Disclaimer: The following is a fan-based parody. Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo. RWBY is owned by Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum (rest in peace you saint of a man). Please support the official release.
Chapter: War is Brewing
(Que Story OP – Hello Sleepwalkers "Hyakkiyakou")
Pain. All that Adam knew was unyielding, agonizing pain. Half of his internal organs were completely dead, and a huge chunk of his chest was torn off from the blast that Ren gave him. All of his bones were broken from the trees he through, and blood pooled below him. If one were to see him right now, they would see his rib cage visible to the world. Yet in the impossibility of it all, Adam still clung to life. His grip on Wilt was ever so tight. He still had a mission to do.
His vision started to blur, and every breath was choked out by his own blood. Adam was inches from death, so he did not sense approaching footsteps. He couldn't even see the dark-skinned man, wearing a blindfold and a black hakama shirt and pants under a white coat, standing over him as color was blurring away from Adam's vision.
The man's hand stretched out towards the stranger and glowed a green light. To Adam's disbelief and amazement, the pain started to lessen and his vision and hearing were revitalized from the added energy of the healing Kido. But it was only enough to keep Adam from dying in the next few minutes. Now he could see the man above him, his locked in a straight line to reveal no emotion.
"Won't..." Wheezed Adam. "... give you... the... satisfaction."
The man quirked a curious eyebrow, as though the thought of the Faunus begging was new to him. "Curious. You don't beg for life or for release. Defiant till the end."
"Never... human." Adam spat.
"I sensed a reiatsu spike only to find you here, mangled and torn apart." Said the man. "By all accounts, you should be dead."
"Never... die." Coughed Adam, gritting his teeth. "Not till... Faunus...my people... are free... and make... you all... pay."
The man may seem to look at the Faunus as usual, but he was in deep thought upon Adam's words. This stranger here held himself as a man of justice. To persevere through all hardships and trials to reach a goal greater than himself. Such a will was a rarity that can't be wasted.
"I see." Said the man, kneeling down. "You are a crusader for justice that has been denied in this world. I understand your pain. My name is Tosen Kaname. I don't expect you to believe me, but we are the same. We seek justice against the wrongs of society. I've seen enough to know how oppressed your kind are, just I saw the crime in the death of someone close to me.
"So, in my newfound respect for you, I am giving you a proposition. I can't heal you, but I can take you somewhere where you will be revived. However, you will never be the same for the rest of your life. If only you still seek the justice that has made you deny even death."
Adam was thrown through a loop. These could all be honeyed words to give him some sort of false hope. But if it was true, this could be a boon. He could get stronger. Strong enough to make Blake suffer, slaughter all the Schnee, and raise Faunus as the true ruling race. It could all be done.
"I... agree." Adam groaned. "Name's Adam... Adam Taurus."
A small upward curve of Tosen's lips was his response. "I feel we will be good allies and friends, Taurus-san."
Adam could not say anymore. His strength finally gave out and darkness claimed him. The last he saw was his new 'friend' tearing a black veil with his finger and reaching a hand out to the Faunus.
(Cinder and Neo)
In a clearing in the middle of a forest stood two people standing before an 'Atlas' aircraft ready for takeoff. Petite girls, the taller one sporting ash black hair and ablazing orange eye while her left eye was nothing but scarred skin. The second was even shorter with different colored eyes and hair of pink and brown as her name of Neo would suggest, wearing a white pilot's coat to play the role in their vendetta.
"Let's go, Neo." Cinder commanded, gesturing to the craft.
"You stand no chance against the likes of Ruby Rose." Spoke a dark, yet noticeably feminine voice with a distinct french accent.
Cinder's head whipped around to the intruder, then was blinded in rage at the insinuation. How dare anyone say that she is nothing to a little schoolgirl who had the devil's luck of wounding her. That silver-eyed girl will be turned to ashes as she watched her face in despair.
In fury, Cinder was already in flight to plunge an orange blade through the fool that dared to sully her chances against a girl of all things. To her shock, two fingers, clad in silver armor to resemble talons, stopped her charge by just gripping the very point of the blade. Cinder's blood went cold in shock; the force in her attack was enough to crater the ground and turn a human's head into paste yet this stranger before her wasn't fazed. She listened to caution and quickly flipped back to gain distance.
Taking a second Cinder could firstly say the newcomer was definitely female and quite intimidating. Her outfit was strange to say with her arms and torso were encased in silver armor over white clothes rimmed black with parts of a coat such as a neckline and lower portion to cover the legs, which were dressed in black hakama pants. Steel boots sunk into the ground where she stood, and a western-style sword with a black hilt and silver cross guard was secured at her hip in a black sheath. Her head and the top half of her face was hidden in a grey iron helm that reached to the back of the scalp, only revealing fair skin with a slight pink tinge to it like a peach. Two slit in the helm revealed amethyst eyes.
The chest area's design made Cinder twitch in irritation. If what it detailed was right, the woman had well endowed bust. She cursed her own petite, flat life for a moment before shock overcame her thoughts at one last detail. Above her chest was only a hollow hole going right through her, yet there was no blood like it was natural to her.
"Explain." Growled Cinder.
The woman sighed and pulled out a tablet and played a video. Cinder's eyes glowed through several emotions as she watched the footage of what is being called the 'Argus Near-Crisis Day'. There was fury when she saw the girl Ruby, now no longer a girl as she remembered and grown into a young woman. As the video continued with the appearance of Shao Kin growing a giant bone tree overshadowing the city and Ruby joining the fight, her fury dimmed to fear. She was different, so different it was inconceivable. The naive girl she met at Beacon was replaced by an all-powerful warrior. She was faster and stronger than even a Maiden should be, held power that tore the land apart, and split the sky with her sheer aura. There were others as well all wielding swords and masks while firing energy blasts scarring the land just like her, but not were worse than the orange-haired man that fought by the girl's side. With a single swing of such a humongous sword he pushed the ocean back in flash of golden light.
It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. That type of god-like power... should be hers. All that time wasted serving under that pale witch, yet it was all for nothing. Neo could only shake in fear at such power that could easily turn her into dust. And she especially almost wet herself when she saw the person of her revenge turn into a literal monster that blasted a mountain away.
"As you are now, you are nothing." The woman spoke, replaying the video and focusing on Ruby. "She will even get stronger than this while you fall back. Unless..."
She trailed off and Cinder knew what was happening. "What do you want?"
The woman didn't even look smug. "Cooperation and loyalty. My, I suppose you could say, companion in 'business' seeks an army. While he wants quantity, I look for quality. You have that in spades, but as you are now you will remain flightless staring at the sky. Come with me, and you shall earn power to rule all you want."
Cinder stayed silent in thought, and scowled in annoyance at being stuck in a corner. This was a deadly gambit and she was playing with hungry wolves. For all Cinder knew, this could be an elaborate scheme to lower her guard. No one offers power. That is how the natural order goes in the world.
"I see you are in doubt." The woman sighed. "It's better if I show you."
With her right hand the woman slowly withdrew her blade fron its sheath, letting its steel glow in the moonlight. Once the very tip was left out of the sheath, she swung in a swift arc behind her. A simple, light motion... that caused the land to tear itself apart from the pure force put into the strike. Neo and Cinder had to cover their eyes from the kicked up dirt. When it cleared, Cinder was not prepared for the total destruction that was left, making her jaw drop. A trench, for it couldn't be called a crack, was now placed behind the woman where she swung. It was ten meters wide, yet the two Remnanties could not tell where the bottom was. For over two acres the trench continued on gradually widening and uprooting trees as it went.
"That," Spoke the woman flatly, sheathing her blade, "was only a simple stroke of the blade."
Cinder did not believe the power shown out of what was a simple swing of a blade to the woman that left that scar on the land. An Atlas capitol ship could probably recreate the trench by firing a Dust cannon at full power for a few minutes, and the only living being Cinder could think of that had a chance to pull this feat off was Salem. Yet, this... entity had simply done with one light stroke, like an amateur showing.
"Are you satisfied, Fall Maiden, Cinder Fall?" The woman asked.
Alarms went off in Cinder's head that this complete stranger knew her name and, worse, knew what she was. In her line of life, Cinder saw secrets as power, and this woman was very dangerous. She doubted that if she fought her that victory would be possible. She doubted if even Salem could win, despite her immortality. It wasn't like her power was limitless, just that she couldn't die.
"...What if we don't join you?" Cinder dared to ask after the permeating silence.
"If it were my friend, he would have you begging your loyalty to him in a puddle of your own blood." The woman answered with a bit of an edge to her voice. "He does not like any loose ends. However, I prefer a more mutual cooperation, Cinder. If you refuse, I will simply leave you to your own devices as you strive to kill the girl that irks your mind. But, as much as you loathe to admit it, that goal is far beyond as you are now. But if you join me, you will have to join my legion as one of my elite. I will give you power you thirst for, if that is the path you seek."
Cinder in a rare instance of her life was visibly shaking on the spot. Her whole entire world came crashing down in just a few minutes, first from Ruby's apparent ascent to something out of this world to this woman who can casually destroy the entire forest. If what she said was true that she could have that kind of power... it was only years of mental conditioning that prevented Cinder from drooling on the spot. Her eyes snapped back to stare at the woman's own eyes, and their orange color seemed to blaze like fire.
"We accept." Cinder answered with a smirk. "By any chance, what should I call you?"
"I do not give my real name so freely," Replied the woman, "so just call me Saint."
(Grimmlands)
When you want something done right, you do it yourself.
That's enough motivation Salem needed after the recent failures of her subordinates. She would much rather stay in the shadows and let her pawns reek havoc on the world rather than lay conquest and have the problem of the world trying to kill her off. It would save so much trouble for both sides, the annoyance for her and the loss of life for the opposing side.
Salem's eyes flashed crimson as she summoned a Goliath Grimm from the pools. The black liquid of the spawn pool left by the God of Destruction was now hers to command as she saw fit. Whatever she wanted, it would come forth to her call, and how she altered them they would do as she desired.
Salem would laugh at the 'glitch' the God of Destruction left in his own control of the Grimm. For so-called omnipotent entity, he entirely overlooked the possibly of an outside force hijacking his own control of his own creations. And without him here on this world, Salem can do everything with the Grimm without end.
Channeling her will into the new beast spawned before her, the Goliath let out a shriek of agony as much as its race could produce. Flesh ripped apart followed by the appearance of a pair of black wings. The Goliath was already a danger with strength capable of crumbling rock and smashing walls. Salem found a sort of sadistic pleasure in making such a fearsome creature even worse.
She looked to the creature's older siblings nestled at the cliff. This was the first in an army of Salem's design, ready to do the job that her own pawns couldn't. All because of some silver-eyed brat. Even after all these centuries, there was still some semblance of the gods that still irked her to this day. The God of Light's power that coursed through that human clan that she deemed to wipe out every trace of them. Yet no matter how thorough her efforts, there was always one to just pop up out of nowhere. At least with such few in number none of them had the proper training to perfectly harness that power. The power of the God of Light was much like Salem's power when she jumped into the God of Destructor's dark pools to gain his power as well. Her own power left her defenseless against the opposite force, but she has to thank the long years of diluted that bloodline. She pushed down a shiver of a thought if a silver-eyed human somehow jumped in the pool of the God of Light and became something on her level.
Whether it was her own musings or not, Salem did not sense the new presences staring right behind her, one of them gazing over the Grimm with a curious and studious look. Salem only snapped to attention when his voice, smooth like untouched water under a full moon, made him known.
(Que Bleach ost "Nothing Can Be Explained")
"What an impressive force." Said the man, making Salem freeze on the spot. "And to alter their forms on already versatile creatures is truly astounding. Even if they are simple brutes that a newborn Hollow would kill easily, the fact they can change and be born in limitless numbers makes them quite the the threat. I must give my compliments, I really mean it."
Salem whipped her head around to see a trio of men standing there and somehow have never been sensed before until now. Her fury was overwhelmed by curiosity of who had the capabilities to travel so far into Grimm territory in perfect health and still be hidden by her sensory skills.
Her eyes examined the apparent leader and speaker of the trio. She has met a lot of men in her life, but she will admit that the man standing here was very handsome. A chiseled, lean face of slightly tanned skin, menacing eyes, neat swept-back brown hair with a one loose curly bang, and, despite the hellish setting, had such a smirk to win any lesser ignorant woman. But to Salem she knew better about facial expressions, and that smile told her that the man before her dripped with confidence backed with power to claim it. He wore a white coat brimmed black over black hakama shirt and pants tied by a purple sash at his waist, showing off a bit of his fit figure. At his waist was a katana with a green hilt and tsuba guard.
Moving on, Salem went to the man to the right that was giving vibes similar to Tyrian. Whereas Tyrian was an unstable storm of violence and insanity, this man held such danger under a mask like a snake watching and waiting with a smile that Tyrian would envy. He was pale sporting silver hair and his eyes were closed for some reason. He wore the same garment as the leading man, minus the sash that was black. He had a wakizashi decorated with a light-blue hilt and an oval tsuba.
Salem went to the remaining man standing to the left who was by far the most bizarre that she even widened her eyes. He was pale just as she was but his eyes were a cat-like green bearing no emotion but a cold, calculating mind. His black hair reached to the top of his neck with half of a bone white helmet, and green markings lined like tears below his eyes. He wore the same outfit as well, and his weapon sheathed at his hip was a katana with a green hilt and a guard with two curved extensions from the long sides and a line going through them to give the guard an eye-like appearance. But the most shocking detail to Salem that would mark a new experience for her was that the pale man had a hollow hole at his sternum where his heart should be.
Now begged the question. "Who are-"
"MY QUEEN!" Cried her resident maniac.
Salem almost wanted to facepalm. She was out in the open with three people that apparently ambushed her, so why wouldn't her most faithful servant come to her 'rescue' like the fanatic he is? The leading man quirked an eyebrow, but didn't do anything else for the incoming threat. The other two didn't even react at all even as the form of the scorpion Faunus was sprinting toward them, his golden eyes locked on the would-be attackers.
"ALL INTRUDERS MUST DIE!" Cried Tyrian, pouncing upon the pale man with his robotic tail aimed at his neck.
The pale man knew it was coming, but he never made a move to get out of harm's way and his expression just turned colder. Salem expected his nonchalance to Tyrian would be because the pale man had aura to protect himself from the blow. As a tail reached closer, Salem widened his eyes when there was no glimmer of light to stop its approach and ensure the man's death. There was no blood when the tip of Tyrian's tail hit his neck. Instead there was clang of steel striking steel instead and sparks went flying when the blade slid off skin, leaving no trace that the skin ever came in contact.
In Tyrian's moment of shock that his attack didn't work that was when the pale man struck like a snake. Without even taking a glance, he grabbed the offending robotic limb and in one swift motion wrapped around Tyrian's neck tight enough to make him gag and fall to his knees. Tyrian tried to move his own tail from choking him, but the metal in the limb only groaned under the pale man's grip. Ever slowly, his hand tightened the noose to choke the Faunus to death and not once did he glance to the dying man. That kind of cold attitude Salem respected, but to see it from a complete stranger without any prior knowledge unnerved her. She did not like unknowns. Salem would have let Tyrian die anyway if it wasn't for the leading man's intervention.
"Ulquiorra, I do not wish to see the death of one our new allies even before we've opened negotiations." Commanded the handsome man calmly.
"As you wish, Lord Aizen." Replied the now named Ulquiorra.
He let go of the tail and it immediately unwrapped itself from Tyrian's neck as the man fell flat to the ground gasping for death. The Faunus went to bark a retort only for Ulquiorra to slam his foot down with a crunch. His cold green eyes bore into Tyrian's golden ones and shutting him up with a glare that Salem thought only she could do.
"Trash should not speak." Ulquiorra hissed in a voice lacking emotion. Salem wondered about this man in particular. Perhaps he's a robot?
Then she realized what the identified Aizen said about allies. So this man came to speak with her personally. That was odd to say. Normally, Salem would find her own pawns since the world had forgotten her. Now she knew to be careful of this Aizen if he knew of Salem's existence whereas she didn't even know of him. Such a man carrying that kind of aura of power doesn't just hide from the world.
"Who are you?" Salem asked.
"Ah, where are my manners?" Chuckled Aizen. "I am known as Sosuke Aizen. These... generous men to my sides are my subordinates. To my right, you my most loyal soldier Ulquiorra Cifer, then to my left is Gin Ichimaru. A pleasure to meet a... splendid woman such as yourself."
Now Salem was no stranger to sweet talk. In negotiations such as these they were imperative, but there was something about his voice that just made heat go to certain places. Salem knew how to lock her features but she damn hoped she wasn't blushing.
"Charming." Salem spoke in a neutral voice. "I have to wonder how three men travel so far into Grimm territory and yet not have a single scratch on them."
"We have our ways." Aizen trailed off with that same smirk.
"...Why are you here?" Salem said.
"Straight to the point, I can respect that." Aizen replied. "What I propose is a mutual partnership between us for a common interest we share."
"And what sort of 'common interest' are you implying?" Salem said with narrowed eyes, expecting something like world domination.
"Why, the fall of incompetent gods." Aizen answered with a well-earned smirk that the absolute gobsmacked look on Salem's face.
Her eyes widened as they stared for any lie in Aizen's eyes, only to find none. He knew too much. Far too much for a human these days. There shouldn't be any record of the age before this era at all. She quickly pushed her shock away and steeled her features.
"And what sort of army do you speak of?" Salem asked.
Aizen smirked as though in victory. Instead of saying a word, black veils tearing through reality opened up behind him. Out stepped squads of similarly dressed men and women all holding katanas and holes in place of their hearts. They were all different from each other with the shards of masks they wore. Soon dozens of these white clad soldiers poured through the portals to Salem's amazement till they were three units of them. All at once, they bowed to Aizen.
"Ara, you do like to put up a show, Aizen-sama?" Spoke Gin for the first time, his voice even making Salem unease.
"This is but a taste, Salem." Aizen said. "And I have ways to improve your army of these Grimm as you call. Imagine an army like this made from your Grimm."
The concept was astonishing to Salem. She could finally make Ozma pay for his arrogance in thinking he could stop her. She could just imagine an army marching upon the cities of Vale, Vacuo, Mistral, and even Atlas. However, Salem focused her attention back upon Aizen.
"You still have doubts?" Aizen wondered.
"When you live as long as I have, you tend to not make things hasty." Salem said. "So it peaks my curiosity the most of how a man such as yourself can command an army such as this."
Aizen chuckled. "Who am I to indulge a lady's curiosity?"
Salem regretted ever asking when the weight of the world smashed upon her shoulders. Her breath shuddered in gasps and her knees buckled. She strained her eye to lock onto Aizen, now surrounded in a brilliant purple aura reaching several stories high. He did not care for his subordinates that fell like flies behind, and the ground cracked like glass under this unknown weight. The pressure reached to the cliffs where her Grimm were falling like flies, and Tyrian was frothing at the mouth.
Aizen's spiritual pressure continued to rise without end while he was as calm as ever. He applied more and more waiting for Salem to go on one knee. To his surprise, she was keeping herself standing with only her shoulders hunched. He pulled his power more going over half of his power, which at that point made even Gin take a knee. Yet Salem persevered gritting her teeth, even when Aizen was going at sixty percent. He theorized she would fall at eighty percent, but he decided to let go of the pressure instead.
"I'm impressed." Aizen said as Salem regained her bearings. "To still stand in my spiritual pressure, I calculate you have about three to four times the amount of reiatsu than a captain in Shikai."
"Flattered." Salem growled.
"My apologies." Aizen said nonchalantly. "It was just a demonstration of my power. Besides, you peak my interest, Lady Salem. It's not everyday I have to pull out over half of my power at all and yet you still stood tall. So are we in agreement?"
"At this point, I would be a fool to pass up." Salem said. It was only half-true; with the resources Aizen has could be invaluable to her plans. On a personal note, Salem wanted to know just who this Aizen was and learn about him. For has been countless lifetimes, she stumbled upon a completely new mystery.
"A marvelous choice, Salem-chan." Aizen said with a bit of a playful edge to his voice on the last part.
Behind him another tear in reality opened. Aizen stood there, his eyes locked on her own crimson orbs with a hand outstretched.
"Allow me to take you away from this dreary place." Aizen offered.
She didn't the reasons at this point why accepted. What felt like hours staring at that hand, Salem grasped it and Aizen escorted her through the portal to the unknown with a chivalrous manner.
I so wanted to make a chapter with just the villains. The arrancars this time will be a much, much bigger threat to the Soul Society in that they have a lot more in numbers from Aizen recruiting Gillians and regular Hollows due to having them trained by his new, or should I say old, ally Saint. The Espada especially will be a whole lot stronger, mostly because I was kind of mad with the canon arc and the inconsistencies of the characters' power levels. For example, if Ichigo, not even fully trained, had enough power with half of his mask on to overwhelm Hiyori who had over a hundred years to train, yet he could barely match Ulquiorra in his base form with his mask on while the Vizards were holding their ground against the higher echelon Espada.
That shit don't fly with me, which is why there is going to be some drastic changes. New arrancars, new Espada, and new power levels. Grimmjow, for example, will be much stronger as the fifth Espada and being changed from a Vasto Lorde while Nnoitora isn't even a member. Most if not all the Espada will formerly be Vasto Lorde, and the one named Saint has her own elite unit since she is even stronger than Coyote Starrk and even Aizen puts her at even level with him. I have something very special planned for Ulquiorra, mostly because he is my favorite arrancar right after Grimmjow. At first he seems to be just at the level of his position, but by the end of it I will make him one of the strongest characters in the story standing on equal footing with the likes of Yamamoto, Ichigo, and Ruby in a way that I hope you guys will bear with me. And the Winter War will end in a way none of you will see coming. (Because Ulquiorra is my favorite character in Bleach).
Also he will pairing, and you guessed it. We have an UlquiHime.
Up next is Chapter 45.
Stay in touch. Please, please leave a review.