Author's note: I don't own any of the characters. They belong to Tite Kubo. The original characters belong to me.
Chapter 26: Checkmate
Inside the Soul King's Palace, Royal Realm, Soul Society
It was inevitable. The Soul King's attendants were slaughtered by Yhwach as he made his way towards the place where the Soul King was resting. No one was capable of standing against the Emperor of the Wandenreich, as he reached to the upper levels of the palace, where the Soul King was hanging in a room that could be entered through two big curtains. At this rate, there was no one left to defend the Soul King from Yhwach's invasion. The Soul King's Palace was now his for the taking.
"Soul King. You are an imperfect God who cannot run away, even at a time like this" Yhwach spoke up as he cut the left curtains and walked up the stairs. "I will put an end to the humiliation I have experienced all these ages" Yhwach declared and finally fixed his eyes upon the Soul King.
The Soul King was hanging inside a ball of crystal, his eyes and mouth not even moving. Even though he could not speak back, Yhwach still felt the need to speak to the Soul King.
"In fact, you probably foresaw that this day would eventually come" the long-haired man said before finally stabbing his blade through the Soul King, without any remorse for his actions. "Farewell, Soul King. The one who has seen the future…...my father" Yhwach said, addressing the being as father.
Even though nobody had ever heard the Soul King speak, he could in fact communicate via telepathy. But that was only towards Yhwach…who was in fact, his son. An elderly and low voice could be heard through Yhwach's head as he watched the blade pierce the Soul King.
"My son…what have you done?" the voice called to Yhwach in a very concerned tone.
Despite hearing this voice, Yhwach did nothing to reply, as he only stood and glanced at the Soul King with nothing but emptiness in his eyes. It seemed apparent that he did not regret what he was doing.
10 minutes earlier, on the Vestibule Road, the Royal Realm, Soul Society
The moment Yhwach and his Schutzstaffel entered the Soul King's Palace, things had become silent in the Royal Realm. On each of the five cities, the people of upper nobility expressed their concerns about the reason why it was so quiet in the Royal Realm, considering that they knew it was under invasion. But many of them also wondered why none of the members of the Royal Guard had returned. They were expecting them to have won, but once they saw the few Divine Soldiers fleeing from the fight, it only convinced them that the Quincies were indeed inside the Soul King's Palace. Panic struck into the upper nobles. And none of them knew how to cope with this.
But while the five cities were too helpless to do anything, something arrived at the broken Vestibule Road. Shooting right up towards the sky, the cannon that Kisuke Urahara had launched off was spinning around before landing in the middle of the wooden floor. As soon as it had landed, the small entrance opened and both Ganju Shiba and Jinta Hanakari could be seen lying on the bottom, while the rest was floating above them with the help of Orihime Inoue's Santen Kesshun. Both Ganju and Jinta felt pain while crashing into the bottom.
"Ouch! That's gonna leave a mark or two!" Ganju said while blood was running from his nose and mouth.
Jinta was being squished by Ganju and he could barely move thanks to the long-haired man's weight. "Get off me…you idiot!" the red-haired boy said while trying to move, but to no avail, as Ganju's weight was too much for him.
"I'm so sorry guys, but I couldn't fit you on the Santen Kesshun" Orihime sincerely apologized, as she did not like seeing her friends getting hurt. She, Ichigo Kursaki, Tessai Tsukabishi, Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Yoruichi Shihoin and Ururu Tsmugiya were all sitting on the Santen Kesshun as it descended down towards the bottom.
Ganju only rolled over and give the woman a thumb in return. "No need to apologize! I'm perfectly fi…." Before he could continue, a crack could be heard from his neck and this made Ganju groan in pain. "Arghhhh, my neck! Damn it, that hurts!" he cursed out of anger.
Jinta slowly got up to his knees and pointed an accusing finger at Tessai. "You! You pushed me off willingly, didn't ya!" he then accused the tall Shinigami.
"Stop with this nonsense, Jinta. As a young gentleman, you are obliged to give enough space to lovely ladies such as Orihime, Yoruichi and Ururu" the tanned-skinned man pointed out to him, much to Jinta's own anger.
"What the hell does that have to do with you pushing me off!?" Jinta barked in return, but the rest of the group simply ignored his outburst and got off the Santen Kesshun, much to the teenager's own irritation. "Fine, just go ahead and ignore me like usual" he muttered lowly to himself.
As the entire group got out of the cannon, they stood and watched the scene around them. It was different from what they had expected it to be, considering that they were prepared for fighting against the Quincies. But all this silence only made them confused and filled with questions.
"It's too quiet here" Chad noted lowly while glancing around. "Did something happen while we were on our way?" the tall Fullbringer then asked.
Yoruichi narrowed her feline eyes. "Maybe. But I was at least expecting the Royal Guard to be still fighting" the purple-haired woman answered while glancing at the five cities floating in the space of air. "And why isn't there any Quincies or Divine Soldiers to be seen?" she wondered.
"That's a good question" Ichigo noted while narrowing his eyes. He then took notice of how damaged the edge of the wooden floor was. "Strange, I don't recall seeing the road being destroyed. Did the cannon cause it?" he wondered in his head.
"What in the name of…" Tessai spoke lowly, as he along with Jinta and Ururu saw some body parts lying on the wooden floor behind them. The others in the group took notice of this as well and were horrified by seeing them. "This man has been torn to shreds! Who in the world could have done something so atrocious?" the tall man wondered grimly.
"Who is he, anyway?" Ururu asked lowly, despite feeling slightly disturbed by seeing body parts scattered around.
Ichigo stepped forward to study the body parts and the orange-haired man immediately recognized them. The Substitute Shinigami couldn't believe his eyes. "Those is the body parts of…Ichibe Hyosube….one of the five members of Squad 0, as well as the one who trained me, Renji and Rukia while we were staying here" the orange-haired man noted grimly. "It looks like he made his final stand here…and lost" Ichigo went on, feeling somewhat sorry for seeing the monk being dead.
Orihime suddenly stepped beside him. "Is there any way that I could bring him back?" she asked him, but Ganju interrupted her question.
"Are you insane? There's no way that you can piece back dissected body parts! That's impossible!" the long-haired man pointed out to her.
"Ganju has a point" Chad spoke up and faced the body parts with sympathy in his only visible eye. "Whoever this Ichibe Hyosube was, he sure did his best in holding off the enemy. He has my deepest respect" the tall man noted in his thoughts.
Yoruichi gritted her teeth in frustration. "Damn it! How is this even possible?" she asked while feeling a hint of distress building inside of her. "If he failed, then that means that the rest of the Royal Guard failed as well…including Kirio" she said, while mentioning the woman whom she had known, as Kirio was once the Captain of Squad 12 while she was Captain of Squad 2. "Those Quincy-bastards will pay for this!" she added with a hint of bitterness in her voice.
Tessai put a hand on Yoruichi, thus surprising the dark-skinned woman. The man with the glasses even formed a smile underneath his moustache. "Don't worry, Yoruichi. They will be avenged, that I promise you" the tall man insisted to her, forcing Yoruichi to form a smug smile in return.
"Heh…...it's good to have you back at the frontlines once again, Tessai" Yoruichi remarked in return.
But all of a sudden, everyone could feel an immense amount of Spiritual Pressure come to them from none other than the Soul King's Palace itself. It was enormous and everyone in the group could feel it.
"What the hell's going on!?" Jinta asked out loud.
"What an incredible amount of Spiritual Pressure!" Ganju exclaimed while sweating. "Where is it coming from!?" he asked, still struggling to get back on his feet.
Ururu managed to lift her head up and point her finger at the direction. "It seems to come from that floating building over there" the young girl said.
While his friends were struggling against the Spiritual Pressure, Ichigo's eyes widened, as he looked upon the Soul King's Palace. The Substitute Shinigami could feel a very familiar Spiritual Pressure inside that building. There was no mistaking it. Yhwach was inside the palace, right now. The orange-haired man gritted his teeth in anger while feeling this.
"Yhwach…." Ichigo uttered out the name of his sworn enemy lowly while clenching his fist together. His friends could see the anger that began building inside of him, and they had never seen Ichigo act in this way. No one dares say a word to him, let alone ask if he was alright. "YHWACH! I'M COMING FOR YOU, BASTARD!" he yelled out in anger and ran straight towards the Soul King's Palace.
"Ichigo, what the hell are you doing!?" Ganju asked out loud while running to catch up with him, as did the rest of the gang. He then faced the floating building. "I get it now! We arrived too late! The enemy has already infiltrated the Soul King's Palace!" the long-haired man remarked while catching his breath.
"Don't forget what I told you, Ichigo! Do not rush into rash conclusions!" Yoruichi reminded him.
But Ichigo was not listening, his eyes solely focused upon the floating building, as he knew very well that Yhwach was inside. Even now, he could feel the enormous Spiritual Pressure streaming out from the building.
Chad noticed something as they were at the end of the road. "The palace is too far from us to reach by foot! How do we get ourselves over there!?" the tall man asked his allies.
Orihime suddenly sprinted to be the first to their finish. "I will use my Santen Kesshun once again! With it, we should be able to transport ourselves to the palace. But remember, all of you must stay onboard and not move too much!" the young woman said and suddenly activated her ability. "Hop onboard, quickly!" she told her friends.
As soon as the platform was created, everyone stepped on, with the platform being large enough to take in the entire group. As soon as everyone was onboard, they set off to the Soul King's Palace.
As they were waiting, Tessai was now reflecting on what was the most important thing to do. "We must stop Yhwach from doing this! The Soul King is the Lynchpin of Existence. If he dies, the balance will be destroyed. And the Soul Society, the Human World and Hueco Mundo will all be destroyed! Why Yhwach desires this, I don't know. But we have no time to lose" the tall man noted while adjusting his glasses.
Ichigo fixed his angry gaze upon the building. "Just you wait, Yhwach. In just a few seconds, I'll be there to settle the score between us! That will make you realize what true suffering feels like!" he noted in his head.
In the icy cityscape, Sereitei, Soul Society
It was raining in the icy cityscape of the transformed Sereitei and right now, Lieutenants Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchiki were now umping from rubble to rubble, until they stumbled upon a white base, built amidst the rubbles. However, they were not the first one to arrive, as Shinji Hirako from Squad 5 along with the Kudo-twins were standing there as well.
Shinji took notice of Renji and Rukia's arrival. "Oh, you guys are here too?" he quizzed them smugly as usual.
"Captain Hirako. I see you got beaten up pretty badly" Renji remarked in return. "Are you doing okay?" he then asked, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Shinji only shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, don't be such a wuss. A wound like this…..." before Shinji could answer, someone interrupted their conversation.
"IS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT!" it was Marechiyo Omaeda, who was still carrying his younger sister, Mareyo in his arms.
Renji and Rukia only glanced at the chubby man in disbelief while the Kudo-twins only dropped sweats when hearing Marechiyo acting this buffoonish.
"Oh, you're here as well, Omaeda?" Renji simply quizzed in surprise, not expecting him to be actually alive, given Marechiyo's cowardly nature.
Marechiyo exploded into anger in return. "OF COURSE I AM, YOU MORON! IT WAS BECAUSE CAPTAIN HIRAKO AND I WERE ABLE TO BLOCK THE ENEMY'S ATTACK WITH OUR ZANPAKUTOU'S POWERS THAT THEIR ATTACK MISSED AND WE'RE ALL SAFE!" he explained while yelling so loud. "I WON'T FORGIVE ANYONE WHO IS RUDE TO CAPTAIN HIRAKO! THAT I SWEAR!" the chubby man added with a declaration while facing Renji.
Fujimaru only facepalmed when he saw this. "This is why I always find know-it-alls to be embarrassing" he noted in his thoughts.
Matsuri simply glanced at Marechiyo in disbelief. "Did he become a lieutenant by skill, or did his family pay the Court Guard for that promotion?" she wondered in her head.
Renji only raised an eyebrow when he heard Marechiyo's declaration. "Gee, that's an odd thing of you to do. I mean, weren't you the one who made fun of him, Otoribashi and Mugurama and called them outsiders when they first came here?" the red-haired lieutenant asked, still remembering how Marechiyo would constantly badmouth the three Vizards whenever they were not around him. The chubby man glared at him angrily, and Renji could see little Mareyo sleeping in his arms. "And why the hell did you bring your little sister here?" he then asked him.
Marechiyo exploded into rage once again. "SHUT UP! SHE JUST FELL ASLEEP! STOP BEING LOUD OR YOU'LL ONLY WAKE HER…" before he could continue, someone was punching him from behind.
It was his captain: Sui-Feng. Her punch on his back made Marechiyo zip his mouth, while trying not to scream out in pain, considering that her punch was hard. "You are the loudest one here, so shut your mouth" she said flatly and suddenly faced the lieutenants. "The wounds that me and that girl suffered during the fights has begun to heal thanks to the efforts of Lieutenant Hinamori" she said and Momo suddenly appeared right behind her.
The young girl smiled as she saw her fellow lieutenants. "Renji! Rukia!" she exclaimed in relief by what she was seeing while her friends simply waved back at her.
Sui-Feng suddenly began clenching her left hand, which was completely bandaged. "I got a serious injury to my left hand thanks to a Sternritter. It will take some time before it heals fully" she told those around them and decided to address the issue with Mareyo. "Now as for the girl. We can't simply leave her alone in this urban battlefield. She could be killed. Therefore, I have entrusted Omaeda to take good care of her. So please excuse his immature behavior" she then told the lieutenants.
Renji was somewhat bewildered by hearing this kind of tone in Sui-Feng's voice, so he leaned onto Rukia to whisper something. "Is it just me or did Captain Sui-Feng get…...nicer all of a sudden?" he whispered to the young woman beside him.
Rukia only rolled her eyes while hearing this. "She has always been nice, you fool" she replied in return.
Sui-Feng suddenly stood by the entrance of the base. "Well then. Shall we stop talking and get inside?" she asked her fellow Shinigamis.
"But has everyone shown up yet?" Renji asked.
Shinji merely scoffed at his question. "Who knows? That message we got sounded kind of desperate. All captains and lieutenants were to gather at this base, even if it meant abandoning their current fights. Therefore, it's safe to assume that everyone's heading here" the blonde-haired man noted.
Sui-Feng pushed her handpalm against a hidden lever on the door and it opened. The group of Shinigamis entered the base, and they had arrived into a room full of computers while Kisuke Urahara and Yushiro Shihohin were working on something in the middle. It was some kind of a circle. Other than them, the only Shinigamis that seemed to be present was Lieutenant Nanao Ise of Squad 1 and Captain Byakuya Kuchiki of Squad 6.
Yushiro noticed the Shinigamis entering and immediately jumped off the platform to greet the group with a formal bow directed towards them. "It has been a long time. My name is Yushiro Sakimune Shihoin. Thank you for taking care of my older sister" he told them all.
While Shinji, Renji and the others only raised eyebrows at seeing this, Sui-Feng immediately expressed surprise when she saw and heard the boy's name. "You are…..Lady Yoruichi's younger brother…my, how much you have grown" she remarked while speaking to him with respect in her voice. "The last we spoke to one another, you were just a little kid. I can't believe you show up now" she added to her amazement.
Yushiro simply chuckled nervously while hearing Sui-Feng's words. He knew that the current Captain of Squad 2 had been mentored and trained by his older sister. Truth be told, he had only met Sui-Feng only a few times. The relationship between them was friendly, but Yushiro had in secret a slight distaste for Sui-Feng's methods as the Commander of the Stealth Force. In his eyes, she was nothing compared to Yoruichi, whom he believed was the rightful leader.
"Hey Yushiro, don't leave your post!" Urahara called out the young boy, who responded immediately.
"Right, silly me!" Yushiro said and returned to his post to work on the circle.
Renji smiled as he saw Buakuya standing there and approached him along with Rukia. "Hey there, Captain Kuchiki. Glad to see that you arrived here first" the red-haired man said. They were happy to see him being alive. Byakuya simply nodded his head in return, not feeling so much talkative right now.
Shinji fixed his eyes on Urahara. "Is this everyone that has showed up? What's the big idea, Kisuke?" he asked the blonde-haired man, wanting to know why there was so few people in the base.
Urahara decided to answer. "We're in a tight schedule right now. So far, we haven't discovered the whereabouts of the captains and lieutenants of Squads 3, 7, 9 and 10. We don't know whether they are dead or alive. Captain Kurotsuchi is currently doing some research inside his room before joining us. In the meantime, Head-Captain Kyoraku had some unfinished business with Central 46 to take care of. But he will also join us" he answered and looked at a nearby door that almost seemed like those used in hospitals. "But there is some good news though. Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, Ikkaku Madarame and Yumichika Ayasegawa of Squad 11 are getting emergency treatment, alongside Lieutenant Shuhei Hisagi of Squad 9. Captain Ukitake is treating them as we speak. The other three are doing great, but Zaraki has received critical injuries. But they should be able to recover safely inside this base" Urahara added to his answer.
"So, everyone's either scattered or missing?" Shinji wondered after hearing this, before facing Urahara one more time. "And what exactly are you planning to do once everyone's showed up?" the Captain of Squad 5 asked him.
This time, Urahara turned around to face all the Shinigamis who had been gathered before him. It was time to let them in on his motives. "We're breaking into the Royal Realm" he revealed, much to everyone's surprise. They couldn't' believe what he had just answered.
"Breaking into the Royal Realm!? Without the help of a cannon!? Is that even possible!?" Shinji asked out in disbelief.
Urahara nodded his head. "It is. And we should be able to do that thanks to the Heavenly Armor brought by Yushiro and this pedestal created by Kurotsuchi. Those, coupled with the Spiritual Pressure produced by the captains combined should be enough to give us entry into the Royal Realm" the blonde-haired man explained.
"Hold on, you sound like…...batshit crazy right now!" Renji remarked by what he was hearing. "Are you sure it is a good idea for us?" he then asked lowly.
Urahara smiled slightly when hearing this. "Absolutely. We can't let Ichigo and the others down, considering that we let them go first" the blonde-haired man remarked to the Shinigamis in return before adjusting his hat. "But there are also other reasons for heading up there, not just for the sake of fighting the enemy of course" he then said.
"Other reasons?" Rukia asked lowly before snapping in realization. "Wait! Are you suggesting that the missing captains and lieutenants could be in the Royal Realm? But that's impossible!" the young woman pointed out.
"But they were all here in the Sereitei, before they simply vanished without a trace" Momo remarked and then faced the floor with a worried look on her face. "Toshiro. Rangiku. Izuru. Where are you?" she wondered lowly.
But the young girl felt a hand touching her head and she looked up to see Shinji doing that while forming a reassuring smile. She could also see Fujimaru and Matsuri smiling as well. "Don't worry, Momo. We'll find them. And besides, if they somewhat were dead, then we would've noticed their Spiritual Pressures no longer being felt. But they are only considered to be missing in action. We'll work together to find them, as well as Rose and Kensei" Shinji said with encouragement in his voice.
Feeling emboldened by her captain's words, Momo smiled and nodded her head in return. She was glad that Shinji was a captain who cared about the interests of others, not just his.
Suddenly, a sound came from the door that led to the room where Shinigamis were being treated. This only signaled that the treatment was finished and that those Shinigami were fully cured of their injuries.
"Looks like they're finished, Kisuke" Shinji called out to get Urahara's attention.
The door to the emergency room opened and out came Ukitake, followed by Ikkaku, Yumichika and Shuhei. Also, a couple of members of Squad 4: Lieutenant Isane Kotetsu and Hanataro Yamada were exiting the emergency room as well. The white-haired man smiled at the gathering group as he appeared.
"Well, the treatment was a success. Everyone is in good shape" Ukitake noted and suddenly caught wind of Rukia standing there. This made the green-eyed captain smile at her specifically. "Oh, Rukia. I am glad to see that you made it here alive. I was worried about you all this time" he said to her.
Rukia simply nodded her head in return and smiled slightly. "Yeah…good to see you too, Captain Ukitake" she responded, still surprised to see him here.
"Ukitake!? What the hell are you doing!?" Shinji asked in disbelief while seeing him standing there fine. "When I heard that you were in there, I thought you were the one getting medical treatment!" the blonde-haired man added to his statement.
Ukitake only chuckled lightly when hearing this. "Don't be ridiculous. I am feeling perfectly fine. Therefore, I decided to help those who were not" he replied with slight humor in his voice. "During my time at the Shin'o Academy, I took some treatment classes, considered that I was also sick to begin with. Therefore, I possess a great deal of knowledge about medicine and first aid" Ukitake then remarked while two members of Squad 13 showed up behind their captain. They were Sentaro Kotsubaki and Kiyone Kotetsu.
"Hey Rukia! Glad to see you again!" Kiyone called out to her while waving a hand.
Sentaro did the exact same thing. "Yeah, it's great to see that you're alive!" he said to her, only to be confronted by Kiyone, thus starting one of their usual quarrels. "Hey! What's the big idea!?" he then said to her.
"There was no need for you to say something like that, you idiot!" Kiyone hit back.
But Ukitake ignored the bickering of his subordinates and faced both Isane and Hanataro. "Anyway, except for Zaraki, everyone feels completely good. I have both Lieutenant Kotetsu and 4th seat Yamada of Squad 4 to thank for it" he said while praising their efforts.
Both medics were sort of embarrassed to hear this, considering that Ukitake was actually a talented medic, actually better than Isane. "We couldn't have done that without your precise orders, Captain Ukitake" the tall woman responded in return.
"It's good that everyone has recovered" Ukitake noted while facing Shuhei, Ikkaku and Yumichika, who simply gave him nods of approval in return.
"Hey asswipe" a rude and lazy voice could be heard from the emergency door and out came Kenpachi Zaraki, his forehead completely bandaged, while no serious injury to be seen. The long-haired man glanced at Ukitake. "Who did you say hadn't recovered fully?" he asked with sarcasm in his voice.
Everyone was surprised to see Kenpachi standing on his two feet, including Ikkaku and Yumichika. Ukitake smiled cheerfully at Kenpachi, despite his disrespectful comment earlier.
"You can move already, I see. Now that is really amazing, Captain Zaraki" the white-haired man remarked in admiration of his fellow captain.
Kenpachi merely grunted in return before looking around in the room. He was looking for someone, but who? "Where's Yachiru?" he asked everyone before noticing Urahara turning around to answer him.
"The members of Squad 11 are searching for her as we speak. They'll handle the search, so you can just sit and wait here" Urahara responded with a smile directed at the Captain of Squad 11. Yet despite his kind answer, Kenpachi simply huffed and made his way towards the base's exit. "Wait! I said just sit and wait…" it was too late, as the moment Kenpachi opened the doors, barriers of Kido suddenly blocked the opening, thus surprising Kenpachi.
The long-haired man angrily glanced at Urahara while pointing his thumb at the Kido-barriers. "What the hell's the meaning of this?" he rudely asked the blonde-haired man, who was in control of the Kido-barriers.
"Sorry for being a dick, but I can't have you outside right now. Please be patient" Urahara kindly asked him.
Kenpachi was not so welcoming of Urahara's answer, so he began to take steps towards him. "Why, you sanctimonious son of a…" Kenpachi stopped once Nanao stood in his way. Most of the Shinigamis were stunned to see why someone like Nanao would be blocking Kenpachi Zaraki, who was considered to be among the strongest Shinigami to ever breathe. The long-haired man only glared at Nanao in a dispassionate manner. "Step aside" he told her.
The four-eyed woman refused his request. "This isn't the time for such selfishness. It's faster if the members of Squad 11 go look for Lieutenant Kusajishi than you do it yourself. You're a captain, you have duties that other squad members don't. And right now, you have work to do! Am I right, Captain Zaraki?" Nanao strictly explained to Kenpachi, without any fear in her voice.
The others only stood and watched as Nanao had enough guts to say those things to Kenpachi. Ikkaku and Yumichika in particular had never expected to see something like this.
But Kenpachi only sighed deeply and turned around, indicating that he understood what Nanao meant. "You're right. It looks like my men are faster" he said in return while moving on towards a corner, much to Nanao's own relief. Urahara was also pleased with seeing Kenpachi being cooperative with his comrades.
"What the hell did I just watch?" Ikkaku asked lowly by what he was seeing. The bald-headed man then formed a smug smile. "Even so, Miss Four-Eyes sure had balls saying those things to Captain Zaraki. I like that" he added.
When Yumichika heard this, he formed a smug smile while facing Ikkaku, indicating that he was amused by his friend's words. "So. Does this mean you will marry her?" he teasingly asked him.
Ikkaku only snorted in return. "Bite me, Yumichika" he said in return.
But both Isane and Hanataro couldn't help but to feel somewhat sorry for the Captain of Squad 11. After Kenpachi won against the Sternritter Gremmy Thoumeaux: Yachiru had mysteriously vanished from the scene. She had previously been sent to check on Isane and Hanataro before heading back to Kenpachi, only for the young girl to witness her captain activating his Shikai and slashing the meteorite. The only clues that Kenpachi could find of her, was Yachiru's shihakusho and lieutenant badge. The two medics had neglected to tell Kenpachi about what really happened in the sewers when she came to their rescue. But for now, they would keep this between themselves.
"Alrighty folks! We best get started before Captain Zaraki changes his mind" Urahara cheerfully exclaimed while motioning for everyone to come to his side. He then held out a basket of balls to each of the Shinigamis as they stepped into the circle. "I'll be handing these out to each of you. Take one and stand inside the circle. Once you're inside charge the ball you're carrying with your own Spiritual Pressure. I'll be opening the ceiling" he then instructed all the Shinigamis who stood in the middle and then pushed a button, which resulted in the ceiling above them being opened. It was raining, and the rain fell through the opening.
"Okay…now what?" Renji asked lowly to his comrades.
All of a sudden, one of the base's other doors opened and a familiar voice could be heard. The entire group of Shinigamis looked to see the group of Vizards heading towards them. Hiyori was carrying a large container in her arms while Love, Lisa and Hachi simply followed her.
"Alright, Shinigami-bums! Are ya ready!?" Hiyori asked out loudly as she made her way towards the platform.
Shinji was outraged over seeing this, and Momo, Matsuri and Fujimaru knew that things were about to escalate when their captain's eyes met Hiyori's. "Hiyori! What the hell are you doin' here!?" he asked in disbelief of seeing the one he would usually get in conflict with.
The young blonde-haired girl didn't back down from this verbal confrontation. "Cut the crap, Shinji! The only reason I'm here is because you went to become Urahara's new pet! I'm here to clean up the mess you have made, so quit sprouting nonsense, ya damn baldy!" the girl with the pigtails sprouted out mean words, much to Shinji's anger.
"Hey! I'm not bald yet, so I'm afraid I can't hear you well" Shinji hit back.
Both the Kudo-twins were trying to restrain their captain from being so aggressive, as did Momo "Captain, chill out. You're embarrassing us for crying out loud!" Fujimaru told him, yet Shinji refused to ignore Hiyori.
The young Vizard even made a gesture to him in return. "Blah, blah, blah! I'm gonna have to ignore bobbed heads then!" Hiyori snapped in return, thus enraging Shinji even further.
"God, this is even worse than hearing a phone conversation between them" Matsuri remarked while recalling the times she, Momo and Fujimaru used to overhear the not-so pleasant phone conversations between their captain and Hiyori.
Shinji suddenly moved closer to Sui-Feng. Apparently, he was attempting something, in order to get support "Hey Sui-Feng. Did you hear what she said? She wants to ignore you" the Captain of Squad 5 told her.
Sui-Feng only got annoyed and offended when he said that. "If you are comparing my hairstyle to yours, I'll kill you" she replied sternly, not wanting to get involved in a childish bicker such as this.
Hiyori quickly dismissed Shinji's comments and then moved her container and began pouring liquid in the circle. All the Shinigamis were intrigued by this. While they could see the liquid, they couldn't feel it and it was interesting.
"What kind of piss is this?" Kenpachi rudely asked while seeing it.
"I can see the liquid, but I can't feel it" Rukia noted with interest.
Urahara took notice of their curiosity and smiled. "Yes. This is a byproduct of the distortion caused in between the Soul Society and the Precipice World, as well as the Human World. It will be the what's fueling your journey to the Royal Realm" the blonde-haired man explained while watching Hiyori pour the liquid. "I've given Yoruichi a little just in case, but I've concentrated the remaining and passed it to Hiyori as well. We'll be fusing this with the combined Spiritual Pressures of the captains" Urahara then went on explaining.
"Intriguing" Byakuya simply responded lowly, as he himself admitted that it was amazing.
"Yeah, I never knew that something like this could be used for scientific reasons" Ukitake admitted while smiling. "You never cease to amaze us, Kisuke Urahara" the white-haired man noted after hearing this.
Urahara simply nodded his head in approval before facing the group of Vizards. "Now, Hiyori. Hachi. Lisa. Love. There are shihakushos in the right cupboard at the back of the autopsy room" the blonde-haired man said before turning his back on them while looking over his shoulder. "Please change into those and join us. We'll be waiting here" he said to them.
The blonde-haired girl with pigtails was stunned to hear this. "Hold on! What are you…" Hiyori was interrupted when Love simply grabbed her and carried the girl on his shoulder.
"Right away. We'll be back soon" Love said in agreement as he and the other Vizards headed for the autopsy room.
Hiyori got furious over hearing this. "Hey! What the hell!? Let go of me, Love!" the young girl tried to free herself but to no avail.
"Will you shut up for a second!?" Love surprisingly demanded that she do and the young girl stopped her outburst. "Shinji, Rose and Kensei are doing all the best they can. You think we're just gonna walk away from them like this?" he then asked Hiyori as she listened closely.
Lisa formed a smirk with her mouth "Hmm…...it's been a while since I last wore a shihakusho. I wonder if those still fit" she mused to her comrades.
"They most certainly do, Lisa" Hachi said to her in return. "Do not forget that those shihakushos were designed to match Shinigamis of any size" the tall man said in return.
"Tch, jackasses" Hiyori thought while hearing this conversation.
Back in the base, the Shinigamis were trying to figure out how to reach the Royal Realm with only small balls and untouchable liquid.
"So, what do we do with these?" Kenpachi asked while showing his ball. "Are we just gonna put our Spiritual Pressure into them and we'll be up in the air?" the Captain of Squad 11 asked.
Urahara could not help but to chuckle when he heard Kenpachi's question. But he soon stopped. "No, that's not what I have in mind. What we will be making now…are doors" he revealed cunningly while pointing his finger to something that was taking shape before them. The Shinigamis were stunned when they saw that it was slowly beginning to form into doors. "Those will be doors that connect us directly from here to the Royal Realm" the blonde-haired man revealed.
"Holy asscrackers…..." Shinji said lowly while hearing this explanation. He then faced Urahara. "How the hell are we able to pull off something like that!?" he wanted an answer from Urahara.
"This will be the only time we'll be able to do this. Now that Ichigo destroyed the 72 barriers during his trip to the Sereitei, there will be no obstacles facing us. Therefore, we must use this opportunity while there is still a chance" Urahara said to all before he faced everyone in a serious glance. "But mark my words: there may be no way back from this…." the blonde-haired man was interrupted by Sui-Feng's strict voice.
"So you are telling us this now? You are always like this" she commented.
Urahara only chuckled nervously. "Now, now, there's no need to get hissy with…" Urahara was interrupted once again.
"That's not what I meant!" Sui-Feng snapped in anger, thus stunning Urahara. The young woman crossed her arms while glancing at him. "You thought that we would back away if you told us this now, didn't you? I just can stand that part of you that thinks so little of us, Kisuke Urahara! You were once part of the 13 Court Guard Squads, so you should know very well not to do so!" she suddenly pointed out what Urahara was trying to do.
Ukitake chuckled lightly when hearing this, as he found Sui-Feng's statement to be amusing. "We all feel the same you know" Ukitake said to Urahara. "It's those feelings of duty of the Court Guard" the white-haired man added to this statement.
"Heh. That crap about looking down or protecting the Court Guard, being able to come back or even not coming back, I don't give a rat's ass at all" Kenpachi said in his boring manner, although there was hint of bravery in his voice. "The only thing I'm looking forward to, is planting those bastards in the ground" the aggressive man said, expressing his desire for combat.
"There we have no time to waste" the low voice came from Byakuya, as he was signaling his intend to go into the battlefield. "It is time for us to go…...and save the Soul Society" the black-haired man added to his statement.
Realizing that this was exactly what he wanted to hear from them, Urahara smiled and faced every Shinigami gathered around in the circle. "You're all absolutely right. Let's go, then. All of us together" the blonde-haired man said in return.
Inside the Soul King's Palace, the Royal Realm, Soul Society
Yhwach stood before the Soul King and did not move a muscle. He simply glanced at the one he had just pierced with his sword. However, the Emperor of the Wandenreich could hear steps coming from behind. It forced him to at least look over his shoulder.
Standing behind him was Ichigo, who simply stood and glared at him angrily, although he had not reached for his blades. The orange-haired man was eventually joined by his comrades, who came after 5 seconds. Apparently, Ichigo had been the one to reach the upper floor first.
"Hmmm, what a nuisance" Yhwach noted and turned around to face Ichigo directly. "Ichigo, a pitiful bug like you will be crushed by the gears of fate. At least let me help bury you by granting you a swift and painless defeat" the man with the moustache said.
Ichigo only narrowed his eyes further and clenched his fists together and began taking small steps towards his enemy. "Spare me your bullshit explanation, Yhwach. I've come here to make you suffer!" he sneered in return.
Yhwach was unfazed by seeing this. "I already know that. I have seen it all. You have come to stop me from killing the Soul King, yes?" he said before forming a smirk beneath his moustache. "Or do you perhaps have more personal objectives in mind?" the Quincy then asked smugly.
Ichigo stopped in his tracks. "What the hell are you talking about? You haven't seen me nor the pain you have inflicted upon me and my family!" he said in return.
"Control yourself, Ichigo!" Yoruichi reminded the young man.
"Everyone, pay attention to his eyes" Orihime said while noticing something weird with Yhwach's eyes.
Tessai adjusted his glasses while seeing this. "You're right. Three irises" he noted grimly by what he was seeing.
"Yes, I see them" Ichigo noted before continuing. "Those eyes of yours…...what's wrong with them? They look different the last time I saw you" he asked while demanding an answer at the same time.
Yhwach glanced at him with his eyes. "These eyes are the ones that see everything, the eyes of a true Quincy. You arrived here with a cannon and noticed the silence in the Royal Realm. Then you discovered the various body parts of Ichibe Hyosube whom I had obliterated personally. Then you felt my Spiritual Pressure blowing from this room and throughout the space and decided to come here. I saw everything. You appearing here and what will happen next to you" he explained. But he suddenly began moving sideways, thus revealing the Soul King with the blade pierced in him. "But it seems you are already too late" Yhwach added as he stepped aside.
"No! The Soul King…." Yoruichi said lowly.
"He's been…" Chad uttered out words.
Ichigo was also outraged over seeing this reaction, as he felt like everything changed. He knew what would happen once the Soul King died. It would mean the end of everything, including the Human World.
"The Soul King is no more. You have no more options left. Once again, you have proven powerless to stop me" Yhwach said to destroy Ichigo's spirit.
But Ichigo used Shunpo to appear right before the Soul King and grabbed hold of Yhwach's sword. The Quincy was not surprised and only stood still.
"Careful, Ichigo!" Ganju yelled to him.
Yhwach glanced over as Ichigo tried to pull out the blade. "Will you draw my sword out of him and save the Soul King? If you are so determined, then do it. It may be the only option left for you. But the moment you take it out, be prepared to destroy the entire Soul Society with your own hands" the Quincy said while standing still, not moving a muscle to interrupt Ichigo.
Ichigo managed to pull out Yhwach's sword and held it in his right hand. But the moment the blade was out and in Ichigo's grasp, something drastic happened to the young man. For some reason, Ichigo's own Blut Vene began to take hold on him, including his right arm. The Substitute Shinigami was filled with disbelief.
"What's happening!? The sword! My arm!" he yelled out in desperation, as he couldn't control it. With no control, Ichigo began slashing the Soul King with a single swipe, thus shattering him into pieces of two. "WHAT THE FUCK!? STOP IT!" he yelled out in anger over seeing this.
"ICHIGO!" Yoruichi yelled by what she was seeing.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" Jinta asked out in anger.
"STOP IT!" Ururu yelled out in desperation.
As the Soul King was cut, Ichigo watched as he was separated into two pieces. Yhwach stood still and looked as Ichigo sat on his knees while looking at what he had done.
"I forgot to tell you something, Ichigo. The Quincy-blood that dwells within you cannot forgive the existence of the Soul King" he revealed and then stretched out his arms while facing Ichigo. "So come with me, Ichigo, and let us watch this together. The end of the Soul Society" he declared.
But Ichigo was too traumatized to even respond to Yhwach, as he only stared at what he had done just now. He had now killed the Soul King and put his friends and family at risk. All of them would now die, because of Ichigo's own actions. The feeling of guilt dominated Ichigo's own thoughts.
His friends were also stunned in what the Substitute Shinigami had managed to accomplish. "What was that idiot thinking!? He literally just cut the Soul King in half!" Ganju couldn't believe in what he had seen.
Meanwhile, Chad had started to remind himself about something. It involved visions he had been granted by the Dechado: Killaman Khan. He specifically remembered the vision that the seer had shared with both him and Orihime.
"In my second vision, I saw the Linchpin of Existence being stabbed by the blade belonging to his own son. The son would then wait until his father's savior came to disrupt his actions. One of the father's saviors, a young man with the spirit of a guardian living inside of him, rushed to the father's side and pulled out the son's blade. But the moment the savior held the son's blade, anger and hatred took hold on his arm and he unwillingly cut the Linchpin of Existence, thus making way for the end of the world" the words of Killaman haunted Chad's thoughts.
Ichigo had remained emotionally shattered by what he had done. Yhwach stood near him, taking pleasure in seeing the young man falling into despair. In fact, it only encouraged the Quincy Emperor to go shatter Ichigo's mental state.
"I remember saying that it was already too late. Because it was your appearance here that would end the Soul King. With your own bare hands" Yhwach spoke up while watching Ichigo being filled with guilt.
The Substitute Shinigami faced his hands, noticing how he was still holding Yhwach's Reishi Sword in his right hand. He couldn't let go of it. That only left him with so many questions as to why his own hand cut down the Soul King.
"Why…...why did I cut him…why couldn't I…let go of this sword?" Ichigo asked lowly as he watched the Blut Vene take hold on his right hand.
Yhwach smirked, deciding to reply. "My Schrift is the letter A – The Almighty. It gives me the ability to see every future. Everything is for my taking and giving. And I can easily give you all the Spiritual Pressure contained in my sword. And that power flowing in you now will resonate with your blood. If you truly have the blood of a Quincy dwelling inside of you…..." the emperor then started getting serious with his explanation. "THEN YOU HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO KILL THE SOUL KING!" he loudly exclaimed.
But Ichigo suddenly removed the Blut Vene and pulled his sword to charge straight into Yhwach. The emperor was using his cloak to block the attack, yet Ichigo did not back down. His face was full of anger and hatred in seeing his enemy.
"DO YOU STILL HAVE A REASON TO FIGHT ME NOW!?" Yhwach mockingly asked while clashing with him. "SOON, THE SOUL SOCIETY WILL NO LONGER EXI…" Yhwach was interrupted by Ichigo kicking him, thus sending him a few feet away.
"Shut up…." Ichigo said lowly and angry at the same time.
Yhwach mused to his words. "AND WHY SHOULD I?! THE SOUL KING'S SOLE PURPOSE WAS TO KEEP THE FLOW OF SOULS IN AND OUT OF THE SOUL SOCIETY STABLE! AND NOW THAT HE'S NO LONGER HERE, EVERYTHING THAT IS LINKED TO THE SOUL SOCIETY AND EVERYTHING MADE IN THE SOUL SOCIETY, THE PERCIPICE WORLD, HUECO MUNDO AND THE HUMAN WORLD,THEY WILL AA FALL APART!" the emperor exclaimed while pointing his finger at Ichigo. "THAT IS ALL THANKS TO YOU, ICHIGO!" he then added, but the young man was having enough of this.
"JUST SHUT UP AND FIGHT, YOU BASTARD!" Ichigo yelled as his blades launched at Yhwach once again. The orange-haired man was filled with hatred over seeing this and continued to launch at his opponent. "YOU THINK I CARE ABOUT THE SOUL SOCIETY AND ITS UNGRATEFUL LEADERSHIP!? THE ONLY THING I CARE ABOUT NOW, IS ENDING YOUR LIFE! IF THIS WORLD DIES, THEN I WILL DRAG YOU ALONG WITH IT!" the orange-haired man yelled and stood ready.
Yhwach simply formed a smirk when seeing this. "INTERESTING CHOICE OF WORDS, BOY! BUT ITS FUTILE!" he taunted back and used his Blut Vene to defend himself against Ichigo's blades before pushing him away.
"I'LL BRING YOU TO HELL ALONG WITH ME!" Ichigo yelled and immediately pushed himself against Yhwach.
Meanwhile, Ichigo's friends had already gone to the Soul King's side and watched as he closed his eyes slowly. They were trying to figure out as they felt something happening outside.
"Fuck! I can feel that the entire world is at unease! Just look at the clouds outside!" Ganju pointed out and the gang could see the clouds moving fast, with the skies now turning grey. "Now even the sky's transformed!" he added in distress.
"What do we do now!?" Chad asked loudly. "We have to do something at least!" he added.
"A Kido-spell would be useless in restoring the Soul King back into pieces!" Tessai said. "There exists none that can possibly heal the Soul King!" he added.
"And you call yourself a Kido Master!?" Jinta asked angrily at him.
But Orihime suddenly sat on her knees and activated her Santen Kesshun. "I just have to try!" she said with determination and used her powers to cover the Soul King. "If no Kido-spell works, then perhaps my Santen Kesshun will! I am an Interminable after all!" she said, but became shocked after seeing her barrier disintegrate. "What!?" she asked in disbelief.
"No way….it doesn't work…" Ururu uttered out in shock.
"How is this possible!?" Yoruichi wondered in disbelief.
The group could hear a laughter coming to them from behind, as Yhwach had observed their actions. "YOU IGNORANT FOOLS! DID YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT THE POWERS OF A FAILED EXPERIMENT COULD BRING THE SOUL KING BACK!?" he asked in amusement. "IT'S NO USE! HE WILL NEVER COME…" Yhwach was punched on his cheek by Ichigo and this forced the emperor to refocus his efforts on him.
"I'm not gonna say this twice, you son of a bitch….." Ichigo said before glaring angrily at Yhwach. "QUIT IGNORING ME AND FIGHT!" he yelled out in anger.
To be continued…..
Author's note: This chapter told us about how the death of the Soul King occurred while Ichigo and his friends made their way to the Soul King's Palace. I have excluded Ichibe getting resurrected because it kind of destroyed his brave characteristics. I have also decided to give Ichigo a new personality, in which he is focused on vengeance against Yhwach. We also got to see how things were happening down in the Sereitei. Most of the scenes are loyal to the canon story, although I've added a little flavor with the roles of other characters. The next chapter may take us back to the Human World and tell us the events leading up to the Soul King's death, and the earthquake. We get to see how Ryuken and Isshin are doing. Take care!
FUN FACT: The name of this chapter is Checkmate, which is what the winner of chess says. In the Persian language that word means "the king is dead". That fits very well into this chapter.
