As I previously mentioned, I had to shift a small handful of scenes into this chapter- if only for length and pacing matters. To begin, this is the ONLY four-parter in this entire massive epic. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that chapter is kind of the moment when the 'other shoe' drops!
With that out of the way, I just want to take a moment to thank Ie-maru, RG-Guest, and TheBretonBookDragon for their feedback! As ever, I'm still hoping to finally hear back from gorguts5 (after so many months of them being silent).
TO FORGE A
BETTER TOMORROW
Chapter XCIII:
"The Long Twilight Struggle, Part 4"
Soul Society...
Division Four HQ, Medical Center...
"Miss Sungsun, what are you-" His sudden query was interrupted as he vomited once again into the toilet bowl, his body falling limp as he sluggishly reached up to activate the flush!
She knelt down and handed him a tissue, which he accepted and wiped his mouth with, before then slumping onto his side as he turned to face her. "Oh my god, this is so embarrassing..." Abe went on in a rasp as he met her gaze. "I- I'm so sorry that you had to see me like this."
However, she didn't respond. Instead, she offered him a bottle of water, which he was quick to accept, drinking from it, easing his throat. "What can I possibly say...?"
The slender Fraccion merely smiled as she leaned in. "It's no trouble at all, take your time."
He blushed, feeling self-conscience. "I- I think I need a shave..." The Shinigami managed, before he began feebly looking around the small enclosed room in search of his electric razor.
Once again, she interceded. "For now, that can wait." Sungsun spoke. "For the time being, would you like to speak with me about what's happening, about what brought you to this point?"
Shinzo looked at her for a moment, her smile never wavering. "I think that might be a good idea..." He managed, taking another drink, before calming down. "But this place, a bathroom is no place for a lady like yourself." He managed as he struggled to push himself to get back up onto his knees, all the while as he adjusted his collar as he made his way to his feet.
Several minutes later, the two were in another area, in some quiet corner, with Sungsun seated as the buzzing from his electric razor ended and he set it down, before picking up a hand towel and using it to wipe his face off. "Again, I want to think you, for your discretion throughout this whole ordeal."
She nodded. "You're clean-shaven now," the Arrancar observed. "Any particular reason why?"
He took a long breath, before setting aside the small towel. "I felt dirty..." The medic replied as he did his best to compose himself, before going on to retrieve a hair tie and pulling his dark collar-length hair into a short ponytail in the back. "And, well, I also felt like it was time for a change."
"I received special training, as a medic." He went on. "And yet... even with that, everything I learned back in the academy... it didn't prepare me for the real thing, nothing could have."
Sungsun nodded sympathetically at this. "That's the thing about first-hand experience." She answered gently as she looked over to him from her seat. "Nothing can ever truly prepare us for it."
"Maybe..." He started. "Maybe I'm not cut out for this?"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Kenpachi lunged at the dark figure before him, raising his weapon above his head, before bringing in down like a guillotine. At the same time, the impostor brought up their massive weapon, the inner blade of the giant crescent intercepting the Captain's Zanpakuto.
The Shinigami strained, putting everything he had into it, until- at last- the crescent broke as the blade of his sword cut straight through it. The swipe of the blade continued onward, finding its destination as crashed down on the shadowy fighter- plunging through it and cleaving his form in two!
The fake Espada vanished vanished in a clash, as Kenpachi fell to his knees. The Soul Reaper gasped for breath, clutching his chest- his lungs on fire...
To many, while he'd been victorious, this would be considered a Pyrrhic victory. Leading credence to this, was the fact that the gigantic swordsman was even more worse for ware in the aftermath. This was most obvious by the fact that he failed to initially react in any way when Byakuya Kuchiki arrived on the scene, accompanied by his hand-picked team of Officers from the Sixth.
The dark-haired nobleman and Captain touched down, taking a moment to regard the battered form of his fellow Division Commander. "Well now, Captain, I expect that you know why I'm here."
At this, the other Shinigami- all of them armed and looking to be ready for trouble, including the recently appointed Third-Seat Officer Shigeru Kimura- took up their positions.
"Doubtlessly, given the circumstances and your blatant violation of your direct orders, you will have guessed that I'm here to retrieve you." Byakuya stated. "However, while I had anticipated a degree of resistance on your part, it now appears that this concern was premature."
"It's clear to me," the Captain continued. "That you're frankly in no condition to resist us."
Wearily, Kenpachi turned to face him. "So... At long last, Kuchiki, you finally get to have the la-"
He was abruptly cut off, as a multi-colored beam pierced him through the chest, leaving everyone in a state of shock, before trying to figure out what was going on. Byakuya turned to face the direction that beam had come from- spotting a figure in the distance...
It was a man, dressed in a pair of tight black pants and boots, with a black leather over over a white ruffled shirt, with black leather cuffs on the sleeves. He had rugged angular features, and a main of long stringy black hair. His arm was outstretched, with his finger pointed their way.
Kimura, meanwhile, had looked back to Kenpachi, in time to witness as blood spilled forth from his mouth as he gasped in pain, his visible eye rolling back as he unceremoniously slumped forward with a load 'thud'. The giant warrior had been reduced to a motionless heap...
"Sorry, you guys." Ronnie began with a smile, his hair fluttering in the breeze. "But the truth is, that I simply don't have the time to stick around." He explained to them in a cavalier tone. "There's a certain person I'm looking for." He continued. "I've got a score to set-"
This time, it was Ronnie's turn to be unceremoniously cut off as a familiar horned, bat-winged figure swooped in, snatching up the man and flying off into the distance.
"Just now..." Byakuya began as he looked on, for one of the only times in his life, with an expression of genuine confusion. "Was that... the Cuatro Espada?"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Sungsun gave a thoughtful look...
She regarded Shinzo for a moment. "That's for you to decide." She responded. "Except, if I've learned anything from the time I've spent here in the Fourth, and talking with Yamada-san, then it's the fact you wouldn't be wearing that green sash around your waste if you hadn't earned it."
Rising to her feet, she looked him in the eyes. "Meanwhile, there's one thing that I am curious about... can you tell me why exactly you signed up to serve in the Fourth?"
Folding his arms across his chest, he took a moment to process the question...
"Before you respond," Sungsun went on to say as she moved in, the feel of her warm breath moving ticklishly upon his ear. "I'm still eager to hear your reasoning."
Abe nodded, at last finally managing to smile in his own right. "I'm not completely sure, except..." He continued, before pausing. "That I... wanted to help people."
This earned a genuine smile from the woman. "I get the feeling that that tells me everything that I need to know about you, Abe-san." Sungsun offered him. "You really are a good fit for the Fourth."
"Can you really tell, just by talking with me?" He asked.
"I can get a decent idea." The Arrancar countered. "As I'm sure you're aware, I'm not simply here as window-dressing," she continued smoothly. "I'm a certified member of the Volunteer Medical Corps, so I know there's more to serving here than just casting healing spells."
"Yes, you're right." Shinzo responded emphatically, giving a nod, straightening his collar as he looked to the door. "There's people out there who need to be treated."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Division Twelve HQ...
"I'm going to run the final checks," Szayel spoke. "So keep an eye on the results."
"Right," Urahara replied. "You can go ahead with the checks."
The bespectacled Arrancar activated the built-in internal diagnostic subroutine for the teleportation system, prompting it to begin analyzing itself...
"It shouldn't take long." He went on. "Have you received the results?"
"Just a moment..." The former Shinigami replied. "Status, nominal, all systems are go!"
"Excellent!" The golden-eyed Espada declared as he moved to check a display.
Both men watched as the progress achieved eighty percent!
"Everyone, status report." Szayel ordered.
"R- right away Captain," Akon reacted slightly awkwardly. "The readings are nominal, both the main system a- and the back-up are registering as being at optimum power."
The Arrancar nodded. "Then... this is it."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Ulquiorra, the power of his Zanpakuto unsealed, in his Segunda Etapa, flew through the air, his wings adjusting accordingly as he soared over the Seireitei.
The Cuatro Espada was fully merged with Murcielago, leaving the transformed Arrancar looking more like a demon from hell with his horns and wings. Ronnie bore a mortified expression of as he dangled perilously in the clawed grip of the Espada, the air flowing over them as he flew.
At last, Ulquiorra cast his gaze down, into the man's eyes. "Tell me, if I recall correctly," the Hollow began, his tone completely detached, an unreadable look on his face. "I believe I overheard you saying something about how you have a 'score' that you wished to 'settle' with me, am I correct?"
"Where the fuck are you taking me?!" Ronnie exclaimed, frantically holding onto Ulquiorra's hands as they continued flying over Soul Society, until at last passing beyond it.
Ulquiorra briefly flashed just the slightest hint of a smile. "I should think the answer to that question would be perfectly obvious, hmm?" He replied, his unnervingly calm tone never wavering.
"I'm taking you up on your earlier statement." He explained coolly. "You wanted to finish what was started back in Karakura City." Ulquiorra went on dispassionately. "And that's what's going to happen... Except, that I will be the one who will finish this this little 'dance' of ours."
Ronnie let out a frightened yell as Ulquiorra adjusted his posture, causing them to fly higher up into the air as they moved well beyond the outer boundaries of Soul Society.
"You...!" Ronnie exclaimed fearfully, his lip trembling slightly and his eyes wide as he looked up into the inhuman gaze of the being who he was at the mercy of. "Y- y- you're a m- MONSTER!"
On hearing this, Ulquiorra's expression quickly transformed into a proper smile, his tone becoming low and menacing as he merely replied "Oh, you have no idea."
"And now," the demonic Hollow intoned. "It's time for the final act... Or rather, your outro."
"What are you- Wait! N- no, wa-?!"
Without any further preamble, Ulquiorra released his grip, leaving him screaming as he plummeted...
"No encore this time." Ulquiorra observed with a sly smile, watching the man's descent, before next aiming his pointer finger downwards and forming a massive Cero- which he then fired off.
The attack landed first, engulfing Ronnie in the ensuing explosion- before he ever hit the ground!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Huecco Mundo...
Kensei Muguruma and the members of the joint-force that were directly under his command made their way towards the labyrinthine rock formations of the "Stone Maze"...
They funneled into the twists and turns of the seemingly infinite routs that comprised the expanse of the maze, like frenzied ants filing into an anthill. Though, with the enemy forces in hot pursuit of them, they had no choice but to break up- all of them heading their own way- in the hope that this might slow the shadows down and buy the rest of their forces more time to regroup.
This quickly proved to particularly difficult for the Shinigami Captain and Lieutenants, as it didn't take long before their ears were buffeted with the sounds of screaming. And so, in the process, it became all to clear to anyone who could hear the noises that their allies were dying all around them!
And so, it was against the backdrop of all of this chaos, that the Lieutenants Kira Izuru and Mashiro Kuna had wound up, with nothing more than the pale moonlight to aid them in their flight. The blonde Shinigami and the green-haired Vizard urgently tried to navigate though the serpentine pathways of the naturally formed "corridors" that made up the 'maze'...
Until finally emerging into a clearing. They saw a sheer rock-face (about two meters high) at the far end, and ran directly towards it- only for one of the Phantom Warriors to land before them!
However, rather than attack them, it hunkered down and plunged its arms into the sand, leaving the two officers at a loss as to how to react in the face of this previously unseen tactic meant...
Until a dark spike rapidly burst forth from the ground, viciously tearing into Kira- knocking him to the ground, just as another one erupted from the sand, only narrowly missing Mashiro!
Shuhei arrived in the clearing, trying get an idea of the present situation and where exactly their forces stood at the moment. Though, he was met by the sight of Kira laying prone on the ground, and Mashiro standing close by with an uncertain look on her face.
"Mashiro! Kira! What the hell's going on?!" He exclaimed, only to have to jump back to avoid being taken down by an elongate spike made of darkness. "Oh shit!"
The Soul Reaper drew his Zanpakuto and slashed up the spike, before continuing on to try and figure out what was going on with the other two Lieutenants, and to help if possible. As he neared them, Kira had managed to shift himself upright in a seated posture, as Mashiro knelt down before him.
The blonde Shinigami coughed up blood, dully looking down to his torso- instantly registering that his robes were soaked with blood, and that he was profusely bleeding...
"Fuck!" Shuhei exclaimed. "We've gotta get you the hell out of here, ASAP!"
"You mean lifting me up, just for my guts to spill out?" The wounded man countered, before shifting into something that sounded like a cross between a cough and laughter- more blood spilling down his chin in the process. "No, you two need to get out of here, while there's still time!"
"But Kira!" Mashiro implored him.
"You can't be serious!" Shuhei added. "We can't just leave you here!"
"No." He replied firmly. "I'm in no condition to continue on..." He paused, opening up the satchel at his side, revealing the cache of explosives inside of it. "Besides, it won't be safe to stick around here for much longer, not with I've got planned in mind." Kira went on to state.
"Now," he managed a charismatic smile. "I have bombs with me, and I intend to explode them."
The two appeared to be about to offer further protests, but halted a he removed a strange object from the satchel- with a wire running back into it. "This is something from the Living Realm." Kira went on as he held it up, pulling a pin out from the side. "It's called a 'Dead Man's Switch'."
Shuhei placed his hand on Kira's shoulder, the two men exchanging nods. Mashiro wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He gave her a smile, then a final nod to the other man.
With that, the other man grabbed hold of Mashiro and took her with him as he departed...
Kira looked around, watching as he was quickly surrounded by the Phantoms, smiling to himself.
"N- now that I have you're full attention," he began, lifting his thumb up off of the top, triggering the release of a small spring-loaded mechanism. "It's time to get this party started!"
Mashiro and Shuhei had made their way to the top of the rock-face, pausing to look back, in time to bare witness as the area below them was engulfed in a massive explosion!
The duo could only look on with a mix of awe and horror as the ensuing giant explosion succeeded in vaporizing several dozen of the enemy warriors!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Candice Catnip tensed the muscles in her legs and braced herself up against the enemy onslaught as she set about absorbing and repulsing the oncoming swarm of Phantoms...
Even as the scantily-clad blonde was swarmed by the shadowy fighters, she could still see enough of the action unfolding around her to understand that the defensive line they'd formed around the Medical Center was rapidly beginning to fracture and outright break at numerous points!
Just as she was tackled to the ground, she dropped an elbow on the perpetrator, before she went on to flood them with lightning and kicking them off of her.
At the same time, while a nearby Shinigami was repeatedly and unceremoniously stabbed, the busty pinkette Sternritter moved in to grab hold of one of the seemingly endless attackers and didn't waist an instant as she launched them into a cluster of the others!
A lean-looking Sternritter with dark hair stepped forth to unleash a pair of boomerangs- the glowing spinning blades cleaving through scores of attackers, until finally came back to them, returning to their waiting hands. Meanwhile, a light-haired Soul Reaper jumped forward to attack, but was struck down in mid-air, coming crashing down to the ground, in front of them...
"Franz?!" Meninas exclaimed, watching the other Quincy move.
The Sternritter moved quickly, rushing forward and taking hold of and dragging the injured Shinigami back with him to a position of relative safety, leaving the duo to watch as a number of figures emerged from the enemy lines to converge on their position. "So, you're name is 'Franz'?"
The white-clad man nodded at this. "Yeah," he responded. "What about you, what's your name?"
"It's... Kintaro." He managed, grunting faintly and holding his hand against the wound at his side as he crawled over to retrieve a dropped fire rocket from off of the ground.
Candice managed to make her way back up on to her feet, only to hiss in agony as she felt a blade slip between her ribs and embed itself within her. Cursing inwardly, the blonde reached out and placed her hand against the "face" of her attacker and blast him with lightning- taking them down!
Holding her side protectively, Candice looked on as they were pushed back to the point that it was becoming increasingly obvious to the defenders that their lines are collapsing under the strain of the attacks, to the point that they were being overrun by the Shadows by the end...
Franz looked over to Kintaro. "Well, buddy... looks like we're gonna have a problem."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Ukitake Estate...
The unsealed Primera looked to his doppelganger...
The next thing he knew, he heard a voice calling out to him, leading the Arrancar to look down, only to spot Jushiro on the ground below. "Stark, bring that thing in, I have an idea!"
"What are you talking about?" The Espada asked as he landed.
Jushiro watched as the other man's double closed in, before launching himself at the creature!
"Quick, Stark, take the other one!" He called out as he engaged the Phantom.
Understanding right away, the Arrancar moved rapidly to intercept Jushiro's double...
"I don't know what you're planning, Jushiro," the brown-haired Arrancar started, avoiding a slash from the Captain's doppelganger. "But regardless, you can count me in on whatever it is trying to do!"
"These things are our reflections," the Shinigami called back, avoiding a series of gunshots that were fired at him, while keeping the fake Primera busy. "But why should we fight on their terms!"
"Yes, of course," Stark reacted as he leveled his twin handguns. "We fight each other's shadows!" He exclaimed as he began unloading on the phantom...
At the same time, the Shinigami Captain moved in, bringing the twinned pair of swords that was his released Zanpakuto, the blades absorbing the gunfire, before reversing it back against him!
This resulted in the "bullets" punching holes through it and knocking them to the ground!
Satisfied that he'd drawn the enemy phantom far enough away from the sight of the continued fighting between Jushiro and the Phantom reflection of himself, Stark turned to once again face his enemy. The Primera decided this was the time to wrap things up, as he summoned his pack of wolves- manifested from his spirit energy- and unleashed them on Jushiro's doppelganger, waylaying the adversary.
The tall gunman looked on as the attacking Phantom was torn apart...
Meanwhile, Jushiro performed a fancy flourish with his Zanpakuto, deflecting all of his shots fired in a flurry of movement, before then moving in and thrusting both of the blades of his soul weapon into his enemy's arms, before he then drew either one of them out- destroying their arms in the process!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
The Living Realm, Karakura City...
In a lull in the fighting, while the others were busy talking, Uryu produced his cellphone from out of his uniform and tapped the touch-screen to call one of his contacts on speed-dial...
The noise of the call being picked up sounded, followed by a voice. "Hey, Uryu, what's up?"
Meanwhile, as they spoke, Shenkai's wounds were being tended to...
"I'm just checking in with you." He replied, smiling to himself. "How are things going on your end?"
There was a pause, then the sound of someone exhaling. "Honestly, Uryu, you can be such a mother hen sometimes." Tatsuki replied teasingly. "Everything's fine over here, it's all quiet."
"Good, the fact that you're safe is what matters." Uryu responded. "So, how are things with you and Hofstadtr-san, are you two getting along okay?"
"Oh, you mean Ingrid?" The girl replied casually over the line. "Yeah, everything's good between us, she's a heck of a woman. In fact, I have to say-"
"Tatsuki? Tatsuki?!" He exclaimed, fear in his voice. "What's happening, are you-"
The call abruptly dropped on her end!
In a state of total panic, the teen took off on his own, vanishing before anyone even had chance to try and stop him, leaving Ryuken and the others looking on- all of them at a loss!
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
At the moment, the blonde felt like shit, and suspected she didn't look much better!
As Candice surveyed the area, all the noise around her seemed to fade away, leaving her with nothing more than the sound of her own thoughts. It was then, that she began to fully cognate the full extent of just how bad their situation was rapidly becoming...
"So this is it then, huh?" She muttered under her breath as she looked around.
There were dead bodies everywhere, and lots of blood. It had reached a point where she barely batted an eyelash at the carnage, even as she watched a Shinigami and another Sternritter being overwhelmed and killed- in both cases, only meters from where she stood.
Perhaps, the strangest thing was how oddly calm she felt in the face of all this...
Candice gave a small smile, not reacting to the sound of Meninas calling out to her.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Right Arm of the Giant!" Chad had exclaimed, activating Brazo Derecha de Gigante, just in time to counter the attack by the tattooed woman.
From there, he activated another ability, liquid armor rapidly encasing his right arm as the imposing figure of the "Samurai"- created by the tattoo that adorned her right arm- took a swing at him with their giant sword. However, he didn't have much time to catch his breath, as the giant serpentine "Dragon"- formed from the tattoo on her left arm- opened its maw and unleashed its fiery breath!
But then, what he'd been dreading happened: The looming figure of the black-cloaked "Reaper" raised up it's enormous scythe and took a swing directly at him!
The swarthy teen narrowly avoided the giant curved blade as it came down- scouring the ground he'd been standing on mere secants ago- and causing everything in its wake to wither away...
"Gah!" He cried out. "Are you seriously trying to kill me?!" Chad went on to protest as he surveyed the aftermath of the attack- the grass and soil withered and darkened, the rocks turning to dust!
She gave an amused chuckle. "On the contrary," Jinx retorted. "Just think of this as motivation!"
"Motivation?" Chad countered, looking through his dark bangs. "What are you talking about?!"
The inked woman smiled in response to this. "Just stop and think about it for a moment," she began coolly, unfazed by the fact that her bare breast were exposed. "No matter how things turn out, the result will be a win-win for both of us." Jinx continued in a sultry tone.
"I mean, if I defeat you, you can look forward to being my full-time personal stud!" Jinx explained to him, her smile never faltering as she spoke. "But, if you defeat me... Well, you could put a leash on me and lock me up in a cage, where you'd then be free to mold me into your adoring little slave and pet that you'd be free to fuck whenever you want!"
The youth felt a twinge of arousal at the lurid statement. "I- I have no intention in ending up as your captive breeding stock..." Chad countered her pointedly. "And as for the other bit you mentioned... To be honest, it's not really my thing to treat a woman like that... Just so you know!"
Jinx smiled lovingly at him. "You might just be the man I've been looking for all my life!"
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Elsewhere in the Soul Realm...
Ulquiorra swooped in upon a black-clad figure, thrusting his claws into him!
The transformed Espada watched, impassively, as 'Darkwood' dissipated into nothing before him.
It was at this point that he spotted a Shinigami nearby, clearly intent on getting to somewhere, and so Ulquiorra moved to intercept him, grabbing by the sleeve, eliciting a shocked yelp from him.
"Listen to me, you have to return to your headquarters," he started. "I have a message that you have to make sure gets delivered to Central Command, do you understand?"
"Y- Yes." The Shinigami replied nervously.
"My message is this," Ulquiorra started. "I have encountered multiple examples of someone looking like the man called Darkwood, and in each case, they've proven to be nothing more than illusions."
"I advise that they do whatever it takes to alert everyone they can involved in this conflict to spread the word that all of these are nothing but decoys." He continued. "And they should be ignored."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Captain Kensei Muguruma was busy looking around for a number of individuals, in particular his two Lieutenants- Mashiro Kuna and Shuhei Hisagi...
They weren't far from the ground of the Fourteenth, as the facility was visible in the distance.
Just then, he ran into none other than his Third-Seat Officer Shinobu Eishima!
"C- Captain!" The brown-haired Shinigami exclaimed. "W- wait, are you alright?"
"Never mind me!" The Vizard fired back, grabbing the man by his shoulders. "Have you seen either of my Lieutenants, or even Officer Izuru?" He asked fervently.
"No, I- I'm sorry," he replied immediately. "But during the retreat, in all of the confusion, our forces became separated once we were within the corridors of the 'Stone Maze'." Shinobu answered, looking to the taller man. "At the moment, no one knows for certain who's alive and who's dead!"
Then, as a number of Shinigami and Arrancar had begun trickling into their location, someone threw themselves at the white-haired man, wrapping their arms around him. "Kensei!"
"Mashiro?!" The male Vizard exclaimed in surprise. "W- what's wrong?"
A moment later, Shuhei arrived, hunched over and breathing heavy...
"Lieutenant Hisagi," Kensei entreated the other man, even as the lithe green-haired woman actively clung to him. "Can you tell me what the hell is going on?!"
He looked back up, meeting his gaze. "Lieutenant Izuru..." Shuhei began. "He- he's dead."
Before he ever had a chance to fully process the ramifications of what he'd just been told, none other than Captain Nelliel-Tu Obberschank appeared on the scene in a burst of Sonido!
At the same time as this was happening, Edrad Liones appeared, only able to watch as the green-haired Arrancar approached the white-haired Shinigami-Hollow hybrid.
"Captain Muguruma," Nelliel entreated the man. "What can you tell me: what exactly happened out there, what's the status of your forces, what's the extent of the enemy?"
He took a moment, before looking up to her. "We lost."
The former Espada and Captain looked to the others for clarification, but none came.
"Despite all our best efforts, there were just too many of them in the end." Kensei explained to the Arrancar as he rubbed his temples. "And when it came down to it... We couldn't hold the line."
"People died..." Shuhei chimed in. "We lost a lot of good people out there, including friends."
The former Tercera nodded to herself. "I'm done reading reports and listening to intel..." She started with a determined look. "It's time I did something... It's time that I acted like a Captain!"
Everyone around her looked on as she continued. "All of you here, every one of you, you've more than played your parts in this conflict, so just stay and take this moment to catch your breath." The female Arrancar instructed, brandishing his Zanpakuto. "My battlefield is elsewhere!"
And so, with that, she set out in a flurry of movement, speeding off into the distance...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Two of you now...? Well, you must think quite a bit about me."
Yoko and Yumichika each stared down the swordsman...
The two Shinigami advanced upon him... However, despite fighting the two of them on his own, the swordsman effortlessly handled himself as he faced down the duo of the elite fighters. The speed of his movements becoming faster as he fended off their attacks...
A symphony of metallic sounds erupted as the two Shinigami went on the attack. Though the speed of the movement of his eyes and body, Slash was able to block them and counter-attack!
Yoko narrowly avoided death, mustering just enough speed as she withdrew- as the blade of Slash's sword to sliced through the sleeve of her kimono. Seizing the moment, she kicked up dirt in an effort of obscuring his vision. Yumichika took this as his moment to move in for the 'kill'!
Only to be brought to a sudden stop, the wind knocked out of him as Slash thrust the 'pummel' on the end of the handle of his Katana, which he drove into into the purple-haired man's midsection. With the swordsman momentarily hobbled, his focus returned to the female Shinigami...
As Yumichika struggled for breath, Slash moved to reengage with Yoko. This time, it was Slash who narrowly managed to avoid what was otherwise a killing blow from the woman. He narrowed his eyes as her blade struck the ground, brandishing his katana in one hand as he reached inside of his coat with his free hand, producing a shorter wakizashi to block her weapon!
At the same time, he blocked Yumichika's Zanpakuto with his own long-sword! Having redirected the strike, he moved to the side and moved on to sight Yoko down. Driving the blade of his Soul Sword into her, he was left to look on as she stumbled back...
The tattooed female warrior staggered back, a look of disbelief on her face as she fell to her knees...
At that exact moment, the dreadlocked man deflected Yumichika's attack with his katana, before he retaliated by performing a downward slash- unleashing a splattering of blood as the blade cut across him, leaving the male Shinigami to stumble backwards and collapse onto his back.
With this done, Slash looked to the fallen warrior as he re-sheathed his wakizashi, satisfied when he didn't move, remaining in a silent motionless heap. Yoko moved in to finish the battle, her sword being blocked by the man's weapon. Readying his katana, he shifted away from the path of her attack, in time to block her and drive the point of his sword into Yoko as she went on the attack!
Before he could withdraw his sword, Yoko clamped her hand onto his forearm, trapping him in place as she thrust her own sword into his midsection- eliciting a look a genuine surprise from him!
Gasping in pain, he looked to her. "W- what are you-?"
She smiled deviously, looking into his eyes. "I told you... That I'd have my revenge!"
"Indeed." He replied coolly as her grip began to weaken, stepping backward as she fell back- causing the blade of her sword to withdraw from him in the process...
He took a step back, holding his side with his free hand as he looked at the figure of the woman, as she lay prone on the ground. "To think that you'd be willing to go to such lengths..."
"Yoko Watase..." Slash commented. "You truly are a credit to your kind."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Her voluminous main of green hair fluttered behind her as she moved at inhuman speed, a determined look on her face when she sensed a powerful presence nearing her location. It didn't take long before a familiar blue-haired figure appeared at her side. "Yo, Nell, babe!"
"Grimmjow!" She asked as they moved. "What on earth are you doing here?"
"Words spreads quick!" The Espada replied with a toothy smile. "The way I understand it, once you'd set out on the warpath, it only took a matter of minutes before one of the tech nerds from your Division contacted me- Senaga, I think- and said that you were heading out alone."
"Wait," Nelliel started, fixing him with an indignant look. "So, you're telling me that my own people didn't believe that I would be capable of handling things on my own?"
"Nope." He shook his head. "Relax, all I'm sayin' is that your troops care a lot about you."
"Oh... I see." She replied, blushing faintly "Well, that's different." The green-haired female went on to remark with an adorably bashful smile, meanwhile as she withdrew her soul sword "Chamois" from its light green sheath. "Though, I don't know if it'll make that much of a difference."
With her black robes and white Captain's haori fluttering, Nelliel looked into the distance, towards the horizon. The female Arrancar and Captain brandished her Zanpakuto- calling out "Declare!", releasing the power contained within it and transforming herself into her Resurreccion!
The gorgeous woman, now a galloping centaur, looked to the distant rumbling masses of shadows...
His confidence never wavering, Grimmjow just smiled. "Don't worry, it won't just be us," the Arrancar assured her as they continued. "Someone is gonna meet up with us on the way."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Pushing himself to the limits of physical endurance, Uryu Ishida arrived just outside his home.
Right away, Uryu registered that fact that the front door was ajar, which served to spur the teen on to rush into the house. As soon as he reached the threshold, the younger Ishida came to a stop, cautiously venturing through the battered doorway, into the interior...
He slipped in through the entryway, and followed the telltale trail of clues. "Tatsuki?" The young man called out, looking around the home. "Hofstadtr-san?" Uryu spoke. "Somebody! Is there anyone here? Can anyone hear me?" He paused after that, waiting for a response. "Hello?!"
Stepping out of the dimly lit corridor, into his father's study, he registered that the doors of the large antique cabinet in the room were hanging open, prompting him to look closer and note the absence of one particular piece of the arsenal. "Good thing you remembered where the spare key was."
"Uryu!" A familiar voice called out.
As soon as he heard his girlfriend's voice, Uryu Ishida returned to the adjoining hallway. Right away, the sound of footsteps tipped off the young man, as he whirled around- spotting Tatsuki, armed with a drawn sword, as she looked on at the bespectacled teenager. "Tatsuki!"
The dark-haired sporty girl was brandishing a katana in her right hand. While her clothes were slightly disheveled, she appeared to otherwise unharmed as she looked up to him...
"Tatsuki!" He exclaimed, moving towards her. "Are you alright?"
Before she could respond, they were interrupted by a nearby noise, causing Uryu to turn- manifesting his bow in the process- as he came face-to-face with yet another figure!
It was an older woman, with somewhat mussed-up blonde-hair and blue eyes. Uryu noted the stain of blood trickling down the side of her head, even as she slid the bolt of the rifle she had trained on him.
"Uryu! Ingrid-san!" Tatsuki called out to them, snapping the two back to reality.
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Back in the Medical Center, as a number of her fellow medics were moving about the area, Sungsun calmly checked the IV that one of the injured Shinigami had been hooked up to...
Rising to her feet, the slender Arrancar looked around, watching as the tall silver-haired figure of the Fourth's Second Officer, Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu, appeared in the area. The female Fraccion took note of the concerned look on the woman, causing her to wonder why she was there.
As soon as she became aware of her approach, the taller woman offered a polite nod. The gesture from the Shinigami elicited a similar reaction from the Arrancar.
"Lieutenant Kotetsu." The Fraccion began politely. "If I may, you seem troubled."
"Yes, you're right..." Isane started after a moment, looking to the other woman. "To be perfectly honest, I just can't shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen."
"Alert, incoming message- urgent!" An automated announcement sounded over the intercom.
"Th- this is Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu..." She started. "Your message is received- please elaborate!"
"The defense parameter around the Medical Center has been breached," A voice replied frantically over the com line. "We can't hold this position any longer."
"The situation has become untenable." They went on to add. "We can no longer defend the exterior, so as of this moment, I am formally requesting extraction for all surviving defenders!"
Isane looked over to Sungsun, who had clearly heard the message. The slender female Arrancar simply nodding to the other woman, before she departed from the scene...
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Back in the Hollow Realm...
Onigiri surveyed the immediate area as he took in his surrounding.
It wasn't all that long before the red-haired swordsman, with his his oni-style horns and his piercing blue-eyes, happened upon the bespectacled Vizard Lisa Yadomaru...
The woman in question exhaled, looking over her shoulder to her Co-Lieutenant. "Katsuro," Lisa started with a smile, sitting up and looking over to the Arrancar in question, she stepped in close and met his glance with her own. "I've been thinking..." She continued in a steady voice, as she took his hands in her own. "In particular, I've been thinking about about the future."
"The 'future', you say?" The male Arrancar responded, clasping the bespectacled woman's hands in his own as he went on. "And were you thinking about anything in particular?"
Lisa smiled in reaction, nodding. "Well, truth be told, I've just been thinking- for a while now- that it would be nice to be actually be able to settle down." She answered, before calmly reaching up to adjust her red-framed glasses. "I mean, I'm not talking about retiring... But a break would be nice."
"Oh of course, that goes without saying." Onigiri offered with a smile. "And, of course, I really have to say that you sound quite serious about this." He added as she stepped in close.
"You'll find, that when I want to," the woman began as she reached out and slipped her hand into the depths of his wild main of hair, for them to rest on the nape of his neck. "I can be very serious."
With that, she leaned in to kiss him!
For his part, Onigiri reacted immediately in returning the gesture!
After a moment, they broke off the kiss, and the Arrancar swordsman remained calm and collected in the wake of the act. "However, Lisa," he started. "I'd just like to ad, that before we get too deep into all of this, I think the first thing we should do is pick out the right rings."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
Gotei Council Facilities...
Central Operations Command Hub...
"It's said the true burden of leadership is having to knowingly send good people out to die," Shunsui Kyoraku observed, as the casualty reports continued coming in. "And, all the while, having to live with that knowledge, as you're safe behind the lines, without the luxury joining them."
As he was speaking, both Ken and Ran looked to the scruffy brown-haired Captain, taking note of the visible tole that this entire ordeal had taken on him. The two technicians exchanged uncertain looks, as the tall swordsman slumped into his chair with a resigned sigh. His normal casual and cocky aura was gone, replaced with a weariness that no one had previously seen from him.
"Captain," Nanao spoke up, the bespectacled woman at last breaking the awkward silence that had moments earlier overtaken the room. "We're being contacted by the Twelfth," the dark-haired woman went on to explain to him. "I'm patching them in, right now."
Once more, Szayel's face appeared on the main screen. "Captain Kyoraku, after everything else that's happened- I felt I should report, at last, that we finally have... some good news." The golden-eyed man stated over the monitor. "We've managed to decipher enough of the coordinates that I can confidently say that we should be fully ready in less than thirty minutes."
Shunsui nodded. "Understood," he countered. "We'll see to it that our forces are duly informed."
"And, Captain Grantz," he went on. "If this works, then... you and your people will be heroes."
The Octavio Espada gave a thoughtful look in response to this. "Yes, well, to be honest," Szayel began as he addressed the other Captain. "I think, if we succeed, everyone in this battle will be heroes."
. . . ...o.o.o... . . .
"Look out!"
Kintaro had exclaimed as he fired off the modified Bo-Hiya fire rocket at the Phantom that had moved to lunge at the unsuspecting Sternritter standing beside him.
"You," he started. "You saved my life."
"I owed you one." Kintaro replied with effort, grunting in pain.
"We... We can't keep this up any longer." Meninas remarked to herself.
Franz helped Kintaro to his feet- the two men looking on- the wounded Shinigami's arm draped across his shoulders of the Sternritter, while his free hand supported him at the waist.
"This isn't good." Franz spoke out. "At this rate, we're done for..."
"Ugh." The Soul Reaper grunted. "W- we have to get the hell out of here, r- right now!"
Meanwhile, Candice Catnip held her ground in the face of the enemy, in spite of all the wounds she'd suffered as a result of this. For the blonde Sternritter, it was becoming clear to the scantily clad woman that the only outcome to all of this entire ordeal was the one she'd been avoiding up till now...
In that moment, she noticed the remaining caches of explosives and other incendiaries...
Close to where Meninas stood, a 'doorway' suddenly appeared!
Registering the full extent of her injuries, combined with the need to cover for the other survivors as they fled the immediate area, Candice made up her mind about what she had to do.
They were being swarmed, to an extent that it she could only liken it to as if someone had disturbed a hornets' nest. Turning to look, she could see as the handful of remaining defenders stepped through the impromptu portal and vanished as they traveled through the metaphorical 'membrane'.
The blonde spotted none other than the Fourth's Third-Seat Officer, Hanataro Yamada, along with one of the Tres Bestias, Cyan Sungsun, emerge from the doorway...
"Hey, you two!" The woman called out to them. "Quickly, get Meninas and the others the hell out of here and back to somewhere safe!" Candice insisted bluntly. "I'm not fuckin around! Things are about to get real serious, real quick, and none of you want to be around when shit goes down!"
"Candice?!" The other Sternritter exclaimed in confusion, trying to rush forward, only to be abruptly restrained and dragged back towards the exit point. "W- what are you doing?!"
"Meninas," the blonde-haired Quincy replied with a uncharacteristic smile. "Take care of yourself."
Looking over to Hanataro, she gave a simple nod. "Do it."
The young Shinigami swallowed hard, exchanging a heartfelt glance with the woman and nodding as he brought up a communicator. "This is Third Officer Hanataro Yamada..."
"And now, as for the rest of you..."
And, it was with that, that the young woman focused herself. "With this..." Candice trailed off as she proceeded to bring her hand into an open wound at her side. "Aghhh!"
She'd cursed the last part, even as her reiki met with her blood!
"...Activate Fail-safe Barrier Protocol." Hanataro finished.
Digging her fingers into her wound, Candice cringed in pain. "Time to show you mother-fuckers what I can really do!" She yelled as she activated her powers. "So take THIS!"
Everyone had shield or avert their eyes from the illumination of the explosion that followed!
(- End of Chapter XCIII... -)
As I was plotting out the final stretch of this story, I somehow just knew that would be the point in the narrative of the battle where the characters and the readers would get a "reality check". I wanted to do something that I don't often see in fiction: That being a moment when the veneer of romanticism of battle finally gives way to the harsh reality, that warfare does HAVE consequences.
Thanks to my various conversations with RG-Guest, I can say that the only instances that come to mind for me at the time of writing this as being comparable are from near the end of end up Naruto. First, when Neji dies, and when the Shinobi Central Command is about to be destroyed. The former is particularly harsh to me because Obito immediately chimes in and starts shit-talking Naruto about it.
And so, in closing, this chapter features the deaths of four named characters. I enjoyed writing the scene with Ulquiorra and Ronnie, particularly because the exchange between them is so wonderfully cold-blooded! I did my best in depicting Kira and Candice's deaths, to give them some gravitas.