Chapter 53
The Great Escape
"You up for this, CT?"
"Quit asking me that. We're already here, aren't we?"
"Just making sure. After all, this is your last chance to run."
"Same for you. If you want to turn back, go ahead."
"As if the gallant hero of this tale could flee. It's now or never."
Aaron and Sasune nodded at one another. With their resolves hardened, they focused on the apartment complex towering over them.
Naruki City gave them both the creeps. The streets were devoid of people. They could feel no spiritual pressures for miles.
"What happened? A shift change? ...Whatever. Let's use Spirit Coils," suggested Aaron.
"No need," replied Sasune. "Those bastards are here. Call it intuition. Besides, I've already tracked Xcution with Spirit Coils before. They'll expect it."
"And have some kind of trap set up. Makes sense."
"They've never left this town before. They're here alright. They're likely using some kind of ability or spell to mask their presence."
Aaron clicked his tongue. "We don't have time for a witch hunt. The longer they have Mitsumi..."
"Calm down." Sasune put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "They don't want to hurt her. They need her abilities. We may not know why, but that's the truth. I'm sure she's fine."
"..."
"The real issue is how these bastards are able to move at the drop of a hat." Sasune stroked his chin and lost himself in deep thought. "They must have one hell of a benefactor, someone with serious cash."
"I don't care."
Aaron got a move on by heading up the complex's staircase. As ``his angry footsteps filled the evening air, Sasune sighed.
"It's not like him to jump straight into the hornet's nest. He's mad alright."
He caught up to Aaron, and the two made their way up in silence. Both had a hunch they were heading for the right place. Their instincts led them to the sixth floor. A black door barred their path. Nothing about it raised any alarms, and the two were confident brute force would get them past it. Nevertheless, they faltered, staring at it long and hard.
"We're going to be outnumbered," said Sasune cautiously. "Remember that. These guys aren't going to play fair."
"You don't have to tell me. I know firsthand from fighting Ginjou and Tsukishima."
The thought of the two Fullbringers not only pissed Aaron off but reminded him he had some payback to extract.
"Glimmer, Seigetsu."
With his blue tachi in hand, he sliced the door in half. Both ends clattered to the floor, revealing a pitch black apartment. Aaron stepped inside with no hesitation. Sasune, with a deep breath, followed along.
"...I'm either losing my mind, or these are the craziest renovations in existence."
The Quincy leered around. Rather than an apartment, he and Aaron had stepped into some sort of purple void.
"What's going on?" inquired Aaron, who gripped his sword tighter.
"No clue, but—shit!"
"What?!"
"Look behind us!"
Aaron did, only to find the entrance gone. His head whipped around frantically, but he could find no escape routes.
"Trap?" he said.
"Trap," confirmed Sasune, cursing again. "I thought this was too easy. It was almost like..."
"...we were throwing out our spiritual pressure to draw you toward us? Yeah, something like that. No point in you figuring that out now."
The smug voice came from behind them. They whirled around to see a large, hovering screen. A smirking, blonde-haired boy stared back at them. Yukio Hans Vorarlberna took amusement from their stunned faces.
"Welcome to my world. ...This already sucks. It's no fun if there's no challenge."
"You." Sasune, his nose wrinkling, recognized their host. "You were with those other Xcution clowns."
"Ah. The idiot who stormed our base. How exactly did Jackie lose to you? Maybe I was wrong to think her competent."
"If you're going to call me anything, why not 'world's greatest Quincy?'"
Yukio laughed. "I can settle for 'world's greatest fool.'"
"...I was already gonna beat you black and blue, but why don't I add the other colors of the rainbow while I'm at it?"
Sasune spawned his bow and fired an arrow. It went right through the screen and Yukio's head.
"You really are an idiot," the latter remarked, chortling some more. "What you're seeing is only a projection. Like I'd be stupid enough to be there in the flesh."
"Where are you then? And how did you bring us here from that complex?" asked Aaron.
"You really haven't figured it out yet? There was no complex. Do you think we'd be stupid enough to hide out in the same place? My Fullbring is called Invaders Must Die." Yukio held up a portable gaming system. "It allows me to create separate dimensions and even illusions. The Naruki City you two waltzed into was just another one of my creations."
"W-What in the…?" Aaron couldn't believe what he was hearing. "There's seriously Fullbring that works like that?"
It almost seemed like cheating. Trap or not, there was no way he or Sasune could have seen such a stunt coming.
"We need to find a way out," said the Quincy. Though shaken, Aaron nodded.
"Forget it," said Yukio. "You're stuck there forever unless I choose to release you."
"And I'm guessing you aren't going to have a heart and do so?"
"Don't you get tired of saying idiotic things?"
Sasune did grow quiet though only to eye Yukio's handheld. "High tech stuff. That's the latest model if I'm not mistaken. It doesn't come cheap."
"What the hell are you going on about?" wondered Aaron.
"I've got an idea. It's probably dumb, but it might be the only shot we have."
"Not the most reassuring words, but I'll follow your lead."
"Just what are you two mumbling about?" asked Yukio. He shrugged. "If you're bored enough to shoot the breeze, maybe I need to give you some company."
His prisoners didn't like the sound of that. They huddled together as a multitude of bizarre begins appeared around them. They weren't close to human. They weren't like anything a wide-eyed Aaron had ever seen. Hundreds of creatures that resembled oversized pigs closed in on their prey.
"Orcs?" muttered Sasune.
"What?" replied Aaron. "What the hell are those?"
"You've never played an MMO?"
"A what?"
"Jeez, CT. Get a life."
"...I might not know what you're talking about, but something tells me you of all people shouldn't be saying that."
Whatever the snarling monsters were, they were clearly out for blood. Rancid drool leaked from their gaping mouths, and Aaron had to cover his nose due to their stench. He figured they were another creation of Yukio's, yet, they looked and smelled real enough.
"It seems your friend knows what he's talking about," Yukio said to Aaron. "I bet he knows not to jump into a battle without full HP too. Luckily for you guys, I was nice enough to fill your life bars."
Aaron and Sasune peered up to not only see their names floating in the air but six hearts underneath them.
"Six hits, huh?" noted Sasune in a grave tone.
"What happens when they run out?" said Aaron.
"Duh. You die," answered Yukio nonchalantly. He snorted again at the looks of horror on his captives' faces. "I'm only kidding. Even I'm not that heartless. No pun intended. You'll merely be rendered unconscious. Ginjou ordered me to bring you back to him alive. What happens after that isn't up to me. Tell you what though. I'll make it say 'You Died' for dramatic effect once you losers go down."
"What the hell kind of crazy Fullbring is this?!"
Aaron had no time to deliberate it. An orc charged at him. A red arrow felled it before it could do him any harm, something he was thankful for in light of being distracted. The orc hit the ground and faded away.
"Good," said Sasune with a grin. "These things can be killed. Am I going to have enough energy to shoot them all down though?"
"No need."
Aaron brought Seigetsu down and obliterated a large group of orcs with a Getsuga Tenshou.
"That...works too, I guess," mumbled Sasune in awe.
More monsters spawned in to replace their fallen brethren.
Yukio whistled, saying, "No wonder Ginjou is wary of you guys. This might be fun after all."
As Aaron and Sasune backed into one another again and took in the sheer number of enemies, they couldn't share in Yukio's enthusiasm.
#
"Onibi!"
With an air of desperation, Kana swung Kuzunoha for the fences and launched another ball of fox fire at Ichigo. He chose to dodge rather than take it head on. However, the fireball zipped after him. No matter where he moved, it remained hot on his tail. While already having a clue it wasn't normal flames he was dealing with, its odd behavior confirmed it.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
The huge wave of energy not only destroyed the Onibi but headed on a collision course for a gasping Kana.
"E-eeeeee-eh?! How'd he destroy my precious fireball so easily?! That's cheating!"
"See? That sounds way better when a cute girl says it and not you, Hacchi. ...No offense," Shinji noted.
"...I'll keep that in mind, sir," replied Hachigen a bit indignantly.
"What the hell are you two going on about?" inquired Lisa, shaking her head. "By the way, your girl isn't doing so good, Shinji. Hope you're ready for Higuchi to cut your balls off."
Shinji smacked his lips as Kana ran for dear life. As much as he loathed to agree with Lisa, he couldn't go against what his eyes told him.
"Oh, screw this!" Done with fleeing, Kana stood her ground. "Kitsunebi!"
A pillar of raging, blue fire spiraled around her, forming a protective barrier. It fended off the Getsuga Tenshou, the sight of which made Kana sigh in relief.
"What a monster! He just brute forces through everything I throw at him! It's like..."
Her amber eyes shrunk at Ichigo speeding toward her. Fortunately, a stream of fire shot out of her shield and convinced him to back off.
"That's one hell of a defense," he stated.
"That's because my fox fire has a mind of it's own. Sorry, but you aren't getting near me anymore!"
Ichigo tested her theory, darting to the right and then striking from the side. Kana's barrier spat out more flames, which lashed him on the chest. Thrown back, he skidded to a stop. He pressed a hand on the afflicted area.
"Why's it cold instead of hot?"
"Because it's fox fire. ...Wait, why the hell am I telling you that? Instead of asking questions, why don't you give up? Like I said, you're not getting past my fire, and I'm not letting it down no matter how much you beg."
She stuck out her tongue and pulled down one of her eyelids to stamp home her point.
"We'll see about that," said Ichigo, oozing with confidence. "All I gotta do is outrun those flames, right?"
"Huh? What the heck are you going on about?" Kana pouted. "What a weirdo! You threaten him and he just wants to fight some more! Whatever. He can't outrun fox fire. Nobody can. Is he just trying to psyche me out?"
Suddenly, energy enveloped Ichigo, growing three times his size. A chill shoot down Kana's spine. It was the type of power she would expect from a Captain, not a Substitute Shinigami. The entire area quaked, waking up the onlooking Visored.
"He's about to do something crazy, huh?" mused Love.
"Perhaps we should ask Hacchi to put up a few more barriers," said Rose with a frail smile, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his head.
Speaking of barriers, Kana was glad hers remained standing. Waves of spiritual pressure radiated off of Ichigo and struck her wall of flames. Even with them protecting her, she had a hard time remaining upright.
"W-Wait…! He's not about to do what I think he is, right?!"
Ichigo held Zangetsu straight in front of him. "BANKAI!"
Kana shrieked. A brilliant light threatened to blind her.
"Jeez! What the heck is wrong with this kid?!"
At last, she got a proper glimpse of Ichigo once the dust settled. The tattered, black coat he wore was impressive. She couldn't say the same for the thin, dark sword in his grasp.
"Huh? Why did it get smaller? That's a Bankai, right?"
If so, it was the most underwhelming she had ever seen. This was the power that let him go toe-to-toe with Byakuya Kuchiki? She scratched her head.
"Tensa Zangetsu," he announced. He swung his blade and blew away the cloud of smoke around him. "Here I come."
Kana blinked. That was all the time it took for Ichigo to move right in front of her. Even her wall of flames reacted sluggishly, blasting fire at someone who vanished a second time. Ichigo streaked behind his foe, swinging his sword true. Kana's shield held up, though its counterattack missed again. Whirling around, Kana caught a glimpse of Ichigo's afterimage. He came from above for his third attempt. His blade came so close to her that she could almost taste it. Her Kitsunebi sprung to her defense at the last possible moment.
He's...seriously moving faster than fox fire?!
Now she got her mistake at assuming his Bankai weak from looks alone.
It's not his strength that increases, but his speed!
She had flashbacks of Luis Del Gato, although the Arrancar didn't hold a candle to Ichigo.
I-I don't even have my limiter on this time!
Her opponent mounted a total offense by attacking her barrier from every conceivable angle. He moved so swiftly that she could have sworn there were dozens of him. There was no point trying to track him with her eyes. She wasn't even sure where to strike.
"S-Stop it! You're making me dizzy! Where are you, you lousy…!"
The blade about to pierce her throat gave her a good hint. Alarmed, she beckoned her flames to the spot.
"...Huh?"
Only to find Ichigo's sword pointed at the back of her neck. He had gotten inside her Kitsunebi.
"Looks like I win," he stated.
"…!"
Calling this 'impossible' felt like the biggest understatement in the world to Kana. Forget high speed movement. Ichigo might as well have been teleporting for someone as slow as her. She leered down at her legs. They were trembling. She tried to blame it on Ichigo's immense energy.
Deep down, however, she knew the truth.
"A-As if!"
Defiant, she spun around and swung her Zanpakutou. A huge wave of fox fire, like a raging storm, crashed down where Ichigo stood.
Or at least, where he once stood. He had retreated to the opposite side of the training grounds. Kana, stammering like an idiot, wasn't sure when she dropped to her knees. Her strength, like her wall of flames, had melted away.
Holy…! Thatcan'tbe Flash Step!
"She's done," noted Kensei, shaking his head. "That's why you don't underestimate an opponent no matter who they are."
"She su-uuuu-cks," whined Mashiro. "This is boring."
"Go do something productive then. You're distracting me."
Mashiro frowned. "Let me fight Berry-tan instead!"
"Shut up already. I said you're distracting me."
Kensei regretted opening his mouth. If Mashiro simply talking diverted his attention, her flailing on the ground and throwing a tantrum ran off with it.
"I wanna fight him! I wanna! I wanna!"
"What the hell are you screaming at me for?! Do whatever the hell you want!"
"What the hell is going on over there?" wondered Shinji as Mashiro continued to scream Kensei's head off. "She sure has a lot of energy today."
He couldn't say the same for Kana, who still hadn't picked herself off of the ground.
"So, he condenses all his power into that sword of his so he can move faster? His spiritual pressure so stupidly high that it's almost a moot point. I'm...totally outmatched in that regard." The gears began to turn in her head. His power might have indeed been ludicrous, but her confidence swelled at finally understanding it. "If this was a real fight, I'd be dead already."
"Are you giving up?" Ichigo inquired at her inaction. His self-assured aura withered when Kana heightened her shoulders and pursed her lips as hard as she could. "W-What the…?"
"This isn't fair!" she whined. She threw her Zanpakutou to the ground in a bout of frustration. She teetered on the verge of tears. "What the heck is with you?! Aren't you like fifteen?! How in the hell could you be so strong?! I should be wiping the floor with you! You're like...a living cheat code! You don't make any sense!"
For the warehouse being so large, there wasn't so much as a peep. Kana, turning bright red, shook in a blind fury. She turned on her heels and began marching away.
"Where are you going?" an incredulous Ichigo had to ask.
"Home!" she clarified. "I'm done with this! Fighting you isn't any fun! I swear, I'm telling CT what happened and getting him to beat you up!"
"B-But…!"
"Bite me, creep!"
She blew another raspberry.
"She's...quite the sore loser," said Lisa.
Shinji smacked his lips. "Don't let her get away, Ichigo. Attack her from behind if you have to."
"What the hell are you on?! I'm not doing that!" Ichigo spat back. "If she says she's done, then..."
"FOOLED YOU!"
Kana wasn't done at all. Cackling like an evil witch, she struck from behind, driving Ichigo into the ground with a huge fireball. His smoldering form crashed like a meteor.
"Who told you to lower your guard?" she said with a devilish smirk. Her tongue jutted from her mouth like a snake's, and she celebrated her sneak attack by doing a little jig. "Dummy! You're a thousand years too early to face me!"
"W-What a cheap trick!" roared Kensei in disgust while she continued to split her sides.
Rose sighed. "I'm all for being a pragmatist, but..."
Love, meanwhile, pounded his fist on the ground as his eyes welled with tears. His laughter was as uncontrollable as Kana's. "Just listen to her! She's a riot, ain't she?"
Someone watching on with bated breath didn't agree. Orihime set her sights on the still cackling Kana and shouted, "Mitarashi, that was uncalled for!"
Kana peered down at her, her smile turning on its head. "Puh-lease! In a real fight, an enemy might do something like that. Like I said, he shouldn't have been dumb enough to lower his guard."
"I guess all women are demons."
"You say something, Shinji?" said Lisa, eyeing him suspiciously.
"Nope."
Satisfied, Kana planned on going home and celebrating her victory with a few shots of liquor alongside Rangiku.
That was until a spiritual pressure strong enough to crush her to bits fell over her. Like a rock, she dropped to the ground.
"W-What…?" She could hardly breathe. This wasn't the energy of a Shinigami or even a Captain. "A...Hollow…?"
"Kurosaki!" shouted Orihime, leading Kana's head to shoot up.
"I'm alright, Inoue. To be fair, she's got a point. I really shouldn't have lowered my guard. I'll make sure not to do it again."
Not only was Ichigo still standing, his Hollow mask hung over his stern countenance. Holding out his sword, black energy swirled around it. Kana didn't move a muscle though not by choice. Apprehension rooted her to the spot.
"...I might actually die here..."
"Hacchi..."
"Already on it, sir." Hachigen spoke ahead of Shinji and placed yet another barrier around Kana and Ichigo. At the rate he was going, he feared he would collapse if he expended another drop of energy. "We may need to stop this, sir, before one of them is seriously hurt."
"...No. She got herself out of one jam. Let's see if she can do it again. Besides, you can just heal her if she loses a limb or two."
"..."
"If you wanna give up for real this time, now is the time," warned Ichigo as his spiritual pressure continued to skyrocket. "I'm still not good at this Hollowfying thing, so I can't say how much I can hold back."
"I-I'm not scared of you!" Kana proclaimed. She steadied her breathing, reminding herself how mortifying it would be for the Third Seat of the Tenth Division to lose to a Substitute Shinigami. Her Captain would scream her head off for weeks. "Haven't you gotten a little big for your britches?! Come on then!"
Whatever he had in store, she would take it head on. She planted her feet into the dirt to do just that.
"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"
The mammoth, dark wave of energy destroyed not only the surrounding area but all of Hachigen's protective spells. The sight made little sense to him. They were by no means his strongest barriers, but they were the very same ones he used during Hollow subjugations.
Everyone braced themselves from intense winds. Sighting, Shinji stood firm despite the chaos.
"Did he really have to go that far? That wasn't the point of..."
"Don't talk like this isn't your fault, idiot. You should have thought about that before telling them not to hold back," chided Lisa.
"...I like you better when you're reading one of those pornos of yours."
Orihime feared the worst as well. She braved the savage winds and blinding smoke in an effort to locate her friends. Gasping, she stopped. She came seriously close to stepping into a raging inferno.
"Black flames…?"
From what she witnessed, Kana's fox fire was blue not black.
"Get back, Inoue!"
Orihime heeded Ichigo's warning. He removed his mask to get a proper grasp of the damage. Even while trying his damnedest to weaken his blast, it still did far more than he intended.
Not that Kana had a scratch on her. Even while on her behind and gasping for air, she realized this once she patted herself down.
"...Huh? Wow! I'm so beautiful, even some overpowered teenager can't tarnish my looks!"
In desperation, she cast a Kitsunebi to block the Getsuga Tenshou. Given Ichigo's overwhelming strength, she expressed shock at it working even a little bit.
"Are you alright down there?" she heard Ichigo yell.
"Try not nearly frying me to a crisp and then asking me that, jerk! I..."
The dark, ominous fire blazing around her gave her a start. So did the Visored gazing at her in unison. Most worrying of all was how distorted her voice sounded. She clamped her fingers over her throat, fearing something was horribly wrong.
"What the heck am I wearing?"
Something heavy rested on her face. She ripped it off, revealing black sclera and gleaming, yellow eyes. The item in her grasp was a mask, a Hollow's mask. Pointed at the top, the unnervingly white object possessed beady eye holes and two smaller openings beneath them that resembled nostrils. The mouth had a pair of massive and menacing rows of teeth quite like a shark's. Rather than lying flat, the mask protruded from the pointed top. It took Kana some time to process what she held. The second she did…
"WA-AAAAAAAAAAAAA-AH!"
She threw it as hard as she could. Feeling tainted, she scrambled around like a headless chicken.
"HIRAKO!"
Shinji, with the Visored in tow, rushed over to Kana following Ichigo calling out to him.
"What the hell is this?!" the latter demanded to know.
"She's a Visored?" said Kensei in disbelief.
"What an interesting development," said Lisa, who couldn't hide a smirk. "I'd say 'welcome to the team,' but..."
"Indeed, more of us are cropping up out of seemingly nowhere," noted Rose.
"This is the first time I'm hearing about this," stated Love. "When did she subjugate her Inner Hollow?"
"That's the thing," began Hachigen. "Her Hollowfication seems different from ours. Other than needing a push to unlock her abilities, she and her Inner Hollow already appear be in perfect sync."
"Hey, that's cheating!" voiced Mashiro. "Who the heck is this girl anyway, and how come you know so much about her, Hacchi?"
"What the hell are you mad for?" asked Kensei.
"Is there any reason you all are staring at me like an exhibit at the zoo? I swear, being beautiful is a curse sometimes."
No longer screaming her head off, a suddenly composed Kana sighed and even flipped her hair back.
"I'm going home. For real this time. Please don't bother me again with something this trivial."
Holding her head high, she took only three steps before the strength in her legs went out.
"Ohmygod, I'm dying!" she shouted at the height of her voice, bawling like a baby. "I'm gonna turn into a Hollow and then start eating children for fu-uuuuu-un! Wa-aaaaa-ah!"
Everyone leered around at one another, having no clue what to do about a grown woman making such an awful racket.
"...We should just kill this chick and save ourselves the hassle," suggested Kensei, who plugged his ringing ears.
"Quit all that bellyaching. You ain't a Hollow. Not like you're thinkin' anyway."
Shinji ruined her day even further by crouching down to her and moving his face too close for comfort.
"W-What's happening to me…?" she hiccuped, her normally fair features tainted by the tears and snot running down them.
"You gonna explain what's going on or not, Hirako?" asked Ichigo. "You didn't mention anything about this."
"Maybe because I only found out earlier. Besides, what's there to explain? Even someone as thickheaded as you can get it, Ichigo. You've seen her mask. It's obvious she's one of us."
"I'm asking you how! When did she get Hollowfied?"
"...Ain't that the million dollar question?"
The spotlight centered on Kana. A nervous wreck, she couldn't have answered even if she knew the truth.
#
Aaron wasn't sure how much more he could take. So much sweat coated his forehead that it stung at his eyes. Wiping it away only helped momentarily.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
He had lost count of how many he had fired. His latest blast took care of another group of orcs, but even more spawned in their place, ready to continue the fight.
Sasune was busy too. He had long since lost the feeling in his arm. Still, he fired arrow after arrow. His aim never strayed off course. Orcs fell left and right, though the remainder of the forces simply stepped over their fallen brethren.
"Damn..." the Quincy muttered, surveying his bleeding fingers out of the corner of his eye. "The most we can do is stop them from overwhelming us!"
Aaron, screaming with vigor, carved Seigetsu through another pair. "Not good. My arms are getting stiff. I think it's time we come up with a different plan."
"Tell me about it," replied Sasune. He leered up at their remaining hit points. "Two left for me and three for you. I guess I'm losing."
"Considering we're on the same side, I'm not as happy as you seem to think."
"Heh. You could let me have a little bit of fun before I die."
"We're not dying, so shut up. Can't we just restart the game?"
"A noob like you couldn't do that even if you had my powers."
Yukio Hans Vorarlberna had grown bored watching his captives fend for their lives. While they had survived much longer than he expected, it was clear that wouldn't be the case forever.
"How about this?" he started. "If you both give up right now, I'll let you out. I'll even convince Ginjou to make your deaths quick and painless. It's getting rather pathetic watching you buzz around like flies."
"Sounds fair. We'll give you the same deal once we bust out of here," replied Sasune with a wide grin.
Yukio wasn't nearly as amused. "Tough talk. Nobody likes a sore loser. That army isn't even set to the highest level."
He proved as much by punching new commands into his handheld.
"...Shit," Aaron mumbled at the sight of another army of orcs appearing. "You just had to go and open that fat mouth of yours, Sasune!"
"Like he would've gone easy on us if I invited him to tea!"
"My offer is still on the table," said Yukio, smirking.
"Why can't we switch that thing off?" wondered Aaron, gesturing toward the monitor their captor employed to watch their every move.
"Escaping should be a higher priority," Sasune suggested.
"Tell me you have an idea then."
"I don't know about that, but we've confirmed these bastards will just keep respawning if we kill them. I like spawn camping as much as the next guy, but..."
"What the hell are you going on about?"
"We should report that brat up there to an admin for griefing. Then again, I suppose he's the admin."
"Speak like a normal human being!"
"Man, you really are a noob."
Aaron couldn't decide if he wanted to strangle Yukio or Sasune more.
"Oh? You really know your stuff," Yukio told Sasune. "Letting Ginjou kill you would be a waste. We could grind in a few MMOs together."
"Thanks for the offer, but I'm more of a singleplayer type of guy."
"How long have we been in here?" asked an out of breath Aaron while fending back another swarm.
"Dunno." Sasune sprayed a steady stream of arrows at anything that dared move. "Feels like hours."
"It's only been half an hour actually," said Yukio. Neither Aaron nor Sasune were comforted by the news. "Of course, I can modify time inside the game, so perhaps it has been hours for you two."
"Invaders Must Die, was it? Neat Fullbring. You sure that fancy game of yours isn't more to thank? Where'd you get it from anyway? Is it custom made?"
All of Sasune's remarks made Yukio raise an eyebrow. "...You're wrong. I'm the one doing all this. This is just my favorite handheld. My Fullbring is what gives it power."
"Right. I'm starting to get it now. Miss Mitsumi's necklace. Shuukurou's bookmark. That one chick's boots. That game of yours. You Fullbrings channel your powers through stuff you're fond of, right?"
"Oh? You're saying you figured all that out on your own?"
"I'm not bad when it comes to the whole thinking thing, yeah. Then again, when you go and spill your secrets to your enemies, people like me don't have to do much thinking."
Yukio's eyes widened. He only then realized he had been played like a fiddle.
"So, you say there's nothing special about that handheld, which means it must work like every other model."
"...What's your point?"
"It'll run out of juice eventually. What happens then?"
"..."
"I bet your Fullbring stops working."
"..."
"Cat got your tongue? I'm right, aren't I?"
"Even if you are, we don't know how much power that thing has left," argued Aaron. "What's stopping him from charging it while we're still stuck in here?"
"Because if he could do that, he wouldn't be sweating like he is."
Yukio snarled. "Nobody is sweating!"
"Save it, kid. He knows his time is running out. That's why he offered us that deal. Once he runs out of power, we're free. And he doesn't have to guess what happens then."
Yukio grit his teeth. Aaron couldn't tell if it was out of anger or fear. Regardless, he felt his friend might have been onto something.
"Of course," Sasune continued, "we're going to bust out of here long before that happens. CT, you can do Bankai, right?"
"Sure, but I'd rather save my strength for Ginjou."
"I like you thinking on your feet for once, but that won't matter if we die here first."
"...Fair enough." With Sasune covering for him, Aaron took a deep breath and held Seigetsu straight in front of him. "BAN...KAI!"
The sheer force of Aaron's erupting spiritual pressure blasted a number of Yukio's orcs into oblivion. The remainder stood by, waiting to see exactly what had transpired. It was much the same for their master, who smacked his lips.
"What kind of level up is that? I don't remember programming it into our little game."
Sasune braced himself before getting an eyeful of the burning spirit wings on Aaron's back. Taking flight, his tattered, brown cloak fluttered.
"Seinaru Seigetsu," he proclaimed, twirling the thin and white swords he held. "Good. I was afraid my Bankai didn't work in this place. So, what now, Sasune?"
"Now," the Quincy began, chuckling as he pushed his glasses up, "we write our own executable."
"...Still don't have a clue what you're saying."
"Use the strongest attack you have, something that'll cause one hell of a bang. Do you have something like that?"
Aaron did. He knew what to do at once.
"If you want me to take care of all these things, that's no problem, but I'll end up nuking you too."
"Don't worry about me. Just do it."
Though still having his reservation, Aaron figured things would work out in light of his friend's confident tone.
Then again, when isn't he arrogant?
The orcs, deciding Aaron wasn't a threat after, closed in for the kill. Aaron 'ripped' his fingers down his face. His Hollow mask formed at his command, imbuing him with even more strength.
"Mangetsu..."
Yukio never got a chance to figure out what was going on. He dropped his handheld when it exploded suddenly. As he stared at it in bewilderment, a steady supply of smoke billowed from it.
"T-That's impossible!"
"And yet, it happened. Sucks for you, kid."
Yukio stepped back, nearly falling off the roof of the apartment complex he had been using as a base of operations. Aaron and Sasune, in the flesh, stood opposite of him. The two looked around and confirmed they were back in the real world.
Sasune aimed his bow at the trembling Yukio. "Good. It doesn't smell like pig's ass out here. We logged out of your little torture session. I believe this is the part where you start pissing your pants, punk."
END
