VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE READ
Now this is a chapter some people have been wanting me to do for a while now, one that I have been wanting to do actually so I could make a few announcements here and there. From my personal life to this story and its futures, don't worry they are not going to be discontinued.
But I may be off for a while.
The first is the OC's, I think many of you know I am creating a lot of OC's for this story, specifically commissions for these characters to be made into art. Some my own and some belonging to other people on this site that I am friends with. Well to let you know that is costing me a lot of money to do. In fact I have calculated it to be a collection of about $9802.98, I have near spent ten grand on commissions and art pieces for these stories. That is a lot of money over three years. A lot of money. Money I had no idea I was spending that much.
So comes to my second thing, getting some of it back from those who are willing to help. I plan to start an account and have donations made towards getting more characters made for these stories. People who want to put money forward to have commissions done for their characters and others I am willing to do. But I cannot keep spending money like this. I have spent so much money on commissions it is far from funny or practical that a hobby turned into an investment that is draining me of so much.
I am happy to do it, but when you look at $9802.98 you get a knot in your stomach at seeing it. I was a little shocked and horrified I had spent that much money on commissions. For now I have stopped it, just so I can get a hold of this situation and plan it out. Hence why I am starting a account. I will put a link on my profile when I get it set up and it is ready.
The final piece is me regarding my stories, for the next few weeks I will be off doing work on this account along with getting my life in order. I need people to help me keep this story going because it may be something I love but I cannot afford to continue making commissions and expending my hard earned money on something I use all my free time doing.
Also with my father in the hospital, work picking up, me taking care of my nan and the house and all other things that are going on I am simply too busy and stressed out to consider doing anything else than crawling into my bed and going to sleep and never waking up. Because of that I need a break. These chapters were two weeks overdue, it took me two weeks of screwing around to get them done because of how stressed I am and I need a break.
Please, help me. Give me some space when I need it but help me with the money to bring these stories to life, even if it is one dollar, I am happy with that. It is something I need help with because I cannot lose anymore of this. So please help me.
Next chapters I update will tell you about how I am going and also that things are improving. Enjoy.
Transcendence
Chapter 62: The Stones
Maraudon
Ichigo leaped to the side, swinging as he made the hasty dodge, evading and carving apart the next monstrous thing that had come at him. He had fought against a few horrifying things in his little jaunt down into the depths of this mountain.
The Satyrs and Elementals had become a staple diet for Zangetsu, having killed enough of them at this point to know that. Honestly it was the other more animalistic quarry that dwelled in these caverns that were becoming a more of a chore to deal with.
There were crocolisks, three times larger than the average horse and covered in very tough scales, that dwelled near the waters he had been forced to trudge through. Thankfully they were few and far between, unlike their more numerous distant relatives the Basilisks who also wanted to rip him to pieces and devour his corpse. However they weren't even the weirdest thing he had come across just yet.
"Where the hell am I?" Ichigo said aloud, swinging his blade and lopping off a wet and foul smelling limb.
No blood seeped from the appendage or the beast he had dismembered, and that made this fight a little more unnerving as he leaped away from the monstrosity of moss and sludge. It resembled something he once saw on television back home, some kind of swamp monster that was covered in underwater vegetation and mud.
Oddly enough, in spite of their strange and rather gross appearances, these creatures seemed to be some sort of Elemental. Considering he could sense some spiritual energy emanating from them that he had come to associate with Elementals. Anyway whatever they might be, these things were all hostile and needed to be taken down, which he was doing with gusto.
With an upward slice another creature's head and upper torso was cut in twain, and as it fell Ichigo had since attacked another. He continued on dicing and slicing more of these walking marsh monsters apart with much force, just like the last hundred or so things he had been forced to contend with since coming down here.
"Too many." Ichigo thought, deciding to ignore the small fry he used Shunpo to shoot off past the mass of creatures.
Besides the various hostile creatures, Ichigo had one major problem he had to deal with and it was that he had absolutely no clue as to where the hell he was. He had done the foolish thing of trying to follow the trail of the spiritual signature that he had suspected to be Theradras, but that had just led him on a path through a series of caves and he still had no idea if he was getting closer or further away.
Still he was too far in now to do anything but keep pressing on and hope he got where he needed to go. All the while he was ignoring that tiny voice in his head that sounded like Iyeana scolding him for his short-sightedness. Perhaps it is time to find somewhere to hold up and uses his more honed senses to locate her. With that thought he gathered energy into Zangetsu and powered it up, it flared and he twisted on his heels and slammed it into the wall.
The caverns walls exploded and shattered, as expected from the sudden shift in support it began to collapse and cave in. Using Shunpo he gained as much distance as he could and kept going, before he stopped and stumbled forward a few steps.
Turning he found the dark passage to be clear, considering that he just caused a cave in he was certain he had gone a fair distance. Glancing around and sensing for any disturbances he found himself to be alone, which was good. He had a bit of breathing room at the moment and he was going to use it.
"Alright, time to see where the Princess of the rock people is hiding." Ichigo mused.
Taking a seat he closed his eyes and began to focus, he needed to sort through all these different spiritual signatures and find out who the biggest was. It took a minute but he eventually got it down where he was beginning to sense the individual strands through the air.
It was easy to pick up on Theradras, her energy permeated throughout this entire cavern and whatever she was doing to bring the Elemental Plane into reality was making her easy to track. But all he had gained was a general direction and that was not much help, but if he kept going he was certain that he would run into her in time.
'I need to be quick about this, the Planes are getting closer and we have already wasted a week trying to get Veles back here. Right now I am on the clock and need to get this place sealed.' Ichigo reminded himself.
The only hard part would be getting back to the Vault so that he could escape. Standing up he stretched slightly and felt his joint pop, the sound reminding him of something important.
He drew his dagger and nicked himself on the arm, he watched as the blood flowed out for a moment before it stopped. Wiping the blood away he found that the wound had sealed itself, not even a scar remained. Ichigo nodded his head and moved on, satisfied that the Ashes were still working and keeping himself from suffering severe injury.
That Ash would be needed when he faces Theradras, because he likely was going to need his Bankai to take her down. But even then he still had the vines over his skin, he felt them prick his muscles slightly when he flexed. Maradras had told him that these vines would ensure that his muscles would not be ripped apart, by delving roots into his tissue and muscles and making them more resistant.
But the ashes and vines wouldn't last forever, he needed to get to her fast so that the Ashes wear off and the vines weren't torn off. He had lost several strands along his arm and leg already, he couldn't risk losing anymore. Even then, the odds were that if he faced Theradras within the new few minutes these two healing agents wouldn't help him completely.
He just hoped that his Bankai was all he needed, because if she proved to be a challenge, he might need to draw on more power.
'Let's hope not.' Ichigo thought, but as he turned to move he felt something. 'That's weird, is that…? No, it feels like… what is that?'
Ichigo may not be the most gifted at sensing things but he distinctly felt this, mostly because it was very familiar. He sensed this back in the Dream Bough, that strange corruptive influence that seemed to be coming from the portal. The same corruption he had felt seeped into the wood and grass along with give off a feeling that made the Old Man nervous.
He let his feet move on their own as he kept a hold of that sensation, he had a good idea of what it might be and he wanted to see. Call it reckless and stupid to go after something that in only a few days was rotting and corrupting the Emerald Dream and what was around the portal like this. But also he was ignoring the warning the Old Man had given him, that whatever was causing that corruption was to be avoided at all costs.
He couldn't avoid it, because it was likely the person he was going after and he had no choice but to take her down. He may not have sensed what Zangetsu felt but that didn't matter, he won't back down because there was no other choice. Deepholme was going to be dropping into reality in who knows how long, and he was the only one down here that could go about stopping it.
'Can't let that happen, I have more than just my friends and comrades depending on me ending Theradras.' Ichigo thought, narrowing his eyes before taking off into a sprint.
He weaved between caverns and intersections, following the taint where it was strongest and mentally preparing himself for whatever he might find. Zangetsu's warning still rung in his head, along with the unease he felt resonating off the blade in his hand. Whatever he was walking into, it had his Zanpakutō worried, he couldn't take this lightly.
He came to a stop when he reached the mouth of a large cavern, long and glowing with an eerie green light, he looked over the chamber. His eyes widened when he found that it was actually an underground reservoir, similar to the one where the sub had emerged from. However this place was polluted, filled with festering and decaying plant matter, so powerful was the smell that he gagged and nearly threw up.
"Kami, that is putrid." Ichigo said, shaking his head and grimacing as he stalked down the small ramp and onto one of the paths that lead through the swamp.
The smell grew even worse, especially the more visible cloud vapors that expelled themselves from the green slimy water. To top off how awful this place was, he could see dark shadows moving in the foul water, causing ripples as he passed. Along the walls were vines with thorns, which were slowly beginning to go soft as rot and disease ate away at them.
'This is like what is happening to the Bough, but a lot damn worse.' Ichigo thought, knowing that whatever corruption that was causing this had to be nearby.
He had the feeling that maybe it wasn't Theradras that was doing this, as he could still sense her spiritual echoes nearby and it wasn't even in the right direction he was going. This was something else, and for a moment he considered turning back and seeing to find another route out of here… It seemed fate was against him, for as soon as he considered that something emerged from the water and attacked.
A large worm shot out, its four pronged mouth opening wide and attempting to bite the Substitute. Ichigo swung around and lopped the things head off, yet even so the two severed parts wiggled and writhed.
Glancing up he found the path he had just traversed was now populated with more worms, and a lot other foul things he did not want to fight against. Rotting plants that looked like flowers, that had vine-like arms and feelers coming from its pedaled faced. Treants whose rotten wooden bodies were waterlogged with the diseased water and looked as foul as they smelled, they hobbled forward and their bodies squished and fell apart as they advanced.
'Dammit!' Ichigo growled, turning and taking off in the opposite direction.
He could only go forward now, and just prayed he came to an exit from this living nightmare. He ran as fast as he could, lashing out at anything that rose up from the revolting waters around him, but it seemed that there was no end to this cesspool of rot and disease.
Worst part was he was the growing nausea, and dizziness as the fumes and smell were making it hard to breath and he was likely going to come down with something. He just hoped that it wouldn't be fatal.
Rushing ahead he came to a stop near a sudden drop, a waterfall specifically, leading down to an even larger cavern that seemed to be the central point where all this foulness coalesced. Not just the waters and diseases, but all kind of infected looking creatures as well. He was now stuck between choosing to jump down into a pack of monsters or let the ones chasing him catch up.
"Option three it is." Ichigo thought aloud, powering up a Getsuga Tenshō and swinging back.
The thing didn't need to be powerful or even dense, just a wave of pressurized force that would throw them back. Given how fragile these guys were there was no way they could keep themselves together if they were hit, it was more than likely they would be blown apart regardless.
Turning he leaped forward, raising Zangetsu overhead and bathing it in his spiritual power, then releasing it when he landed and creating a massive explosion of force that blew away anything around him. Most were torn apart, their sodden bodies too riddled with rot to keep themselves from breaking down.
Smirking he took off in a run, using what land there was to make sure he didn't step into that foul crap that looked to be sludge. Luckily for him those things were not coming out of the waters anymore, he counted that as a blessing. But considering his luck the next thing to show up would be a lot worse. A moment later he was proven right.
Ichigo was forced to a halt when a wooden shaft slammed into the ground in front of him, embedding itself into the mud. Ichigo looked at the oddly carved spear and found familiar iconography on it, several moons and Kal'dorei scripts that denoted it as being of Night Elven make.
'The hell?' Ichigo thought, before he leaped away from another spear.
He looked up, and through the miasma he saw several intruders, their half humanoid and half horse bodies instantly made him drop into a defensive stance. He couldn't believe there were still Centaur down here, maybe a few got caught up down here and were corrupted? That didn't sound good, if he stayed too long he might also suffer some ill effects.
"Alright, just blow through these bastards and move on." Ichigo muttered, raising Zangetsu and planning on firing off another Getsuga Tenshō.
But when the group appeared he hesitated, these enemies weren't Centaur as he originally thought, and he dissipated the Getsuga. They were Dryads, about two dozen of them all moving forward and waiting.
"Hey! Stop, I'm an ally!" Ichigo called out, lowering his blade and holding up a hand. "I was sent…"
He ducked to the side when one charged forward and tried to spear him through the chest, the magically enchanted spear glistened with a strange dark green glow. One that he was not keen to test against, with magic lately he had noticed that it had the incredible potency to ignore armor. For fuck sake he saw Caren survive getting hit by an arrow with her thin silk robes, while he saw a guy in full armor take a similar hit and the arrow went through an inch of steel.
Point is: Magic screws up the logic of thick metal will keep you safe.
He reached forward and snatched the spear, holding it in place while keeping the Dryad from attacking him.
"Stop! I am not an enemy! I came here to help!" Ichigo yelled, but was only met with a hiss and growl from the woman.
While she shared a striking similarity to Cavindra there was a few key differences that told him something was very wrong with this picture right now. Specifically the fact that all across her body were twisted and dark thorns that dug into her body, he could see where blood leaked from the punctures. More than that, the visible veins along her face and midriff that showed that whatever disease and evil lurked down here had also infested these Dryads as well.
"Crap." Ichigo thought, leaping away as another attacked him from a distance.
He backpedaled as they charged him, attempting to kill him in spite of his words and assurances he was an ally. Whatever had taken them had completely taken away their ability to see reason, they were delusional and enraged.
"Your body will feed the roots to this garden!"
"You dare defile this place! Die scum!"
"This garden shall be your prison!"
These shouts and threats all but confirmed that the Dryad's had been turned, too far gone for him to bring them back. Every attack he evaded he was able to glimpse into their souls, and his senses being overwhelmed by whatever dark energies permeated from their being.
He had come to associate certain signatures with certain entities, elementals all had their own feel and presence. The spiritual presence of Fire was erratic, Water was tranquil, Wind was near ethereal and unseen, and Earth was dense and heavy. But certain other entities possessed their own unique signatures, Cavindra and Meredras had a very unique presence that was intense.
He knew for certain that while related and of the same calling their spiritual signatures were affected by something very powerful. Like how Shinigami, Hollows and Quincy have their own spiritual presence so too did the Dryads. But what he was sensing now, it almost reminded him of a Visored, as if there was a second presence within them taking over.
Only this was so potent and virulent that it had just done that, it had taken over and twisted these Dryads into something worse than what they were. It had utterly consumed them, not unlike how his Inner Hollow had attempted to do to him.
Cleansing this corruption from their bodies was not within his power, right now the only mercy he can give is onto their souls. His Zanpakutō was made for this, so he would fall back to doing what he needed to do in order to save them.
With that he swung hard and carved through the chest of a single Dryad, black blood spewed forth from the wound as she let out an ear piercing wail. She fell to the ground with a wet thump before Ichigo lashed out at another, delivering a similar fate as the first. He continued on this path, slashing and swinging at the corrupted Dryads one by one.
This almost reminded him of exterminating Hollows, but this was different, they had no masks and they still had their hearts and souls, just that they had been corrupted deeply from within and left like this. He could feel it with every strike, their souls screaming out in agony and pain of being trapped within their own bodies, he was doing the right thing but it didn't help he had to look on such human faces.
With another swing he took off the head of one, he grimaced and had a thought that maybe he should pay more respect to them. But he was not given a chance to think on it more, because a beam of energy shot right past him. Ichigo leaped back and tracked the source, finding to his surprise a Keeper of the Groove now present and his rotting hand raised.
"Interloper, you will not desecrate the sacred Gardens of the Old Ones!" He roared, raising his hand and summoning up large roots from the ground.
Ichigo scowled and quickly countered the two Dryad's attacks sent his way, cutting them down in the process, before he charged the Keeper. Said Keeper of the Groove shot his hand forward to try and crush Ichigo under the large tree stump thick vines. With a single step Ichigo evaded the large limb and continued towards the corrupted Keeper.
If he was anything like Meredras than he needed to be taken down quick, because there was no telling what kind of tricks this Keeper could use against him. He found out one of them when he swung out, his blade meeting a strange barrier just over the Keeper's skin that blocked his blade.
Ichigo pulled back and tried to strike again, but the Keeper was quicker, summoning up vines from beneath the ground and ensnaring the substitute's legs. Then it tried to claw at him, its long sharp taloned arm speared towards his throat. Ichigo caught it with his blade, holding it back as much as he could, yet this things strength was certainly well above that of normal beings. Even with Ichigo's own strength, far outstripping most humans, was failing to keep the claw from moving closer.
Straining to hold the rotting claw back, with maggots and sludge flowing from the disintegrating bark, he was caught off guard when a spear slammed into his shoulder. He let out a scream before something slammed into his side, glancing down he saw that it was the Keeper's stave. A burst of foul energies exploded outwards and Ichigo was sent flying away, roots torn from the ground as he slammed into the muddy wall.
The spear snapped as he rolled down and into a shallow puddle of green water, he shot out of it when he felt it touch his skin. It actually burned, whatever was in the water was so virulent that it had actually singed his skin.
But he was lucky, or cursed, because the vines that moved through his body pulse out and began to release a chemical that dulled the burns. But some of those same vines were now rotting away and deteriorating, he was losing one of his trump cards.
With a growl he grasped the head of the shattered spear and pulled it free, he looked to the hole and was thankful it was closing. Although he noticed that the spearhead had cut through his palm, going through the gauntlet and digging into his flesh. Narrowing his eyes he glared at the Keeper and what remained of the Dryads, he would finish this quick.
Using Shunpo he appeared beside one of the Dryads, he twisted around and swing, cutting her so that her elven and doe bodies were separated. Turning around he parried a spear strike and stabbed the attacker, when she was down he rolled to avoid a beam of crimson energy. Rising up he watched as the dark energies coursed over the Keeper's body, that is what kept him safe from his blade's edge.
Glancing to the side he saw another Dryad moving to attack, seeing her spear raised up he reacted quickly. Swinging high he lopped off her arm, ignoring her screams of rage and pain, he then sliced her chest open before catching her spear as it fell. Shaking it to get rid of the hand that continued to grasp it Ichigo levelled up his shot and threw.
The Keeper was taken by surprise by the tactic, and that proved to be its undoing as the spear struck him in the breast. A pained gurgle escaped the corrupted Keeper's mouth, but it was not as loud or enraged as when he turned towards the attacker. Ichigo lunged forward and swung down hard, in spite of the pain and the speed of the attack, the Keeper raised his wooden limb to try and stop the strike.
It availed him his survival, but it came at the cost of a deep wound and a lost limb. The wooden appendage flew free just below the elbow, while a deep gauge was sliced into the Keeper's chest as Zangetsu planted itself right into the middle of his torso. Yet the Keeper was far from finished. Even with a lost arm, that spewed putrid blood that was black and smelled like death, it attacked with bloody frenzy.
He swung his stave forward, the crimson energies upon it forcing Ichigo back. Armour dented and cracked further Ichigo ignored it all and charged in, Zangetsu was drawn back in one hand and the other held low.
The Keeper attacked, swinging his staff forward and bathing it in powerful corruptive energies, but Ichigo stopped the attack head on. Grasping the shaft of the staff Ichigo halted it there, before swinging Zangetsu around and breaking the staff. With the remains of the weapon, along with the still pulsating headpiece, Ichigo twisted it around and slammed it into the corrupted Keeper's face.
The protective aura surrounding him shattered, exploding outward along with a spray of dark crimson shooting from the Keeper's jaw. As he staggered Ichigo struck again, smashing the headpiece into his face once more and making the head jerk in the opposite direction. Then he followed up with his Zanpakutō, the Keeper caught his wrist and halted his blade but Ichigo countered with the headpiece once more.
Smashing it into the Keeper's arm he broke the limb, with both limbs no longer functional, the corrupted Keeper was completely defenseless. Ichigo capitalized on that fact, with his weapon now free, he raised Zangetsu and plunged it into the Keepers chest. With the blade through his heart the Keeper could do nothing but look down in shock, which was something soon mirrored by Ichigo.
Watching he found the dark crimson energies pulse and escape from the Keeper and explode outwards. Throwing the substitute back and into the mud, rolling back to his feet he raised Zangetsu and prepared to attack. But it was pointless, his opponent had been defeated.
The Keeper was slumped on the ground, fresh crimson escaping his chest and staining his body and the ground below. Ichigo noticed that the blood was no longer black and tainted, and that the strange vein markings on his body also seemed to have receded.
'Maybe Zangetsu cleansed him, odd that it worked on his body though.' Ichigo mused, wondering if it was possible that it required the corruption to be removed from the body so the soul could escape.
But he did not dwell on it further, only giving a casual glance around to find that the Dryad's have been dealt with. All were dead, not a single one remained standing or unbloodied. It was a little unnerving to see the bodies of his enemies like this, circumstances made their deaths a difficult thing to stomach.
'Got to keep going.' Ichigo though, remembering that he would dwell on this when it was over.
Although he had the feeling that he would be thinking on a lot of things when he got out of this mountain, he was almost worried about what he would come to a realization over.
But as he had done many times before he was forced from his thoughts as his instinct alerted him to another threat, around him he could feel dozens of spiritual signatures. Raising Zangetsu he got ready to defend himself, and to his surprise he found himself surrounded by Dryads. Although these ones did not appear to be as dark veined and rotten thorn covered as the previous bunch he fought.
"Be at peace, we do not wish to fight."
Glancing to the speak Ichigo found it to be a Keeper of the Grove, but not just any Keeper, the same one he had just cut down only a few moment ago. His form was ethereal, as were the Dryads, and pulsing with a soothing emerald glow that seemed to ward off the foulness of the cavern.
"You have our thanks mortal, if not for your actions we would have remained as prisoners to the corruption within this cavern." The Keeper said.
Ichigo lowered Zangetsu, letting the tip rest in the mud as he regarded them, it would seem that his Zanpakutō had done its job.
"No problem." Ichigo replied. "Names Ichigo, and you are?"
"I am Celebras." Ichigo recognized it immediately, Cavindra has talked about this Keeper alongside her sisters that had come here over a thousand years ago.
She had told Ichigo that along with many others of her kind coming only to be trapped within Maraudon. How she along with her brother and sisters had passed through the region to go to Silithus to help in the war effort against some insectoid race called the Aqir. They had made a detour through the Desolace to search for Zaetar when he disappeared and never returned. But she had said that they entered the mountain when they sensed his presence and had been lured into a trap. For when they entered Maraudon her brother and the rest of her sisters were taken and consumed by the evils within, guess she was being literal.
"You are Cavindra's brother, seems you hadn't die like she said." Ichigo replied.
"No, and if you know my sisters name than it means she is alive and untainted by this foulness." Celebras said, sounding relieved and showing it when he received a nod from the Shinigami. "But we cannot waste time, you must continue forward and cleanse this place before all is too late."
"I know, Princess Theradras, I plan to bury the bitch down here and stop her from bringing the Elemental Planes any closer." Ichigo replied.
"That is not the threat you must stop." Celebras stated gravely, his words so low and menacing it gave Ichigo pause. "For an even greater evil lurks within these caverns and is the cause for the corruption that consumed us. Theradras is only a pawn that is aiding in giving a gateway for this evil to spread its taint deeper into the Emerald Dream."
Ichigo was silent for a moment, digesting the words and immediately understanding where he was coming from. He didn't know how this event was somehow aiding in the corruption of the Emerald Dream, but he knew it was working. The same corruption here was spreading through the wilderness around the Dread Bough, so that means he was right that something bad was down here.
"What am I dealing with down here?" Ichigo asked. "I was told that if I defeat Theradras that this place would seal itself back up, will this work or not?"
"Princess Theradras must be defeated, that cannot be disputed, but what she serves is an evil so ancient and dark that its very presence corrupts and drives weak men mad, it is an even greater threat." Celebras replied. "But it required Theradras to spread its corruption, for it is trapped beyond these lands and is using her for its own ends. She is creating the breach it needs to extend its influence, stop her and seal this place and it too shall be halted. Seal it before either can wreak anymore harm upon the world."
Ichigo still had no idea what this Ancient and Dark entity was, but he would deal with it when the time came, he had faced many enemies and he wouldn't back down to anything. Theradras was going to be put down permanently along with whatever bastard thought he could get away with corrupting these people here.
"Can you tell me where Theradras is? I can't keep wandering around these caverns for much longer. I need to get to her now." Ichigo said, if they could help him in more than just words and a warning that would be helpful.
"Yes, I can send you deeper into the mountain, on the very edge of Theradras' domain." Celebras replied, raising his staff and bathing the ghostly weapon in power. "But be warned, she is not to be taken lightly, she is the daughter of the Elemental Lord Therazane and a servant to the Old Gods. Her servants along with her masters will attempt to bar your way, do not hesitate to destroy them."
Ichigo nodded his head, before those energies surged forward and surrounded him. He felt a moment of weightlessness before everything was enveloped in a bright light, and when he was back he fell to a knee. Fluid leaking into his greaves and the sound of water flowing reaching his ears, although the stream he stood in was crystal clear and did not reek of rot and disease.
Looking around he found himself in a massive cavern, the walls were shades of pale blue and white, while the water had such clarity that it almost appeared to not be there. Dropping his hands into the water he brought it up and washed himself off, getting rid of the mud and other foulness. Hell, he dropped onto his back and rolled in the water, just to cool off and actually feel it on his skin.
He shivered at the cool water that ran through the openings in his armor, over his skin and touching him everywhere. It felt damn good.
"I needed that." Ichigo said aloud, gladdened to have the filth off him and also being able to cool himself down.
Rising from the stream he moved towards the edge of the water, looking over the fall and down into a series of cliffs and waterfalls that led down into a larger cavern system below. He scanned the area and quickly found a route through, but he did not take it with caution, running and leaping from place to place he descended the cliff face and down into the depths of Maraudon.
Reaching the base he looked ahead to find a long wide open passageway, leading further along. He narrowed his eyes as he rushed headlong into the unknown, he could sense her more clearly now, but even so, how could all of this be beneath the earth. There was so much about this he didn't understand and it made him frustrated, because this entire thing felt like the plot of something much more powerful and dangerous.
Aizen had manipulated the entire Gotei and used them to further his own ends, being able to outwit everyone to the very end and even when they were victorious he still got what he wanted. This entire situation seemed to be similar, everything was shaping up to the whims and plans of something that worked behind the scenes and used others to do the dirty work they didn't want to do.
Celebras called this thing an Old God, whatever the hell that was meant it wasn't to be considered anything short of powerful. So maybe he should consider Zangetsu's warning, actually avoiding contact with whatever this thing was and just deal with Theradras and escape.
'Easier said than done, I have no idea where this thing is that's pulling Theradras' strings.' Ichigo mused, running through a canyon of large bluffs that stretched up several hundred feet yet seemed so far from touching the ceiling.
It was a beautiful place to hike through, the crystal clear ankle deep waters and the near white stone along with the dazzling light that seemed to pierce through the holes in the roof – light that should not be able to pierce this deep into the earth – just made it all the more mesmerizing. Like a hidden paradise, shielded from the outside world and probably the only speck of splendor that exists in the Desolace.
Strange that with all that dark power and death that seems to permeate this land that the realm that Theradras inhabits was full of life and purity. Maybe it was the Princesses own vanity that prevented her from residing somewhere that wasn't stunning to look upon.
But in the end this is the place where he would annihilate that bitch and leave her buried beneath the rubble.
Before he could take another step towards that obligation he was forced to a halt, a massive explosion of water and earth erupted in front of him. Ichigo was quick to grasped Zangetsu and watch as the water dropped, but it was the massive hand that lunged from it that forced him to retreat.
Using Shunpo he gained some distance before swinging Zangetsu forward, a nameless Getsuga Tenshō flew from his blade and collided with the attacking creature. The explosion shrouded the entity from sight, but what couldn't be seen could still be felt both by his senses as well as through the earth beneath his feet.
The dense spiritual energy showed it off as an elemental, thick and heavy spiritual pressure showed it to be of great power, while the thundering footfalls and quakes through the water made it out to be large in stature. When the cloud and rock cleared he found himself facing a twenty five foot tall mountain giant, pale blue stone and composed of solid rock.
"This might be tricky." Ichigo mumbled aloud, noticing the crack and scar along its chest.
His Getsuga didn't seem to have done much but give the elemental a chink in its skin, meaning that cutting through the bastard was not going to be easy. Usually the other elementals were not so hard to deal with, but that was because all he had to do was cut their bracers off. These elementals were tough, their spiritual pressure was thick and heavy, made cutting them apart a chore.
"At least there's only one of you." Ichigo said, scowling as he prepared to knock this bastard down.
But when he felt a thundering footfall that nearly staggered him he turned to the source, eyes widening when he found two more giants strolling towards him. But they were only the beginning, for in the opposite direction another appeared and behind the first were two others, in the end he was facing down six of them all alone.
"Just my fucking luck." Ichigo growled, turning to glare at the three ahead of him.
He turned to one of the bluffs and without giving them a chance he swung hard, releasing a Getsuga Tenshō and shattering the base. The vertical mountain cracked and seemed to shift, but remained upright, and Ichigo ensured it fall when he fired another Getsuga.
As the mesa lurched and fell towards the trio of Giants Ichigo turned and swung at the duo to his left, releasing another Getsuga and hoping to keep them at a distance. When the massive mesa crashed down on the three, upturning the water and making the ground quake, and the other two were distracted Ichigo twirled on his feet and charged the single Giant.
Using Shunpo he appeared next to its leg and swung down hard, it did little more than make his ears hurt hearing metal grind against stone. Scowling he leaped back when the leg he tried to cut lifted itself up to squish him. Swinging Zangetsu up Ichigo threw a Getsuga right into the Mountain Giant's face.
Even when it exploded and sent the massive earth giant reeling it did not seem to do any harm, its spiritual pressure did not change noticeably and while it fell to a knee it quickly rose back up. Ducking down he avoided the blind swipe from the elemental before using Shunpo to give himself some space, even if it was temporary.
Narrowing his eyes he charged in, running headlong at the Mountain Giant and keeping an eye on its massive fist. When said hand came down to crush him Ichigo halted and quickly retreated, using Shunpo to put himself several feet away before using it again to get in close. Leaping up and onto the fist he leaped up and stabbed into the Mountain Giant's chest, pulling himself up and onto its broad shoulder.
'Now comes the tricky part of the plan.' Ichigo thought.
Running along the shoulder he got right behind its head and raised Zangetsu up, bathing it in energy and preparing to stab it through the brain. But when it began to thrash he was forced to free one hand and try to stabilize himself. Thinking quickly he grabbed the cloth and swing it around the mountain giant's head, using it to keep himself from being thrown off.
Now anchored and fastened in place he raised Zangetsu up once more and bathed it in spiritual power, making his large blade glow a deep blue. He stabbed down with all his might, unlike before his blade pierced the stone and dug deep into the 'meat' beneath. The Giant let out a roar and attempted to toss Ichigo off his back, his arms unable to reach the substitute above its head.
Ichigo poured his power into the Giant, fighting against the dense spiritual energies within to try and overwhelm it. He hadn't done something like this since he blew up the Sōkyoku Gallows, although this didn't feel as easy as that time.
'Probably because that stand wasn't fighting back and was so damn dense.' Ichigo grumbled, fighting to keep himself from being thrown off.
But when he heard a guttural roar he glanced up, catching sight of the two other Mountain Giants rushing towards him. Ichigo let out an irritated grunt, but his eyes widened when he heard a booming crack. Turning to the fallen mesa he was shocked to see the three giants he buried were crawling out of the pile of rubble and looked no worse for wear.
'You got to be shitting me.' Ichigo grouched.
Looking down he poured as much power into the blade as he could, ignoring the charging mountain giants and tried to finish at least one of them off. Because as soon as he finished this guy off he would be upgrading himself to a double, and then a triple after that, his life just couldn't be easy now could it.
Letting his thoughts bleed away and his instincts take over he raised his free palm and slammed it into the pummel of his Zanpakutō. The effect was immediate and violent, his spiritual pressure and power shot out and through the giant, blowing through its chest and leaving a nice hole that nearly encompassed its entire torso.
As the giant fell forward Ichigo looked up, catching sight of the massive fist moving right for him. Leaping to the side, avoiding the blow that sent the dead mountain giant flying back, landing he rolled back to his feet and took off into a run. He dodged another fist, using Shunpo to gain some distance and plan out another attack.
'Same plan won't work twice, they won't give me a chance.' Ichigo thought, before he heard a crash and groaned.
Turning to look at the source he found two of the giants had freed themselves from the collapse plateau, the other one was only a few moments away from getting out as well. He needed to kill these things fast, as much as he loathed to admit it maybe he needed to consider Bankai.
"Damn, to think I need it to get through the fodder." Ichigo thought aloud.
Using Shunpo again he evaded another one of the Mountain Giant's attacks. He had already made up his mind at that point, and quickly raised his Zanpakutō up and prepared to release his Bankai. His body was shrouded in a violent blue aura, exploding outwards, but the Giants did not seem deterred.
"Bankai!" Ichigo intoned.
The outburst of spiritual power did not seem to stagger the elemental, its massive fist continued on course and appeared to strike something. A hard clang was heard and dispersed the spiritual energy cloud, revealing Ichigo holding back the punch with Tensa Zangetsu.
With a heave he threw the fist to the side and attacked, leaping forward and slashing into the Mountain Giant's chest. As he stumbled back, the Zanpakutō cutting through its thick hide, its brethren charged forward to take a swing at Ichigo.
Ducking around a punch he slashed at a leg, carving through the stone skin with some resistance. Ichigo followed up with another strike, parrying a punch and sending the attacker staggering to the side, and continued to battle against the four Mountain Giants.
'Damn, they're still being a pain.' Ichigo thought, leaping over a fist and landing on its arm.
As it lifted the limb Ichigo ran along it and when he reached the shoulder he swung Tensa Zangetsu, releasing a dark wave of spiritual pressure right into the elemental's face. Leaping off the shoulder, just as the giant fell to its hands and knees, he landed in the water and released two more waves. Each struck one of the giants, before focusing on the fourth and planning to finish it quick while he had the chance.
Ducking between its legs he leaped up and scaled its back quickly, once he was on its shoulders he raised Tensa Zangetsu and swung hard. Dark energies danced along his blade, the pressure and dense power aiding in cutting through the stone and severing its head.
Glancing up he found the three remaining giants were rising up, one had most of its face missing and the other two had deep wounds in their torsos. Ichigo narrowed his eyes and prepared to jump in, but something grabbed him, enveloping his entire body in its grasp. Looking over his shoulder he let out a short curse, he had forgotten about the other one that had been trapped in the fallen mesa.
It pulled him close and brought around it other hand, Ichigo had several gruesome ideas on what it intended to do and he had no intention of letting any of that happen. He swung at the approaching hand and shattered it, the rock exploding as his blade struck the palm.
The elemental let out a pained moan before glaring at Ichigo, then it raised him up and threw him to the ground – hard. The impact Ichigo didn't feel, mostly because he was rendered unconscious in those few seconds after he hit the muddy earth. But when he came to, his entire body was in agony, his muscles, bones and entire physical being was screaming in pain. With what strength he had he pushed himself up to his hands and knees, trying to fight through the ache as his body was repairing itself.
Yet his mind quickly went blank and the pain evaporated when he found himself overshadowed by something, without looking up to see what it was he leaped forward. He saved himself from being crushed, yet the aggravation of any broken bones and torn muscle came back immediately.
"That really…" Blood flew from his mouth, spraying into the water beneath him.
Hacking the rest up he tried to focus, he still had four of these guys to take down and the longer he used Bankai the more damage that was done. He also couldn't risk using it even with the Ash and these strange vines that covered his skin, most of which had been lost. But the major problem he faced was that he was now unarmed, his Zanpakuto currently lost amid the shallow waters.
"Where the hell are you?" Ichigo gritted out, looking around to see if he could find Tensa Zangetsu.
He wasn't given much time to search, another shadow loomed over him and threatened to crush him entirely. Using Shunpo he made himself scarce and got away from the group of giants, just as where he was standing was pulverized.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes, these guys may not have as much spiritual power as him but they were dense in both energy and form. That would make them difficult to cut through, so he needed to focus his power match their density. They were spiritual beings not unlike him, so the rule of power came into play right now. Cut them with as much power as he could and he would overwhelm their dense spiritual presence.
"But I need Tensa Zangetsu for that." Ichigo thought, trying to see if he could sense his Zanpakutō.
When he took a step forward he felt a twinge of pain shoot up his leg, his joints hurt and his muscles were sore. That attack along with the compression of his Bankai was starting to hurt him, he didn't know how much longer he had before he was going to do some irreparable damage.
Looking up he sensed the familiar spiritual pressure of his Bankai, laying in the water just beyond the four giants. Seeing where he lay he took off, running as fast as he could through the water, running straight for the small gap between the four hulking elementals.
When he was close and they prepared to strike he used Shunpo, weaving between them quickly and appearing on the opposite side of the group. Sliding along the ground he grasped the barely visible hilt of Tensa Zangetsu beneath the water, rising back up he charged the closest mountain giant.
He swung to meet the giant's fist, shattering it with little effort. As it staggered away Ichigo used Shunpo to appear by its side, blowing through one of its legs and bringing it down to a knee. From there he used Shunpo again to get right behind it and shoved it forward with a Getsuga Tenshō.
When the thing face planted into the water Ichigo rushed up onto its back, looking for the nice tear he created in its skin he readied Tensa Zangetsu. He quickly reacted when he saw the incoming hand, turning and twisting around he sliced through the limb and saved himself another uncomfortable squeeze from this guy. When it staggered away in surprise Ichigo casually stabbed Tensa Zangetsu into the laceration, bathing it in power he swung up along the jagged tear.
The wave of force shot through the Elemental and right out the top of its shoulder and head, blowing out its rocky interior. With that one down, he looked at the remaining Mountain Giants as they ran at him, roaring in anger and hate.
Three down, three to go.
He charged into the midst of them, swinging hard he parried an incoming fist before staggering the second as it tried to grab him. As it fell to a knee Ichigo used its leg as a jump point get some air and lunge towards the third, all the while sending a Getsuga towards the first. With them down he was sailing ahead with no resistance and impaled his Bankai into the chest of the final Mountain Giant.
As it staggered back in surprise Ichigo grasped its rocky lip and pulled himself up, getting right into its face. Scowling into its large amber eye he speared Tensa Zangetsu right through it, making sure to push the blade in right up to the hilt. The elemental cried out in pain, howling as it shook and stumbled around, even if it got impaled through the head it was not going to die.
'Guess you need to take it off completely to do that.' Ichigo thought, thinking for a moment before looking down at the chain attached to his handle.
He raised an eyebrow and wondered for a moment if it works the same way, he had actually never tried this while using his Bankai before. Giving a shrug he grabbed hold of the chain and leaped back, leaving his blade still lodged in the elementals brain - or possibly just its head.
Landing in the water he turned to find the other two giants were still getting back up, the one he took the hand off and most of its forearm was struggling with that nice cut along its chest. He would need to finish this test quick and see if it worked, otherwise he would need to get Tensa Zangetsu back.
But luckily for him he had in his hand exactly what he expected to have, the chain connecting to the hilt of his sword. It seems that he could extend the chain of his Bankai as he could extend the cloth of his Shikai. But what came next was the real test, he began to channel his spiritual energy through the chain and towards his Zanpakutō.
He had done it before with his Shikai in the sewers beneath Ethel Rethor, it might be possible for him to do the same in spite of the released state of his Zanpakuto. It might also have more combat applications than just being able to be used as a flashlight.
When he watched as the blade pulsed and flared with dark energies he jerked the chain hard, the effect was immediate. The head exploded outwards and the sword came arcing across and embedding itself into the ground. The results were as he expected them to be, the now headless elemental collapsed to the ground like a limp doll while Zangetsu churned with some remaining power.
'Looks like I got a new way to fight, wonder if fighting like this is viable though?' Ichigo thought, examining the chain in his hand.
When he heard a heavy footfall he glanced over his shoulder to see the elemental charging at him, roaring in fury. Reacting quickly he pull on the chain and towards himself, but he wasn't fast enough to catch it before he had to dodge the foot that threatened to crush him. Using Shunpo he evaded it easily enough, appearing some distance away and again pulling Tensa Zangetsu towards him.
He kept hold of the chain and swung it over his head, twirling it rapidly and waiting for the elemental to charge him. Ichigo didn't have to wait long before it did just that, going headlong for the substitute without any thought. As soon as it charged he extended the chain, taking hold of it with two hands, and swinging it with all his might at the mountain giant.
The blade struck its side, exploded with spiritual energy and pressure, and throwing the giant off its feet and shattering the majority of its torso in the process. As it fell and rolled along the ground Ichigo pulled Tensa Zangetsu back and began to build up some more momentum.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
He flung the chain up and then pulled it right back down, dropping his Zanpakutō right on top of the wounded giant as if it was a large flail. The explosion was violent and loud, nearly throwing Ichigo off his own feet as he ran to catch his blade that was flung back towards him.
Snagging the blade from the air he looked at his work, finding the shattered rubble of the Mountain Giant to be the result of his newfound fighting style. He couldn't complain about the results, that cloth and chain were certainly going to become a new style for him.
'Five down.' Ichigo mentally counted, turning to regard the last giant. "One to go."
Twisting Tensa Zangetsu into a reverse grip he waited for the wounded and beaten Mountain Giant to get back onto his feet. The minute it took to happen was not something Ichigo was particularly proud of waiting for. But as soon as it was standing tall he threw his blade forward, spearing the giant through the chest.
Holding onto the chain tightly he charged forward, using Shunpo to shoot down and between its stumpy legs he went on for several meters. Dragging the chain with him and when it went taut the blade followed after him. The giant let out a scream of pain as its torso from neck to groin was carved open by Tensa Zangetsu.
Ichigo stopped, turning and catching his blade as it flew towards him. The Mountain Giant was on its hands and knees, struggling to move and continue to fight, there was no way it could do anything else but wait for the end. Seeing no point in drawing this out Ichigo reversed his hold on Tensa Zangetsu and charged, leaping up and onto the giant's back.
When he touched the stone skin and raised Tensa Zangetsu up, planning on doing what he had done to the other giants, it retaliated. Before he could do anything the Mountain Giant roared out, defiant to the end it threw itself to the side. Ichigo was thrown off and landed with a splash, he rose up quick to keep fighting but not fast enough.
A hand slammed down on top of him, unlike the sweet mercy of unconsciousness this time he met it head on and felt it all. He spewed up a mouthful of blood and choked on it. The large stone fingers curled around him and lifted him up, his body limp in the giants hand as it glared at the wounded substitute.
"Got… to admit… I didn't think you… could be that fast…" Ichigo said, coughing up another mouthful of blood. "You … stupid fucking… rock…"
The elemental seemed to understand his words, as its features morphed into an angry frown, before it raised its broken arm up. Planning to use the stump to grind the substitute into a paste, but Ichigo was not going to let himself get killed down here and especially not like that. Ichigo swung Tensa Zangetsu up and releasing a Getsuga, slamming into the giant's shoulder, shattering the arm and severing it from the rest of the body.
It dropped Ichigo, who fell to the earth and landed with a wet thump on the ground. Pulling himself out of the water, if only to save himself from drowning in the shallow waters, he flopped onto his back and pulled on the chain still in his hand. Dragging Tensa Zangetsu back towards him, all the while the Mountain Giant fell down and tried to push itself back onto its knees.
"Shit, what the hell are you made of?" Ichigo growled.
This Mountain Giant must be the one that just won't go down in spite of how much you tear it apart. But the next attack was going to end it, Ichigo was certain of that, so all he had to do was drag his blade back to his hands and make that attack.
When Ichigo felt the handle he grasped it, but had to fight to gain the strength to swing it. His entire body was screaming right now, yet he pulled himself up to a sitting position and turned to the bastard that had put him in this state.
The giant was looking at him, glaring with all the hate it could muster. But there was nothing more that it could do but stare, Ichigo intended to make sure it didn't figure something else out and swung. It took all his strength to do it, along with all the endurance he could muster to fight back the pain.
The Getsuga flew out and collided with its head, exploding on contact and showing Ichigo with pebbles and dust. As the Mountain Giant's headless body slumped into the water so too did Ichigo, exhaustion and pain forcing him to remain still as he took in ragged breaths.
"That ended worse than I expected." Ichigo thought aloud, letting out a cough and wincing as his entire body quaked with pain.
He lay there immobile, but he could still feel it. He painfully raised his arm up, only just slightly to look at something, and when he glanced at it he knew he was in trouble. The vines that once spread across his body were either torn off or broken, the power within them gone. Worse still, he could see bruises and a laceration on his arm that was not healing quickly.
With some effort he forced himself out of his Bankai, in spite of relieving himself of that power he felt only greater pain assault him. Like a cast on a broken leg being removed, his power being the only thing keeping his broken bones and torn muscles from ripping apart under the same pressures that were kept them together.
He lay there, letting whatever remaining magic that healing him did its work. In those few minutes he was made to realize just what kind of power he was dealing with, and likely what kind of challenge was ahead of him.
'Bankai, even with that I got wounded and the shit kicked out of me.'
Not so much the shit, but even in this form his powers could only protect him so much from getting hurt. His body was still human, the limitations were still there in spite of all the power he had. Even when he fought against Immol'thar, that massive demonic hound in Dire Maul, he was certain when he blocked the attack it broke some bones.
'How the hell do I fight against Theradras like this? Use Bankai again while I got all these wounds?' Ichigo thought.
Sure all the other times he used Bankai he had been rendered unconscious because of the trauma he suffered, this case wasn't the same. Likely due to the Ashes and Healing vines on his body, either repairing the damage as it appeared or at least giving him an anesthetic to fight through the pain.
But they were wearing off, the Ash had run its course through his system and the vines were all but destroyed now. He couldn't rely on them anymore while going ahead to fight Theradras, but she was likely still guarded by who knows how many more Mountain Giants and elementals. Right now he was alone, wounded, and had no idea how to proceed from here and come out on top.
"I came all this way, gained all this power, and it is going to mean nothing in the end?" Ichigo shouted. "I can't die down here without stopping her!"
"You fight with all your strength and in spite of pain and agony you would continue forwards, an admirable trait." The gravelly response to his frustrated cries took the Substitute by surprise.
When he turned to the voice he was caught off guard to see who it was, the large lumbering form of Veles loomed nearby. He was watching the substitute intently, Ichigo could tell that there was something going on in that spirits head with the way he looked at him.
But when a hand cupped the back of his head and cradled him he jumped, which caused him a good deal of pain for the small movement. A hand landed on his chest soon after, that had brought him some soothing warmth as he felt the pain slowly fade away. Looking to the one responsible he found the spectral Dryad, seated beside him and keeping his head out of the water as she healed him.
"Stay still, we will help you." She said, giving a warm smile as she continued the ministration.
But she was not alone, for she had brought all her sisters with her, and leading them was none other than Celebras.
"You fought well, but as you are there is little chance for you to continue on your way. Let us help you." Celebras said, adding his own magic to the healing.
Soon followed the two dozen other Dryad's adding their power to treat and repair the damage inflicted upon the substitute by his own immense spiritual power. Ichigo leaned back into the hand and let them do what they had to do.
"It is a marvelous power you possess, even restrained and hindered as it is, you are mightier than any mortal that walks this world." Veles stated, stepping forward and looming over Ichigo. "Yet that same power is too great for that shell to wield, you are too weak to control it as you are."
Ichigo scowled as he listened, he knew that from the beginning but to hear it thrown at his face like this didn't make the blow any less painful to take. His power was too great for his body to handle and he couldn't do anything about it.
"Yeah, I noticed." Ichigo bit back, glaring up at the Primal Spirit.
"Yet you stubbornly use it, in spite of pain and common sense you force yourself on and think you are the only one that can fix this." Veles seemed to be scolding him. "What is it that makes you different from Codexia, who thought herself to be the only one that can fix the elemental unrest?"
"Because I am not going to risk more lives being lost when only one needs to be sacrificed, because if I can't make it what chance does anyone else have at coming down here and surviving?" Ichigo replied.
"Stubborn and short-sighted, you are unwilling to sacrifice others because you are afraid of losing them, terrified of living with the pain of an empty heart." Veles said.
Ichigo growled at the comment, but said nothing. That had been something that had scared him, not just the truth behind the words but that they had been said by someone he had only just met. To think that this elemental could see so clearly into his heart terrified him, that someone knew what he felt and carried with him could so easily be seen.
"But, that same stubbornness drives you on and gives your life purpose, the willingness to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of others and for the innocent that are threatened." Veles replied, his words sounded thoughtful. "That is worthy of my power, and that of the Earth."
Ichigo was surprised by those words, what the hell did he mean by that?
Before he could ask Veles grasped a stone from his chest and ripped it free, holding it between his fingers he examined it. The stone pulsed with a deep green energy, Ichigo could feel it and he knew that it held a great deal of power.
"This is the last visages of my power, all the might I have left to give to you." Veles replied, lowering the stone towards Ichigo and placing it against his chest.
Ichigo looked down at it, not understanding what the hell this guy was doing. Not until he felt it, the sensation of something invading his being and merging with his soul. It reminded him of when his Hollow took over, the oppressive feeling of something crushing his heart. But this was not a malicious attack, but a heavy weight that was settling on top of him.
"Druantia has been wise to do what she did, without her actions it would be impossible for me to do what I do now." Veles said. "Yet we are not the only ones that have bound something to you, so many seals, essences and wards lay upon you already. Fate has grand plans for you, and yet your future is one that I cannot perceive."
Ichigo had no idea what he was talking about, but he would ask him about it when he felt this damn weight disappear. Within a minute it was gone, although he did feel a general heaviness that seemed to affect his entire body.
Once Veles withdrew, along with the Dryads, Ichigo stood up and flexed. He felt pretty good, the healing from Celebras and his sisters certainly had repaired the damage, although he wondered about what Veles had done.
"You have many questions, many things beyond your understanding, but they are not needed now. All you must know is what can help you achieve the goal you set out to complete, and what I have done is given you the power needed to defeat Princess Theradras." Veles said, looming over Ichigo as usual.
"What did you do to me?" Ichigo demanded.
"You must know that all Primalists beseech the Spirits for a portion of their power, we give them that power by giving a portion of ourselves onto those who are worthy of it." Veles stated. "Strange though, for you are bound to more than just me or Druantia, so many things lurk within you."
Ichigo had no idea what the hell he was going on about, but he knew that he wanted answers, and Veles was only speaking in riddles.
"Tell me, as plainly as possible, what did you do to me?" Ichigo barked.
The Spirit gave a grumble.
"I gave you my power, the presence and aura of the earth, with its strength and stability you will be able to harness that mighty power without your body failing you. Your bones, your flesh, your blood will all have the strength of the earth, as strong as stone and unbreakable as a mountain." Veles replied. "You will need all your strength to face Theradras, so I give you the means to harness it all without your body betraying you."
Ichigo looked down and flexed his hand, trying to see if he could feel this new power that was now coursing through his being. He did, after only a moment he felt it, he was surprised that his own energy could feel so dense and heavy. But he could only smirk, if what Veles said was right, this power he now had could allow him to use his Bankai, without any drawbacks.
"So I can use my Bankai now without having to worry about dying huh?" Ichigo asked, it was rhetorical of course. He turned and moved off, grasping his Zanpakutō and resting the large blade on his shoulder. "Thanks for the help you guys, I will pay you all back when I am finished with Theradras."
He had the power now, the strength to defeat Theradras and not have to worry about holding back or restraining his power just to survive. Ichigo intended to go all out, to end this once and for all without anything holding him back.
This is it, the last chapter for the next few weeks. Truly I am sorry that I have to drop off the map like this but I am just so overwhelmed with things that it is not funny, I am stressed out and life is not doing me any favours at the moment.
My mind is all over the place and I just cannot focus on anything enough to write. Hell these edits took me a week to do, when it usually takes me a night for each story I get.
So please enjoy my works as I sort out my life and also get my account set up and all my other accounts as well. I have a damn long way to go.
