed to do her absolute best if she wanted a chance of victory. "I hope you didn't get all rusty during the years, Ichigo. It'll be a boring match if you did."
Ichigo raised his brows, and let out a laugh. "Oh, Rukia... You have absolutely no idea how I spent my past year. The only thing I could do other than spending some time with my girlfriends, was training my ass off. You'll be surprised at just how much I improved."
"Oh... Girlfriends, as in plural Ichigo? I can clearly see that you did improve from the prudish strawberry I remember." Rukia said with a sly grin, which didn't bring out the response she had been expecting.
"Rukia, are you sure this is a good time for you to tease me? Countless men are dying all over the Seireitei, and you'll have to put me down if you want to save them... If you fail, I can't afford to be lenient with your subordinates any more. Besides, I'm used to pet names at this point, so that I couldn't care less about your strawberry jabs..." Ichigo replied with a smirk, and then it disappeared as soon as he brought up his sword. "I am the Sternritter 'A', Kurosaki Ichigo. Show me your best, Lieutenant Kuchiki."
Rukia raised her hand and concentrated her reiryoku, refusing to answer as she realized that Ichigo was right. She needed to put a stop to him and the enemies, a duty that fell into her hands not only as a Lieutenant, but a member of the Gotei 13. As much as it pained her to fight against her friend in a real war... "Hadō #73, Sōren Sōkatsui!"
She would do her very best to ensure that he doesn't cause any more harm to the Soul Society.
"Hinamori, this is my official order as your Captain, so listen carefully. Take all of our men with ya' to the 4th Division Barracks, far away from me. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back against them..." Shinji muttered as he was faced with three of the enemy. Momo seemed to be conflicted on whether to follow her given orders or protest against it, but soon nodded her head and went on her way to collect the 5th Division members.
"Oh? You think you're so tough, that you can take on all of us? Aren't you an arrogant one?" Sternritter 'Q' Berenice Gabrielli questioned with a snicker.
"HOW LAUGHABLE! WE WILL SHOW YOU YOUR PLACE, CAPTAIN!" Sternritter 'R' Jerome Guizbatt boomed, causing Shinji and Berenice to wince at his loud voice.
"5th Division Captain, Hirako Shinji. Your arrogance will be your undoing. I can only hope that you will be able to provide some valuable data before you die." Sternritter 'K' BG9 stated with a cold voice, which lacked any kind of emotion.
Shinji released his Shikai without a word, a look of concern on his face as he sensed a few of his subordinates still within range. He hoped that Momo would finish her task soon enough. He would have to stall a little more time until then.
"Say, what's with all your letters? Does it hold a meaning, like the rank of your strength?" Shinji asked, thinking of the Espada.
"Why should we even answer your question? It's my job to ask questions, not yours. Besides, you're obviously stalling time for your Lieutenant to vacate the area for whatever reason you have..." Berenice replied, only to adopt a look of annoyance a second later as BG9 answered Shinji's question.
"The letters represent the power we have at our disposal, our Schrifts bestowed by his majesty. Mine is 'The Knowledge', Berenice's is 'The Question', Jerome's is 'The Roar'."
"What the hell, you scrap metal?! Why are you explaining that to the enemy? You're fucking malfunctioning!"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER, BERENICE! HE'S GONNA DIE IN A FEW MINUTES ANYWAY!" Jerome roared, and Shinji realized that whatever power 'The Roar' was, it had something to do with that freaking loud voice.
"Yes, it is irrelevant. There is no problem in satisfying a man's thirst for knowledge if he is to die at our hands soon." BG9 added his own piece.
Berenice merely ignored the robot, and turned her attention to Shinji who was deep in thought about something that had been bothering him for a long time. "You know what? I think I'm going to have a hell lot of fun questioning you..."
"Is there someone among your ranks who can erase other people's memory?" Shinji asked, causing the female Sternritter to blink at him in confusion.
"Yes. Our Sternritter 'A', Ku..." BG9 was silenced as Berenice whacked its head with a hastily formed reishi construct, which didn't even have a proper shape. "You fucking robot, stop dishing out the information about our forces to the enemy! If you try to say something like that, I'll just dispose of you with my own hands!"
"My senses are malfunctioning..." BG9 replied with an incoherent answer.
"What the hell are you...?! What the fuck?!" Berenice muttered, realizing that something was indeed wrong.
Shinji sighed in relief as he finally sensed no one other than the three enemies in the vicinity.
"My Zanpakutō, Sakanade is a nasty one, ya' see. It reverses the direction of everything in your sight... And It ain't something you can get used to easily. Oh, I can even make ya' hear my words backwards too. Anyway, I'm good at doing everything in reverse. Apparently, I'm better at fighting when I'm outnumbered too. I know that you guys have some sort of way to seal or neutralize my Bankai, but I can assure ya'... Ya' all are gonna be a bit to busy to deal with my Bankai. Bankai, Sakashima Yokoshima Happō Fusagari..." Shinji smirked as a flower-like pedestal formed at his feet, which soon surrounded him protectively.
Berenice quickly reached for her medallion, only to find herself forming a Heilig Bogen without even realizing. She felt a strange compulsion, the urge to strike down her fellow Sternritter... 'Fellow Sternritter? No, they are your enemy...'
At the same time, Jerome roared at BG9, who merely changed his arm into a machine gun-like weapon and shot him in retaliation. Berenice joined in the fight with her arrows, determined to eliminate them both.
"Pity we got banned from using your Bankai, Sakanade. We might as well just leave the Gotei 13 as an exile again after this, if they decide to piss us off for using it without permission. Hiyori must've been crying herself to sleep since we left, wouldn't ya' agree?" Shinji asked his Zanpakutō, not receiving a response. "Ya' know, If the one who messed with my memories when Captain Sui-Fēng died is one of them, I could've stopped it from happening if I just kept my guard up... Oh, you're saying it wasn't my fault? Now what do ya' really know, Sakanade?"
Shinji stopped his muttering as he suddenly felt a familiar reiatsu spiking up from the direction of the 2nd Division. "...Okay, now I'm confused. Can you please tell me what ya' know, Sakanade?"
Before anyone asks, I know Ichigo was being hypocritical and still is. Don't get me wrong, I'm aware of it but it's kind of hard to solve.
Some of the dialogue is same as canon, with a few differences.
Ichigo doesn't know exactly what Quilge is doing with the Arrancars, unlike canon where he couldn't condone Quilge's actions when he saw what was happening with his own eyes. Yhwach genuinely cares about the Quincy, but it doesn't extend to other beings. Also, there'll be some interaction between Ichigo and Harribel later on, and no, she won't be included in Ichigo's harem.
I think I should just remove or completely fix the part with Kisuke and Ebern, since Ebern seems so... stupid really. But I thought he was an idiot even in canon, and seriously... how can he actually make Ichigo use his Bankai? Everyone knows that Fullbring+Shikai Ichigo's strength isn't something to laugh at ,with how Ginjō thought Ichigo used a Getsuga when it was an AA in reality.
Just because Ebern was using a Quincy Cross doesn't make him any more stronger than he should be, which would be an Adjuchas-level Arrancar at most. I doubt that Kisuke would even need to use Benihime to win against Ebern. He most certainly can level the floor with Ebern only using his Kidō.
I'll try to fix that part later on, although I might just choose to remove it, since Ebern isn't that much of an important character anyway. I liked the part until Ebern gets a bit too much stupid to the point of that part becoming a bit too childish, so I probably would start fixing it from there.
This time Uryū went to Hueco Mundo, but he's obviously out-matched by Quilge. Uryū has potential, but he has a long way to go. I wonder if I should let Grimmjow kill Quilge as easily as he did in canon?
I also let Izuru back in to the fight, just for a short time. Poor guy just made some orders and got himself nearly killed instantly in canon... Oh, and it wasn't Bazz-B who met the 3rd Division officers this time.
Shinji's gonna get some more spotlight, because he is absolutely underrated. His Shikai is pretty broken, since its basically 'reversal', not the reversal of senses. I'm not sure about Rose and Kensei though. Rose's Bankai is broken I'll give you that.
Sakashima Yokoshima Happō Fusagari(Reversed Evil Eight Treasure Blockade) is a Bankai that affects everyone in the influence of its reiatsu, making them think of their ally as an enemy and vice versa. Apparently it was banned due to it being 'too powerful', but we all know that it's complete bullshit considering Yama-ji's Zanka no Tachi.
A little head-up for the changed match-ups that will come in the next chapter(probably).
Bazz-B is at the 6th Division, and Äs Nödt will be fighting against the 10th. Mask and Giselle? Who knows. The Schutzstaffel and Gremmy won't be participating in the first invasion.
Robert and Shunsui will be same as the canon, maybe with a slightly different result. Driscoll's gonna be burnt to a crisp by Yama-ji, obviously the same as canon. NaNaNa is still going to fight Rose.
By the way, does any one know about who Jūshirō fought in the first invasion? I think it was probably Nianzol, but I couldn't get any solid information on that part.
Current match-ups.
Sternritter 'A' Kurosaki Ichigo VS Kuchiki Rukia - 13th Division Lieutenant
Sternritter 'E' Bambietta Basterbine VS Sajin Komamura - 7th Division Captain
Sternritter 'I' Cang Du VS Kira Izuru - 3rd Division Lieutenant
Sternritter 'T' Candice Catnipp VS Abarai Renji - 6th Division Lieutenant
Sternritter 'Y' Loyd Lloyd VS Zaraki Kenpachi - 11th Division Captain
Sternritter 'K' BG9, 'Q' Berenice Gabrielli, 'R' Jerome Guizbatt VS Hirako Shinji - 5th Division Captain
Shaolin Fēng(Sui-Fēng) VS Shihōin Yoruichi - 2nd Division Captain
I'll probably skip some fights that are the same as canon, and I also let Kenpachi kill PePe. Cheers.
None of the Captains lost their Bankai yet, and Shinji used his Bankai. I think the medallion wouldn't have worked on the Visoreds anyway, but I didn't want to let the Gotei know that the Visoreds' Bankai can't be stolen yet. I think it's a needed process since Ichigo isn't on their side to let them gain that information.