Chapter Nine
A.N. thanks to those that read or reviewed my last chapter feels good to write again. Anyway I know I've drummed up a load of OC I hope they're relatively easy to keep tabs on. I'm not having them fight here because a family showdown was really what I wanted from when I brought Masaki back, initially I wanted tatsuki to fight but her winning wouldn't have been accurate let's be honest. Anyway on with the story.
With the captain's on the outskirts of the battlefield
As the quartet of quincy and shinigami faced down against the strongest of the Vandereich, the strongest of the soul society were in a heated discussion about the imminent fight, as well as the Quincy no longer fighting for their god-king.
"We have to help Ichigo!" Rukia began "Yhwach is too powerful, and his family surely can't defeat all of Yhwachs bodyguards."
She believes in Ichigo, at least that's what she tries to convince herself as she watches her friend stand opposite the Quincy god-king.
He had always had a habit of doing the impossible. Saving her, rescuing Orihime, coming back from the dead and now he had to just beat the strongest being outside of the soul king stood with them.
"You're majesty" Byakuya began, addressing the soul king "Ichigo Kurosaki is undoubtedly stronger than any current member of the thirteen court guard squads, however this task, as my sister has pointed out, may well be too much, even for someone as prestigious as Kurosaki. I plead with you and your captains to help them"
The soul king merely stood there his face as emotionless and stoic as the mask that Byakuya himself wore before the intervention of the orange haired substitute in the saving of his sister.
Byakuya, as much as it would pain him to say it had grown to really care for Kurosaki in the year and a half since he burst onto the scene. The unequal loyalty he inspired in all those around him, his belief that all souls were equal regardless of their birth or stature, constantly changing and challenging the soul society and its laws, breaking and repairing all the scars that he was forced to create to accomplish all soul society could potentially do, what this heaven was intended to be.
Heaven. Kurosaki had defended this heaven, remade it, challenged all they had done wrong. It naturally went against all Byakuya had stood for, all he represented within this corrupt system where the rich got all they wanted whilst the rukongai was left to decay and die. But the boy had changed him, made him purer, inspiring Byakuya to challenge for the world Ichigo wanted in the central chambers, he himself challenged for the world Ichigo believed in because he too had come to believe in that dream as well. Needless to say if Ichigo were to die fighting for that dream, to protect everyone he would do it, but he wouldn't do it alone.
Not if they could help it.
Isshin Vs Gerard and Askin
Isshin was locked in a stalemate with the Nordic Quincy, weapon locked with weapon, strength Vs strength. Both of them using as much force in the fight as they were to not succumb to the powers of Askin, dragging them to their knees.
"I'm surprised your friends powers work against you as well Quincy, I'd have thought you were all drilled in being immune to your allies abilities." Isshin grunted out between his strained teeth. Not fighting such a strong adversary in as many years as he'd been stuck in a gigai, this fight was already taking its toll, whilst neither he nor his opponent were any worse for where physically, spiritually they both were struggling.
"Only the strong survive, whilst it may be a motto used by hollows, it is fitting of the Quincy. If you are weak then you are no use to his majesty, and in that case you shall die for his honour and yours."
"Well that's not making you sound like a cult at all, I thought you were a once proud race, slaughtering your kin for one man is a bit silly don't you think?" Isshin taunted his foe. In his mind this was simple, if he were to wear this one down to the point of having expelled all his spiritual energy trying to fight him, then the effects of the lanky one would quickly ensnare him fully. He just needed to draw it out of him.
"Attacking my pride will get you nowhere Isshin Shiba, I love to serve his majesty and to die a glorious death that is all. But I will greatly offer to end you and your families pathetic attempt at a last minute miracle. Vollstandig"
Following a burst of light Gerard remained as he was, Isshin allowed himself a smirk at this as Gerard began to panic, not feeling the effects of his ultimate ability.
Ryuken vs Lille and Pernida
Ryuken tossed and turned dodging Lille's sniper onslaught whilst also engaged in a duel with the energy the cloaked figure was discharging. It was Quincy predominantly but it also had a strong soul reaper aura to it, making it significantly stronger than he had expected, given he could investigate further by going straight for the strange Quincy due to the sharpshooter behind him, the good doctor just had to keep going a little longer till the pin dropped.
"Stop dodging and fight like an honourable member of our race!" Lille boomed as he couldn't hit Ryuken, who dodged at the last second every time he shot.
"I grow tired of this" the sniper Quincy spoke up, "Pernida! End this false Quincy's existence"
A raise in reiatsu was all that was noted but the confusion felt by the cloaked, tainted Quincy was easily readable via his reiatsu to Ryuken, poking his glasses up with his index and little fingers.
"What is this!?" Lille screamed.
Masaki Vs Haschwalth
To the untrained eye blue bolts of reiatsu were just appearing from gusts of wind and raining down upon the battlefield. To those who had had years of training there were mere blurs that let loose a thousand arrows every second laying waste to all beneath it, but to the two engaged in this lightning fast duel, the other was moving toe for toe, matching the other no matter how much more the other put in to it, there was always another level to each other's power. She was aware of the Quincy before her, and what he could do, he distributed power to the other Quincy's just like Yhwach stole it. So each time he gave himself and his allies more power, he inadvertently gave her an Ryuken more to deal with that power.
As the fighting ceased for a moment, the twos eyes met, both cool, both collected and both calm. But most importantly both were lying.
Haschwalth had it all planned out, he was to rule at his majesty's side for the next millennia, he was to lay waste to the soul reapers, but this woman was stopping him, this long dead woman.
Masaki on the other hand only had to worry about one thing, stalling for Ichigo to finish this. She wasn't happy her darling baby boy was being exposed to a tyrannical madman, but he was the only one who could stop him whilst the soul king kept the Quincy in check and stopped them from accessing their Vollstandig, she could match him.as long as he kept pumping out this energy, but she sure as hell wasn't going to slack off just at this knowledge.
"I trust you know that this is fruitless." The white haired Quincy spoke, finally breaking the silence over the pair. "Whilst you can match me now, and even with that horrible being stopping us from using our pinnacle forms, you will never beat me. I am not gloating, it is merely a fact. I'll be honest, fighting someone who has been dead this long is insulting to me, especially when she believes herself to be an equal opponent."
"I need only hinder you, after all your master will fall this day, and it is of the utmost importance that you aren't able to intervene" Masaki retorted notching her bow, ready to fire. Before the pair took off once more.
Ichigo Vs Yhwach
Steel crunched against steel.
Reiatsu crushed against reiatsu.
Self proclaimed god fought self appointed protector.
Trading cut for cut.
Ichigo went back, Yhwach went forward, Yhwach fell back Ichigo barreled after him.
The two were inseparable from one another on terms of skill, in terms of power and in terms of self belief.
Yhwach thousand years of hatred and brewing anger were seemingly doused by Ichigo and his will to protect. Both equally convinced of their own cause and of their own idea of justice.
Whilst Yhwach sought to remake the world in his image, Ichigo's desire to right the wrongs he saw in the world through the work and passion he had, he'd fought for what he believed was right, he had only killed one and that wasn't his doing. He seeked to show people they were wrong, not kill them if they believed otherwise.
"My son, you impress me, you have grown much but alas your father knows better and as such I am stronger than you." The false god professed.
Ichigo laughed, at this, startling the old Quincy.
"The funny part is, you monster, you're right." Ichigo's smile dropped "But you're not my father, that man there, taking on your two generals is my father and he can hold it to any of them, he's stronger than your boot licking lieutenant and he's the greatest man I know, so don't dare proclaim to be my all-father or some crap." He lifted aloft his sword before feeling the god king come back for another assault.
Ichigo promptly brought his sword up to block from the Quincy, his stance firm and his hands steady, he promptly ducked and other attack before firing a silent getsuga tenshou into the side of the insane reishi manipulator, not causing much damage but enough to buy Ichigo precious moments to get out of there before the Quincy flew at him once more.
Isshin Vs Gerard and Askin
The Viking Quincy was flabbergasted, his ultimate form was being kept from him, he needed to find out what was impeding his victory.
"ASKIN!" The Quincy shouted to his comrade "Find what's causing this and stop it!"
The hollow-quincy hybrid, painfully got up from his seat, stretching his back as he did so.
"Got ya big guy, so where to go?" opening his senses before realising something, he couldn't sense anything. It was as if they were trapped in a bowl, unable to syphon any reiatsu from the world or sense past it, the he noticed how the soul reapers had arranged themselves.
They were all around the fights, containing the energy and restricting the energy the Quincy's could absorb. Each one was protected by those that showed up with the Kurosaki kid and his family. They were experts in fighting battles of attrition but their ability to do so was cut off. They had already lost.
Naturally his thought process was interrupted by Isshin.
"Bankai" and with that the orb filled with white heat and the hollow felt no more.
His senses overcome with searing heat and burning flesh Isshin allowed for Engetsu to return to his side allowing him for the first time.in decades to see his Zanpakuto in all his majesty.
The glowing phoenix was clearly the same size as the sokyoku but was much stronger and hotter than the blade of a thousand Zanpakuto.
"It feels good to be free again Isshin" The bird spoke heat spewing from its mouth as it spoke.
"I know old friend, it's nice to see you unbound once more, but come now, or you'll kill us both" the man scratched the back of his head sheepishly as the bird snorted disgruntled but returned all the same.
"Now to go help Ichigo". And with that Isshin took off, the barrier dissipating and the shinigami resting before moving to help the other fighters.
Ryuken Vs Lille and Pernida
"I'm sure by now you've both realised the current situation, you're powers are running out just like mine. The only difference is, unlike you, I was prepared" with that Ryuken drew his Seele Schneiders and flung them at the still baffles Pernida causing the monstrosities head to be struck from its shoulders and it's limbs pinned to the floor. There was no more reiatsu from the odd Quincy.
Turning his attention to Lille the other Quincy smiled all knowingly at Ryuken.
"You wasted all your projectiles on that whilst I still have enough reishi for one last shot. What do you have?" He smirked, his victory assured
Ryuken merely stood there, hands in pockets
"What do I have? Simple. I have a son" and with that 800 Quincy arrows pierced Lille's back. His body falling limp as the shield dissolved around them.
Uryu and Ryuken just staring into each others being, reading the other. A mutual head nod was all that was needed but it said all that needed to be said between the pair. Uryu and Ryuken had forgiven each other. They disappeared joining Ichigo against Yhwach.
Ichigo vs Yhwach
Ichigo and Yhwach's fight was in an eternal stalemate, neither making progress against the other. That was until Isshin decided to join in, Ichigo was glad to see his father fighting against a man who claimed to be the boys own dad. This was apparently a go for Uryu and Ryuken to join.
Yhwach was now pressed onto the back foot, all his effort spent blocking against the three assailants. He had one last trick however.
His auswählen. He could rob all the remaining Quincy of their power and capitalise against the Kurosaki boy as the others fought for their lives against the build up of the silver build up in their hearts. He just needed a window of opportunity.
Then he saw it.
He glanced across at the last remaining fight, his lieutenant locked in a firm battle against the Kurosaki matriarch. He uses a burst of reiatsu to clear the four attackers before firing an arrow straight for the woman, breaking the barrier protecting them and hindering the Quincy and striking a target
Masaki Vs Haschwalth
The two were still locked in their battle, one making the other stronger at all times. Haschwalth couldn't be affected by the barrier and thus neither could she.
A lucky hit was all she needed.
The fight dragged on, as the others fights finished and Yhwach was the last left to deal with both fighters growing anxious, one for her family, the other for his master.
Then Haschwalth moved, in a split second Masaki could feel where he was going and went for the shot to the back, his carelessness must be because of Yhwach's situation.
First came the sound of the barrier being ripped apart
Then she heard the squelch of flesh being ripped apart.
It wasn't Haschwalth's
It wasn't hers.
The arms suddenly protecting Masaki crumbled with the body to the ground a hole ripped through the body.
"Owwie"
_
You're welcome