Well, here we are... With what is, technically speaking, the 100th post to this story. Sorry about my confusing numbering system, lol. But regardless, I've never written anything that's come close to hitting triple digits, let alone actually reaching it. So I'm pretty proud of myself.
I just want to take a quick moment to say thanks to Mash-Potatoes1 and RG-Guest for their reviews of the previous chapter. As for this chapter, this is the start of the grand finally that the story has been building up to. I put a hell of a lot of work into making this feel as epic as possible. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this and will stick around for everything that comes next. I'm looking forward to hearing your feedback as events unfold.
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter XC:
"The Long Twilight Struggle, Part 1"
In an Unknown Location...
Before the 'Engine' that was the "Great Machine", Darkwood stopped and looked down, just as one of the hexagonal segments started to glow, before rising up as a six-sided column. Then, a flat rectangular panel of light appeared- resembling a 'window'- appeared above it.
With the 'window' now before him, a control panel- also made of pure light- took form, just in time as he typed something into the buttons. "This is Darkwood, what's the current status?"
Uriah appeared on the 'Window'. "At present, the system is holding steady." He answered him, while Ichigo looked on. "We're detecting increasing activity here both in and around Karakura, as well as in the Soul Realm and the Hollow Realm," he continued. "They're finally making their move."
Darkwood nodded. "Then the time has finally come for us to make our move."
The dark-haired, bespectacled man on the 'Window' nodded, after which Darkwood took a few steps back as it promptly vanished and the column receded, then he became stock-still. "Ichigo," he started as the various apparatus of the Engine moved independently of him. "I'll be preoccupied for a bit."
"Ah- right, of course." The teen responded. "But, what about the Machine?"
"Don't worry," the older man countered calmly, before then casting his gaze over to him, and giving a reassuring smile. "It was conceived with the intent of being able to run itself."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Soul Society, Division Twelve HQ...
Inside one of the many rooms, Urahara paused to look at a nearby monitor, which displayed the present status of their efforts in decoding the coordinates- going from forty-two, to forty-three percent.
"Ah yes, the slow march of progress." He mused silently to himself.
"C- Captain Grantz," Akon spoke up. "Output from the Anomaly is increasing..."
The bespectacled Arrancar moved in beside his officer. "Well caught," he began, while Urahara nearby watched the progress jump up to forty-four percent. "Can you elaborate?"
The gloomy Shinigami nodded in reaction. "Y- yes sir!" The Officer responded somewhat nervously, before going into further depth. "Th- the sudden upsurge in the reading now coming from the original distortion appears to be coincident with multiple lesser disturbances across the realm."
"What's going on?" Urahara inquired, joining them. "What's the sit-rep?"
Szayel smirked, nodding to himself. "We're being invaded."
"Ah- um," Akon stammered, adjust his collar. "The, er, lesser localized distortions appear to be similar in nature to the gateways that both Soul Society and the Hollows utilize."
The disheveled ex-Shinigami exchanged a brief look with the pink-haired Arrancar that was standing beside him. "Then, if that's the case..." Urahara started. "Our adversaries must already be in the process of mobilizing their own forces, and will soon be ready to deploy them, en-force."
The Octavio then looked to Akemi Sonata. "Get a report ready for the Central Command."
His Seventh Seat Officer nodded. "At once, Captain!"
Nearby, the progress display moved up to forty-five percent...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Gotei Council Facilities...
Central Operations Command Hub...
"Captain Kyoraku," Lieutenant Nanao Ise spoke. "We've just received a report from the Twelfth!"
The chamber that served as the Central Command was divided into two sections. The forward-most section was set lower the the rest, with rows of equipment lining the far wall, while a large view screen taking up most the far wall. In contrast, the inner section was raised, with it's own banks of equipment and doors fixed at either side- opening up into the chamber...
"A status update?" He asked the bespectacled woman in a curious tone, while in the process of turning away from the other two technicians that he'd previously been speaking with up till then.
"Yes, Captain." His Lieutenant replied smartly. "The Twelfth Division has just sent word that multiple portals have been detected- situated across all three of the main realms."
"Captain, look!" Ken exclaimed excitedly.
He looked at all of the activity on the screen. "What is all of this?"
"The hornets' nest has been upended." Ran chimed in, a worried look on her face.
"We're registering activity from each of the portals." The male tech revealed. "Our agents stationed in Karakura, Huecco Mundo, and here." He continued in a steady tone. "They're all registering increasing activity at multiple points- the shear numbers, it's like a frigging swarm of locusts!"
"Quickly, send out the universal 'scramble' order to our forces out on the ground!" Shunsui barked in an unusually authoritative tone. "All troupes are to mobilize immediately!"
With that, Nanao quietly began giving instructions to the other adjutants present, while the technical specialists stationed at monitoring posts in the room set to work...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Living Realm, Karakura City...
Toshiro Hitsugaya received an alert through his earpiece. Bringing his finger to his ear, he nodded as he listened to the transmission. "Of course, I understand, we'll move out immediately!"
The boyish white-haired Soul Reaper was standing, alert, on the roof of a high-rise building situated within the heart of the downtown region of the City. He was flanked by his Second in Command, along with a handful of Shinigami Staff Officers tasked with coordinating the tactics and movements of their troops deployed across the area. One of them was scanning a tablet, while another was looking to a laptop, with yet another seeming to be in the middle of a conversation with someone elsewhere.
Up until now, the most immediately impactful thing was the light from the horizon...
He quickly turned to his Lieutenant. "Ran, I just received word from Central Command," the youthful Captain informed the buxom strawberry-blonde. "Only moments ago, they just were sent confirmation from the Twelfth, reporting a sudden sharp uptake in the reading from the Anomaly- at the same time as reports of multiple distortions, across all of the realms, are just now coming in."
"Confirmed." One of the Staff Officers chimed in, looking up from their laptop. "Right now, I'm seeing readings congruent with those from Karakura and the recent incursion in the Seireitei."
"Captain, this tracks with the reports coming from our Agents out in the field." The Shinigami who prior to this, had seemed to be in the middle of a conversation- possibly, even as he was communicating with multiple individuals, simultaneously- explained as they removed their earpiece.
"We have to mobilize the forces of the Tenth!" Toshiro reasoned. "This is it, everyone, this is almost certainly a portent to the enemy finally making their move!"
"They may already be starting..." The curvy woman replied, looking into the distance.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Huecco Mundo...
Division Fourteen HQ...
Within the grounds of her Division, Captain Nelliel-Tu Obberschank listened intently as they received the latest intelligence report came from Central Command...
"Attention! This is a formal directive, issued straight from the Central Command: All Shinigami and associated forces are to mobilize immediately."
There were a number of other high-profile figures present in the room, all of them assembled around the curvy former Tercera Espada, resplendent with her distinctive skull-like Mask Fragment resting on her head much like a crown, along with her long flowing main of mint-green hair.
"Captain Obberschank," Kensei Muguruma spoke up. "What are your orders?"
Standing next to the serious white-haired Vizard, was none other than his own original Lieutenant and fellow Shinigami/Hollow hybrid Mashiro Kuna, as well as Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi.
She turned to look to him and the others in the room. "We're in a state of war, it's time to move out!"
"Of course!" Captain Sajin Komamura replied smartly with a nod. "This is a fight, after all!"
Lieutenant Kira Izuru was quick to nod similarly in response, the blonde-haired Shinigami reflecting the intent of the much larger wolfish Officer and Captain.
"Now then," she spoke, mostly to herself, as they departed. "The only thing left to do is to make sure that Cyrus and his forces are up to date on the current situation."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Meanwhile, back in the Living Realm...
Hitsugaya looked on and beheld the horde before him, not wasting any time as a he moved to cast his ice powers against them- instantly freezing a load of the mysterious Shadows!
At the same time, Rangiku Matsumoto used the burning flames of her own powers to scorch away yet even further numbers of their enemies- causing the 'Phantoms' to vanish instantly in a momentary flash of flames and smoking ashes. The strawberry-blonde woman took a moment to exhale as she turned to look to her Captain nearby- a relieved look on her as she spotted him.
Sparing a brief glance between them, Toshiro offered her a small but reassuring smirk.
In that moment, Rangiku couldn't help but be captivated by the young Soul Reaper. But then, how could she ever possibly not be? Everything about him, the grace of his movements, the determination in his eyes as he fought... All of it, it made her heart flutter.
He may have been 'young', but he carried himself like a man! Because, when everything was said and done, the fact was- very simply- that he was a good man. Toshiro was the one man she could truly trust and rely on, the one man she could turn to in her times of need, and the only man she believed down to the very core of her being that would never do anything hurt her or break her heart!
And then, there was the fact that amidst all this, Rangiku felt a brief but all too familiar ache between her thighs, though she was enough of a professional that she could quell her longing... for now.
At the same time, as he was busy casting his Zanjutsu, Toshiro was unable to fully quash the sense of longing that he experienced whenever his thoughts paused to dwell on his Lieutenant...
Without fail, merely thinking about her maddened him! At the same time, as much as she drove him mad, she equally drove him wild- as if she was a living, breathing embodiment of the internal anarchy of his (possibly?) burgeoning libido, or at least the manifestation of some kind of intoxicant specially crafted to stoke and inflame desires he didn't properly realize he was capable of.
But then, when it came down to it, how could he not be drawn to her? It certainly didn't help that she was just so much of a woman, to the extent that he could envision himself- in the not so distant future-becoming lost the glorious curves of her body! There were times he felt downright ashamed of the fact that he would catch himself pondering what it be like to bury his face in her impressive cleavage!
But how could he possibly resist her in the end? The busty woman was like a siren to him, to the extent that at times his desirous feelings could override his composure and common sense.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Fourth Division, Medical Center...
Orihime listened intently to the Captain as they walked down a corridor...
"I really must express my gratitude for you agreeing to assist us." Retsu Ukitake started, maintaining her usual calm demeanor as they walked. "Simply the knowledge that you will be here, that fact alone comes as a great relief for me." She continued. "I have no doubt you will be invaluable."
"I'm just happy to be of help." The young woman replied, blushing. "I mean, Ulquiorra and everyone else is going to be out there fighting, so this is the least I can do."
"You're being far too modest, my dear." The older woman countered. "I can say, from my own personal experience, that when it comes to the theater of battle, the ability to heel wounds and treat the injured is just as important as fighting with weapons and reiki."
"And then of course, given the unique nature your powers and abilities," the unflappable dark-haired woman continued as she stopped mid-step to face her. "It's becoming increasingly obvious to everyone that you're destined to be one of the powerful beings in all of existence."
Warm brown eyes widened in surprise. "Wait... What do you mean?" Orihime asked, still stunned by the other woman's assertion. "Surely, you and the other Captains-"
"Orihime." The female Shinigami cut in, he tone gentle yet firm. "I'm not merely speaking in terms of your powers alone," she went on. "Rather, at the moment, I'm looking at everything else that's lead you to becoming the person that you are today... Do you understand?"
Orihime didn't respond, just looking on as she continued. "The truth of the matter is that you're unlike anything that we've ever encountered before." Retsu explained. "You're something special."
"I- I'm not sure what to say..." The curvy redhead reacted.
"Then, in the mean time," the female Shinigami offered, still smiling. "How about we continue where we left off, so I can give you a rundown of the finer points of what we're planning?"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
As the events regarding the Captain and Lieutenant of the Tenth unfolded, not far away, a startlingly similar conflict was playing out within the boundaries of the city...
Shenkai touched down in the street, amidst all of the commotion, and the slender Chinese Shinigami unsheathed his distinctive curved Zanpakuto- "The Blue Dragon"- utilizing his Shunpo ability to move rapidly, taking out a number of enemies in a rapid flourish of movement.
At the same time as this, he looked over to Ggio Vega...
The Former Fraccion didn't waste any time, showcasing his skill in the use of Sonido, as he drove his own Zanpakuto into the fray in order to take down a number of the shadowy enemies- first, by drawing "Tigre Estoque" in a flash of movement and cutting them down, before next eliminating yet further of them as he fired off his distinctive magenta-colored Cero!
The Soul Reaper and the cat-like Arrancar then turned in time watch as another wave of the Phantom warriors sprung forth from around the nearby corner of a building like a tsunami. Each of the two men were accompanied by about a dozen or so troops, drawn from the ranks of the Second Division.
Just then, a bottle- with a burning rag stuffed into it- hit the pavement, creating a sizable fireball!
This was thin followed by the firing of an 'arrow', composed of pure energy striking the armed mob of pitch-black assailants, only for another one to land- finding its mark!
A silver-haired, bespectacled man touched down in front of him. He was dressed in a pair of light gray slacks and a matching waist-cote (worn over a white buttoned up dress-shirt and a dark red tie), an dark brown dress shoes. A five-point locket was visible, dangling from the bracelet around his wrist.
His arrival was then swiftly followed by that of a younger man. He sported a pair of glasses, and his facial features were similar to those of the first, except he had dark black hair. In contrast, the younger man was decked out in a particularly smart-looking white uniform (complete with a stylish capelet covering his shoulders), though he also had the same amulet hanging from his wrist.
Others made themselves visible, dressed in varying white uniforms...
"Doctor Ishida, I presume?" The slender Shinigami asked him, earning a nod. "And also, your son, it would appear." Shenkai offered them in a professional tone, offering a polite nod as he looked between the two Quincys. "It's good to have you and your allies on our side in the midst of this conflict."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Elsewhere on the sands of Huecco Mundo...
Grimmjow paused as he scanned the immediate area. After a moment, he sighed to himself, before he took a deep breath as he lowered the pair of binoculars he'd been using. Shrugging his broad shoulders, the Sexta Espada handed them to the Arrancar beside as he placed his hands on his hips.
"Tell me something," he bluntly asked. "What's your take on all this shit?"
Onigiri chuckled at this. "My opinion? Hmm..." He began thoughtfully with a smile as he raised the binoculars to look out across the white sands of Huecco Mundo. "Well, it is quiet at the moment," the red-haired, 'horned' swordsman went on, bringing down the binoculars. "As for my own thoughts on the current situation," he paused. "Personally, I think you're just bored."
The Espada reacted with a chortle of amusement, turning to him.
Aside from the two of them, Apacci was close by, clad in the inverted white versions of the Shinigami robes that other Arrancar had taken to wearing. In addition to the Scout from the Fourteenth Division, a visibly nervous-looking Soul Reaper was also present, along with a few others.
"You... Fucker!" Grimmjow replied, the normally crude word undercut by his toothy smile and the jovial tone of his voice. "You always did know how to make me laugh!"
His vibrant blue hair, which had by then grown out considerably, was drawn into a long ponytail that was tied low in the back. Additionally, the well-worn but sturdy light gray overcoat he wore appeared to have been cleaned to some degree, as it looked lighter. Beneath it, he wore a white shirt- unbuttoned at least half way down- along with dark gray pants and dark brown cuffed boots.
However, what Onigiri took note of was the the presence of what seemed to be a new addition to his outfit- that being, a green sash tied around his waist. But what really caught his attention was the shade of green... If he didn't know better, he would've sworn it was same shade as his Captain's hair.
"Hey, I think I can see something." Grimmjow spoke up, wordless reclaiming the binoculars from the other man and gazing off into the distance. "Yeah, this is it!" He declared, showing the binoculars into Onigiri's hands. "One of you Shinigami- it doesn't matter who- needs to call your superiors right now and tell 'em that we just spotted the enemy, and they're on the move!"
"R-right away!" The nervous Shinigami replied, moving the communication system.
"C- come in, Division HQ," he started. "Th- this is Officer Hiroshi Senaga, reporting in from Outpost Charlie, we have urgent actionable information! Enemy troop movements have been detected! I repeat, enemy troop movements have been detected! Please respond!"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Back in the Twelfth Division...
Urahara surveyed the info on the various screens. "Lieutenant, is this intel feed live?"
Nemu nodded as the man looked to her. "Yes, Urahara-san."
"Thank you." The ex-Shinigami answered, giving the woman a polite nod, before his focus returned back to the display screen that he'd been watching, his eyes narrowing...
The display screen read: Decoding Data... Status: 54%...
"Fifty-four percent." The disheveled man silently observed to himself. "Let's just hope that our people will be able to hold out long enough that we can make it to one-hundred percent..."
"You seem troubled."
The man, with his dirty-blonde hair and striped hat, turned to see the purple-haired woman standing beside him, practically a statue- with her unflappable and unreadable expression, flawless features and perfect figure. "Lieutenant?" Urahara inquired, unable to pick out any cues from her.
Without any prompting, she moved to rest her head against his arm. "Because of my experiences with Szayel-sama and everything else," the impossibly beautiful woman spoke. "It is my understanding that physical contact is invaluable in times of duress." Nemu offered calmly and encircled her arm around his own without further comment. "Though, of course, not necessarily of a sexual nature."
The scruffy man smiled, nodding. "Of course." Urahara responded, before taking a moment to gather his thoughts in the moment. "You're a good person, Nemu-san."
She nodded, giving a slight smile. "Thank you, Captain Urahara."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
With a flourish of hand gestures, Captain Hitsugaya raised a wall of ice, blocking the attack from the latest wave of the enemy Phantoms. He then shattered the ice, flinging it at them like shrapnel!
Concurrently, Rangiku Matsumoto used her powers to summon up whirlwind of heated ash, forming a searing tornado and unleashing it upon the massing Shadows. The busty woman leapt backwards onto a higher vantage point, brandishing her Zanpakuto Haineko.
Holding aloft his own Zanpakuto- Hyorinmaru- the young snowy-haired Captain next targeted what remained of the enemy forces they were dealing with. He moved to strike a fire hydrant, unleashing a torrential geyser of water, which he transformed into ice- redirecting it at them!
The strawberry-blonde Lieutenant touched down and turned to their Third Officer. "Wakabayashi," she entreated the female Shinigami. "Form a team and move on to the next sector."
"In the meantime," the young Captain began as he touched down beside her. "Lieutenant Matsumoto, please use this time to regroup and reform our own forces."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The ceiling above them shook, dust and debris fluttering down around those assembled...
"From the commotion," Tessai commented. "That one was definitely closer than the last."
Aside from that, there was the additional matter of the various sensors- set up discretely, both within and around the Shop going off- alerting them to the growing enemy presence above...
Aside from herself and Tessai, the dusky-skinned former Shinigami couldn't help but take stock of the other people in the shelter. To begin with, both Ginta and Ururu were sheltering there. Isshin Kurosaki stopped by earlier to drop off Karin and Yuzu. Lastly, Ikumi Unagiya was there with her son Kaoru.
"To think that we'd have five minors with us..." Yoruichi silently thought. "But how much more of a pounding can the surface level take?" She asked herself. "It's only a matter of time..."
Yoruichi then turned to a series of control panels, paying particular attention to a large manual switch switch- which in turn was held in place by a cross-bar, with two keyholes below it.
"Then you're seriously considering the fail-safe?" Tessai asked.
"I- if it comes down to it," the shape-shifting Noblewoman replied, as she silently reached into one of her pockets and holding up a small key. "Than, yes, I'm prepared to do it."
"Good lord!" Tessai started in a shaky tone, taking a long swig from his metal hip flask, before he produced a matching key of his own. "To think... th- that things have actually come down to the point where destroying everything on the surface level might be our best option."
The two shared a tense moment between them as their eyes met... Tessai tossed the flask to her, which she caught effortlessly and took a pull from, before tossing back to him.
A feminine voice came through the intercom. "Please come in, does anybody read me?" They went on to ask. "This is Akiko Wakabayashi, of the Tenth Division- if you're hearing this, please respond."
"This is Yoruichi Shihoin, formerly of the Second Division, we are receiving you loud and clear."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Meanwhile, in the Hollow Realm...
"HQ, we have urgent actionable information! Enemy troop movements have been detected! I repeat, enemy troop movements have been detected! Please respond!"
As soon as Lisa heard the voice coming in through the intercom, she knew who it was, dropping the name "Hiroshi Senaga" as she rushed over to the side of the Com Officer, the female Vizard seizing the initiative as she took over the link. "Officer Senaga, this is Lieutenant Lisa Yadomaru."
"You're transmission has been received!" The dark-haired woman continued in an urgent tone as she spoke over the channel. "Please report! What is the ETA of the enemy forces?!"
"Acknowledged." Senaga answered, the hesitance gone from his voice. "Enemy ETA is immanent! The capability and the extent of the enemy force is unknown at present- but appears significant!"
"Understood." Lisa fired back over the line. "Inform all personnel stationed at your location that they are to immediately withdraw to the inner parameter, to await further instructions!"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Ichigo looked on, at Darkwood, the man's eyes closed, his entire body engulfed in a pulsating aura of bright golden energy. He had no idea what to make of this...
The teenager looked on, at a loss. "What now?" He started. "You told me earlier that it was time for us to make our move... But what exactly does that mean?" Ichigo asked. "Well?"
"Please, relax yourself." Darkwood offered serenely, while the aura surrounding him gradually began to diminished as he turned to look to him. "As I previously elucidated, we haven't come this far without conceiving numerous contingency plans." The man explained. "This is no different."
"Right now, as we speak, Soul Society is attempting to 'trace' a path back to this point." The brown-eyed, brown-haired man related to the teen. "However, the fact that no one's reached us so far tells me that they haven't yet worked out a means of doing so, and that in turn means that it's still possible to hinder their efforts long enough to for the Great Machine to reach full power."
"And what exactly are you planning on doing?" Ichigo retorted.
"Why, keep them busy." The other man fired back, smiling. "Inevitably, this will all come down to a race against time, and I intend to make sure that time remains on our side!"
"As for how," the man went on. "Well, in their eyes, I am basically Public Enemy Number 1."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Soul Realm...
"And that's the current situation." Renji explained for the benefit of Arachne and the other Shinigami from the Sixth Division that comprised his Detachment. "This is it, we have our orders, we're to engage the enemy forces- so get ready and move out to our assigned position."
The Officers all saluted and proceeded to depart, all of them heading to location of the Senkaimon that would send them to Huecco Mundo...
"Aren't we going with them to the front?" Arachne asked incredulously.
"Of course we are." The tattooed Shinigami responded, giving a reassuring smile. "I just need to make sure that this little fella is ready to go." Renji explained as he turned to pick something up.
"What are you talking about?" The raven-haired Arrancar replied. "What do you mean 'little fella'?"
"This!" Renji responded excitedly, having just retrieved a large rectangular case, and holding it up for the crimson-eyed woman to see. "It's a little something I arranged for us to have."
Arachne raised a dark brow at this. "What's inside that thing?"
"Why, a little surprise, for our enemies." The Shinigami answered cryptically.
For a split-secant, she felt a compulsion to inquire further, but opted ultimately to drop the topic for now, instead falling in step with him as they exited the room.
"Just think of this as a bit of insurance." Renji replied with a smile. "After all, something tells me that we're all going to be in for a very long night, indeed!"
(- End of Chapter XC... -)
Well, things may seem a bit slow right now, but I didn't pick the title of this chapter just because it sounds cool, it has meaning. This isn't a simple skirmish, this is a major battle, spread across numerous battlefields. There's a scope and a scale to this that's totally unlike anything I've written prior to this.
The Sternritter attack in the "first book" of this story can be regarded (with the benefit of hindsight) as a test run to see if I could handle writing a larger-scale conflict, with multiple threads running at the same time. So when it came to the climax of the "second book", I had some experience and was able to refine and expand how the Brethren's 'attack' played out. I'd already played my hand in revealing them as a serious threat in the first conflict. This time, they were center stage, and I had to make good on what had previously been hinted at- hence, the second battle had lasting consequences...
So, in the case of the "third book", the stakes had to be raised. I did my best to make sure that there weren't any chapters that could purely be considered as being just 'filler'. That even if they didn't move the plot along, they'd at least expand upon what we know of the characters. This is one of the reasons why the so-called "secondary characters", such as Ikumi and Yuzu didn't fade into the background, and part of the impetus for Ichigo's "journey" into the metaphysical realm- which turned out to be extremely fun to write. It's also why we got more insights into Dario and Darkwood.
And of course, there were plot threads that had to be payed off (like Soifon's pregnancy and the hidden technology), and I wanted to give a preview of just how much of a threat the Brethren and the "Shadows" posed to the characters we've been following. And so, this is the culmination of everything I've learned as a writer over the course of writing this story during the last seven years.