(Soundtrack of Choice: Snakes of Despair)
Liltotto Lamperd knew that it was far from over even after she launched that combined Grand Ray Cero at the 7th Espada. If only because he didn't releases his Segunda Etapa yet. But even when she was expecting it and assumed the worse. She was still shocked upon feeling the massively dark spiritual pressure radiating from the transformation. As if it were a deep black abyss that sought to consume everything around it.
And the man's new appearance only further embodied that dreaded feeling.
For in his Segunda Etapa form. Luppi's outfit became a black and strip rope, while his curved helmet was replaced with a black horn crown. With the Octagonal design of his harness being turned into a black throne that he sat upon and from behind its back, eight gigantic black serpents that were the size of skyscrapers coiled around and lifted him from the deep earth cavity created by Liltotto's attack.
'Ah, what is the matter, little girl are you imitated by my true power?' Luppi teased sadistically with a grin. 'Well, you should, for it is at this very moment that your life has become forfeit!' he declared viscously, and then all eight serpent heads opened their jaws and fired beams of pink concentrated spiritual power at The Quincy. Who stood her ground, spread her jaw, and consumed them all.
Yet despite doing that, it left her with a painful stomach ache, much to Anternor's amusement.
'My my, you weren't kidding when you said devouring hollow spiritual energy would make your tummy upset,' Luppi said with a sarcastic babyish tone. 'Are you sure you don't want to take a nap to make it all better?' he chuckled darkly.
Littbaro then bared her teeth and sneered. 'Don't forget the rest that I have told you Esapda...' she then readied herself. 'My Scrifth doesn't just allow me to eat things up...but also assimilate all the abilities that I have devoured' she then narrowed her eyes. 'Including those attacks, your dragon's just spate out!'
The Sternritter then took a deep breath and roared out the same concentrated spiritual blast the serpents used only combined by a magnitude of eight. Hoping that the explosion would finish off Luppi once and for all. However, the Esapda merely smiled with bemusement right before the blast hit him and unleashed a far more significant explosion than that of the Grand Ray Cero.
Then after finishing launching the attack, Liltotto collapses to the ground in exhaustion while grabbing her stomach in pain.
'Damn...it' she muttered bitterly. 'It took everything I had just to eat all of that even in my holy form' She then eyed over to the now even larger cavity within the earth that stretched over half a mile and the burning smoke coming out of it. 'Still...it was just enough to take that annoying bastard out'
'Was it?' a familiar voice called from the smoke, much to Liltotto's disbelief. Then a pulse of spiritual pressure dispersed it to reveal that the Seventh Esapda protected himself, by having all of his dragons wrapped around his throne in a protective ball.
But upon unwrapping themselves the Sternritter found out that the serpents doubled in number!'
'I am fully aware of how your Schrift works woman I mean you just showed and explain it to me' Luppi explain dismissively as he rested his right shoulder on his throne. 'But unfortunately, you also unveiled the limits of that ability. After all, regardless of how hungry one is, There is a limit to how much one can eat all at once before the body starts rejecting its contents, and thus to counter such a power, the solution is simple
Then to Liltotto's horror, she witnesses the seventh Esapda spawn hundreds upon hundreds of dragon-like serpents from the back of his throne. Each radiating with enough power to demolish an entire city on their own and all of them looking right down on her.
'To stuff them up until their stomach bursts open! 'Luppi shouted with murderous joy before mentally ordering all of his serpents to fire their energy breaths all at once.
Meanwhile with Roka and BG9
(Soundtrack of Choice: A Beautiful Song (Instrumental)
The scientist stood wide eye upon seeing the Segunda Etapa of Roka and what she had done to his BG8
Instead of looking like an elegant insect hybrid wrapped in cloth. She now looked like a divine and yet demonic Egyptian deity. Her body was completely covered in bandages save for her stomach, the center of her chest, and her face. A beautiful golden beaded circlet was wrapped around her forehead that was encrusted in black Umbra jewels. While the color of her eyes became black and her cornea glowed the same white pale color of her spiritual pressure lastly, her four spider-like limbs were replaced entirely by a web of dark golden threads. That now binds the robot that once imprisoned her.
'Well this is quite a twist...' BG9 complimented. Not at all fazed by Roka's transformation. 'I have thought that the cuffs I installed in BG8 would have sealed off your spiritual power. Which in turn, should have prevented you from using your second release' he then narrowed his eyes. 'Tell me...how were you able to escape?'
Roka stared blankly at the Sternrriter and sighed. 'You assumed that you only needed to seal my arms and legs to prevent me from using my spiritual power.
BG9 then raised an eyebrow. 'Oh?'
The Espada then touched one of her golden threads. 'These threads even when disabled are still a part of my body and my means to transfer data. So of course they can be used as extra vents for my spiritual power' she then frowns at Quincy. 'For a renowned scientist, it is quite unusual for you to overlook such an obvious thing'
BG9 then grins. 'Perhaps...but then again, you are quite a unique hollow specimen that has far exceeded my expectations he then dropped his smile. 'But unfortunately, you still have to die, BG7!'
The drill tank armored robot then appeared before BG9.
'Ready Assualt mode' The Sternritter ordered and then the robot duplicate opens up several plating shields around its body. Revealing turning generators underneath that spun at high speeds and generated hundreds of millions of volts of electricity. Which was then charged throughout the robot's body. Making it bigger, stronger, and faster, far beyond than it ever was before.
'Going by my calculations, the Segunda Etapa should increase an Arrancar's power by five to ten times fold going on average, and since B8 has the same level of spiritual energy as me and amplified by its assault mode. It should be more than capable of matching with this Espada's second release. While I will standby and gather more data on how to properly defeat her' BG9 thought with a knowing smirk and gestured to BG7 to attack the Espada.
However, Before the empowered Drill Tank of a robot could even get close...
It was bisected in half by a massive crescent scyth and to BG9's disturbance, it was the same one that belong to Nnoitra's Resureccion: Santa Teresa.
'That...' BG9 said with his composer lost. 'Shouldn't be possible. Even if she can copy the weapon itself she wouldn't be able to replicate its full power due to lacking the spiritual energy to due so' he then analyzes at the spiritual energy at the scythe. 'So how-'
'I was able to use the scythe of Sants Teresa at its full power?' Roku answered for him. Much to BG9's frustration.
Roka then closed her eyes 'I'm afraid you made another miscalculation in understanding my power, Quincy. While my Segunda Etapa does increase my power by several times fold, it still mainly focuses on my core ability' suddenly BG9' dropped his jaw when saw hundreds if not thousands of dark golden negotiation threads appearing before him, and with all of them spread throughout the entire Silver-city and possible beyond. 'Just as my threads can gather information and copy any technique my Segunda Etapa can now also channel the power needed from the Reshi of this very realm to make them just as powerful as the original'
Roka then looked towards the trapped BG8 behind her and the bisected BG7 in front of her. 'But course that is just one of the abilities of my second release'
Then much to the Quincy's bafflement. He saw the woman crushing the trapped BG8 behind her with her threads and then consuming it into the back of her body and then she gestured her threads to wrap around BG7 and did the same to it. Making her spiritual power rise even more.
The Espada then turn towards BG9 and gave him a sympathetic expression when she saw the horrified realization on his face.
'But I guess you have already seen that for yourself, have you?'
The Sternritter of the Knowledge then growled at the pity given to him. 'Don't you dare look down on me wench, just because you showed off a few new tricks!'
His red cybernetic eye then glowed crimson. 'Volistange God's Wisdom!' BG9 announced and immediately his clothes shredded away revealing a fully muscular yet cybernetic body made out of synthetic graphene metal, along with an armored chest plate and cup, while the same curved helmet materialized over his head. Completely covering his face save for the eye that continued to radiate brightly with murder. While a sharp crescent halo stood over the top of his head and metallic wings sprung behind him.
The empowered scientist then place both of his hands on the ground and began to restructure all the ruined walls and buildings around him into a large arsenal of huge machine guns all aim directly at Roka.
'Transmutation A Blizkergi' BG9 uttered. ' By using the power of the Knight. I can transform all these ruins into the highest-grade weapons I have produced!'
He then grin viciously behind his helmet as the weapons began to charge themselves.
'For you see each of these ray guns launches highly concentrated blasts of spiritual energy and reishi that are potent enough to prince through the Hierro of even the strongest of you Espada!' he boasted while waving up both of his hands. 'Even Cang with his Iron can't withstand them and there is no way that any of the abilities you copied can match their power!'
Roka then stared at Quincy for a moment...and sighed.
'Based on what?' She asked simply and then BG9 looked at her in confusion.
'Base on...' he said uneasily. ' Why it is based on my scientific research you idiot! haven't I already said-'
'So you are telling me that none of the top four Espada of any or the Sternritters can piece through Cang Du's Iron?'
BG9 then remains silent for a moment in nervousness before trying to readjust himself. 'O-Of course it can nothing can mat-'
'So it is not based on fact, but rather an assumption, a bias' Roka interrupted BG9 again and then looked at him with bitter disappointment. 'A desperate plea in the hope you could gain a victory out of this'
The Sternritter of the knight remains silent while the eighth Espada took in a deep resigned breath.
'Yes...I do believe it is time to end this now' she announced solemnly and then all her threads she began to form a pair of disembodied hands with outstretched fingers. Then from the tip of each finger, a single sparkle of flame was conjured on each of their tips, before they all swirled together in a magnificent fiery spiral'
And then she uttered the name of the technique.
'Full Burning Fingers' Roka calmly announced in a monotone and then the huge swirl of fire shot out of the floating hands and enlarged into a huge crone of flames that then race right at BG9.
But the Sternritter was readied to launch back with even greater force.
'Fire!' He shouted at the top of his lungs as all of his canons fired all at once. Each launched a massive concentration blast of spiritual energy that was potent enough to vaporize the toughest of metals and even The full might of Bazz-B's Full burning Fingers would eventually be overwhelmed by it.
However, said fingers were combined with another attack.
'Cero...' Roka muttered and immediately the cone was fused with the blast of a cero, but one not fired by Roka herself...
But by the former Prima Stark.
Empowered by the Doom Blast of the past top Espada the flames overwhelmed the canons of BG9 much to his terror and disbelief and before he knew it the combined energies consume all of the lasers of his canons and engulfed him.
Later on with Vega and Tristan
(Soundtrack of Choice: On the Precipice of Defeat)
Jackie couldn't believe what just happen to her. One moment she saw the 9th Espada broken and laying bare among the rubble, the next she was missing her left leg and right arm, and only now was she feeling the pain and blood loss of having two of her limbs severed.
Yet what makes even less was the fact that Vega was able to still move. Despite his entire body being immobilized by the dirt and dust, she assimilated him.
However upon taking a closer look at his form she soon found her answer.
For Vega was now completely transformed. He wore a black sleeveless vest that exposed his tone arms and chest. Along with sporting a pair of tatted pants that were held together by a black golden belt. While his feet lay bare and his ears were pieces with two jeweled hoop earrings and his forehead was fastened around with a golden circlet with a smooth magenta jewel-encrusted in its center and two small antler-like horns.
His Segunda Etapa.
Jackie then grunted in frustration. For while she knew about the transformation beforehand. She thought all the dust and dirt that were injected into him would have been enough to slow down even in his second release to a crawl.
But it was obvious that she was proven wrong.
Vega then flexed his right hand for a bit and frown in annoyance.
'Damn...' he muttered bitterly. 'Even in this form it is still extremely hard to move he then shifted his gaze toward Jackie. ' But still...I should be grateful that I can move at all. After what you put me through
The Director then grips her hands in frustration before forcing herself to smile.
'I see...so even after unleashing your Segunda Etapa your speed is still greatly hampered. Which is why you attack me off guard during your transformation. To cripple me and even the playing field'
Vega said nothing but Jackie continued to smirk. 'And you would have succeeded...if I couldn't do this!'
The director then raised both of her stumps. While dust and dirt gathered around them and form a replacement arm and leg.
'But I assure you that I won't let down my guard again!' Jackie shouted as she then runs towards Vega. He furrowed his eyes, lean his head to the right, and sat down in response to her definite enemy.
And then just as the director closed in on Espada...several thousands of cuts suddenly open up all over her body. Sending gushes of blood flying everywhere. Leaving her in a state of shock. Before nearly collapsing to the ground.
'And I tell Director...what gave you the idea that you're lost your arm and leg just by me catching you off guard?' Vega criticized while looking at the terrified Jackie.
The 9th Espada then began to slowly walk towards her. 'The hard truth is...you are just too slow'
Tristen then widens her eyes and grins her teeth. 'If I am too slow then...' she then raises her hand 'I'll just immobilize you even further with fifth!'
Then within a three-mile radius, all the dust and dirt began to surround Vega in a brown-red cyclone. Obscuring him from view.
'I don't care how fast or powerful your Segunda Etapa is' She raged at the top of her lungs. 'Not even that can save you from having hundreds of tons of dirt and dust infected within your body' Jackie continued to yell as the twister became more intense. 'It's over!'
Unfortunately, any lingering hope of victory vanished from the woman's eyes. When Vega pushed back and dispersed the dirt blood vortex with just his Spiritual Pressure alone.
'And tell me...what makes you think I would be idiotic enough to let you try the same trick twice?' The Espada said coldly before giving her a look of false sympathy 'Or is it the fact that is the only trick you have left?'
(Soundtrack of Choice: God's Will)
Jackie's face then contorted onto fear and anger at the young man's mocking.
'Don't think that just because you are faster and stronger than me. That you are guaranteed victory! For as long as I have dust and dirt around me I will never fall!' She cried out in desperation while Vega looked at her in pity.
'Yes...' he plainly stated. '...and as long as your organs remain intact
Jackie's heart then turned cold in horror. While Vega just smirked.
'Oh come now it was not that hard to figure out. Given when I nicked some of them with my last attacks your spiritual power began to fluctuate more than usual his eyes then darken. 'But unfortunately, that means I have to end this with one final assault'
Vega then began to ready and lowered himself and Jackie uneasily did the same.
'Now also keep in mind. 'The Espada spoke once more. 'Because of your dust and dirt infusion, I can only move up to five percent of my full speed'
The director's heart than nearly stopped upon hearing that statement.
'So Please...do not try to take this as me looking down on you' he said as he began to spike up his spiritual energy 'Because if I had it my way...I would make sure that there wouldn't be a trace of your body left'
And then in a single instant of a moment, it was over.
To an onlooker, it was as if a crater just pop out of nowhere below Jackie while she stood in the air for a few seconds before falling to the ground with her bones, organs, and face smashed apart.
But to those who could see Vega's speed, it was much worse than that. For within less than a third of a second Ggio Vega launched over a hundred million blows on every single inch of Jackie's body. Each pack with enough force to obliterate entire mountains in a single strike.
By the time Jackie receive a 10th of those blows her conciseness already faded away from her mind, when a 7th of them went past, her internal organs were reduced to paste, and on enduring a 5th of them nearly all her bones were shattered, and by the time half them ram through her. The woman's skull eventually caved in...after her life had long since been stripped from her.
With the Director's death, Ggio Vega breathed in relief, as the dirt and dust that once fused to him, turn pale and flaked off of him. Finally giving him full control and movement of his body and the means to finish off his remaining foes as he then used Sondio to appear at the front of the Quincy academy to now still recovering Yuzu and exhausted Soken.
However, he was far from being alone in sharing that sentiment
For Roka who stood over a fallen BG9 who had half his face burned off aside from his red eye as stared at her in defiance while she stretched out her threads to entangle and accumulated his body into her being, Luppi who smiled in satisfaction over the broken and torn form of Littbaro, with both of her arms and legs now restrain in the jaws of four of his serpents while a fifth readied its month to either burn her alive or devour her whole.
While one other took the time to relish in his victory before bringing his enemy's end...
Moe struggled to breathe as the 5th Espada choke the life out of him to the point his face started to turn blue. While struggling in vain to make the panther king let him go. All the while the vicious madman reviled in his pain and misery.
'I got to admit it kid you almost had me there with that punch of yours. Even managed to crack a rib or two and had you stuck me two or three more times I would be in trouble Grimmjow then laughed cruelly. 'But then again that was the only shot you have left wasn't it!?'
'Damn it...he is right 'Moe Shishigawara thought in despair.
'I thought that our mastered forms would enable us to hold our own against the Espada and their new transformations...but they are simply beyond our league ' he lamented while trying to prevent himself from crying in fear and helplessness. 'Am I and the rest of our comrades going to die a dog's death because of our weakness?'
More than thought back to, Orihime, Jackie, Riruka, Gumuzu, Yukio, Kugo Ginjo, and Tsukishima, the Directors who promoted him out of respect and pride, and then to Uryu, Robert, Jugram, James, Cang, As Nodt and Bazz-B The Sternritters who assigned him to guard their city because of their faith and belief in him.
Only for him to turn out to be a complete failure.
'Guys...' he spoke quietly, his tears finally breaching through his eyes, while Grimmjow lifted his right claw and lunged it directly at Moe's face.
'I...am sorry'
So it seems that the Sternritters and The Directors are in real trouble now as Espada's Segunda Etapa proves far too much to them. Hopefully, things will turn around for them soon.
Anyway, the closing fight between Jackie and Ggio and the conclusion of the battle between Moe and Grimmjow were inspired by Retro Ryno's fan animation of Byakuya Kuchiki VS As Nodt in the Thousand-year Blood War Arc. Down to using the same song God's Will and hope I conveyed that same feeling of hopelessness and despair
