Chapter One: Darkness Falls

Author's note: My first Bleach/Warhammer crossover Hope y'all enjoy, aso the opening of the first chapter is inspired by the trailer for the Rise of the Tomb King's DLC for Total War: Warhammer II.

Soul Society

Afternoon fell upon the Soul Society, particularly in the outermost region. A group of several men dressed in traditional and somewhat stereotypical shinobi and kunoichi garbs rushed forward silently through the shadows of rocks and stone like flickering shades. These were the men and women of the Onmitsukidō, the elite interior guard of the Gotei-13 whose concurrent mission was to stop a group of bandits from robbing a mysterious and newly discovered crypt buried in the mountains outside the Seireitei.

Suì-Fēng the commander of the Onmitsukidō and commander of the 2nd division of the Gotei-13. She paused and signaled for her men to fan out as they approached the bandit encampment. Both sides unaware of an oncoming darkness rapidly approaching in an unnatural state.

Inside the Crypt

The bandits slowly opened the door to the crypt, they had blasted it open with a combination of explosives and hard backbreaking labor. The inside was dark and foreboding. There had been legends and stories whispered throughout the Soul Society about a race of ancient aliens who chose dark magic arts and spells to increase their lives, demons who feed on children, and mysterious specters in the night. All of them were stories, who have been embellished and retold to the point of their origins being lost forever.

But these weren't stories, these weren't mindless legends. The horrors of the crypt were coming to live beneath their feet. The bandits noticed the various assortments of jewelry and treasure strewn about the place, they also noticed rows upon rows of strange metallic bird-like statues with their arms crossed over their chest. They stood well-organized and at attention like silent sentries, one the bandits noticed strange beetles crawling over the statue and a glowing bright red jewel on its belt. He removed the jewel as another bandit made her way towards a sarcophagus placed at the end of the hallway.

Unbeknownst, to everyone present a disembodied voice spoke throughout the area.

"Y..You seek our treasure…

Y...You seek our power…

Y...You seek our immortality…

I..Instead...you will only find...death.."

Outside the bandit camp, Suì-Fēng shivered as the wind started to pick up. "Captain!" Softly cried one of the female Onmitsukidō members. Suì-Fēng looked to the left to scold her soldier, instead her eyes widened at the sight of a massive black dust cloud rapidly moving towards them. She froze for a moment and a feeling crawled up her body, as she felt something was wrong something was extremely wrong. "M..m..MOVE!" She screamed as her voice finally caught up with her brain, and they ran as fast as they could. The cloud seemed to pick up steam and move faster.

Inside the Crypt

One of the bandits pushed the top off the sarcophagus, and peered in as an eerie green smoke rose ominously from the sarcophagus. One of the bird-like statues eyeless socket glowed a dim eerie green as the voice returned again.

"y..Your greed will be your downfall…

y..Your seeking power will be your death…

y..Your warmongering ways will be your..tomb.."

Outside the Crypt

Suì-Fēng and her Onmitsukidō tried their best to fight their way through the black sand cloud that consumed them, she heard strange noises and saw flickers as her heart raced faster and faster. She looked around and saw that she was all alone, she cursed inwardly that she had been separated from her squadmates.

"y..You aren't the true masters of the dead..

y..Your arrogance knows no bounds..

u..Until now…

s..So Join us...little bee.."

Suì-Fēng paused and her face flashed with terror as the strange noise return accompanied by shrieks of fear, and pain. {"M..My men…"} Having served in the Gotei-13 for many years she knew the sound of death. Her men were dead, and then her thoughts were interrupted by a growl and a clicking noise. She looked up, and backed up as her heart stopped there before her stood a femaine figure holding a dead Onmitsukidō with her left hand and in her right hand was a blooded Khopesh it shimmered in the sunlight that had peeked through the dust cloud.

Suì-Fēng gulped and got into a combat stance and closed her eyes to calm her nerves. {"Please….lady Yoruichi...give me strength.."} That was the last thought she ever had.

Back in the crypt: Sametime

The bird statues come to life revealing themselves to be metallic warmachines of a bygone era. They swing their main weapons Khopesh, and battle axes around striking down the bandits with ease, the one who opened the sarcophagus, quickly fled dodging the metallic monsters as they screeched and roared in a strange unknown language. She managed to slide out the crypt as the ground shook and the entrance was covered by rocks. She stood up dusting the sand off her samurai-esque armor and walked back towards the bandit camp unaware that the horror had only begun.

Bandit camp: Sametime

Bandits, former Shinigami and Onmitsukidō members perform various tasks around the encampment they set up at the foot of the steps leading up to the crypt. Their leader exited her tent, her samurai armor gleaming in the sun. This was Baozhai-Fēng, a failed candidate of the Onmitsukidō and Suì-Fēng's younger sister. She looked up at the sky and noticed a massive flock of carrion birds. She raised a brow and looked around, and tapped her foot in annoyance, an ex-shinigami approached her, and bowed his head. "Ma'am no signs of the reconnaissance team we sent into the crypt." He spoke with a tone of fear in his voice.

Baozhai sighed and rubbed her temples "Fine...anything else?" She asked with a sign of annoyance. The shinigami hesitated before continuing with his report "Yes ma'am a large unusual dust storm appears to have cut us off from the nearest village to the south." Baozhai groaned loudly and grabbed a bottle of sake from a shinigami who walked past. "Carry on...alert the captains and prepare the men for battle, something...is wrong." She said as she took a swig of the sake. The shinigami bowed and ran off to do as she commanded, she then leaned on her tent post and looked out in the distance and her eyes blinked as she spotted a low encroaching dust cloud.

She rested her hand on her odachi, and slowly rosed it from its seethe as it clicked as the guard was separated from the leather holster. The bandit from earlier made her way back down to the camp, she occasionally looked left, right, above, and behind her. Something was wrong, something was extremely wrong. She noticed an ever-growing flock of carrion birds and quickly hurried her steps. The smell of death grew ever and ever stronger and present in her mind. Unbeknownst to her a dust cloud followed her and then something erupted from the sands behind her, and she screamed in pain as she was stabbed by the spiked and barbed tail stinger of a medium-sized scorpion with a skull for a head.

It failed the poor bandit around forcing her to drop her modified tanegashima match-lock rifle into the sand. As the scorpion dung it's way back underground with the bandit in tow. Back at the camp, Baozhai was sitting at a shrine, praying she wasn't religious, most of her clan wasn't but some of the bandits when they were alive were monks in their past lives. Her eyes flickered as the smoke turned the tent hazy; she felt a rumbling and the sounds of distant warhorns. She jumped to her feet grabbing her armor, and her sword she paused and rubbed her thumb over the Fēng crest on the handle she shook her head and drew her sword.

Thankfully some of her commanders had heeded her call and those that weren't drunk, or too busy pleasuring themselves and their men, rushed out to organized themselves with individuals armed with Yari, Jumonji yari, Kagi yari, omi yari and su yari standing at attention tightly packed together with their polearms raised forward ready to spear and gut whoever is stupid enough to rush at them. Baozhai stood with the rest of the men behind them and she peered into the distance and spotted the dust cloud she had seen early approach faster and faster and several figures emerged from the dust cloud as a loud war horn blew as clear and as loud as the boom of a thunder clap.

"M..Make way….for the true blood rulers of the Land!"

Baozhai eyes widened at the sight, skeletal and demonic-esque horses pulling war-chariots with their hubs and wheels armed with spikes that were ready to crush and slice their foes asunder. Baozhai recomposed herself and barked at her men who were quaking with fear "Well? What are you assholes waiting for!" She looked left and right until a female ex-shinigami quietly spoke up "Uh...captain…" Baozhai looked at her annoyed as the poor girl gulped and just pointed. Baozhai looked back with horror and dread threatening to overpower her stoic expression as the lead war-chariot appeared with its wheels glowing and sparking off an eerie green glow in its wake, and standing in the chariot leading the now massive undead army that has appeared before them was a female wearing strange armor with an eye in the center of her chest that seemed to have a mind of its own and looked left and right before centering on its desired prey, Baozhai.

The female raised her staff, with tree snakes stacked in a triangle shape. She roared an inhumane roar that sent shivers down all spines. She pointed her staff at the assembled bandits as her army charged slamming into the bandits with an almighty crash. Baozhai gnashed her teeth and drew her sword and rushed forward. {"If...am to die! I rather die in battle!"} The bandit captains who didn't flee followed her into battle.

Soul Society: Senzaikyū

Inside a white featureless cell lies Rukia Kuchiki, her crime? Giving her powers to a human whose family was in danger of being killed or rather butchered by a merciless hollow. That plus being in the human world for far too long without properly advising her superior on her condition sent her to a quick imprisonment. She lies on the floor, sleeping peacefully dressed in only a white shihakushō. In the corner small movement is seen, as a small strange skeletal-like beetle crawls along the ground and then notices Rukia and hastens its movements toward her. It crawls up her arm and under her sleeves and enters her ear.

Rukia shudders and flickers her eyes as they have a black sclera and a ghastly green circle forming the rest of her eye. She speaks slowly in an unknown language. "E..everything is moving along, according to plan. I will finish up here and rejoin you...sister.", there was a knock on her cell door. She perks up as a guard alerts her to her execution date, she nodded and the guards left. She then felt her stomach lurching as the beetle forced its way through her mouth. She held it in her hand like a mother cradling her baby.

"Soon the Necrons will come...and we will have our revenge...for I'm Tara The Artist."

The battle was quick as it was extremely bloody, the undead armies smashed through the bandits like they were paper. Baozhai looked left and right and tried to rally her men, as their lines kept breaking down every time they rallied they were hit from all sides. They were hit from above by undead vultures and ravens, and were slammed by masked warriors armed with Khopesh, spears, battle-axes, and shields as well as skeletal horse archers armed with bows and arrows that exploded. They also were heavily armed warriors armed with heavy pulse and gauss rifles that melted down bandits.

Baozhai was then knocked to the ground by a ghastly explosion, she groaned and craned her eyes as her head was ringing. She heard voices, and her head was in extreme pain. She then heard a voice but not one she wanted to hear, not in a million years. The femaine undead leader stalked slowly towards her killing bandits who got in her way in various ways.

"A..awww your poor, poor soul…

Y..you feel lost, abandoned, used, and thrown out like trash.."

Baozhai cried in pain, as she looked at her shoulder and saw a piece of debris sticking out. She scooted back and pulled out a Kunai. "S..s...stay back!" She cried as tears filled her eyes. She started to think about her family, the life she was denied, and the one person she loved the most. "S...s...Suì-nee...please...save me" She cried as she started coughing as the femaine spoke more.

"H..h..hush little child, you will join your sister...soon…"

Baozhai looked up, in slight and pained confusion. "H..how do you…" She was cut off by the femaine stabbing her in the chest with her staff, as she twisted and used Baozhai's corpse as a pedestal to stand on as she overlooked the carnage.

Meanwhile

The sun shone brightly as the sandstorm had died down, Suì-Fēng groaned in pain, as she felt herself being dragged. She felt memories flow through her head, as it felt pained and light. She heard a voice ring out {"S...s...Suì-nee...please...save me"} the voice felt familiar. She reached her head up "Baozhai!" She cried as she hissed in pain. Her vision was woozy and hazy at best. "Quiet Mortal!" Snarled a garbled femaine voice from next to her as a blow crashed into her skull.

She cried out and she was struck several times, before she quieted down into whimpers and soft-cries of pain. The females resumed dragging her towards an abandoned temple in the distance. Suì-Fēng tried to form herself into a ball and hide her cries and whimpers as the pain filled her body. Thoughts of her sister rushed through her mind as she felt guilty for the way she treated her after she failed the exam. {"Hah...only a loser would fail...as a student of lady Yoruichi will always succeed!"}. Suì-Fēng also lowered her head as she felt shame, here she was a captain of the Gotei-13, head of her family and commander of the elite Onmitsukidō.

Now she was a prisoner of a mysterious enemy, she was also embarrassed she allowed herself to be beaten so easily. She was careless and overconfident in her skills and abilities, she just allowed them to drag her away. She looked up and imagined everyone looking down on her disapprovingly and turning her backs as tears filled her eyes.

The two females approached the temple as banners were strewn across the gate in the form of a demonic cobra, several more figures appeared at the walls armed with scythes, spears, blowguns, bows and arrows, and daggers. A hooded figure appears at the gate flanked by two guards. "Halt sisters...there has been a change in plans...Lady Phirho The Conjurer wants her to be converted." The two females looked at each other and one with a moon shaped mask looked shocked "She...is to be converted?!" The hooded figure seemed annoyed by the question. "You dare question the Great Lich Queen? And our Father?" The female backed off "N..no I would never...it's just shocking."

The Hooded figure nodded, and had the two drag Suì-Fēng deeper and deeper into the temple, as female figures stood at attention. "Sisters!" The hooded figure called as they walked deeper and deeper underneath the temple which had served as a burial ground for the monks who once lived here. "Our father has granted us permission to welcome a new member of our sacred order." The hooded figure continued to speak as other females in similar garbs and armor appeared watching from every darken nook, and cranny. Suì-Fēng had noticed them as

her eyes adjusted to her new surroundings. Strange totems and writings covered the walls, as well as blood both dried and fresh was splattered along the walls and on the floors.

She then noticed the center of the room had a stone resting place in the center filled with blood and a dead female member of the Onmitsukidō laid as a female wearing an ornate snake mask was stabbing her with a dagger plunging it deep within her chest and drawing large quantities of blood. The hood figure stopped the group and went to speak with the priestess who looked up and rushed over to Suì-Fēng and checked her over, and spoke to the hooded figure again, and then waved her arms gesturing for everyone to listen up.

"This one…" She started pointing to Suì-Fēng, who blushed in slight embarrassment at having been prodded by the High Priestess early and now having all eyes on her. "Is the one who will lead us to victory...our father the great Chaos God of chaos itself the great and powerful Apep!" The reactions were mixed. Some of the female cultists/assassins talked amongst each other: "How..can she be the chosen one..", "She..is a false believer…'. ''ENOUGH" The high priestess waved her hand silencing everyone, she then pointed again to Suì-Fēng. "You..what is your name?"

Suì-Fēng blinked as she coughed the pain from the beating earlier remained and she was tired. "Suì-Fēng...captain of the 2nd Division and commander of the Gotei-13's Onmitsukidō." The high priestess rubbed her chin, before speaking again "Your new name is...Khontho The Cunning, Apep's daughter and through him our mother." The high priestess approached her and stroked her chin, and then summoned two cultists to bring a chamber pot filled with a strange blood-like liquid.

Suì-Fēng felt extremely tired, and sleepy as she slowly closed her eyes. {"L...Lady Yoruichi...am alright now...I'm no longer alone."} Her eyes barely remained open as she watched the cultists carrying her over to the pot and slowly and gently dipping her into the pot as she looked up at the ceiling seeing a demonic snake carved into the ceiling she swore she saw its eyes glow bloody and a bright red.