After her piercing scream, it was no surprise to Atticus that her Vollständig was immediately activated, so he closed his eyes for a moment to avoid being blinded by the brutal electric shock that was let loose in all directions.
"This will be over soon" Arctopus predicted as he slowly opened his eyes again. "With Ramiel in full use, not even Quilge stands a chance. Guess I'll just be her support... I don't wanna get in her way" He finally thought.
"Right away? How rude, but that's just how you've always been" Opie observed. "You and your family... None of you ever had a speck of class"
"Grrrrr!" Candice growled outraged, but knew it was a provocation, so stood in place.
"Don't worry, Candi. Even if he transforms, he's no match for you. I've made sure of that" Atticus told her, supportive. "I'll have your back too so... Go wild, girl. Make sure you give him a beating that leaves you no regrets"
"You bet I will! Just watch me" She raised her thunder wings, ready to attack.
"I'm afraid to admit that her power really is something... If I'm too lenient I'll surely be in trouble" Quilge thought, deciding to use the glove that activated his own Vollständig.
A column of energy engulfed him, of which emerged the same merciless commander with a pair of shiny wings of Reishi.
"That's Biskiel, a rather pesky Vollständig, but then again, it's Quilge we're talking about" Atticus frowned as he thought of the possibilities. "That shouldn't mean trouble in here yet, but... We cannot let him run away and power himself with the attacks of strong Hollows"
"I know what you're thinking, Atticus, but don't worry" She grinned. "There's no way in Hell I'm letting this fucker get away!"
Cracking the ground before her, Candice flew at the speed of lightning towards Quilge, who barely blocked her Lightning Swords.
"Kgh..." Quilge ground his teeth due to the strength of the impact.
"Heheh... Not so high and mighty now, are we?" Candice mocked him, and then took a jump backwards to put a space between them. "Galvano Javelin!"
Opie quickly tried to dodge the spear, but the impact steal dealt some damage, in spite of him activating Blut Vene to withstand it.
Atticus was about to slash him from behind, but as soon as he attempted to use Hirenkyaku, he realized something was wrong with his energy.
"No... Is it because of the fragment?" He became worried, but attempted to shoot a quick array of Heilig Pfeil.
Instead of a controlled siege of the Reishi Arrows, there was a clear inconsistency in the amount.
"So I'm not completely unable to use my powers, but it's still kinda iffy" He deduced. "Well, we'll just have to make do with this!"
Candice however, didn't even notice her partner's issue, for there was only one thing on her mind at the moment:
"DESTROY... I WILL DESTROY YOU, QUILGE!" She yelled as she continued her full frontal assault.
The Jagdarmee Captain could barely guard and dodge the siege coming from Catnipp, thinking of a strategy that favored him even under those harsh conditions.
"In terms of speed, even Biskiel cannot compete with Ramiel... My best bet WOULD be enslaving the Reishi of her Lightning Swords but... There is not even an opening for that!" He rapidly thought of ideas. "My only advantage is...! Ha, I know how to proceed now" He showed his typical vulture grin, angering the Thunderbolt even more.
"What's that face supposed to mean, huh?! I'm about to kill you and yet you have the nerve to do that?!"
"You'll have to excuse me, Catnipp, but I just realized how futile it is, for you of course"
"Yeah? Well show me then!" She braced herself for one of her strongest moves, pointing her arm forward. "I'll wipe that smile off your fucking face! Electrocution!!!"
The gigantic electric blast exploded right in front of her, erasing the whole respective area. She even witnessed the silhouette of Quilge Opie disappearing in the light, sure that he had been electrocuted to death, or at least, defeat.
However, after the electric column disappeared, not even a body was there to be found.
"*pant* *pant* What the...? Is he really dead?"
"Candi, look out!" Atticus yelled.
Thanks to the warning, she was able to turn around and block the Reishi Sword that came from behind by the hand of the Captain.
"Heheheh... Right in the last moment!" He smirked triumphantly. "I survived that one attack and now... You're in big trouble!"
Around them, many Adjuchas and even a couple Vasto Lordes had gathered, many readying attacks pointed at the two Quincy.
"No!" She threw another Javelin at him, but it was too late.
"Fool. You were so blinded by rage, you didn't notice where you were going"
"You scheming cunt..." She could only curse.
The Ceros had already been fired, instantly turning into Reishi that fed Quilge.
"And now, the tables have turned... With my Sklaverei!" He could feel the energy flowing inside of him. "This whole area is a feast for me!"
The sand, rocks, trees and attacks, all were changed into pure Reishi that powered Biskiel, the wings of the Sternritter growing bigger and his appearance quickly changing into a monstrous hybrid of the Quincy and the various Hollows that were present.
"Kneel before me, Hueco Mundo! Kneel before Captain Quilge Opie!" He exclaimed as he extinguished the lives of the Hollows around them.
"Dammit!" Atticus cursed as he couldn't do anything to stop him. "If only I could fight at full strength..."
For the first time in the battle, Candice realized something was wrong with him.
"His energy... It's like going back and forth between 0 and 100 over and over. It must be that thing he got... But I wonder if there's something I can do to help him"
Her thoughts were interrupted by the counterattack of her enemy, now beyond powered up.
"What's wrong, Catnipp? Wasn't your boyfriend a tough guy you could rely on?" He was waving the great Reishi sword around. "Cause all I see is a weakling frozen by fear right there!"
"Atticus is... Anything but weak...!" She yelled back as she dodged the massive yet brutish slashes. "He is... Way stronger than you!"
"Is that so? Then I guess I should have a formal duel with him right now to see for myself!" He punched her with his grown arm.
"Umph...!" She blocked the punch with two Lightning Swords, but was still sent flying.
Atticus saw the intentions of Quilge from the distance, getting ready to fight.
"If I can manage to sync my energy flow with powerful attacks... Then I might just have a chance" He thought quickly. "Otherwise... I'm dead meat"
Opie arrived a second later with a powerful blow that shook the whole ground around them.
"Guten tag, Herr Arctopus! I've come for a rematch!"
"Yeah? Good luck with that" Atticus smirked. "Cause I ain't losing today... Not to the likes of you" He firmly declared. "And not in front of her... Never!" He said in his mind.
"I always wanted to shut that big mouth you have!" He brought the Reishi Sword down on him, slicing that part of the earth in two.
"Really? I guess the feeling is mutual" He teased him.
"You little...!"
Atticus kept dodging, as his reflexes were at least being the same as always. Still, he knew he couldn't possibly win if he only kept dodging.
"No, Atticus!" Candice could see his figure evading Quilge in the distance. "That piece of shit... He has taken everything from me..!
My brother... My mother... My adolescence...
I can't let him take anything else.
I won't...
I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HIM AWAY FROM ME!"
With a strength she didn't even know she had, she jumped back into action, flying through the air surrounded by green electricity, as if the column of electrocution was now protecting her while she sped up.
Quilge was still rather entertained bullying Atticus, who still didn't find a way to fight back, when a sparkling light distracted him.
"What the-"
"Leave. Him. ALONE!" She kicked him right in the stomach with all the electric surge around her, shocking him as well.
"Gwooohh...!" Opie spat blood as he didn't expect the attack, having no time to change Blute Arterie for Blut Vene, and was sent flying far away, crashing into some cliffs.
"Candi!" Atticus didn't even see her, concentrated in the enemy.
"I've still got some fight left... But I need your help in order to beat him!" She told him at once.
"I know! I'm trying to find a way but... I'm all weird after getting the fragment" He sadly retorted.
"I could tell" She pressed her lips, thinking as fast as she could. "But is there anything I can do to help?"
"Hm..." He did the same. "Wait... Back when I arrived at Silbern, the first thing those guards did was attack me... Then I could use Reishi... So..." He came to one conclusion. "Maybe if you can hit me with a strong electric punch, my body will be in tune again!"
"Um... Are you sure that's gonna work?" She didn't look too convinced.
"Nope! Just a theory"
"Atticus. You realize you could die if you can't withstand the blow, right?"
"Yeah... But what options do we have?" He smiled in a worried manner.
"I don't know... But..." She doubted for a moment. "I'd rather die by your side than kill you and die with that guilt later"
"*sigh* That about does it... We're fucked" He admitted defeat. "Unless you have a less harmful way of infusing my body with your Schrift's electricity"
She thought for a moment, quickly getting an idea.
"There's no more time. So this better works..." She pulled him towards her, kissing him after embedding her tongue with electric energy.
"Mnph...!" He didn't expect that at all, and even less the electric shock that came with that.
His energy peaked for a moment, his body even hurting a bit, but then...
"*smooch* Did it work?" She asked, a bit flustered, but more worried about their situation.
Atticus smirked, creating a purple Lightning Sword in his hand.
"You bet, buster!" He beamed at her. "I knew you could do it"
"YOUUU DISGUST ME!" Quilge roared, blinded by rage. "HOW DARE YOU MAKE OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR DUEL!"
Two large Reishi Swords fell over them, but the two easily dodged with their Lightning Jump.
"Heheh... Jealous, Quilge?" He mocked him. "These are the benefits of having a girl, but I guess a piece of shit like you would never know that"
"You filthy swines have no honor! No morals! No discipline!" Opie continued ranting as he sliced and diced with his weapons, still unable to hit his targets.
"You should have a good look in the mirror if you have the nerve to criticize us" Candice severely replied. "What honor is in killing your comrades for your own twisted desires? You are the scum of the Earth, Quilge"
"I don't think I need to add anything more to that" Atticus commented. "So, how about we put an end to this, Candi?"
"Sure. I'm sick of breathing the same air as this thing"
"You're just bluffing... There's no way that you can defeat me now!" Quilge continued the barrage of hits and slashes. "You are but two puny ants in the face of the absolute ruler of Reishi! Lord of Spiritual Energy itself!"
"And now you've just gone nuts with power... *sigh* There's just no saving you" Arctopus said disappointed, but then smiled again. "Not that I mind"
Atticus activated his own version of Ramiel, ready to use his full power alongside Candice to destroy Quilge Opie once and for all.
"Tsk... What can a fake like you do against the power of a real Vollständig like mine? A true Angel of the God that shall soon unify all worlds as one and rule for eternity?!"
"Just... Drop dead" Atticus didn't have any more words for him. "Ready?"
"I'm always ready" Candice replied, taking her position back on back with Atticus, pointing her arm at the same time as him.
"Danza II..." She mumbled.
"...Electric Boogaloo!" He exclaimed right after her.
A double thunderbolt thrice as big as Candi's Electrocution fell upon the Captain, the immeasurable power roasting him without mercy.
The purple and green electricity flowed together as if it was dancing joyfully, leaving a spectacular show for them to behold.
"I'll never get used to that stupid name..." She complained. "But I've always loved how it looks when done correctly"
"It's our tag team's final move, of course it would look great!" He embraced her from behind. "I always wanted to use this on an actual enemy"
"You know what? Me too" She chuckled, admitting this had been the perfect chance. "I'm so glad that... It worked"
"You mean the kiss? I was so shocked by that, like, literally ahahahahah" He bursted into laughter just remembering that fact. "But there couldn't have been a better way"
Candice blushed as she looked away, knowing that she wouldn't be able to contain herself if she looked back.
Before such a thing could occur though, the show had come to an end, leaving only a massive hole in the earth with some electric sparks still flying around.
The two partners came closer to see the state of their enemy.
In the center, a completely defeated Quilge Opie laid, unable to move a muscle.
"Phew... Looks like it's finally over" Arctopus sighed.
"Yeah... I finally-"
...Or so it seemed.
"Candi!" Atticus grabbed her and fell to the ground on purpose.
The charred incongrous body of the Jail had attempted to attack them with a lousy, but really quick charge.
"No way! How is he?!" She didn't understand until she saw it.
"Ransoutengai..." Arctopus recognized immediately. "Of all the deadweight techniques in a Quincy's arsenal... I'd say this one is the most disgusting"
Quilge didn't even speak as his body went berserk trying to attack them, contorting bleeding, burnt and broken limbs in its desperate intent.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Candi frowned enraged. "Fine! Then I'll throw you into Hell MYSELF!"
And so the battle continued, the two giving it their all to put the final period on the Captain's book.
The corpse-like body kept moving thanks to the Reishi threads, no matter how many bones they broke, vessels they shattered or muscles they tore. It was like fighting a zombie or a machine, rather than a person.
"I hate to admit it, but he's tougher than he looks!" Atticus told her after he threw a barrage of Galvano Javelins. "Even Bolt Thrower didn't seem to work"
"Ghhhhrrraaaa..." The creature growled.
"It's called Galvano Siege, and for fuck's sake! What do I have to do to get you to finally die, huh?!" Candi complained.
"Hm... How about that move?" He asked her.
"Which one?"
"That one you used when you came to my aid" He reminded her.
"Ah, that. I... Honestly don't know how I did it" She admitted, a tad embarrassed.
"Well, you should try getting an idea" He insisted. "If you used it consciously, I'm sure you'd finish this in the blink of an eye"
"You really think so?"
"To me it looked like a concentrated Electrocution powered up by your Lightning Jump" He theorized. "If that doesn't make the cut, I don't know what else we can do at this point. I still don't have full control over all my abilities, but I can be a good support"
"Get me an opening" She requested. "I'll try it out"
"Sure. I'll see what I can do" He chuckled nervously, seeing as they barely stood their ground together.
However, with Candice placing her trust on him, Atticus simply couldn't fail. If she needed an opening, somehow, he would get it.
And with that objective in mind, his body was an even greater marionette than the one standing before him now, only that the strings were made of determination, not Reishi. Hence, no one, no matter what skill it had, would be able to enslave that.
"Candi, now!" Atticus yelled as soon as he left the marionette vulnerable.
"On it!" She nodded, using a Lightning Jump as propulsion as she created an aura of electricity with the magnitude of Electrocution.
As she came closer to Opie, his brain (the only part still working in his whole body) remembered seeing such an image in the past.
"I see... I should've taken care of her as well back then" He thought, Candice getting closer. "Who would've thought that the girl would end up pulling out the same moves as him?"
"This is the end, Quilge!" She exclaimed. "For me... For mother... For Austin...!
I'LL TAKE YOUR FUCKING LIFE!
SHOCKWAVE!!!"
A moment before impact, Opie could see how the electric aura changed shape into that of a giant bird.
A Thunderbird.
"GRRAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!" Quilge Opie screamed in agony as he was carried by the electric bird on its beak, electrified to the point he was slowly turning into dust.
The Jagdarmee Captain had never desired death, but now, he was begging for it.
However, just like she desired, he would not die in a peaceful manner.
Even if it was an ounce of the pain he gave the world, a fraction of the agony he gave her and her family... She wanted to rejoice in that moment, tasting every single bit of his suffering until there was nothing but dust.
The Thunderbird flew upwards, towards the pitch black sky, and by the time it had disappeared, Quilge Opie, had become less than ash.
"I... Did it..." She smiled joyfully with tears on her eyes as she fell back down to earth. "Are you seeing this... Austin?"
Her eyes felt heavy, just like the rest of her body. Not used to that technique, she had taken it a bit too far, dozing off in the middle of the air.
Thankfully, she hadn't gone so high, so it was easy for Atticus to catch her in time.
She was exhausted, so it was no surprise to him that she was already asleep when he caught her in his arms.
He was really happy to see a smile on her face as she did though.
"Well done, love. That was above amusing" He whispered and kissed her forehead.
With Quilge erased and the fragment obtained, their time in Blackwater Park had come to an end.
For a while, he calmly walked back to the camp through the Dark Desert, but something took away that calm...
"Wait... Is that... The alarm?!" He snapped. "Shit, the Espada!"
He hurried back with the sleeping beauty, carrying her bridal style, having no clue of how the rest of the Jagdarmee were doing.
"For now... I should play it cool and make up a good excuse for Quilge" He thought as he ran. "The attack of the Espada might actually be beneficial. I can tell them we were attacked back in Blackwater Park and that their Captain died in battle, while Candi and I barely came out alive... Even if they don't fully believe me, it will sound credible enough for doubt to keep them from attacking us"
He still wasn't in his best shape, but there was no place for failure. Their only way of getting back safely was along with the rest of the company, for better or worse.
In a couple minutes, he arrived at the camp. The barrier he had left with the power of 'The Wind' was down, and the soldiers were all rounded up for battle, with Dârstor and L'Via in the front.
"...I'll ask once again" The Espada that looked like a young woman of green hair spoke. "Who are you and what are you doing in Hueco Mundo?"
"Like I said, I don't have the authority to answer that" Dârstor replied sternly.
"Aum... If you don't talk, then we'll have to make you" The other Espada said in a threatening way, almost as menacing as the giant Claymore he carried on his back.
"There won't be a need for that" Atticus decided to step in.
"Mr. Arctopus...!" The Soldat seemed relieved.
"You did your job well, Dârstor. The least I could do was fulfill my role" He smiled.
"Of course..." The gray haired man seemed relieved. "Although... I don't see the Captain around"
"Yeah, about that... We ran into a bit of trouble back there..." He started making up an excuse. "In fact... It has something to do with these fellas out here" He whispered to him.
"Wait, you mean...!"
"Aum, enough mumbling between yourselves, we want answers" The male Espada demanded.
Arctopus quickly noticed the 6 tattooed in his face, giving him an idea of the power level of the enemy.
"Ok, ok. No need to be so pushy" He tried to tease them, but the serious faces of the two didn't seem appeased. "We are just a group of investigators. I apologize in advance if these men seemed hostile, but you see, we found many dangerous Hollows along the way, so they are rather shocked by the whole deal"
"Hm... Investigators? From where? We weren't notified of any expedition from the Soul Society" The woman insisted.
"Soul Society? Nononononono... We are not Shinigami. We are Quincy"
"Arcto-" L'Via was about to interrupt, but Daxx stopped her.
"Quincy? I think I've heard that before..." She thought for a moment.
"I'm sorry if we alarmed you guys, but honestly, we never thought we would find anyone around these distant lands"
"Still, I'm afraid to tell you that Hueco Mundo is not some place you can just barge in nowadays" She reprimanded him. "If you wanted to investigate, you should've asked the King for permission"
"King? Sorry, I didn't know Hueco Mundo had a King. We only study energetic anomalies across different Spiritual Realms" He continued making something up. "Since we only monitor energetic readings, I had no idea of this land's sovereignty, but being the man in charge, I apologize"
"I appreciate your honesty and manners, but I still have to take you to Las Noches for you to testify before the King, or at least, a representative"
"Oh, under normal circumstances I would kindly agree, but you see, one of our own was badly wounded" He showed Candi in his arms, who in addition to being asleep, showed a couple scratches and bruises from their previous combat. "We need to treat her back home"
"Don't worry. We have a medical facility in Las Noches with really capable healers, she'll be in good hands, and you could get treatment yourself" She noticed he was a bit wounded as well.
"I appreciate the offer, but our kind really is something else. Besides, our leader is a bit short-tempered, and if we delay this any longer we will most likely be-"
"It was not a question, Arctopus-san" She recalled hearing his name from the soldiers. "You must come with us"
She remembered Cien's words:
"If there is anyone suspicious at the site, don't hesitate to bring them to Las Noches for an exhaustive questioning"
"Then I guess we're at an impasse" Atticus sighed. "You two, put her in a stretcher and take her along all the other things back to the spot at once" He told the unranked group of Soldat. "Dârstor, L'Viaquez... It's time to roll"
The Espada quickly went straight to attack them, but Atticus was quicker than them, clashing with a Lightning Sword with each.
"Be careful, Satya! This guy is tough!" She warned him.
"Aum, I can see that!" He agreed.
"Sorry, guys, but I really can't fail now" He looked them in the eye, showing his unbreakable will. "We already came this far, Candi... Just a bit more" He said inside his mind.
The two Officers didn't waste a second and prepared a powerful siege of Heilig Pfeil to shower the two Espada.
Satya took a step back to protect himself with his Claymore, but his partner didn't have the same luck.
"Lily-nee!" He yelled, seeing as Lilynette was barely avoiding the arrows.
"It's time to get serious!" She decided after doing a last somersault to dodge. "Kick about, Los Lobos!"
Now she wore a net bra underneath her normal Espada uniform for her transformation, somehow avoiding nosebleeds on Satya's behalf (no one knows why...). Other than that, everything remained more or less the same, although her longer hair now had a fringe that covered her eyepatch most of the time.
"Aum. Disperse, Escalofrío!"
Satya on the other hand, didn't seem to show as much contrast as he did 2 years earlier. He had grown older and taller, so his base appearance matched his Resurrección a lot more, only that his clothes and weapons changed drastically, as expected.
"Resurrección right away? You leave me no choice" Atticus sighed, activating Ramiel. "You two, cover me with ranged fire!"
The two Officers nodded in agreement, each preparing its Heilig Bogen for a second assault.
"Ready? Hunt!" The two said in unison.
At that cue, Arctopus immediately used a LightningJump to quickly appear behind Satya, slashing with his sword which was now charged with the Schrift, turning it into a new kind of deadly weapon.
"What the-" Żytecki didn't expect that attack, let alone such speed.
"Wow, you didn't notice me until the last second... I guess I was overestimating you a bit" He teased his enemy as they clashed swords. "Nah, just kidding. You did a good job all things considered. That said..." The electricity started passing onto Satya's Ceremonial Blade.
"Kgh...!" He felt the deep pain of being electrocuted.
"If I remember correctly... I mustn't let this dude touch me with that sword. It seems to cause hallucinations of some kind..." He remembered, feeling safe now that Satya was paralyzed and suffering damage at the same time.
"LET HIM GO!" Lilynette came to his aid with a barrage of green Ceros.
"Tch...!" Atticus was forced to step back, seeing the threat such an attack posed if taken in full.
"Are you okay, Satya?" She caught him from the shoulder.
"Y-Yeah... It was painful, that's all. I'm sorry, I was too careless"
"Don't worry, just make sure not to clash with him" She saw through the sword trick from the start. "He surely has the upper hand in close combat"
"That's odd... Why did the ranged attack of those two cease?" Atticus wondered, realizing with a loud explosion what his fellow Quincy were dealing with.
"Daxx, what are these things?" L'Via seemed freaked out after a wolf exploded.
"They look like some kind of Reishi creatures, but pretty strong. I can't seem to erase them with Reishi absorption alone" Dârstor retorted.
"Starrk is leading the pack of wolves, so good luck dealing with them" Gingerbuck said pridefully. "Now we can take care of that guy"
Satya nodded, determined to defeat Atticus.
"Damn, looks like this is gonna be a tough fight. But at least I got to save my energy for this turn of events. If I had used it all up back there with Candi... This might've been already over" Arctopus admitted. "I felt a bit guilty about that, but now I'll make sure it was not in vain!"
Satya took a quick step forward, but suddenly Lilynette stopped him.
"Satya, no! It's a trap!"
"Too late" Atticus grinned. "Thunderbolt... Blade!"
He rolled around with the electric purple longsword he created by using his normal sword with the Thunderbolt Schrift as a catalyst, which forced Satya to protect himself with his Gunbai.
"Umph!" He was thrown away by the might of the repeated slashes in circles.
"And it's not over yet!" Atticus threw a final downward slash that created a great thunderbolt in the area in front of him, dealing Żytecki massive damage that forced him to go back to his base form.
"AAAAaaarrgghhh!"
"NO! SATYA!" Lilynette screamed, as if the peril was her own. "Damn you...!"
"Oh no, looks like I made her mad" He worried a bit.
"Resurrección: Segunda Etapa" She raised a level, determined to deliver the proper punishment upon Arctopus.
The wolves disappeared and merged back with her, after an explosion of black and light green Reiatsu revealed her current final form.
"This power..." Dârstor seemed amazed. "Is this the true strength of an Espada?"
"It's... Overwhelming" L'Via commented.
"That would be an understatement" Atticus corrected. "This is the power of a mid-class Espada. The smaller numbers are on a completely different level"
"I didn't think I'd have to use this on someone as random as him" Gingerbuck admitted. "But I won't let him get away with this!"
With two blades now, she was ready to show her new skills as a swordsman, even having trained a bit with Shunsui on a couple opportunities.
"Hm... This might be bad... I don't think I can use a lot more of power, and even then, we have no idea of how strong she truly is in such a form" Atticus evaluated. "Maybe, the only way out is to play dirty..."
"I'll show you how dangerous these fangs can be! Colmillo De-"
"Stop!" Arctopus told her from a specific location.
"How... Did you?" She was astonished, as she hadn't seen the moment he had moved towards the weakened Satya's side.
"Arrancar use Sonido, right?" He recalled. "As in 'speed of sound', I believe, which is pretty darn fast but... How fast is that in comparison to lightning?"
"Grrr..." She ground her wolf-like teeth in pure anger.
He was pointing his finger at Satya, in a childish yet menacing way.
"I can turn my hand into a Plasmarifle in the fraction of a second, though I don't think your friend would appreciate that"
"Don't listen to him, Lily-nee! I can endure that much, you just have to bring him down!" Satya tried to convince her, but considering the magnitude of his previous attack, it didn't seem to be the case.
"Ho? Daring today, aren't we?" He chuckled maliciously.
"No!" Lilynette yelped. "You win. We'll just go"
"Krgh...!" Satya felt deeply ashamed of himself, seeing his adoptive big sister accept defeat because of him.
"I'm glad you understand. Under different circumstances, I wouldn't stoop to such lowly tactics but, I told you before: I won't dare lose. Not today" His purple eyes shifted into a psycothic look with those words.
"Fine by me... But don't think this is the end" Lilynette warned him. "We'll find out who you are and what you're up to... And we'll make sure you pay for this!"
"Until we meet again then, Lily-neechan" He teased her.
"Ghrrrr" She growled again, but fought the desire to beat him to a pulp.
Satya stood back with difficulty, staring back at Atticus with some deep hatred.
Lilynette walked back to his side, checked his condition and then the two disappeared through the desert with their Sonido.
"Phew... That was a close call, wasn't it? Hahaha"
"Indeed. I never thought we would be in trouble considering our training through all these years... But I guess Arrancar are something else these days"
"Indeed. But enough of that, shall we head back?" Atticus was terribly worn out by now.
Without any more tribulations, the trio went back to reunite with the rest of the company, but of course, the two Sub-Officers couldn't let things be any longer.
"Mr. Arctopus... What exactly happened to the Captain?" L'Viaquez inquired.
"*sigh* Did you guys feel or see anything weird coming from our direction?" Atticus asked back.
"We did see a massive lightning, followed by a roaring thunder, and some kind of tremor as well" Dârstor remembered. "However, what was truly shocking was the amount of thunderbolts that came afterwards, as well as the Captain's light from his Vollständig"
"Exactly. You see, in the same way you felt that, one of the Espada seemed to notice something was wrong and was in the area at the time" Arctopus manufactured a believable answer. "To keep it short, a battle started. Y'see, the guy was pretty tough and Quilge... Well, he didn't make it, but thanks to him Candi and I got the opening for one final assault, heheh..."
"I see... That would make a lot of sense" Daxx sighed. "But it's a fabrication in the end, isn't it?"
"!!!" L'Via stopped, alarmed, followed by Daxx.
Atticus didn't expect that reply either, stopping as well.
"Ha... Great joke, Dârstor, almost got me there!" He chuckled nervously.
"No, Mr. Arctopus. I'm not joking" Daxx showed some sort of communicator. "This is an alarm for friendly fire. The Captain gave it to me before the expedition"
"What?!" L'Viaquez was astonished.
"Ah... I see. So he wasn't that stupid in the end" Atticus changed his tone into a more menacing one. "Tell me then, does anyone else know about this? Cause judging by her reaction, she clearly had no idea"
"No. Only I did beforehand, and L'Via... Well, she knows now" He said dryly.
"Daxx... Why did you keep such important information to yourself?" She inquired.
"Because it was convenient" He retorted with a short smile. "With him gone, not only will I take his place as Captain of the Jagdarmee, but obtain a Schrift as well"
"You're lying..." She couldn't believe it.
"I'm afraid not" He broke the communicator by pressing it with his hand.
"My, my... Looks like you were my ally from the start. No wonder I took a liking to you" Atticus smirked.
"If he had been more of a... Human leader, maybe I wouldn't have made this decision" Daxx confessed. "But after all those abuses we had to bear... Does it really surprise you?"
"When you put it like that... No... Not at all" L'Via made the pieces fit. "It's just... You've been such a diligent and loyal Lieutenant, I... I never thought that you would be the one to betray him"
"At least you admit that someone would become a traitor sooner or later" Dârstor chuckled. "But anyways, I am thankful for what you and Ms. Catnipp did, Mr. Arctopus"
"It's nothing. We just had our... Personal motives to put an end to him"
"I know. As his Lieutenant I've been able to check on various pieces of information about his shady deals... One of them being the case of Austin Catnipp"
"Now that you brought that to the table, I can assume neither you nor L'Via had something to do in that, correct?"
"No. I was barely enlisted in the Jagdarmee, and she was too young to be selected yet" Daxx answered. "However, I have been a part of more modern cases like that... Sadly"
"By your voice, I take it you're not proud of that"
"Of course not. Not when it has been out of spite"
"Neither me. If it was for justice... For his Majesty... Of course I'd do it with no hesitation" She added. "But killing innocents... It's just... So damn wrong and twisted, carajo!"
"Okay... That sounds really harsh, but I'm still glad to hear you didn't have anything to do with Candi's brother" Atticus smiled. "I'm sorry but... I don't think I can leave anyone alive who participated in that"
"Wait... Why would you go to such lengths? It was her brother, wasn't it?" L'Viaquez asked.
"Indeed. And for that very reason it's unforgivable" He answered sternly. "I won't forgive anyone who hurts her... And that death caused way more suffering than you can imagine"
"So that's why she was so aggressive about him! They ARE together!" L'Via thought, as pissed as ever. "But... That means I didn't have to worry. If she was already with him then there's no way she would've seduced..." She blushed a tad, giving a quick look at Daxx Dârstor.
"About that... I'm afraid killing Quilge Opie won't be enough to satisfy you" Daxx revealed. "And no, I'm not talking about the Jagdarmee. They were just plotting on the sidelines on that opportunity"
"Wait... Are you saying that...?" The End's expression went cold.
"Correct. Opie was just one of the two people behind Catnipp's death" He confirmed his suspicion. "Opie orchestrated the whole thing, but didn't lay a finger on him. However, he prepared the fake paperwork and the stage for his true killer to shine"
"That choice of words..." Atticus chuckled bitterly. "It was that swine, wasn't it? It was..."
"Mask de Masculine" Both said.
"What?" L'Via interrupted. "Why would an idiot like him do that?"
"Indeed, that seems to be the strangest thing" Dârstor agreed. "I couldn't find more data, as to why such a dull man would decide to stain his hands for Opie but... I wasn't able to discard the possibility of a personal grudge either"
"Fuck... Then we're only halfway there" Atticus kicked the sand in frustration, careful not to use too much strength. "*sigh* And I was so happy thinking I had given her the perfect chance for revenge..."
"I can help you with that" Daxx offered. "If you help me in return, of course"
L'Viaquez was speechless.
"Lemme guess... You're finally interested in getting a Schrift of your own?" Atticus smirked.
"You gave me the idea" He retorted with a smile. "And now that everything's in place, I can't see a reason not to go through with it. I'll take a Schrift corresponding to the letter J"
"Very well then. Give me a day, and I'll make it happen" Arctopus extended his hand.
"Deal" Dârstor accepted. "As a man with a similar motivation, I trust you completely"
"Is that so?" Atticus grew more interested. "I'll make sure to convince Majesty of making you the new Jagdarmee Captain in that case"
"I would expect no less" Daxx seemed rather content. "L'Via... You've suffered so much since I met you. It even saddens me a bit that I wasn't able to end Opie with my own hands... But earning his trust was key to achieving his downfall, and for that I can take pride. I'll make sure no one ever abuses you again" He finished thinking.
With that conversation done, they used Hirenkyaku to go as fast as they could to finally reunite with the rest of the company.
Upon their arrival, Atticus could hear the voice of a young woman complaining energically, broadly smiling at such a listen:
"What do you mean he stayed behind?! And you lot didn't stay to fight?! What kind of wimps make up the Jagdarmee, HUH?"
The masked Soldat seemed terribly intimidated at such a protest from the Sternritter who had woken up only a couple minutes earlier, unable to make a single sentence to reply.
"Candi, we're back" He put his hand on her shoulder. "You would've noticed if you weren't scolding them so harshly"
"Atticus...!" She felt like wrapping her arms around him, but her sense of reason prevailed. "Ehem... I see you took longer than usual. You should toughen up your training and cut it on the sweets"
"Aw, come on! I was just out of my element with the whole fight earlier and all" He gave the excuse. "Gimme a break, girl"
"Mr. Arctopus managed to scare the Espada off, thankfully" Dârstor communicated. "We wouldn't have beaten them otherwise"
"Lt. Dârstor" One of the Soldat spoke. "What was the result of the mission? With the attack and the escape, we don't have it so clear..."
"Yeah, and what happened to the Captain?"
Daxx sighed and prepared a little speech to tie all the loose ends.
By the end of it, the Soldat had a mixed reaction about the whole thing. While many seemed shocked with the death of Quilge Opie (supposedly at the hands of a really strong Espada), a couple still seemed even a tad happy about it.
"I guess Quilge wasn't particularly liked, even by his own company" Atticus whispered to Candi.
"Tell me something I don't know" She chuckled.
"The Scientific Department has sent their message! The gate will open soon"
"Roger" Dârstor lifted a thumbs up.
As soon as the Sun Gate was opened, the whole team went back into Silbern, however, the location they came into was a bit different.
"Atticus Arctopus, Candice Catnipp" A known voice resonated through the palace corridor. "His Majesty was awaiting your return"
"Haschwalt!" Candi seemed surprised by his presence. "What are you doing here?"
"Candi, I think it's pretty normal actually" He showed her the surroundings. "Wouldn't you agree?"
"Ah, so that's what happened" She realized.
"His Majesty wanted to know about the results of the mission as soon as possible, so he requested that you would be transported here immediately"
"No time to waste, is there?"
"Exactly. Now, remember to mind your manners in front of his Majesty, and the rest of the Jagdarmee can leave, we only need... Wait, where is Quilge Opie?" Jugram noticed.
"I believe his Majesty will understand once we give him the whole story" Atticus shrugged. "If you want a representative from the Company though, pick Lieutenant Dârstor"
"Looks like that's the way it's gonna be" He accepted.
"It would be my pleasure" Daxx bowed a bit.
"Well then, follow me through the door. The rest... Dismissed!"
"Sir, yes, sir!" The Jagdarmee bid farewell.
L'Via stopped for a moment though.
"I... I'll wait for you outside the palace!" She told Dârstor.
"Got it" He smiled a bit.
"Oh and, Miss L'Viaquez!" Atticus stopped her now. "Can you tell one of them to leave our stuff outside the door? You know, by the Femritter block, please"
"Ah... Sure" She retorted, unamused.
"Thank you! Take care!"
Upon his Majesty once again, Atticus and Candice bowed, Daxx following as Jugram took his place by the Father's side.
"Atticus Arctopus... I've brought you here for one simple reason" He spoke slowly and powerfully, in an almost penetrating way. "What was the result of the mission?"
"Majesty... I'm glad to inform you, of our success in the retrieval of the artifact" Atticus informed happily. "However, we seem to have suffered one death in our team, although for the nature of your power, you probably know this already"
"Indeed... Quilge Opie's life, has been extinguished" Yhwach confirmed. "J - 'The Jail' has returned to me. Would you kindly explain how this happened?"
"Certainly" He agreed without any trouble.
The lie, already heard by Dârstor, seemed to have been perfectly polished by now, even sounding as an irrefutable truth.
"I see... An Espada caused this" The Almighty concluded after reaching the end of the tale.
"Just like I told you"
"Hm... And are you sure you obliterated the enemy?"
"Unless he was able to somehow escape Candi's fierce attack and fool us... Not a chance"
"He... Was turned to dust" Candice added.
"Oh, I see. Very well then, you delivered the proper punishment upon the killer of one of your brothers" Yhwach smiled.
"Indeed, your Majesty" She nodded.
"*sigh* How despicable is violence indeed..." He seemed a bit pained by the event. "But the proper way of ending violence is that in the end. More violence. In a measure that cannot be fought or resisted in any way. In an overwhelming display of power that erases any future intent of contempt and revenge"
"I couldn't have said it better myself" Jugram commented. "Now then, shall we decide on the actions taken? Both on our loss and the rewards?"
"Yes. We shall not take any more time from these expeditioners" Yhwach agred. "Schedule a date for Opie's funeral. We will set a memorial since there were no remains of his body"
"Understood" Jugram took the order.
"Now... We need someone to fill the space he left"
"I believe we have the perfect man right here" Atticus placed his hand on Daxx's shoulder. "Lieutenant Dârstor was Quilge's right-hand man, as well as a veteran member of the Jagdarmee"
"Yes... I believe Opie told me about him on a couple opportunities" The monarch seemed to agree. "A fine structured man, I believe he used to describe. Would you agree, Lieutenant?"
"I wouldn't like to state so myself" Daxx retorted. "But if I can prove to meet that standard in the line of duty, I believe it would mean a lot more"
"An honest and smart answer, I like it" Yhwach nodded shortly a couple times. "And considering your course of action even under such threatening conditions as the ones Arctopus described earlier... You seem to meet all the requirements I need"
"It would be an honor, your Majesty" Dârstor bowed down, bent on his knee.
"Then... We shall discuss what Epithet you will be receiving"
"I agree, Majesty, but... I thought I could make you an offer on that matter" Arctopus interrupted.
"Hm? And what would that be?"
"Tell me the word you'd like to use for the Epithet. I'll make sure to show you the extent of my now improved skill by giving Dârstor a Schrift that meets your criteria"
"Interesting... Instead of filing a whole archive with the uses for your skill, you'd like to show me actual results"
"Precisely!" Atticus nodded.
"Give me a second then..." Yhwach thought for a moment, then said. "Yes, that sounds ideal. Almost like Justice itself, hmhm..."
"I assume you're ready?"
"Yes" He finally decided. "Make sure to give him a Schrift that goes by J - 'The Judgement'. I'll leave figuring out to you, Arctopus, how such an ostentatious term should work. A little test to see how useful you can truly be"
"Got it. I'll make sure you're pleased with the results"
"When you accomplish that, you shall earn your reward. On the other hand, Ms. Catnipp will get it immediately, for her duty was carried out perfectly, seeing Arctopus's condition"
"Really?" She seemed positively surprised.
"An important bonus has been transferred to your account, worth for both the mission now and all the months you've had Arctopus in your care" Haschwalt informed her. "Also, since we know your likes, we've made reservations for three handmade dresses of your design, carried out by the royal tailor, as well as an all-paid weekend at the most luxurious spa in the Wandenreich for you and a guest"
"We thought of inviting all your Femritter friends but... Considering how you had such a greater load of work in contrast to them, it seemed only fair that you could pick a single companion of your choice" Yhwach clarified.
"Daaamn, girl. You got some fine-ass rewards of all this!" Atticus celebrated.
"Ehem..." Jugram reminded him of his manners.
"Sorry, sorry..."
Candice however, was silent. Awfully silent. Mute, even. Her shadowed face under her hat showed no expression in spite of all these good news, which worried the others for a moment, until.
"*sniff*" A tear fell through her cheek. "I'm... *sniff* I'm so happy, your Majesty! It's like the best thing ever!!!" She cried.
"Looks like we made the right call then. I'm glad... It means I know my children well" Yhwach chuckled.
"Can you believe it, Atticus? All my efforts these years... It's finally paying off!"
"I know! I'm happy for you too!" He beamed at her.
"Well... With that out of the table, you are dismissed" Yhwach finished. "You have two days to bring me Lt. Dârstor with a Schrift worthy of the Epithet I chose, Arctopus. If you succeed, he will also be ascended to Captain of the Jagdarmee"
"Yes, sir! I'll make sure to earn whatever juicy reward you have in stores for me, ahahaha!"
"Thank you, your Majesty" Daxx showed his gratitude and bowed before leaving.
"Let's go, Candi" Atticus followed Dârstor.
"Ah, y-yeah! Sorry" She was so amused thinking about all the things she had gotten she was frozen in place.
Before leaving the Throne Room, Arctopus placed his hand on the Lieutenant's back and gave his last regards.
"See you tomorrow in the afternoon or something. We'll discuss all details on your Schrift then, ok?"
"Sure, sounds good to me" Daxx agreed.
"Great. Nite!"
"Good night" Candice also wished him.
"Good night to you two" He gave a formal salute. "Finally... I'll finally get that power. I'll finally be able to protect you... Beyond all my current weakness" He finally thought.
~~~~X~~~~
Candice and Atticus finally got back home after the long journey, really tired but still ecstatic with the recent news.
"So, what do you think his Majesty will give me aside from a load of money?" He asked slyly as he left the bags inside.
"I don't know... Maybe a banquet on your honor... A guitar collection... Or a new videogame console that hasn't been released yet. You know, nerdy stuff"
"Yeah, rite" He rolled his eyes. "Something's kinda weird though"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, the way Jugram said you had been paid for this job of looking after me" He recalled. "It sounded as if you won't have to do it anymore"
"True... I didn't really think about it back then, but it did sound like that to some extent" She admitted thoughtfully. "Maybe you'll finally be given a house of your own. After all, you ARE a Sternritter"
"Hm... It could be that" He agreed. "Although, it'd be a real bummer if that was the case, wouldn't it?"
The look in his purple eyes told her exactly what he meant.
"Oh... Right" She realized. "It would pretty much suck, not gonna lie"
"I mean, we'd still live somewhat close, like, we're all still here in Silbern, haha"
"Yeah, but... Right now... After all that time... It would really kill the mood not to have you here anymore" She confessed.
"Ah, so you admit you like to live with me"
"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" She accepted, blushing a bit. "With all its pros and cons... In the end, I really enjoy being with you, Atticus"
"Aw, come 'ere, girl" He hugged her tightly. "I'm loving this you right now"
"This me? What does that even mean?" She pouted.
"It means..." He took off her hat. "That I like you even more when you're being honest"
She averted her eyes for a moment, then landed a kiss on his lips anyway.
"*smooch* Well... There's no reason to hide it any longer, is there?" She smiled shyly. "Like, after that adventure in the desert, this is nothing"
"Oh, really?" He forced a wet kiss on her. "Hmnn... Then we'll have to take things up a notch"
"Wait, what do you...? Eek!" She yelped as he picked her up, getting pushed against the wall.
"You loved when we made out like this the other time, you know you did"
"Y-Yeah..." She purred. "I can't deny that" She gave him a long french kiss, one that left her tongue hanging, aching for his own. "I simply love it when you go wild"
Her breath on his face only made him crave for more.
"Don't tell me you wanna find out just how wild I can be"
"Hmhmhm..." She chuckled. "That sounds really tempting"
"You asked for it, then!" He took her away from the wall, and laid her on his sofa. "Tonight... No restraints"
"Wait!" She stopped him. "Not... Here..." She said almost in a whisper, with a hint of doubt.
"What?"
"Not here" She repeated, more convinced. "I said... It would be a special reward"
"Ho? I like where this is going"
"So... Tonight" She whispered, still in disbelief that she was actually saying it. "Let's go to my room"
Okay, full Sternritter POV this time, cause there was A LOT to write about, so I hope you liked this chapter.
In other news, looks like Hell will finally be visited in-depth with the new Bleach Manga release. I'll try to make sense of as many aspects as I can with this fic, even with the whole lore I already created.
Without much more to add, and my birthday coming to an end, I wanted to wish you all a great week and inform you that I'll go back to classes tomorrow, so the long waits might start again, sorry (student life), but anyways...
Evhron out.
Atticus appears with his guitar again, ready for another round of the new section:
"Okay! So here we are again with the Sternritter A,B,C!"
"Okay, I'm somewhat interested about this one, not gonna lie" Candice comments.
"For obvious reasons, I'll leave the best for last, so I'll skip the T until the final moment" Atticus informs her.
"What? C'mon!"
V - The Visionary: "Imagine Nation Express" by The Number Twelve Looks Like You.
"The title of course relates perfectly to Gremmy's ability. Gotta admit I had a couple other songs that matched this, but this one is simply a total Mathcore banger!"
"As chaotic as they come, huh? Well, I'm digging it, not gonna lie" Candice admits.
U - The Underbelly: "Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na)" by My Chemical Romance.
"As obvious as they come" Atticus admits.
"Yeah, no use going deeper on that"
S - The Superstar: "Fair Fight" by Texas In July.
"Kind of a mockery on how fighting this guy is anything but fair with that James guy cheering him on" Arctopus explains.
"Ah, I get it now" Candi realizes.
"But whatever, now comes the moment you've all been waiting for... *drumroll*"
T - The Thunderbolt:
*more drumrolls*
"Just play the fucking song!" She yells.
T - The Thunderbolt: "Shockwave" by Black Tide.
"Just like this Chapter's name and Candi's brother's Schrift, this song goes by that name, and does it justice pretty fucking well:
It's fast, loud, faster, has lots of solos, an exquisite Electric Guitar Tone, relentless drums, slapping bass (dunno if literally) and lyrics that kick you in the face, buster!"
"Ok, ok, this one I'm legit loving it. It has all the things I like in a song, and those lyrics, just wham! They are me giving no fucks, right there!" Candi says as she happily discovers the tune. "I'm a shockwave and I'll take your fucking liiiiiiife!"
"Don't mess with me I'm a shockwave ready to kiiiiill!" The two sing in unison.
"Till next time! *plays outro solo*"
~~~~X~~~~
Glossary:
Ramiel: Angel whose name means "Thunder of God", hence matches perfectly with Candi's Schrift.
