Author's note: This chapter will tell us about the Serietei, as well as the fight between Ichibe and Yhwach. I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.


Chapter 25: Black

In the icy cityscape, Sereitei, Soul Society

Jumping from rubble to rubble, the Head-Captain of the 13 Court Guard Squads and Captain of Squad 1: Shunsui Kyoraku, was now assessing the damages that had been done by the invading army of the Wandenreich. Despite them changing the cityscape, it was still the Sereitei. And now, Shunsui wanted to see how things had changed throughout the Sereitei, as he had barely begun venturing out of the transformed Squad 1 Barracks.

"Well, they really did a good job in destroying everything" he noted to himself, before seeing some of the buildings that looked quite familiar to those of the Sereitei. "Hmmm, was this building the enemies' to begin with? I wonder if everything will go back the way it was before if we chase them all out of the Sereitei. But the question that remains is whether they will be damaged or not if things go back to normal" he noted before fixing his eyes upon someone who approached him from behind. "What do you think, Jushiro?" he asked the Captain of Squad 13: Jushiro Ukitake, who had finally returned to the front lines after having some time for himself in the woods.

The white-haired man was facing the scene grimly, before fixing a slight smile when his face met Shunsui's. "Well, if they are damaged, then we can just rebuild them" he answered with his cheerful tone as usual. For some reason, his entire throat was completely bandaged. The reason for that was unknown, even to Shunsui.

Shunsui smiled when he heard those words. "I knew you would say those words" he remarked smugly. But Ukitake suddenly looked up to the rainy skies above them. Shunsui could see that. "It seems that we allowed the Quincies to invade the Royal Realm. Have you noticed it?" the pink-clad Shinigami asked his longtime friend.

Ukitake was slightly surprised at first, yet he soon calmed himself. "So, that is why Kamikake…" he was interrupted when he saw Shunsui simply nod as a yes

"Indeed. It seems that Kamikake was successful, thanks to the invasion of the Royal Realm of course" Shunsui noted while adjusting his hat and smiled slightly. "So in that case, we can push it a little, if you know what I mean" he added with a slight humor in his voice.

Ukitake only chuckled lightly when hearing this. "Just stop. You are speaking like a doctor" he said, but suddenly snapped when seeing his friend take his leave.

"Well then, you take good care now" Shunsui said while he was on his way. "I'll be seeing you at the base later" he added to his comrade.

But Ukitake was filled with surprise over seeing this. "Wait, Shunsui. Where are you going?" he asked him, causing the head-captain to stop on his tracks.

"Where I am going, you ask?" Shunsui said, not even bothering looking over his shoulder. "I have some unfinished business…with Central 46" he finally revealed before continuing on his way, eventually vanishing with his Shunpo.

Ukitake sighed deeply, as he knew very well what his friend was thinking about doing and now that he was left alone in the midst of the rubbles, he was free to speak his mind. "You really know how to make bad decisions, Shunsui. Especially when you decide to ask none other than Sosuke Aizen for help" he spoke up with nothing but disappointment in his voice. "You just don't get the gravity of this situation, do you?" he then added, knowing that this was perhaps something he would never have said to Shunsui directly.

But he could hear someone approach him, yet Ukitake did not make a move to turn around, as he realized who it was that had arrived. It was someone dressed in a white-hooded coat, similar to that of a Quincy. However, this individual did not as much as make a move against Ukitake, and he even stood beside the Captain of Squad 13.

"Hmmm…still as clueless and delusional as he was 100 years ago. What else have remained unchanged in the Court Guard?" the stranger spoke up with an elderly voice. It sounded very familiar for some particular reason.

Ukitake sighed deeply. "Well, other than Yamamoto and Unohana's deaths, I am really not sure" the white-haired man added to his statement. He then finally fixed his green eyes upon the hooded man. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought I told you not to follow me into the Sereitei" he then asked him.

"You know very well why" the stranger spoke up, eventually glancing at Ukitake. "Is everything going according to the plan? Has Lord Mimihagi finally told us about how things will work from here?" he then asked him.

The white-haired man simply nodded his head. "Yes. Once the world feels it's pain, I shall make my move. Then we can begin returning everything back to the way it should be. The Soul King must regain control of the Soul Society. An assembly of blind congressmen does not deserve to wield power" Ukitake responded with a surprisingly cold tone, as he was actually talking about Central 46.

The hooded man only nodded his head in understanding. "Good. However, we must make sure that the Soul King's rebirth is not disturbed. The Court Guard-lackey Ichigo Kurosaki, as well as the two exiles: Yoruichi Shihoin and Tessai Tsukabishi are now headed towards the Royal Realm as we speak. What happens when those pests reach the Soul King's Palace? And what if "he" forgets about our bargain?" he then asked the white-haired man, who simply urged him to calm down.

"I assure you that neither of those three will be a danger to our plan. And "he" has never forgotten about his true destiny. No, once Lord Mimihagi shows himself before him, "he" will remember it all. That will make him remember our bargain, as well as the fate of this world. But first, we must get rid of this corruption that exists in the Royal Realm" Ukitake answered and suddenly began looking around, making sure that they weren't followed. "And besides, you may not have known it, but even now, Lord Susuhame has already found his place" the white-haired man added.

"Yes, I see" the stranger said and wanted to find out more from Ukitake. "Now what about…...potential members? Do you know someone who are worthy of serving in our cause?" he then asked him while sounding interested. "The Soul King demands a new set of guardians, some who are capable of standing up against his enemies" the hooded man then added to his statement.

Ukitake took his time to think, yet he felt very unsure about this situation. "While Sosuke Aizen is out of the question, I know for a certain fact that someone like Sui-Feng and Shuhei Hisagi are those whose willpower will eventually fall out. I also sense their imminent deaths. We know for a fact that four captains and four lieutenants have pledged to our cause, although I cannot reveal their names" the white-haired man answered, but he felt like not leaving something out of the picture. "However, perhaps Byakuya Kuchiki could become a potential member. His wisdom and power alone would make a great asset to our cause. He was, after all, a strong contender for the mantle of head-captain" he suddenly explained while facing the stranger.

Somehow, this irked the hooded stranger greatly. "You mean to tell me that the young brat could be a part of our brotherhood?" he asked in disbelief and disgust at the same time. "Not a chance! That boy is just as misguided as his parents were" he then spoke up, while mentioning Byakuya's late parents: Sojun and Miyazu Kuchiki.

Ukitake sighed deeply, feeling the need to return to the base, as his comrades were probably worried about him. "Well, I better head back to the base now. You will be at my side when the time is right, yes?" he asked the stranger one last time.

Shadows began enveloping all around him, but he still nodded his head as a yes. "You KNOW I will. Until we met again, may the Soul King watch over you, Jushiro Ukitake" he said as he vanished into the shadow.

Ukitake then set course for the Squad 12 Barracks, knowing very well that he was needed there. But while he was on his way, the white-haired man could not help but to close his eyes deeply while thinking about someone. "Rukia, Kiyone, Sentaro, whatever differences we may share, I will always be proud of you, no matter what" the white-haired man thought about his subordinates in Squad 13. He even smiled lightly while thinking about this. "I wish it had not come to this. But for the sake of the world…I have to do this" Ukitake then concluded.


Outside the Squad 12 Base

Kisuke Urahara had since launching of Ichigo and his group to the Royal Realm been quite busy. Outside the base, the blonde-haired man was suddenly drawing a line with his cane, although it was technically his Zanpakutou: Benihime. Why he was doing this is a mystery, but Urahara had always been someone who would take extra good care of his surroundings, even if it was outside in a battlefield.

As Urahara kept drawing the line, he was interrupted by a very familiar voice calling to him from behind. "Hold on! Why are you scribbling outside? Didn't you finish your preparations inside?" a young girly voice called out to him.

Urahara smiled, as he saw Hiyori Sarugaki, as well as the rest of the Vizards living in the Human World arrive before him. Accompanying the young girl was, Rabu "Love" Aikawa, Hachigen Ushoda and Lisa Yadomaru. They had just arrived in the Sereitei, having previously been asked to do something for Urahara back in the Human World. In fact, Hiyori was now carrying a large bag while wearing her red and white caps.

"What are you talking about? I finished the preparations while waiting for you guys to show up" Urahara replied while facing them.

Hiyori only cooked an eyebrow while hearing his words. "You don't say" she replied with no pleasantries in her voice. The young girl then looked around. "What about Miss Stickyfingers? Where did she go?" she asked while noticing that Yoruichi was not nearby.

"Yoruichi has gone on up ahead. So has Tessai" the blonde-haired man answered them, although Hachi was stunned to hear that his former captain had gone off to the Royal Realm. Urahara took notice of this and nodded at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, Hachi. He will be safe with Yoruichi and Ichigo beside him" he insisted, forcing the tall but gentle man to simply return the nod.

But Hiyori couldn't help but to smirk when hearing this. "Woah, they really did that, huh?" she wondered in slight amusement. "I didn't think that those two would've had the answer right away, but whatever" the blonde-haired girl added.

Her fellow Vizards only sighed in annoyance while hearing their leader speak. "Hiyori, please" Hachi begged her with his usual kindness, not wanting her to embarrass them all.

"I swear, I really miss Shinji sometimes" Love suddenly spoke up, much to the fuming of Hiyori.

"Screw off, Love!" she barked back with her bad-tempered personality.

But Lisa suddenly made a coughing sound and it made Hiyori and Love cease their foolishness. The four-eyed woman glanced at Urahara. "Anyway, where's "Head-Captain" Kyoraku? I don't see him around" she asked about her former captain's whereabouts with sarcasm in her question.

"He just had some business he had to take care off. But he'll be joining us shortly" Urahara replied and turned around to face the entrance of the base. "Well then, shall we go inside?" he asked them and was about to make his move.

"Hold it!" Hiyori said, thus making the blonde-haired man stop in his tracks. "Why did you let those three go first? I thought I said that we would all meet up and THEN go together" the young girl asked while wanting an answer from Urahara.

Urahara did not turn around to face her, only staring at the base's entrance with silence. "Well, a change of plans occurred" he responded simple.

"So what? What are you gonna do if they they die?" Hiyori asked, starting to talk seriously with her former captain for once. She was not given an answer. This only encouraged her to get more serious. "You think that as long as they slow down the enemy, it doesn't matter if they die!? I mean, what the hell were you thinking, letting Ichigo, Yoruichi and Tessai go head on!?" she kept pressuring him to answer.

"Huh!? Has my big sister already gone ahead!?" everyone snapped and turned around to face a young dark-skinned boy with black hair holding onto something. He looked awfully similar to Yoruichi. And the reason for that was because of the fact that he was her younger brother: Yushiro Sakimune Shihoin. The young boy fell down to his knees. He slowly began sobbing, and felt his morale completely vanish. "No…...just when she contacted me after so long…..I hoped I could be of some use to her…..so I brought lots of things with me but….." Yushiro was interrupted by Urahara approaching him with a reassuring smile forming across his mouth.

"I am terribly sorry, but I had to let her go ahead" the blonde-haired man humbly apologized to Yushiro. "It was all for the sake of the Sereitei. Please understand that" Urahara then insisted to him.

Although it was hard for him to accept it, Yushiro eventually understood the gravity of this situation and only nodded his head in return. He sniffed while wiping off his tears. "Okay…I understand" the young boy said, knowing how important it was for his older sister.

Urahara smiled warmly when hearing the boy's words. "Whatever you have brought with you will definitely be useful to your sister, that I can assure. Now let's go inside, all of us" the blonde-haired man told everyone and they began entering the bunker.

However, Hiyori felt somewhat angered as they went inside. "Ya know, it pisses me off whenever you say it was all for the sake of the Sereitei" she admitted to those around her. Her fellow Vizards simply gazed at her with raised eyebrows. Hiyori took notice of this and sighed. "I mean, I AM an enemy of the Wandenreich, but the 13 Court Guard Squads are no angels either. Just look at our experience with Hollowfication and us living in exile" she pointed out to her comrades.

"Are you still on to that? I mean, you do remember that you were offered amnesty by Yamamoto, right?" Lisa quizzed her while adjusting her glasses.

"Tch, so were you, yet you never took it" Hiyori replied with a scoff on her shoulders. "And besides, Shinji, Rose and Kensei only returned to fill out the remaining seats. Nothing that special" she added with a hint of disdain in her voice.

As they had entered, Urahara suddenly turned around and surprisingly faced Hiyori with a slight smile, much to the young girl's confusion. "Hey Hiyori, did you get a chance to see Kirio while she was down here?" the blonde-haired man suddenly asked her.

Hearing this made the young girl widen her eyes in surprise, as she could not believe that Urahara had just asked her that question. Yet, she surprisingly felt somewhat downed and faced the ground. "Yes…I did" she answered with honesty.

Her fellow Vizards were stunned to hear what was being said. "Hold on! Are you telling me that you have spoken with Kirio Hikifune!?" Love asked out loud in surprise. He then began poking his ear. "Hmmmm…...I wonder if she still remembers me…...but then again…...I wonder how she looks like now" he wondered while thinking about the woman.

"How did your reunion go?" Hachi asked Hiyori with a hint of interest, as he also held Kirio in high regard.

It took some while before the young girl would reply to their question, yet she eventually spoke up. "It went fine…...I guess" she replied with a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "But Captain Hikifune has…...changed since the last time I saw her. She's the same one she used to be" Hiyori admitted to them.

"But you still hold her high in regard, don't you?" Urahara asked her with a smile of his own. The young girl glanced at him. "That's right, the reason she wanted to stay in the Sereitei a bit longer was because I requested of her. It was so you could meet her face to face, after so many ages. Consider this as a repayment for your service to me" he told her while smiling.

Hiyori was unsure about how to react to this, but she did in fact form a slight smile with her mouth, while trying to hide it underneath her caps. "Heh, don't push your luck, you know-it-all jackass" she simply said lowly before moving on to the base.

While surprised at first, Urahara eventually smiled, as he could feel that although she did not show it openly, Hiyori was actually thankful for his assistance with helping her see Kirio.

"Alright. You folks can gather up your stuff in that room over there" Urahara told the Vizards while pointing his finger at a door at the other end of the lab. As they went inside that room, Urahara took his time to make preparations, while Yushiro sat his bag for him to see.

The black-haired boy faced Urahara with a quick nod after putting down the bag. "I came here as quickly as I could. Lady Kukaku told me about big sister's plan of breaking into the Royal Realm. I didn't expect her to be leaving so early, but I've still brought the Shihoin clan's Heavenly Armor as she requested" the young boy revealed while showing Urahara the items, which was a strong type of armor with the symbol of the Shihoin clan written on it.

Urahara smiled while facing Yushiro. "Excellent work. You have no idea how grateful I am for letting us use it" the blonde-haired man spoke up with gratitude in his voice.

"But remember, I am the head of the Shihoin clan and the guardian of the Heavenly Armor. The only reason I am agreeing to you using it is only for the sake of stopping the enemy, nothing else" Yushiro suddenly reminded him with a surprisingly strict demeanor.

The blonde-haired man only whistled in amazement. "Wow! You sure sound like a captain there, Yushiro. I admire your way of speaking" Urahara admitted to the young boy. "Maybe you would make a perfect member of the Stealth Force and Squad 2. Ever considered about joining?" he then suddenly asked him, much to Yushiro's own confusion. Seeing this forced Urahara to simply wave at him in a whimsical manner. "What I meant was…...you could just join the Detention Unit, like I did once" Urahara then said, not knowing what else to say.

Yushiro suddenly did reflect on hearing those words, and he suddenly faced the ground with nothing but shame. Why was he behaving this way? Urahara began to wonder whether he had offended Yushiro in some way and felt a slight sense of guilt inside of him.

"I actually had the chance to become a captain after you, Tessai and big sister were exiled" Yushiro then spoke up lowly. "But when I found out about the true reason you were exiled, I angrily spoke out against the verdict of Central 46, as well as the Court Guard's refusal to stand up for all of you" the black-haired boy went on explaining while Urahara only stood and listened. "Because of my defiance, I was deemed an unworthy candidate for the position of captain. This resulted in Sui-Feng becoming captain instead. Apparently, Head-Captain Yamamoto wanted someone who was more obedient towards Central 46 than me" Yushiro then explained the reason why he was once considered for the title of captain, but fell out in favor by the Soul Society's leadership.

Yushiro suddenly felt Urahara put a hand on his shoulder, as the blonde-haired man was smiling at the young boy. "Well I couldn't give a rat's ass about what some delusional nobles think about you. In my eyes, you are still worthy of being captain" the blonde-haired man told him.

Hearing those words made Yushiro form a smile in return, as he couldn't help but to find that statement amusing to his own standards. "Hmmmm…maybe I owe you one for saying that" he admitted to Urahara.


In the forests outside the Rukon District, Soul Society

While the chaos happened behind the walls of the Sereitei, the group of Arrancars handpicked by Augustus Zod Allowin to do some spying in the Soul Society were keeping to themselves hidden from all suspicious eyes. As they had promised, none of them had made a move to devour a Soul. No, their objectives lied elsewhere.

The group of Dechados called Sombre, composed of Paragons Pieddot Picasso, Lyoness Mahlangu, Arlettine Bracquemonde and Uvaanog Chelute, had set up camp on the top of a hill, that was actually giving them a clear view of the landscape outside the Sereitei. In these forests, things seemed much quieter, as the local wildlife were minding their own businesses as usual.

However, Pieddot was now using a telescope made out of bones, in order to get a good look at the situation in the Sereitei. He had sent one of his androids to scout the battlefield, but it had stumbled upon Mayuri Kurotsuchi. After a brief stab and conversation, Pieddot had felt like he had heard enough, which eventually lead to the android self-destruct. With no eyes on the inside, Pieddot took his time to observe the situation through his telescope.

"This looks bad. I regret activating the android's self-destruction so early" Pieddot noted while watching the many rays of light that rose above the Sereitei. "Could this be the work of Yhwach? For some reason, I have a feeling that he is no longer inside the Sereitei. This can only mean that he is now in the Royal Realm" the man in the burlap mask noted grimly.

While Pieddot was doing his, his fellow members of Sombre were all standing behind him in the camp relaxing. But they were also guarding the camp, making sure that no uninvited guest was near it. However, Lyoness was growing very bored of this responsibility. They had not seen any suspicious eyes yet and were still watching the camp. But Lyoness was having enough.

"Argh! This assignment bores me to death!" he exclaimed in an aggressive manner while growling. "If no one's coming over here then why can't I at least find something to prey on!? My teeth are desperate to tear flesh!" the Dechado angrily asked his comrades, although Pieddot simply ignored him. It was apparent that Lyoness was now getting hungry.

Both Arlettine and Uvaanog glanced at their impatient comrade with nothing but dispassion. "Cease this immaturity, Lyoness. Do not break the pledge you made to His Highness" Arlettine told him sternly.

The red-maned Arrancar simply glanced at the purple-haired woman with irritation. "I was sworn into the Dechados for one thing and one thing only: to kill everything that I desire!" he spat in return. "I didn't get sworn in for the sake of participating in some lame-ass camping trip!" he then pointed out.

"For your information, this is not a camping trip" the stern voice came from Uvaanog, who glanced at Lyoness, forcing the lion-haired Arrancar to slightly growl at his moose-skulled comrade speaking to him. "Now if you don't mind, I would appreciate if you stopped hissing and did something reasonable" he added his criticism of his comrade.

This made Lyoness fill his mind with anger and he was about to confront Uvaanog, given that he openly hated whenever someone lectured him on how to be mature.

But Lyoness stopped his anger, when he and his comrades watched Pieddot walking past the three Dechados and glanced out to the entrance of their campsite. The three Dechados joined him in seeing what was the reason. Based upon Pieddot's behavior, he seemed very pleased to see someone and they soon were given a glimpse of who they were. Lyoness, Uvaanog and Arlettine couldn't believe their own eyes.

"I am pleased to see that you have made it out here safely, Esclavos. I suppose that you used the Garganta to exit the Sereitei and find your way here, just as I instructed you to do" the man in the burlap mask said in a delightful mood.

Standing before the Sombre were five Arrancars that had previously been left for dead, only for Mayuri Kurotsuchi to discover their corpses and bring them back to life. With the help of one of Pieddot's androids, they were able to break free from Mayuri's control however. But the group of Arrancars composed of Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, Cirucci Sanderwicci, Luppi Antenor, Charlotte Chuhlhourne and Di Roy Rinker, were all incredible skeptical when they got a glimpse of Pieddot and his comrades. It was obvious that they were reluctant to trust Pieddot fully, considering that this was actually the first time they meet him face to face for real.

Pieddot simply shrugged his shoulders. "Why the cold reception? After all, I did free you from that wicked Mayuri Kurotsuchi's grasp" the Dechado told them while brandishing the small crossbow above his clawed hand, the same one that his android had used. The crossbow was also loaded with the darts that the Arrancars were shot with. "This little friend of mine is an Anti-drug medicine. It cleanses all types of drugs that you had previously been stuffed with. Aren't you going to at least show me some gratitude?" Pieddot asked them while explaining the darts.

"Spare us this bullshit explanation!" the rude and mouthy voice came from Di Roy, who had even drawn his blade against the group, as had Luppi. Yet, despite seeing this, the Dechados remained unfazed of their behavior. They clearly did not take this seriously. "You think that we're gonna allow ourselves to be supervised by you!? Like hell will that ever happen!" the Arrancar with the head of a hammershark said threateningly.

"Yeah! We have our own agenda to fulfill now that we are free!" Luppi joined in.

Even Dordoni and Cirucci was showing signs of defiance and they also drew out their Zanpakutous as well, ready to actually fight the group of Dechados. But Charlotte was only standing still, as he did not speak nor move a muscle.

"We will never be slaves to anyone!" Dordoni stubbornly declared while facing the group. "I still have some unfinished business with Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami. Because of that, I cannot have my time wasted on the likes of you!" the usually goofy Arrancar said in defiance towards their opponents.

"Well said, Dordoni. Can't believe that I'm impressed by you for once" Cirucci said, starting to have some respect towards her fellow Privaron Espada. The purple-haired lady then faced the Dechados "And I have a score to settle with that four-eyed weirdo named Uryu Ishida! So unless you wanna mess with us, stay the hell away!" she added to her threats.

After a couple of seconds, Arlettine, Uvaanog and Lyoness simply laughed at the Arrancars' threats, unable to fathom how incredibly delusional they were. The paragons' powers were on a very different level. But Pieddot only remained silent, not even making a sound while his fellow paragons were laughing. He simply glanced at Dordoni and the others with a tint of disappointment.

Di Roy got angered over seeing this. "What the fuck is so funny!?" he rudely demanded an answer from them.

Arlettine stopped laughing and fixed a smug look upon the group of five. "You Esclavos never cease to amuse me. To think that even after being brought back from the dead, you are still ignorant about your level of strength" the purple-haired Dechado noted from what she was hearing. "Do you honestly believe that you stand a chance against us because of your angry attitude? Hah, as expected of those who willingly slaved to Aizen!" Arlettine added another taunt to her statement.

Both Di Roy and Luppi became offended by hearing her statement and it only encouraged them to simply officially confront the Dechados. But they could suddenly feel enormous Spiritual Pressure coming from both Lyoness and Uvaanog. The other resurrected Arrancars could feel this as well, and they all fell down to their knees. The two Dechados took pleasure in seeing this.

"Coño! What the hell is this!?" Dordoni asked in anger while he felt his entire body sweat endlessly.

Cirucci managed to lift her head to get a glimpse of the two Arrnacars releasing their Spiritual Pressures. She widened and could feel her entire body lose composure. "What…what kind of monsters are those!?" she wondered out in disbelief.

The red-maned Arrancar mused in seeing this. "Heh! You five are not even worth preying upon! Even now, I can smell your fears by only standing here! Your Spiritual Pressures are that of frail cubs!" Lyoness exclaimed in mockery before laughing once again.

"Why you sanctimonious…." Luppi muttered out lowly in anger over hearing his words.

"Such misguided fools. All of you probably thought that be licking the boots of a Shinigami, you would be granted enormous amounts of power" Uvaanog noted while forcing an evil chuckle that could be heard from his moose-skulled face. "But Esclavos like you have no idea about what possessing power even means! As such, you will always be beneath us paragons…...the TRUE Arrancars…the TRUE defenders of Hueco Mundo!" the paragon went on explaining while taunting the Arrancars before them at the same time.

Di Roy could no longer restrain his anger, so he charged towards the group of four. "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU ALL!" he yelled out in anger. But before the white-haired boy could even swing his Zanpakutou, he was in for a surprise, as Pieddot suddenly appeared right before him with his Sonido. Before he even knew it, Di Roy was stabbed by one of Pieddot's clawed fingers. However, there was something hanging on the scrawny Arrancar's hands and it looked like doses. This caused Di Roy to howl in pain, even though it was only a tiny stab.

As Di Roy was feeling the agony, Luppi made his move to charge towards Pieddot with his Zanpakutou, and he was even getting ready to release his Resurrecciòn. However, the Dechado took notice of this and simply used his small crossbow and fired a dart with the same doses that hang over his hand. Luppi failed to avoid it and the dart hit his neck, much to the young man's slight pain.

Dordoni, Cirucci and Charlotte were about to make their move, only for them to stop when Pieddot spoke up in a very threatening and serious manner. "I wouldn't have done that if I were you, Esclavos. You may want to take a look at what your comrades were just induced with" he told them, thus making the trio face the two Arrancars.

What was happening once Di Roy and Luppi received those doses inside of them? After numbing their pain, the Arrancars could feel their entire vision becoming blurry, but that was not just it. For some reason, winds blew through the forests and it almost felt like a hurricane for those two. The sky above them was becoming pale dark as the darkness itself and there was no stars or moon to be seen. But all of a sudden, they screamed in fear, as they could see the trees showing monstrous and malicious faces. In the Arrancars' eyes, the trees were almost alive and their branches functioned as hands.

"WHAT'S HAPPENING!?" Di Roy asked in fear over what he was seeing and he suddenly felt someone behind him. Turning around, the young Arrancar screamed in fear, as he saw a scary-looking tree that almost seemed alive. This made Di Roy fall backwards and he landed on his back. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS!?" he asked once again in fear.

"I CAN'T MOVE MY BODY!" Luppi screamed, with tears falling out from his eyes. He could feel someone grab him by his ankles and he saw that it was the roots of the trees that were grabbing him. They were now transformed into hands. This only caused more fear into Luppi's eyes and he screamed once again. "I'M BEING GRABBED!" the flamboyant Arrancar yelled.

The two Arrancars were becoming increasingly paranoid and they continued struggling with coming to terms with this terrible inducement. What kind of trance was this?

"WHAT'S THE MATTER, LITTLE ESCLAVOS?" both Luppi and Di Roy heard a very menacing but familiar voice calling to them. Turning around, their eyes widened with tears, as a gigantic version of Pieddot was standing above them, with the Dechado leaning his face down to their level. His eyes were orange and they glowed upon those two Arrancars, who kept screaming insanely. Hearing this only made Pieddot chuckle to himself and he eventually let out a laugh that was very intimidating for them to hear. "FOOLS! THIS IS WHAT YOU GET FOR SHOWING ME DISRESPECT. THIS IS THE FEAR TOXIC DRUG THAT I INVENTED, PERSONALLY. ONCE YOU'VE BEEN INDUCED, YOU WILL BE DRAGGED INTO THE WORLD OF FEAR AND DESPAIR. AND ONLY I CAN DECIDE WHEN TO FREE YOU. UNTIL THEN, YOU WILL BE STUCK IN HERE FOR ETERNITY!" he explained in his intimidating voice before letting out another round of laughter that ran chills through the Arrancars.

But from the viewpoints of Dordoni, Cirucci and Charlottte, both Luppi and Di Roy were acting in a very paranoid and insane manner. None of them could not understand how they became that scared. But when seeing Pieddot stepping before them, the three Arrancars knew that this was some type of drug that Pieddot was currently using on Luppi and Di Roy. When he felt like he had heard enough screaming, Pieddot threw some powder on the two Arrancars, and they fell down to the ground unconsciously. Everything was silent after this, until Pieddot finally turned his gaze upon Dordoni, Cirucci and Charlotte. They all snapped in fear when he was giving them this glance.

"If you desperately wish not to see what your friends saw, I suggest that you start showing me some gratitude for once" the Dechado in burlap mask warned them.

Without hesitating, the three Arrancars were on their knees begging for his forgiveness, as well as apologizing for their earlier defiance and ungrateful attitudes.

Pieddot mused when seeing this. "Heh, it is a good thing that I did not induce those two when I was in my Resurrecciòn. If so, escaping from it would've been impossible. Even I couldn't have freed them from the trance" the Arrancar noted to himself with slight amusement inside of him.

"Lord Pieddot, come take a look" the scrawny Arrancar heard the voice coming from Arlettine, as she, Lyoness and Uvaanog were watching something happening at a tree.

Pieddot walked over to them. "Please, as Dechados, you no longer need to address me so formally. Besides, the two of you are of noble blood, so there's no sense in stooping to such levels" he said to her in a friendly voice before standing beside his comrades. "Now what is it that you find so interesting with this tree?" the paragon then asked them.

"It is not the tree. Look at the salamander's tail" Uvaanog pointed out.

From what the group of four could see, a small salamander was resting on the tree. But what was unique about it was the black tint that was coming out from its tail. For some reason, the black tint was sprouting towards the direction in which the Sereitei was located at. It really intrigued the Arrancars.

"Fascinating" Pieddot noted while seeing this. "Could this salamander perhaps be something of a unique species?" he then wondered.

"But that's not just it. Look over there" Lyoness suddenly pointed his finger at the group of Esclavos. From what the Dechados could see, the black tint was also moving from them as well. This only made them more curious. "Is this kind of a sickness or something?" the red-maned Arrancar wondered while seeing this.

Arlettine suddenly looked up in the skies and she felt a tint of unease in the air. "Somehow, I feel that the air above us is filled with trickery. But am I just imagining those?" the purple-haired woman wondered while trying to sense it.

Pieddot decided to take a closer look on what it really was and it really intrigued him. "From what I can see, that tint almost looks like…...ink" the paragon noted and suddenly began facing up in the skies, similar to Arlettine. "Is this also Yhwach's doing? No, it couldn't be…this must be someone else's doing" he then thought.

Unbeknownst to the Dechados themselves, the same black tint was also moving from them as well, heading up towards the direction of the Sereitei, or more specifically the Royal Realm. But none of them ever took notice of this, as they could only see what happened to others. What was really going on?


High above the Sereitei, the Royal Realm, Soul Society

When Yhwach had managed to escape the Cage of Life thanks to the actions of Pernida Parnkgjas, he immediately confronted the last man standing between him and the Soul King's Palace: Ichibe Hyosube. After a small talk, the two men had begun their titanic clash in the Royal Realm. They fought from the air spaces to the Vestibule Road. And right now, they were currently back at the Vestibule Road, thanks to Ichibe sending Yhwach crashing.

So far, Yhwach had completely underestimated his opponent. With all the enough Reishi by his side, Yhwach was firm in his belief that everything was his for the taking. But what he had underestimated was Ichibe's power, as well as his wisdom in combat.

The monk, who was the de facto commander of the Royal Guards, had unleashed his full powers of his Zanpakutou: Ichimonji. It was transformed from a simple brush to a blade, but not just any blade. The moment Ichibe released his Shikai, all darkness in the world, from living to dead, became his for the taking. He had even managed to take away Yhwach's sword, as well as his name. Without names, you were powerless and nothing but an empty shell.

Nevertheless, Yhwach was not hesitating to give up, and had even tried to make Ichibe's powers his. By using the same medallion he had used to steal Yamamoto's Bankai, Yhwach used Sankt Altar in an attempt to take Ichibe's powers. But it was flawless. Ichibe's power was nothing like Yamamoto's. His power was the darkness, as well as being able to give name to everything.

With that plan failed, Yhwach was consumed by darkness as Ichibe had complete control of it with the help of his Zanpakutou. Yhwach was covered in darkness and he was no longer the same Quincy. His name was no longer Yhwach. Deciding to give him a fitting punishment, Ichibe then decided to do two things with what was once Yhwach. He activated his Shinuchi: Shirafude Ichimoni and used it to write a new name on Yhwach's ink-covered body. Drawing two white kanjis, Ichibe had written "Black Ant" on Yhwach.

"So how does it feel, the one once known as Yhwach?" Ichibe began asking him without any remorse in his voice. "Your name is now Black Ant. Your powers are now on the par with ants at your feet. And your life, is now fragile and fleeting" he then added while glancing upon his paralyzed opponent.

Even though he had lost his name, the Quincy still had the ability to speak. "This…...this cannot be it…" he uttered out lowly

"Yes. It really is" Ichibe said and put Ichimonji on his back. "That was for all the powers you once had. You will shoulder the lives of the Shinigamis you have murdered. And this will be the place where you meet your own fate" he said and suddenly called forth all the darkness to his side once again. His opponent only stood still and watched with shock by what he was seeing. A black surrounding was suddenly formed all around them and even now, a black mausoleum on the top of gravestones could be seen.

"What….is…this?" the Quincy uttered out words in shock as he could see the mausoleum taking shape, with fences and gravestines.

The mausoleum appeared behind Ichibe, who was still standing calling it to his side. The monk then appeared to face his opponent directly in the eye. "To show respect for your madness, I shall allow you to witness my true power, and prove to you the reason why me and Yamamoto are not the same. This will be your end. Futen Taisatsuryo!" Ichibe exclaimed.

So far, Yhwach could not move a muscle, as he only stood and watched as Ichibe took small steps towards him. For some reason, Ichibe was giving him a sort of apologetic glance as their eyes met. The monk even sighed deeply while their eyes met.

"Listen very well, Black Ant. I know everything about you, including who you really are, or what you used to be" Ichibe revealed and suddenly stopped. "Even now, I see the true reason why Yamamoto failed to kill you 1000 years ago. To think that he foolishly fell for your own sob-story, when you said that you wanted to bring back everything back to it was in a peaceful way" the monk told him while recalling something that happened many eons ago.

Yhwach only stood and listened as Ichibe spoke, although he still had some power left to speak few words. "Sob-story…what do you mean…" the words came out and the monk could hear it.

"You are a deranged fool. You believe that all the worlds belong as one!?" Ichibe asked in disbelief when hearing this. "You know very well that once you have destroyed all the worlds…...you can never bring them back again! Everything will vanish into oblivion!" he spat out in disgust. "You should be ashamed of yourself…ashamed of trying to unmake everything that your own father made!" he added.

"My…father….." Yhwach uttered out those words once again.

Ichibe sighed deeply while hearing his words. "That is right. Your father…...no, former father, did not wish to see this world go under when the rest of the Gods left it to die. That is why he was willing sacrifice himself…...and become this world's savior….as well as the reason that you and I are standing here now" the black-bearded man told his adversary, as he listened closely. "Yes, he made many mistakes, but it was all for the sake of keeping this world alive. That is why he took on the role to become the Lynchpin of Existence" Ichibe went on explaining.

"You…." Ichibe then glanced at Yhwach, who still possessed the manner to speak. "You…lie…you….are…lying" the words stung the monk like a nail in the coffin.

Ichibe narrowed his eyes and brows, indicating that he was angry with his opponent. "It seems to me that I am only wasting my time with you, Black Ant. Someone like you could never hope to understand the way our world works" the monk said and suddenly lifted up his left foot. "AND THEREFORE, YOU SHALL DIE LIKE AN ANT!" he yelled and stomped down his left foot.

Just then, a giant foot appeared above Yhwach and it stomped on him, thus sending the ink-covered Quincy through the wooden floor and down towards the Sereitei. He could still not move an inch and kept falling down, until two giant hands clapped him together. Once again, Yhwach's body fell down towards the Sereitei for defeat.

Ichibe only watched this with a neutral glance, as he was neither pleased nor sad to see this. "I bid you farewell, old friend. May you find peace in the true afterlife" the monk said and suddenly turned around to see the black mausoleum he had created. The monk then bowed his head before it, and closed his eyes while standing there with silence. "Let there be no more bloodshed and loss of lives now. I have averted a war that could've become more destructive than the war 1000 years ago, but not without the sacrifices of so many Shinigamis. Peace has finally prevailed in its darkest hour" the monk was now praying.

But Ichibe snapped as he could feel a pillar of explosion rise straight above him. Turning around, the monk got stabbed by a sword of Reishi. The black-bearded man could not believe his eyes and what he was seeing.

"Peace has prevailed you say?" the voice came from Yhwach, who now possessed the strength to speak whatever volumes as he pleased. A chuckle could be heard behind the darkness covering him. "To think that I had my eyes closed the entire time, only to hear you sprout out this!" he said.

"You…how are you still alive…" Ichibe asked in shock while pulling out the blade in his stomach. But he saw something happening with the white kanjis written on Yhwach. They disappeared, much to Ichibe's distress. "Impossible…...the letters!" he exclaimed and then brandished Ichimonji to confront Yhwach.

The white letters were not the only things to disappear. The black ink covering Yhwach did that as well. As the ink completely vanished, the black-haired man fixed his eyes upon the Shinigami, who was still left bewildered by seeing him still alive. The emperor mused at Ichibe's reaction.

"Why did I not die? How could I have freed myself from your powers? How did I fail? Surely you have many more questions like these swirling inside your head" Yhwach noted before looking down at his own handpalms, which had no tint of ink on their hands. Ichibe could now take notice that there were three irises in Yhwach's eyes and it made him stunned. "Now that my eyes are open, I can see anything and everything that will happen in the future. I now know the things I have seen and when I know a power, I will make use of that power. You couldn't defeat me with that power, much less hurt me with it. That is my Schrift: the letter A – The Almighty" Yhwach explained with pride.

While listening to his explanation, Ichibe was now starting to have some thought of his own. "Those eyes…is it really true? Has he finally been able to awaken the powers that was sealed 1000 years ago?" the monk wondered in his head, as he had in fact managed to get some hang of what Yhwach's own explanation was. "No…...that's absurd! He couldn't have possible have accomplished that!" Ichibe added to his thoughts.

Yhwach formed a smirk when seeing his opponent in this position. "What's wrong? 15 seconds ago, you said that you would crush me like an ant, yet here I am still standing and breathing" the black-haired man said and suddenly reached out a hand to Ichibe in a mockingly manner. "Now I am going to give you one last chance, monk. Join me, Ichibe Hyosube. Join me and help me with creating a Soul Society that has nothing to fear, not even the horrors of Hueco Mundo and Hell. You can be one of the many new knights and counselors ready to serve me in this new era" the emperor extended an invitation to the monk once again.

Despite being in pain, Ichibe could not help but to let out a chuckle while listening to Yhwach's invitation. He was still filled with defiance inside of him. "As if I would ever lose to you!" Ichibe said and suddenly pointed Ichimonji towards Yhwach. "Don't think that you can be all that when all you did was merely removing the name I gave you, the one once known as Yhwach" the black-bearded man said, determined to still fight the Quincy. "How do you suppose that you will defeat me when you are still covered in darkness? Even if you know about it, it doesn't mean it changes anything" the monk concluded his analysis.

Suddenly, darkness was drawn out from Yhwach and Ichibe received it while standing before the black mausoleum once again. So far, Yhwach did not make a move to attack Ichibe, as he simply stood and glanced at the Shinigami gathering all the darkness around him.

"All the darkness belongs to me alone! And to make you aware of that fact, I will gladly finish you off with the help of Futen Taisatsuryo!" he declared as he suddenly began a form for ritual with all the darkness surrounding him. He even held a cup as darkness was poured into it. "Oh twilight, and everlasting darkness, come to me, come and have a drink, and once you do, your life will fade. The flowers will bloom along the road to hell. Where there are fish, let me paint them black, cut them into eight, and cook them well atop a flame of black, and then enjoy the meal. All that's left are bones of white, make them a gravestone, and pay respect. May they never be reborn again, so that you won't be sacrificed as food" Ichibe began saying an incantation while the mausoleum only grew taller.

Yet despite this, Yhwach remained unfazed and simply glanced at the background with no fear in his eyes. He had already seen the mausoleum before. The Quincy watche as Ichibe prepared himself.

"Made of the darkness from the hundred nights I have taken from the Soul Society's future, I present to you your final resting place" Ichibe said and faced his opponent calmly. "It will take away the darkness in you, your blood, your bones, your flesh and everything, until there is nothing left of you. You won't even be able to reincarnate" the monk's words were harsh and filled with danger, as he was really intending on defeating his opponent for once.

"You are headed towards a hell of never-ending darkness" Yhwach suddenly said the same line that Ichibe was about to say. This caught the Shinigami completely off guard and he could not believe what he was hearing. "I do recall saying that I see everything. In the eyes of a power, there is no need for distinction between understanding and having a plan. Everything that comes into my line of vision, becomes powerless. Do you still think of me as someone who has lost his name?" Yhwach explained while asking him about losing his name. The emperor then faced his opponent with a maddened look, his mouth even grinning with satisfaction. "My name is Yhwach! And I will be the one that will take everything from you!" he exclaimed in defiance and suddenly ran straight towards Ichibe with his Reishi blade.

As Ichibe stood and heard all those words, he couldn't take this torture any longer, so he angrily charged towards Yhwach with Ichimonji in his hand. The monk was angrier than before and he charged straight towards him. "TO HELL WITH YOU!" he yelled out as he readied his Zanpakutou.

"I WILL BRING HELL TO YOU!" Yhwach yelled back as both men clashed swords with one another.

As the two men stood side by side, everything around them was silent, with only the winds blowing through them. However, after a couple of minutes waiting and not moving or saying anything, Ichibe's entire body exploded, thus separating body parts from one another.

Amidst this pool of blood, Yhwach simply passed by Ichibe's severed head and spine, even finding amusement when seeing the line that the Shinigami had previously drawn. "Just as I had predicted. Your death was only three steps ahead" the Quincy said before completely destroying the seal that Ichibe had written to keep him away from the Soul King's Palace. The explosion even affected the body and they were blown away into oblivion. The emperor smiled in delight as his eyes was set on the Soul King's Palace.

While walking on the Vestibule Road, he could also sense that the other members of the Royal Guard had been defeated as well. Yhwach mused to himself. His victory was right around the corner.

"Squad 0 has fallen, it's soldiers have run away in fear" Yhwach said before fixing his eyes upon the Soul King's Palace itself, as it was floating so high in the air. "All that remains now…is you…Soul King" the long-haired man said before letting out a laughter that started lowly, before bursting out loudly, indicating that Yhwach's quest had almost driven him the point of insanity.

For now, Yhwach had completely free road and access to the Soul King's Palace, with the Soul King himself defenseless. What would happen next?

To be continued…..


Author's note: And that was a good chapter! I just wanted to add more flavor to the fight between Ichibe and Yhwach, especially with that conversation they had. I also have included Ukitake back into the story, but he seems like a very different person than before. And who is that hooded man beside him. And what about Shunsui's business with Central 46? And we also saw how Sombre was doing. By the way, that fear inducement was inspired by the fear toxins of The Scarecrow from Batman, and the scene with the scary trees were inspired by the forest scene from Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. See you around!