Hello, and sorry for the delay in the chapter, really sorry it took so long to come out, main problem was the fact my computer was out for the week and I had to get it fixed and now I need to buy a new one. But alas I have the chapter for you now and will have another next week, promise you it will be there for everyone to see and enjoy.
Now onto another bit of news, I will be posting some stories on Space Battles Forum, mainly United but I may do Transcendence and Lords of Warcraft. Depending on how United goes. So if you have any inquiries let me know.
Also a good friend of mine is looking to acquire some funds for her younger brother. Easton is a good kid and her aunt is hoping to gather some funds to make the time she spends with him much easier and that they can cover his medical bills. So please, if you can, spare some money for this great and talented woman. GoFundMe Listening out for Easton. www. gofundme 6qrv2m7t
That is all, review responses as the bottom, enjoy the chapter.
Transcendence
Chapter 36: The Assault
It was pure chaos, there was no other way to describe what was happening around him, Ichigo could barely see anything aside from the red skin of demons and the mossy brown bark of the Ancients. The street was wide and gave a great amount of space, but it was so cramped and filled with many bodies that moving and even seeing a few meters was impossible.
But more than that the sun had dropped many hours ago, the twin moons did little to help with illuminating the streets, it was nearly pitch black with the many bodies and lack of light about. The only aid was the many bio-luminescent spores that were flying through the air, curtesy of the Ancients that now fought beside the Sentinels and Warsong. But that did not make this any easier, hundreds of demons still roamed the streets, packed it from one side to the other.
'Can barely see anything,' Ichigo groaned out, his hands grasping the handle of Zangetsu, the blade's edge resting along the ground.
Ducking under the axe Ichigo shot up and slashed through the Felguard's chest, blood darker than even its flesh spewed forth and coated his armor. It had not been the first bit of crimson to darken his once silver chestplate, Ichigo had become drenched in demonic blood, and it would not be the last one to splatter upon him.
'So many of them,' Ichigo mused, turning with his swing and crouching along with the attack.
He narrowly ducked under a sword, his greasy and blood soaked locks tickled as they brushed along the edge of the black blade veering over his head. Turning fully Ichigo cut through the Felguard's knee, had it been as armored as the rest of the leg it may not have been lopped off. As the demon fell Ichigo silenced its roars with a downward cleave, severing its head and letting it roll aside.
'Don't know if killing should be this easy,' Ichigo mused, he had never really killed before and technically this is his first time doing it en-masse.
Turning he ducked under a mace and leaped back, just in time as another strike from another demon drew close to where he was crouched. Avoiding the halberd he rolled aside and took in a deep breath, he really needed to work out more, if marching and fighting for fifteen hours non-stop winded him this much he was most definitely out of shape.
'I remember when I use to fight and not get winded, the good old days,'
Looking up he saw dozens of demons ahead of him, yet only three had their eyes on the substitute, it shouldn't be too hard. Letting out a pant Ichigo got ready for the next set of demons he had to take care of. He noted the halberd, the maul and the two swords that the three demons carried, noting their positions and quickly took off.
Rushing the one with the halberd the substitute waited for it to swing, moving in slowly as possible to not betray his intent, and when it did he blitzed past the Felguard. Ducking under the axe head of the weapon Ichigo made for the mace wielder, who swung wide at the substitute, aiming right for his waist. Ichigo narrowed his eyes, seeing that it left him with little option but to roll forward.
Hitting the ground he rolled, moving from in front of the demon to its back right, and quickly rising up to swing Zangetsu. Just as the demon turned with its hammer raised was it sent stumbling back when the Zanpakuto cut through the side of its chest and shoulder. Turning, Ichigo blocked a sword from cleaving his head in two, but with his blade raised up over his head he glanced down to see the demon's second blade was aimed to impale him through the stomach.
Reacting Ichigo dropped his Zanpakuto and turned it downwards, twisting with the maneuver to knock the attack away, the demon's blade did not skewer him, instead leaving a cut along his armor as it scraped past him. But the struggle did not end so easily, again another blade came towards him, the serrated sword attempted to cleave his head in twain once more.
Ichigo pushed his blade up, using the blunt edge under the handle to keep the sword from getting any closer to his head; with a groan he held it at bay. His arms shook from the strain, lactic acids and fatigue building in his muscles and bones, and sweat entered his eyes. But with what strength he did have he twisted the blade around and arced it towards the demon's neck, slamming the edge of the Zanpakuto into its jugular.
A cry of pain and blood escaped its throat, before with what little life it had left attacked Ichigo. Surprised by the sudden attack Ichigo twisted his blade around and caught the demons sword, stopping it from striking his neck. But he failed to counter the second blade, coming around at his right side and towards his arm.
A cry of pain came from Ichigo as his forearm was sliced open, a spurt of blood escaped from the gaping cut and the feeling in his arm left him. Gritting his teeth Ichigo had only enough muscle control in his right arm to keep a grip on Zangetsu, apart from that he couldn't even lift the blade. With a growl he swung his good arm around and slugged the demon in the jaw, knocking its head to the side and causing that cut in its neck to tear.
It wasn't pretty, but it did kill the bastard.
Ichigo glanced down at the wound; it was leaking blood and drenching his arm with a new fresh coat of blood, it was deep and painful as hell. Another thing he missed dearly, probably the only thing that seemed to have truly left him, that pain threshold he so dearly loved.
"Great… need a healer, and some stitches," Ichigo growled, but when he heard a howl or rage behind him he glanced back he saw the demon with the maul was back with a vengeance.
Grasping the handle of his blade Ichigo brought it up in defense as the maul came swinging around, had his grip been more secure he may have held on. The rectangular hammer forced Zangetsu from the substitute's grip, sending it flying back and away. As the blade was sent away, flying back and landing with a clang against the stone street, the wielder was also sent tumbling backwards and to a knee. Shaking the jarring feeling from his only good arm he looked up to see the demon rushing forward with its maul being wound up for another attack. Rolling to the side the substitute evaded the strike, and as he corrected himself he saw that the halberd carrier was moving up right behind the one with the maul.
Glancing to the right he saw one of the dead demons lost swords, fresh blood on the edge of the black blade. Giving a glance to the approaching demons he grabbed the sword and charged, ducking under the Felguard with the maul before leaping the one with the halberd. His feet planted themselves in its chest and pushed off, staggered the demon for a moment, and allowing Ichigo to sail towards the other demon.
Pulling his blade back for a stab Ichigo sunk it in the demon's chest as he turned, the sword sunk through the demon's breast and struck up to the hilt. A pained moan escaped the Felguard's mouth before it fell to the ground, grasping at the sword and attempting to remove the weapon. Ichigo only glanced back towards the final demon, seeing it raise up its halberd to crush him.
Leaping aside, and letting the halberd finish off the wounded demon in his stead, Ichigo rolled forward and glanced back at the demon, the weapon deeply embedded in its kin's chest. Returning his gaze forward he saw a glint of silver in the moonlight, the familiar white cloth at the end of a handle, and quickly moved to reclaim his lost weapon. His hand snaked around the handle of the blade, and as soon as his grip touched the cloth covered handle did he turn around and charge right back in.
Dragging Zangetsu behind him with one hand he made a bee-line for the demon, who had only just vacated its weapon from the Felguard's chest cavity. When it's eyes landed on Ichigo did it attack, gasping the halberd in two hands and raising it above its head, swinging it down fast for a devastating and crushing strike. Ichigo responded in kind, turning to the side and swinging Zangetsu around and up, he met the halberd's axe with the edge of Zangetsu.
The soul cutter proved the more powerful, knocking back the halberd and leaving it open for a second attack, and with a single step and twist he slashed through the demon's stomach. But Ichigo followed up with a second strike, pulling his Zanpakuto back and the swinging it up and slamming it into the demon's chest. It sunk several inches into the red skinned beast's torso, leaving it to growl out in pain before it, surprisingly, attempted to attack again.
Ichigo stepped back, attempting to pull Zangetsu with him, but he was halted when he found the demon actually holding onto the blunt edge of his Zanpakuto and keeping it from being pulled free. Glancing at the halberd, being raised and the point at the tip of the axe head aimed for the substitute, Ichigo released his hold on his weapon and stepped out of the weapons path. Skipping back he evaded another wild swing from the demon and put some distance between himself and the monster, all the while grasping at his wounded arm.
'I do not have time for this,' Ichigo thought frantically, if he remembered anything about his time at the clinic, it was that wounds like the one he had needed to be sealed immediately.
He needed to kill this guy, get Zangetsu back, and then find Adelina so she could heal his arm and make sure he didn't lose any more blood. Luckily the demon seemed to have the same thought, wanting to end this fight quickly that is, and charged Ichigo with his halberd drawn back and ready to swing. As it drew close Ichigo quickly formulated a means to regain Zangetsu and then finish the guy, all he had to do was wait for the right moment.
When that moment came, the demon was within a few feet of the substitute; Ichigo got ready to rush him but was stopped by a hand coming into his vision. While this hand stopped him, it did a lot more than that, it had also stopped the demon as well, mainly by crushing the demon under it. Glancing up he saw the Ancient looking down at the now bloody and gore covered appendage and then to the substitute.
A groan escaped its lips as it straightened itself up, leaving a bloody and gory mass where it had crushed the demon and between its clawed fingers, and moved on to continue the slaughter against some other poor bastard. Looking down Ichigo moved for Zangetsu, grabbing the crimson colored cloth and pulling his blade free from the pulverized meat, giving it a sickened look before shaking off any gooey bits still stuck on it.
"I think I will need to get you cleaned," Ichigo mused, and almost felt a hum in his mind in agreement.
Ichigo sheathed the blade, unwilling to carry it while having to deal with the still leaking wound on his forearm, and placed his free hand over the laceration and tried to stem the bleeding. It stung like hell, but it was either deal with some more pain or let it continue to bleed out.
He moved back southwards, passing by a few sentinels and a few treants, moving to find Adelina in this chaos and get some healing. He did not have to wait long, despite everything happening around him there were only so many actual people around that sifting through the crowd was easy. His eyes narrowed in on his dark purple haired companion instantly and moved right for her, falling into a light jog.
"Adelina!" He called, rushing over to her and past the treants and one large amber leafed Ancient.
Adelina was busy healing one of the Sentinels, a nasty cut along her back was visible even in the dim and scattered light, as he drew close he saw the wound mend itself together. Nothing like instant regeneration, a bit slower and maybe a little more gross, but at least a bunch of white gunk wasn't spurting out of the wound and pulling it back together.
"The muscles will be a bit tender, and it did touch your ribs and spine," Adelina said, her brow was covered in perspiration and knitted in a serious frown. "I have healed what I can, but you will need further treatment for the spine."
Adelina turned and walked over to a treant, its body was rooted in the ground and seemed to be exuding some glowing sap from its body. She produced a bowl from her travelers pouch, placing it near the treant, and collecting some of its sap. When it filled to the brim Adelina placed a palm over the spongy excretion and channeled her power through it, bathing her hand in a green glow that soaked into the sap.
"This sap will help heal the damage to your spine, but you must rest here," Adelina said, applying the orange sap to the back of the Sentinel and wrapping it with a thick set of bandages. "These treants will keep you safe, rest and recover and let the damage be healed."
The Sentinel gave a nod despite the pained expression marring her face, giving a grunt as Adelina gave a light tug on the wrapping and tied it off. Patting the Sentinel on the shoulder she guided her down to her side and let her rest there.
Ichigo stood by patiently and waited for Adelina to finish her treatment, and had to admit she seemed to know what she was doing. It was also surprising that she could help heal nerve damage on the spine, something like that was impossible back home, aside for maybe the Shinigami, but still. He knew enough about medical treatment and nerve damage, any kind of damage really, involving the spine usually was permanent.
"Ichigo, your arm," Adelina said, rushing over to his side and peeling his bloody gauntlet from the wound.
Her eyes roamed over the wound, and likely within it, not a word was said as she quickly went to work on treating it. The druid's hand moved over the wound and began to channel her powers through the injured limb, Ichigo held back a hiss of pain as he felt the energy seep into his muscles and nerves, forcing them back together.
It was an interesting experience to say the least, the feeling of your muscles, nerve and veins being stitched back together, and one he hoped he did not have to sit through again anytime soon. He felt a little light headed and was damn tired, blood loss and exhaustion may be the problem right there, but sadly rest had to come later for the substitute.
"How's it looking?" Ichigo asked.
"You are lucky, it didn't hit the bone, but it did cut through several muscles and veins, deep and painful, luckily the blood seems to have halted," Adelina replied, continuing to treat the wound, before she wrapped a damp cloth around the nearly sealed cut.
"What are you doing?"
"Demon weapons often have dark energies about them, this cloth should cleanse the wound and your blood of any taint," Adelina replied, before she dug in her traveler's satchel and pulled out a piece of fruit. "Also eat this; it will help with the blood loss."
"Oh, thanks," Ichigo said, realizing just now how famished he felt.
He hadn't eaten really since lunch before they moved off to get to the tower, and that was a good nine hours ago if he remembered it right. He dug in, sinking his teeth into the juicy purple fruit and savoring the sweet flavor of the foreign pear shaped item. As Adelina continued her treatment, wrapping the salve covered bandage around his arm, he looked around at the carnage that had been taking place for the last four hours.
Since their departure from the temple they have been slowly advancing up the highway, cutting a path through the demons along the way. Luckily their few dozen warriors had been supported by a force of Ancients, whose numbers had grown to being greater than their own, along with many treants and small plant-like creatures. They had an army of trees and plants on their side now, making up the majority of their forces and making their fight up the Highway nearly a bloodless affair.
Well for them, the demons were losing more of their own kind every passing moment; they had not suffered a single casualty since they set out from the temple.
Their lines had advanced nearly three kilometers, fighting through hundreds of demons, their numbers growing while the demons lost more. It was actually great for them, the entire city was turning against the invaders, every plant and tree taking up arms against the demons and driving them out.
The only thing that made it disturbing was the hundreds of bodies that lined the streets, bathing it in dark blood and often mangled corpses of slain Felguards. Had the sun been up he was certain it would have appeared much worse, appearing as more than just uneven ground in the dark rather than a street choking with dead demons.
"Nasty business this is, all those bodies," Ichigo mused aloud, looking out into the darkness and seeing only a flicker of the ground as the luminescent spores showed off small patches of the ground.
"That is war, while there is glory in the deeds it is not the same in the battle, it is carnage," Adelina replied, a little casually in his opinion.
"You seem to be alright with it though, killing all these things," Ichigo replied. "Don't get me wrong I know these bastards deserve what they get, but what if it was something else?"
"Often fighting for survival is the only thing we strive for in a major battle, rational thought and keeping a level head is not something you do unless you have a clear goal within a fight," Adelina replied, looking up at Ichigo and seeing his surprised expression. "Also hating them helps."
Ichigo smirked slightly and gave a huff of laughter, it certainly does help when it comes to killing things, and demons were not exactly something you would frown upon ending at the end of a sword. Still, made him wonder how well he would do later, against something a little more human.
"Well, no point in dwelling," Ichigo replied, before giving a yawn as he stood up. "Wow, really tired."
"I would recommend some rest," Adelina said, but got a wave of the hand from Ichigo.
"Nah, will power through it, still got to get to the guy behind this whole mess, once that is done I'll take a nap," Ichigo brushed off, he was tired and wanted to sleep, not exhausted and on the verge of collapsing. "Where is Caren, haven't heard any fireballs lately, or shouting."
"She is sleeping, the poor girl worked herself to collapsing," Adelina said, before she turned to Ichigo when she heard a snort. "Ichigo?"
"Nothing... just kind of funny..." Ichigo replied, smirking to himself, he had some new blackmail material on his hands, always good to have. "Well, while sleeping bueaty is resting I might as well get back to work, thanks again Adelina."
He looked down at his bandaged arm, flexing it and giving it a few stretches to see if the limb had been repaired, and Ichigo gave it a nod of affirmation. If he could swing with it than there was no problem, now he could get back into the fight and resume his march. His eyes moved towards the mountains in the distance, a large citadel having been built in-between two large peaks and were alight with pyres that illuminated itself against the darkened surface of the crag.
If there was any place where that demon was it would be there, leading from the top of a throne, and Ichigo had a good idea who this demon was. If it was that bastard, the same one that had tried to have him executed while sitting upon his high and mighty seat, than this Dreadlord would be in a similar place. He had a target now, and as Adelina had said, you only have a clear head and level mind when you have a goal, and that goal was the demon leading this invasion.
Royal Quarter
"The portals are gone, the Highway is being assaulted on two fronts," Abraxus growled, turning to glare at the Wrathguard.
The pale skinned demon let out a hiss of worry, backing away under the glare of the Dreadlord. Like many other demons before it, those who specifically served as Abraxus' lieutenant, often disappointed their leader, resulting in immediate termination of their post.
"How did this happen?" Abraxus demanded, rising from his throne and skulking towards the smaller demon.
"My lord, I do not know, but it would seem that the invaders assaulted us from the lower wards within the city," The Wrathguard replied. "They fought their way through the commons and reached the stairs, after scaling them they secured the Highway in the western part of the Wards."
With each word that left the demon's mouth his master grew more furious, and with a roar of rage he bashed aside the armored Eredar. The many Felguards that stood by the pillars around the raised circular platform did not flinch or react to their master's ire as it was displaced upon its unfortunate victim.
"I am aware of this! As I am aware that somehow they were able to breach the tower where I had an entire army defending, and even more marching from it, unseen and were able to destroy my portals and are now marching north and decimating almost every single demon I have brought from the Nether!" Abraxus roared through gritted teeth, as green fel-fire burst from his form, and glared down at the demon.
This was impossible to fathom, he had an army at his command, with thousands of demons roaming this city he held the entire upper wards and royal quarter unopposed. The Ogres had been vacated from the city before this invasion, leaving only the small pocket of Highborne in the west to compete against his rule. A mere trifle to fight against, and with the bulk of his army moving there to conquer them it would have been the end of those upstart mages by the time the sun went down.
"I want to know why my army of thousands has been defeated by an army that barely makes up one!" Abraxus roared, grasping the Wrathguard by the throat and lifting him up and glaring him right in the eye. "Where did you fail?"
"I… do not… know…," the Eredar warrior replied, before he was promptly incinerated within the Dreadlord's grasp.
Abraxus roared, burning the stone tiles beneath his cloven hoofs as he skulked back to his throne, as he took his seat on the stone chair his clawed hands wrapping around the armrests. How could one thousand warriors fight their way through his own in the lower ward and make their way up to the Highway and then push back thousands of his soldiers?
It was impossible that the enemy had a force large enough to push his army back, it was impossible but what he was being told is that the Night Elves and Horde had destroyed his means to acquire reinforcements and were now pressing him. All this work and effort and he was being defeated, how did it come to this when his enemy was so inferior to him, how did it all fail?
"No… I will not be cast back into the Nether like this," Abraxus growled, slamming his balled fist into the armrest, shattering it. "I will return with my conquest in hand and this entire world as my trophy."
He would prove to the Legion Lord his power and ability, he would not be seen as some low ranking officer in this Legion, he would be a leader that stood apart from all the rest. Never again would anyone look down on his achievements, least of all her, and when he gained the rank and privilege he deserved he would prove them all wrong.
'And kill that filthy whore,' Abraxus growled, the thought of it alone brought so much delight, thinking about disemboweling that Eredar bitch.
"Gather all my forces, send them against this rabble and annihilate them!" Abraxus growled, making a sweeping gesture towards all his guards.
As they took a step forward however they were caught in a burst of golden light, a powerful gust of wind blew through the ruined chamber. The weeds and vines that ran along the walls eroded to dust, and the canopy that once acted as a roof was reduced to nothing along with it, exposing the moonlight into the roofless chamber.
Abraxus turned and glared to see that his guards were gone now, their bodies being blown into dust and scattered with the wind. His eyes narrowed as he realized quickly what has happened, he had seen this before, over ten thousand years ago when he first set foot on this world.
"To think they would need to send one of you worms against me," Abraxus growled, turning and glaring behind his throne, confirming that it was one of their kin responsible.
"Considering what you are doing is messing with the timeline, that is to be expected," Chromie replied, walking forward casually and using her long staff as a walking stick. "Now I have a few questions for you."
"Questions? Why should I answer you lizard?" The Dreadlord demanded, and was immediately thrown back when the platform exploded outward, throwing him into the air.
Abraxus spread his wings and glided down to the ground, as he landed he watched as the shattered platform and debris halt midair. The stones flowing back to where they originally where and reforming back into place, resetting themselves before it was destroyed. Chromie stepped forward, weaving the world around her and resetting everything before she shattered it.
"I want to know how you got here, I want to know who gave you that shield and why you came here," Chromie demanded, glaring down at the Dreadlord from the edge of the platform.
She knew that he had to be here for a reason, a specific reason as to him being here to cause trouble. His methods were crude, but they were also very disruptive, his alterations were causing major changes in the timeline that needed to be corrected. But she began to suspect that maybe Abraxus was nothing but a distraction for the other anomaly in time, but she had to know.
"I was summoned here, if you must know," Abraxus replied, skulking forward threateningly. "Summoned through a golden light and deposited alongside that boy, those Elves were fools to summon me here, and they paid for their arrogance with their lives."
"Elves couldn't have done this, tell me who summoned you, who gave you that temporal shielding, who shielded you from our sight?" Chromie demanded, there was no way the Highborne had temporal magic in their arsenal, they had been nearly stagnant for the last ten thousand years.
This had to be the work of the Infinite, or Titans forbid someone from within the Bronze Dragonflight, there have been radicals before that had to be dealt with. But this had to be someone incredibly powerful to shield the demon from not only their sight but also the timeline itself, that was temporal control few could accomplish.
"Shield?" Abraxus hissed, glaring at the Dragon with narrowed eyes, before he lowered his head in realization, a laugh escaping his throat as he understood now. "So that is why you are here, not to protect this world, but time. The only reason you are here is because I am something you could not see, or predict."
Chromie narrowed her eyes, too much info had been disclosed and not a single bit of it had been in her favor. It would seem that he was unaware of his own protection, meaning that he was also unlikely to know who summoned him here and for what purpose. It did not matter in the slightest though, if he was just a pawn sent to cause mischief he could be dealt with and his alterations fixed.
"It seems that you have outlived your usefulness," Chromie replied, aiming her staff at the Dreadlord and propelling a bolt of condensed time towards him.
The Dreadlord quickly spread his wings and took to the air, propelling him above the bolt that exploded and created a crater where he once stood, erasing everything caught in the blast. Chromie glanced up at the demon and narrowed her eyes, this would be difficult, she could not predict his movements through time. Meaning she had to use her intuition to determine what he would do next.
Gathering her energy she released a wave of energy towards the demon, but again he evaded the strike, he dropped low and narrowly missed having his form torn apart from the temporal wave. As the Dreadlord hit the ground, his hoofs shattering the stone, he retaliated, releasing a wave of fel energy towards the dragon.
Chromie looked at the wave; black bat-like creatures surged with the wave, as it threatened to overwhelm her. She leaned her staff forward, letting the dragon headpiece pulse with golden energy, and when the edge of the wave touched the staff it vanished, disappearing completely.
Chromie smiled down at the surprised Dreadlord, it was obvious he knew what they were, yet despite knowing of the Bronze Dragonflight he knew little of what their true capabilities were. She had quite literally erased his attack from existence; it never occurred in the first place and never will, that was only a fraction of what they could do.
"Surprised? Don't be. When I hit you next, you will be erased from this world completely," Chromie said, raising her hand and firing off a stream of condensed bolts of energy.
Abraxus looked up and saw them fly above and around him, circling him from every direction before they converged on him from all sides. Chromie watched the temporal explosion, feeling the ripples of temporal energy wash over her and showing miniscule alterations in the timeline caused by her attack. Nothing major was altered, that was good, but still hopefully with his erasure now she could see if the temporal alterations had begun to revert.
'With his death all that will be required is to allow the timeline to return to its correct path…' Chromie thought, but quickly noticed something off.
Her actions should have begun the reversion process, but instead she found nothing to be altering itself, at most this should have altered the timeline immediately. Or even with the major changes made it would have created an alternate timeline that would branch out from the original. But she couldn't feel the space-time shifting from her actions, everything was remaining stagnant for the moment.
"What is going on here?" Chromie said, her eyes narrowing in thought, the possibilities going through her mind.
The Dreadlord was dead, his timeline erased up to the point where he never came to Dire Maul, meaning his existence for the last two months should have simply ceased to exist. But what could it be that was keeping the timeline secured, without him here there was no way he could keep the timeline on this path.
But before she could contemplate this further she felt a sudden alteration in time around her, something had just appeared from absolutely nowhere and was a direct threat to her existence. Chromie quickly leaped to the side, her form a blur of motion as she altered her temporal state and speed, and avoided a beam of fel-fire.
'Impossible…' Chromie thought, turning as she landed to see the attacker standing there, completely unharmed from her previous attack.
"It seems that I overestimated you, worm," Abraxus said, smiling smugly as he raised his claw and swung it at the Dragon in disguise.
A wave of fel fire flew towards her, it took a moment for Chromie to react, she was motionless from the shock that her opponent was still alive. Blurring out of sight she rushed around the nearly motionless Dreadlord and towards his back, all the while her mind tried to figure out how he could have survived.
Chromie appeared near the demon's back, raising her staff and aiming at the Dreadlord, and released a stream of temporal energy. His body was consumed as the excess energy flowed around him and snaked around him until he was completely smothered. Chromie watched on, her eyes never leaving the swirling mass of time energies, they would completely erase his existence and ensure that time would revert back to its original position.
But when she saw that they lasted three seconds too long, she knew something was gravely wrong with this situation. A burst of shadow energy expanded outwards, most of it contained within the temporal field, but some leaking through the slowly forming openings in the destabilizing torrent. Chromie gained some distance, gliding backwards as ethereal wings appeared behind her and glided her away from the danger.
'This doesn't make sense, that field shouldn't be able to protect him from my abilities,' Chromie thought, looking to see the Dreadlord gathering his power for another attack.
She narrowed her eyes and quickly fired off another stream of time bolts, a few were intercepted and halted, but when some struck him she noticed a faint temporal signature flare up. She watched as the time bolts struck the Dreadlord and actually phased out, they were actually being displaced and torn out of time.
'This doesn't make sense, that power he is using is a temporal isolation spell, he exists outside of time and is immune to most of its effect, but how can he be immune to my ability to erase his existence?' Chromie thought, the possibilities of this made no sense.
Temporal Isolation involves protecting oneself from the changes and alteration in time, meaning that they are immune to most natural effects of time. From alterations to even effects on themselves, but they still are bound by the point in time that they exist, they are still within the timeline but unhindered by its movements. But they were still vulnerable to erasure due to the fact that the individual was still part of the timeline.
If he exists in time here at this very moment that means he has to be able to exist in some capacity and be recognized by the timeline. If he was completely out of time he could… Chromie stopped for a moment. Her eyes widening and it came to her instantly.
'This isn't a Temporal Isolation; it is a Temporal Lock,'
She couldn't believe she had been so stupid, how could this be anything but a Temporal Lock, the isolation of time for an individual means that they are protected from the flows and alterations in time. They quite literally are fixed in a certain moment of time for themselves, never aging or changing in state, but this was not the same.
'He has no timeline, I can see it now, even if he was isolated his passing through time shouldn't leave a void in time,' Chromie thought, letting out a growl, this was bad, nothing she used would hurt him now.
"What is the matter worm?" Abraxus roared, his claws were bathed in a wave of fel fire. "You seem incapable of erasing me, why is that?"
Chromie did not respond, but instead tried to figure out how she could defeat him now. Not a single power she wields would be able to harm him, nothing related to time could defeat someone with a Temporal Lock on themselves.
"Maybe that shield you mentioned before has something to do with it, is that true?" Abraxus asked, seemingly gaining a smirk at the thought of some form of superiority over the Bronze Dragon. "Then it seems you are at a loss now, how can you hope to defeat me?"
"I am going to take you in my jaws, and chew thoroughly," Chromie replied.
"Not if I have something to do with it!" Abraxus yelled, releasing a wave of fel-fire.
The wave was easily dispersed but Chromie was surprised when she saw the demon lunging at her from behind the fire, claw drawn back to strike.
Western Highway
Shandris stepped to the edge of the building, her eyes falling onto the streets below, the battle was well underway and progressing nicely. Her eyes travelled to the east where she could make out the main square that led directly to the Royal Quarter, less than a mile from their current position. They had fought across the Highway all night, fighting constantly against the demons for every inch of paver that they walked across.
But the true aid that had come their way were the Ancients and Treants, the walking trees had been instrumental in defeating the demons and driving back their forces. Without them their forces may not have been able to proceed as far as they did, or even survived for that matter. For them being here had done more than offer support in numbers, but in many other areas that had greatly bolstered their offensive.
The sap from the treants had been a useful salve and healing agent, the shamans and druids with their company putting it to good use. Along with some treants even using their powers to grow iron bark arrows from their bodies, growing arrows, it was a remarkable ability but one that had been a welcome gift. That and more had been offered to the Sentinels and Warsong, and with it she was driving the Burning Legion back to whence they came.
"The Thunderhorn Clan is moving along the adjacent buildings, they are planning on assaulting the main square's defenses," Millaora said, moving up from behind the Sentinel-General, her eyes directing Shandris' towards the buildings on the opposite side of the street.
There she could see a dozen Tauren moving along the rooftops, past the archers and marksman who continued to rain death upon the demons while they ran onwards. Shandris turned and regarded the square, seeing several turrets guarding the edges of the entrance to the square, they would need to be taken care of.
"Send in some of our own, give them what support you can, when we breach the square I want everyone to move in quickly and not be hindered," Shandris ordered, turning and moving along the edge of the building.
The moons were moving closer to the horizon, day would be coming along within an hour or two, it would be better to fight in the day to the Royal Quarter than in the night. Her eyes drifted from the western skies and to the eastern lands, past the square and further down the highway in the opposite direction.
She could see the tower to the south east, still pulsing with green light and bathing much of the area in a similar glow. But she noticed a haze of golden lights moving up the highway, lights that she suspected to be similar to the ones that now flickered around her, the small luminescent spores. She had not heard back from Anaesia, though she doubted her party had met their ends at the hands of the demons, no she believed that maybe they were aiding Iyeana and her forces from the east.
'Good, maybe if they move fast enough we can strike from two sides,' Shandris mused, turning to the battle below, it was only a matter of time now.
"Advance!" Morgosh roared, his axe smashing through the skull of a Wrathguard.
Pulling his axe free he swung it wide and into the side of a Felguard, dropping it to its knees, before he ripped the serrated edge free and lopped off the demon's head. With a new swing he cut down another demon, the red skinned devil falling to the ground with an axe half-way through its chest.
"Push forward! We are nearly there!" Morgosh roared out, ripping his bloody axe free and stabbing it forward towards the arch and stairs that lead up to the main square.
He charged forward, his warriors following a few meters behind him, he drew his axe back as the few remaining demons barred his path to the stairs. He swung it hard and with all his strength, each one a sure kill, even after hours of constant fighting his strength did not wane nor did the edge of his axe dull. Morgosh had fought through countless odds and enemies, reached the last choke point before he faced the demon's leader, he will not allow his warriors to be bested here.
He swung wide and batted aside the demon's sword, following up with a turn and then over the head swing, and buried his axe into the demon's crown, embedding it halfway through its torso. When it fell to its knees Morgosh kicked it in the chest and pulled his axe out through the demon's chest and glared up at the charging Wrathguards. His warriors shot past and met them in melee, allowing Morgosh to reach the stairs and begin his ascent.
"Come demons, taste the edge of my axe, like so many more before you!" Morgosh roared, swinging at every demon that came in his path.
Only when a Doomguard leaped from the top of the stairs did he halt his attack and move to evade the demon, leaping aside as its large cloven hooves slammed into the marble stairs and shattering them. Rolling to a knee he looked up to see the demon, its bright red skin almost glowing in the dark and making it easily seen, had turned and attempted to slam its massive blade down atop the Orc.
Said weapon was a three meter long dark grey cleaver, massive in the hands of a normal individual, but to a ten foot tall demon it was easily a normal sword in its grip.
Morgosh leaped back and down the stairs, and heard as the marble shattered and broke apart from the thundering slash, he rolled to a stop several meters down. He glared up at the demon who wrenched his blade from the stone and trudged after the Warsong warrior. Morgosh took his eyes off the Doomguard for only a moment, glancing over his shoulder to see a Wrathguard rushing up the stairs and raising its blade.
Rolling onto his back he swung his axe around and buried it in the demon's chest before he could do the same to Morgosh, but that left the Doomguard enough time to get close for another attack. Scrambling to his feet he tried to move, but he knew that there was no way he would be able to do that, seeing no time to dodge he swung his axe into the demon's leg. As it staggered and let out a roar Morgosh rose to his feet, ripping his weapon out of the demon's leg and stepped back.
Another roar escaped the demon's throat as it raised its weapon, Morgosh prepared to dodge, but as it was about to swing the blade a pained cry escaped its throat and its hand shot up to its face. Morgosh heard a crack and looked to see the shaft of an arrow bounce off the marble stone; seeing his opening he attacked.
Swinging his axe around and above his head he built up his momentum and slammed it into the side of the demon's leg, breaking the limb and forcing the beast down to a knee. As the demon toppled and held itself up with one arm Morgosh moved around and swung his axe down onto the demon's arm, shattering it and leaving a nice little gouge in it. As he pulled it free he glared at the demon, who had turned to return it with only one good eye, the remains of the arrow still in its eye, and then he buried his axe into the back of its neck.
Two more swings and he severed its head, letting it roll down the steps while its massive body slowly slid down the steps and leaving a trail of blood to help its slide down. But Morgosh paid it no mind, turning towards the top of the stairs and rushing up, but was blown to the side when something exploded to his right. He pushed himself up and shook off the wave of dizziness that hit him, and looked to see near the edge of the stairs was a large black cannon.
The massive demonic muzzle the made up the head of the cannon glared down at him, in its mouth the chamber could be seen and the fiery shell that was being loaded into it. The cannon grinded on the stand, turning slowly towards the dazed orc and planning on lining up its shot to utterly obliterate him. With a growl Morgosh turned and looked for his lost weapon, finding it to his left, he reclaimed it and prepared to charge. But as he took his first few steps he was halted when the cannon exploded, turning he looked up to the rooftops and saw Turok and his hunters.
The black and red armored Tauren glanced down at the Warlord and gave a short nod in his direction before he raised his rifle and started firing again. Morgosh grunted before he charged up the stairs, passing the remains of the cannon and into the camp.
The square was large, the entire square was flat and nearly a hundred meters wide, but it had little space due to the many demonic structures and defenses erected near the stairs and to the north. Barriers and towers could be seen, more cannons like those that defended the stairs could be seen, all of them aimed in a single direction and covering the hundred meters of the square that led to the entrance of the Royal Quarter.
"Get to cover!" Someone yelled, and was followed by an explosion that nearly sent Morgosh to the ground.
Morgosh rushed to one of the barricades, hiding behind it and waiting for the barrage to end. For the next few minutes all that occurred was his soldiers taking cover behind whatever they could, unable to do anything as the legion fired their cannons at them.
But the worst had yet to happen, it would seem that the demons were less inclined to take cover and charged their forces. Felguard were not even the worst of what was coming their way, Doomguards and Wrathguard being the most numerous of demons charging their positions. Morgosh leaned out of cover and swung his axe around blindly, it connected with the neck of a Wrathguard and lopped off his head.
Leaning back into cover he waited, going into the open would only get himself killed, he saw it happen when a small group of Sentinels were blown away when a fel blast collided with their makeshift cover. But they were one of many that were being blown apart by the heavy mortar fire and the demons with little in the way of self-preservation.
"It appears the Legion has upgraded their arsenal," Shandris said, crouching next to the Orc.
"I noticed," Morgosh growled out, watching as an Ancient had its chest blown apart by a cannon as it tried to advance. "Even with the Ancients we are outmatched here."
"We need to take out those guns somehow, we cannot do anything until then," Shandris replied, glancing through a breach in the barrier to see that the cannons were completely automated. "They don't appear to have operators; they must be fueled by magic."
"Then we blow them apart," Morgosh said, raising his hand and giving a quick signal to the nearest troops, they would pass it down the line and then they would begin. "We destroy the bases and those cannons come falling down."
Shandris nodded her head, there was no other way around this, the towers that held those cannons aloft needed to be brought down as quickly as possible. The longer they remained up the more damage they would do, but luckily they seemed to be focusing on the Ancients and treants, that would keep their people alive a little longer.
"We have six towers, you take the left and I will take those out on the right," Shandris said, turning to her Sentinels and giving a gesture and a few hand signs. "You think you can handle three towers?"
"I was worried you wouldn't be able to handle one," Morgosh replied back gruffly, turning and rushing to another barrier before the Elven Sentinel could reply.
"He is beginning to annoy me," Shandris murmured under her breath, turning and moving from cover to cover, she needed to get a team together and take out those towers.
"Shandris," Tervosh said, huddled behind a barrier alongside Pained and Quintis. "Any idea how we deal with this?"
"We bring the towers down, Morgosh will take the left and I will move along the right flank and bring the others down," Shandris replied, ducking slightly when an explosion erupted just beyond the cover they were behind. "I need someone who can do that."
"I may be able to fulfill that task, but I will need to get close and require protection while I do so," Quintis said.
"Me and my Sentinels can draw the enemy's attention, but whatever you do, don't let them see you or take too long, we will be slaughtered in the open." Shandris said, gesturing to the three Sentinels in cover with them. "As soon as we move you do."
Shandris rushed out of cover and had already let loose an arrow, a cry of pain the only sign she had struck something, and was already shooting her next when her Sentinels joined her. From cover to cover she moved, firing off arrows as quickly as she could and at anything she saw, from behind her Sentinels followed.
The first tower was in sight and only a few dozen meters from their position, it stood twenty feet in the air and the cannon was mounted on top of it. It was a hastily erected object, five metal legs held up the main platform, it was not supported by braces between each leg. If one fell it couldn't rely on the other legs to keep it from collapsing, they only needed to take out one leg to be effective.
Her eyes caught a glimpse of dark brown and gold in the distance, Tervosh if she could have suspected correctly, and knew that he was near the tower.
"Follow me," Shandris said, leaping out of cover and firing an arrow at the closest demon.
The Wrathguard fell to the ground with an arrow in its throat, she leaped over it and fired again, and another demon dropped with one through its skull. Her Sentinels kept up pace with their leader and followed her example, firing quickly and accurately at any demon close by. Shandris glanced at the cannon, if what she surmised was right that cannon determined nearby threats to itself, so she had to get it facing her direction and allow Quintis to do his work.
Drawing two arrows she fired them simultaneously and killed two Felguard, before drawing another arrow quickly and firing it within the next second. Her eyes scanning everything in her vicinity, making sure nothing snuck up on her and the Sentinels under her charge. But when the subtle sound of metal groaning caught her ears did she turned to the tower, and beheld the flaming cannon move into position.
"To cover!" Shandris called, rushing away from the approaching firing arc of the cannon.
Sliding into cover, her Sentinels doing the same, they waited for the strike to come, hearing the building pressure and turbines within the cannon as it prepared to fire. But before the cannon fired a sudden burst and pulse was heard, followed by groaning metal and a loud crack and snap, then the cannon fired over their cover and into the buildings on the edge of the square.
Shandris peaked out to see that the tower the cannon was on had begun to topple, one leg had been snapped and bent inwards. She looked around and found Pained and Tervosh protecting Quintis, who was channeling a great deal of energy around him with his hand raised to the sky. Looking up Shandris' eyes widened as she saw the stars above begin to sparkle and move, turning in the sky and appearing to draw closer.
Then they descended and slammed into the tower, stars fell from the heaven and shattered the legs and platform, exploding in a spark of pulsing white and silver. Soon the tower collapsed, engulfed in a series of white explosions and finally that of the cannon exploding, the metal twisting and melting under the intense heat of the fel-fire explosion that consumed the tower.
Shandris smiled at the small victory, with that tower gone they could advance further and take out the others, her eyes turned to the left side of the square to see the other tower has fallen. A powerful explosion going off at each of the legs, they buckled and fell down with a resounding boom, followed by an explosion.
'Good, we can do this,' Shandris thought, turning to her next target along the line.
But as soon as her eyes landed on the tower they widened in shock, because the barrel shaped after a demonic hound was turning, the angle of the muzzle was turning in their direction and lowering.
"Break cover!" Shandris cried, turning and rushing from her cover and out of the firing arc, but the cannon had already sounded off.
Shandris leaped over a fallen barricade and dropped as low as she could, and in the next instant the world on the other side had been engulfed in fire. Broken stones and shredded metal rained down over Shandris, along with an intense heat that turned her black metal shield into a red hot wall that nearly seared her back.
Rising up she glanced over the edge, her eyes looking at the damage and quickly looking for her fellow Sentinels. Her eyes found one hiding behind the remains of a barricade, the metal melted and indented from the previous explosion, she appeared to be fine.
Then her eyes found another, lying near a barrier, she had not been as fortunate as her fellow Sentinel, her body was marred with burns and shrapnel from the blast. She had not been quick enough to get behind cover, she likely had died from the jagged metal rather than the fire, of that she was thankful it was quicker than it could have been. But the third was unseen, sadly confirmation of her survival or demise had to wait, the sound of metal grinding could be heard and the sight of the cannon moving only told Shandris she had to flee.
"Move!" Shandris called, leaping over her barrier and rushing across the plaza and towards the tower.
Demons barred her path but she fired anyway, striking any demon within range as she ran, her only remaining companion following closely behind her. They needed to get out of the cannons firing arc, both its swerve and pitch, if they ran close to the tower it had to adjust both, hopefully it would give Quintis time to bring it down.
She continued to fire off her arrows, slowing down only because of the growing numbers of demons, but when her hand reached for her quiver to find none left she dropped her bow and reached for her swords. Ducking under a swing from a Wrathguard's sword she slashed through his side and then his knee, before finishing him by cutting along the side of his neck.
An explosion drew her attention, the Orcs had dealt with the second tower on their side. Shandris was almost annoyed at the fact they were doing this quicker than them, but the necessity of not dying took precedence over her pride being wounded by Warsong warriors outshining her forces.
The fighting continued at a smaller pace, cutting through the demons and waiting for the tower to fall, she hoped that Quintis hurried out, that grinding had been going on for a while now and it was only a matter of time before it was aiming right at her. As if Elune had answered her prayers she turned to a series of explosions that engulfed the tower, striking the cannon and causing it to explode and wreath the sky in green fire.
'Two down,' Shandris thought, and turned to the last tower, already lining up a shot.
Her eyes followed its train and saw that it was aiming near the edge of the square, her eyes followed it quickly and she saw exactly who it was aiming for.
"Tervosh! The third tower!" Shandris called out.
She watched as the archmage turned to the tower in question, it took only for a moment for him to react and quickly summon up a barrier. But even so it and the area he was within was engulfed in a fiery explosion, and when it dispersed she found no barrier present, or even the three individuals that once were there.
"Shandris!"
The Sentinel-General turned to the tower, its gun turning towards them now, with a growl she prepared to flee but when an arc of light shot over her position she halted. Then the platform and cannon exploded, the force actually driving most of the explosive force backwards and toppling the tower. Shandris was momentarily surprised by the display, something that she had only seen once before, and with the approaching footsteps she knew the perpetrator.
"Took you long enough to get here, I thought you would have reached here much sooner," Shandris said, turning towards the young man that casually shouldered his blade and looked at her with a neutral stare.
"What? No thanks for the tower? Or the fact I helped stop the demons from bringing in reinforcements? And got some of our own as well, where do you think those Ancients came from anyway?" Ichigo said, looking at her with mock indignation.
"Did you personally stop the demons by destroying their portals and through some mystical means cleanse the Fruit of Fertility so that the Ancients join our side?" Shandris inquired, smiling slightly as she took in his surprised expression, how easy it was to counter his arguments.
"Well… no, but I helped and made sure…" Ichigo tried to say, he started it off as a joke and now he was trying to defend that joke.
"I suppose you do deserve some words of accomplishment, after all, the mule is as important as those he carried to the objective, and you are one exceptional mule," Shandris replied, smiling amusingly at the substitute.
Her delight only grew when he seemed to be actually annoyed with the comment, gritting his teeth and the signs of a vein popping on his forehead showed he did not like the comparison very much. The boy was powerful and could be considered a god, yet he was a young teenager with raging hormones and an obvious solemn nature.
"Good to see you are having fun," Caren said, strolling forward, but she was not alone.
Behind her were three individuals that Shandris had assumed were dead, yet her eyes did not play tricks on her to see Pained, Tervosh and Quintis standing before her. None the worse for wear, but she could not understand how they survived, let alone were not close to the sight of the explosion.
"I just had to teleport to Tervosh, create a mass teleportation spell within a few seconds to get them out before his barrier was consumed by the Fel-fire and the occupants along with it, all you had to do was swing that sword of yours," Caren said, giving Ichigo an annoyed frown as he joked around.
"Sorry if I made it look easy, mainly because I can do awesome things easily, I think it is called being better, don't let it get to you." Ichigo replied, even as he faced the young mage he glanced off to the side just to be snide.
"You? Better than me?" Caren said, giving a laugh as she glared at the substitute. "All you do is charge in like a big dumb bull and mow down anything in your way; I can get the same result by rolling a large rock down a hill."
"Don't think you would be able to move a large rock really, especially if the walk up the hill gets you winded," Ichigo replied, giving her a sarcastic smile as he dignified her with a glance. "Didn't you need to take a nap before we got here?"
"Why you little…!" Caren growled, her fist engulfed in fire.
"Enough, you two can continue this little squabble after we are done here," Shandris said, turning towards the Royal Quarter.
The large palace was built into the crevice of two mountain peaks, not overly large in terms of size but it could still have a small army of demons waiting for them. The only path that led up to it only showed just how many demons were in their path, hundreds of demons barred their path up the thousand step stairs, and they had to get through them all.
"We don't have far to go, but this battle is far from being over, that Dreadlord likely held his best in reserve, so be ready for a hard fight," Shandris said.
The final tower collapsed, and with its fall their path was clear, Shandris looked to the left to see the Warsong and her Sentinels move up. The Ancients moving alongside them, they were all ready for the final charge into the heart of the enemy's base.
"We end them here and now," Shandris called, swinging her blade down, the uncalled order for all to charge.
This is where they take Eldre'Thalas.
Reviews
Daio Ine: Glad I could answer your questions, and bring more to the forefront of your mind. Codexia has her plans and motives, we shall see them soon enough, her motives for the Highborne is more out of necessity to have them as allies than anything else. She needs them for an important task. As for that Spirit, she is around, and very close to Codexia.
Yeah, Ichigo will face many adversaries that rise up, while not all will be faced he will fight against many. Arthas, or the Lich King, is one such enemy. It will be one of his greatest struggles mainly because of what Arthas can do and how powerful he is, I actually do hope that the recent Chronicle Volumes reveal just how powerful Arthas is later on, would love to see just how strong he is. As for the Trial, Ichigo will be there, and revelations will be made that will surprise all.
I have no plans to drop any of my stories, I want to see them done, and despite them being long and arduous challenges, I will not abandon them.
Kragh50: Glad you like it, battles are tricky sometimes as I can skim over words and that really screws me up sometimes but I get by. And you have no idea what she is planning on doing.
Faldorian: Yes, up to Pandaria more correctly will be the last major arc before he goes home. Also I can understand your fears, but the expansions I plan to keep them very light in terms of content. And I am improving on my writing continually, altering my writing patterns and how it is structured to make them much quicker to write and also move through situations quicker. Besides everything before the Burning Crusade is bulky, but after that it becomes a lot more simpler and easy to go around. A million words, the ultimate dream. Already got more words than all three Lord of the Ring books, so why not beat that mark.
Also he will do many major bosses, but not all. For example he will not face Hakkar, Nefarian, Onyxia or anyone else like that. He will face a diverse few and they tie to the story mostly. He won't be getting everyone, I promise you that, others will rise to the challenge off screen to face them I promise you.
The reason for another weapon is mainly power, the necessity of that particular weapon in certain situations, where he will need an item or weapon to face a certain adversary. Also while a Zanpakuto is a powerful tool it is only as powerful as the user, and while its composition is strong it is not infallible. Especially since this isn't even a true Zanpakuto, just a formation of matter in the shape of a sword acting as a Zanpakuto. Also he never knew anything about swordplay before training with Urahara, and he did pretty well back then, especially since it was instinct, don't count him out yet.
Leapinglemur: Very soon my friend, after this it is the final battle.
Wrandral: Well he may not have done it that chapter, he did it this one. HAHA.
I do get the reference ;D.
Sorry but that guy is chilling on his new boss throne, he likes that throne, got it from a Ogre, so it's a nice big throne, and it is boss.
Codexia is meant to be someone that no one understands at first and her goals are never fully revealed, that is the point, I draw people in like that, make them wonder what she is going to do.
Bankai next chapter, enjoy it when it comes my friend, it will be awesome.
Star: Oh my god, twelve, what is wrong with you. That is like Windows XP era, you are an Old God. Glad you like the chapter as well. Pained is actually very strong, she fought against Vol'jin and Baine during the Battle for Theramore and Malkorok, Garrosh's lieutenant, the same guy that became a boss in the Siege of Orgimmar. Never judge a character by the HP in game, it is a poor representation of the characters.
DanteNaru: Glad you liked the chapter.
Earendil18: Yep, Dire Maul is a major hub for the future because of what happens there, changing that is highly dangerous because it changes so much. As for the Demon Hunter info that is interesting, it means that their souls are tied to the Nether similar to demons. But that raises the question if demons can be killed outside of the Nether, because even Sargaras could not kill demons outside the Nether, meaning that Ichigo likely is incapable of doing the same as well.
Reality Deviant: Codexia I will not reveal upon, but her back story is awesome and I can promise you it will be a shocker. Ichigo will use his Bankai in dangerous situations and on more than one occasions, but when the effects are shown there will be things that hold him back from using it.
As for the Highborne, more will be seen of them and Drauntia as well. As for Ichigo, he would be somewhere similar to a Wild God or a Demi-God, a powerful spirit or entity with god-like powers.
MSG1000: Yeah, that sounds about right, nice catch there.
Blackcross0: That proposition is a major game changer for the story, and really diverges from Canon.
A Vessel of Light: Years more than likely, but if things become bad I may shorten it, but I do plan to get to Pandaria, that is my major goal.
Impstar: I can tell you are really wondering about what she is up to, her reasons for going to that city are for Drauntia, but there is more, so much more she wants and needs.
The Unsung Antihero: Wow, five days, must have been a good week. But as for Ichigo facing them that will come later, that time field is a good means to stay off their radar. But when the time does come it will be an interesting adventure.
Umbra Venator: Glad you liked it.
Meech Macho: Sorry about Ichigo, but now he is back. As for Codexia, she is sneaky, and for a reason.
Glad you like the difference. This version is a lot more thought out in regards to plot, the originally as sad as I am to admit it was not put together properly.
The image doesn't have it but Ichigo does have a latch that he can place his Bankai blade against, it is not visible sadly in the image. Mainly it is used in situations where he doesn't need to carry the blade but doesn't want to drop out of Bankai.
Guest #1: The developments are mainly for the setting of the story. To convey what is happening, the Prince's death was a major point, but also conveying the development in the battle against the Demons and the Elves joining the battle and the Highborne's departure from the city. And revealing the Codexia has motive.
The weapons I intend to include are unique and the reasons for him receiving them is because they are gifts or that they are useful for something down the line. Also him gaining new weapons will not be a sword, he will get a major assortment of items that he will use, not just melee weapons either.
As for his armor, Japanese or Asian inspired weapons and armor is only present in Pandaria, and because of that they are the only practitioners who can create such a thing. But his powers will influence the armors her wears as well, since they are magical they bind to the user and change with him. He will get something eventually for this but sadly he will be stuck with the European types of armor.
Krazyfanfiction1: Glad you liked it.
Hisoka's Luver: Yeah, but in this case the two generals, Shandris and Morgosh, know they can't just start fighting one another. They are both in the thick of it and if they turn on one another they all die and the demons win, they hate demons more than each other and won't risk them succeeding.
TheFallenGeneral: Yes, and because that if she is released from him her fate would not change. While she was risen from the dead her destination does not change, her soul has been tainted and through recent information she is bound to one place. The Shadowlands.
Vmage2: Shit, sorry, messed up there.
Blindluck92: Yeah, it is getting bad now. As for Codexia she is not a god or God, but what she is… she is unique. Morgosh is badass, really badass.
NecrorexSparda Juubi-No-Kishin: I dare you to log out and write down your username. As for all those suggestions I will take them under advisement… don't tell anyone else… but I have a plan like that...
As for White, he is actually not the same. The White in Ichigo is not the White that attacked Misaki. This White bound itself to Ichigo's Shinigami powers and became his Zanpakuto, he is his true power but he has no means to manifest himself and is completely unstable. Until Ichigo gets a Zanpakuto, Asauchi, the Hollow will be a problem because he is erratic and even with the Mask it still is a loose cannon.
