Chapter 67 - Hollow Victory


Jaune felt a horrible feeling of nostalgia as he doubled over, desperately ripping his helmet off, before he began throwing up violently all over the ground (even though he hadn't actually eaten anything for quite a while), cursing ungrateful back-stabbing cyborgs, interdimensional travel, ungrateful back-stabbing cyborgs, insane afterlives, and ungrateful back-stabbing cyborgs as he did so.

It was official.

The UAC's method of interdimensional travel sucked.

Even if that hadn't exactly been a first-class trip, something told him the experience probably wouldn't have been much better even if he'd paid an arm and a leg for it.

In fact, it sucked almost as much as that damn cyborg did.

Jaune could see why the Slayer had made it a point of smashing every speaker Samuel Hayden used. If this was how he thanked them for rescuing his world from hell...

Jaune's expression almost crumbled, as he remembered what Hayden had said, and the reality of what he'd sacrificed hit him like a Beringel.

Hayden had said he'd return Jaune home.

If he'd just let things play out, he could have been back in Remnant!

Back in a world where everything had made sense-

Had it, though?

Memories of the Breach and the Vytal Festival returned to him, and he did have to concede that things had gone pretty crazy, towards the end of his first life.

At any rate, even if he could trust an ungrateful back-stabbing cyborg who'd been using that nightmarish dimension as a source of energy...

He didn't know how the UAC's dimensional travelling system worked (except that it sucked).

Would it have sent him to his original world of Remnant, where he was dead? Would it have sent him to the afterlife he'd last been in, and dropped him off in the Wasteland? And what about Skyrim? He'd spent a fair bit of time there, hadn't he?

At any rate, even if he could have been certain that Hayden would have sent him to exactly where he wanted to go, even if the cyborg's offer hadn't resembled the weird voice that had tried speaking to him, tried breaking him, when he'd touched that Crucible sword...

He could never have accepted it.

He'd only known the Slayer for a few hours, but she'd still helped him, still taught him a thing or two.

And even if she'd been a complete stranger, what kind of hero sacrificed an innocent person for a selfish wish?

How could he have gone back to Remnant, knowing she'd be stuck in Hell for the rest of eternity?

Even as he told himself that, though, he couldn't deny the hurt, the pain, the sense of despair, from knowing escape had been right within his grasp,... and willingly throwing it away.

He fought down the tears and sobs, though.

This wasn't the first time.

And he would not give up.

Slowly, he forced himself up, determined to keep moving, to figure out how to survive and escape from wherever Hayden had thrown him into.

He hadn't seen any sign of the Slayer, though, and hoped that he'd at least succeeded in keeping her from being sent to hell, along... with... him...

Jaune blinked, as he realized something.

His Aura wasn't screaming at him.

He wasn't having to struggle against a massive migraine and a nosebleed.

His head immediately began spinning around.

All he could see around him was a desolate desert, with the occasional dead tree littering the landscape.

No smell of sulfur and brimstone.

No floating rocks.

No fires.

Had... had he been returned to the Mojave Wasteland?!

Jaune immediately reached for the radio beacon he'd taken from the alien mothership, and tried flicking a few switches.

Damn

No luck.

Maybe its batteries had died? Or its counterpart was out of range?

Before he could ponder it any longer, though, movement caught his eye from the sands.

A skull was watching him.

Correction.

A skull-masked figure was watching him, yellow orbs fixed in his direction.

Jaune's heart began thumping wildly in his chest.

Grimm?!

Here?!

Was he in the Grand Desert of Vacuo?!

Jaune quickly looked up.

Nope.

The moon was intact.

Jaune swore, disappointed in himself for even daring to feel so hopeful, after he'd turned down two offers to return home.

More of the skull-masked figures popped their heads out of the ground, curiously and cautiously watching the newcomer.

Jaune stared back at them, quietly studying them.

They had to be Grimm, though... right?

Idly, he remembered what Dr. Oobleck had said, about the Grimm possibly not being native to Remnant.

Had he landed in the Grimm's original dimension?

That would be the biggest joke in all his afterlives, though, wouldn't it?

It was strange, though...

Grimm were supposed to be hostile to humans, weren't they?

Grimm were supposed to be creatures of shadow and darkness, right?

Grimm were supposed to be dangerous killing machines, right?

A small blue dog-shaped figure approached him, sniffing sounds visible through its skeletal mask.

Were these... proto-Grimm?

Uncorrupted Grimm?

Were they even Grimm?

Those boney masks... what else could they be?

Jaune's head began to hurt. He'd really never been the most academically-inclined person.

Ren would have probably had a field day here, though.

And Dr. Oobleck would definitely have given an arm and a leg to study this dimension.

After spending another moment looking at the small creature, Jaune slowly blinked, before carefully getting up, not wanting to startle the creatures.

As fascinating (and confusing) as this place may have been...

He still had to take care of the basics.

Food, water, and shelter.

Once he'd secured those, then he could start exploring, looking for a way out of here.

The faint sound of footsteps crunching on sand caught his attention, and the skull-masked creatures immediately dove back under the sand as he turned, hand already reaching for his sword.

"Fascinating." A feminine voice, deep like the ocean, noted casually, somehow sounding mildly surprised, as his eyes widened.

Another masked figure was approaching him, though this one was very different from any Grimm or skull-masked natives he'd ever seen before.

A white bone-like substance covered most of her well-endowed body, though it didn't seem to impede her movement in anyway. Dark stripes marked her thighs, and her biceps and the front of her torso lacked the boney covering, revealing a light-blue coloration that didn't seem to be skin.

It wasn't any of those that truly held his attention, though, nor was it the blade that made up her right forearm, or the fins protruding from her back, shoulders, and elbows.

It was her face.

The upper third of her mask was gone, revealing blonde hair and aqua green eyes contrasted by olive skin.

The sheer humanity of her features caught him off-guard, and he revised his assessment of this world's inhabitants.

Or was humanity what the Grimm/proto-Grimm were trying to evolve towards?

He didn't let himself relax, though. He wasn't about to make the mistake of thinking a human couldn't be dangerous.

"You're clearly human, and still alive at that." The figure observed, and he blinked again, realizing he hadn't been imagining her speaking. "But even though you have more Reiryoku than most Captains... your Reiatsu is masterfully controlled, focused and concentrated around your body, And you have a released zanpakuto. Just what are you, boy?"

"... you can talk?" In his confusion, Jaune did what came naturally to him, and put his foot in his mouth.

"..." The figure just stared blankly at him.

"..." Jaune's face burned with mortification as he realized what he'd just said.

"Yes, I can talk." The figure finally answered, managing to sounding dry and impassive, though Jaune swore he heard a snicker. "I suppose I should be surprised, too, that a living human managed to notice my presence."

"I can hear footsteps, you know." Jaune pouted.

"That's not what I meant." The figure clarified. "Most humans can't even perceive my kind."

There it was again, that distinction between her and humans.

"What do you mean, most humans?" Jaune asked curiously, relaxing his hand from his blade. He still didn't know who she was or what she wanted, but at the very least, she seemed to be more interested in talking than anything else at the moment. "And why can't most humans sense "your kind"? What even is "your kind", anyway?"

"I suppose that is a fair question, boy. I am a Vasto Lorde, one of the highest classes of Hollows there are." The figure solemnly and humbly answered, deciding to be honest after finding the conversation a pleasant departure from normal life in Hueco Mundo (and having confidence in her strength). "We rarely leave Hueco Mundo, though; both for our protection and out of pragmatism. And to answer your other question... most humans lack the necessary level of Reiryoku to even perceive our existence... you do know that your level of Reiryoku is abnormally high, right?"

"I... have no idea anything you just said." Jaune admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Reiryo-what-now? And she seemed pretty solid for supposedly being hollow. "Also, I'm pretty sure I'm just an ordinary human guy, Ms. Vasto Lorde."

"You may call me Tier Harribel, boy." The figure introduced herself, inclining her head even as she decided to ignore the other part of his statement. He seemed to be honest enough, and she could detect no attempts at deceit or obfuscation from him. Perhaps he just assumed everyone else could see what he did...

And it wasn't like living humans couldn't occasionally stumble into (or be taken into) Hueco Mundo, especially not ones with such mouth-wateringly high levels of Reiryoku, though granted they rarely survived long afterwards.

Then again, his Reiatsu control was so fine she'd almost missed his presence among the dense Reishi that made up everything in Hueco Mundo, even despite her keen shark-like senses.

"And Reiryoku... I guess the best way to explain it would be that it is the amount of spiritual power a being possesses." Tier continued, keeping her thoughts to herself as she began explaining the terms she was using, believing that he probably knew it under a different name. "Only beings with Reiryoku above a certain threshold can sense Hollows. Reiatsu, on the other hand, is the pressure one's Reiryoku emits."

Jaune nodded in semi-understanding.

It sounded like they had a concept of Aura here, and he wondered if a spirit and a soul were different.

"Thanks for the explanation, Ms. Harribel." Jaune nodded in gratitude, before continuing: "But what's a Hollow?"

"You... don't know what a Hollow is?" Harribel blinked, revising her assessment of the situation. A human boy in Hueco Mundo with a zanpakuto and absurdly-high Reiryoku and Reiatsu control, not even knowing what a Hollow was?

Maybe this was just a case of different names for the same thing all over again.

"Souls of humans who have lost their hearts to despair or regret, after the Shinigami failed to do their duties, and became filled with an eternal hunger for the souls of others?" Harribel pressed, trying to jog his memory.

Jaune shook his head, utterly lost, before he processed that last part. "Wait, you want to eat my soul?!"

"It is certainly tempting..." Harribel admitted without an ounce of shame. "But no. I do not want to get stronger by sacrificing and devouring others. That is my principle, and how I have always survived, for as long as I can remember. Of course, I am the exception, and not the rule, boy. Anyway, what are you even doing in Hueco Mundo, the dimension where Hollows live, without even knowing what Hollows are?"

"..." Jaune groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, once again cursing ungrateful back-stabbing cyborgs. "I didn't choose to come here... I was fighting demons from Hell, and then I got betrayed. Next thing I know, I'm here."

"... you, were in Hell?" Harribel asked cautiously, wondering if she'd badly misjudged the boy in front of her.

But he was alive.

She could sense that his body was flesh and blood.

How could he be alive if he'd come from Hell?!

"Long story short, I woke up to demons attacking, and got sucked into a portal to Hell." Jaune shrugged as he summarized what he'd been through. "So I fought my way out."

Thrice.

"Anyway, are you really telling I'm now in a dimension full of hungry ghosts who eat souls, present company included?!" Jaune cursed ungrateful back-stabbing cyborgs for a third time.

Seriously, what in Oum's name was up with his recent run of afterlives?!

"Yes, that is exactly what I am telling you." Harribel nodded, amused by his priorities. Closer examination had revealed the faint smell of sulfur and brimstone clinging to his form, and yet, somehow, the boy seemed more concerned about the revelation that Hollows existed, rather than demons.

"Oum damn it." Jaune groaned.

"Well, if you'd like, I can send you back to the Human World." Harribel offered. She would have earlier, but she'd been enjoying the novelty of simple conversation more than she'd ever admit, and she'd also thought the boy had known where he was, what with his knowledge of Reiryoku and Reiatsu. "I just need a bit of time to get the energy needed to open a Kumon."

"You can do that?!" Jaune exclaimed, eyes widening.

"All Hollows can, boy." Harribel explained. "We feed on souls, which are not exactly the most abundant resource in Hueco Mundo."

"I see..." Jaune murmured, as temptation to immediately accept her offer at face value rose within him.

Polite courtesy and concern won out, however, as he thought of something: "You need energy to open the portal, right?"

"That is so."

"And you feed on souls, right?"

"Correct."

"But you, personally, don't want to feed on others?"

"Yes."

"So how will you get the energy needed for it?" Jaune asked. "And once you open it... will you be okay, being down on energy?"

"The air is here is thick with Reishi." Harribel explained, secretly amused and bemused by the living boy's concern for a Hollow (and a Vasto Lorde at that). "Most lesser Hollows can simply subsist by drawing energy from the air."

Jaune knew a deflection when he saw one, however. "Didn't you say you were a... Vasto Lorde, right? One of the highest classes of Hollows? Will it be enough for you?"

"It will take me... a bit longer than others, to return to my full strength." Harribel admitted, deciding to leave out the fact that she was already a bit low on energy, after a run in with some Adjuchas in Las Noches. "But it's nothing to worry about, boy. I can't in good conscience leave a living human to die here."

"And I can't in good conscience let you do that much for me." Jaune retorted. "At least let me give you some of my energy... uh... how do you eat? Can you take off your mask, or..."

"Hollows can't remove their masks." Harribel shook her head, before the mask split open, where her mouth would have been, revealing a maw of razor-sharp teeth. As Jaune stared on, reminded of an Ursa's mouth, she closed it, and explained: "That is how I eat... but I doubt it will be very pleasant for you, if I were to attempt to feast on your energy."

"Yeah, maybe let's try a different way..." Jaune murmured, suppressing a shudder. Reaching a hand out to her, he offered: "Maybe I can try channeling some of my Aura into you?"

"Aura?"

"Oh, sorry, I think you were calling it "Reiryoku"..." Jaune corrected himself.

"You would do that?" Harribel would have said she felt touched, but she was supposed to be a heartless Hollow.

"It's really the least I can do." Jaune smiled. "Even if you weren't offering to help me... as my mom always said, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

Harribel snorted at his naivety, but allowed him to hold her left hand.

Then her eyes widened, as he began to glow, and Reiatsu suddenly burst forward from him. For a moment, she felt like she was staring at a storm, before soul energy poured into her.

As suddenly as it began, it ended, and her surroundings returned to normal, and her hunger was, for the first time in unliving memory, satiated.

"How much Reiryoku did you just give me?!" Harribel asked, shocked at how unaffected he seemed by what he'd done.

"Eh... just a bit?" Jaune shrugged, having stopped once he'd noticed her reaction. "Why? Did it hurt or something?"

"No, no... the amount was just-" Harribel quickly clarified, before freezing, as her senses suddenly noticed something approaching them.

Jaune's Aura-enhanced instincts were screaming at him as well, as he spun around, and a figure suddenly appeared in front of them.

-HUECO MUNDO, FIFTEEN MINUTES EARLIER-

"We really shouldn't be out here!" Weiss hissed at her partner, looking around the desolate desert cautiously.

"Relax, Weiss!" Ruby reassured her, looking around the realm of Hollows with excitement in her sparkling silver orbs. "We'll be fine! We've graduated from the Shinigami Academy, and we've both achieved Shikai! What could go wrong?"

"You mean, besides the fact that nobody knows we're in Hueco Mundo, you dolt?!" Weiss screeched, before realizing what she'd just done. Quickly looking around, making sure she hadn't been heard, she continued: "We're supposed to be patrolling the Human World, performing Soul Burials and stopping Hollows! We still have our seals, for crying out loud!"

"And in Hueco Mundo, we get to purify Hollows, prevent future attacks, and practice our swordplay!" Ruby pointed out. "That's got to be a lot better than a boring patrol in the Human World!"

"If either of our sisters catch wind of what we're doing..." Weiss murmured worriedly.

Ruby shuddered. That was not an idle threat. Winter and Yang were both seated officers, in the 6th and 11th Division respectively. "W-well, what they don't know won't hurt them, right?"

"..."

"... I'm sure Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto will be able to protect us." Ruby tried.

"The lieutenant will disappear to go drinking after wishing us good luck, and the captain is a pushover when it comes to women." Weiss deadpanned.

"..."

"Let's just go back, Ruby." Weiss said, turning around.

"Come on, Weiss!" Ruby whined desperately. "If we don't do this, we're going to fall behind that new kid!"

Weiss's ear twitched, and she halted, but she didn't turn around as she sniffed: "Somehow, I doubt that we're going to fall behind Toshiro Hitsugaya, Ruby."

"You know... I heard Captain Shiba's been considering making him the Third Seat..." Ruby casually informed her.

"What?!" Weiss shrieked in shock. Winter would never approve of her if that kid made Third Seat over her! "But... but we've got ten years of experience over him!"

"He's been helping Captain Shiba and Lieutenant Matsumoto with paperwork..."

"I can do paperwork too!"

"And he's supposed to be the genius prodigy..."

"So were we!"

"With the strongest ice-element zanpakuto in the history of Soul Society." Ruby finished, knowing she had her.

Weiss's hand clenched over the hilt of her sealed zanpakuto, and she growled: "Come on, Ruby. Let's go hunt some Hollows."

Ruby quietly pumped her fist, excited.

To be fair, she knew she was supposed to be purifying the Pluses in the Human World... but it was just so boring and dull!

Half the time they finished their patrol without even finding a single Plus!

At least this way they'd be setting the trapped souls of the Hollows free, to re-enter the cycle of rebirth and death, as well as getting some excitement and experience! Win-win, right?

A sudden surge of Reiatsu caught their attention, though, and they instinctively turned as a figure slowly approached them.

"Well, what do we have here?" A large muscular red-headed man with a hole in his chest sneered, folding his arms across his chest. "I was going to hunt a shark, but it looks like I've found two Shinigami, so far away from home too."

"Who are you?" Weiss demanded, drawing her zanpakuto.

Ruby followed suit cautiously, adding: "And what are you doing in Hueco Mundo?"

The man just laughed and answered: "Me? I'm an Arrancar... any more than that and it'd be wasteful. Just know me as the one who will rip you apart."

"What's an Arrancar?" Ruby asked, eyeing the lack of a Hollow mask on his face, the Hollow hole in his chest, and the fact that he had a zanpakuto, and coming to the the conclusion that she was confused as hell.

"Don't they teach you Shinigami anything in that useless Academy of yours?" The Arrancar countered. "Well, then again... if you were smart, you'd have stayed out of Hueco Mundo."

"Ruby!" Weiss shouted, as the Arrancar suddenly appeared behind her partner, and punched her.

Ruby, however, was one of the fastest Shinigami in the Tenth, and managed to parry the blow to the side.

"Oh?" The Arrancar blinked, mildly impressed that the lowly insect had survived a light swat.

"Kindly Scatter Them, Crescent Rose!" Ruby shouted, releasing her zanpakuto, and with a burst of Reiatsu in transformed into a scythe, even as she quickly assessed the situation.

She'd miscalculated; they couldn't release more than a fifth of their actual strength, and the worst type of Hollow they'd expected to find was a Gillian Menos! Not... whatever an Arrancar was!

But he fought with his fists, and she was the sister of the best brawler in the Gotei 13!

"Shatter Their Mirror, Myrtenaster!" Weiss followed suit, now holding a rapier in a fencer's stance, as she leapt to her partner's side.

"Ice Flower?" Ruby asked, warily watching the unknown attacker.

"I was thinking-" Weiss began to suggest, before a sudden burst of Reiatsu caught their attention.

The Arrancar's eyes widened too, and he turned in its direction, recognizing half of it, before snarling.

Looking back at the two Shinigami, he mocked: "Be thankful that I'll let you live for now, lowly Shinigami. I've got a bigger fish to fry."

And then he was gone, using Sonido to pursue the Vasto Lorde that had unwittingly broken his mask.

There was a moment of silence after that.

Finally, Ruby asked: "What just happened?"

"I... have no idea." Weiss blinked. "Anyway, are you okay, dolt?"

"I'm fine, BFF." Ruby reassured her, ignoring her denial of the term. "More importantly, we need to get this information back to the Captain!"

"Oh, thank god." Weiss murmured. "Finally, a sane suggestion, Rose."

Before they could use that weird device that odd shopkeeper had given them to return to the Human World, however, a torrent of Reiatsu suddenly exploded in the distance, whipping up the sands of Hueco Mundo, before fire and ice erupted.

-AT ROUGHLY THE SAME TIME-

"Edrad?" Harribel breathed in shock, looking at the muscular human who'd suddenly appeared in front of her. She could recognize his Reiatsu, and he had a Hollow hole, along with remnants of a mask under his eyes, but... "What did you do?"

"You did this to me!" Edrad accused furiously, losing his cool. "You broke my mask, shark, after you stopped me from eating those girls! But Lord Aizen healed me, helped me recover, and now I don't need that mask anymore!"

"Who is Lord Aizen, Edrad?" Harribel demanded, raising her right arm. "And why do you have Shinigami powers now?"

"Lording it over the rest of us Adjuchas just because you were a Vasto Lorde." Edrad roared, ignoring her questions. "Let's see how you like it!"

"Walk away, Edrad." Harribel warned him, seeing his lack of cooperation. "Remember how our last meeting went? You only survived because I let you flee."

A fist suddenly slammed into her, shattering the lower half of her mask, as Edrad flash-stepped forward and slugged her in the face.

"Haven't you been paying attention?" Edrad sneered. "A Vasto Lorde like you is no match for an Arrancar like me."

His second blow was blocked, however, as a sword suddenly appeared between him and the female Hollow.

"Leave her alone." Jaune warned, having reacted as soon as the first blow had landed.

Edrad's eyes widened. He hadn't noticed the boy the entire time!

Then his eyes narrowed, as he analyzed him, before laughing.

"Foolish human... I can't even sense any Reiatsu from you! Just cower and move, before I eat your soul."

"Never." Jaune swore, planting himself between Harribel and the weird newcomer.

"Hmph. You have already resigned yourself to death, then." Edrad gave the boy in front of him a nod of respect. "Foolish, but brave. Among soldiers, though... that might be a virtue."

"Boy... get away." Harribel weakly implored behind him. "This is a fight between Hollows; humans should not get involved."

"You promised to help me." Jaune refused to listen, instead pulling out his shield. "Now, let me return the favor."

Edrad threw a casual punch at him, which Jaune easily deflected with his blade.

For some reason, however, his blade failed to cut through the man's bare skin.

"Your zanpakuto can't even cut through my Hierro!" Edrad mocked. "Just give up and die."

Give up?

Jaune snarled and gritted his teeth.

He'd faced down dragons and demons.

He wouldn't die to some ghost now.

Instead, he channeled his Aura into his sword.

Winds whipped around him, as a golden light burst from his form, and Harribel was almost sent flying from the sheer pressure that he'd suddenly begun to emit.

"What... what the-" Edrad's eyes widened, as he realized he'd make a grave tactical error.

Then the boy was suddenly charging at him.

Reflexively, he threw a punch with his full force at the boy.

The boy ducked, shield raised, deflecting the blow overhead as the Arrancar overextended.

Then he took a step forward, flaming sword glinting in the air.

The Arrancar howled, as his right arm fell off, the stump burning from hellfire.

Behind him, Jaune shoved his sword into the ground, and a wave of ice suddenly engulfed the figure, freezing him.

Jaune cut the Aura to his sword, and looked at the Arrancar, before rushing back to the Hollow that had been helping him.

"That sword... what was that, boy?" Harribel choked out, as he knelt over her, studying her injuries. She'd never felt such Reiatsu before, not even from the self-proclaimed God-King of Hueco Mundo, and that sword... what kind of zanpakuto could do that? What kind of soul did he have, to master both fire and ice in the same blade?

Jaune just ignored her, as he realized he had no idea what a Hollow's biology was, or even if the soul of a dead person could die again.

Instead he just decided to do what he always did; when in doubt, use Aura.

Gently touching her, winds began blowing their hair up, as he poured Aura into her.

And as usual, he unknowingly overdid it.

Instead of healing her mask, everything above the nose suddenly crumbled away.

Before either of them could figure out what any of this meant, Jaune's Aura warned him again, and he turned to see the icy prison blown away in a fiery explosion, revealing a much larger and bulkier man glaring at him, with a massive arm and two wings.

"Erupt, Volcanica." Edrad murmured, ignoring the burning pain in the stump of his right arm. The Argent energy-empowered flames were interfering with his High-Speed Regeneration, and the loss of his arm infuriated the unleashed Arrancar. Glaring at the boy who'd suppressed his Reiatsu to trick him, he declared: "With this, the outcome of the battle is decided. Everything you do will be in vain. Now, let me show you how an Arrancar enjoys fighting."

A concentrated orb of crimson energy gathered around his fist, which glowed orange as flames blew out of a spout behind his left shoulder.

"Cero."

The orb became a beam as he punched at the boy.

Jaune, having spent the past few hours cutting through plasma bolts and enduring the fires of hell, channeled his Aura into his blade once more, and easily sliced through the beam of concentrated spiritual energy, heated to the temperature of magma by the Arrancar's Reiatsu.

The attack had been a diversion, however, and as the Cero dissipated, the giant was already upon him, swinging his remaining arm down at Jaune.

Jaune grunted as he blocked it with his sword and his shield, not having had time to plant his feet, finding himself being pushed back by the sheer strength behind the blow, before suddenly feeling a tugging sensation on his back...


Author's Note: It's not Bethesda (for once), but it does start with the letter B, so...

Honestly, I'm surprised at the lack of Bleach suggestions, seeing the sheer number of parallels that can be drawn between the two. It was definitely fun, letting Ruby "Weapons Are Extensions Of Ourselves" Rose have a Zanpakuto, aka a Soul Sword, aka Reflections Of Their Wielders' Souls.

And seeing how much Aura Jaune's been pouring into a sword imbued with the powers of primordial chaos and creation, I think anyone in Bleach can be forgiven for thinking its a released zanpakuto.

Also, Hell is a thing in Bleach. Is it the same Hell as the one from DOOM? I don't know.

And the description for Harribel's Hollow form comes from the anime. Just thought I'd mention that. The Arrancar they fight, however... eh, its just Edrad Liones. He's a bit different from canon, though, since the technique to make Arrancar hasn't been refined yet. He's still just an experiment.

And as for why Jaune's Aura can actually send the air flying... it's Bleach. Presumably the presence of Reishi (spirit particles) in the air makes his Aura actually generate a physical pressure.

Honestly, I used to really enjoy Bleach, but my excitement started to wane after the Soul Society Arc, and it died off in the Fullbringer Arc, sadly. Which is kind of a waste, because Bleach did have very interesting lore (before the constant power creep and retconning, at least), and seeing more of it smashing into the RWBY-verse would probably be fascinating... I really should try looking for crossovers between the two someday.

Truly, such a waste...