Here is part 2, hope you like it, really went all out with this part. Also even if I cut this thing in half it is still damn long. Man I really should have cut back but what can you do? Anyway enjoy the chapter.


Transcendence

Chapter 64: Black Blood

"Keep moving!" Iyeana cried out.

"We have Elementals on the cliffs!" Hymaercia warned.

Iyeana glared up towards those cliffs, even with the night upon them she could still see, finding their entire lengths lines with elementals. Rocks and debris fell from on high, some of it being elementals that threw themselves down to crush her warriors with their own craggy bodies. Some of her people did fall, either from blows to the head or being outright crushed under the falling elementals boulder formed bodies.

Even with this threat from above it was by far the least of Iyeana's concerns, she had only to look behind her to find the greater threat barrelling towards them. The army of elementals chasing after them, that continued to grow in number with every metre as they navigated through this maze of valleys and clefts.

They had fought their way out of Maraudon, carving through the Elementals and what other foul things lurked in those dark places. From disembodied spirits of centaur and what demons were drawn to this dark lair of evil, they had their hands full. But they had some hope that when reaching the surface that they would have the sky above their heads and a way to navigate without getting lost.

But that was a dream that had been lost when the reality of the situation they had found themselves in, for the mountain they had originally navigated several days past had changed drastically. Every cleft and gorge they moved through was recently created, new and still changing with each passing minutes as the ground rose and fell to create new ranges and deeper valleys.

They had escaped a dark hole in the ground and found themselves lost in a labyrinth of ever changing walls and fissures. Made worse with an army of elementals burst up from any hole in the ground and assailed them at every turn.

"Hostiles to the right!"

Iyeana followed after her runners, only glancing to the right to confirm their warning. A small army of earth elementals were charging down that pass right for them. Just another massive force they would have on their heels in the next few moments.

"Thal'darah! Seal the way behind us!" Iyeana ordered.

The Archdruid was quick to obey, pulling several seeds from his pouch and tossing them into the ground as he ran. A moment later and a quiet mutter they sprouted from the earth, large thick green vines surged outwards and dug into the stone walls. A natural vine barrier was formed and barred the elementals mean of pursuing them.

But she knew that barrier would only offer a briefest of reprieves, previous experience has shown that they will get through or find another way around. These mountains were swarming with the spirits, blocking one way wouldn't stop the hundreds that were moving down another path. It was only a matter of time before they were cornered or caught up to, and then they would need to fight. But she had her doubts that they would survive a long drawn out confrontation with the elementals.

'Sometimes I wish that Ichigo was here, a Getsuga or just his thick skull would see us through.' Iyeana thought.

"What do we do when we get to the open?" Caren called out. "We will still be stuck in the middle of nowhere!"

Hopefully that wouldn't be the case.

"Before we departed from Ethel Rethor I had sent Anaesia with orders to Nijel's Point to see about retaking the Kodo Graveyard! If they have retaken Ghostwalker Post then we may have a chance to hold the mountain and seek refuge!"

Iyeana knew that while the forces she had marshalled in Ethel Rethor were not the majority of the army she had called from Stonetalon. While she gained the assistance of Master Thal'darah, Sentinel Mistress Geleneth and Elder Sareth'na from Stonetalon Peak, there was another she called for. He was the military commander for all forces in the mountainous region, Lord Fallowmere.

While she had not met with him she was told that he had arrives only hours after Thal'darah had, if he was here than there was hope. With those storms created by Caren with the Obelisk of Elune the Elementals would have been cleared from this entire region. Giving her people the opening they needed to actually create a foothold to seal off the mountain.

She just prayed that he was able to get there fast enough to set up the defences.

"And if he didn't?" Caren puffed out, face red with exertion.

Then there was no point in answering that question, they all knew if they didn't find refuge soon they would all be dead.

"Lord Fallowmere would not fail us!" Elder Sareth'na replied, not willing to let those doubts cloud their minds. "Think only of escaping from this place and nothing else!"

The runners swung around the corner before coming to a halt, turning around to glance in the other direction before making a swift retreat back to the group.

"Elementals! Both sides, closing in!"

"Prepare to engage!" Iyeana ordered, drawing an arrow and notching it.

As they reached the dividing path they met the elementals, the large assortment of rocky creatures attacked on mass. But they were met by Mairne and a few trusty warriors, their large size and strength easily a match for these spirits of stone. Yet their numbers greatly overshadowed their own, it wouldn't be strength that won this but numbers.

"Fight your way through! If we hold our ground we will be overwhelmed!" Mairne shouted, realizing quickly as well that they could not win.

"To the right!" Iyeana ordered, directing their forces to escape down the path of least resistance. "Thal'darah! Sareth'na! Caren! You know what to do!"

With what powers they had they blew through the elementals, arcane and natural magic merging together to blow away their enemies and open a way. Mairne and his warriors, but a handful now, gave them the chance they needed to get through the pass and then followed afterwards.

Just as before, Thal'darah sealed the path behind them, roots sprouting from the ground and embedding themselves in the walls to bar any from following them. That skirmish still had cost them lives, and at this point they were running out of people to lose. But it seems that they would be offering up what they few they had left, for another wave of elementals were coming up the path they sealed themselves in.

"Sentinels to the front!" Iyeana ordered, forming a firing line. "Make every shot count!"

Behind them Mairne, Caren, Sareth'na and Thal'darah offered their power and enchantments to their arrows, giving them the needed oomph to deal with these elementals. They were set loose, their aim was true and not a shot missed, and while some exploded on impact or disrupted the spirits connection to their rocky bodies, those struck fell to the ground as debris.

"Second volley!" Iyeana ordered, drawing another arrow.

She only had four left, but she was certain that she saw some of her Sentinels taking the arrows from the quivers of the warriors beside them. This would likely be the last time they could use their bows, she just hoped that this was not where they were wasted.

"Prepare to charge!" Mairne called out, hefting his mace and slamming it against his shield.

His comrades roared out, echoing battle cries and wordless shouts as they prepared to descend into melee. When Iyeana ordered the second barrage to let loose they moved in, charging headlong into the elemental wave and stalling them.

Drawing her own sword she moved after them, her Sentinels followed closely and added their own skill to the battle. It was a quick skirmish, one that Iyeana was glad for. They had a lot more ground to cover and it was slowly being overrun by elementals. She just hoped that the erratic directions they were taking would lead them off the mountain rather than further into it.

"Keep moving!" Iyeana ordered.

They ran again, they did not have the time to take a breath or rest. Iyeana took the head, racing beside one of her fellow Sentinels, the other runner had fallen and now she would lead their escape. Path after path presented itself and they always were forced to choose the easiest, some choices however were not always the best.

They ran into dead ends, traps and even in one case nearly circled back around on themselves before they turned back. It was daunting how they had become so lost, but it was obvious why. They had been feeling tremors as of late, in the distance there was crashing and the breaking of stone. It was obvious that the mountain was still being rearranged by the rampant energies released from the breach.

Every way they went would be into the unknown, even if they went further down the mountain they had no idea if they were getting closer to an exit. Truly they were trapped.

"Keep together!" Iyeana called out. "Caren! Can you open a portal here?"

They couldn't keep running, not without knowing where they may be leading themselves. It could be their escape or it could be to their graves, she couldn't risk it. While the idea of a portal had always been mentioned there was a problem doing so, interference.

"No! There is too much energy in the atmosphere, the air it is dampening my powers!" The mage called back.

With a scowl Iyeana turned and directed her troops forwards, they had to keep moving or these quakes and shifts in the earth would claim their lives. Or at worst trap them for the elementals to find them, but with every shift that came they would have to fight to find a new way off the mountain.

"We need to get to higher ground!" Mairne called out. "Fine a path and see where we are!"

"There is no time!" Iyeana responded,

"We do not even know if we are heading down towards the Graveyard! We might be going towards the ocean now for all we know!" Thal'darah called back.

That they couldn't deny, but if they stayed in one place for too long they were bound to be found and swarmed. Even as they argued they had to keep running, if they stop they risk the chance of being spotted and every elemental on this mountain continuing to chase them.

But it was running into the elementals was their next concern. They came to a halt when a section of the canyon wall ahead of her collapsed, rock and dust blinded them for a second. Yet their ears and feet alerted them to a threat, from the guttural groan and a thundering footstep that shook the earth they knew an elemental was responsible.

A large lumbering earth giant strolled out in front of them, slowly it turned and glared down at them with ruby eyes. Iyeana let out a curse before she quickly retreated, she drew her last two arrows and notched them. A quick call towards Caren and the heads of her arrows were enchanted, churning with arcane energies of a potent spell.

They hit their mark, both striking the elemental in the face and one being able to blow out an eye. The giant staggered, howling a low guttural moan before it staggered forward and attempted to blindly swat what had attacked it.

Iyeana leaped aside, rolled away and under the massive fist that nearly struck her. Facing something like that was not in the best interest of her party, they had so few left, fighting this beast might be the end of them all. But what choice did they have, they needed to fight it if they hoped to escape.

"Prepare yourselves!" Iyeana called out.

They drew their weapons and prepared for the elementals next move, the elemental staggered forward with a hand still holding the socket where its eyes once resided while glaring with its only remaining one. It let out a bellow and charged, its feet made the ground shutter and crack with each fall. Yet its charge was brought to a halt when a barrage of lightning and arcane missiles slammed into its back.

It staggered forward and fell to its knees, while the defenders watched on in surprise as the unexpected turn. Only to be shocked when they noticed a large fireball descend from the sky, that crashed right into the back of the elemental. The explosion of fire and rock shattered the elemental in its entirety, leaving behind a burning field ahead of the group.

Iyeana turned to look at her party, finding the only ones that were possibly responsible for that feat of magic seemed to be taken by surprise as well. But even if they were the only ones that could have done such a fear, none of them had the power to enact such a spell or flurry of attacks of that magnitude.

That was the truth, for someone else had come and taken care of the elemental. Those individuals soon appeared, a wave of ice extinguishing the flames and allowing them to move forward unharmed. It was a large group, several dozen individuals of varying size and bulk moving forward slowly and being led by a single woman.

"Lady Proudmoore!" Caren called out in shock.

Iyeana had recognised her even before the young mages exclamation of shock, it had taken that shout to actually shake her from her stupor. The Queen of Theramore stepped forward, draped in her usual white clothes and her long purple cloak. But what was most surprising is those that she brought with her, for not only were there Sentinels and Mages, a large contingent of Tauren Braves.

She noted some people she recognised, each of them likely the leader of these small groups, her second in command Anaesia, Jaina's right hand man Trevosh, and Archdruid Hamuul Runetotem. Never did she expect to see all three of them here, especially led by Jaina Proudmoore.

"Iyeana, thank the Light we found you. It has been hours since we last saw you." Jaina said, moving forward to greet the survivors. "What happened?"

"Things did not go according to plan." Iyeana replied, looking back at her group. "How did you find us?"

"We could see you from down the mountain, all those spells being fired drew out attention. We have been looking for you for hours now."

Jaina looked at the group, her eyes roaming over each of them and quickly she took note of two individuals missing. To not see those two in the group, whom she could only suspect were the sole survivors of this excursion, truly expressed how dire the situation had become.

"Are these warriors here all that remain?" Jaina quietly asked, wondering if it was even pertinent to ask.

"Yes, we are what is left of the main force." Iyeana replied.

Before anymore words could be said they were attacked, another wave of elementals approached from behind. Iyeana barked for her warriors to prepare for battle, while Jaina's own reinforcements came in close to provide assistance. Fresh Sentinels provided provisions to their weary and ammo depleted comrades while the Tauren Braves supported the Hordes own warriors.

"We need to keep moving! The elementals outnumber us here by the thousands!" Iyeana called out, taking a fresh arrow from a quiver and notching it.

"Come close!" Jaina commanded, already channelling great magical energies towards her hands.

A massive magical circle appeared beneath her feet, the magical energies within the circle moved and formed different patterns and runic script. Slowly she constructed a great seal upon the ground, its purpose easily recognizable to Caren.

"A mass teleportation seal. But the interference…?" Caren said aloud.

"We only need to create the circle and fight back against the interference." Jaina replied, straining as she poured more energy to combating the resistance from the spiritual energy. "I need time to construct the circle, help Trevosh hold back the wild energies around me!"

"Caren to me!" Trevosh called, already adding his own energies to the outer ring of the seal.

They poured their energies into the outer circle and created a dome of energy around Jaina, allowing her to channel the spell without having to fight against the dense spiritual forces around her.

"Pull back to the magical seal!" Mairne ordered.

Slowly they obeyed, relying on the Sentinels and magically inclined fighters to deal with the elementals at a distance while the spellwork finished.

"Keep up the pressure, protect Lady Proudmoore!" Trevosh shouted, channelling his own energies into the shield around their small army.

They fought in a tight circle, swinging and tossing whatever weapon or spell they wielded against the enemy that tried to breach the barrier's walls. It went on like this for a minute, before in a brilliant display of arcane mastery Jaina finalized the spell and finished the circle.

"It is done! Everyone hold on!" Jaina called out.

They had a moment to prepare, firing off any last arrow or spell before they were consumed in a bright flash of light. A half second passed for them as they were whisked away from where they were to somewhere else.

Iyeana blinked the spots from her eyes, taking in several breaths and looking around frantically at her surroundings. The unfamiliar location made her concerned only for a moment, but it was until she noticed the Kodo bones and familiar crags that surrounded it.

Yet she noticed that amongst these bones were structures, all recognizable as tents and structures used by her people as well as the humans. But most noticeable was huts used by the Tauren, large tents made of Kodo hide.

"Jaina, you have returned."

Iyeana turned to the speaker and found to her surprise it was a Tauren, one of note. The large Tauren stood a head taller than most, nearly eight and a half feet in height, and was of great bulk and build. His fur was a dark brown with patches of white across his chest, he wore decorated battle armour of the Tauren people consisting of feathers and leather.

Yet it was not the armour that took her by surprise, rather it only distinguished him from his fellow clansmen. This Tauren was Baine Bloodhoof, son of Cairne Bloodhoof and leader of the United Tauren Tribes of Kalimdor. To see the son of the High Cheiftain was a massive surprise to the Sentinel commander, had he come on the behest of Hamuul Runetotem?

Mairne stepped forward and clasped arms with the only son to the leader of the Tauren people, they exchanged a small greeting in their native tongue before he turned back towards Jaina.

"You found those trapped within upon the mountain I see." Baine stated.

"Indeed I did, it was Iyeana and her forces just as I suspected." Jaina said, turning to the group she had rescued. "Or what remains of them. Is this truly all who remain?"

"Yes Lady Proudmoore, we are all that are left." Iyeana replied.

"Then the breach is still open?" Jaina inquired.

"Yes, the Heart of Veles we hoped to use to seal the breach was not powerful enough. We had no other means of sealing the mountain and stopping this invasion." Iyeana replied.

"Then we best prepare for another assault." Baine said, turning and moving off. "Come, we must inform the others of this development, time is of the essence."

Iyeana watched as he moved off, followed by Mairne and Hamuul, heading towards the edge of the graveyard and towards the mountain. Again her eyes drifted around the camp that had been set up within the Kodo Graveyard, along with the fact that it was an assortment of human, elvish and tauren pavilions.

"What is this?" Iyeana said, before she finally turned towards the one person she wanted to ask desperately for answers. "Lady Jaina, why are you here? When did you arrive?"

"I came here to provide support in holding back this elemental invasion, after Lorena returned to Theramore and informed us of the situation I decided to mobilize what forces we could to coming here." Jaina said. "We arrives over two days ago, but we weren't alone."

Passing between two crags that surrounded the graveyard they moved up a slight incline and onto open ground. Where the graveyard was littered with bones and tents, the field ahead of them was cramped with buildings of stone and wood. Crude towers of wood and stone, along with large barricade and walls that stretched for miles along the flat grey sands ahead of them.

Hundreds manned these defences, humans and dwarves from Theramore, with Sentinels from Feralas and Stonetalon, alongside Horde warriors with the majority being Tauren. They were all moving to and fro across the barricades, fighting off elementals and maintaining the defences.

"But we were not the only ones to come here, after meeting up with Shandris and her forces and contacting those in Nijel's Point we organized an assault to secure the Kodo Graveyard." Jaina said, looking over the battlefield. "But we found an ally with the Tauren, who came here with an army of their own to combat this threat, joining forces with them we took back the Graveyard and created this strategic position to hold the elementals back."

"It appears Hamuul came through for us, gathering the tribes to aid us." Iyeana said, she smiled and shook her head.

"Yes, but even with our forces united we struggled to hold the elementals at bay. Not until the storms came and banished them away did we actually have a chance to set up proper defences." Jaina relayed.

She turned and led them up a small hill and onto one of the crags, giving a large panoramic view of the surrounding area between them and Maraudine Mountain.

"When Anaesia arrives with her forces we were glad to hear that you had finally entered the mountain, but if what you say is true. Then we may be on the verge of collapse." Jaina stated gravely. "Tensions are already high, this news will not sit well with the other leaders."

Iyeana looked ahead she saw a gaggle of people standing under a large marquee, illuminated by over a dozen torches and a large bonfire. She recognised many of their faces at first glance, and quickly deduced that each of those present were leaders of the different detachments or representatives for the different tribes and forces here.

She recognised the Blademaster Drakada Loneslayer, his second in command Murauro, who was conversing with Mairne and Baine Bloodhoof.

Sierra Skychaser, the Chief of the Skychaser Tribe and a former ally who aided in the battle of Dire Maul was also present, and speaking with several other tribal delegates. Iyeana recognised at least six other tribes present, Thunderhorn, Ragetotem, and Dawnstrider being those of note. All of them were speaking with Baine, he seemed to be giving orders to his fellow clansman and preparing them.

While they had marshalled a large force more than half the numbers present belonged to her own people and their allies. Pained, Colonel Lorena, Captain Pentigast, Keeper Marandis, Sentinel Mistress Geleneth were just a few of the familiar faces she recognised. But it was two individuals that were in deep discussion that took her attention.

The pale blue haired elf with an oaken stave was familiar to her, he was a Druid for certain. Yet instead of wearing just the hides of animals he wore armour and metal, a mixture of a druid and a warrior. She knew him to be Lord Fallowmere, the leader of the protectors of Stonetalon.

While beside him was the familiar blue haired Sentinel General that Iyeana had served with for millennia.

"General Shandris." Iyeana said, breathing a sigh of relief to see her on the field of battle.

"Iyeana, good to see you are alright." Her commander greeted, giving a nod towards her second in command once more. "Jaina, it appears you were successful. Thank you for rescuing them."

"There is no thanks needed, but we have grim news in spite of the rescue." Jaina said, turning towards Iyeana and beckoning her forward.

All eyes turned towards the single Sentinel, scrutinizing her as she stood in place and met many of their stares with her own.

"We need to know what is going on. The elementals are growing bolder, their offensive is beginning to grow in momentum and we cannot hold forever." Shandris said.

Iyeana quickly composed herself, before she relayed the tale to all present.

"The mission was a failure." Iyeana replied, going into detail about what had transpired in the caverns below.

Telling of their landing and of their daring battle thought the caverns and eventually reaching the Vault and bringing the Heart to the device. But when it came to reveal the crushing truth that the Heart is no longer capable of powering the machine or holding back the breach her words were laced with a gloom that spread to those that listened. The news seemed to cause them to share in her worry, for the Heart itself was their only and best chance of stopping this chaos.

"If this breach cannot be sealed through the device we will need to enter the mountain and destroy the source: Princess Theradras." Baine said, some agreed with his proclamation.

"Finally something that relies on actual sense." Drakada said.

Iyeana would think so as well, it was their only option now, they had no way to seal the breach other than kill the one causing it. They had wasted so much time trying to stop this without having to fight, now they had no choice but to actually dedicate more of their forces to entering the mountain and killing her.

"I would be the first to agree on an assault, but to face an elemental of her calibre would be suicide." Lord Fallowmere stated, shaking his head. "We do not possess the power to match that of this Elemental Princess, especially with an army at her beck and call."

"We cannot remain motionless while this calamity continues to run wild, it must be stopped before all is lost." Baine said. "I will lead my own warriors through this if I must."

"Our forces can barely hold back the enemy as it is, if you take your forces with you we will be overrun within an hour." Lorena said.

"Perhaps we will not need to resort to such drastic actions, perhaps we only need to wait and see what comes." Mairne said, calm compared to the others as he observed the battlefield.

"High Shaman?" Baine inquired, looking at the elder Tauren for understanding to his words.

"Can none of you sense it? The ripples through the earth and the air? There is a battle underway beneath us, between two powerful spiritual beings." Mairne replied. "One is Theradras, and the other is the young human that hold great power within him."

"Great power?" Shandris asked, raising an eyebrow before her eyes widened. "Do you speak of Ichigo?"

When Mairne turned and gave a brief nod towards the Sentinel-General, Shandris turned towards Iyeana and looked at her. She wanted an explanation, and she wanted it now.

"Where is Ichigo?"

"Apologies General, Ichigo delved deeper into Maraudon after Veles revealed himself to us, he intended to go and face Theradras. Alone." Iyeana replied, sounding a little reluctant to speak those words.

"And you let him?" Jaina asked. "He does not stand a chance against a powerful elemental such as her, he cannot even use his Bankai without killing himself."

"I could do nothing to dissuade him, he was set on going and I did not have the men to go after him. Even so, I do believe that he is our best chance right now." Iyeana said, although the many around the command post did not seem to share in the Spirits confidence.

"A single human? Facing down what horrors lurk in the mountain and against a mighty elemental? I would not put my faith in something that is doomed to fail. But, Mairne, you say that he will be successful?" Baine inquired, glancing towards Mairne. "You have faith in this boy to bring victory here despite the odds are set against him and us all?"

Baine was no fool, he knew that the old Shaman was wise beyond his years and some say he was even more so than his father. But to hear him speak as if this human youth could do what only an army could do sounded ludicrous.

"While you have not seen as I have, or felt what I have felt, many here have and they all know like I do that he is far from being a normal mortal." Mairne replied, glancing around to the many faces. "I wish only to wait and see, we shall know soon enough. All we must do is wait."

"You would believe in some human runt to end this?" Drakada growled, sounding less than please about the prospect of a human given the glory.

"Of course, and you too will believe, just as everyone else here will." Mairne replied, turning and gazing out over the battlefield.

Warriors of many races collided with elementals, but not all causes for being here were the same. His people had come here not only as a call to arms and to claim vengeance against the one who had destroyed this land over a thousand years ago. Who had brought a great enemy into being and that had led their people to becoming hunted in their own lands. These reasons were petty really, but the true cause was because of who had called for aid.

Honour demanded that they answer this, for his words and those of Hamuul Runetotem were not all that swayed these chieftains to send their warriors to fight. It was who had suggested it, who had put forward the idea to actually summon up all who could come to help.

Theramore has always been an ally towards the Horde, even when some say it is not, but even they did not hold as much respect as a single individual there. One human had earned the respect of the tauren people for his actions towards them. While his name was not widely known, or his motivations clear, he was still seen and respected for what he had done on the behalf of their people.

The Warsong had tried to demonize him, yet the words of Sierra Skychaser and her clan had removed such scandalizing rumours. The Tauren people respected only those that had proven themselves to them, and he had gone beyond that.

Shady Rest and Dire Maul were just two of the examples of his honour, he had preserved the honour of their people and saved the Chieftain of a clan at great risk to his own. Words have been spoken of what he did, and while Theramore may claim much of the credit, many felt it was time they repaid him.

Sierra had been the one to answer the call, bringing all the tribes of Feralas and Thousand Needles to battle to repay the boy who saved her. While Hamuul's words, relayed from himself to the High Chieftain, had been enough to convince their wizened leader that they must march against this enemy and protect their lands. Yet Mairne suspected that it was word that it was Ichigo who had made this request was what spurred the High Chieftain to action.

Now it would be time to see what kind of miracles the boy can bring, he had brought together those divided by hatred and millennia old animosities. Could he now settle this conflict and cataclysm with only his blade?

"He is just a boy." Jaina said, while she knew better than most what he was. Ichigo was still a young hot-headed teenager, to know he was going down into those dark depths, it did not sit well with her.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean he cannot surprise us." Mairne replied.


Zaetar's Grave

Thundering crashes echoed through the canyon, metal against stone, the sound of battle was so great that it was hard to think it was just a duel between two adversaries. Yet these two beings fought against each other with power beyond the realm of normal mortal beings, both akin to gods with the scope of their powers.

And they were unleashing it all against one another.

Theradras staggered away, another howl escaping her broken lips, and Ichigo did not let her stumble back far. He leaped forward and aimed right for her deformed face, she attempted to defend herself with both her daggers.

The two granite weapons shattered when his Bankai touched then, exploding into thousands of shards and showered over the two fighters. Ichigo's blade continued its descent and carved a gash through the Princess' left eye and cheek, again she howled, but he did not give her a moment to even scream and clutch at the wound. He couldn't slow on the offensive, if she was given a second to counter attack it could spell doom for him.

Ichigo eyed her stomach, a twisted image of her massive gut busted open and ripped apart. It would soon be a nice debilitating wound that would bring the Princess to her knees. He decided to make that a reality, by swinging as hard as he could into the already deep crevice along the side of her gut. An explosion of stone and rock flew out from the point of impact, and Theradras let out another howl.

"You dare! I will make you suffer! For every slight, you delivered I shall…!"

"Shut up!" Ichigo roared.

His words reinforced with the silencing edge of his blade. A wave of spiritual energy shot from his second swing and connected with Theradras right in the chest, sending her tumbling back. Her hand shot up and grasped the wound. Ichigo noted the dark substance that seemed too bleed from the crack, a substance he also noticed coagulated along the side of her stomach.

Ichigo grew bolder knowing that his strikes were not only doing damage but seemed to actually make her bleed. Blade drawn back, bathing it in power, he moved in for the kill. She tried to punch him, but her fist was cleaved in half as he charged past her.

"I will not be laid low but some fleshy mongrel!" Theradras yelled.

"I am not going to give you a choice in the matter." Ichigo replied.

Leaping up and slashing towards the side of her face, that had already been mangled beyond recognition by his previous assaults. The stone was easy to cut through, her nose and left brow were carve off her face and now left the majority of her left side a hollowed out crevice. He kicked off her forehead and planned to release another Getsuga, hoping to remodel the right side this time.

His assault was prematurely halted when he was forcefully pulled to the ground. Ichigo let out a growl as he felt gravity pull him to the ground, yet this time he felt himself resist the pull enough to stand back up. Ichigo glanced up to see Theradras moving forward, raising a hand and calling the earth to it to form a new dagger.

"I will not play with you any longer!" Theradras yelled.

With one hand cradling her still crumbling visage she raised her back arm, dagger in hand, and stabbed towards the Substitute.

Ichigo saw it coming, yet he held no concern as he watched the large jagged point approached his head. Only when it was inches from striking did he act, phasing to the side in a burst of speed. Shunpo wouldn't get him out of the field but it would move him out of harm's way, and put him in a position to escape.

With a heave of effort, he stabbed Tensa Zangetsu into the dagger and anchored himself to it. When Theradras pulled the weapon free he was carried out with it. Free of the field he leaped from the dagger and recharges that Getsuga, as she turns towards him he releases it. The wave of spiritual pressure struck her face and the hand that held it, shards of rock flew everywhere.

She spun on her feet and fell to her hands – one breaking apart from the split along its middle as she landed and the other missing most of the palm and all her fingers – and knees. Her face had all but been rearranged, completely morphed into an unrecognizable slab of stone that appeared to have been worn away. All the while a black bloody substance seemed to congeal along her face and give an impression of a bleeding wound.

"This power… it cannot be greater than I…" Theradras said.

Ichigo landed hard, the ground shattering under his boots, yet he did not remain where he dropped for more than a heartbeat. Turning he charged the dazed elemental, drawing back Tensa Zangetsu and intending to finish the fight here and now.

"Never!" Theradras roared.

She rose and turned on her knees, her broken hand now replaced by a long jagged and mostly dull earthen blade. Ducking under the hand blade, Ichigo rose up and slashed towards Theradras. Releasing a nameless Getsuga, it exploded against her chest, and tore into her earthen skin. She lurched backwards, losing her balance for a moment, and Ichigo poised his blade for the wound and planned to deliver the final strike.

"I care not if he wishes to take your power!" Theradras yelled.

She leaned forward and swung with the blade, shattering the earth as she missed. Twisting around the swing he swung down and shattered the newly constructed weapon. But the Princess was undaunted by the loss of her weapon, she continued to attack, using her broken hand and even the stump of her wrist to continue fighting.

"I have waited millennia for this! I will not be denied! Not after so long!" Theradras cried out.

Had Ichigo been of sounder mind he might have recognized the desperation that seeped into her tone. All he cared for now was the kill, he wouldn't let something such as his enemies fear hold him back from delivering the killing blow.

She swung forward, her desperation clear if she was willing to risk what remained of her limb being destroyed. Ichigo deflected it above and over himself, and then he turned his attention back towards the wound on her side. Gripping Tensa Zangetsu with both hands he channeled his spiritual energy through the tip of the blade.

He had to focus hard to channel them all to a fine point, pulling all that pressure and energy to coat the blade in a dense and controlled sheath of energy. He needed all that power to be concentrated, if it was chaotic then this would not work. Even as Theradras in her rampage swung her fist back, narrowly missing him, Ichigo could not move a muscle until he was ready.

"What does he see? What could you possibly offer my master that I could not?" Theradras despaired as she lashed out.

Ichigo struck before she could touch him, his blade stabbing forward and the pressurized energy shooting forward like a spear. The dark energy was like a lance of darkness, that punched right through her stomach and blew out through her back. Theradras dropped to her knees, not a word escaping her throat as she shook from unimaginable agony.

"Still not down huh?" Ichigo asked. "Don't worry, that will be changing soon enough."

With a casual flick of his blade any residual pressure shot out and connected with Theradras, tossing her off her knees. She tumbled across the ground before rolling onto her back, laying there and struggling to rise back up.

Ichigo was not going to let her have the chance to do that, disappearing into a burst of Shunpo he was next to her. All she did was glance at him in alarm, but Ichigo stepped in close and planned to pulverize the last visages of her face. As if sensing this impending attack she acted before Ichigo could, turning over to face him fully and swinging down a large boulder in hand.

Surprised Ichigo raised Tensa Zangetsu he caught the massive stone, his arms screamed in protest, and he was certain something broke that time. He had to fight back the pain and strain of holding up the stone, but it was a battle he was losing as his arms slowly began to surrender under the pressure.

"I… I cannot… I must not…" Theradras was mumbling now, her words unintelligible as she fought to crush Ichigo with what remained of her strength.

With a heave, he pushed it up only a few inches, just enough so that it wasn't pressing down on him, and then took off with Shunpo. As the stone crashed into the earth he swung to the side and shattered it, along with the upper arm that was holding it – leaving her with only one functional hand and arm left.

"Are you starting to see yet?" Ichigo asked.

Strolling forward as Theradras staggered up to a knee, using the stumps of her broken lower arms to push herself back up.

She tried to stab him with the dagger, her only weapon, and it was easily parried before Ichigo swung again and struck her in the jaw. Theradras jerked upwards, giving him a good view of the damage he had inflicted upon her already. The hole in her stomach was large, he could walk through it if he craned his neck and maybe crouched. It leaked the foul black blood, that seemed to vaporize as it left the wound.

In spite of the sad and pathetic state she was in Ichigo couldn't bring himself to not feel satisfaction with the condition he had left her in. Her face was all but destroyed, three arms were missing, a massive hole ran through her stomach, she had been completely and utterly annihilated.

"I am stronger than you." Ichigo said as he let Theradras drop down to fall forward again.

It felt good making her submit like that, all the hell she had put this place through and all the turmoil she had caused made this humiliation seem justified. He was close to her bowed head, she was wheezing it seemed, no air passed her lips but she seemed to be struggling to 'breath' as it were. The black blood seeped from her lips, dripping on the ground and fizzling out.

Ichigo swung Tensa Zangetsu up, her visage had already been lost and what he did now all but removed any trace of what may have remained. Her lips broke apart and exposed some of her stone teeth, while her only remaining eye exploded outwards and leaving behind a hollowed-out crevice. She didn't scream or howl, instead she continued to fight to get back onto her feet.

"I wish I had come down here sooner, to beat you back into that hole you crawled out of." Ichigo said, his grip on Zangetsu tightening. "But I couldn't, I had to stay above and fighting to keep all the crap you started from spilling out and spreading across the rest of the continent."

He deflected the dagger, shattering it, before delivering another slash to her face and sending her tumbling to the side.

"We created plans and strategies to beat you, hold you back long enough to figure out how to stop you from bringing the Elemental Planes here." Ichigo said, his stride quickening as he moved around to face her. "I had to restrain myself in actually charging down here to try and stop you. It paid off it seems, considering where we are now."

He jumped to the left, avoiding a spike appearing from beneath his feet, and then using Shunpo to get right beside her. Shattering the side of her leg he forced her to remain grounded, and then swung up and tossed her aside.

"But I am not beating you around because I get any satisfaction from it, no, I ain't that depraved." Ichigo said, even if it felt like a lie saying that.

The ground rose up to try and trap him, the attempt only made him scowl at the minor nuisance. He stabbed Tensa Zangetsu into the earth, shattered what earthly restrains that held him before shooting off towards Theradras. Leaping up he swung down, smashing Tensa Zangetsu into the back of her head forcing her back down.

"No, I am doing this because I want to vent as much frustration on you as I can before I rip your fucking heart out!" Ichigo growled, throwing Tensa Zangetsu aside and holding onto the chain.

He swung it overhead before extending the chain and throwing it from on high, it slammed down on the Elemental Princess. The strike broke off her last remaining of her upper arm, and leaving a chunk of her shoulder and back cracked and broken.

He gritted his teeth behind his mask, scoffing as he looked at her, even if he detested this kind of brutality and mercilessness he had to let it out. For days, he had been struggling with dealing with this situation, from all the deaths he had inflicted, to have witnessed and been forced to bury down to keep moving on.

He had seen comrades die in droves, what struggles they fought to hold shattering and leaving behind despair in their wake. The Twin Colossi, Ghost Walker Post, The Sewers of Ethel Rethor, and these damn caverns. Ichigo had seen comrades fight and die towards a single goal and mission, one that had ended in complete and utter failure.

"I held back thinking that everything I was doing would amount to something, that every damn sacrifice we made would be worth it and that it wouldn't be in vain." Ichigo growled, pulling his blade back to his hand. "But it didn't amount to anything! It ended because I had enough. I had enough seeing my friend getting hurt! Nearly dying! While I had to hold back charging in and solving this problem the old-fashioned way."

He opted to forgo the blade, instead charging in and punching Theradras in the face. The strike made her head jerk to the side, but he didn't let up with one strike.

"I don't care if it is reckless! I don't care if without Veles I wouldn't have stood a chance! I should have come down here the moment the Heart was lost!" Ichigo said, punching as hard as he could. "All those hundreds of people that would still be alive had I actually gone with my gut and not run!"

The Sentinels that fell in Feralas, all those guardsman that held the line for as long as they could, were gone.

"All the people that fought beside me and died!"

He recalled so many faces he fought beside through the Desolace, those that he would fight beside again and those he wouldn't. Iyeana said that her warriors would fight beside him to the end, they respected him enough to risk their lives for his sake, but he didn't want that.

"My friend! People who got hurt because I was careless!"

He nearly lost Caren.

"People who I let die because I wasn't there to save them!"

He saved Anaesia at the cost of so many others.

"They all would be alright! Save and alive! Had I just come down here and killed you!"

Each word carried with it a fist, shattering stone and sounding like thunder as it cracked against the granite. With his final exclamation, he grasped Tensa Zangetsu and swung at her, striking her against the jaw and blowing it off. She tumbled away, rolling along the ground like a massive boulder before falling over the edge of the mesa.

Ichigo took in several deep breaths, trying to calm his thumping heart and stop himself from venting his frustrations any further. With a heave, he ripped the mask from his face and took a breath, he glared at the mask. He would have liked to say that the mask made him feel the way he did, but that would be placing the blame on the wrong person.

This was probably the first time he had experienced something so volatile, fighting always brought out frustration and some anger and in some cases there was gratification. Yet what he felt just now, it was something else entirely, as if all his repressed emotions were clawing to the surface and making themselves known. That summoning up the mask just made him stop holding back, that it gave him the release to actually stop bottling it all up and finally let it out.

'These battles have been getting to me.' Ichigo thought, knowing all that he had said was true.

Every battle and every loss was something he was struggling to handle, he has never seen so much death and bottled-up suffering in his entire life. He had always had imagined war to be a horrifying thing, something that no one walks away from without something weighing you down.

Yet thinking of the trauma and experiencing it are two completely different things, what had happened just now said as such. These past few months have influenced him, he was shouldering stuff that he didn't want to feel.

It was kind of weird now that he thought about it. With all his talk about getting home, and worrying about if everyone was alright back there, he was tormented by the circumstances of this world rather than his own. For a place, he didn't feel that great of an attachment toward, if only because it was a world he eventually knew he was going to leave, he was being drawn into the turmoil and all the baggage that came with it.

"Keep it together." Ichigo thought, shaking his head and tossing aside the Hollow mask.

He had other things to take care of first, he still needed to finish things here and then he could deal with everything. He just needed some time to shake off these feelings, if he let them get the better of him he will crack under the pressure. So he would keep a hold of his head and faculties, he just needed to finish this. First, he needed to get to Theradras and then collect…

Ichigo then looked over towards the edge that he had tossed Theradras over. His eye twitched and his expression became vexed, but whether that was for where she had gone or that he was the cause she had gone over that edge he didn't bother to decide on.

"God… dammit…" Ichigo groaned, moving to the edge and hoping that she floats.

Who was he kidding, there was no way that was going to be the case, he was screwed. It looked like he was going to swimming for a little while, just hoped that he wouldn't encounter some hydra, or the goddamn Loch Ness Monster. Knowing Azeroth there is something like that here.

He leaned over the edge to see if he could notice her. Something floated up in front of him, to his surprise it was what he was looking for. Princess Theradras was now levitating several meters from him and looking a lot worse for wear. With all the damage he had inflicted on her, and with all the dark blood that seeped from her wounds it was a mystery how she was alive.

"You look like hell, surprised you are holding together." Ichigo said, scowling as he looked up and the elemental.

She gave no response, only gesturing forward with what remained of an arm and seemingly about to attack. Ichigo was still taken by surprise when he was catapulted off the earth by a powerful wave of force. The ground beneath him ruptured and broke apart, large chunks being flung through the air and carried back alongside himself.

'Shit! She's still got some fight left in her.'

He hit the ground hard, yet he didn't wait for the force to die down, he buried his feet into the dirt and halted him flight. Digging Tensa Zangetsu into the dirt and kept himself from being thrown off again. When the wave passed he reached up and resummoned his mask, the familiar weight of it was not comforting at all.

He felt his pulse rise and his blood pump faster through his veins, his muscles contracting as they waited to pounce on his enemy and annihilate her. He did just that, taking off and moving for the damn bitch that hover over the lip and towards him.

She moved her hand once more, and gravity struck him from above, he dropped to a knee as fought to push himself back up. Yet he didn't stay in that gravity well for long, a large boulder struck him and threw him off his feet. As it rolled off him Ichigo was struck by another, crashing down on top of him and breaking apart.

The gravity returned, and forced him to stay on his hands and knees, but that crushing weight was nothing compared to the next stone that landed on him. Gritting his teeth, he tried to pull himself up, and was able to when the gravity ceased to press down on him. Yet he was not safe, instead the shattered fragments of the stones that had struck him came slithered forward and smothered him.

They swarmed over his body like insects and bound him in place, he couldn't move a muscle as the stones continued to tighten around him.

With a single thought, he flared his Reiatsu and shattered his prison, the outburst of spiritual energy gave him the opening he needed. Using that pressure, he leaped up and towards Theradras, swinging right for her head.

Yet she ducked down, or at first, he thought she had ducked down.

He turned to the right to see her hovering there, but the strangest thing was that she was looking up at him and he was looking down at the ground.

It took a moment for him to realize, she had tilted the entire island to a ninety degree angle and taken the ground right from under him.

"Fuck."

He was falling fast, the only thing below him was the crystal waters several hundred feet down. At this height he would be lucky to survive the impact, but even surviving the impact meant he likely would drown when Theradras drops something else on top of him. But it was not going to come to that.

Ichigo threw Tensa Zangetsu back towards the island, impaling the blade into the now vertical surface and swinging back towards it. Landing he looked up to glared at Theradras, who floated on her side and appearing to be still floating above the island – even with it turned at a ninety degree angle.

Yet what really boggled Ichigo's mind was where this sudden wave of power came from? She was on her last leg, literally in this case, and she was now floating there and somehow became a walking instrument of destruction. He only had to look at the situation he was on now to realize just how powerful she seemed to have become.

'Was she the one actually keeping the island up in the air?'

If she was maintaining it through a gravity field and actually supporting it through their entire fight, then there was no telling on how restricted she was when fighting him. But whatever was happening now meant she was either not holding back or whatever limit she had was gone. If she was stronger now than before it meant he couldn't allow her to start fighting.

He was wounded, terribly so if what he was feeling when he breathed was any indication, this fight had to be finished in the next few moments.

"I'm coming for you." Ichigo growled.

Turning he used Shunpo to scale the wall and grasp his Zanpakuto, he then turned and planned to use it again to get up close and run her through. He was denied that chance when the section of stone he was hanging from broke free from the island. Pressed against the stone, the winds whipping past him, he pushed himself up and looked over his shoulder. Eyes widening when he saw the quickly approaching cavern walls, white marble stone soon to be painted red with his pulverized corpse.

Planting his feet against the stone he took off, using Shunpo to propel himself upwards and over the fast moving boulder. The massive stone crashed into the wall, shattering itself along with a large section of the wall with it. Drifting through the air for a moment Ichigo tossed his blade to the side and tethered himself to the caverns walls.

Smacking into its surface Ichigo collected himself before he started climbing up towards his blade. He glanced from side to side as he ascended, eyeing the island and found that it had returned to its normal axis. Although pieces of it were breaking away from it, massive sections of rock and dirt clumping together that hovered over the island. He realized it just before the first one was sent flying towards him.

'Oh, come on.' Ichigo whined.

He took off into a burst of Shunpo, pushing himself up the rest of the way to his Zanpakuto. Grasping it in hand he changed direction and pushed off, narrowly avoiding being crushed or buried under the rubble of the cavern wall that fell away. Ichigo kept moving, stabbing Tensa Zangetsu into the wall to keep himself from falling down any further.

He ran along the walls, dodging building sized chunks of earth that he had no doubts would break whatever remained of his body that wasn't broken at this point. He hoped to circle the cavern walls towards the further end, the closest point of the wall and the island so he can jump back on. Yet with how she was ripping apart pieces of the island to build her missiles that gap was only going to keep growing the longer he took.

Even as he evaded the massive rocks he felt them shudder through the stone beneath his feet, heard the thunder of them crashing against each other. The once calm waters below him churned as thousands of tons fell into them.

Ichigo stabbed Tensa Zangetsu into the wall, arresting his movements and saving himself from being hit by a well thrown boulder. The wall ahead of him, nearly three hundred meters in length, broke away and left a massive void ahead of him. He had been trapped, can neither go forward or back, and the walls he was tethered to was starting to buckled. Only add the next barrage of rocks sent his way and it would spell certain doom for the Substitute.

Yet he was nowhere close to accepting defeat.

'Time to improvise.'

His eyes narrowed in on the massive boulder coming right for him.

Channeling his spiritual pressure towards the soles of his feet he expelled them, using that energy to launch himself up and towards the incoming projectile. As soon as his feet touched the surface he took off with Shunpo, using the speed of the technique to fly closer to the slowly shrinking island.

When the momentum began to diminish Ichigo readjusted his grip on Tensa Zangetsu and scanned for the next boulder. Several flying boulders pass by him, and with a quick toss of Tensa Zangetsu he impaled the blade into one such boulder. Reeling himself in quickly he planted his feet against the flat surface and took off, leaping for the next closest airborne boulder.

He threw his Zanpakutō towards it as he passed, using the chain to swing around and use the momentum to fling him towards the next boulder. He sailed past it before he buried his sword into the stone, stopping his movement before pulling himself up and using Shunpo to gain some more distance and height.

He continued to use the boulders, jumping and swinging between them as they flew through the air, moving closer to Theradras and the small island she kept to herself. When he flipped over the final boulder, he leaped up and towards the edge of the island. It had shrunk to nearly a tenth of its size, even if that tenth was still comparable to a city block, and Theradras hovered at its center.

"Not letting that happen."

Ichigo did not know if she sensed or saw him coming, for the moment he appeared she raised the stump of an arm. Knowing that he couldn't allow her to finished whatever spell she intended he gathered his power to attack. She proved to be the fast of them both, Ichigo felt gravity pull him down. His eyes widened as he rocketed down quickly, passing by the lip of the island by only a few feet.

He threw Tensa Zangetsu towards the underside of the island, once it was embedded in the stone the chain did its work. He was pulled out of the gravity field and swinging down under the island. When his feet touched the base of the island he gathered as much spiritual pressure as he could and pushed off, he swung up and back up to the top side of the island.

"Got you now!" Ichigo roared, pulling on the chain and ripping Tensa Zangetsu free.

The blade came flying up and around, he directed the arc of the chain and weapon towards Theradras and slammed it into her chest. Her chest shattered open, as if her body didn't have the strength and durability as it once did. Ichigo didn't care too much, but now that her torso was opened up he noticed a pulsing core within.

'The Heart.'

He would have doubted that this monster had a heart, yet in spite of all her evil it seems that something did beat within her chest. But he had no qualms about ripping it out of her, he just needed the opportunity to wrap his hands around it. Using Shunpo he covered the distance between then, deflecting her punch before shattering her only remaining foot and breaking it off.

He thought it was strange that she was so fragile now, as if her body didn't have the power to resist any of his attacks. Like something else was holding her together instead of her own spiritual power.

'Could it be that black goo?' Ichigo thought.

He noticed some of the substance leaking from the severed leg and the stump under her belly. Maybe that was corruption. Or at least whatever taint that had claimed the denizens of these caverns, it would make sense.

That brief moment of composure was shattered, shaking off any need to understand why she was still intact didn't matter now. Ichigo intended to tear away every single piece of stone that made up her body if it meant he could get her heart. He circled her and planning to make that dark fantasy a reality, yet as his blade was raised something up rose up to attack him. He looked down and barely caught a glimpse of the churning earth before a spike lunged out towards him.

The tip speared him through the stomach, lifting him off the ground and leaving him hanging on the end of the spike. Ichigo gritted his teeth as the sharp point punched through his armor and dug into his muscles, his only saving grace was he grabbed the spike as it speared him. Only a few inches piercing through his midriff, had he been a second slower it would have gone right through him.

With a grunt, he shattered the spike and fell to the ground. Examining the spike he was content to leave it where it was. He couldn't risk taking it out, depending on the damage he would either bleed out or something other than the spike might come out. Either way, it was staying in.

The sound of churning earth caught his attention, looking up he found Theradras levitating a large boulder above him. He rolled to the side, avoiding the massive stone, and released a nameless Getsuga that blew it apart as she tried to use it again. He released another, shattering her reformed jaw and throwing Theradras onto her back.

He took a moment to grasp at the stone spike in his stomach and fight down the pain. With a few deep breaths and what remaining mental fortitude he had left he moved over to tear her apart. Although with how broken her body appears it felt like attacking anywhere would shatter what was left of her body.

Missing both of her leg, along with the four arms – with only the skeletal remains of her lower left - hole through her stomach, chest ripped opened, and the majority of her face missing. Those were just the few things he could list off at the moment. The fact she was still standing, not literally of course, was a testament of her power and likely whatever was keeping her from dropping.

'Might as well break her apart completely.' Ichigo thought

If there was nothing left to hold together that meant he didn't have to fight her any longer, that was the optimistic part of his mind speaking. The pessimistic side wondered if after that she would somehow still screw him over in some spectacular fashion.

'Only one way to find out.'

She lunged up, attempting to crush Ichigo under her body, Ichigo leaped aside. Lifting up the stump of her arm she slammed it into the ground, what followed was a barrage of spikes. He leaped aside, weaving around the spines as they sprung up, flowing between them before making a beeline for Theradras.

With Ichigo away she levitated herself up, rising several inches from the ground and attempting to attack again. Yet she was forced back down to the ground when a Getsuga slammed into her stomach, blowing it out.

"That the best you can do?" Ichigo yelled.

He charged in and leaped onto her stomach, he raised his Zanpakuto and swung it down hard. A splash of darkness erupted but he ignored it and continued, shattering her gut and exposing the tunnel he had created not so long ago. He continued the barrage, flashes of steel on rock and showers of black goo with dust. Ichigo had trimmed off a few tons of rock, she was certainly looking a lot more slim.

She tried desperately to knock him off, swinging what remained of her arms up and around to push him away. He leaned aside or outright broke what remained of the limbs apart, all the while he continued to carve through her body. Black ooze burst with each cut, some splashing onto him and staining his armor black. Yet he kept slashing, tearing away the rock and dermal skin.

But the battle was coming to a close.

Ichigo knew it. It was only a matter of time and a few good swings before she was finished.

Theradras also sensed this, and in a fit of desperation threw herself to the side and onto her belly. Ichigo was tossed away, landing only a few feet away, but he was quick to his feet and to get back within striking distance of the Princess. But Theradras tried to slow him, summoning spikes and throwing any stone in range at the Shinigami to at least buy her some time.

When all these failed she resorted to using the remains of her already shattered arm, that was nothing from the elbow down, to try and crush him. When it lunged forward Ichigo had leaped over it and stood upon her shoulder.

With Tensa Zangetsu in both hands he swung at her face, the force shattered and blew off half her head. A splash of darkness followed the strike and carried itself along with his blade, but to his surprise Theradras did not fall. Stagger maybe and appear dazed, but she still had some fight left un her in spite of the near decapitation he had delivered onto her.

A stone flew forward and knocked the Substitute off her shoulder, he landed with a grunt but was mostly unharmed. Glaring at her exposed back, that seemed to remain in his vision as she made no other attempts to move. She seemed all but spent now, this was it.

'Now for the coup de grâce.'

Turning he poised his blade and planned to run her through from behind and shatter what was left of her body. He took off running, channeling some power into the blade and planning to release it and blow her entire torso apart.

Yet in another astounding feat of defiance Theradras altered gravity, Ichigo floated up and was trapped in the air. In that moment of surprise, he was struck, she pivoted around and a wave of force slammed into him. He was catapulted skywards, crashing against floating stones and rocks that lingered in the skies above the island.

'Dammit! I nearly had her!' Ichigo scowled as he watched her slowly shrink.

He came to a stop when he struck something of significant mass, he found it to be one of the few remaining boulders that use to make up a section of the island. That seemed to be the point of why she threw him up there it seems, for the next moment these boulders were all coming at him from all sides.

Ichigo let out a roar as he released two Getsuga Tenshō and shattered two of the offending projectiles and saved the third for Theradras. The wave of darkness struck her hard, exploding and driving her into the ground. But Ichigo wasn't going to give her a chance to recover. If he couldn't do this through subtle strikes he would utterly annihilate her and pick through the pieces of her remains for her heart.

He drew back Tensa Zangetsu, and with what remaining control he had left he swung the blade across. The slash followed by a wave of spiritual pressure that slammed into the elemental princess, but it was not the last to come. His sword form slowly eroded and wild swings became the only motions he could perform, releasing Getsuga after Getsuga with every cut.

He could see her, barely through the dark energies that clung to her stone form along that looked to almost burn despite their oily appearance. So, he continued, slashing and releasing wave after wave of force that drove her into the ground and shattered what remained of her body and form.

The island cracked and buckled under the barrage, much of it falling off and down into the waters below. But Ichigo continued his assault, not stopping for a moment until he was satisfied he had broken her.

Yet even when his assault ended, he wished to keep going. Even with his heart thumping so hard it threatened to burst from his chest and his arms so weak that even the weightless feeling of his blade didn't stop it from being heavy in his hands. Ichigo poised for one final strike, pulling the pressure to the soles of his feet he launched himself at Theradras, aiming for the heart that kept her from simply dying.

His lungs cried out for air, yet he did nothing but roar as he plunged forward into the deep crevice his power had dug and slammed into the Princess – or what remained of her. But that was not the end, for the briefest moment he halted in his descent, the ground cracked and shattered beneath him and he continued his fall.

Earth and rock fell through the sky with him as he remained there, poised over a mass of rock saturated in dark oily energy that he could only assume to be the remain of Theradras. For a few moments, they feel before they came to a crashing halt, surprisingly they did not smash into water –not entirely. Shallow water for certain, but far from the near bottomless abyss of crystal clear waters as he had seen from above.

But he was only given a moment to observe this before he was flung away from Theradras and into a pile of debris nearby.

There was the thunder of stone crashing against stone, and water exploding from great impacts, yet Ichigo could do nothing but lay there and wait the for calm. That came only a few seconds later when all that was heard was the subtle shifting of stone, and the lapping of disturbed waters.

'That… was a bad idea…' Ichigo thought, dispersing his mask and taking in a few deep breaths.

He had used up almost every single ounce of power he had to take her down, expelled so much Reiatsu to harm her that he felt drained. But in the end, he was alive and she wasn't, leaning up he let out a groan and placed a hand on his wound.

The stone spike was still there, a little deeper than before, but at least it didn't feel like it had punctured anything. Regardless he gingerly got back to his feet and hobbled over to the remains that now were acting as a shrine for his Zanpakutō. Tensa Zangetsu stood rigid amongst a pile of shattered stone, a feint glow near the tip of the sword.

Scaling the stone, he found his blade embedded in the emerald core that was Theradras' heart, Ichigo scowled to himself as he saw his weapon embedded within the crystalline rock. Even with the bubbling dark energies that seeped from where his weapon had pierced it, the glow and spiritual signature did not seem to fade.

"Shit."

Grasping the sword, he ripped it free, flicking the blade to the side to free any of that foul black substance from his weapon but found none. He kneeled and looked at the heart, grasping it he quickly yanked it from the crevice and examined the object. The stone was smooth, jagged in place yet had a feeling of polished metal, it did not appear to be in the shape of a traditional heart – not even a comically designed one.

But it was obvious that this was her heart, he could feel the pulsing of her spiritual pressure from within. It was powerful despite what he had done to it, even the damage he had inflicted did not seem to cause the energy to bleed out or stutter as it pulsed in the rhythm of an actual heart.

"Alright, that's good." Ichigo thought, reaching for his travelers pack and opening it. "Get you back to the Vault and everything will be just dandy from here on out."

But it left the question on how he was going to do that from here, he was several hundred feet below where he had used to get to this place. Worse still, he had destroyed his original means of getting here and had no idea how to scale this place to get out.

"Okay, don't panic, just got to find a way up." Ichigo mumbled to himself. "Theradras is down and without her everything should be alright."

But he was proven horrifyingly wrong a few seconds later, the ground he stood on shook and cracked, while a powerful aura descended upon him. He felt his heart freeze and his entire being oppressed with such dark malevolence that he could hardly bring the air to his lungs.

'What… is this?!'

The pressure seemed only to increase as he stood there, waiting for whatever was causing this to make itself known. Despite remaining stationary he felt every instinct within him screaming to get the hell out of here, the feeling so horrible that nothing could compare to it.

When the debris exploded around him and obelisks of unknown origin and design popped from the earth he knew it was only around the corner. He felt a dry heat touch the back of his neck, the blistering sensation of sand scraping against his face.

His eyes widened as he found a massive gate before him, appearing from nowhere and carved in designs and a language he couldn't even begin to understand. Sand seemed to fall from as if it had risen from some desert, something that was impossible to occur where he was. Yet it now stood before him, imposing and massive in height, and slowly opening.

The previous feeling of dread only magnified, he could not sense it per say, but what he was feeling now was something. A dark presence so twisted and evil that despite its lack of detectability still sets his nerves on edge and turned his blood to ice.

The sight of what lay beyond the gate truly brought up a new understanding of horrifying, never before could he describe such a terrifying and monstrous creature. It was a massive mound of flesh, with sharp maws all across the pale putrid grey surface, from which tentacles and small eyes sprouted.

While sitting upon this mound, as if it was some mockery of a throne, was a massive eye. A large purple sphere that Ichigo knew not if it was organic or something artificial, but the energies beneath the paper-thin tissue churned and pulsed with a malevolent energy. But it was the dark pupil, a single streak of black surrounded by fiery yellow, that held darkness so deep that it nearly swallowed him.

Ichigo remained rooted to the ground, unable to move or take hold of the terror that had seized him, staring back at the thing that returned his gaze as a god would too an ant.


Hope you all enjoyed the chapter.

Now I decided to forgo any review responses today but there is one review that caught my eye, from IceBishop. Something that I would like to address.

"Ichigo sounds extremely unintelligent to be so affected by others deaths in such a manner. Psychological studies have proven that the less intelligent a person is the more susceptible an individual is to PTSD and other areas related disorders. So either Ichigo is unintelligent or he's just a bitch."

Now I have to say something about this review, it annoys me. Not because any of it has anything to how I feel that he might be insulting my story, don't care about that. What really infuriates me if that this sack of shit had the audacity, the fucking nerve, to actually say this and act like it was fact.

PTSD is for pussies and retards, that is basically what he says. So that means that every single person that has suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a little bitch or just a moron with only one brain cell. That is what he is saying, because if this idiot actually went out of his way to say that there are studies like this that means he is saying it as a fact rather than as an opinion.

He is shitting not on this story, but on people that have suffered and gone through a traumatic experience and basically said they were crying because their little whining girls. That pisses me off, it fucking pisses me off that this shit head had the lack of mental faculties to actually say this. I don't care what you think of Ichigo or if you think my story is shit, what you said just now and how people who suffer from trauma are unintelligent or just a bitch.

Let me tell you something, a normal human being, smart or not, has a moral compass and is basically mentally aware even when not taught that killing and murder is wrong. It takes a lot to make someone kill someone with intent, it just doesn't happen without a reason and when exposed to these things people can break down because it goes against normal human instinct to kill each other. Do you even know what happens to people when exposed to death and violence over long periods of time and in rapid succession? It's worse, and that is if you don't get traumatized from your first experience.

World War II, Vietnam! They suffered and they were trained to go into war and kill and they still came out scarred, so are they morons? Are they pussies? No! They are people who actually had a moral backbone and couldn't handle the unnecessary death and killing around them. Death is not to be taken lightly, and treating people that have suffered through the trauma of being in life and death situations is not something you can say aloud and compare to a story meant to be read and enjoyed.

Don't you fucking dare leave another comment like this again, it is distasteful to even listen to those words come from my mouth when written by someone else.