Kurosaki Ichigo leapt through the air with sword in hand. A shower of needles left hundreds of tiny, cracked holes in the wall next to him as he kicked away. He slipped between a pair of large crab-like claws, and easily slipped through a mass of tentacles reaching for his neck.
The Hollows were out in force today as well.
Part of him had hoped that the number of Hollows would go down when Ryūnosuke and Shino left, but he'd had no such luck. If anything, in the days since Karakura Town's Guardians departed the frequency of Hollow attacks had risen dramatically.
The back-to-back attacks were a real pain. None of the Hollows reached anything close to the strength of an Arrancar, but even easy fights could get exhausting without a break or two. Ichigo dragged Zangetsu through the last of the Hollows. He took a deep breath and stretched his arms, wincing. This was the fourth group numbering more than six today, and the ninth in total. And those were only the ones Ichigo himself took down. Chad and Inoue were off fighting still more Hollows.
It was an epidemic. No doubt about it.
Ichigo sat at the edge of the flattest roof around and stretched his legs. The three of them couldn't handle such a huge influx. Maybe if Ishida was around they'd be able to thin out the herd more efficiently, but at this rate they'd run themselves into the ground. They needed help.
But they couldn't just send a message to the Gotei. The Shinigami weren't exterminators. And besides, who knew how long they'd be in mourning. Ichigo didn't know how the people of the Soul Society dealt with their dead, or how dead people even died . . . were the Shinigami even dead? No! This isn't the time!
He was going mad. They needed help and the only option open to them was Urahara Kisuke. Not an ideal option, sure, but desperate times and all that. And knowing him, there was already a solution waiting for Ichigo and friends at Urahara Shop. The only question then would be what they would need to do for him in exchange.
Oh well. No use fretting over the ridiculous chores he'd be burdened with. Ichigo dropped to the ground and made for Urahara Shop. "Chad and Inoue should be just about finished as well. Ah man, I'll probably have to take a few days off work to do whatever jobs Urahara'll have-"
Ichigo stopped, his hair standing on end. He felt Hollows all of a sudden. A lot of them, out of nowhere.
All at once.
This was far beyond anything they'd been dealing with recently. Sure there have been more Hollows than usual, but they were all spread out in small groups. That in itself was worrying, but this? There must have been several dozen appearing and gathering in one place.
"What the hell is this?!" Ichigo ran, sparing no effort to reach his new destination as fast as possible. The others would get there eventually, so he needed to at least contain the threat until then. Although it would be better if he could defeat all of the Hollows as quickly as possible.
As quickly as possible?
"But how?" Ichigo pushed himself harder. He felt the enormous mass of spiritual pressure shrink, and it shrank rapidly.
Before he knew it, the pressure from the Hollows was gone entirely. That should have been comforting. However, the presence of something that could eliminate that many Hollows without a trace only made things feel more and more dangerous. His unease grew until he cleared the low buildings surrounding the riverbank.
There was nothing. The air above the water was completely empty, without a hint of Hollow. It was as if there hadn't been any there at all. The whole area was a void as far as spiritual pressure was concerned. And in the center of that void, standing just over the lazy flow of the river, was a man clad in white. He wasn't sure why, but Ichigo couldn't help but associate the emptiness with this man. They just felt . . . similar.
The man in white turned soundlessly in the air and looked up at Ichigo through dark glasses. His thin lips spread in a grin that made Ichigo's blood boil. "My, my, you certainly took your time. I was just about ready to draw another swarm if you hadn't shown up." His voice was as oily as his hair.
"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo approached cautiously. The guy looked human enough, but the absence of spiritual pressure put him on edge. He kept his sword at the ready.
The mysterious stranger shook his head. "How like a Shinigami. So quick to make demands. Did it not occur to you to give your name first, hmm?"
"I'm not in the mood for games. Tell me who you are. What happened to all of the Hollows that were around here?" Ichigo raised his blade. He wouldn't use it on someone he wasn't sure was an enemy, but this guy wasn't making a great first impression.
"My goodness, so impatient. Alright, fine. It isn't like I don't already know who you are anyways." He clicked his heels together and gave a shallow bow, "I am Quilge Opie. Member of the Sternritter, and Loyal servant of His Majesty Yhwach. As for what happened to the Hollow swarm . . ." The man called Quilge raised a hand holding a stack of thick white discs that made Ichigo's breath catch.
"Hey! What are you-"
Quilge threw the discs up with a quick flick. As they reached the apex of their flight, he produced a sword and crushed them all in the blink of an eye, his blade leaving a soft, blue-white trail in the air. The void around the river vanished as what felt like hundreds of Hollows appeared in the shadows.
The pressure bearing down from all sides was intense. However many Hollows there were, they were considerably stronger than the small fry that had been infesting Karakura Town. If they weren't dealt with quickly they'd cause tremendous damage in no time.
Ichigo raised his sword in earnest. "I changed my mind. I don't care who you are. After I finish cleaning this mess up, I'm gonna take you down."
"Oh? You aren't going to let me finish my little demonstration?" Before Ichigo could leap into action, the gathered Hollows struck at the river, bearing down like a great wave. But as they reached the water's edge, they stopped. And recoiled. In the blink of an eye, half of the gathered monsters were vaporized. Another moment later, the other half vanished, their forms broken down and pulled together into a single point. Ichigo followed that trail to the man standing behind him. "Do you understand now, Kurosaki Ichigo? Surely you aren't as dense as that laughable expression makes you seem."
"Yeah I get it. You're a Quincy, like Ishida, except there are a few important lessons I'll need to beat into you."
Quilge's thin lips curved down, "You get it, do you? I find that hard to believe if Ishida Uryu is your only point of reference." With a sharp flick, Quilge pointed the tip of his sword at Ichigo, "As a Quincy, it is my job to do what you Shinigami refuse to. Now, allow me to continue my demonstration, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
The Quincy's blade sliced the air where Ichigo's head was just an instant earlier, catching a few rogue strands of orange hair. Stepping forward, already mid-swing, Ichigo pressed into Quilge, slashing at his waste. Quilge leapt back, staying just ahead of the shockwave. If he was anything like Ishida, he wouldn't let his guard down no matter how safely he avoided or deflected an attack, so Ichigo launched another attack before the first one dissipated.
Appearing in the air above Quilge, he shot another slicing shockwave, more quick and powerful than the first. But again, the bespectacled Quincy dodged, seeming to vanish with a quick step to the side. The shockwave slammed into the river, sending a plume of water high into the air. Quilge reappeared in the air above Ichigo, the tip of his saber pointed at him. Bars of blue-white light shot out of either side of the blade's guard and the tip glowed with the same energy. Bolts akin to Ishida's arrows shot out of the saber, raining down on Ichigo who was forced to retreat.
His flight didn't last long, however. The bolts fired by Quilge couldn't measure up to Ishida's in speed, though their strength was apparent. Ichigo pivoted, zigzagging between pillars of water produced by the blue-white bolts and closing the gap once again. Zangetsu slammed into Quilge's saber, throwing intense sparks of spiritual pressure flying. The Quincy managed to stop the attack, but his defense was shaky. Ichigo poured more power into his blade and broke through Quilge's guard, sending him hurtling into the river with another great splash.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Ichigo turned to Inoue's call. She and Chad ran down the riverbank looking more than a little concerned. "What happened, Kurosaki-kun? Are you alright?"
"What happened to all of the Hollows?" Chad asked, scanning the length of the river, "And what's that guy's deal?"
Ichigo turned his attention back to the now soaked Quincy emerging from the water. "He's a Quincy, like Ishida. Don't let your guard down though. He's dangerous." He readied his sword again. He was a little unsure about fighting someone from the same faction as a friend, but Quilge's actions weren't those of an ally. With the three of us, we should be able to capture this guy and take him to Urahara-san. We can figure out what to do from there.
Quilge rose into the air, smoothing his hair. A small white cap and cape floated away slowly behind him. "I was so hoping to be finished with you before your friends arrived, but I suppose this is my own fault. It was wrong of me to doubt His Majesty's assessment of you. A Special War Potential such as yourself warrants a more severe approach."
"You should give up." Ichigo shifted. With Inoue and Chad around there wasn't any doubt they'd win, but if the Quincy resisted too strongly, he might end up getting more hurt than necessary. "We're pretty familiar with Ishida's moves, so there's nothing you could throw at us that we couldn't handle."
Quilge smiled, but it was the sort of smile that doesn't reach the eyes. A spiteful sort of smirk. "Nothing, you say? I find that hard to believe. The Ishida family split from the Wandenreich some time ago, you know, and our techniques have since evolved. What I am trying to say is, don't be so sure of yourself, you impudent cur!"
The void that surrounded Quilge vanished in a sudden explosion of spiritual energy. For the first time, Ichigo could feel the Quincy's spiritual pressure. It was incredible. Far beyond the impression he was giving off before.
And it was growing.
A bright pillar of energy erupted from the surface of the river and enveloped Quilge. "Behold," the Quincy shouted from within the pillar, "this is the true might of the Wandenreich! Witness the power of the Quincy Vollständig!"
The pillar dissipated, revealing Quilge. Transformed. Bright, blue-white wings grew from his back, and a disc of energy decorated with the Quincies' five-pointed cross hovered just above his head like a halo. His dark glasses fell from his face, revealing eyes striped with black bars. And the most jarring transformation of all, his spiritual pressure, now clearly apparent, was many times greater than before.
"I was given the task of occupying you by Lord Haschwalth himself. It would not do to be underestimated so." The pompous serenity that Quilge had before had returned as well.
Ichigo, Inoue, and Chad put up their guards all at once. "What is this?" Ichigo demanded.
"Please pay attention, Shinigami. This is the glorious form known as Vollständig. You might say it is proof of the Quincies' divine purpose." Quilge unfolded his new Reishi wings and extended his hand, summoning his saber in an almost ceremonious gesture. "The name of my Vollständig is Biskiel. Allow me to demonstrate its power."
Almost as if he'd teleported, Quilge appeared before Inoue and Chad with his sword raised. His arm was a blur as the blade fell towards Inoue, but her barrier rose to stop it. The saber bounced off of the impenetrable barrier, and after a quick command from Inoue, sent Quilge flying back.
"Interesting," the Quincy said, seemingly unperturbed, "I've not encountered an energy like that before. I hope you don't mind if I take a sample." Inoue's eyes widened as her barrier began to disappear, bit by bit. "Hmm, that is interesting. An almost purely human spiritual energy, with just a trace of . . . something else. How revolting." Quilge pointed his sword at her again and launched a barrage of bolts from the tip, decimating the area where she and Chad stood.
Ichigo rushed at Quilge, cutting his barrage short with a powerful swing of his sword. The Quincy retreated, but Ichigo got the impression he wasn't all that bothered by the attack. "Inoue! Chad! You alright?" He called down through the cloud of dust thrown up by the bolts.
The dust dispersed, revealing the destroyed riverbank and Chad shielding Inoue, keeping her mostly unharmed. Chad himself was not so lucky, and his injuries forced him to his knees.
"Inoue! Take care of Chad! I'll hold this guy off." Turning back to the almost monstrous Quincy, Ichigo's spiritual pressure swelled. "Bankai!" With an explosion of energy, Ichigo underwent his own transformation. His normal Shinigami uniform was covered by a long black coat of Reishi, and his sword changed, becoming longer, slimmer, and black as pitch.
"Oh my," Quilge breathed, feeling the pressure from Ichigo's transformation, "I can see why His Majesty counts you among the Soul Society's Special War Potentials. I'm not sure I can handle something like you with my current strength. What a pity." He shook his head in resignation, but then raised his saber anyway. Blue-white energy shot out from either side of his sword's guard and the blade began to glow with greater intensity than it had before.
Ichigo couldn't be sure what the Quincy was planning, but he wasn't about to let the guy power up again or unleash some powerful technique. He raised Tensa Zangetsu over his head, gathering a tremendous amount of energy into the blade. His Zanpakuto burst alight with black flames that swelled well beyond the length of the sword. He was going to finish the fight in one blow. That was the only way to protect his friends and keep collateral damage to a minimum. He growled as the power gathered for his ultimate attack reached its peak, "Getsuga . . ."
Quilge wiped sweat from his forehead with his free hand. He could recognize the sheer power rising against him. Yet, he did not falter. "Don't think I'll allow you to do as you please, Kurosaki Ichigo!" A stark white bolt shot out from the tip of the Quincy's saber. As it closed in on Ichigo's chest, the mass of spiritual energy split, creating a wide bar.
"Tensho!" Ichigo swung his blade down, dragging the immense energy along with it. The black flames congealed into a single shining arc, like a massive blade of spiritual pressure, that barreled towards Quilge's wide bolt. Just before the two attacks collided, however, the Quincy's bolt split again. Segments appeared along the bolt's length that grew into long, curving finger-like structures. The fingers curled in, encompassing Ichigo and his attack. The blade of spiritual pressure collided with the spidery bolt with a calamitous grinding noise, sending out painful shockwaves.
The energy of Ichigo's attack exhausted, it disappeared. But Quilge's attack remained.
"What?!" Ichigo gasped. He was sure he poured every bit of strength he could afford to muster into that attack, but it didn't even leave a scratch on the Quincy's stark white bolt. And while he was recovering, the bolt continued to extend and curl in. Before Ichigo realized it, he was wrapped in a cage of spiritual energy.
"That's it! I've won!" Quilge screeched, throwing his head back and cackling like a mad demon.
Ichigo raised his blade again. He didn't have time to mess around with some weird technique. "Don't get ahead of yourself. I'm not done yet!" With a sweeping chop, Ichigo dragged Zangetsu's edge around the small cage, filling the space with Reishi sparks. The energy making up the cage couldn't have been very powerful-he could barely feel any sort of pressure from it at all-but its surface was unscathed. "What the hell is this?" Again, Ichigo struck the inside of the tiny prison, and again he didn't leave so much as a scratch. He tried again and again to no avail. "Damn it!"
Quilge's cackling swelled into full on maniacal laughter. "You may be absurdly powerful, Kurosaki Ichigo, but no matter how hard you swing that sword, no matter how much of your power you throw at those bars, nothing you can do will leave a mark!" The Quincy breathed deeply, regaining his composure. He licked his lips and tried to comb his hair back with his fingers, and continued to taunt, "Be they Shinigami, human, or Hollow, no one can escape from my Jail, no matter how powerful, unless they are amongst my allies. In other words, you would need a Quincy to escape now. It's too bad Ishida Uryu isn't around to lend you a hand!" Unable to contain himself after all, Quilge laughed.
"To hell with that!" Ichigo raged. He swung his sword again and again, but no matter how much strength he put into each strike, he wasn't making any progress. I have to get out of here now! If I don't, Inoue and Chad'll have to fight that Quincy bastard alone! Why won't anything work?! Glittering sparks of Reishi pelted his body with each attack. They didn't burn or hurt like actual sparks might, but that only made him feel even more trapped. If he could only feel them maybe he could believe he was chipping away at the cage.
Suddenly, the cage was wrapped in a wave of familiar spiritual energy. Below, on the bank of the river, Chad was back on his feet, rearing back for another attempt at cracking the Jail. "El Directo!" Another burst of energy erupted from Chad's fist, and once again it broke against the impenetrable prison.
"Don't worry, Kurosaki-kun! We'll get you out of there!" Inoue called up, raising herself and Chad into the air with her barrier.
"What are you guys doing?!" Ichigo shouted at the rising pair, "You won't be able to take this guy on by yourselves! Go get Urahara-san. He might have some way out of this!"
"We won't leave you!" Inoue shouted back. "If you can't escape from there by yourself, then we'll find some way to do it together. We can at least hold him off until you're out."
Ichigo faltered under the intensity of her determination. They'd already seen Quilge break down Inoue's Shun Shun Rikka and incapacitate Chad with a single attack, so there was no way they could suddenly hold him off. "Don't be stupid! He's out of your league, but if you bring Urahara-san he'll-"
"Please trust us, Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue pressed herself against the bars of the Jail. There were gaps through which they could see each other, but something about the ability prevented them from reaching through. "We aren't helpless. We've been fighting alongside you long enough for you to know that, right?" She smiled, but her eyes were those of someone driven to succeed.
Between her reassurance and a quick nod from Chad, Ichigo wasn't entirely convinced, but they were right. They'd both done their fair share in battles before, so why shouldn't he place his faith in them now? "Alright. I know I can beat him, so help me out. But work quickly."
Chad leapt off of Inoue's barrier and closed the distance to Quilge. His flurry of punches created powerful waves of pressure that washed over the Jail. In the meantime, Inoue turned her attention to the cage, "I'm going to try and Reject this prison, so hold tight." A second barrier appeared around the Jail. Ichigo could feel Inoue's power seeping into every nook and cranny. The golden barrier glowed brightly for a moment, then shattered. The cage was undamaged. "Alright, I have another idea." Cupping her hands over a smaller section of the Jail, Inoue created another barrier, but this time it was focused on one specific section.
"Whoa, that might work." Ichigo watched in awe as the Inoue's energy seemed to cut through one of the bars. If her power could penetrate the Quincy's ability like that, then maybe she'd really be able to get him out!
The barrier shattered, leaving the cage unscathed yet again. Knitting her eyebrows, Inoue tried again, creating barriers of various sizes in an attempt to whittle away at the structure's integrity. She was so focused on her task that she nearly jumped off of her platform when Chad crashed into the cage. He was bleeding and had trouble finding his footing, but he was able to stand unaided. Still, he was in no condition to continue.
"Inoue! Help Chad out for now. I'll try hacking away at this thing some more while you're gone." Ichigo gave Inoue a reassuring nod of his own. It was a long shot, but worrying about poor odds wasn't going to do them any good.
After I get out of here and beat that bastard, I'm gonna hunt Ishida down and get an explanation!
+ Break +
"I never thought I'd say this, but I really wish I was back in Karakura Town right now." Despite Ryūnosuke's lips clearly forming those words, all Shino heard was, "I'm being a whiny baby. Please hit me."
So she did.
"You have no shame at all, do you?" she said, ignoring his protests. "You're just a lazy bum through and through." Spiteful chiding aside, she could see where he was coming from. Following Lieutenant Sasakibe's funeral service they should have been sent back to Karakura Town to resume their duties as guardians. Instead, they were ordered to gather at the barracks with all of the other members of the 13th Division. From what she'd heard, the same was true for the other Divisions as well.
"Call me lazy all you want, Shino-san, but I doubt there's a single person who could take this without wishing they could be anywhere else." Ryūnosuke continued to complain. He hadn't always been like this, had he? Could someone so averse to hard work really make it into the Gotei 13?
Shino scoffed at the doubts of such a lazy bum, "I bet you my brother could do it. He's diligent and passionate about his work, so I'm sure he's out there right now, ready and willing to do the work he's given."
"Guys from the 11th Division don't count! They're all crazy."
"Want to run that by me again?" Shino loomed over Ryūnosuke, rolling up her sleeve in preparation, but the way he shrank back took him out of the strike zone. "I don't want to hear someone who can't comprehend the value of a hard day's work bad-mouthing my brother." She turned her attention back to the assignment. That is, she stood guard on an empty street with nothing to look at but a plain white wall and a few wispy clouds in an otherwise clear sky.
Karakura Town was sounding a lot like paradise.
"Work aside, Shino-san," Ryūnosuke stepped back into line next to her, rubbing a spot on his head that she hadn't hit yet, "you have to admit this is weird. Even the menial sorts of assignments given to new recruits are more exciting than this. And they've got everyone in the Gotei 13 doing the same thing as us."
"Your point?"
"It's just weird is all. They could have at least given us some idea of what we're looking out for."
That was true. Beyond a declaration that the Gotei would be preparing for a large scale conflict and the promise of an update from 6th seat Kajōmaru, there wasn't a clear reason for anyone to be standing around like this. But that wasn't something two unseated members of the 13th Division should be concerning themselves with.
"Listen, Ryūnosuke," Shino sighed, "I won't lie to you and say that I'm excited to be here right now. But this is our job. If you don't like it, I suppose you could desert and try to sneak back to the world of the living."
After a troublingly long pause, Ryūnosuke said all too seriously, "You think I could?"
"What? No, I-"
"It wouldn't be the first time something like that has happened, right? I'd probably have to change my name. Or do you think that would matter?" Ryūnosuke waved his hands around and babbled on with an energy Shino had never seen him muster for actual work. "I bet Ichigo could put me up while I got my bearings."
Shino rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wanted to explain-in as calm and reasonable a manner as possible-how Ryūnosuke should reflect on his behavior and make amends to all of the people who have supported him and helped him get where he was, but the words missed her mouth and ended up in her clenched fist instead.
"Ow! If you keep hitting the same spot I'm going to end up with a soft spot in my skull!"
"You're an adult, so deal with it!" Shino squeezed until her knuckles turned white and her arm shook. She couldn't even bear to look at him. There was little else she could do to vent her irritation besides avert her eyes and fume. After all, if she hit him too often he'd be able to file a formal complaint. Ikkaku would give her hell if he found out she had that kind of smudge on her record. She could at least throw water on his fugitive fantasies, though, "I shouldn't need to tell you this, but if you did run away, I'd talk without a second thought. I'd lead them straight to you. You wouldn't be gone a day before being dragged back in chains, got It? Ryūnosuke?"
"Hey, Shino-san," Ryūnosuke said in an oddly distant way, "what do you think that is?" Following his eyes, Shino spotted what appeared to be a massive geyser of blue light. It almost looked like fire the way the edges of the column flickered and wobbled.
"What in the world is that?" Shino squinted at the bright column of light, but no matter how hard she looked it didn't become any clearer what its source was. Pulling her gaze away from the geyser, she was startled to find that more pillars of light had popped up in the distance, and more were appearing. "We should go find 6th seat Kajōmaru. He should know what to do." she said, turning.
Ryūnosuke agreed and followed close behind without any hint of a complaint. So he could feel it too. The sense of unease that accompanied that strange blue light.
Their hands moved to their swords automatically as they ran, a tangible sense of dread spurring them on.