Its rather ironic, if you ask me atleast. Almost a year ago, the Bleach manga had finished, and now... Fairy Tail has done the same. Its an odd feeling, having two of your most favorite series ending almost back to back like this. Very, very odd.
I'm very sad about this, I have to admit. Part of me was actually shedding some tears with the defeat of Acnologia a week ago. Because it hit me. Its over. The series, this journey I've had with these characters...is now over.
But I've had such a fun ride with Fairy Tail. I'll be the first to admit it, its FAR from perfect, its a very flawed series, and I would no doubt have changed how a few things played out in the final arc, let alone the series itself as a whole. There's no denying that Tenrou Island was its peak and that the quality did dip a after the first timeskip. Even I cant deny this fact. Looking back on it, ending it there may have been the best idea. (No Acnologia, just Hades defeat.)
But that doesn't take away all of the fun this series has given me, even after that arc. I still love this series. Its characters and the world its set in, truly do entertain me way more than most anime and manga I've read.
Besides, we now have confirmation that the anime is coming back in 2018! I'm looking forward to seeing the final arc animated, even with its flaws, I still enjoyed it for the most part. The ending, while cheesy as hell, was perfect. I'm actually rather happy some of the ships were left open ended.
If I had to be 100% honest with you, Fairy Tail has given me more fun than Naruto, Bleach, DBZ, and Yu Yu Hakusho have. I know its not exactly popular to try to be positive about the series these days, you can find negative comments about it pretty much anywhere on the internet. Hell, me saying that I enjoyed Fairy Tail more than those other anime I just mentioned would probably result in some nasty comments if it was posted on a forum or YouTube video.
However, I think its only fair to spread some positivity for it. In fact, I feel it down right necessary now that its over. I'm sure most of you who are reading are still a fan of the series in SOME regard. We've all probably had our fair share of disappointment's from it, I'm sure. (The E.N.D one is the one I'm the most upset at.) But I also think, in the end, none of us regret watching, or reading, this simple, flawed, but very fun, adventure of a series.
I sure know I don't. I'm glad I stayed until the very end. The characters alone were worth every minute of it. I cant think of any series I've ever read that has given me so many characters I enjoy in one series. Bleach comes close, but nothing else, at least in terms of the amount of characters that I enjoy. Sure, its pretty cheesy, but if you ask me, that's part of its charm. So don't let all this negativity around the series stop you from enjoying it, and admitting to that joy. Your not alone.
Be proud to like what you like.
Be proud of who you are as a person.
As a Anime fan.
As a fan of Fairy Tail.
Yeah yeah, I know that's cheesy as hell but...So is Fairy Tail, and its part of what I love about it.
So Thank you Very Much, Hiro Mashima. For all of your hard work and dedication. Its thanks to you, and Tite Kubo that this story even exists.
And as Fairy Tail is now concluding in the manga, we do the same for the soul society arc, in a manner of speaking anyway's. While this isn't technically the ending of the arc, it dose feature what I consider its final battle, and its one Ive had in mind ever since this story began. Somethings HAVE changed about it mind you, but the basic flow and concepts have remained for the years we've written this story.
I'd like to thank all of you who have left any kind of review for us so far while I'm at it. You all have helped me out through difficult times in my life with your reviews, showing me that all of this hard work, time and effort, the two of us have put into this story, was truly worth it. That despite some recent issues in the anime community, Erza Scarlet is still a character who is loved and respected. That Fairy Tail still has its fans.
You've all given me strength to push through depression, and the confidence that helped me get through college, just as Fairy Tail itself has done for me.
So, thank you all, for your continued support, praise, and criticism. It means the world to us. It truly does. No matter how big, or small the review is, it is appreciated.
But, ive babbled on for long enough. Lets jump right into, the final battle to save Rukia!
Thanks once again to Greatkingrat88 (for writing) and jcampbellohten (for being our Beta) and to all of our readers and reviewers.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and weekly shounen magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun.
Something inside Rukia wanted to scream with frustration. It was bad enough to fear death for weeks, denying it while wanting nothing more than to live, to have to watch the executioner's blade slowly crawl toward her, then being saved all the while knowing that it was futile...
...but this, this was just too much. On her knees, still weak and helpless, she watched Rod Sentry speed away, carrying a lump of cloth roughly her size. By her side stood Captain Aizen Sousuke- who was supposed to be dead- only without his glasses, and with a very self-satisfied look on his face. Snapping out of her best goldfish impression, Rukia stared up at him and burst out,
"What?!"
"The good vice-captain is quite convinced he is still carrying you," said Aizen, and his voice was just like she remembered it- calm, quiet, soothing, but now it had something else to it. Something cold and indifferent. "He will be for some time. I could have killed him, of course, but what is the use of a power like mine if you choose the simplest approach every time?"
"I'm sorry, er," Rukia said, shaking her head in disbelief, "but again: what?!"
"A rhetorical question, of course. Your confusion is noted, but irrelevant. Suffice it to say that you will not be escaping that hill today, Kuchiki Rukia."
Rukia felt a sinking feeling, as Aizen took a step closer, putting one hand on her shoulder. Under his breath, he began muttering what she recognized as the first stage of a two-part teleportation spell, advanced yet flawlessly executed.
"What the hell is going on?" Rukia insisted.
"You will see soon," Aizen said with a smug smile, as he finished the first incantation. He looked down on her, and there was no doubt in Rukia that although he looked and sounded like the captain of Fifth Division, he was another man altogether.
"I won't lie to you," he said, almost jovially. "You've had enough of that already. You will probably die soon. This is not your fault, of course- there is nothing all that special about you. It is simply the misfortune of having met Urahara Kisuke."
"That man..." Rukia said, taking a slow, deep breath.
"Surely you didn't think his kind, oh-so-convenient treatment of you was charity? He decided to use you, Kuchiki Rukia, and it almost worked. Almost." He added the last word with a clear sense of satisfaction.
"What are you going to do to me?" she demanded. If she was to die, she wanted to at least know why.
"You will see," he said cryptically, and she got the sense that he enjoyed the drama, the tension in the air, the sinking feeling in her stomach. "In fact, within the hour, so will all the Gotei."
"Have you gone mad?" Rukia said, unsure of what else to say.
"I've heard that one before. You lack the conviction to deliver that accusation with enough gusto for it to even merit a response," Aizen said dismissively. "Now, be a good hostage and keep quiet."
He began chanting the second part of the incantation, and Rukia obeyed, keeping quiet. Whatever Aizen Sousuke really was, she sensed it was in her best interest not to antagonize him.
Renji had double-timed it toward the senkaimon central after his battle with Sasakibe, despite his injuries. He had considered going back to help the others, but his assigned mission had been to accompany Vice-Captain Sentry, and he figured he might as well stick with it. He wouldn't be in the best fighting condition, anyhow.
The pain of his injuries had made it hard to walk, let alone run, the burn of the First's vice-captain's lightning having scorched his entire body, but he had thought of Rukia. He had painted a picture, vivid and real in his mind, thought of what she meant to him, why he had so willingly turned traitor... and somehow, the pain hadn't been so bad. The things you could accomplish if you were properly motivated, Renji knew, easily surpassed the limits your mind placed on you.
So it was that, sore and hurting, Renji had made it to the gateway central in no more than half an hour. To his surprise, he finished ahead of Rod. Nozomi was there to greet him, but her being on time was the least of his concerns- what about Rukia?
To his relief, Rod landed smoothly, dropping down from a roof, not a minute after Renji had arrived.
"Hit some patrols. Took the safe route, just to be sure," the surly vice-captain said, making his way toward the two of them. "What? The hell are you two staring for?"
"Um, vice-captain?" Nozomi said, she and Renji both gaping. "Why are you carrying a rolled-up blanket?"
"What are you talking about?" Rod said irritably, gently setting down what, on closer inspection, was a roll of textiles roughly Rukia's size. "This is no time for joking, Kujo."
"She ain't joking!" Renji exclaimed, collecting himself. "You're lugging around a bunch of cloth, ya idiot!"
"The hell are you talking about?" Rod said, looking down at the bundle. "I would never lose the objective..." He paused, taking a closer look at it, then groaned.
"I'm seeing Kuchiki Rukia," he said, inhaling slowly. "My eyes tell me it is. All my senses tell me so. But you're both absolutely sure it is not."
"Yes!" Renji snapped.
"Fuck me," Rod snapped. "Fuck!" He grumbled a string of curses under his breath, before inhaling deeply, balling both of his fists. "That's Aizen Sousuke, isn't it? Somehow... I got intercepted and hit by that ability of his. I lost her."
"It's not your fault," Nozomi said quickly. "With a shikai like that..."
"Fault doesn't matter for shit!" Rod sneered angrily. "It happened on my watch, and..."
Renji wanted to say something reassuring, but the fact remained: Rukia was taken, and as much as it wasn't Rod's fault, she was lost to them. It was hard not to feel angry. Instead, he said, "The objective, Rod."
"Right, the objective," Rod said irritably, and took another deep breath. "Yes, that's for damn sure. She's still not dead- I hope- and that means we still got a mission."
Renji nodded affirmatively. "Exactly."
Then, out of nowhere, booming across the Gotei, there was the voice of Kotetsu Isane.
"Urgent message going out, priority one!"
"Looks like the truth's out," Rod said, sighing.
"And not a moment before he wanted it to be, I bet," Renji chimed in.
"Well, at least we can use it to move freely," said Rod. "With this kind of confusion going about, we won't be noticed by anyone unless we make real fools of ourselves."
"Where will you go, though?" Nozomi asked. "He could be anywhere right now."
"The hill's our best bet," Rod said. "Maybe he's arrogant enough to show himself off to everyone, and there aren't going to be more people of rank anywhere else. And if not, at least we could give our fellow operatives a hand."
"Let's go, then," said Renji.
"You're pretty fucked up," Rod said. "Can you keep going?"
"Till it kills me," Renji said stubbornly.
Rod nodded. "That's what I like to hear. Let's go. Kujo, can you prepare a teleportation spell?"
"Sure, but it'll take a minute or two," said Nozomi.
"Better than legging it," said Rod. "Do it."
As Nozomi began her work, the two men stared toward the hill. Whatever was coming would end soon, and they only hoped they wouldn't be too late.
"...Captain of Fifth, is alive, and has murdered every member of the Central Forty-Six in secret, and has controlled every directive they have given for at least two weeks. He is a traitor and a murderer. Why or to what end is unknown. Let it be known that we have all been played for fools!"
The voice rang across the entirety of the Seireitei, magically enhanced, and not a soul could possibly have missed it. It boomed across every street, every division, across the noble quarters where it woke up tardy, hung-over noblefolk; it resonated across every inch of the Gotei's land, startling and confusing most who heard it.
"I repeat: Aizen Sousuke is alive! Aizen Sousuke is alive, and has conspired against the Gotei!"
Sweaty, sooty, and his blood pumping, Kyouraku Shunsui paused, lowering his blades. Juushiro stood only a few yards away, the two of them having been on the receiving end of their sensei's shikai. The old man hadn't come close to letting loose, as evidenced by the fact that the hillside around them was not a blazing inferno burnt down to the very bedrock. Even so, he would not let treason slide... except under the most exceptional of circumstances.
"Old man," Shunsui said, his voice serious, "don't you think we should do this later?"
The old titan gave him a look, inscrutable and impassive, but Shunsui had learned to read his master over the course of centuries. The old man was shocked, however well he concealed it. The fact that he hadn't yet expressed his outrage for such foul treason was evidence enough.
"Sensei, we've all been deceived," Juushiro exclaimed, short of breath, and Shunsui worried he'd have another coughing fit.
Yamamoto turned around, and glanced around his shoulder. Sighing with relief, Shunsui deactivated his own shikai, and sheathed his blades, Juushiro doing the same. A man as experienced as Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai would not turn his back on them if he did not trust them. For now, the danger was over... but by the Soul King, what danger lurked around the corner?
"This is not forgotten, rest assured," Yamamoto said gruffly, every word coming out of his mouth slowly, as if he had just bitten into a lemon, "but for now, fall in line. I have a youngster to chastise. To the hill."
"The hill, sensei?" Ukitake said curiously.
"With Aizen being a traitor, it is clear that it was he who moved up Kuchiki Rukia's sentencing, engineering everything about her execution. Whatever he wants will relate to her. So, to the site of execution we go. I expect all available captains will reach the same conclusion."
Warm, tired, and wary, the two pupils followed the lead of their sensei toward the top of the hill.
As Erza ran along with her comrades, coming closer to the hilltop, she heard the proclamation blaring out with the sound of a ship's horn and grit her teeth. There was no way somebody like Isane would have been allowed to find out the truth if he didn't want her to know it. No, knowing Aizen, he wanted the attention. He always had a flair for the dramatic, and relished the execution of a skilled plan. Being himself, he was not content being the smartest person in the room- everyone else had to know he was. With this being the fruition of his grand plan carried out for centuries... yes, he would no doubt be waiting for them up there. She prayed, even though she didn't really believe there was a god to answer it, that Rod would have made it through with Rukia by now.
"So... it's really true," Momo said dejectedly.
"Yes," Erza said bluntly. Being candid was difficult enough in an everyday situation, and now was no time to sugar-coat anything. "Yes, it is."
"But what if he's trying to do the right thing-"
"Momo!" Erza snapped. "He's an evil man, and the sooner you accept it, the better."
Momo fell quiet, and Erza hoped that would be the last she heard of that.
Aware that he was presenting a less than dignified picture, his jaw having dropped completely, Byakuya shut his mouth.
The implications were stunning. Was it possible that Vice-Captain Kotetsu was spreading misinformation? Absurdly unlikely; her service record was exemplary, particularly for a commoner. But Aizen Sousuke...
The thought of a dead man being alive was, however, surpassed by the realization which hit Byakuya like a sledgehammer: Rukia's execution, which had been moved up by the Central Forty-Six, was unjust and illegal.
Unjust and illegal.
"Shut up, Renji!" he snapped.
"Uh, what?" Ichigo said, looking confused.
"I said shut up, half-breed!" Byakuya said quickly.
"That, uh... that's what I thought you said," said the half-breed, giving him an odd look.
"You said, 'the cat is out of the bag'," Byakuya said, changing the topic before the boy could ask him anything further. "So, you knew about this? All along?"
"Hey, don't put this on me!" Ichigo said irritably. "What, how would that have sounded to you? 'One of your trusted captains, who is dead, is actually evil and scheming against you while controlling your government'?"
Byakuya didn't have much of a retort, because the boy was right.
"That would have gone over well," Ichigo continued. "Yeah, you'd have been all like, 'I will not listen to such blasphemous slander against our glorious, family-murdering institution, now prepare to die, ryoka scum'."
He was putting on a voice, haughty and exaggerated, and if Byakuya had more energy left, he would have stared at the bastard in quiet contempt.
As it was, he mustered a, "Shut up, half-breed."
"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo said dismissively. "Look, now that it's out there... will you do your part? Rukia could still use our help."
Byakuya was almost flattered that the boy thought he could move, let alone fight, but his injuries were severe. At best, he could stand upright, and that was being optimistic. Before he could respond, however, they were once again interrupted.
Before their eyes, some ten yards away, a teleportation spell discharged, and the form of Aizen Sousuke became manifest. Behind him were the captains Ichimaru and Tousen, and by his feet, still in her prisoner's gown, weak and helpless on her knees, was Rukia. Something in Byakuya's heart twisted when he saw her.
"So, we 'bout to get it done, or what?" said Ichimaru, lazily stretching himself. The left side of his jaw had a fresh bruise, red and ugly, and there were fresh bandages applied across the upper part of his chest, a tear in his clothes telling of a recent battle. Tousen was even worse for the wear, his chest covered in wrappings. Both of them seemed fit to fight, though, and it occurred to both Byakuya and Ichigo that they were alone on this hilltop.
"Patience, Gin," Aizen said calmly, and his voice had the triumphant tone of a man who had everything he wanted. "After all, what would the point be of coming here if only a pathetic, broken system-slave and one of Urahara Kisuke's witless pawns were to witness our ascension?"
"Seems like a waste t'me," Ichimaru said, and shrugged. "Just get what ya want n' get out, and we got what we need. Killin' 'em all can come later."
"Show respect, Ichimaru!" Tousen snapped, with zealous indignation. "Lord Aizen has guided us well this far, and it is not your place to question his plans. Know your place!"
"Calm, Kaname, calm," Aizen said with a chuckle. "Gin is as pragmatic as ever. Of course, we will not kill them today, not unless they try very hard to get themselves killed. Today... they witness the beginning of the end."
Bile rose in Byakuya's throat, choler rising in his chest. Ichimaru Gin, Tousen Kaname, and Aizen Sousuke- alive, beyond belief- had not only conspired to kill his sister, but were all of them traitors to the Gotei, anathema to everything he stood for.
"Be... silent, you dogs," he managed, glaring angrily, knowing full well that a glare was the best he could manage at the moment. "To think you would dare betray us..."
"Want me ta kill 'im?" Ichimaru said casually, as if he'd just suggested taking a quiet walk in the woods.
"Stay your hand," Aizen said, smiling amusedly. "The bark of a toothless dog is nothing to be concerned about. Watch, Kuchiki Byakuya- the wretched institution you stand for will fall, but not before your sister dies before your very eyes."
Byakuya balled his fists, furious. To think... to think that all this time, the Shiba spawn had been right. To think he had wasted his energy fighting him, when he should have been fighting alongside him. To think that he had been so wrong about Rukia... it was too much to bear.
Before he could have a meltdown, however, another teleportation spell manifested, revealing the forms of Rod Sentry and Abarai Renji. Byakuya shot his vice-captain a pained look. It was a torment unlike any he had ever felt, a blow to his pride he had never experienced before, knowing he was surrounded by commoners, all of them right where he was wrong.
"Well, fuck me, that's a welcoming committee," Rod said, inching toward Ichigo carefully, never taking his eyes off Aizen.
"Please, Vice-Captain Sentry," said Aizen jovially, "add to the audience. I had hoped for a few more captains... but give it time, I suppose."
"Kurosaki, are you in fighting shape?" Rod said, sidling up to Ichigo's side, Renji in tow.
"A bit," Ichigo said, grimacing. "Can't do this for a long time, though."
"Our objective is over there," Rod said, nodding at Rukia, "and I feel like I should be the one saying this is an insane idea, but the mission is still a go, and it's not the first time I faced certain death."
"Just say the word," Renji said, nodding firmly, "anything you need us to do."
"I'll keep it simple," Rod said. "Kurosaki, go in first. Abarai, cover him. Make him work up a sweat. Kuchiki, are you in fighting shape?"
"Er, he might not be," Ichigo said, sounding a little guilty. "There was, uh... a thing."
Rod gave him a look, then shrugged.
"We're on our own, then. Kids... been nice knowing you."
"Do not... be hasty... commoners."
Byakuya's voice was a hiss, like a man on his last breath. He was still on his knees, bloodied, weak and badly injured.
"Captain, you're... I mean, look at you," said Renji, who made a face.
"Your opinion was not requested, vice-captain," Byakuya said, somehow managing to muster a cold, dismissive tone, even through the pain and blood loss. Something welled up in his chest, an anger overwhelming and all-consuming. This scoundrel before him, Aizen Sousuke, had betrayed them all, played them for fools, turned his back on all that the Gotei stood for. That scum had his hands on Rukia. On his sister.
Drawing on power he hadn't known he had, he took hold of his sword, putting its point down into the ground like a cane. It was a disrespectful use of a weapon, but Byakuya couldn't care less.
"Stay down, you crazy bastard!" Ichigo exclaimed.
"Your opinion... was not requested, either... half-breed," Byakuya said irritably. Trembling, his knees shaking, his head light, he got up to his feet. Somehow, he stood up, holding his blade in both hands, at the ready. "With the anarchist before me, spreading his seditious blasphemies... facing evil, facing the man who would kill my sister, should I not stand? Should I not fight? Is that not what my honour demands of me?"
"Brother..." Rukia said quietly, putting a hand over her mouth in shock, tears forming in her eyes.
"Captain..." Renji said breathlessly, as concerned as he was impressed.
"I take it you're good to fight, then?" Rod said dryly.
"For as long as is needed," Byakuya insisted. It was clear that the nobleman was not in good fighting shape, yet through sheer willpower, Kuchiki Byakuya stood tall, albeit looking more dead than alive.
"Take point, then," Rod said, nodding. He didn't expect the captain could do much, but it couldn't hurt.
"Kaname, Gin, stand back," Aizen said amusedly, and took a step forward.
"I'll cover you from the rear," Renji said, wordlessly activating his shikai. Ichigo nodded. Byakuya said nothing, already having taken his first step forward. Somehow not only walking, but running, the nobleman charged forward. It was a bit wobbly, and slow, but it was a charge.
Byakuya came at Aizen, sword raised. Aizen drew his own blade, caught Byakuya's sword with ease, and pinned it to the ground. With his free hand, he pointed two fingers at Byakuya's chest.
"I'll borrow a page out of your book, if you don't mind," he said. "Hado four: Byakurai."
The lightning cut through Byakuya's chest with ease, but despite this, Byakuya did not falter. Letting out a snarl, sounding more animal than human, he brought up his sword for another strike. With ease, Aizen moved out of the way, before cutting horizontally across the nobleman's chest. This time, Byakuya had had enough, and collapsed on the ground, mercifully unconscious.
From Renji's Zabimaru the spiked whip lashed out just as Ichigo came charging in, his bankai running on fumes. Without even looking, Aizen batted the whip aside, and as Ichigo came in with an overhead swing, Aizen smiled and held up one finger. Ichigo gaped as his blade was stopped by the tip of a finger, not even drawing blood.
"Come now," said Aizen, "even at your best, you would be an ant under my sandal, hybrid."
Effortlessly, he batted aside Ichigo's blade with his own, and then cut the boy from shoulder to hip. Ichigo cried out and sunk to his knees, the grip on his sword slackening. Renji let out a cry as his whip came back in, but Aizen batted it aside. Not even bothering to close the distance, he pointed his hand at the vice-captain.
"Shou," he said, not even bothering to declare the full name of the kido. As if hit by a speeding car, Renji was knocked over, sent flying.
"Sokatsui," Aizen said, and just like that, a stream of blue fire surged from his hand, catching Renji fully. Renji screamed, rolling around on the ground, before the fire went out. Renji twitched, smoke coming from his uniform, then lay still.
He then turned around to find Rod, kneeling by Rukia.
"Yes," he said, "I thought you'd be there."
Rod reacted immediately, launching himself in the air with a roundhouse kick, flinging a set of throwing knives at the same time. The attack, honed to perfection by assiduous training, was as nothing. With ease, Aiz en bent back, avoiding the kick aimed for his head, batting aside the knives with one strike of his blade. As Rod landed on his feet, he was cut across the chest with surgical precision. Letting out a quiet gargle, he collapsed, a pool of blood beginning to form where he had fallen.
"Bas... tard..." Ichigo groaned. He was down on his knees, remaining upright only by leaning on his sword, which was planted into the ground.
"Ah, yes, young mister Kurosaki," Aizen said, turning to face him. "I have to admit, your progress was the second most interesting thing to watch these last few days. A fifteen-year-old, possessing such tremendous power... are you a creature of Urahara Kisuke's making, perhaps? Even your heritage could not account for something like a bankai at this age. No, there is something more to you... it really is a shame I don't have the time to study you."
"Lord Aizen," Tousen said loudly.
"I can sense it, too, Kaname," Aizen said calmly. "I'd sense him a hundred miles away, I think. Young Kurosaki, if you'll excuse me a moment?"
Ichigo glared at him, but when he saw what the bastard had reacted to, his heart skipped a beat. Coming up the hill was Zaraki Kenpachi, bloodied but fit, looking just as terrifying as the last time Ichigo had seen him. If anyone could put a dent into Aizen, it had to be him... right?
"Well, ain't that some shit," Kenpachi said, sporting that same shark-like grin as he came within earshot. He didn't appear to be in any hurry, his sword rested over his shoulder. "They tell me Aizen's not only alive, but a rotten traitor, too."
"Zaraki," Aizen said, still smiling amusedly.
"Not that I give a fuck about treason or whatever," said Zaraki, pointing his blade at Aizen, "but I never liked you in the first place, Boy Scout. Bein' a traitor and all, it means ya're fair game." His grin widened.
"By all means," said Aizen. A chill went down Ichigo's spine. Faced with Zaraki, that terrifying demon, the bastard seemed completely confident.
Aizen walked to meet him, and with an exuberant cry, Kenpachi charged forward, blade raised up. Like a landslide, he came down on Aizen, barrelling down on him with the complete lack of subtlety that was his calling card. Aizen stood his ground, catching his strike with ease. Even so, he was pushed back, his feet sliding back a few inches. He even seemed to strain a little against the sheer, raw power of the demon.
"As I expected," Aizen said calmly, "in terms of raw strength and power, you exceed even me."
"Quiverin' yet, weakling?" said Kenpachi cheerily.
"It is just a shame that you have no idea how to use it. Unfortunately for you, I am superior in every other respect."
"Less yappin', more fightin'!" Kenpachi hollered, raising his blade for another strike. In one quick move, Aizen dodged under the demon's blade, took a step forward, putting himself inside his opponent's guard, then grabbed his blade with both hands. In one smooth movement, Aizen cut Kenpachi from shoulder to hip, his blade cutting deep. Kenpachi staggered back, shocked by the impact of the strike.
"It is pitifully easy to read you, Zaraki," said Aizen, "so much so, in fact, that it is almost not enjoyable to put you in your place."
"Ya think... that'll be it?" Kenpachi growled, recovering. "Ya think I'll just go down in one hit like that? Think again, dipshit!"
"Yes, you always were tenacious," Aizen said dismissively, as if waving off a servant. He pointed his hand at Kenpachi.
"Hado ninety: Kurohitsugi."
As Aizen spoke the word, a black rectangular cuboid took shape around Kenpachi, rapidly forming one side at a time. Within seconds, a black coffin had formed, encasing the demon of Zaraki completely. There was no explosion, not even a loud noise, just a quiet rustle as, in the span of a second, dozens of spikes extended in neat rows from every side of the box. Immediately afterwards, the spell dissipated. For a second, Kenpachi looked the same; then, there was a shower of blood, spraying out in every direction from cuts appearing everywhere on his body.
"The... fuck..." Kenpachi grunted. He stood upright for a second, then collapsed headfirst into the ground, quite unconscious. Ichigo took in a sharp breath. Just like that, without even using those special powers Erza had talked about, he had beaten Zaraki Kenpachi without so much as taking a scratch.
"That," Aizen said, taking in a long, slow breath, before breathing out with relief, "that was cathartic."
"We got captains coming, sir," Gin said. Aizen looked at him with a hint of irritation.
"Yes, yes, I sense them, too," he said. "The old man himself, his idiot pupils, Unohana Retsu... we'll have a bit of an audience, at least."
He walked back to Rukia. "I suppose I don't need an audience to finish this."
He produced an item of sorts from his pocket; Ichigo couldn't quite make out what it was. Whatever it was, it spread out to cover his left hand, giving it a dark green, rock-like appearance. He grabbed Rukia by the collar, and pulled her to her feet.
"Take your hands off her!" Ichigo snarled, fighting to find the energy to stand up.
"Do not blame me, young mister Kurosaki," Aizen said with a smile. "Blame Urahara Kisuke."
He lifted Rukia into the air with his right hand, and with one smooth movement rammed his left hand into her chest. Ichigo cried out with rage, but to his surprise, there was no blood, no cry of pain from Rukia. Her chest heaved and shimmered like water, and after fidgeting a little, Aizen pulled his hand out, now holding a small object, no larger than a walnut, sleek and black. The dark green retracted from his hand, and Aizen stood there, staring at the object with fascination. Rukia stared at him with horror.
"If only you knew, Kuchiki Rukia," he said with a triumphant smile, "just what you've carried inside you all this time."
"What..." Rukia said, gaping.
"I told you, Urahara Kisuke. You didn't think offering that gigai when you were weak and alone was out of charity, did you?"
"But... my clan is rich..." Rukia said, gaping like a fish.
"What you see here," Aizen said, holding up the object, "is the culmination of Urahara Kisuke's genius. That man's intellect is surpassed only by his cowardice. He creates this hougyoku, this godlike object of power, and what does he do with it? He tries to destroy it."
Aizen shook his head, looking gleeful.
"It was hidden in that gigai, meant to fuse with your soul energy and eventually dissolve. It would have left you powerless for life, and this thing well outside my grasp. An intelligent solution, if only I hadn't anticipated it."
Ichigo and Rukia both stared wide-eyed in disbelief. They had been used, all this time. It shouldn't have been surprising, yet it was.
"Well, you've served your purpose, little Kuchiki," Aizen said, letting go of Rukia, who sunk to her knees once more. He raised his sword, and her eyes widened.
"NO!" Ichigo cried, as the blade came down. Anger welled up, hate; how dared he-
Then, suddenly Aizen's blade bit into flesh, but not Rukia's. Somehow, by some incredible turn of fate, Byakuya stood in her place, rushed up from where he had fallen on the ground. He stood up, almost kneeling, a defiant look of rage on his face as he stared into Aizen's eyes. The sword had cut through his left arm, which lay severed on the ground. The blade's edge had dug into the side of his chest, and if he had been on the verge of death before, he was moments away from slipping into the abyss now.
"Commendable spirit, I must say," Aizen said, sounding amused. "It is only a shame that such devotion could not be harnessed meaningfully."
He pulled the blade free, and Byakuya collapsed, finally finished. Rukia stared, wide-eyed, tears streaming down her face.
"You'll join him in a moment," Aizen said, flicking the blood off his blade, before raising his sword again.
There was a cry of rage, and Aizen stayed his hand. Sailing through the air was Erza, swords out, having leaped toward Aizen with tremendous speed. Close behind her was Lisanna, blade still sheathed. Quite casually, Aizen read her movements, braced for impact, and parried her first strike.
"Finally!" he cried exuberantly. "I was starting to wonder what took you so long."
"Get Rukia!" Erza snapped, and Lisanna obliged, picking up the girl and dashing away in a matter of seconds.
"You can have her," Aizen said, letting out a chuckle. "I already have what I need. The execution was more of a courtesy, really." He still held on to the hougyoku in his left hand, his right moving his zanpakutou around in smooth, well-practiced moves to block Erza's flurry of blows.
"So, how have you been?" he said, as he easily moved out of a strike aimed at his head, before parrying another, then another. "It's been so long since our last little encounter. What did you do to that Shiba child?"
Erza kept her mouth shut, focusing herself on the fight. Calling it a fight, though, was something of an overstatement. Aizen was untouchable, his form flawless, and he read her movements easily. She was sure he had already passed up several openings.
"No? Nothing?" Aizen said with a sigh. "You're being an awful bore, Erza. You are lucky I am in a good mood already."
Scoffing, Erza jumped back, putting space between herself and Aizen. She looked around. Ichigo was hurt, but alive. The same went for Renji, Rod, and just barely for Byakuya, too. A bit further behind her were the kids, who had been instructed in no uncertain terms to wait further back and not meddle under any circumstances, along with Momo and Rangiku. Right now, she could only rely on Lisanna.
This was a worst case scenario, a nightmare come true. Their objective had succeeded in the most absurd way possible, technically, but for what? He had finally revealed himself, and he seemed to have beaten Kenpachi, as well. By all objective accounts, this was hopeless.
But hopelessness was nothing; that was Erza's philosophy. No matter the odds, you always tried.
"You know, he doesn't seem aggressive," Lisanna said, her hand cautiously held at the hilt of her sword. "Maybe we could try and talk to him-"
"Not on your life," Erza said sharply, her tone leaving no room for disagreement. "He is a snake, and you're better off dead than reasoning with him."
"Alright, then," Lisanna said, a little taken aback by the brusqueness of Erza's words. She sighed, and pulled out her blade.
"Bankai, now," Erza instructed. She held out her blade, and let her energy surge. "Tetsuken Yoseitama!" There was a glow, a gust of wind, and she was clad in resplendent silver-grey armour, full plate mail covering her from tip to toe.
"Bankai!" Lisanna proclaimed. "Arashiraijin Kaminari Hebi!"
Lightning surged up to the sky, and around Lisanna, the body of her enormous serpent of a bankai formed, menacing and powerful.
"Really, you two," Aizen said calmly, "there is no need for this. Erza, surely you can see the outcome?"
"On me," Erza said to Lisanna, and charged forward, dual swords in hand. Aizen sighed.
"Well, since you insist..."
Erza charged, but Aizen wasn't there. Suddenly he was behind her, meeting Lisanna's charge headlong, smoothly having moved under the coils of her serpentine bankai. She had not a moment to react before Aizen cut her with one hand, a smooth diagonal slash from shoulder to hip. It was a clean, powerful strike, and Lisanna had no chance to dodge. With a nauseated gargle, she sunk to her knees, and collapsed.
"That makes it just the two of us, old friend," Aizen said, turning to face Erza. "I hope you don't mind, but a third wheel is such a bother on our reunion."
Erza shot him a hateful glare, turned fully to face him again, and charged forward. Part of her, and a large one at that, wanted to cry out Lisanna's name, but she was overcome with anger. That, and any lack of focus right now could easily see her dead. Furiously, she bore down on Aizen, her twin blades working in deadly tandem. Aizen parried her strikes almost lazily, not yielding an inch of ground, moving quickly enough to catch either blade before any of her strikes could come close to breaching his defenses.
"Alright, if you insist, I'll accept your challenge," he said resignedly. With one swift move, he stepped out of the range of a horizontal double swing aimed for his chest, and in the blink of an eye brought down his sword vertically, cutting through her armour like it was made of paper. The chest plate split, and Erza felt the hot, sharp pain of a cut down her chest.
"The challenge being defeating you without killing you, of course," Aizen said, smiling slightly.
Hissing, Erza let the form of her black Purgatory armour encase her, her weapons changing too, switching to the sword and shield of Justice.
"Quaint," Aizen said, a chuckle under his voice.
Erza remembered what Lisanna had said. He wasn't aggressive. He clearly didn't want to kill her. Her side had Rukia. The smart thing would be to stop, to get him talking until there were reinforcements.
But, she remembered the feeling of being imprisoned, convicted, and forced into exile. She remembered the pain of losing all her friends, again, and how it had nearly destroyed her. She remembered everyone he had hurt. She remembered, from less than a minute ago, the callous look on his face when he had cut down Lisanna. She remembered it all, and a wall of red was rising across her field of vision, washing the world with crimson. Decades' worth of repressed anger, pain, and hate welled up, and his calm smugness, him acting like he had done nothing wrong, only made it all the worse. Choler, pure rage, was filling her up, breaking down the barrier of reason like a tsunami smashing into an all too weak barrier. Letting out an incoherent scream of wrath, she charged forward again, everything but her sword-craft forgotten.
"Well, you certainly stayed active, I'll give you that," Aizen said, parrying her every strike with ease. "I always knew you had the capacity to earn bankai. Watching you defeat Zaraki Kenpachi was almost as enjoyable as striking him down with kido."
Erza didn't reply, lashing out with the ferocity of a berserker.
"And to think that you came this far, subverting the very Gotei against all odds. You really are something else, Scarlet," he said, avoiding a shield bash aimed to throw him back.
"Shut UP!" Erza snarled, lashing out with a thrust. Aizen side-stepped her attack, nimbly spun round on one foot, and struck her side. Erza reeled, and felt her armour breaking again. With two quick cuts, Aizen's zanpakutou sliced through her armour, the plates clanging against the ground as they fell off. Again she felt the sting of shallow cuts where he had severed through the armour, and again, she remained mostly unharmed.
"The problem with armour," Aizen said calmly, still speaking as if this were a conversation about the weather, "is that while powerful, it always has a weak spot, a structural flaw. If one can identify it, breaking it takes little effort."
Erza's eyes narrowed, and still refusing to reply, her armour changed again, the black plate replaced by the shimmering scale mail of Heaven's Wheel. Wings manifesting at her back, she took flight, Render held tightly in her hands.
"As you wish, then," Aizen said with a light sigh. He raised his hand, and said, "Bakudo seventy-four: Juryokuido."
Immediately, there was an immense pressure on Erza, and as much as she flapped her wings, she fell to the ground. Her chest had tightened; she couldn't even breathe, and it was as if a giant had stepped on her, like a mountain had been placed on her shoulders. She slammed into the ground, and although the pressure relented the moment she crashed, she could do little more than breathe. Her head was spinning, she felt dizzy, and somehow she had managed to stand up, even though she didn't remember how.
"That," said Aizen, his blade coming down in two smooth arcs, severing Heaven's Wheel with ease, "is a very nifty spell to know. I'd rather not make the effort to chase after you right now. I hope you understand."
Erza staggered back, another two red lines added to the cuts on her body, and she breathed in heavily. She grasped Render in one hand, nearly having lost hold of it, and summoned her reiatsu once more.
"Please don't," said Aizen, his voice in between irritated and amused. "Surely you can see it's-"
"Shut UP!" Erza snapped, and around her the Giant Armour formed. Before she had even gotten her guard up, Aizen had cut through its shoulder guards, dismantling it with surgical precision.
"Erza, dear Erza, this is getting tiresome," said Aizen, standing relaxed before her, not even bothering with a stance. "This is futile. Surely you can see that by now?"
"I knew how this would go the moment I walked up here!" Erza snarled, stubbornly taking hold of Render, preparing to strike at any moment. "I knew you were stronger than I am. I knew that our only chance was to take Rukia before you did. I knew I could never hope to defeat you. Even without that insane power of yours, you are stronger than I am, more skilled, more well rounded, more intelligent. I knew all those things, you son of a bitch!"
"Then why try?" Aizen said, furrowing his brows. "That's... illogical."
"You always try," Erza said, looking him in the eyes. She had never felt hatred like this, anger so complete. Right now she was sure she would kill him if she could, grind his face down to paste, slaughter him no matter how much he begged.
"You always try even if it's one chance in a million. Maybe you'd let your guard down. Maybe you would make some mistake. In a fight with you I'd lose nine-hundred and ninety-nine times out of a thousand. But, that one-thousandth means there's hope, and hope is the last thing that leaves us. If the world is going dark, if the odds are against you, you always try because there is always hope!"
She spat out the words, like they were bitter pieces of sulphur, rotten meat with a nauseating stench. They were inspiring, but the way she said them was not.
Aizen looked at her curiously. "You really would never back down, would you?"
"Not on my life!"
"Neither would I," he said approvingly. "Once again, you remind me of why I recruited you in the first place."
Erza looked at him with disgust. "That's never coming back, you arrogant bastard. You can kill me and be done with it, but I'm not going to play your games."
Aizen sighed. "You always were the naïve idealist, of course. Change costs. It costs lives, it costs blood, tears and hard work, and it costs you your own decency, too."
"Not. Playing. Your. Game," Erza growled.
Aizen grumbled, and let out an irritated breath. "Very well, be that way. Honestly..."
Suddenly he was gone, out of her vision. Erza would have spun around, looking for where he had gone, but there was no time. The very next moment, the length of a blade erupted from her midsection, running through her gut. The shock of it made her drop her zanpakutou, and she gagged, letting out little grunts, short, panicked breaths. In disbelief, she raised her hands to touch the blade, stained red with her blood. But before she could touch it- and how slowly her limbs moved now!- it retracted.
Erza sunk to her knees, barely remaining upright by resting the palms of her hands on the dirt of the hill's floor.
"I hope you appreciate the skill and precision required," said Aizen, stepping out from behind her, now facing her just a yard away, "to sever a soul chain with perfect accuracy without doing any further harm. And in the middle of combat, too."
"You..." Erza gasped.
She felt it now. All the power she normally took for granted, as much a part of her as the blood in her veins, was rushing out. It was like falling off a cliff. It was like losing the ability to breathe. It was like falling into an endless pit with no bottom for your body to be crushed against. She let out short, desperate breaths, realizing she was being crushed just by the reiatsu Aizen let out normally.
"Ah. My apologies," Aizen said, lowering his pressure just enough. "After all, you will be feeling quite weak now."
Erza gasped, drawing in long, deep breaths like she had just taken a long dive. Somewhere in her panicked, horrified state of mind she realised what it was: Aizen had severed the link that bound her soul to her shinigami powers.
No metaphor could accurately describe how it felt. The loss of an arm, or a leg, or all her limbs at once couldn't come close to the feeling of weakness, impotence, and futility. It was like losing her everything, all at once. Blood gushed out from her new wounds, but she barely noticed it. She started to tremble. She wanted to just lie down, fall over unconscious, let it all go away.
"I apologize, but it was necessary," Aizen said smoothly. "After all, you've grown quite strong, and I'd rather not have to kill you."
Erza stared up at his face, not even able to muster the energy for a spiteful retort, feeling helpless and weak. Aizen smiled, and bent over a little, gently cupping her chin with his index finger, raising her head, and pressed his lips against her forehead. He stood up straight again, and smoothly wiped his blade clean with a tissue, before sheathing it.
"You will see," he said, and there was something frighteningly earnest in his voice. "In a few months I will have won the last battle I need to win, and then I will start building my new world. You will see the fruit of my labours, and when that is done, you will tell me that I was right and you were wrong. Then, when that happens, I will permit you to have a place in it. We will build a better world together eventually. Not as equals, of course, but we'll build it nonetheless."
A single tear found its way down Erza's cheek as she stared up at Aizen, feeling like an ant before a god, a mouse before a titan. She was helpless, utterly helpless; she hadn't felt this weak in all her life. Not since that one time, not since she had seen her friends die, had she ever felt this powerless. No matter what, no matter the odds, she had always been able to fight. Now, he had taken that from her.
"You..." she said, and with a last defiant gesture, she raised her hand to touch the hem of his uniform.
"I think you had best keep calm. Don't worry, I won't let you die," said Aizen, and pointed a finger at her. "Bakudo four: Hainawa."
The golden rope formed, instantly wrapping itself around her chest, and Erza finally collapsed. The spell was like an iron cage around her. Normally it would have slowed her down at most, but now, weak as she was, she might as well have tried to lift a mountain or drink an ocean.
"Bakudo seventy-nine: Kuyou Shibari!"
In a vertical circle around Aizen, eight black spheres, pulsating with energy, took shape, a ninth sphere manifesting on his chest. Erza recognized the spell, powerful and difficult to execute. Worse, she recognised the caster's voice. It was Momo.
"No!" she cried, her voice little more than a whisper, doing nothing more than pushing around the dust on the ground where she lay. "No, Momo! No, you can't!"
If Momo heard, she gave no sign. Erza could just barely see her, boldly stepping up to where Erza had stood, facing down Aizen with her sword in hand.
"Captain Aizen," she said firmly.
"Ah, Momo. Decent bakudo, if a bit rough around the edges. It's rather quaint, actually," he said, seeming completely unaffected. "Now, I will ask you not to address me by that title," Aizen said, sounding amused still. "My days as a lapdog are over, thank you very much."
"Captain- I mean er, Aizen," Momo began, her posture tense but still not making ready to fight, "there is a lot here I don't understand. But... I... after all this time, you deserve a chance to explain. There has to be a reason, right? You didn't kill Erza, so... what is it you want?"
Aizen laughed.
"Poor, gullible Momo," he said, "still labouring under the misconception that she ever knew Aizen Sousuke."
"Captain!" Momo insisted.
Erza was breathing even more raggedly, nearly having a panic attack. Writhing on the ground, struggling against her chains, she tried to raise her voice.
"Momo, you can't! Run away! Run away, right now!"
Her voice was weak and hollow, and she struggled to make herself heard.
"I told you not to call me that," said Aizen.
"You deserve to explain yourself," said Momo again. "You had to have a reason. Right? If there is something wrong with the Gotei, then we could try and understand. Captain, please!"
"You're really quite slow to catch on, aren't you?" said Aizen.
"Momo, run!" Erza cried, finally getting a bit of strength to her voice. "Momo, GET AWAY FROM HIM!"
"I told you not to call me that," he said, and sighed.
"Captain-" Momo said a final time.
Then suddenly he stood in front of her, the kido binding nothing but an illusion. In one smooth move, as if sliding his blade into water, Aizen thrust his zanpakutou forward, burying the blade in her chest to the hilt. Momo's eyes went wide with horror as she looked down, seeing a blot of crimson spread out from her chest. As easily as he had slid the blade in, Aizen pulled it out. He took a step back, flicking the blood from his sword. Momo staggered, a look of horror on her face.
"Cap... tain..."
"Don't worry, little one," Aizen said. "Soon, the pain will be over."
"I just... I just wanted... to understand..." Momo stammered. Blood flowed freely from her chest, like a river of red, the liquid of life draining from her with speed. She reached out with one hand, looking at her former captain with a mixture of shock, horror, disappointment, and worst of all, confusion. She couldn't understand it. She couldn't fathom what was happening, or why. It was just... Aizen. After all they had been through, all that he had done for them, all his leadership, this... this wasn't right. It couldn't be true.
Unceremoniously, Momo slumped over in an undignified pile, paralyzed and mercifully unconscious. Blood kept flowing, pooling around her. The hilltop's slight slope let a line of fresh red slowly drip past Erza. Erza's eyes widened with horror, piled on top of what she already felt. This couldn't be real. This couldn't be happening. Momo couldn't be dead. Desperately she inched toward her friend, crawling across the ground like some sort of grotesque, bloodied caterpillar. She came level with Momo, and stared at Momo's face, blank, eyes wide open and empty.
"Don't go!" she hissed desperately, her voice a raspy shadow of itself. "Momo, don't go! Talk to me, Momo! Momo, talk to me! Don't die!"
"I know it seems a little cruel," Aizen said callously, "but really, I think you ought to recognize mercy when you look at it, Erza. Do you really think a pitiful, narrowminded little creature like her could ever have understood? She was weak, and killing her was the kindest thing I could do to her. Now, she won't have to try to wrap her mind around the change I'll bring."
Mercy. Mercy.
Mercy. MERCY.
He dared call it mercy.
Something inside Erza fundamentally broke, shattering like a glass vase against a hard marble floor. She let out a loud cry, like a wounded animal, like some thing about to die, screaming her agony to the uncaring heavens. Without knowing what she was doing, she edged herself up to a sitting position, and then she stood up, her knees wobbling. She kept crying out, and as she screamed, the cry increasingly became one of rage. Invading her mind like some black, all-consuming beast, her hatred amplified. Rage became the very fibre of her being, her entire existence.
"I wouldn't move around if I were you," said Aizen, but Erza didn't hear him.
MERCY. HOW DARED HE.
Lisanna stirred, pain running through her body. Dazed and confused, she propped herself up, barely noticing the pain of her injury. She had been cut badly, and her bankai had dissolved when she fell unconscious, but all things considered, this was probably only the third-worst injury she had ever taken. In a pinch she could move, although she'd really rather not.
But she hadn't come awake just to muse on her injuries. Something had made her stir, pulled her from the quiet dark. It was remarkable, a sensation she hadn't felt for well over a century, not since she had been alive...
Erza rose to her knees. When and how she had done so, she wasn't conscious of, nor did she care. She grit her teeth, flexed her muscles, and with one effortless movement, she shattered the spell that had bound her. She was radiating with power, raw and strong, and it was like being alive for the first time in a century. On her arm, the tattoo that marked her past as a member of Fairy Tail came aglow, once little more than a curiosity, a memento, now alive with force.
She looked down to the ground, where her sword had fallen. Her heart welled up with hate, with anger, with a single purpose in mind. Slowly, she moved her hand.
"Absolutely fascinating," said Aizen, taking a few steps closer to her, scrutinizing her closely. "What are you, Erza Scarlet?"
Erza didn't reply. Her arm fumbled, trembling, her fingers struggling to find a grip around the hilt of her blade.
"This isn't reiatsu at all," Aizen said, furrowing his brows, sounding like a scientist examining a specimen. "No, it's... something else altogether. I shall have to make a note of studying you later-"
Like a viper lashing out, Erza suddenly gripped her blade, and with a jerking, erratic movement dashed forward, suddenly on her feet. Aizen drew his blade just in time, his reflexes perfect despite not having expected her charge. He parried the strike, but Erza locked her blade with his, pushing it down. Suddenly she shoved him back, and in one wild, ferocious move she stabbed her zanpakutou forward, its point biting into his shoulder, drawing blood. A good few inches pierced his flesh, and Aizen gasped with surprise. Erza stared him in the eyes with a murderous, demonic glare. She was covered in blood and dirt, looking like some hellish visage... and for a second, Aizen thought her pupils looked different, thin slits surrounded by green.
Then he recovered, snapping out of the short stupor.
"Shou!" he burst out, the spell forcefully throwing Erza back, pulling the sword out of his shoulder.
Lisanna blinked. The energy. It couldn't be... it was Erza, alright, only not Erza at all. It was as if the Sun had started glowing red, or if the Moon had turned bright orange. The energy was Erza's, yet it wasn't her reiatsu signature at all. In fact, it wasn't reiatsu at all...
"Magic," she whispered breathlessly, finally remembering what it felt like, from so long ago, from Earthland, from Fiore...
It was magical power. An enormous pool of magical power, raw and powerful, pulsated across the entire hilltop. But how? Shinigami had never had magical energy. She hadn't felt its like since she had died and passed on. They had magic, sure, in the form of kido, but that was a science, a scholarly application of reiatsu control. This was magical power, pure and raw, and it was coming from Erza. Lisanna stood up, defying the pain. What on Earth was going on?
Erza closed the distance as soon as Aizen had created it, her sword coming down on him furiously. Taken aback, Aizen only just parried as she began her assault. She was screaming her lungs out, furious, lost entirely to reason, driven by grief, by hate, by wrath, her sword spinning like a maelstrom of death. There was no thought in this process, no logic, only decade after decade's worth of assiduous, hard training and the muscle memory it brought.
Aizen stumbled, seeming completely surprised. Before he knew it, her blade had found its mark again, raking across his chest. He parried, a dozen times within a second, but her arms simply moved too quickly. Another two gashes joined the first two before a minute had passed. Aizen grunted, pushed back step by step, as Erza relentlessly moved forward, forcing him further and further toward the edge of the hill. Pushed toward the very limit, Aizen could only defend himself, his arms working more quickly than the eye could follow just to match Erza's pace.
She was a fury. She was Wrath incarnate, a nemesis, a vision of retribution as if raised by Hell itself to reap vengeance on the wicked. Her arms, her entire body moved like they never had before. Her body screamed in agony, as she was pushed well past her limits, but she didn't even notice. All she knew right now, insofar that she knew anything at all, was that Aizen had to die. Nothing else mattered. Nothing else could matter.
With a mighty howl of righteous fury, she raised her blade, batting his sword aside one final time, before severing his sword arm. His blade fell to the ground with a dull thud, his arm still holding onto it, and Aizen screamed, knowing fear for the first time. Erza wasted no time, and surged forward. She was going to take his heart, here and now.
From afar, Orihime, Chad, Uryu, and Tatsuki watched, having dared to move closer despite Rangiku's protests. They were in awe; Erza looked like some ancient, terrible god of war, a sight that had to be seen to be believed. She was pushing Aizen- Aizen, the betrayer, the powerful monster they had been taught to fear- back, the man forced to dodge and evade just to stay alive.
"How is this possible?" Rangiku said, blinking. "I mean, he's supposed to be... invincible."
"It's because she's Erza," Orihime said, beaming with pride, "and there's nobody like her. She can do anything."
Screaming even more loudly than before, her voice a roar to have left the largest of hollows jealous, she charged one final time, blade raised level with her eyes, held to stab. Aizen tried to deflect, tried to move back, but to no avail. She ran her blade through his chest, down to the hilt, and stared into his eyes as she did it. The shock in his eyes, the horror, the fear of death; seeing it all play before her felt good.
Then, he smiled.
He wasn't supposed to smile.
What-
Suddenly, she saw Lisanna before her, impaled on Erza's blade, nearly lifted off her feet. It took several seconds for Erza to register what had happened, and her fury washed off her like she had been hit by a barrel of ice-cold water.
"Er...za..." Lisanna stuttered, blood trailing from the corner of her mouth, a look of shock as pure as Erza's own on her face.
Trembling, she stumbled, immediately letting go of her blade, not knowing what else to do. Lisanna collapsed to her knees, then fell over on her side.
Erza stumbled back several steps, clasping her hands over her mouth, her mind going blank. No, no, no, no, no! No, she couldn't have... no, she was attacking Aizen! She had- she had-
Unable to process what she had done, she sunk to her knees, feeling weak and powerless. The mystical force that had uplifted her before wasn't gone, but it might as well have been.
Suddenly Aizen came into view. A bit of blood trailed down his uniform from a cut in his shoulder, but he was otherwise unharmed. He looked at Erza with a smile on his face.
"I think you forgot a thing or two in your haste, dear," he said, holding his blade up. "Surely you didn't expect Kyoka Suigetsu to stop working?"
Erza stared at him, horrified. She had been so enraged, so driven beyond reason, that she had forgotten just who her opponent was, what he could do. And now... now Lisanna had been made to pay for it.
"Even so, I must commend you. I underestimated you. Of course, that strange power of yours is very much an unforeseen factor. I would love to study it, but... well, I have company coming."
"Y-you..." Erza hissed out, her voice too empty to even carry out properly.
"I won't make the same mistake again," said Aizen. Swiftly he raised up his blade, and cut her across the chest. The strike was strong, true, and powerful, and Erza welcomed the pain of it; it was a relief compared to what she had just gone through. Wordlessly, she collapsed headfirst on the ground, barely alive.
Aizen watched her collapse. Despite himself, despite the ache of the cut to his shoulder, blood trailing down his chest- and how long had it been since anybody had spilled his blood?- he felt a small relief, knowing she wasn't dead. Despite her helplessly stubborn nature, she was remarkable.
He had more important things to do, though. The first arrival was coming, after all, and he had to welcome her. Sworn to destroy her and all she stood for, after all, was no excuse for rudeness.
Through the air, the form of Unohana Retsu's Minazuki sailed gracefully, landing smoothly. The captain of Fourth jumped off, followed by her vice-captain, and the creature was sealed, again taking the form of her sword. Aizen smirked.
"It seems you are not only first to discover me, but first to find me, too," he said, giving her an appreciative nod.
"Aizen Sousuke," she said curtly, her voice chilled but well controlled. She was feared, Aizen knew that well, and unlike most, he knew why. She would one day make an interesting foe.
"It seems fitting. Perhaps if this society had not been led by dull-witted men, my actions would not have been necessary."
It was mockery, a crude goad, but Aizen was in too good of a mood not to indulge.
Without even acknowledging him, she walked away to tend to the injured, the fallen vice-captains of Second and Sixth Divisions happening to be the closest. Aizen furrowed his brows. Out of all things, being ignored seemed the most offensive.
"I would not take my eyes off of me, captain," he said calmly, his voice still humming with satisfaction. "After all, I might be tempted to finish what I started. I have not been merciful out of the kindness of my heart."
Unohana stood up, already having kneeled by Abarai Renji, and nodded to her vice-captain.
"Isane," she said, and the girl, looking rather like a lost hen, snapped to it, applying first aid medical kido. Unohana faced Aizen, staring him in the eye.
"What is your intention?" she said directly, and Aizen knew she would not play games. Would that all his enemies were of this calibre... then again, that wouldn't be nearly as fun.
"Let's just wait, shall we? After all, we have more guests coming."
They both sensed it: Yamamoto and his pupils were close by, and would be with them within the minute.
"I would have expected you to try to finish me before that," said Unohana.
"I do not need to," said Aizen. It was arrogant, he knew, made all the better by the fact that it was true.
Her eyes narrowed. "You are an amateur, then. Overconfidence does a pretender no favours. I have seen your like come and go, Aizen Sousuke, and they were all the same: powerful, talented, and very, very sure they couldn't lose. Their pride was their undoing every time."
She spoke with the quiet confidence of a veteran, and Aizen did not for a moment dismiss it as prideful bravado. She had seen enough and learned enough to believe the truth of her words. But even that considered... she had no idea what was coming.
"The difference is that I will succeed where they failed."
"I have heard that said before, too."
Their little spar might have continued, and Aizen almost thought it was a shame that the imposing frame of Yamamoto had finally arrived to interrupt their conversation. The old man was flanked by Kyouraku Shunsui and Ukitake Juushiro, both looking a little worse for wear, and Aizen couldn't suppress another smirk. It would have been sweeter retribution still if the old man had killed them before realising the error of his ways, but that was far from necessary.
"Captain-Commander," Aizen said jovially, turning to face the decrepit old tyrant, "I do hope you are in good health?"
"Aizen Sousuke," the old man said grimly, and Aizen could practically feel the restrained wrath in his voice, "you stand accused of high treason, sedition, mass murder, and conspiracy. Do you deny these charges?"
"Deny them?" Aizen said, and forced himself not to chuckle. "Old man, I revel in them."
"Then it is as we were told. You know only death is sufficient punishment."
This time, Aizen did chuckle. "Old man, if I wanted your captains to die already, I would have killed them. If I wanted to quietly usurp your entire government, I could have done so, easily. What does it tell you that I stand here before you?"
"Beware, captain-commander," Unohana said sharply. "His zanpakutou's shikai manifests as potent illusory abilities. He will not be easily subdued."
"Your art at understatement is nothing short of exceptional, doctor," said Aizen amusedly.
"Then what is the cause of all this?" Yamamoto said, nodding toward the hilltop, where the fallen littered the ground, their blood soaking the earth. "What madness compelled you to turn against us and still face us?"
"I thought you'd never ask," Aizen said, drawing in a deep breath, as if savouring a particularly juicy piece of candy. "You were awfully tardy, I'm afraid. It's a shame the audience isn't bigger, but it seems... fitting, at least, that the founding members of this trash heap hear my proclamation."
"Say your piece, heretic!" Yamamoto snarled, his veneer of outward calm breaking down just a little.
"And so I shall," Aizen said smoothly. His hand on the hilt of his blade, he stared them down, an indescribable feeling coming over him. Decade after decade of patient planning all came down to this, came down to finally standing tall, finally being honest with this revolting institution he had been forced to serve for so long. It was... both wondrous and somewhat underwhelming at the same time. Still, it wouldn't do to keep his audience waiting.
"I know not what anarchy your order replaced a thousand years ago, captain-commander," he began, "and it may well be that the change you brought created a better world than the one you were born into. But the order you created, whether flawed from its creation or corrupted over time, is a despicable monstrosity burdened by bureaucracy, privilege, corruption, inequality, power by the few over the many. You have created a society that favours the wealthy, the powerful, the strong, that at best considers the weak chaff to be ignored and left to rot by the roadside, and at worst actively oppresses them. You have created a society that tolerates no dissent, that quashes any attempt of rivalry, that refuses to accept any challenge to its status quo. You have created a society of tyranny, where nobility has whatever it wants whenever it wants, at the expense of the poor. You have created a society that assassinates those who are powerful and independent, that overlooks corruption, that employs murderous thugs and looks the other way when monsters torture and terrorize in the name of science. That, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai, is crime enough in itself, but the truest crime of all is that you have all you need to create a fair and just afterlife, yet you will not."
He paused to breathe. The words had flowed out of his mouth seamlessly. These were words he had rehearsed countless times for over a century, arguments and points he had thought of over and over, driven him to where he was now.
"You will not, Genryuusai, not because you are a petty, cruel, or evil man, but because you lack the vision. I understand, you see. I understand that evil does not exist by design, but through the callousness and indifference of men who lead and tolerate its existence. The irony of your existence, Yamamoto Shigekuni Genryuusai, is that you revolutionized your own society at one time, only to create one based on tradition, on authority, on narrow-minded adherence to your own status quo. A thousand years ago, you rose up, a hero to unite a world in chaos and bring peace. A thousand years from now, I shall be remembered exactly in the same way."
"Quite a speech," Kyouraku said, and gave a small whistle. Aizen shot him an irritated glance, and made a mental note to personally execute him when the time came.
"Is that all this is, then?" Unohana said. "All of this for some tired speech about revolution? All this bloodshed because the world doesn't suit you?"
"I will not be lectured," said Aizen sharply, "by those who see fit to support a regime that murdered so many across its lifetime that I could spend every waking hour for ten years doing nothing but slaughter, and still not match its bloody tally of victims. This society of yours is broken, corrupt, and I will end it."
"Enough," Yamamoto said dismissively. "You are a traitor, and will be sentenced accordingly. Seize him."
"I wouldn't," said Aizen calmly, and Ukitake and Kyouraku both seemed hesitant to act. "But if you feel certain, then by all means, make your move."
"Hey, old man," Kyouraku said, furrowing his brows, "something isn't right. He's got to have something up his sleeve."
"I said, seize him," Yamamoto repeated, his tone leaving no room for disagreement. Hesitantly, Kyouraku and Ukitake moved forward. But just as they took the first step, it happened. Above them, some two-hundred yards up into the air, the fabric of reality tore apart. Two hands, gigantic in size and chalk-white, pointed and indubitably hollow in origin, ripped through the blue of the sky and tore open a wide slit of darkness. A head, ugly and enormous, soon followed, looking down upon them like some grim reminder of death. The rift, at least forty yards wide, was held open by its arms splayed out, its hands gripping one edge each. From out of the darkness spilled dozens of smaller hollows, each one a Menos Grande, swaying and writhing as if longing to burst out and wreak havoc on the Gotei, just barely hanging onto the rift's edge.
Down from the gate, which looked like nothing so much as a way into Hell itself, three beams of light seared down, encasing Aizen, Tousen and Ichimaru.
"Negacion," Unohana said. "It has been ages since I've seen it."
"Have you sunk that low, Aizen?" Ukitake burst out. "Allying with hollows?"
Aizen smiled, as he was slowly lifted off his feet. He was safe now, beyond the reach of any petty commander.
"You and your entire establishment are all blinded with self-righteousness," he said. "From the beginning, nobody has ever stood at the top. Not you, not I, not the very gods themselves. But soon, that unobtainable vacancy shall be filled. I will stand atop the heavens."
And then he would be like unto a god...
Yamamoto said nothing, inscrutably watching Aizen as he ascended.
From afar, Rangiku stared at Gin. The ex-captain stared back, and something wistful passed his face. Then he turned his gaze away, and looked toward Aizen. His path was set.
"I'll be damned..." Kyouraku muttered as Aizen ascended, finally being swallowed up by the void rift. The writhing mass of hollows followed, and finally the tear closed when the giant's hands released it. "Old man...?"
"This is our defeat," Yamamoto said grudgingly. "Whatever will come next will go down in history, no matter the outcome."
Well now, that sure was one hell of a way to end things now wasn't it? It just goes to show though, you DONT mess with Aizen Souske.
When it comes to Aizen, I want to try to keep him at his best, which if you ask me, was what he was like on Sokyoku hill. That was when his character was at its peak. Strong, smart and charismatic as hell...but not TOO strong or smart. Personally, I was able to fully enjoy his character from Sokyoku hill and a good chunk of the arrancar arc. In fact with the exception of Momo, Aizen WAS my favorite character for most of Bleach. From Sokyoku hill to his battle with the captains, it was everything I expected from Aizen. It was everything I wanted...However, once he tricked Toshiro into stabbing Momo, he went from my 2nd favorite character, to the one I wanted to see get his ass handed to him. His constant transformations and his character derailing into a power hungry maniacal maniac who didn't bother to strategize anymore didn't help. He was no longer the character I enjoyed.
As ive said prior, I don't mind friendship power ups in the actual cannon of Fairy Tail itself. Hell, many other anime do it too...but they have no place here. This is a much more serious, and adult story. It just doesn't fit with the overall tone.
As for the whole "Its because shes Erza" thing I had Orihime say...Look, guys, Hiro mashima had that line put in as a JOKE. It wasn't meant to be taken seriously, it was said by HAPPY of all people. I thought it would have been OBVIOUS, but no. Ever since this line was spoken, its been used to bash on her character. Id like to think that by subverting her winning after that line being said, I have utterly destroyed that line and all the negative things it has stood for in the anime community...I know I haven't, but id like to THINK I have...LET ME HAVE THIS! DX
Now, before I continue any further, here are some words from the writer, Greatkingrat88
"So, GKR speaking. Been a while, hasn't it?
Vogo has already laid out how he feels about the chapter and so on, so I'll just add some comments on my own.
Aizen's speech. Take it from me, he believes in it wholeheartedly- but keep in mind that in the past he's stated that results matter more than belief. He 100% believes the ends justify the means.
If the rhetoric reminds you of traditional anti-establishment left-wing ideas, good- you've paid attention. This is not to make a political statement of any kind, but rather to draw parallels to the dangers of revolution and radicalism historically. Vladimir Lenin only wanted a better tomorrow, and we all know how that panned out..."
Now, with this chapter finally done, things will become MUCH different than they were in cannon. I wont tell you how, or why though, that's all part of the adventure.
THIS is the moment where things truly change. The arrancar arc will be much different from the one you'r all familiar with. Some similar vents may occur, but you can expect massive changes. FAR more than what happened in this arc.
Thank you all so much though for being with us all this time. I hope that we can continue to entertain you. Thank you for all the reviews once more, because we REALLY look forward to what you have to say for this chapter.