ToTo swung his sword the way the instructor taught him. Feet planted, but not so firmly that he was rooted. Breathing in sync with the movement of his arms. Hands gripping the hilt in just the right places to stay perfectly balanced.
Each time he raised the blade over his head and brought it back down-a swift, controlled motion-a wave of ice raced across the ground. Jagged pillars erupted through the swarms of Gigi's zombies, eviscerating them like tissue paper. The Arrancar he was aiming at were more swift. They watched him intently, almost ignoring the other zombies altogether. Each time he swung, the one he was aiming at would dive out of the way.
It was starting to get on ToTo's nerves. Gigi wasn't too happy either. He could feel her irritation. It made his joints itch. If he didn't lash out and destroy something, his body would rip itself apart. He didn't like that. He didn't want his body to fall apart, and he didn't want Gigi to be angry. He needed to take more drastic measures.
The basic forms weren't enough, so ToTo shifted his grip and swung twice; first down, then back up. Two quick strikes. Most of the zombies fighting the Hollows were thrown into the air in pieces as a veritable mountain of ice sprang up beneath their feet. There would be no dodging something that large.
As he expected, the Arrancar were flushed out. Exposed like that, he could pick them off one by one, assuming they didn't all rush him at once . . . Which is what they did.
Three of them advanced, boxing him in. His only avenue of retreat was back towards Gigi. That wouldn't work, since it would put her in danger. He had no choice but to break through their charge, then. ToTo lowered his center of gravity and brought his sword up beside his head. A horizontal slash sent a blast of ice at the Hollows, catching two of them. They'd be stalled for a few seconds while they dug their limbs out of the ice. The third Hollow continued her charge.
ToTo prepared to defend, but just as she reached him, she changed direction, flying straight up. A moment later a large blast of energy enveloped him. It's heat singed his skin, but that was fine. Gigi could make it all better later. Besides, a Hollow's cero was hardly a threat to him at this point. He shrugged it off, preparing his stance for an extra powerful attack.
As soon as the beam stopped, ToTo swung. A large spike of ice erupted in front of him. Then another spike sprouted from the tip of the first one. More and more spikes sprang forth, creating a chain that whipped through the air like an eel. It managed to swat both of the remaining Hollows out of the air as it thrashed.
He never would have come up with a move like this before. It was too destructive and difficult to control. But Gigi liked those kinds of big, flashy moves. He should ask her to name it later. Whatever she decided on would definitely be better than anything he could come up with.
ToTo looked to the other two Hollows only to find that they'd already escaped their icy restraints. That would mean . . .
ToTo spun, swinging in a graceful arc, severing a muscular arm and cutting one of the Arrancar in half. He didn't give the disarmed one time to recover, dragging his blade through the tall Hollow's long, chiseled torso.
"That should . . . do it." ToTo stared down at the Arrancar he'd just chopped through. They were still functioning, but they wouldn't be doing any more fighting until they could be repaired. Any question about the quality of Gigi's zombies would be put to rest now. Good riddance.
"Good show! Good show! I am thoroughly impressed, miss Quincy!" ToTo's attention snapped to Kurotsuchi, who was approaching. He moved to defend Gigi, but got the impression that she didn't want him to. So he waited. "I just have one question, if you would? Think of it as an act of generosity towards your inferior."
"Curious how my zombies could be so much better than yours, huh?" Gigi laughed. Her voice had such a sing-song quality to it. ToTo was glad she zombified him, so he could hear it all the time.
"Close, but no," Kurotsuchi laughed too. "The gap in quality I'm interested in is between our good Captain Hitsugaya here, and that exploding girl from earlier. Is there a reason why you made a Shinigami so much more capable?"
Gigi crossed her arms. She only did that when she was annoyed, so maybe ToTo would get his chance to put Kurotsuchi out of their misery soon. "That comes down to materials. Bambi was well beyond saving, so I killed her, then turned her into a zombie. ToTo was still kicking when I made him, so he's got a lot more of his original strength. It's just a quirk of my awesome power." It was indeed awesome. "Now then, I'll give you two options. You can either submit yourself for zombification, or I can have ToTo kill you, and then zombify you. Make your choice."
"Hmm," the Captain of the 12th Division tapped his chin, that familiar blank expression on his face. He even tilted his head. Did he think he was being cute? "I'll go with neither, I'm afraid. I can't very well dissect you if I am one of your thralls, now can I?"
ToTo didn't need to wait for Gigi's command. He charged in close, expecting the resourceful Captain to have a response to Hyōrinmaru's ice. This was the perfect time to make use of those newly refreshed sword skills!
He shoved the tip of his sword at the dark void Kurotsuchi had instead of a heart, but the other Captain's golden Zanpakuto deflected the attack. Then, with a movement that was faster than ToTo expected, he grabbed ToTo by the shoulder and threw him away.
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō! I must admit, I am excited to be facing you. There has always been much about you that I would like to learn. I have an exhaustive list of medicines that need testing as well. How do you think they will react to a zombie?" Kurotsuchi smiled. An evil expression. ToTo had always thought so, even when they were allies. He raised his blade in refusal. "A shame. Truly. But remember this, if you had only accepted my offer of assistance in the first place, none of this would have had to happen."
ToTo launched himself at the monster masquerading as a Shinigami. He was going to do something that should have been done centuries ago!
A glowing net shot out of Kurotsuchi's sleeve. A naive tactic. Idiotic, if he actually thought it would work. ToTo sidestepped it without losing momentum and closed in. This time, he made sure to get in really close before striking. The enemy Captain tried to back away, but ToTo stepped in after him, blocking him. He shoved his sword forward in a narrow crescent, but his edge was met with another. Kurotsuchi's arm contorted, allowing it to wiggle in between them and deflect ToTo's attack.
That wasn't enough to discourage ToTo. Gigi was cheering for him. He could feel it. He stepped in even closer, shifting his stance to produce as much power as possible in such close proximity. His strike was too improbable, too swift, to block!
The clang of metal on metal filled his ears as Kurotsuchi's arm slithered between them again. No matter! ToTo took a step back and unleashed a furious series of swipes. Each strike was deflected. Frustration mounted as ToTo pushed harder and harder. He needed to go faster. He needed to overwhelm this monster and strike him down!
Kurotsuchi brought his free hand up to his mouth. He was . . . yawning? "What's that look for? Did you think that training in the sword a little would make you unstoppable? Against a normal opponent, you might have been right. But I am a genius! A little modification to my arms and a special tracking sensor in my Zanpakuto, and voila! I don't even have to try to render you swordsmanship impotent."
ToTo's cold, lifeless skin itched with the heat of rage. This man was always like this. Insufferable! Well, he'd show him. ToTo redoubled his efforts to overwhelm with a flurry of swipes. He kept it up until Kurotsuchi couldn't resist the urge to taunt him again. The Captain's free hand reached for his face, and ToTo kicked.
Kurotsuchi's free hand snapped down, catching ToTo's leg. ToTo shifted his weight, bracing himself to resist being thrown, but then the enemy Captain let go and backed away.
Moments later, ToTo's leg exploded.
He froze the wound immediately, preventing his foot from coming off completely. That might have crippled most fighters, but he was one of Gigi's zombies. This was nothing!
He charged, pushing off of his nearly amputated leg to spite his opponent, and shouted. "Bankai!" Daiguren Hyōrinmaru's frozen armaments wrapped around his arms and legs. His icy wings accelerated his advance. He was going to end this in one, powerful strike!
Kurotsuchi only had time to open his eyes wide as a wave of ice enveloped him, freezing him in place. Knowing him, though, he would have some kind of countermeasure. ToTo wasn't about to risk him surviving. He continued his charge and rammed the end of his sword through Kurotsuchi's chest. There was no telling where the man's heart really was, or if he even had one to begin with, so he twisted the blade. Spikes of ice exploded out of every inch of the frozen Captain's body. Wherever his vitals were hidden, this had to have reached them.
ToTo withdrew his sword, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. No, this was a weight that would have been burdening the entire world. He'd just done the universe a great service. He hoped Gigi would be happy with his performance. He turned to seek her approval.
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō! I must admit, I am excited to be facing you. There has always been much about you that I would like to learn. I have an exhaustive list of medicines that need testing as well. How do you think they will react to a zombie?" Kurotsuchi smiled. An evil expression. ToTo had always thought so, even when they were allies. He raised his blade in refusal. "A shame. Truly. But remember this, if you had only accepted my offer of assistance in the first place, none of this would have had to happen."
ToTo leaned forward, preparing to launch himself at the monster masquerading as a Shinigami, but a powerful feeling of wrongness stopped him. What was he doing? He was trying to defeat Kurotsuchi Mayuri, wasn't he? It was something that should have been done centuries ago.
But didn't he . . .
He shook his head. This was no time for distracting thoughts! ToTo charged. When a glowing net sprang from Kurotsuchi's sleeve he sidestepped it. It didn't work the first time, so why would it work now?
What was this déjà vu? No, he'd definitely experienced this before. If his feelings were correct, then Kurotsuchi would counter him with a weird sensor. That would be a waste of time. Not to mention a humiliation. He didn't want to look bad in front of Gigi. Anything but that!
"Bankai!" He shouted, swinging his sword before the ice had fully grown along his limbs. A glacier surged forth from his blade. It encased Kurotsuchi in a flash. Another swipe sent a massive spike into the center of that frozen construct, shattering it and the Captain trapped within.
There. A nice, quick end. Gigi would have to shower him with praise for this. It was even big and flashy.
"Hitsugaya Tōshirō!" ToTo started, gripping his sword, ready to pounce. "I must admit, I am excited to be facing you. There has always been much about you that I would like to learn. I have an exhaustive list of medicines that need testing as well." This was wrong. It had happened before. Exactly like this! "How do you think they will react to a zombie?" Kurotsuchi smiled. An evil expression. ToTo breathed heavily as panic gripped him. "A shame. Truly. But remember this, if you had only accepted my offer of assistance in the first place, none of this would have had to happen."
ToTo screamed. "Bankai!" Something was very, very wrong. He needed answers. A wave of ice encased Kurotsuchi from the neck down. Giving him that much freedom was extremely dangerous, but what other choice did he have? He couldn't extract information from an icicle. He pressed the tip of his Zanpakuto between Kurotsuchi's eyes. "What did you do?! What is happening?!"
"Oh? I see you've woken up. Welcome back, Captain Hitsugaya."
ToTo collapsed. Sweat soaked into his uniform and dripped from his chin. His lungs burned as if he'd been sprinting for ages. His limbs shook as if weak from overuse. Looking up was a struggle.
Kurotsuchi stood there smiling. He hadn't moved. And neither had ToTo, he realized.
"What you've just experienced are the effects of a new drug I've been manufacturing. Tell me, did you have a good time?"
"When . . . did you . . ."
"When I grabbed you, of course. I thought that would have been obvious." He started walking towards ToTo. Slowly. Menacingly. "I once concocted a drug that would trap a person in their own mind until they died of exposure or dehydration, whichever came first. There was a problem with that drug, though. You see, it was too potent. The victim would never be able to escape and they would die without fail. For many reasons, that was inconvenient."
"So, I did a little tweaking. I administered the result of that tweaking to you just moments ago, though I'm sure it felt like a much longer time to you." Memories returned to ToTo's head in waves. Countless battles, the same battle, over and over and over. How many times did he kill Kurotsuchi? How many times did Kurotsuchi kill him? Hundreds? Thousands?! "This improved version of the drug traps its victims in their own minds, however it also fools the body itself as well. After paralyzing you it systematically activated every muscle in your body in response to the hallucinatory battles you fought in your head. In effect, your entire being, down to your individual cells, was convinced that all that fighting you did was real. Hence, your life threatening exhaustion."
ToTo's head fell against the ground. He couldn't support its weight anymore. His muscles wouldn't respond. Kurotsuchi stepped up beside him, looming.
"I suppose it is fortunate that the girl changed you while alive. It opens up all sorts of possibilities." ToTo felt something stab through him. A sword? "This should hold you still until the work is complete, so just relax. Or, try to, anyway."
ToTo's eyes caught the glint of a needle as Kurotsuchi reached down. He stuck the syringe into ToTo's neck and hell flowed into his veins. He screamed, but his body was too weak to writhe. His heart beat dangerously fast, making the agony even worse. It was like his blood had been replaced by millions of little knives!
Gigi! Gigi would help him! She had to! He did what she said. She wouldn't let him be killed like this!
"Stay away!" He heard her voice. She sounded panicked! He needed to get up and protect her. But his body wouldn't move. His muscles seized and cramped, but his limbs never moved. He couldn't do anything. Again!
He'd have to leave it up to RanRan and the rest of Gigi's zombies. He didn't have a choice.
That hurt almost as much as whatever Kurotsuchi had done to him.
+ Shift +
Kurotsuchi smiled, satisfied with the work that he had done. He handed Nemu the syringe and she promptly disposed of it. She, in turn, handed him a trigger, which he pressed. Agonized shouts rose up from the field of frozen devastation. "Your break is over, you miserable louts! Get over here and do what I made you to do."
Those useless Arrancar emerged from piles of body parts and ice. Well, two of them did. Dordoni and Charlotte were in pieces themselves. That was a pain, but nothing worth fretting over. He'd simply need to ensure they regretted their weakness when he put them back together. As for the other two . . .
"You didn't have to shock us again! We would have come if you just called!" Cirucci screeched. Had she been this shrill before he revived her?
"Speak for yourself. I'd have played dead until he forgot about me." Now, Luppi, on the other hand, was very nearly the model slave. Insubordinate and stubborn, yes, but not nearly so loud. Cirucci could learn a thing or two.
Alternatively, he could just remove Cirucci's vocal chords. Many solutions.
Kurotsuchi snapped his fingers, "Focus, please. You have work to do." He pointed and their eyes followed.
That zombie girl was rousing a new wave of defenses, with Lieutenant Matsumoto leading the charge this time. The poor, embattled 10th Division. If zombies of that caliber were all she had left, then his own zombies would be able to handle it while he prepared.
"Clear the rabble. Ideally without destroying any of them. I'd like to continue testing my new concoction." They rushed in without complaint, but they couldn't fool Kurotsuchi Mayuri. "Keep in mind, I will divide your bodies once for every one you kill, so take care." Their curses reached his ears just as they collided with the opposing zombie force.
The battle took about as much time as he expected, considering the quality of his competition. That was to say, it ended so fast the Quincy didn't even have time to do a double take. She scampered off while Kurotsuchi made his way through the field of neutralized enemies. One by one, he injected them with the same drug he'd administered to Hitsugaya. The battlefield erupted in a chorus of agonized screams. It was actually quite nice.
Humming to the lovely tune, Kurotsuchi sauntered through the layer of fallen soldiers. The Quincy thought she could hide from him, but he'd already attuned the unique signature of her soul to his sensors. Coupling that with his well proven spirit suppression technique, he was able to sneak up on her with ease.
She shrieked when he popped his head around the pile of rubble she was hiding behind. She was cowering. An appropriate reaction.
"Let me first say that I was genuine when I expressed my respect for your power to zombify. I feel a kindred spirit with you because of it." She shuddered, prompting him to smile. "Next, allow me to break down that power of yours. Stop me when I get something wrong, okay? The secret lies in your blood. When transforming someone into your thrall, you integrate your blood into their bodies. In the case of a corpse, this reanimates them, allowing you to control them, but demanding a greater amount of focus on your part. Which is why you prefer to zombify the living, yes? An active circulatory system would make it much easier to inoculate your victims, and I imagine it requires less blood as well. Another benefit, these victims maintain a level of independent thought, allowing them to move without constant direction. Have I got it right so far?"
The Quincy nodded. She had tears in her eyes now, poor thing. She really wasn't going to like this next part.
He held up one of the syringes he used on her zombies, "Now, do you know what this is?" She shook her head. He chuckled. "This is a serum that I developed over the course of our battle. It was a bit of a rush job, so the process is rough and excruciating for the patient, but I would stake my life on it working. This wonderful serum enters the bloodstream and identifies invading organisms-your blood, in this case-and attacks it. Changes it. Do you know what it changes into?" She shook her head again. "My blood."
The Quincy's already pale face drained of color, leaving her skin almost translucent. She understood right away. That wouldn't stop him from finishing his explanation, though.
"By changing your blood into mine, I was able to not only neutralize your power over them, I was able to hijack it. Brilliant, I know." He loomed over her-he did so like to loom-as a force of zombified soldiers, both Shinigami and Quincy, gathered around them. "In other words, your zombies are now my zombies." Kurotsuchi turned and left the Quincy surrounded by her former thralls, Lieutenant Matsumoto at their head. With a snap of his fingers, they collapsed on the poor zombie girl.
Her muffled screams were music to his ears.
+ Shift +
Liltotto Lamperd, Sternritter of the righteous Wandenreich, grit her teeth in frustration. Glowing arrows flew up at her without end. Did this guy ever get tired? It didn't look like it. If anything, he was getting stronger!
The traitorous Quincy looked up at her with a level gaze. He didn't appear to be exerting himself at all. Even as his attacks picked up speed his expression stayed the same. His brow never furrowed. He never glared, or bared his teeth. He only displayed one emotion at all, and it was driving Lil up the wall.
How dare he pity her.
She felt a white hot ball form in the pit of her stomach. It burned, and drove her to seethe and hate. She didn't understand it-nothing like this had happened when she fought the rank and file Shinigami, nor did she feel much other than a muted loneliness when Bambietta was defeated.
It hurt, pushing her to aim at that four-eyed traitor's neck. It was the only thing she could think of to alleviate the pain. Somehow, she knew it would. And that was all the reason she needed.
Lil dove through a barrage of arrows, weaving between the blue-white streaks. Her mouth stretched, increasing her range, and she made a pass at her enemy. He rolled, narrowly escaping her jaws. Again.
She cursed, coming around for another pass. He drew back, launching a much smaller volley aimed at her heart. What a ruthless bastard. Well, she could be ruthless too. Lil flew directly into the deadly cluster of missiles, mouth agape. She bit down, swallowing the arrows whole.
The Glutton wasn't about to lose to some basic-ass Heilig Pfeil, even if they did have that tasty Shinigami Reiatsu in them.
She kept on, opening her mouth wider. If he didn't do more than roll away, she was going to eat him. She would make him sweat.
As she approached, he vanished. That was a little victory in itself. She'd forced him to use Hirenkyaku. Now all she had to do was keep up the pressure. She circled around, diving again and again, refusing to give him even a second to breathe. Pass after pass she scooped up bits of debris and earth in her maw, munching it out of existence. It wasn't the most palatable meal, but the longer she went, the worse his footing would get.
If he stayed on the ground, he'd likely end up tripping and exposing himself to a deadly attack. If he escaped into the air, he'd only be increasing the angles of attack Lil could use.
Up the speed. Up the pressure. Keep him guessing. Keep him on the retreat. Back him into a corner, and then . . .
Spring the trap.
Lil dove at a sharp angle, mouth wide. He drew back, a single arrow nocked. No, that was one of those old-fashioned hilts. So he was resorting to shooting swords at her now? Maybe he wasn't as level headed as she thought. He fired directly into her mouth before dodging. Exactly as planned.
She scraped the ground where he'd been standing, but didn't take to the skies again. Drawing up, she came to an abrupt stop and spun. She'd positioned the enemy Quincy in a quagmire of pits and trenches. There was nowhere he could go that didn't leave him vulnerable. She had him!
She lurched towards him just as he tossed something into the air between them. It was small and glinted in the light, but whatever it was, she had nothing to fear. The Glutton consumed everything. His foot slid into a pit, leaving him off balance! Lil lunged after him.
Then the shiny little lump released a blinding light. Reflexively, Lil shielded her eyes. A stupid move, all things considered. She hadn't expected a distraction like this, and that put her at a disadvantage. She drew back, striking out with her elongated jaws to intercept an advancing enemy. She gulped down that brightly shining lump, but didn't hit anything else. The light vanished with the little flashbang.
Lil blinked away the spots in her vision, bracing herself for an attack, but none came. She sought the traitor out and, much to her surprise, found him running away. Her lip twitched. "Coward!" The smart move would have been to pull back and choose her next move based on what she'd just learned of his strategy, but that burning weight inside her forced her to give chase.
She fired a salvo of arrows as Hirenkyaku took him across the battlefield. He wasn't going to get away. She wouldn't let him. He swerved, his new heading taking him straight towards Meni. Lil pushed herself to catch up.
Meni wasn't looking great. She knelt, severely battered and isolated. Was he trying to finish her off?! "Meni! Get up!" The other woman raised her head, noticing the traitor closing in, but she was having trouble standing. Lil cursed. She wasn't going to make it. Then, suddenly, the enemy Quincy stopped and turned to face Lil.
What was he up to now? Meninas was a sitting duck. He should have been able to take her out with plenty of time to spare. Then, he could have teamed up with that Shinigami woman to defeat Lil.
Wait . . . What happened to that Shinigami?
Shit! Something crashed into Lil, blasting her out of the air. She tumbled, skipping across the ground before crashing to a stop in a broken heap.
She didn't need to move to know how beat up she was. One of her arms was broken, her legs didn't feel properly connected to her hips, and a cold pain radiated from the side of her head. She was sweating and gasping by the time she got back on her feet. She couldn't put much weight on one of her ankles, either.
What a fricken disaster.
Lil shuddered, bracing herself for the worst. Now was the perfect time for the enemy to strike, so she steeled her resolve for one final push. Animals tended to be more dangerous when wounded, and if it let her do some damage on her way out she'd gladly get a little wild. She bared her fangs as someone approached. It wasn't the enemy Quincy, though. Nor was it the Shinigami.
It was Meni. She stumbled over, brow furrowed in a way that would make her faint if she could see it. "Are you okay, Lil? That was a real nasty hit."
She nodded, trying to maintain some air of nonchalance. "How about you? How'd you get past those guys?"
"They just let me go. I don't know what they're planning, but it doesn't make sense to me." Meni knelt down, lending Lil some support. It eased some of the pain in her ankle. "You're smart, Lil, what do you think they're up to?"
That was a good question. If they were fighting that Kurotsuchi guy, she'd expect him to give them a small trickle of hope by letting them come together like this, only to then take the opportunity to finish them both off at once. He had that kind of cruel reputation.
These other two, though? Neither the Quincy nor the Shinigami acted so cruelly. Ruthless, yes, but they didn't take pleasure in breaking their opponents. Letting Lil and Meni get together instead of finishing them off individually was a stupid risk. And yet, there they were, standing around with their guards down. Did they think they were safe because they put a few bruises and scrapes on their opponents?
No, that wasn't it at all, she realized. The shield girl from earlier met up with her friends with the crazy-arm guy leaning on her shoulder. It was four against two now. Any hope Lil had to turn things around evaporated.
Where did that Quincy even come from? Why weren't they told about such a powerful enemy? Even now his Reiatsu was getting stronger.
The Sternritter were given detailed reports on the powers and capabilities of the Captains, as well as a list of Special War Potentials that possessed strength that couldn't be so easily defined. A Quincy displaying Shinigami power fit that bill pretty well, so why the hell was he left out?! Not to mention that Captain-level Shinigami and those living dickheads that could match Meni's The Power and resist Lil's The Glutton. Was the Wandenreich dragging its feet or what?
Lil's composure almost broke, but then Meni nudged her. "Hey Lil, look! Gigi's zombies are moving again!" They sure were! A whole swarm of the poor suckers shambled up to Lil and Meni, forming a protective ring. "Does this mean Gigi beat the Captain? That's amazing!"
"I guess it . . . wait." Lil frowned, looking more closely at the people surrounding them. They all had disgusting, shit-eating grins on their faces. A queasy feeling rose up in Lil's stomach. "This isn't Gigi."
"You lovely ladies look like you could use a hand." One of Lil's least favorite people floated over the heads of the zombies surrounding them. Pepe Waccabrada, easily the biggest creep out of all the Sternritter. Gigi could give him a run for his money, but he held firm to the title.
"Gigi's not gonna be happy when she sees what you've done to her collection, Pepe."
"Oh?" He chuckled, stroking the long beard he kept to compensate for his baldness, "From where I'm sittin, she's not gonna be much of anything anymore. Good riddance, if you ask me. Her zombies never had enough love."
Lil spun, supported by Meni, and snarled at the bulbous ass looming overhead. "What's that supposed to mean? What happened to Gigi?"
"Take a guess, sweetie."
Lil grimaced. If Gigi was out of commission, then that meant Kurotsuchi beat her. There was no telling what would become of her. Even worse, it meant that her zombies were little more than mannequins. Unless someone like Pepe took advantage of them, that is.
Crap. If she was really dead, Gigi would be rolling in her grave.
"Don't look so worried, girls, I'll take good care of these mindless drones. Much better than Giselle ever could. In fact, while I'm at it . . ." Pepe brought his hands together, forming a misshapen heart with his fingers, "I'll take good care of you two, too!" A pale pink beam fired out of that heart-shaped hole. It shot straight at Lil.
Time seemed to slow as that nasty beam streaked towards her. She felt cold, horrified. Pepe's power was arguably more cruel than Gigi's. It didn't just enslave the body and warp the mind. It seized control of emotion, burrowing its way into the hearts of its victims like a parasite. Her hatred and disgust would be transformed into obsessive affection. A fate worse than death.
She couldn't get out of the way in time. It was over.
Then Meni pushed her away, putting herself in the beam's path instead. It struck her, leaving an ugly scorch mark on her uniform. For a brief moment, she writhed as if in pain, but then she stood up, ignoring her injuries, and blew a kiss at Pepe.
Lil cursed. That one of her friends should fall to Pepe's power was genuinely sickening. Meni didn't deserve that, even if she was a little thick sometimes. That white hot weight in her stomach was cool at the moment, but Lil felt an overwhelming urge anyway. Screw the war and screw that traitorous Quincy. She was going to kill that fat sack of shit Pepe and save her friend.
Before she could open her mouth, though, Meni stepped up to her, fist pulled back. She had a stupid grin on her face as she punched Lil with all of her strength.
Lil was sent flying, body limp. I'm going to rip him to shreds," she thought just before losing consciousness.
+ Shift +
Oh baby, smell that love in the air! There was just something about being surrounded by people who adored you-people who worshipped you-that got the heart beating something fierce! Pepe could almost do a little jig, he felt so giddy. Almost.
Those whose hearts were bursting at the seams with his love would surely shower him with praise if he showed off his moves, but this really wasn't the time. There were heartless Shinigami to kill.
He snapped his fingers and the horde of love zombies broke into a sprint. Their desperation to please him made him shiver. Being loved was ecstasy!
Anticipation boiled over as they reached their targets; a Shinigami, two living brats, and a Quincy of all things. Oh well, they were all his enemies in the end. Anyone who rejected his love simply couldn't be trusted to live and spread their heartlessness! The zombies swarmed, but much to Pepe's dismay, their prey resisted quite strongly.
The Shinigami and the Quincy struck, sending waves of zombies flying. The other two hunkered down. They were too injured to fight.
Weak bodies made for vulnerable hearts.
Pepe flew over the heads of his loyal horde, fixated on the two soon-to-be adorers. He'd only witnessed the tail end of their battle, so he wasn't entirely certain of their capabilities, but it didn't matter. Seeing their friends fall to his love would demoralize the other two, and then they would be open to his power as well.
Taking aim at the lovely little thing holding her friend up, he brought his hands together, forming a perfect heart. Through that gateway into his soul he funneled The Love, channeling it into a beam of pure passion. It exploded out, like water under immense pressure, and flew straight at her back.
As the beam approached, she perked up all of a sudden. A barrier grew up around the pair, and when Pepe's love hit it, nothing happened.
Well, that wasn't right. Silly things like walls and barriers couldn't stop the power of love. It transcended those material things, crossing borders and dimensions alike! And yet, his beam simply stopped. There must have been some mistake.
He tried firing a second shot, and once again his love was dashed against the rocks. "Unbelievable," he growled, squeezing the staff he kept on hand should he ever need to physically walk somewhere. "How could someone be so heartless? Creating a shield that blocks love?! This is the devil's own work!" Pepe brought his hands up for one last attempt, but then a blue-white arrow whizzed past his head.
That Quincy boy was glaring at him something fierce. Was he jealous, perhaps? It could be hard to see someone else receive Pepe's love. No, no, that was absurd. He'd already established that these people were truly heartless. These were the kind of people His Majesty's new world could do without.
Yes, the only people who deserved to live on were those that accepted Pepe's love!
More arrows shot towards his head, and he just barely managed to avoid them. It appeared that, in his eagerness to love, Pepe forgot how poorly suited to combat he was. Fortunately, he had plenty of lovely admirers to cover for his lapse. He willed the horde of zombies to redouble their efforts, directing them to swarm the two hiding in that blasphemous shell. If Pepe knew his loveless monsters-and he most certainly did-the two actual threats would jump at the chance to protect those weaker than them.
It was a well known fact that those who lacked love tried to imitate it in a variety of ways. They had to fill that cavernous void in their souls somehow. Sure enough, the Shinigami rushed to aid the embattled pair. The young man with the bow, however, kept his eyes squarely on Pepe. It was almost flattering. Alas, hatred was not the kind of twisted love that Pepe dealt in.
It wasn't passionate enough.
Arrows continued to fall. Many of them would have struck Pepe if not for his loyal horde. They selflessly threw themselves between the object of their affection and the other Quincy's bow. It was beautiful. Arousing, even. Pepe just had to get in on this.
He cupped his hands in the shape of a heart and fired a Love beam between his meat shields. The boy stepped to the side and continued firing without pause. More beams resulted in the same. The effortlessness of his evasion was frustrating. Here Pepe was, doing his best only to escape danger by the skin of his teeth, and this guy didn't even consider The Love a threat! Fine then, Pepe wasn't above playing dirty.
Ever so slowly, Pepe began diverting zombies away from the assault on the anti-love barrier. One by one they broke off and started to gather around. If that cocky young man wouldn't stand still and receive a dose of love, then he'd just need to be restrained.
All at once, the zombies jumped the other Quincy. He beat them back with little effort at first, but they kept on coming. Finally, the boy ripped his gaze away from Pepe and turned on the gathering horde. Had he used his full strength to tear through the mostly mindless hordes, that wouldn't have been an issue. Too bad he had a conscience.
It was only a matter of time until he was overwhelmed. Then they'd see just how resistant he was to the power of love.
Pepe gathered his limitless passion into his cupped hands, slapping a poorly fitting saddle on the untamable stallion that was his love. It wouldn't be fair if he didn't try his hardest to sway this young man's heart. Pressure built until Pepe thought he might explode! He couldn't hold it in anymore!
Someone's foot slammed into Pepe's face, breaking his concentration and knocking him to the ground. He lay there, dazed and unfulfilled, trying to understand what just happened.
He'd been struck. That was for certain, but by who? Surely not that Shinigami the young Quincy had been palling around with. Pepe knew great strength when he saw it, and that kick wasn't nearly powerful enough to belong to someone like that. The two living fighters shouldn't have been able to break away either.
Pepe struggled to sit upright, struggling against his generous girth. As he sweat and exerted himself beyond what was reasonable to expect from one such as him, he grew frustrated. That frustration turned to outright fury when he saw the culprit standing just before him.
It was a zombified Shinigami. One of Giselle's, by the looks of her. A real beauty by Pepe's appraisal. Normally, that would have won her enough points to earn his forgiveness. Not this time. Not by a mile!
He'd been about to unleash his love in a glorious geyser of passion, and she'd cut him off just before the climax!
That one of her zombies was still running around unloved meant that Giselle was still kicking. That was both a shame and a blessing. A shame that someone so horrible still lived, and wonderful that he had the opportunity to dominate her.
He scrambled to his feet, ready to convert the Shinigami and send it back to its owner. He cupped his hands and fired a lovely beam, striking her square in the chest. She looked at him like a piece of crusty bird poop stuck to the hood of her car. He fired another beam, and her expression stayed the same. He fired a third and a fourth, but her face didn't change a bit! Was he firing blanks?!
"Your power ensnares the soul in order to implement your will. A terrifying ability, though it is far and away more crude than that zombie girl's." A man in glittering golden robes stalked up behind the zombie Shinigami. Kurotsuchi Mayuri.
Pepe had witnessed his arrival, but had expected him to abandon his comrades in order to deal with Giselle. He worked faster than expected. "H-how dare you! Crude? Love is the most graceful force in the universe!"
"Perhaps, but I wouldn't describe your power as that of love. It is akin to lust, at best."
"You pig!" Pepe barked. He couldn't sit by and let this mad scientist belittle The Love. He gathered energy in his cupped hands. Smaller beams were ineffective, but if didn't hold back, nothing could withstand his passion! He fired a tremendously dense beam of love at the zombie Shinigami. It struck her, and Pepe let out a whoop of victory.
Then she planted her foot in his face again, sending him rolling backwards. As he struggled to his feet, he noticed his adoring love zombies being accosted by another group of zombies.
The young Quincy dusted himself off, free from the clutches of Pepe's horde. "You really are a monster. Using your own allies like puppets?" It took Pepe a moment to realize that those words were not meant for him, but for Kurotsuchi. "Knowing you, you could have freed them just as easily."
"That is true. However, this was a chance to study the powers of the Quincy elite in great detail. It would have been irresponsible of me to pass up the opportunity." The madman shrugged the criticism off like it was nothing.
It was then that Pepe noticed the growing swarm of zombies gathering around the Captain. Were they all on his side? "Why? How is this possible?! My Love is much more potent than Giselle's zombification! They should still be under my control!"
"Hmm, you seem to be misunderstanding something, my portly friend. Your ability is indeed potent, enough that you can override your zombie-themed comrade's control of her drones. But these aren't her zombies anymore. They're mine." He placed a hand on the beautiful woman's shoulder, patting it like he would a dog's head. "You called your power love, did you not? Well, I regret to inform you that love doesn't work on my zombies."
Pepe gasped, recoiling. Love didn't work? They were impervious to it? That was . . . That was . . .
Absolutely horrifying!
He tried to scramble away. He needed to run! He was witnessing the ultimate proof of His Majesty's righteousness. Beings that could not feel love should not exist. It was repulsive! He scuttled and crawled with all his might. But in seconds he was surrounded by zombies. Terrible, loveless zombies.
Pepe screamed as he was beaten and battered. The pain continued to fall upon him like rain until Meninas barreled into the group assaulting him. He breathed heavily as she helped him to his feet. He grinned wildly at the Captain. He wasn't out of the fight yet. There were still some zombies under his control!
He brought his entire force down around him. His adorers clashed with the Captain's converted horde, giving him ample time to execute his plan.
He turned and ran with all he had, using his zombie admirers as cover.
This was a tactical retreat! He'd lose this group, which was tragic, but as long as he lived, so too would love!
Hirenkyaku was not his strong suit, but he managed. When he felt comfortable that he was far enough away from the battle that he wouldn't be pursued, he collapsed. His lungs burned and the muscles in his legs felt like they were melting. Add forcing him to exercise to the list of Kurotsuchi's horrible crimes.
Exhausted as he was, though, he was still alive. He'd still be able to spread his love throughout the new world. His Majesty would understand. Pepe was simply too important to risk on heartless battlefields like that.
His breathing finally started to settle, but then he heard footsteps. His heart beat like an overtaxed engine as he stayed perfectly still. The footsteps drew closer and closer. He readied his love beam. This was a dangerous situation, but it was also a chance to secure himself a lackey.
Whoever it was came closer, and Pepe prepared to fire. But then he saw a flash of white. Liltotto rounded the corner, and he relaxed, letting out an anxious breath. He didn't like her much, but she was still a comrade. He almost regretted that lump on her cheek from where Meninas struck her.
Pepe gasped and tried to raise his arms, but a pair of arrows pinned his hands to the wall behind him. In his exhaustion, he'd forgotten what he'd said and done to this girl. He tried to plead with her, to give her an excuse that would convince her to let her guard down, but she only stared back at him. There wasn't a trace of empathy in those eyes.
"You know," she said, "Quincies leave a bad taste in my mouth. I always thought that eating someone like you would be like eating shit." Her mouth began to stretch. Giant teeth inched towards Pepe. "I thought I was a reasonable person, but as it turns out, I'm the type that will absolutely eat shit to spite someone I hate."
"Wait, Liltotto! Please! I-" Massive teeth clamped down around his waist, stealing the sound from his words. She bit down again and again, slowly working her way up towards his head. He wished he could just die, but even after she consumed his heart he saw her jaws drawing nearer.
When darkness finally closed in around him, he was actually thankful.
+ Break +
"I've gotta say, one thing I actually really like about this sword is how clean it stays. I mean, look at this; there's not a drop of blood sticking to it." Nimaiya Ōetsu slid his finger along the flat of his blasted sword. He smiled broadly as he boasted, blood outlining his teeth. He'd taken a good many solid blows, and yet he was still so full of energy. It was maddening.
Haschwalth, by comparison, was a complete mess. His uniform was stained red from cuts all over his body. He wasn't exactly sure how many times he'd been slashed-that damned Zanpakuto was sharp enough to glide through his flesh undetected-but he knew there were more than he could see. His skin was beginning to feel clammy, and his vision blurred every few breaths. He was losing a lot of blood. Now more than ever after they're last clash.
He'd messed up. He should have taken a step back and reassessed when Nimaiya's blade passed through his Blut with zero resistance. He was confident that he could withstand all the minor wounds building up, and now, after one little mistake, he was left with an arm dangling from his body. There couldn't have been more than a few strands of muscle keeping the limb attached.
In hindsight, he should have allowed Nimaiya to take the arm. It was little more than dead weight at this point.
"Alright! I think we know who the victor is, yeah? How about I do you a favor and finish you off?" Nimaiya continued to boast. He looked like he was having the time of his life, but Haschwalth heard the death in his voice. The Balancer was taking this very seriously.
Sweat dripping down his face, Haschwalth scowled. The presumptuousness of that declaration of victory grinded against something in his soul. Ignoring the pain and lightheadedness, he stood up straight. With a deep, unsteady breath, he reined in his features. Composure was necessary, even in the face of suffering.
He spoke, heedless of the quaking in his voice, "I will admit that I underestimated you. I give my respect to the quality of your craft. Your power as a fighter, as well, is more than I initially gave credit." He met Nimaiya's eyes with a level gaze. He was in control. "In just a few moments, I will be powerful enough to disregard those things."
"Sure you will. I believe you, really," The balancer said. His cocky smirk said otherwise.
"You will regret not killing me sooner, Nimaiya Ōetsu." Haschwalth reached out through his soul. He drew on all of the connections to the Quincy forces. Every disposable soldier and every powerful elite; any Quincy who benefitted from his assistance was a source of power. Doing this would leave their forces mostly powerless. The more heavily invested among them would likely be left with severely hindered faculties. Haschwalth would regain his strength in exchange for the Wandenreich's ability to wage war.
The time for holding back was over. They were too close to the end.
Haschwalth's head began to clear up as the wounds across his body began to heal. Smaller cuts knitted together, and larger gashes re-grew tissue. His nearly amputated arm was restored by the miraculous power he now possessed.
In seconds, his body was fully restored. The only evidence that he'd been injured at all was his now mostly deep red uniform.
Nimaiya whistled softly, "Wow, nice. How'd you pull that one off? Don't tell me that it's some special ability. I was hoping you'd have something more exciting."
"You might call this a 'special ability', though my restoration is merely a byproduct of its function. You see, up to this point, I have been operating on a deficit of sorts. I haven't had access to more than a shallow reserve of my true strength for some time now. I just changed that." Haschwalth smirked. The expression felt odd on his face, but after putting up with this Balancer's incessant gloating, he'd earned the right to be a little boastful himself. "You insist on making jokes to hide your concern, but you can feel it, can't you? My power."
"Yeah, you got me in one. I'm shaking in my boots over here."Shaking? Unlikely, but his posture was indeed more guarded. He wasn't smiling anymore, either. He knew full well that Haschwalth was telling the truth.
"Thus far, I have been loaning my power, so to speak, to the forces of the Wandenreich. Shameful as it is to admit, I believe this sharing of power was the only reason our soldiers were able to match your own. They'll all be helpless now." Haschwalth took a step forward, and Nimaiya shifted, though he didn't back down. Admirable. "Rejoice, Balancer, this is what it feels like to stare down the might of an entire army in a single vessel. There aren't many who have been given this opportunity."
"I'm grateful, really. There's just one thing bothering me. Why not lead with this? If you had this much power, then why bother with a prolonged conflict at all?"
"I ask you the same: Why not bring out that tremendously powerful sword right at the start? You may not be a soldier, but surely you know the answer." Haschwalth watched Nimaiya shuffle slowly around him. He was trying to reach a blind spot. Such things did not exist for Haschwalth as he was now. "For all of the information we gathered in preparation for our assault, there remained variables for which we could not account. Leading with our full strength would have allowed us to force our way in, but we would have been blind to the capabilities of the Shinigami. And besides, allowing the masses to fight for His Majesty's cause ensures that our will will be done in the world that is to come." He turned, facing Nimaiya, who stood with his sword ready to strike.
They stood, unmoving, for a time. The Balancer was surely trying desperately to find an opening. If he were as familiar with swinging a blade as he was making one, then perhaps he would have succeeded.
Haschwalth raised his sword, point held straight out. "You may as well accept defeat, Nimaiya Ōetsu. The Balance has shifted. The scales are tipped in our favor."
Nimaiya's smirk returned, "Ooh, that one gave me chills. I'm actually pretty excited for this now." He raised his sword, mimicking Haschwalth. A laughable imitation.
"The way you wave that blade around . . . it is as if you fancy yourself a god in your own right. But that power is borrowed. You are nothing but a child waving around your father's tools."
"Can't argue with that," he laughed. "This thing is derived from the lynchpin that holds the universe together. It holds unbelievable power, but it is still derivative. If I'm being straight with you, I'm fine with that. You dig?"
Haschwalth almost chuckled. However, he did not have long to enjoy the humor there. Both he and Nimaiya charged, brandishing their blades.
The fragment of the Soul King's spirit flashed as Nimaiya swung. That simple motion opened a fissure in the floor as the tip of the blade passed. It was fast, but not fast enough. Haschwalth could see the Balancer's movements in great detail now. He indeed knew how to swing a sword, but in a real fight, there was so much more than the movement of one's arms. His footing was weak, his weight was misplaced, and his angle of attack was obvious. In this moment, it was abundantly clear that, without that divine blade, Nimaiya Ōetsu would be barely more threatening than an actual child.
Haschwalth stepped to the side, easily avoiding the strike. He responded with his own, swinging his sword up through Nimaiya's shoulder. His arm and blade flew off as it reached the apex of its arc. Before a single beat could pass, Haschwalth twisted the sword in his hands and brought it back down, cleaving into the Balancer's collar. The edge tore through flesh, halting abruptly as it dug into the ribcage. With a firm tug, Haschwalth freed his blade. He could ignore the shower of blood, as his uniform was already stained. He rammed the tip of his sword through Nimaiya's stomach, driving it deeper, inch by inch.
The clang of the Balancer's sword hitting the ground signaled the end of the fight.
Nimaiya gripped Haschwalth's arm and vomited dark blood all over his hand. He somehow managed to chuckle. "That's crazy impressive, my man. You're really something else." Haschwalth pushed the sword deeper, prompting another deluge of blood. Still, infuriatingly, Nimaiya laughed, "You win. No contest. Good luck in the next round . . . You're going to need it."
For the first time, Haschwalth caught a glimpse of the Balancer's eyes behind his ridiculous sunglasses. There was no humor there. There was no fear. He was confident and determined. Even as he died.
The light left Nimaiya's eyes, but he still held Haschwalth's attention. That mocking smile and that defiant gaze were frozen there as if to say, 'I may be dead, but you'll be joining me soon'. It sent a shiver down his spine.
Haschwalth kicked the corpse off of his blade, disgusted-both by the cadaver and by himself for feeling intimidated, even slightly.
The victory was his. And yet, he felt as if he'd been beaten. Frustration ate at him, and there was no one to take it out on. He slammed his sword into its sheath and stomped out of the ruined chamber, pausing to snap the devilishly sharp weapon on the ground in half under his boot.
His Majesty was on his way to seize the power necessary to reshape the world. Victory was assured. And yet . . .
He grit his teeth, raging against the anxiety that now festered in his heart.