Sorry for the long delay. I've been struck with burnout and writers block hard lately and when I finally did send this off to my betareader it didn't go through properly and I just assumed they were taking their time and didn't want to rush them… only to to find out several weeks later they never received it. Bit of a mistake on my part not to check up just to be sure but now we both know for next time.

Another big chapter. I know, I know, I said I'm trying to make the chapters smaller and more condensed as they were before and that is the truth. But another truth is that this arc has been a bitch to write. I've been stuck with writers block on EVERY chapter and, as paradoxical as it sounds, the only way for me to get past that block is to just write and write until something of worth comes out. Then I have to spend WEEKS editing all the crap out and forming a chapter from what's usable which is large in word count but it's either that or no chapter at all and I just ditch this story for all the trouble it's causing me lately.

You can't imagine how frustrating it is to have all the scenes in my head but unable to put them in word format. This is why recent chapters have been really massive in size and why they've taken months to get out as opposed to before when I could churn out short, concise chapters in weeks. Writers block, burnout, increasing low self-esteem in my writing and constantly worrying about word count have really taken their toll on me during this arc to the point I've nearly quit writing this story altogether several times. It's only thanks to my love and passion for Bleach, DMC and knowing you guys enjoy reading it that's kept me from just abandoning this fic altogether.

So I do apologies for the bloated chapters during this arc, but I genuinely wouldn't be able to bring you any chapters at all if I had to write any other way. Thanks to all of you who understand this and have stuck with this arc. If it weren't for your guys support, I would certainly have given up writing this story months ago.

There should only be one chapter left of this arc and after it ends I might take a break from writing to get my head back in gear. Until then, I hope you enjoy the rest of the arc. God knows I've not enjoyed writing it.

Be sure to review the chapter, any and all feedback is appreciated.

FYI, has been having issues lately, particularly when it comes to alerting and notifying users. I stopped getting alerted to myself or others posting new chapters and when I received PM's (which is why the past few months it has taken me a long time to reply to any since I was never alerted via email). This seems to only be an MS Outlook thing so I've created a gmail account and thus far all is good. If you guys have the same issue of not being alerted to new chapters of stories or PM's and so on, you might want to consider creating a gmail account as this issue has been going on for months now and haven't done a thing to sort it.

I don't own Bleach or Devil May Cry.

Enduring Exiles

Both Nero and Ichigo were heavily fatigued and covered in blood and wounds, black Shihakusho and blue coat alike both in tatters and stained crimson, their naturally shaggy hair even more bedraggled.

Ichigo was laying with his back against a wall, barely able to move his body having earlier been on the receiving end of a sledgehammer to his spine from Ares which nearly crippled him. Nero's healing factor meant he wasn't as wounded as his injuries would fix themselves. But the potency of his healing was tied to his amount of power which as of now was drastically diminished. He was on his knees, legs like jelly. It was an uphill struggle to keep himself from collapsing, but the Demon Hunter refused to give Ares the satisfaction.

Both teens were covered in blood and grime and on the brink of exhaustion, their breaths ragged.

Ares had no injuries. His golden weapon now in the form of a mace rested on his shoulder. "For your young age you're both exceptionally strong. But you two are still just kids playing in an adult's game." The sound of Nero struggling to his feet caught his notice. "Still standing, eh? You're one stubborn bastard, you know that?"

"Heh, you sound like my schoolteachers." The incredibly dishevelled Nero wiped a trickle of blood from the side of his mouth. "Nothing worth doing is easy. Unless you gotta put in all your effort for something, it ain't worth the time."

"How true. If you understand that, I can't see why you continue this pointless fight." Ares eyes seemed to grow heavy with age, "I was like you once. I thought all it took to win battles was to swing a sword and kill. But 'war' is so much more. To win, you must lose some people. To save the many, sacrifice the few. To protect the weak, rally the strong. Those who fear war are doomed to cause more needless death, their selfish morality outweighing the ultimate truth; War is peace! And I will bring peace to all mortal worlds!"

"Oh, can it with the whole "saving mortals" bullshit," groused Nero. "You might claim you want to protect the world from demons but all I've seen your 'righteous' work do so far is hurt innocent people. And after what you did to my friends…" Though his spiritual and demonic power had greatly diminished throughout his battle with Ares, Nero channelled what remained and used a combination of Trickster and Shunpo to close the distance, bringing down Red Queen in one mighty swing that cracked the already crumbling floor beneath the war god's feet when he blocked it with his golden mace. "I'll never forgive you!"

Ares, whose golden weapon could morph into any form he desired and currently took the shape of a bulky mace with protruding spikes, caught the blade with ease, a deep 'clang' echoing throughout the once elegant temple's interior which now resembled a battered war-zone.

"Tch. Typical 'god'. Big promises, but all talk. "Saving mortals from demons", what a load of bullshit! All you care about is power. Reigning over all as 'King of the mortals.' You're no different than Aizen, than Mundus. So why don't you just die like the rest of your kind, 'cause I ain't about to let scum like you win! Not after what you did to my friends! To Yoruichi!" Nero arched Red Queen in a wide slash, but his move was halted when his blade froze in place. "W-… What the…" No matter how hard he pushed, his sword wouldn't budge.

"Is that what you think? Alright, the truth then." Given just how much more Reiatsu Ares had to Nero given the latter drained much of his during their fight while the former could simply refill his own from absorbing the conflict energies outside, he was able to use his magnetic powers to overpower the teen's sword despite it being coated in demonic energy. "Just sit down and listen."

His sword frozen in place, and power drastically diminished, Nero was unable to block or dodge the mighty wallop from Ares' mace in his gut, sending him several feet across the room. Landing on his back, more ribs broken and organs crushed than he cared to know.

"I do intend to use the Wild Hunt to conquer the universe, though not out of petty power lust. But because I have a dream!" Ares said with unbridled passion, thumping his chest.

"What?" Both Nero and Ichigo, equal in their fatigue and pain, mumbled in equal bewilderment.

"A dream that one day no mortal will ever have to fear demons again." Ares spoke with captivating fiery rhetoric. "Ragnarok didn't 'end', we're just in a ceasefire. Demons aren't the surrendering or forgiving type. It's not a question of "if" they return but "when"! I helped Arkham release Temen-ni-gru, yet that was just the beginning."

Nero blinked. "You… you helped Arkham release that tower? How..." A lightbulb of memory lit in his mind. "The statues of the Sins…"

"Were moved by me to the Seireitei, yes," Ares revealed. "For everything in the Soul Society must be granted a name by the 'Monk'. A mortal more powerful than even Odin yet did nothing during Ragnarok but preside over the Kings throne when he and the Reio's powers were needed most," the disrate in his tone was clear. Ares clearly had no love for this 'Monk' or the Soul King. "How many lives could have been saved if they'd just allowed us to use the Reio's power? But instead, he banned

all non-Torinitiwarudo mortals from entering the Soul Society. Forcing me to ally with a cur like Amagai so I could have him open Senkaimon's and 'invite' me in."

Nero may not have known who this 'Monk' was, but he was demanding nonetheless. "Why?! If you claim to hate demons so much, then why release Temen-ni-gru? And why in the Soul Society?"

Ares grumbled; he was getting more heated as he spoke on a topic so personal to him. "During Ragnarok over half the mortal population was wiped out, including almost all our best warriors. Odin, Zeus, Thor, myself, and others were called "Gods" by weaker mortals like humans because of our high spirit power. But, as it stands, the most powerful mortals alive in the universe are those in the Reio's Realms. The time of the 'Old Gods' has passed. Now is the age of the 'New Gods'. Shinigami are the ultimate and only line of defence the Mortal Universe has left against the demons. Yet the truth of demons was hidden from them, so I needed them to see for themselves with Temen-ni-gru. Realise what danger the demons pose… So that they'd join me in my crusade."

Ichigo almost choked on his words. "J-Join you?! Are you mad?! You're trying to kill them!"

"The Hollows and Dragons your friends are battling is an unfortunate side effect of awakening this temple. But I have no doubt they'll be victorious. Many of them possess spiritual power far beyond my own; The two that wield dual swords, the Shihoin princess and Yamamoto just to name a few. With the Shinigami's immense power and the Draugr's numbers, I'll be able to unify and protect this universe."

Ares held a far-off look, thinking to himself, 'It's truly amazing to see how much the warriors of the Torinitwarudo have grown. Yamamoto has surpassed even my father Zeus, and many of the others aren't far off either. Why that spirited Shihoin princess moves faster than my cousin Hermes. Then again, with all the rumours surrounding my cousin Eirine and her Shihoin prince companion, perhaps the wildcat has more than just Shinigami blood in her.'

Hearing him say the name of the woman he lov-… cared for more than any, lit a fire in Nero. "You praise Yoruichi and the Shinigami's power, yet you still set your two pets on them."

"Because I knew they'd win," stated Ares simply. "I only enlisted the Jabberwock and Shusuke because I needed their assistance. But the Jabberwock's death proves I was right in wanting the Shinigami as my allies. As for Shusuke, I told him not to harm the Shihoin boy, but he didn't listen. Though despite what I promised him I have no intention of killing any Shinigami nor noble. Once the Wild Hunt is here, I will convince the Shinigami and Seireitei to side with me. Unite our forces and together unite the universe."

Hearing all this, Nero's face was dumbstruck. "Geez. I knew you were an asshole, but never realised you were this batshit insane."

Ares ignored his insult and continued to roar out his goal. "I dream of a universe where no mortal will ever have to watch their world, their race, their family die at the hands of demon filth! I'll do whatever it takes to achieve that dream! No matter what stands in my way! Or who!" His narrowed eyes flicked from both Nero and Ichigo.

"You talk too much." Ichigo said, mustering the last of his strength to get to his feet. 'This guy's stronger than Byakuya was when we fought at Sokyoku Hill, and his conviction for his "dream" means he's fighting with more determination that Byakuya wasn't. He won't go down easy. But I can sense Nero's Reiatsu's weaker than mine now, and I can also sense Yoruichi's Reiatsu outside too, battling Amagai's, and if I can sense her and I know Nero can too, it'll make him distracted. So, I've got to beat this guy. For everyone's sake, I have to WIN!'

'Bravo, bravo! You make me wanna cry with those selfless speeches of yours, Ichigo. Oscar worthy, no doubt.'

Wide eyed, Ichigo stiffened in recognising the voice in his head. 'You… White…'

'Your weakness disgusts me, Ichigo." White's unnaturally toned voice dominated Ichigo's head "But like it or not, we're tied together. If you die so will I. And since you don't have the strength to take this guy on, you'll just have to sit back and watch a real 'King' ride his horse.'

Ichigo could feel his sense of self wither and drown as the Hollow called White within him tried to assume control as he had during his battle with Byakuya months ago. 'NO! SHUT UP! I won't let you take control again. Not EVER!'

It felt as though every cell in Ichigo's body were turning on him, but that famous Kurosaki stubbornness paid off as he was able to retain control just enough to speed towards Ares, who was giving off a most mundane look, unaware of the plight going on inside Ichigo's head.

'Stop this you fool. He's too strong for you!'

'I don't care! I don't care if he's stronger than me, that's never stopped me from trying before and it won't now!' While not on the level of some of the heaviest hitters like Kyoraku, Ukitake, Yoruichi and Urahara, Ichigo was still strong enough to give someone like Byakuya Kuchiki a hard time. But Ares was thus far his strongest foe, one whose Reiatsu outweighed his own. He needed to give it his all. He needed the upmost focus. He needed his head in the game. 'This is my power, my body, not yours! I'll win and never let you take control again!'

Unfortunately for Ichigo, not only was he facing an enemy whose raw power outclassed his own, but his head was most certainly not in the game as he and White clashed within. So, when Ichigo got within range of Ares and brought Zangetsu down in an overhead slash, the Olympian easily blocked the strike with his golden weapon which now took the shape of a longsword.

"You're an interesting boy, Substitute Shinigami. You have great power you keep buried within… But… you are filled with fear and conflict. So long as you cannot defeat your own personal demons…" Ares used his great strength to knock Ichigo back, who nearly tumbled losing his footing, and with a single, swift, and precise stroke that moved faster than the strawberry-haired teen could register let alone counter, Ares golden blade sliced right through the boy's right wrist and sent his hand which was still clenched onto his Zanpakuto across the temple's floor. "You'll never defeat me."

It took Ichigo some time to process what happened. He was stood frozen in place, and with great hesitance gazed down at his right arm, hand missing and blood spraying profusely from the stump. His face paled, a surge of pain beyond anything he'd felt in his young life stabbing at his very core. "AAARRRRRGGGHHHH!"

"Sorry, kid. Nothing personal." Morphing his weapon into a golden war hammer, Ares buried the hammer into the screaming teen's chest, shattering all his ribs to dust and sending him flying into the already partially broken wall of the temple, breaking through the mortar and landing somewhere outside in the castle's courtyard.

"Ichigo!" Nero yelled out to his friend who vanished from view as he was thrown out the temple. He could feel Ichigo's Reiatsu; barely there but still not zero. The Devil Hunter presumed Ares must've intentionally held back as to not outright kill Ichigo, why he couldn't say. 'He's alive, but I can feel his spirit energy dropping by the second. I need to-…'

By focusing on assessing Ichigo's Reiatsu to get a better feel of his state, Nero had extended his spiritual sensory receptors far more than he'd done since starting his fight with Ares, and in doing so, felt Yoruichi's Reiatsu had vanished completely. Setting him into a bling panic, his stomach dropping and heart feeling as if part of it had been ripped out leaving an empty void that would never be filled again.

'…No… There's no way… She can't have… Amagai is nowhere near her level. Someone like him could never have kil-' Nero shut that thought down before finishing. The very idea that the woman he lov-… cared for more than any was dead… It was too much. 'No. Yoruichi's fine. I know it. I might not be able to feel her Reiatsu but I just… know.' He clenched his fists. 'Yoruichi, Ichigo, all the Shinigami. Everyone's giving it there all to fight while I'm here on the ground like some chump. With this dome around the castle and Ichigo out for the count I'm the only one who stop Ares. I have to win!'

Reinvigorated by his tenacious will, through gritted teeth Nero pushed past the pain in his body and rose to full height. By now, his healing had lost its potency due to his loss of power and overwork, but he ignored his unhealed wounds. Staring down the Olympian, Red Queen held firm in his grasp.

"You just don't know when to quit. Don't worry, I won't let any of your allies die. I need every strong Torinitiwarudo mortal in my forces." Ares shook his head, a mix of disappointment and resentment tugging at his sharp features. "A pity I couldn't sway you to join me. I thought with the blood of Sparda in your veins you'd see more than anyone that what I'm doing is necessary for mortal survival. Alas, you may have Sparda's blood, but none of his honour. You're willing to doom all mortal life just to get something as petty as revenge on me. Driven by your own selfish desires, just like all demon filth."

"Can it, jackass!" Despite his trembling body, Nero charged with abandon at Ares and clashed his Red Queen against the golden sword. "I know better than most how deadly demons are. But that doesn't give you the excuse to start a war. If demons do attack the universe again then we'll stop them, the Shinigami and me. Not you!"

Given Nero's power had drastically diminished, Ares had to use little effort to fend off all his sluggish slashes and strikes. "You really believe that. How foolish."

"We defeated the demons from Temen-ni-gru, we'll beat all the armies of Hell if necessary."

"That's not what I meant," Ares said bluntly. "The demons of Temen-ni-fru weren't the only ones which remain in the mortal realm, and those that do have grown more brazen since the tower's resurrection. Demon attacks will grow more frequent soon enough, and the Gotei 13 will be the ones to have to stop them. Ask yourself this: As the Shinigami fight the demons more and more, realise what threat they pose… how long do you think it will be before they turn on you?" A snide smile tugged at his lips, pleased that his comment had clearly caused something in the young part-demon to falter.

That all too real possibility only added to the turmoil in Nero's head caused from his panic over Yoruichi, which combined with his deteriorating stamina caused him to slip up. It was only for a moment, but it was all Ares needed, an opening.

'…No, the Shinigami would never-' Nero sensed a sudden spike in Ares' Reiatsu and alarm bells in his head rang, but it was too late.

Dozens upon dozens of spears, swords, arrowheads, and other metallic weapons came tearing through the crumbling wall of the temple. Ares had used his powers over magnetism to reach out and pull the weapons kept in the Shihoin Castles armoury to bombard Nero. The devil hunter did his best to block with Red Queen and dodge with a combo of Trickster and Shunpo, but there was so many it was like being swarmed by weapons, and his Reiryoku was reaching its limit.

A spear buried itself in Nero's right shoulder and thrust him backwards until he slammed into the wall where he found himself pinned and hanging. He went to pull the it out, but before he could his eyes widened as more weapons came. A sword embedded itself in his left shin, another spear his right, while a wakashi pierced his left wrist, blood spraying out from his wounds. In some cruel mockery, Ares had purposely designed it so Nero's body was posed as if he were on a crucifix; arms outstretched and legs together.

Ares stared at the wounded teen struggling to move with no hint of remorse. "Think of this as my last mercy to you, demon. If you'd gone on living, sooner or later your 'friends' would have seen you for what you are. A devil. A monster. You'd become an enemy. Alone and hunted. An exile."

Nero tried to move but his body wouldn't comply. Pain overloading his healing factor. That didn't stop his attitude. "You don't know what you're talkin' about. My friends aren't so heartless as you."

"Heartless? I'm just experienced. I've seen what demons like you are capable of. I won't let it happen again. It is you demons that are heartless." His golden weapon morphed into a longsword, and Ares plunged it right into Nero's chest, where his heart was. Blood spraying everywhere like a shower of crimson. "Oh. My mistake. Seems you did have a heart there after all. But no longer."

Having his heart impaled and burst proved too much for Nero's already weakened healing factor. He so desperately wanted to fight. To beat Ares, put a stop to his plan and go home with Yoruichi. But his body wouldn't respond. He could feel his consciousness slipping. Drifting. 'Screw it… I've got no choice… I have to use my Devil Trigger… It's the only card I've got left to play…'

Nero focused on his power. On his demonic blood. His demonic power. The Yamato. That which enabled him to use his Devil Trigger, the ability which massively increased his power much like a Shinigami's Bankai. But when he tried… Nothing.

'W-...What… Why can't I…' Drifting… all alone. As blackness took over his vision and mind. '…No …Not … like this… I can't die here… I have to… Yoru...ichi… I'm sorry…'

The distance between the Gotei 13 forces which were mopping up the Hollows and Dragons from Amagai meant they were outside of the Bakkoto's range, and thus their Zanpakutos and spiritual power worked fine.

But despite that and the fact that the numbers of the Hollows and Dragons was beginning to wane, there was a sense of doom and gloom surrounding the Shinigami as the battle between Yoruichi and Amagai had shifted drastically in the latter's favour.

Amagai was utterly brutalising Yoruichi, slashing and stabbing her with his blade, charring her flesh with his Zanpakuto, but always ensuring to never do enough damage to outright kill her. Her snarling screams of pain and Amagai's twisted laughter were the orchestra to this show of sadism.

"A weapon that can nullify a person's spiritual power?" As Hitsugaya froze a cluster of Dragons, he took a sparing glance at the beating a powerless Yoruichi Shihoin was receiving from Amagai. "If someone of her calibre is helpless against it, how will the rest of us fare?"

"Damn that cowardly cheating bastard!" Yelled Renji as his whip-like Shikai cut through several Hollows. "As if that Bakkoto wasn't bad enough, now that portal in the sky's changed."

Seeing the woman who'd been part of the group to save her from execution months ago, Rukia felt she owed a life debt to Yoruichi, and now more than ever said woman needed aid. "We have to help her! If we don't do something Amagai will kill her!"

Rukia's pleas were directed to the Captains, the only ones she knew strong enough to stand a chance. But aside from Hitsugaya, none of the others seemed all that concerned.

Though it was not that the Captains weren't concerned for Yoruichi's wellbeing. It was clear from the air around them and their faces that they were worried for her, yet none made a move to help. It was more like they felt they had no choice but to leave her fighting alone. Discomposed and uneasy at having to watch a woman they respected so much treated like a punching bag by a traitor, but stalwart in their letting it happen. A fact the younger Shinigami couldn't understand.

"Head Captain, sir. Surely your spiritual power would be too much for that Bakkoto to stop. It's worth a shot to help her, right?" Renji's words weren't unfounded.

In terms of power, Amagai was still only on par with the likes of Komamura. Whereas Yoruichi Shihoin's Reiatsu was among the likes of Kyoraku and Ukitake. Yet, despite the massive gap, Amagai's Bakkoto had been able to negate Katen Kyokotsu and block Yoruichi's spirit power. But while Yoruichi Shihoin's Reiatsu was immense, Genryusai Yamamoto's defied logic. Surely the Bakkoto wouldn't be able to work on his monstrous power, right?

Regardless of if that was true or not, Yamamoto didn't even open his eyes to look at him nor indicate he'd heard, keeping his stiff back to them.

What she wrongly perceived as lack of care made an ever increasingly agitated Rukia turn to her brother, frantically begging him to help the woman she likewise wrongly perceived as helpless. "Brother, I know you and Lady Shihoin were close when you were young. Surely you owe her your help?!" Byakuya held a stony look, before turning away. "Grr. Fine. If no one else will help, the I will!"

"That's enough, Rukia."

"Uh…" Just as Rukia set off to help Yoruichi, she felt a hand grab onto her wrist, bring her to a halt. She looked up at the face of the man who'd stopped her. "C… Captain…?"

The long silver-haired Captain wielding it had an expression that was hard to read even for Rukia. He seemed both guilty yet staunch and unyielding. As if fighting his natural instincts to help his friend. "Remember what I told you years ago. It may seem like the 'right' decision to assist someone in need in battle, but there are times when we must stand back." A flicker of guilt tugged at his voice. "No matter how much it pains us."

Rukia held a downcast look. 'Kaien…'

The Shinigami held honour and pride in battle to the upmost. Even among 2nd Division and Onmitsukido which were far more open to 'dirty' tactics in battle so long as it meant winning. Having someone else, even an ally, jump into a one-on-one battle was viewed as the gravest of insults.

As Rukia and the others who wanted to assist Yoruichi lamented on Ukitake's words, Byakuya spoke up in a pragmatic, yet strangely wistfully serious tone. "You're right, Rukia. Lady Shihoin taught me much when I was young, and I both owe and know her well. But it is precisely because I know her that I will not allow myself, nor anyone else to intervene in her battle.

She is not fighting Shusuke Amagai because he's a traitor and enemy to the Gotei 13, and cares even less he seeks to cause a revolution in the Seireitei. She is fighting him because he attacked her family. This is a battle for her honour. Her brother's honour. A battle of pride. If any one of us were to intervene with the notion of 'saving' her, Lady Shihoin would never forgive us. You may save her life, but you'd kill her and her family's pride forever."

Agreeing with Byakuya, Kyoraku added. "If we were to step into her battle we might as well spit in her face while we're at it, 'cause that's how Ms. Yoruichi would take it. Hell, she might even kill us before Amagai could."

While Rukia and the others understood the Captain's train of thought, it still didn't sooth their conscience at the idea of standing back and doing nothing as Yoruichi was beaten mercilessly by Amagai, unable to offer any real counter attack powerless as she was.

A heavy, uncomfortable silence descended on the group of Shinigami. Only the death growls of the Hollows and Dragons they'd kill mixed in with the odd distant pained cry of Yoruichi and manic laughter of Amagai.

Rukia bit her lip. "I understand… But still…"

"Stop your whining, all of you. Your desire to risk your own lives for the sake of Lady Yoruichi may be admirable, but your lack of faith and irreverence in her is disgusting."

You'd think that of all people Soi Fon would be the most worried for Yoruichi's safety, as she'd never made any attempt to hide her almost devout-like love for her former mentor. Oddly enough however, the stealth Captain appeared to be the most pragmatic and calm. Resolute in her belief in Yoruichi, despite all visual evidence pointing towards the dark-skinned woman's imminent defeat.

After a single blind kick removed the heads from several Hollows, Soi Fon sent a hard stare at those doubting Yoruichi's abilities. "Lady Yoruichi is one of the greatest warriors the Soul Society has seen. The strongest fighter in her ancient clan's history. The trials one much pass in order to become Commander-in-Chief of the Onmitsukido are gruelling – fighting several foes at once while blindfolded and both hands tied behind your back being just one – but Lady Yoruichi beat them all with ease in record time. Even before that, she was put through the arduous training all members of her clan are as soon as they learn to walk, to be moulded into the perfect assassin, the perfect warrior. You think someone as lowly as Shusuke Amagai can defeat someone like that?"

The barbaric, though effective, method of training future Heads of the Shihoin Clan was ended by Yoruichi herself when she became clan Head, refusing to put her brother through such cruelties. Though, for as much as she'd hated what she'd experienced as a child, Yoruichi couldn't deny it had shaped her into the elite fighter she was. And though it was extremely rare for her to fight anyone stronger than her as she was among the Soul Society's most mighty warriors, she was more than capable. Which is how she'd lasted this long against Amagai despite her lack of powers.

As the others took in what Soi Fon said, the petite assassin turned so her back was to her comrades. "Besides… Lady Yoruichi isn't 'powerless'… Even if she's not aware of it herself."

Due to Yoruichi's power and speed, she almost always ended a battle without a mark on her. This was not such a time. While she still kept up her defiant and fearless smile in the face of Amagai's scowls, her wounds were by no means superficial. To put in bluntly, she was a mess.

Her arms and legs were covered in numerous cuts and burns. She was drenched in sweat and marred by grime and dirt. Dried and still-wet running blood on her chocolate-coloured flesh which had purple bruises and charcoal scorch marks everywhere. Her orange shirt used as a makeshift bandage long since incinerated, leaving only her skin-tight backless shirt and black stretch pants, both of which were in tatters and had burn marks on them.

Her demonic healing factor was linked to her spirit power which was negated, and given how much damage Amagai was dishing out on her it was working on overdrive and failing. As evident by the third-degree burns, deep gashes, multitude of broken bones and punctured organs which still hadn't healed.

'Nero did say even his healing factor has its limits.'

Her willpower and famed stubbornness kept Yoruichi from succumbing to loss of consciousness, but willpower alone wouldn't get her out of this situation. One which was getting more dire with every deep cut and burn she gained.

'Heh… Once this is over, I'm gonna get Nero to treat me to one hell of a massage. With that ghostly hand of his I bet he can get even this stiffness out my back.'

Though Yoruichi joked and retained her spirited personality, she was by no means faring well. She was on all fours, her legs unable to support her weight alone, and all her limbs felt like they weighed a metric ton. It was an uphill struggle to even keep herself from collapsing face first onto the dirt. But she refused to give that smug bastard smiling gleefully at her the satisfaction of seeing her drop unless dead.

'Then again, letting Nero rub his hands all over my body is also a reward for him. And since his interrupting my catnap to go looking for Ares is what started this mess, I'm not so sure he deserves that much of a reward.' Of course, she wasn't serious in blaming Nero for any of this. She could never hold any grudge against him. No matter what he did directly or indirectly she'd forgive him. How could she not, he was the man she lov- '…Is? …Is that really what I feel for him…? M-Maybe I'm just light-headed. How can I not be? I've lost a crap ton of blood. Ah, snap out of it Yoruichi. Get your head back in the game or-… Uhh!' Her eyes widened and gleamed with primal fear at what she'd just sensed.

Since even before arriving on the battlefield and confronting Amagai, Yoruichi had been focusing and keeping tabs on Nero and Ichigo's Reiatsu's, so skilled in such arts she could do so even while in battle. Thus, when she suddenly sensed Nero's spiritual pressure nosedive and begin steadily decreasing by the second, she felt her heart drop and a pit form in her stomach. The thought of the man that had captured her heart in ways she never thought possible dying and leaving her alone in this cruel world the sickest of jokes.

'Nero… No, you can't… No! Come on Yoruichi, don't be such an idiot. Nero is one of the strongest people around, there's no way someone like Ares can kil-…' She couldn't even bring herself to finish that thought, it hurt too much. 'I don't know what's going on in that temple, but Nero needs help… he needs me… But… how can I expect to save him if I can't even save myself?' She grit her teeth and clenched her fists in rage at her own weakness. 'I can't die here. Not to the likes of Amagai, I'd never live such humiliation down. Not while Nero still needs me. But what am I supposed to do! Without my spirit energy I don't have the power to beat him. Damn it! If only I had the power, I could-'

'You plead for power yet ignore your own. Playing the role of a helpless kitten instead. I ask you this: Do you want to fight, or do you want to live?"

The ominous voice's gravelly tone resonated inside Yoruichi's head. At first, it sent her on alert mode, but the more she focused on the voice the more her very body seemed to calm while her heart beat, as if her soul knew this voice was no threat but dare she say an ally… perhaps even part of her?

'T-… That voice… It feels familiar. As if I know them… Could it be…?'

'I ask again: Fight or live? What is your answer?'

The voice spoke to her in an almost degrading tone, which sparked Yoruichi's rebellious response full of snark and grit. 'I don't care about living or fighting. I want to win. I want this son of a bitch to suffer for what he did to my family. That's what I want.'

A long silence passed, and Yoruichi wondered if she'd offend the voice, not that she cared if she had. Then, the voice spoke up once more. Now sounding far more respectful in tone, as if pleased by her response. 'Then win you shall…'

From the corner of her eye, she spotted a blue glow burst to life. She turned her gaze to the source of the light and in doing so her golden eyes winded and gleamed with shock as the Alastor which she still held in her hand had blue electricity dancing along the blade.

'What... With my spirit energy blocked none of my power or weapons should be working. So, how's the sword doing that?'

'It is not the "sword's" doing. It is yours.' The voice boomed inside Yoruichi's head. 'You think you are powerless? What absurdity. As if I would swear allegiance to one so easily bested by a common grunt as the mortal wielding that weapon you call "Bakkoto". You are my Master. The Goddess of Thunder, Mistress of Lighting. Spirit power is not all you have. But if words alone will not convince you, then I must show you what you are truly capable of.'

Before Yoruichi could react, she felt the ground beneath her feet open up. She fell down and down and down, into a pitch-black void. No matter what she tried to do, she couldn't escape the blackness. But before she could even try to figure out if this was one of Amagai's tricks, the blackness faded.

Replaced by a sight Yoruichi was all too familiar with, but one she hadn't seen in a long, long time.

Under a crystalline blue sky with only a single feint cloud, stretched a massive open landscape so vast its borders stretched further than the eye could see. Thick grass at knee height, sprawling acacia trees and other flora and fauna decorated the land, and a large wide-open lake made this place resemble the scenic and diverse ecosystems found in the World of the Living's African continent.

The brisk breeze resonated with Yoruichi. She picked herself up off the ground and closed her eyes, embracing the wind which played with her purple hair and took in the aroma this place offered. Suddenly, all her mind was free from her battle with Amagai. Free from her worry of dying in battle and never seeing Nero again. She was… free.

They say a Shinigami's Inner World is a reflection of their soul. Yoruichi Shihoin was someone whose life was planned out before even her conception. As the Head of the Shihoin Clan every decision in her life was expected to uphold her family's status. She'd never wanted to join the Onmitsukido nor 2nd Division, but she had no choice. That is, all her life she felt trapped. A slave to her name. Only since fleeing the Soul Society and even more since meeting Nero did she feel this weight lifted. As what Yoruichi wanted her entire life wasn't something she could buy with her family's wealth: freedom.

Her Inner World wasn't some fancy mansion as other nobles might perceive, rather it was a mundane open field. Free from the bounds of her family name. Her bastion of freedom.

'I forgot how peaceful it is here. How long has it been since I was last here? Not since I last performed Jinzen with my Zanpakuto over a hundred years ago. Wow, it's really been that long…. Man, I feel old.'

Bathing in the calmness of this place, Yoruichi only just now realised that the pain tortured her body was gone. She opened her eyes and looked down to gaze at her form, only to realise that she hadn't a single wound. Here, she was free from pain and her name.

In the time she took to notice this, another oddity struck her, and her feline-sensitive nose twitched. A mix of sulphur and electrical burning assaulted her nostrils, and her spiritual sensory receptors succumbed to a malevolent tide of Reiatsu so dark it felt like a river of blood washed over her. Yet it somehow felt familiar. Familiar enough that she felt not a single itch of fear.

"This battlefield is not your grave. But you are digging it."

Startled, Yoruichi pivoted around and was met with a sight that most certainly hadn't been in her Inner World the last time she'd been here.

A colossal beast. Silver scaly armour-like hide, claws as sharp as any Zanpakuto and teeth as long as spears. Its wings down at its side and tail gently slithering side-to-side on the ground. Blue electrical discharge danced along its body, and its sickly animalistic yellow eyes which bore down on Yoruichi's tiny frame gleamed with a stern emotion.

Yoruichi instinctively knew what this monster was. Its demonic Reiatsu was all too familiar, and the fact that she could feel her own konpaku flowing as if linked with this creature turned any suspicions she had to certainty. 'You… Alastor…'

The dragon towered over the small woman, but it was clear from its presentation it was the smaller one of the two. "You know me, yet you are blind of yourself."

Yoruichi perked a suspicious brow at that. "Hmm?"

Alastor adjusted his stance, flexing his body the same way a predator might to show off its majesty. "I am Alastor. The Spirit of Lightning. I am your Devil Arm, you are my Master. When we first met, I saw what might you possessed, swearing my allegiance to you. Yet, when faced with a foe as weak as the one in front of you now, you play the role of a helpless damsel. I wonder: was I wrong to deem you worthy?"

Yoruichi crossed her arms over her chest and pouted in false offence. "Humph. And here I thought I won you over because of my charming personality and smokin' hot body with curves in all the right places." The dragon that was Alastor gave no response to her jest. "Psht. What are you askin' me for? If you don't find me "worthy" any more then leave. But if you want to keep living inside my Inner World rent free then how's about a little help? I'm kinda screwed out there in the real world in case you hadn't noticed."

"You? My Master in danger against such a weak lowly mortal whose Reiatsu is but a gnat to her own? How so?" Alastor's words were laced with a tone of belittlement.

His tone caused an ever increasingly vexed Yoruichi to furrow her brow. "Don't play coy with me, Aly. Nero told me all about Devil Arms and how they're connected mind, body and soul to their Master. You know my connection to my spiritual powers has been severed by that Bakkoto."

Alastor narrowed its eyes as if to study Yoruichi for some time, before shaking his head in disappointment. "Curiosity is what fells many a cat. But self-doubt is the bane of this feline. When your Zanpakuto spirit which you keep hidden in the depths of this place laughed at me for deeming you worthy as my Master, I dismissed it as part of her fickle disposition. Perhaps she was right."

After the days she'd had, Yoruichi was in no mood. She put a hand on her hip as a tick mark began to take shape on her forehead. "Leave that nasty woman out of this, the business between my Zanapakuto and myself is private. So if you want to play riddles then ask Kisuke, otherwise just give it to me straight before I lea-"

"Your spiritual power is inaccessible to you. But that is by no means the only power you have. Must I spell it out for you, little kitten?" Alastor taunted.

"Watch your tongue, or this cat will take it," warned Yoruichi, ensuring this demon knew who was boss around here. "Of course I know about my demonic power, kinda hard to forget being shish kebabbed by a spear. But even accessing it is hard enough for me without Kisuke's device, and my demonic power is nowhere near the level of my spiritual power. Despite all the training I've had with Nero, when it comes to using demonic powers, I'm a novice at best."

Alastor shook his head. "What foolishness."

Yoruichi clicked her tongue. "I think I preferred it when you didn't talk."

"There is much talk, and I have listened. Now I shall talk, and you shall listen." Said Alastor. "You may not wield your Zanpakuto, and have a tenuous relationship with her, but you still recognise her as part of your soul, part of you. Yet, you cannot share that same view with myself nor your demonic power. I have been waiting patiently for the moment you sought me out yourself, but your attempts to harmonise with me and your demonic power were superficial. Your ignorance to that which is part of you left my voice silent to your ears. Leaving me with no choice but to bring you to me."

Yoruichi picked at her ears. "Geez, can't a girl play hard to get these days? Just get to the point."

"You say you are unable to access your demonic power but your wounds this 'Amagai' has inflicted upon you are still healing, are they not?" Alastor received no answer from the suborn dark-skinned woman, who likely realised he was right. "That mortal may be deluded in his ideology, but he did speak one truth: So long as you view your demonic power and Devil Arms as 'tools' and not 'extensions' of yourself as you do your natural spirit power, fists, and Zanpakuto, you will always hold yourself back."

"What…?" An unusually quiet Yoruichi allowed.

Alastor lectured her. "When you first changed form from humanoid to feline, did you view both forms as separate entities? Of course not. Different in composition they may be, but they are still you. So why do you believe that is the case for your spiritual and demonic powers? You believe your demonic power is inherently lesser is quantity and power to your spiritual pressure. You think only of your spiritual power and ignore your demonic power. Train to hone your demonic power and demonic abilities you may have, but so long as you view them with a 'separate tool to be used when needed' mentality those powers will never bloom to what they could be. You think only of your spiritual power; what Hakuda or Kido or Shunko ability to use to defeat your foes in battle, your demonic power and abilities being but an afterthought."

Yoruichi listened intently. Having the truth laid out before her, her eyes being opened to her own misgivings. The very same setbacks she drilled into Ichigo for having when training him to unlock Bankai and Nero when training him to use Shinigami arts. 'He's right. I've never tried to understand my demonic power the way I did my spiritual power. I never even tried all that hard to connect to Alastor the way I did my Zanapakuto, or the way Nero has with Baskerville. I just thought of my demonic power as something extra, Alastor as just a sword I could summon when I felt like it, they were just add-ons to the power I already have. Always second to my spiritual power, Hakuda, Kido and Shunko. Yet I always moaned about how I could never utilise my demonic powers the same degree Nero managed to use his spiritual. I'm such a fool. I'm no different than Amagai, screaming that the world isn't fair but never doing what was necessary to fix the problem – Me… I want to change that… But… how…?'

"Your lover - the descendant of Sparda - has united his demonic and mortal sprit powers as one thanks to your assistance and become far stronger as a result of this harmony. If you do the same, you too will reach a level of power you never thought possible. The second you gained demonic power the 'ceiling' you Shinigami have was broken. The only thing limiting yourself is yourself. You must embrace my sword, you must embrace me, you must embrace the demon within. Accept and merge your spiritual and demonic power as one to become stronger." Alastor's smouldering eyes bore into his Master's, pushing her to become better for both their sakes. "Kill the frightened kitten and let the bold lioness free."

'Combine them…?' Yoruichi knew from personal experience with Shinji Hirako and the other Visoreds as they called themselves now that having two separate sets of powers from two different species – in their case Shinigami and Hollow – didn't mean you could only use one at a time. Not to mention that she'd personally been training Nero how to use Shinigami abilities, abilities which were just as strong as his demonic in terms of raw power though lacking in skill which came with experience. So she knew that just because she had both spiritual and demonic powers didn't mean she could only use one at a time. 'Zanpakuto aren't 'tools' either. I might not use mine, but I know that my Zanpakuto is me. Though I've never let myself feel the same about Alastor or my demonic power. I've just treated them like passengers along for the ride. If I accepted them both as part of me, part of my soul then maybe…' Still, one thing did pick at her. "Even if I could merge my two powers… In terms of how much I have, my spiritual pressure massively outweighs my demonic power. When mine and Nero's souls connected, I only got some minor scraps of his demonic power."

"You are wrong." Alastor stated bluntly. "You have this notion that your demonic powers are weaker than your mortal Reiryoku. That difference only exists in your head. When the demonic power entered your body, it merged with your soul as your sprit power is. You simply put up a subconscious 'wall' around it, acting as a dam which has significantly weakened the strength of your demonic power and spiritual powers potential. Your mortal and demonic powers are as one. Equal in power and equally part of you. And though you may not have been born with demonic power, having gained it from your lover, that power is yours, not his, not any longer. Your power to use and make of as you wish."

"So, I ask you again; you wish to win? If so, I will assist you. But take heed, it will not be easy."

"Humph. Please, that idealistic revolutionary can't even kill me when I have no powers." Yoruichi joked to lighten the dark and serious mood which seemed to engulf Alastor.

"I'm not talking of the fight, but what comes after." Yoruichi gave Alastor an odd look. "Having seen some of your memories, I know what type of place this Soul Society is. How its treats abnormalities, 'freaks'; those that cannot fit the 'norms' of society. Should you go through with this, your mortal and demonic powers will forever be as one. You will no longer be a 'normal' Shinigami. You shall be as the Substitute Shinigami, the Visored and Sparda's half-breed are. You may continue to be allied to the Shinigami whom you once served alongside for decades, but you will never truly be one of them again. And even if they look past this, the people of this world may never be able to do so. You shall be an outcast, princess. An exile in all but name."

Yoruichi knew first-hand from seeing how the Visoreds were treated to know how the Soul Society handled those it deemed 'too different'. Sure, the Shinigami may get over it; she doubted the likes of Kyoraku, Ukitake, Unohana or even the infamously uncompromising Byakuya would ever turn in her when they learnt of her demonic power. But the Shinigami weren't the only ones in the Soul Society, and she highly doubted Central 46 and the other nobles would take kindly to learning the current Regent Head of the Shihoin Clan possessed the power of the hell-spawn.

"If you've been in my Inner World and seen through my memories as you say then you should already know how I feel. I couldn't care less what anyone thinks of me. I spent my entire life conforming to what people expected of me, it's only after I left the Soul Society taht was I finally able to live my life on my terms. I'm not about to stop now. I've endured exile for the past hundred years, what's another few decades?"

With her answer decided, Alastor began. "Good. Now, purge any fear you have of the demon within, embrace all you are, and… devour the hearts of the weak!"

Alastor opened his great maw which glowed and sparked bright with electricity. From out his mouth shot the very blade that boar his name. With her insane levels of speed and reaction timing, Yoruichi was able to spot the sword flying towards her and could have easily moved out its trajectory. But…

A sixth sense, perhaps her gut, her feline instincts, warrior instincts or something else entirely, whatever it was, something told Yoruichi this sword was no threat. And so, she stood her ground. Never flinching in fear. Not even as the blade punctured her chest and pierced her heart. Paying no heed to the blood spraying out her chest and gushing from her mouth.

Pain never came.

Nor did death.

Instead, a surge raced through her very body. Her very soul.

The dam broke.

Two became one.

Spiritual and demonic in perfect harmony. Synchronised. Never able to be separated again…

And Yoruichi Shihoin had never felt so alive.

A loud clap of thunder boomed over the vast battlefield.

"What's happened to her?" A fearful Rangiku cried.

"Is… Is she…?" Renji stammered; the thought unbearable to speak.

"No." Hitsugaya shot down the Lieutenants' fears. But he too was filled with deep worry. "She's still alive… For now. But I fear all the damage she's been put through is catching up. Even someone of her calibre has their limits."

By now, almost all the Hollows and Dragons had been dealt with. Yamamoto alone had incinerated hundreds with a single flick of his burning sword. And with no more new arrivals to worry about since the black hole spitting them out had been replaced by the portal to Purgatory which was soon to open, the Gotei's part in this battle was done.

But there was no celebration to be found here.

Not only could they feel Nero and Ichigo's Reiatsu's plummeting and Ares eclipsing their's, the maelstrom in the sky emitting a foul power which let them know something nasty was about to come, but the fight between Amagai and the de-powered Yoruichi looked to be over. After being treated like a punching bag, Amagai had dished out the harshest and most brutal acts of abuse to the woman who was now lying flat on her front in a pool of her own blood.

Even the confidence shared by the likes of Yamamoto, Byakuya, Ukitake and Shunsui was waning. Even Soi Fon had lost faith that her illustrious mentor could win, instead the belief she had was slowly being devoured by the terrifying reality that she may lose the only ray of light in her life, for good this time.

Having obeyed the Captains' orders and trusting in their judgment, Rukia like the rest had stayed back. But being forced to watch as one of those that infiltrated the Seireitei to save her from execution was about to die herself was too much for her. "We have to help her at once! Brother, I know you hold the etiquette of battle to great standard, but with all Lady Shihoin has done for us you cannot just stand by and watch as she dies!" Byakuya said nothing, but it was clear from the way his features softened he was questioning his position. "Surely you of all people won't let this happen, Captain Soi Fon."

Thunder rolled across the sky, thick grey clouds forming above.

The petite Captain genuinely looked like a lost little girl. "I…" She flicked her gaze to Yoruichi's collapsed, bloody and broken form passed out in the dirt. 'No. Lady Yoruichi can't have lost to a mongrel like Shusuke Amagai. She's the strongest woman I know. Even without her spiritual power she would never lose. Not when she was 'that' power. But why hasn't she used it? Perhaps she can't. Or this is just a ploy to lure Amagai into thinking her has her on the ropes. But am I willing to risk her life on such a chance?'

Another roar from above, the thunder growing deeper and livelier. The clouds so thick now the sun was hidden behind them. The once sunny battlefield now transformed into a dark, stormy night. The cacophony of thunder beating across the land like drums in a marching band.

Ignoring the inner dilemmas the upper echelons of the Captains were in, Rukia grit her teeth and began to leave the huddle the Gotei 13 members had formed. "If no one else will help her then I will. I lost one friend before because I followed the 'rules of battle' for the sake of pride. I refuse to let that happen again."

The heated debate on whether to attempt to rescue Yoruichi should take place or not continued. As all the others focused entirely on this debate, their fears for Yoruichi's safety making it so the rapid change in weather conditions went completely unnoticed by most, Yamamoto, Byakuya and Kyoraku all kept their lips shut and eyes firmly on the sky. The three men's sights then drifted from the sky to the prone Yoruichi, but instead of expressions of concern, suspicion and anticipation was what consumed them.

Ukitake held his head down in shame, knowing all too well what Rukia was talking about. "Rukia, wait. I… Uh!'

*CRACK*

*BOOM*

Thunder clapped from the heavens above, louder than any of them had ever heard before. Their ears ringing from the noise.

Rukia came to a sudden stop, Ukitake's words got trapped in his throat and all the other Shinigami felt a chill down their spine as a sudden drastic shift in Reiatsu thumped across the battlefield.

Centred on Yoruichi.

At the same time Rukia was trying to convince her fellow Shinigami to go to the aid of the Shihoin princess, Shusuke Amagai chuckled snidely. The darkened skies and thunderous clapping above were just written off as part of Purgatory opening. He wore an arrogant, crooked sneer while he stared at the woman's weak form as she lay face down in the dirt.

"Heh. Look at you. What a mess. The corrupt elite like you think yourself so high and mighty. You lord your power over lesser folk like me and my father, but in the end you all bleed like even the poorest of Rukongai beggars. And you'll all die just as easy."

She'd put up a valiant effort despite her Saketsu and Hakasui being sealed, he'd give her that. But her bravado couldn't last forever. Barely a minute ago he'd been sure he'd seen her muttering to herself, blood loss likely causing her to become delirious, before slumping face-first in the dirt. Only the shallow rise and fall of her chest from her ragged breaths indicating any life remained in her rag-dolled body.

Amagai began to slowly pace towards the woman whose purple hair was sprawled across the floor.

"If only I could savour your suffering longer I gladly would. But feeding my Saketsu, Hakasui and Konpaku to my Bakkoto means my life is now on a timer. I've got less than a few hours before my entire soul and being is devoured. I don't have time to waste on scum like you, I've got to kill that bastard Yamamoto while I still have time."

Once he got within a few feet of Yoruichi, he came to a stop. The sight of the once proud princess defeated at his feet eliciting sick glee in his twisted sense of justice. "So much for the fabled master warrior of the Shihoin Clan, the so-called 'Goddess of Flash' and one of the best fighters to grace the Gotei 13. You're just a weak, mewling kitten. Now it's time to take a permanent catnap. But don't worry. Your friends, that wretched demon half-breed lover of yours and your brother will be joining you in Hell soon enough."

Amagai raised his Zanpakuto over his head, flames spewing out as he poured his power into it.

Another clap of thunder above.

"Goodbye, Yoruichi Shihoin." In one swift motion, Amagai thrust the sword tip of his oddly shaped Bankai down onto the woman's prone collapsed form… only to stop when a blue hue caught his eye. He turned to look at the source of the light. "Huh?"

The longsword on the ground next to the woman suddenly began to spark with blue electricity. A dark aura and power surrounding it. The eyes on the dragon-shaped cross-guard alive and burning deep crimson. And Amagai was sure he could hear what sounded like a bestial growl coming from it. The sword began to vibrate violently before suddenly rising just above the ground and flying straight towards Amagai's position. He jumped back about a meter, but it wasn't necessary. The sword wasn't aiming for him. It completely ignored the traitor Shinigami and made a beeline for the dark-skinned noblewoman's passed out body. But instead of skewering her, the sword appeared to merge with her. Sinking, or rather being absorbed into her very body.

"What…?!" Utterly confused by this spectacle, Amagai froze. "W-What's… What's going on…?"

Several of the longest and most tense seconds of Amagai's life passed… and nothing. Yoruichi Shihoin still remained an unconscious, unmoving heap on the ground. The only thing of note was how heavy and vigorous the thunder in the sky now rang, to the point Amagai could no longer ignore it. The thunder seemed almost… intentional. Alive. The beat thumping like drums at a tribal festival. As if… heralding the arrival of something greater than Amagai could comprehend.

The hairs on his neck standing. The lump in his throat tightening. As if his natural instincts could sense the danger his mind couldn't, a primal fear tingling in every cell in his body.

Then…

*CCCARACCKADOOOM*

From the sky, a vicious bolt of lightning struck down from the heavens above and hit Yoruichi's sprawled out body. A massive explosion of both electrical energy and Reiatsu erupted. The force so great Amagai was sent hurtling back several yards. The blue-haired man bounced along the ground before managing to find his footing and skid to a halt. He turned his startled gaze back to where Yoruichi was, having to use his gauntlet-clad hand to shield his eyes from the tide of dirt and pebbles which were being kicked up from the heavy gale coming out from where the woman had just been lying. He was unable to make her out. The plume of dust and smoke acting as a screen which hid anything within. Yet what was hidden from his visual sensors, his spiritual receptors picked up on.

'…' Sweat dripped from Amagai's forehead. His heart in his throat. Pupils dilating. Body trembling. 'W… What… What is this power…?' His heartrate accelerated at a rapid pace, threatening to burst out his chest.

From within the centre of the monsoon which had been created from the explosion was a power so dark it filled even a seasoned killer like Shusuke Amagai with a primordial dread. Negative energy washing over him like a tsunami of black terror. He was a helpless child, being swept away by that wave. Malignant tendrils reached out from the dark abyss and sunk into his soul, pulling him deeper and deeper into despair.

Despair Shinigami of the Gotei 13 on the opposite side of the battlefield shared. All the Lieutenants felt their confidence honed from decades of battling Hollows wash away in the tsunami of darkness. The Captains kept their head in the game, but even they felt a feral chill down their spine as this dark, perverted aura assaulted their spiritual sensory receptors.

Even Soi Fon who knew Yoruichi possessed a certain "tainted" power as she called it, wasn't immune to being overwhelmed by feeling a sinister coldness clench at her chest. 'So this is the power Lady Yoruichi received after her Saketsu interlinked with Nero's Chain of Fate… The sheer amount of Reiatsu she has is overwhelming, but… Instead of feeling respect I feel… afraid?'

And while Yamamoto remained free from despairs all-consuming poison, he was accosted by glimpses of traumatic memories from millennia past during his time in the many battles of Ragnarok. 'This… Impossible… this is demonic power, no doubt. I'll never forget this feeling, its foul stench. I knew that sword the Lady Shihoin wielded felt familiar… But there's something more. This demonic power isn't coming from her sword. It's coming from… her…'

It wasn't just that Yoruichi's Reiatsu spiking within the smoke was large to the point that the only ones around whose spiritual pressure could match or best it were Ukitake, Kyoraku and Yamamoto, that was causing this commotion. No. The reason has nothing to do with the immense amount of the Reiatsu, but rather its composition.

The power pulsing out of the smoke was dark, twisted and unnatural, able to make even the bravest mortal tremble. It represented the antithesis of mortals. This was the power of Hell. Demonic power. Demonic power that was combined with mortal spiritual power, like some form of perverted and blasphemous cocktail.

As far as the Gotei 13 knew – save Soi Fon – only Nero's Reiatsu felt like this – being a hybrid of both mortal and demon. The fact that Yoruichi Shihoin, former Head and member of the illustrious Shihoin Clan which stood as one of the four oldest and strongest pillars keeping the Soul Society aloft, had this mix of Reiatsu…

Byakuya relinquished a sigh, knowing even if they won this battle, Yoruichi had just opened Pandora's Box, and he'd likely be the one to have to quell the uproar from the nobles while she waved them off without remorse.

Seeing her wield that sword had been worrisome enough, but sensing this Reiatsu turned Byakuya's, Yamamoto's, Ukitake's and Kyoraku's suspicions to certainty. A single thought dominated all four men's minds: 'Yoruichi Shihoin possesses demonic power.'

As the cloud of smoke which shrouded the woman within began to clear, the black silhouette of a slender yet toned form slowly became visible. A visage that was illuminated by sparks of blue electricity which sparked from within the cloud, sparks which seemed to be coming off the woman herself.

"I'll admit, I thought I might actually die here. That was your mistake. Don't you know? It's never a good idea to corner a cat."

It was Yoruichi's voice, but now it was filled with a level of confidence she hadn't had since Amagai had severed her spiritual power, with the faintest hint of a distorted, almost electrical synthetic tone which caused all who heard to shudder.

Soon enough, the smoke cleared enough for those on the battlefield to see her. No longer a meek kitten laying in the dirt, but a fierce lioness standing tall and proud. Her canny smirk oozing confidence and devilish attitude, looking like the cat that was about to swallow the canary. Her purple ponytail flapping in the wind her overwhelming power was casting. Her Reiatsu manifested in physical form, enveloping her body in a red aura which flared above several feet like a violent flame.

And when they saw her, all were filled with equal amounts of awe and dread.

All her wounds began to rapidly fade. Even the deepest gash turning to a shallow cut, to a pale scar, to smooth, flawless mocha skin in seconds. Every bone rebuilding. Every organ knitting back together. All blood stains and burn marks on her body dispersing, as if she were fresh to battle. Her clothes sparkled bright, and when the light faded her combat attire was anew. Her black stretch pants and backless shirt pristine and clean, not a single singe, crimson stain, or tear on them.

"W-What…" Amagai's body trembled as much as his meek voice. "What form of power is this… My Bakkoto should severe and seal all spiritual power… But hers is even greater than before… No… It's not just spirit power… this… It feels like…" His mortified eyes threatened to pop out their sockets if he widened them anymore. "Impossible… Just how far have you allowed that part-demon filth to taint you… You're a… a… monster… just like him!"

That only caused Yoruichi to chuckle, satiating his fear and despair. "A monster, eh…" Tilting her head to the side, a wild, almost feral cat-like toothy grin stretching across her face. Her teeth much sharper than normal. "If that's what it takes to protect those I love, I'll become the most wretched monster there is. One that'll haunt your nightmares."

Her wounds healing and clothing fixing weren't what was causing Amagai to shake at the sight of her, and even her own allies among the Gotei 13 to quake in their sandals. It was everything else about her appearance.

Her feline-like irises were as sharp as ever and gleamed with a cold playfulness, but her eyes weren't the usual sun-kissed gold. They were a deep, bloody crimson which glowed ominously, slit black pupils which possessed an intricate diamond-like shape to them, much like a reptile's… or dragon's. Blue sparks and bolts of electrical energy danced and licked her entire body from head to toe, her back and arms enveloped completely by the electrical energy, unlike her normal Shunko lightning which was a white-yellow. A light blue electrical aura shrouded her entire body as if she were sheathed in a blanket of static, a wedding veil of sinister lightning. Her roaring red Reiatsu began to shift in shape, reminiscent of a dragon's head with its mouth gaping and Yoruichi standing in its open maw shrouded by razor sharp teeth.

By tapping into her demonic power's true potential and combining it with her spiritual power, Yoruichi's dark and foreboding Reiatsu which dominated the battlefield Yoruichi gave off sent chills down Amagai and most of the Shinigami's spines. What few Hollows and Dragons remained fell into fetal positions and the Lieutenants had to use all their willpower to remain on their feet, the sheer weight of the enormous power was almost too much to handle. But even those with spiritual power that equalled or surpassed Yoruichi's own like Yamamoto, Ukitake and Kyoraku likewise felt a great unease swell within them.

This wasn't a Devil Trigger, but by tapping into her demonic power and using her Devil Arm Alastor as a catalyst for her Shunko rather than her own mortal spiritual power, she'd unlocked a power beyond anything her normal Shunko, which she still had yet to fully master, could ever reach currently in its immature state. And it felt GREAT!

Now she had relinquished her distrust of her demonic power, Alastor's voice was clear inside her head. "Look at this mortal, my Master. He wields two powers, his own spiritual power and that Bakkoto. To him, those are two separate 'tools'. How can a warrior expect to reach their true potential if they cannot even trust that which is part of them? How can they fight when they do not trust in their weapons to fight side-by-side with them? All they will do is diminish their own strength. You are free from your self-imposed bonds now. So I ask: do you trust your demonic power, do you trust your Devil Arms?"

Yoruichi remained silent for a few seconds, before responding. "…Of course."

Alastor hummed, pleased. "Good. Then use your power. Use me. Defeat all your foes from now until the end of your days and feed on their hearts. For this is your power. The power of…"

Yoruichi stared down the quivering Amagai, her red eyes ripping off his skin and boring into his very soul, announcing the culmination of her power for all to hear. "Shunko: Akuma Raiden Senkei!"

On the night Nero fought the demon that injured his arm which turned it into his Devil Bringer, and when he'd been swiftly incapacitated by Agnus' Bianco Angelo's during his raid on the mad scientist's lab, he'd had the same thought: 'If only I had more power'… And the same dream…

His weakness had cost Credo's life. Nearly Kyrie's too, but while she survived physically, she'd lost much of those she loved, tempering that bright smile of hers that warmed Nero's heart forever. It was his weakness that Arkham exploited to snag his blood and release Temen-ni-gru. And because of his weakness Ares had escaped their first encounter and went on to cause Yoruichi great pain.

The physical scars on Yoruichi would heal with ease and she'd shrug them off, but what he did to Yushiro? Those are scars she would blame herself for forever. Someone like her who'd selflessly been there for him since the day they met despite him being a stranger to her and had already been through so much sorrow thanks to Aizen's machinations deserved to never be sad again.

'But she is hurting. Oh sure, she'll crack a smile and tell me about a week from now she's fine, but I know her. She loves Yushiro. He's her baby brother and he nearly died. The wounds in her flesh Ares inflicted on her will heal, but the wounds in her heart will linger for who knows how long.'

All because of Nero's weakness.

'If only I had more power!'

That same thought had resonated in him since his earliest memories from being a bullied child at the orphanage. He'd had that thought when news of Kyrie's parents' deaths broke. When Agnus kidnapped Kyrie. When the Angelo's pinned him to the wall. When the Saviour absorbed him.

Each time he'd had that thought. A memory of a distant, yet oh so visceral dream.

"…Uhhhh… Urgghhh… Uh…"

Azure blue eyes groggily fluttered open. The sound of a grandfather clock ticking away soothed Nero's ears. "Where…?"

He was flat on his back on an old musky rug that smelt as old as it looked, but no less expensive. He steadily rose to his feet. All his wounds were gone, and he was free from pain and fatigue. He took in his surroundings. He was in the lounge of some fancy looking old-timey mansion. Paintings of a family of five on the wall. One child that of a young, slightly awkward boy, with silver hair.

This was Kyrie and Credo's parents' house…

"…My Inner World. Haven't been here since Beowulf and Baskerville got at each other's throats and I had to remind them who's boss around here a few weeks ago." He instinctively could sense the canine Devil Arm wasn't here. "Guess he's still somewhere in the Soul Society. Psht. Lazy mutt. He better get back soon and lend a hand."

Meandering aimlessly through Kyrie and Credo's parents' home which was his Inner World, Nero, either through subconscious design or random chance, came to a stop at a certain door at the end of a long corridor. A door which Baskerville had showed him before and one the hound and his Hollow Style spirit both feared to enter. The door was your standard wooden affair, nothing special. Painted a light blue. One key feature that made it stand out from the rest however was that chains that wrapped around it. Was it to keep something out… or in?

Neither Nero, nor Baskerville had the answer. All they knew was that every time they were near it, they felt a cold chill in the air.

"Well… this is new. What? You feelin' lonely today or somethin'."

The only thing Nero knew of this door was that according to Baskerville's summation, this was where one of his Devil Arms set up shop in his Inner World. While Baskerville preferred to hang in the living room while here, Beowulf the training hall and the Hollow spirit the kitchen, this particular Devil Arm chose to lock itself away from both its fellow living weapons and Master. While Nero could still summon said weapon, the 'living spirit' most Devil Arms had - much like Zanpakuto – had secluded itself in isolation since the day he'd gained it.

Yamato.

Only now, those chains to the door were unlocked. Door ever so slightly ajar.

"Talk about a late invitation. I didn't even RSVP."

Without hesitation, Nero pulled the door wide open. Oddly, the space beyond was hidden by a black fog which shrouded the doorway. Nero slowly tested it. His hand went right through no problem and so stepped through the veil and into the room in earnest.

The room resembled an elegant study. Shelves of books lined wall to wall, one velvet chair a few feet from the fireplace which filled the air with a soothing crackling sound. Though there was a window, no light was visible from it, as if the glass itself was pure black. The dim hues of orange cast from the fireplace were all that illuminated the otherwise gloomy abode which gave Nero a most unwelcoming vibe. As if he were entering the lair of a hostile predator which only let him be because it viewed him as too mundane to bother with attacking.

Yet, despite that, Nero couldn't help but feel a sense of calming familiarity in here. The type a child feels when a parent holds them in a protective embrace.

'The Yamato's never been the friendly type. Dante always told me both it and the Rebellion were different than most Devil Arms being created by Sparda and all. But the Rebellion never gave off such content as the Yamato does. Dante told me before when he wielded it, it was as if the blade fought against him. I've never had that issue, but the sword's always felt… cold. It might give me the power to use my Devil Trigger but it's always like it just puts up with me. Like a disappointed father.'

The sound of fabric fluttering got Nero's interest. He darted his gaze back to the blackened window. A figure that he was certain hadn't been there just now was standing with his back to the teen as it stared out the window, though at what Nero hadn't a clue.

"…You? …Heh …Long time no see, eh?"

The figure was one Nero had seen before. He'd dreamed of this man the night he'd gained his Devil Bringer, the moment the Yamato 'chose' him as its 'Master', and the day of Credo's funeral several days after the Saviour Incident had passed.

'The Yamato doesn't have a spirit the same way other Devil Arms originating from living demons do, like Baskerville, Beowulf, and Dante's Nevan as well as Agni and Rudra, what with it being crafted by Sparda. But Dante did say all Devil Arms are 'alive' in a sense. Some even imprint their old Masters into themselves. Is that who this is? The 'living memory', the ghost, of Yamato's last wielder? The brother Dante refuses to talk about?'

Despite Nero seeing this man at least three times, he could never remember his face. It was as if as soon as he awoke from these dreams the memory of the man's appearance was bleached from his mind. It was only on the edge of life and death as he was now that he could recall it.

But this time the man didn't show his face. Keeping his back to the young Devil Hunter.

His long, royal blue, three tailed coat with golden dragon accented patterns shrouded him. Slicked back snow-white silver hair. Sheathed katana held in his right hand. He gave off the presence of a regal lord and a noble warrior with no peers.

The man's aura was cold. But Nero could sense gentleness, and above all else, a profound loneliness too. If he had to say whom this man reminded him of, he'd say Byakuya Kuchiki. They both had the same distant, pragmatic aloofness to them.

But one thing always confused Nero to no end. That being, whenever he was around this man - this man whom he presumed to be a little more than the manifestation of the memory Yamato's previous wielder – he felt… warm in his presence. Calmed. Soothed. Protected… loved?

"Can you hear it…? Your soul is crying out…"

Had the man spoke? Or was Nero just imagining the voice? With his back to him, it was hard to tell. The voice of the man – or was it Yamato? - resonated throughout the room. It was a distant, dry, stoic voice… Yet strangely soothing to Nero.

"Your soul: What is it your soul is fighting for?"

Nero rolled his eyes, a dry humourless chuckle escaping him. "You already know. We've been here before, don't forget."

The figure remained still as a statue. "You have strength. Great strength within you. Yet you refuse to seek it. If you did what was necessary, abandoned notions of morality and ceased clinging onto the frailty of your humanity and embraced your demonic half, the Yamato would bend to your will. You would be a devil worthy of Sparda's name. Of his power. You would never be weak again. So why do refuse to gain power?"

"Maybe…" Nero entertained the phantom's idea, before hardening his features. "But what's the point in having strength if you've got no one to protect it with?"

The white-haired man remained silent for some time. When he spoke again, his tone was much more deprecative. "Foolishness, boy. Foolishness. Might controls everything. Without strength, you cannot protect anything. Not your friends, or your Shinigami allies. How do expect to protect the feline woman that had enraptured you so when you cannot even save yourself from some lost little boy throwing a tantrum that dares call himself a "God"?"

Nero narrowed his expression, speaking resolute. "Without strength you can't protect anyone, I know that. But it's because I want to protect them that I'll never abandon my humanity. I'm not Arkham. I'll get stronger, no matter what it takes. I'll do anything to protect those I love… To protect… her…"

The man gave no response. Nero began to wonder if he'd offended the spirit. Just as he went to speak, Yamato's phantom beat him to it. "What is it you need to "protect those you love"?"

Whether this was a test or what, Nero didn't know. But he took in a breath and replied with steadfast will. "Power… I need more power." Though Nero couldn't see the man's face with his back to him, he was sure he cracked a smirk.

"Well," the spirit of Yamato's previous wielder replied with a roughish, yet elegant, attitude, "that works for me."

Using the thumb of the hand he was holding the sheathed Yamato with, the phantom man ever so slightly pressed the tsuba of the blade. A 'shink' sound echoed. The habaki and a few inches of the flawless steel of the blade peeked out the scabbard. The white-haired man turned his neck just enough that half his face was visible, but somehow Nero just knew this detached yet strangely familial face would fade from his memory the moment he awoke.

Yamato's wielder bore his ice-cold blue eyes into Nero's warmer ones. "For now, at least, I shall grant you the power you need. But… remember this: I will always be watching you. You may be the 'King' of this world, but you are not my 'Master', I am no one's slave. And should the time come when our two views of power deviate… Perhaps the terms of our contract may need to be… revaluated."

An invisible force clasped at Nero, yanking him out the sombre room whose door slammed shut and chains wrapped around once more. He was dragged helplessly down corridor and stairs before reaching the front doors to the manor home he'd grew up in. The doors swung open, and Nero was cast into the white void.

He felt his power resonate within him.

The Yamato heeding his call to arms.

His devil's blood bubbling like lava.

His inner power unleashed from its bonds.

He felt his senses begin to reawaken.

He felt multiple weapons pierced through his flesh and organs… but no pain.

He clenched his right hand, his Devil Bringer, and felt an ornate and familiar grip of a blade.

He was dead, just like before. But like before, he awoke.

He needed more power.

He had it now.

Ares stared with glee, and some minor disappointment, at the white-haired mortal-demon mockery. He took in the sight of the teen gasping for air which escaped his punctured heart, before the boy's eyes turned milky and he fell into death's cool embrace. Ares closed his eyes, released a sigh of unknown emotions, and remained still for near a minute in silence.

"A pity. I truly did hope you'd see things my way. In the end, it had to be this way. Goodbye, boy. Rest assured your friends and lover will survive. I grant you that mercy at the very least, as one of the blood of Sparda deserves."

Yanking free his golden blade, a shower of congealed blood sprayed out from the teen's corpse. Ares opened his red eyes and gazed upon the teen's lifeless form once more, not a trace of spiritual or demonic power emitting from the body. Shaking his head dispassionately, the Olympian turned on his heels and began to march towards the exit of the temple, resting his sword on his hip.

"I suppose I best deal with Amagai before he kills the Shihoin princess or any of the Shinigami Captains. I'll be needing them for my army." As he made his way to the exit, he looked towards the Yggdrasil's root which glowed with power. "A few minutes left. Then the Wild Hunt shall arrive, and all mortals will finally be free from the fear of the foul demons that took all I held dear to me once befo-… Uhhh…!"

Ares stopped dead in his tracks when a sudden cold chill run down his spine. His blood freezing over. Every cell in his body screaming in primal fear. He tried to speak but the lump in his throat rebuked his attempts.

'...Th …This …This power… I-It's…' Cold sweat ran down Ares, droplets dripping onto the ground. 'This is the power of a demon. No. A devil. It's just like back then.' Horrifying memories long since buried from his time during Ragnarok flashed unwelcomingly in his head, forcing him to relive his past trauma. Recalling the visage of a Prince of Darkness in the guise of a three-eyed angel, one which haunted his dreams like all mortals unlucky enough to come face-to-face with the personification of darkness. 'Like… his!' A devil, bug-like a winged wielding a sword and power beyond comprehension. A memory Ares never thought he'd relive again.

This wasn't a dream. This was worse. This was reality. A nightmare.

The sacred temple became dominated by a most foul demonic power which saturated the very air itself like some miasma of dread. A proverbial thick fog of darkness which made all light quake in its boots. This was the power of a devil.

While not close to being equal in raw power to Sparda's, being on par as Ares' own, it still bestowed the same inherent dread in mortals as the Dark Knight's. A dread which made Ares feel like a child afraid of the monsters under his bed.

With great trepidation and having to fight all his base instincts which told him to flee, Ares turned back to spy the hybrid he was so sure he'd killed. What he saw and felt flowing from the boy made him gulp.

A deep blue coat of visible Reiatsu – both demonic and spiritual – stoked to life on Nero's body, like he was a wood log engulfed by blue flames. The blue aura grew in size and opaqueness. And Ares swore within the blue flame-like aura a figure was becoming tangible to the eye, the figure of-

"Gggrrraaaahhh!"

"Ddduuuggh!"

The moment Nero opened his eyes and bellowed a mighty roar, a violent shockwave of power exploded out from his body as if a bomb went off. Ares was sent rag dolling across the room from the force of it, and the weapons which pinned Nero to the wall shattered into pieces, freeing him from his crucifixion.

Ares grunted in pain as he bounced along the floor before colliding back-first against the roots of the Yggdrasil at the centre control. When the Olympian rose back to his feet, shaking the daze from his head, he turned his gaze back to the Devil Hunter. Clouds of dust and smoke filled the room kicked up from the explosion of power but walking out from the haze a figure could be discerned. One which overwhelmed Ares' senses and caught his breath in his throat.

His spiritual sensory receptors were violated by the foul demonic power which assaulted them, and his ears were rattled by a sinister roar, not of a man but a monster – a demon. He was no longer looking at some punk teenager, but the blood of Sparda. A devil.

Finally clear to see and in full view was Nero. His eyes a deep crimson like fresh blood. All his wounds were gone and even his clothing was fully intact as before. His Devil Bringer was glowing, and held firm in its claws was an elegant katana. Towering over the Hunter was a ghostly spectre, its glowing azure form partially transparent. It had reptilian scales across its body like the ones on the boy's right arm. Two crests ran up its shoulders with the right one being larger than the left. Curved horns on its head, a head which was shrouded in an almost hood-like shell. On its left arm was a sheath-like protrusion, as if the sheath were organic and part of the ghostly creature. In its right hand was a curved blade, the same sword as the one Nero wielded only it too ethereal like the rest of its spectral form.

"…Im-… Impossible. That blade… it's…" Free from his initial shock, but still no less engulfed by dread's cold bony fingers, Ares took note of the slender katana the teen and his spectral familiar wielded and sent shivers down his spine. "The Yamato," he whispered as if scared to admit the truth. "One of Sparda's Devil Arms he created with his own hands. H-how…" Fear and anger filled Ares. "How can someone like you have such a weapon?! Just what form of power is this!"

Each step Nero took towards Ares, the Olympian took one back.

"From that day forth… my arm changed… and a voice echoed… "Power! Give me more power!" If I become a demon, so be it. I'll do anything to protect them. To protect her. To avenge her. If the Soul Society shuns me for what I'm willing to become, I'll endure the exile. I'll do anything I must, for the sake of those I care about," Nero's spoke as if on autopilot, his voice deep and guttural as though spoken in tandem with another far more monstrous one, only adding to Ares' sense of growing fear.

Nero blazed with determination. In one swift motion so fast it was but a blur, he swung the Yamato in Ares' direction. Said Greek was about to question what the demon slayer hoped his swing could achieve as the two were at least twenty meters apart, but before any words could escape his lips he saw a shimmering crescent wave-like distortion in the air jettison off the sword in the trajectory of its swing. The thin arched wave moved too fast for Ares to dodge, but the teen's swing must've been off as the condensed wave of Yamato's time-space cutting power only nicked his left cheek.

Yet before Ares could boast on the boy's folly, he realised his mistake. He hadn't been the target. The wave impacted the Yggdrasil's roots which wrapped around the control panel of the temple, slicing through them entirety in a diagonal cut. The sword-made wave continued even further still, cutting through part of the temple until it reached the energy dome which enveloped the structure and the castle beyond it. The dome was cut clean through, a hot knife through butter. The seemingly impenetrable shield created by the most powerful of mortals proving useless against Sparda's almighty Devil Arm, even when wielded by one whose power was nowhere near the Dark Knight's.

The Yggrasil's remains began to crumble and break. In the sky, the swirling maelstrom began to shrink in size and fade as the temple lost the power source it used to open its portals. Seeing the Yggdrasil, the one and only way for him to access Purgatory destroyed, lit the fire of rage within Ares. All he'd been working towards for millennia lost because of a single swing of a sword from some snot-nosed little freak.

"Nooooooo!" The anguish and fury in Ares' voice and face was palpable. He hastily turned his head from the shattered tree to the white-haired abomination whose expression was one of resolute severity, contorting his features into a most deep and hate-filled scowl. "Do you know what you've done?! You've doomed us all! Every mortal! All your friends, they'll all die to the demons now!"

"Wrong. The only one who's gonna die to demons around here… is you." Nero summoned all the power he had, a blue aura of visible Reiatsu rising above him and his spectral Devil Trigger.

Ares clicked his tongue. The immense demonic power weighing on him might've made most mortals go insane from the pressure, but he was a hardened warrior who'd battled more demons than he could count, and with his mortal spiritual power roughly matching the teen's mixed one it provided him enough resistance to any ill effects a mortal would normally have to being exposed to such inherent dread. Not to mention, he was pissed. "I always knew you were a freak. A demon in human flesh. To see your true self revealed… it's even worse than I thought. Don't get cocky just because your powers increased. I'll kill you here and now. And after, I might even send the Shihoin princess to the grave with you, not like I have a use for her or any other Shinigami now. That is, unless Shusuke hasn't already killed her."

At that, Nero simply smirked, confusing Ares who thought he'd be more concerned for the woman he clearly had feelings for, especially given her Reiatsu had faded moments ago. "Heh. Don't count her out just yet. She has nine lives after all, and neither you nor your flying monkey could hope to take one. All you two have done is pissed her off. Something you're about to regret."

"Eh…?" A brow lifted on Ares. "What lovesick delusions are you talki-… Uhh?"

A new power bore down on Ares' spiritual senses. This being much like the silver-haired one's, a mix of mortal and demonic, only it was significantly stronger than Nero's but less dark and potent in terms of the demonic aspect of the power.

While feeling this brought even more unwelcome uneasiness to Ares, it brought elation and a proud smile to Nero. The makeup of the Reiatsu was different than he'd ever felt it before, but he knew this power all too well. And the woman it belonged to. The current of Reiatsu passed through his entire body, like the energy was trying to echo with his own. It resonated with Nero's power and very soul. It was an awakening of a soul that only another soul intrinsically linked could hear the call of.

Nero's proud smile grew. "Looks like Yoruichi's gotten herself some new claws for the party. I'd hate to be the guy she's gonna sharpen them on. Heh, my little kitten really likes to leave things to the last minute to get serious. My heart can only take so much."

On the wrecked battlefield, arcs of blue lightning crackled around the dark-skinned woman like a wedding veil of demonic electricity.

"Hmm?" Yoruichi's nose twitched as she sensed a Reiatsu she knew vividly and one that always soothed her. A sharp toothy smile crossed her beautiful features and red reptile's eyes lit up as the man who she cherished above all else announced himself with raw power. She was sure he must've known she likely thought him dead and was flaring his power was his way to reassure her he was okay, causing her to roll her eyes with a chuckle. "Nero, you damn fool. About time you used that Devil Trigger of yours and got serious. You always have to make your battles full of dramatic effect, don't you? Honestly, you'll give a girl a heart-attack."

Two pillars of Reiatsu, one azure blue and the other a light white-yellow, reached into the heavens above touching the clouds. The blue pillar came from the Shihoin Castle on the mountain, the white-yellow from the battlefield.

All the remaining Hollows had come to and abrupt halt, every Dragon making ground, their wings inert. They were frozen in place. Like statues. The only movement they possessed was unrelenting shivers. It was as if an apex predator had cornered them and like a mouse they lost all semblance of what to do and their bodies and minds gave up on them in the face of abject terror. The demonic power struck a particularly nasty nerve for their kind, upon being purified by a Shinigami's Zanpakuto it was fifty-fifty whether they'd be granted salvation and join the cycle of reincarnation or condemned for all their mortal sins and sent to Hell. Demonic power was already a natural primal fear for mortals but with the added fear of the unknown where they'd go after death meant sensing that stomach churning crucible of darkness was something only the strongest of Hollows and Dragons could withstand without their minds and wills shattering to pieces.

With the Hollows and Dragons ceasing their attack on them, the Shinigami were able to devote their full attention to the roaring volcanoes of power before them. All of them, every Captain, Lieutenant, and Rukia herself stood still in silence, absorbing the scene with all their visual and spiritual senses.

"…" Ukitake stood beside his ex-classmate, equally as enraptured by it all as the others. "This power of theirs… it's…"

Kyoraku tipped his hat. "She was always a strong spitfire even back in her Captain days. Good to see her muscles have grown since. And that Nero kid… I remember feeling this power from him back when he fought old man Yama, but I wasn't as versed to sensing demonic power then. Feeling both their powers now… it's making my spine tingle from all the way over here. Hate to think how Amagai and Ares are taking this." He kept up his smile, but it was fake as Ukitake knew, masking his unease. "Things are never going to be the same again, are they? I just hope history doesn't repeat the way it did a hundred years ago like what happened to them," he whispered that last bit so only Ukitake could hear.

Like her peers, Rukia was just as captivated by the scene and felt an innate sense of primal dread trying to swallow her whole, one which like the rest of the Shinigami she had to do her upmost best to overcome. "So, this is what true demonic power feels like. Even coming from those two, I still feel like I want to curl under my blanket with a light to hide from the monsters like I'm some scared little kid." She may have joked, but she was truthful about the fear which bore into her very bones.

"I remember Nero saying about how demonic power makes mortals feel… uncomfortable." Renji used the best word he could think of but knew it didn't do justice to the sensation he and the others felt at having their senses violated by the two immense demonic powers groping at them. "But I wanna know what the hell just happened inside that temple. I thought the shield was impenetrable. It's already starting to crack and collapse. What was that weird wave thing which sliced right through it? Does it have something to do with how that portal-looking thingy in the sky is closing?"

While no one spoke up to answers Renji's question they all had on their minds, one among the group had a suspicion as to what was able to defy the 'invincible' shield dome. While Yamamto felt no such dread from the demonic power being the ancient warrior he was, this suspicion did cause his eyes to fall downcast. 'Could it truly be… The Yamato.… Mmmm, as if Lady Shihoin possessing demonic power wasn't bad enough, to learn the hybrid boy has power on this scale to rival most of my Captains and wields one of Sparda's sacred blades… Urrgghhh, I'm getting too old for this…'

Several feet away from the woman whose body crackled with electrical energy and a power most foul, Shusuke Amagai was now devoid of all his confidence. His arrogance and swagger from mere seconds ago now gone. Replaced with a primal fear which squeezed his heart and soul. Demonic power naturally caused fear for mortals, but that combined with the immense pressure weighing down on him from her Reiatsu which dwarfed his own to an almost comical point made the hairs on his neck stand, throat clench up and sweat to pour. He subconsciously began to take steps back, his entire body shaking and eyes wide in shocked horror. Made all the worse when the monster which took the form of a beautiful woman flashed him a most sinister smile, baring her teeth.

Yoruichi was not just a master of Hakuda, but the master. Even pioneering many of her own marital arts moves and fighting styles. One such martial art style was her 'Cat Style', similar in nature to Tiger style uses in human Kung Fu but with her own deadly and playful twist. She got into her Cat Style fighting stance, knees bent, and arms crossed with her hands clenched like paws.

"Beware, Amagai. This power of mine is completely new to me…" Yoruichi twitched the tips of her right fingers ever so slightly.

An intense bolt of lighting struck from the sky above, impacting the ground and causing a massive explosion ground where Amagai stood, the bolt missing him by only a hair. A large crater now marred the battlefield between Yoruichi and Amagai, dug by the force of her lightning bolt. Amagai stood on a small island if untouched rock that his opponent had intentionally left for him.

Yoruichi's red eyes bore into Amagai like a hungry cat awaiting to pounce its prey and licked her lips. Blue electricity dancing on the tip of her tongue, giving it a forked look like a reptiles tongue.. "…I can't quite control it yet. I hope you'll do me the honour of helping me get to grips with them… If you can last long enough…"

In a blitzing blur, Yoruichi charged. Amagai never saw it coming.

Ares had dealt with the primal fear all mortals felt in the presence of pure demonic power during Ragnarok, and thus was unaffected by the side-effects unlike his compatriot. But with the loss of the Yggdrasil, the Olympian was fuming. His face as red as his eyes in roiling fury. Made even worse by how the teen, no, the arrogant abomination, was swaggering towards him with a shit-eating grin. Ares' vision of a better Mortal Universe was lost, all he could see now was red.

"Been a while since I had to use my Devil Trigger in a fight. I do hope you can give me a nice afternoon workout." Nero strolled briskly towards Ares, Yamato in hand. His spectral partner following his movements like a shadow. "Then again, if your last move was your best shot at killing me then this won't even be enough to wake me up."

Using a combination of Trickster and Shunpo, Nero dashed towards Ares who met his bullrush of a charge head on.

Yoruichi finally gets the power I've been planning on giving her since she got Alastor! Shunko: Akuma Raiden Senkei translates to Shunko/Flash War Cry: Demonic Lightning Spirit Form. Raiden is the name of the Shinto God/Spirit of Thunder and Lighting and Alastor is refereed to as the 'Spirit of Lightning' in DMC, and since Yoruichi is using the Alastor as a conduit for her new form I thought the name fitting. And before anyone asks, no, this is not her Devil Trigger. This form is just Yoruichi merging her Shinigami and demonic powers as one, activating her Shunko and using the Alastor as a conduit for said Shunko. Think of it like how Ichigo and the Visored can go Bankai with their normal Shinigami power but then can tap into their Hollow powers to boost their overall power and Bankai when they summons their Hollow mask. We also see in DMC that demons can use Devil Arms as conduits to channel their own power through resulting in a new form, like the DT forms Dante has in DMC1 and 3 which change depending on what Devil Arm you're using.

In terms of power to canon Bleach, Yoruichi's Shunko: Akuma Raiden Senkei is above the incomplete Shunko she used against Soi Fon in SS arc and Aizen in Fake Karakura, but still weaker than the Shunko: Raijin Senkei she used on Askin and much weaker than her Shunko: Raiju Senkei: Shunryu Kokubyo Senki. Remember, the version of Shunko Yoruichi used on Soi Fon and Aizen pre-time skip was incomplete. It's only post-time skip during the TYBW has she mastered and completed her Shunko. Meaning the version of Shunko she's using now in conjuncture with her demonic power and Alastor is still her incomplete and unmastered one.

Just as I plan to give Nero new powers and abilities and forms, I also intended to do so for Yoruichi too. Maybe even a Devil Trigger. I know many of you may disagree and say she shouldn't get DT but hear me out. See, as much as I love Yoruichi and thought her fight against Askin was awesome and showed she was right up there with the likes of EOS Byakuya in terms of power (as the novels confirm), I, like many, didn't really like her lightning-cat form. No doubt it's sexy as hell but I feel the same as the likes of Bleach Youtubers MrTommo and DBZimran (check those channels out along with Simo Urahara, Alexir and Flame of Rebirth if you're into Bleach) and many other Bleach fans in that Kubo went too overboard in the fanservice with this form. I mean this is Yoruichi's ultimate power, her trump card. And while it is extremely powerful to the point Askin has to go Vollstanding to even have a hope against her in this form, the fact that she wears a lightning bikini and loses her mind so she's basically just a mindless animal I felt did a disservice to her character. One of the reasons I, like many, love Yoruichi is that she's a badass female Shonen character that's both strong and sexy. Yes, she has fanservice moments but at the end of the day she's still a badass. She'll show you her naked body because she knows she's hot and knows it makes people blush and uncomfortable. She uses her sexuality to tease people.In her lightning-cat form she's the one who's uncomfortable. I just feel like her lighting-cat form leaned too much into fanservice instead of showing just how strong and badass she is. I actually hope the anime of TYBW or the Breaths of Hell upcoming manga arc change this form of hers or give her some other powerup which fits her character better.

Be sure to review the chapter, any and all feedback is appreciated. Till next time.