The two Espada went through the corridor that lead directly to the heart of the castle.
"Let's make this quick, are you by any chance number II?" Grimmjow asked as they entered the main hall of the castle, not having seen the Duke yet.
In front of them, stood a light-brown skinned Demon. He was really thin and had the head of a horse with a small horn on top. His eyes were sapphire blue.
"S-Sorry... I'm just... I'm just number III" He said with a manly yet soft voice as he showed the tattoo in his chest. He was holding a beautiful golden lyre.
"Hmm? You are quite shy to be a Demon" Harribel commented. "Though, that doesn't change the fact that you must be really powerful"
"Well... You see, I've never been really good with... You know, interacting with people. My brother tends to do the talking and stuff... But, he wanted me to do this on my own, and so will I!" He concluded, his sapphire eyes being filled with a sheer determination.
"Show me what you're made of" Grimmjow dared.
"My name's Soichiro. My full name used to be Asaki Soichiro. I am number III, while my brother Koichiro, is number II. He'll be watching the fight, but don't worry, he will not interfere"
"What do you mean by used to...?" Harribel asked curious.
"Well, as Demons, we lose our surnames. Only our name remains, so that it's easier to forget our past lives. However... I doubt any of us has really done so, but Yama-sama is happy just by knowing that we don't use it" Soichiro explained.
"Weird. What were you in your past life anyways?" Grimmjow's curiosity also bloomed.
Soichiro chuckled. "You two... You are Espada, aren't you?"
"Y-Yes, we are" Harribel replied, not catching where he was going.
"So the legacy of Gran Rey Cero lives on... How inspiring!" Soichiro raised his arms with happiness.
"Gran Rey Cero? Wait. Isn't that just a legend?" The female Espada asked.
"How sad it is to hear that the newer generations know nothing about their past... But fret not! T-Though I know it's not your fault! I apologize if I sound rude..."
"What? Are you saying those stories were real?!" Grimmjow asked, growing anxious.
"But of course they were! I-I mean... I don't really know what you've heard, but Gran Rey Cero is real! He found me and my brother when we were just a Vasto Lorde. We were named Cuarta and Tercera Espada by him, personally. We saw first-hand how he founded the Espada in fact. That was the best of times..." Soichiro daydreamed.
"So we can assume... You two were Hollows, and to be precise, Espada, just like us..." Harribel tried to put the pieces together.
"That would be correct, Miss...?" He asked for her name.
"Harribel. Tier Harribel"
"A beautiful name, though... It sounds foreign. In my years, everyone had very different ones" He recalled.
"How strange. All of our names are likewise. In fact, I haven't heard a name like yours from a single Hollow. Those names are used by Shinigami" She replied, intrigued.
"More importantly, how did you guys end up as Demons?" Grimmjow asked.
"That is a more... Sensitive topic. I'm not really comfortable explaining it all, but I can summarize that... It was for revenge. Revenge against the Gods that massacred and devastated the world our majesty, Gran Rey Cero, shaped with his own efforts and ideals"
"So... You want to destroy the Old Gods" Harribel deduced. "Even at the cost of your own kin?"
"Please don't say that. We spared the life of countless Hollows. I, personally, did not kill a single one, although to say the truth... The only kin I have left is my brother" He said with a more serious tone.
"Is that so? *sigh* I guess it was foolish of me to expect something else when even Hollows have killed each other for countless years" Harribel admitted sadly.
"It's a pity... But that's also those Gods' fault. Gran Rey Cero had unified Hueco Mundo under his command. Hollows had attained a lifestyle similar to Soul Society's, but I guess they didn't like that..." Soichiro said bitterly.
"For what you're saying, those Gods truly deserve the hate you and your brother have for them. But... I think it wouldn't be worth it if we're sacrificing our home and our fellow Hollows in order to punish them" Grimmjow sensibly said, to Harribel's surprise.
"That's right. If those Gods ever want to mess with us again, we'll give them a proper response, but in this moment... Getting back Hueco Mundo and taking care of what we have is the path we've decided to follow" Harribel agreed, determined to fight for her beliefs.
"I understand... We shall face each other to see whose ideas shall prevail" Soichiro concluded. "Please, don't think it's personal... B-But, I won't hold back"
"Show me what you got then!" Grimmjow said as he sprinted towards him.
"Prologue" Soichiro said, as a source of black and red Reiatsu seemed to flow from the lyre, dancing around him at the rythm sound of his music.
"Huh? Is he... Playing music?" Harribel thought intrigued.
They didn't know much music. Hueco Mundo didn't have many materials to make instruments, and neither Hollows nor Arrancar really practiced artistic activities. However, they did have an idea of what music was, and some even sung melodies if they felt like it. In fact, there were a couple traditional songs known throughout Hueco Mundo, but nobody really cared about it.
"Rondo" He proceeded to play a different melody.
As soon as the new music was heard, a vortex of the same Reiatsu was created an dispatched at Grimmjow.
"What is that?" He thought.
"Grimmjow, move!" Harribel told him.
He did as she said, not wanting to test his luck against the unknown enemy and his mysterious attacks.
"Scherzo" He proceeded to say, playing a new set of notes on his instrument.
Cutting streams of the same black and red Reiatsu were thrown at the two Espada, who not only had trouble dodging them but also were forced to step back.
"If we can't get close to him... Maybe a range attack will work" Grimmjow thought.
"Hey Grimmjow, maybe a..." Tier started saying.
"...Cero will do the job" He completed. "We thought the same, didn't we?"
"Y-Yeah..." She slightly blushed, but immediately pointed her palm at the Duke.
"Let's go! Cero!" The two attacked, Grimmjow with a red one and Harribel with a yellow one.
The two beams tangled at a tremendous speed and merged a couple meters before hitting Soichiro, creating an orange Cero.
"Berceuse" The Duke said, playing a slower and more tender melody on his angelic instrument.
The Reiatsu circled around him in a protective way as he played, guarding him from the blast.
"Dammit! That guy can do anything just by playing that thing" Grimmjow said.
"It's true. We're gonna have to think of a better strategy if we want to harm him in any way" Harribel agreed.
"Yeah. It's time to get serious... Grind, Pantera!" Grimmjow went into his Resurrección.
"Hunt, Tiburón" She did likewise.
"Wow, you also attained Resurrección. Me and my brother had a hard time getting it. It's almost sad that by becoming Demons we lost them, but not completely. When I release my Onibuki, you'll see that there still is a bit of Pegaso in me" Soichiro said.
"Grimmjow, I need you to distract him. If he focuses his attacks on you, I may be able to finish him in one blow. We cannot risk losing later if he uses his release" She told her partner.
"Sure. I'll see what I can do. Don't lower your guard for one second though" He recommended.
"I never do" She smiled tenderly behind her mask, but Grimmjow could tell just by the look in her eyes.
The panther Arrancar moved towards his enemy doing a zig-zag pattern to avoid any attacks. Not even with his speed upgrade was this an easy task,but he managed well enough.
Like Harribel predicted, there was a limit to the area of attack Soichiro had, and Grimmjow was forcing him to go both ti the limit of area and speed.
If she could attack him before he used a protective melody, this battle would be won.
"Time to end this" She thought, using Sonido to get to Soichiro's blind spot in an instant.
"It's over. Cascada" She said as she blasted the gigantic torrent of water atSoichiro from point blank range.
"Silencio" Soichiro said as he suddenly stopped playing the Lyre, and every attack, both his and Harribel's, ceased to exist, as if reality itself had swallowed them.
"What?!" She couldn't believe her strategy failed in such an unfair and inexplicable way.
"You thought I had forgotten about you?" Soichiro said. "How sad... My crowd is my soul. The music I play, is meant to be heard by you, even if you are my enemies. If I wasn't taking into account the existence of every one of the individuals at my Concerto, how would I be able to move them all with my music?"
"What... What did you do?" She asked confused.
"Fufufu... You really think I would give away such an important detail? I cannot simply reveal what makes my music this way, can I?"
"Tch... Whatever, if a Reiryoku based attack won't do, then I'll just have to cut you with my blade!" Harribel replied, swinging her great white sword.
"Oh no" Soichiro muttered, trying to dodge the blade.
"Where are you looking?" Grimmjow asked him from behind, slashing the air. "Desgarrón"
The blue slashes went right at him, making his mind collapse.
"No! S-Silencio!" He said, doing the same strategy.
Just as Harribel thought, Grimmjow's Desgarrón was completely erased by his ability, but her blade wasn't stopped.
Soichiro felt the agony of having a massive claymore going through his body. He spat blood, and felt as life left him, but... This couldn't end this way.
"It's... True..." He said with difficulty. "Some songs... Have great abrupt ends... But... In the end... The most epic... Masterpieces... Can only... Have a... Gran Finale"
"Is his will so strong that he can remain conscious?" She thought.
Soichiro played all the strings in his lyre. "Compose... Amduscias"
The black and red Reiatsu exploded once again, forcing Harribel to get away.
"Tier!" Grimmjow called as he went back to her side.
"I'm alright... I managed to get away just in time..."
"What is he...?"
"It seems we're gonna have to see these Demon's release ourselves anyway" She bit her lip.
The pilar of Reiatsu that had exploded started dissipating, only to let them see their enemy's ttue form.
His horn grew a bit more, his body became muscular, though it still seemed to have normal proportions. In his back, two giant black feathered wings grew, which made them understand what he meant earlier about his Resurrección.
He descended from the air to play a grand piano that appeared below him.
"Now, the improvisation is over. It's time to play the main Concerto... Prelude"
As he played the notes of the masterpiece known as Prelude Op. 28 No. 24, Harribel and Grimmjow freezed.
Their bodies could simply not move as he played. It didn't matter how much they tried, but even their mind was being filled by the beautiful music. It sounded so powerful, so violent, and yet so magnificent.
As he used his fist to play the last three fortississimos, the dark Reiatsu filled the entire room, turning it into a concert hall.
A crowd of balck and red shadows clapped.
"I hope you like this selection, cause it was made only for you" Soichiro said, preparing his hand for another song.
"What is going on?" Grimmjow thought, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation.
"Grimmjow, we can move!" Harribel called hus attention.
"Oh, great. But that doesn't change the fact that I don't even understand what the fuck is going on"
"Don't worry, I'll make sure you two understand my Concerto to its full extent... Étude!"
As soon as he started playing the melody of Étude Op. 10 No. 4, attacks seemed to come and go all over the place.
"What is this power?!" Harribel thought, barely evading the attacks. "Like, in terms of sheer spiritual pressure, I can see how dangerous these attacks must be, but I can't figure out what's the source of it"
Grimmjow simply ran and jumped around, trying to get closer to Soichiro.
"If I destroy that thing... He'll be defenseless!" He thought with a grin as he got closer.
Soichiro finished, and seeing how Grimmjow got close, he decided to play Étude Op. 10 No. 12.
Shadow soldiers were formed, carrying bayonettes and charging towards the Sexta Espada.
"Huh? What are those things?"
The raging souls of fallen warriors in a revolution were summoned by Soichiro's playing.
Grimmjow tried to slash the shadow warriors with his claws, but he went right through them.
"Pfft... Are these mere illusions?" He mocked.
The Duke smiled at that phrase.
One of the soldiers stabbed Grimmjow in the back the second he didn't pay attention.
"What the...?!" He was caught by surprise.
"Grimmjow!" Harribel called his name, worried as her fellow Espada bled a bit.
"Are you kidding me? Even through my Hierro?!"
As the song finished however, the shadows disappeared.
"Mazurka" Soichiro played a new piece, this time, it was one of his own, though he did compose it in honour of Chopin.
Stakes of darkness appeared from the ground, menacing to continue stabbing him.
"Not today!" Grimmjow said as he jumped away.
Harribel decided to throw a barrage of La Gota to attack, only to be blocked by more shadowy Reiatsu.
"What's with this place?" She thought frustrated. "It's like, we're subdued to his wishes..."
Soichiro finished the song, followed by another round of applause and ovation from his invisible crowd.
"Thank you, thank you... But, I think it's time for something really special" Soichiro stood from his seat. "Magnum Opus I: Ouverture"
A complete orchestra manifested in the hall. Violins, cellos, double-basses, trumpets, clarinets, you name it! Everything suddenly appeared, ready to take the orders of Soichiro.
As soon as he started moving his hands, an introduction started playing. It was a beautiful yet tragic sound [listen to the beggining of "Piano Concerto #1, Allegro Maestoso"].
From the instruments, musical notes came out, and in a violent way towards the two Espada.
"Not again..." The two pouted.
While the symphony played, the Arrancar couldn't even get close to Soichiro. The notes, for some reason, were also able to harm them if they touched their skin, just like the lances of the warriors who fought Grimmjow.
"It's too risky to try to approach him like this..." Harribel told him.
"It may be, but what else can we do? I don't know about you, but I'm gonna keep trying, although I didn't want to use this so soon..." He replied. "Resurrección: Segunda Etapa"
Grimmjow changed into his most powerful form, not willing to give up.
"Wish me luck, Tier..." He told her with a grin full of adrenaline.
"G-Grimmjow!"
He rushed over to try to attack him. In his wild rush. some notes touched him and made him bleed, but it wasn't enough to stop him.
"Cero Eléctrico!" He said as he attacked Soichiro.
Some of the shadow musicians disappeared to form a barrier around Soichiro as he kept commanding his ghostly orchestra.
"Tch..." He grinded his teeth as he realized that his attack didn't work. "Guess he really is number III..."
Harribel had stood still for a moment, simply looking as Grimmjow advanced and tried his best to harm the Demon.
"What am I doing? Grimmjow is weaker than I am, and yet I'm standing idly as he risks his life!" She thought as she decided to support him. "Resurrección: Segunda Etapa"
"So they discovered that as well" Soichiro thought.
The piece finished, but instead of applause, Soichiro proceeded to the next phase.
"Magnum Opus II: Sonata"
Once again, the darkness filled the room with dangerous notes, though this time, some of them exploded dangerously if they got too close.
"Why do only some of them explode?" Grimmjow asked, avoiding one of the explosive notes.
"Listen for a moment" Tier replied, joining him. "Only the strong sounding parts create those notes. We may know almost nothing about music, but I can somehow feel that's the reason"
"What do you think we should do? I'm no good at strategy..." He admitted.
"Last time, some of those shadow guys disappeared to protect him. Maybe if we make them all disappear, he won't have any way of protecting himself"
"I see..."
The idea in fact, was very simple. However, it was easier said than done. Blasting a powerful attack, even from a distance, was difficult if they had to avoid getting hit by the notes.
"Grimmjow would be bleeding pretty badly if it wasn't for his transformation" She thought. "Don't do anything reckless though, only attack if you see an opening"
"Okay, okay... I got it" He frowned.
They continued moving around the place, dodging Soichiro's attacks in the nick of time.
The music sounded more tragic at this point, building up to something far more sinister.
"And for the Gran Finale... Magnum Opus III: Requiem" A Choir of Spirits appeared to sing along the shadow orchestra in order to end it all.
As soon as the music started, bot Grimmjow and Harribel felt weird.
"What is this...?" He spat, with a hint of fear. "I feel... Like I'm going to die"
"G-Grimmjow... I feel the same. I don't know why, I don't understand but... I feel so afraid" She embraced herself and fell to the ground.
Only then, they noticed that there were no longer notes attacking them. There were no shadows embracing them. There was no apparent danger and yet, they felt as if this moment was one of life and death.
"Grimmjow..." She said weakly as she shivered. "Please, hold me. I want to stay alive, but everything about this place doesn't feel right. I don't wanna die, but suddenly I'm frightened for my life. I... Want to say goodbye, this could be the last time you see me alive. I may not survive, knew it from the moment we arrived..." She lost all hope in her emerald eyes.
Grimmjow however held her tightly, not having a drop of doubt inside his heart.
"Don't give me that crap!" He snapped. "We feel like we could die? So what?! We are Hollows, Tier. All our lives we've been on the brink of death. We were just lucky to have the strength to not be the ones to disappear... But even so, nothing has changed"
"Y-You... You are right!" Her eyes regained their color.
"Look, Tier... You are strong, awfully strong! Far stronger than I am..." He admitted a bit bitterly. "I know you're not like this, I've always admired how composed you are in fact, so it's clear that this is the work of that guy..."
"Grimmjow..." She blushed at his words.
"Let's do this. I can't breach his defenses, but I know you can, so please, give me a chance, and I'll end it for you"
"Okay. I think I may be able to do it for just a moment, so make sure to finish him"
"Don't worry. I won't fail" He replied as he prepared to sprint faster than ever in his life.
"Get ready... I'm sure, not even him will be able to escape this" She said, preparing her blade and raising her Reiatsu. "Marejada!"
She sliced the air with her giant claymore and originated a gigantic wave.
Like thought, the shadow musicians started joining forces to protect Soichiro from the tremendous attack, but was it enough?
"What? They shouldn't be able to move as the fear of death consumes them, so how?" The Duke thought confused as he controlled the instruments with his powers so they keot playing despite lacking a musician.
The wave and the shadows were clashing, almost equal in strength, but not truly. In the end, Harribel's attack was slightly more powerful, so it barely managed to break a sectikn of the barrier.
"Now!" She commanded.
Grimmjow entered through the crack in a flash, directing a devastating attack at Soichiro.
"No..." The Demon muttered.
"Colmillo Salvaje" Grimmjow said as the head of a panther appeared around him with an electric blue Reiatsu and crunched Soichiro with its fangs.
The Requiem had been played. What he didn't know, that it was not announcing the death of his enemies, but his own death instead.
The concert hall dissapeared and they returned to the Palace's main room.
"Wow... You defeated me..." He had been cut in half, only his torso and up remaining. His horn had been broken and his wings consumed by electricty. "I guess... You understood... The truth... Behind my power... *cough* *cough*"
"Huh?" Grimmjow replued confused. "What truth? We just sorted out that the situation you put us in was no different from the situation we've faced our whole lives"
"Is that so...? Fufu..."
"I think I figured it out. It was all an illusion wasn't it?" Harribel asked.
"What?!" Grimmjow asked, not believing his ears. "How would that be an illusion after all the damage we took?!"
"Because the attacks we saw didn't truly harm us. What they did, was use our own Reiryoku to trigger physical reactions in our bodies" Harribel explained.
"How do you explain how he protected from our attacks then?" Grimmjow thought he found a flaw in her theory.
"Simple. The only real Reiatsu he manifested was that of his musicians. Because of this, he needed to sacrifice them in order to not receive damage. As for the way he used it before releasing his sword, it was merely by sound. The sound made our Reiatsu flow in a way that benefited him for different situations, though that had its limits" She replied.
"You truly are... A smart woman..." Soichiro praised. "Indeed... Music is an illusion... A wonderful dream... A beautiful fantasy... But one I... Dedicated my whole life to..." He admitted.
"You were a formidable enemy" Harribel told him.
"Really?" He looked up, and then smiled sadly. "Thank you... I'm sorry... Aniki... But I promise... We'll always... Be... Together... Just... Remember... Never... Lose... These... Lights... Never... Close... It..." He whispered as his body turned into a black ash and disappeared completely.
As soon as his being ceased to exist, the next Duke jumped from above and fell right in front of them.
His blue skin and muscular shape gave him a dangerous aura. He truly seemed stronger than his brother, and his long sharp horn proved that as well.
"The second!" Grimmjow frowned. "As the Demon you are, I bet you are disappointed that your little brother failed to kill us"
The Demon stood silent, looking at the spot from where his brother disappeared.
"If you won't say anything, I guess we can go ahead and end this" Harribel added.
The humanoid unicorn-like being let a single silver tear slide from one of his amber orange eyes.
The two Espada were just shocked to see this.
"*sigh* You were always seeking crowd, swearing in fear..." He sighed with melancholy. "Please, don't think that I have anything against you" He said in a more sure and deeper voice than his brother. "We earned this ourselves. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. I always knew we were idiots for falling to Yama's promise, but we were blinded by our thirst for vengeance"
"So you... Don't have any real reason to fight us?" Harribel asked.
"No. In fact, I would even be willing to help you defeat him" He started saying. "However, with my brother gone... There is no reason to keep living. You see, the price of immortality is ironically, the immortality we have as souls. There is no more cycle of Human, Soul and Hollow anymore. You're just a Demon, and as such, our deaths are ultimate. We are the true mortals of this universe"
"So that means..." Grimmjow deduced.
"Exactly. Soichiro is gone... For evermore"
"And now, you want to die?" Harribel asked.
"Yes. I wish to join my brother into that world of nothingness. Into the so called... Nevermore" Koichiro answered.
"Be my guest" Grimmjow said, preparing an attack to erase him instantly.
"Sorry, but I wish to die fighting you. Otherwise, it would not be fair to my brother..." He looked at the space sadly again.
"Give me a break..." Grimmjow facepalmed. "Just when I thought we wouldn't have to fight you... Well, whatever, I'm always up for a good fight. And you are the second Duke. This is a chance that comes only once in a thousand lifetimes!" He actually got fired up.
"If there is no helping it..." Harribel agreed.
"Thank you for understanding. I'll make it as quick as possible" He said as he got his blade out. "Wait for me, Soichiro..."
"Here he comes" The two Espada thought.
"Rise up... Beelzebub"
His sword became a swarm of flies that engulfed him. The swarm grew larger and larger, until it dispersed, revealing a horrible giant Demon. It grew the four wings of a fly on its back and had two eyes of the same insect as well. His horn came out, leaving his horse head, but losing the essence of unicorn he had.
"This one looks strong..." Grimmjow grinned.
"It seems that we're gonna have to surpass our limits if we want to survive" Harribel said, determined to win. "Do you still have an ace up your sleeve, Grimmjow?"
"If you're asking about a special attack or somethin' of sorts... Nah. But I can always improvise" He carelessly replied.
"No, we need a plan. Let's have a look at his abilities and then we will decide a strategy" Harribel stopped him, worried that those words would be his last.
Koichiro opened his giant mouth and let a couple giant flies out.
"What are those?" Grimmjow asked.
"Those are blood-sucking flies" Koichiro replied with a monstrous voice. "I don't recommend that you let them do so, or else you will be infected"
"Oh great, now we have to deal with disease-carrying blood-sucking insects" The Espada said sarcastically.
"Let's kill them all" Harribel said determined, as she prepared her blaster-like blade to shoot her new power. "Cero Volcánico"
The beam and its heat erased the flies effortlessly, but that left her open for an attack.
Koichiro appeared behind her, and prepared to stab her with a long two-pointed polearm.
"Tier!" Grimmjow shouted as he saw the attack and countered with a powerful kick.
"What? So fast?" Harribel thought, realizing that she didn't even notice when the giant Demon disappeared from her sight. "T-Thanks Grimmjow, I couldn't see him move"
"Don't worry, that's why we're fighting together" He replied. "Normally, I'd hate fighting alongside anyone, but I have to admit that there's not much of a choice this time... Besides, as long as it's you, I guess I don't really care"
"I also used to believe people other than my Fracción were just a bother, but it's all about understanding the way each one fights. As long as we know each other's style, we should have no problem fighting together"
Koichiro flew away in less than a second and hit the ground with his Onibuki.
"Tower of Flies" He said as a tremendous structure of stone rose from the sand, surrounded by a countless amount of small flies.
"That doesn't look good, stay on guard" Harribel ordered.
"Understood" Grimmjow replied.
Suddenly, the whole area was filled with the flies, and they were not illusions. They felt as if they were inside a sandstorm, but instead of sand, there were billions of flies flying all over the place.
The two rose their elemental Reiatsu in order to keep themselves untouched by them and being able to breathe, but even then, they couldn't see a single thing around them, and some of the insects actually managed to harm them.
"Fucking... Flies!" Grimmjow cursed.
Even worse, the flies started forming an organized swarm, one that turned into a hand.
"What the heck?" Grimmjow muttered as the fist of flies attempted to punch him.
He evaded the attack, only to be surprised by another fist that came from behind.
He was tossed harshly into the sand, and the other hand menaced to crush him against it.
"No, Grimmjow!" Harribel came to his aid, spitting flames from her blade-cannon. "Lanzallamas"
"I didn't remember you could do that" Grimmjow said surprised.
"Although water is my main element, don't forget about my Hirviendo and volcanic-based attacks. Where do you think the heat comes from?"
"True that" He agreed.
Without another single second to talk, the swarm came back to engulf them in another storm, blinding them.
This time, Koichiro decided to stab them while they were in that situation.
Just by instinct, the two Espada managed to dodge his first attempts, but as time progressed, this task was getting harder and harder. Even worse, Koichiro sent squads of the bigger poisonous flies at them, increasing the danger.
Harribel kept the flies at a distance with her flames, but it was just not enough.
"Dammit!" She thought as the insects continued to circle around them. "If only I could create more fire..."
On cue, a giant orb of heat descended upon tge swarm, scorching about half of the flies.
"Huh?" Koichiro looked surprised.
"What is...? Is that you, Tier?" Grimmjow asked her in shock.
"No, I have no idea where that came from!" She replied, equally astonished.
"Looks like we made it just in time" A man said.
"I can't even imagine how strong this Demon is for these two to need our help" A girl replied.
"Those voices... Aren't they part of those weird masked Shinigami?" Grimmjow recognized them.
Lisa agitated her Haguro Tonbo to both blow the flies away as well as increase the area of Love's attack.
"The correct term is Vizard, and I think it's a bit rude to call us weird when Arrancar are the same but reversed" She corrected.
"Like I care!" The male Espada spat.
"Grimmjow..." Harribel gave him a dread look.
"Okay, okay... Sorry" He apologized.
"Apology accepted..." Lisa sighed, and looked at Harribel as if saying "Thank you"
"Anyways... What are we gonna do to finish this guy off?" Love asked. "You two must've been fighting him for a while so... Any ideas?"
"Our best bet at this point is simply overwhelming him in some way. Maybe if we all used our strongest attacks, something would work" Harribel proposed.
"Yeah, we did the same with the 6th Duke a while ago. It's all we can do" Lisa replied
"Let's do it then!" Grimmjow said, eager to unleash his power upon the enemy.
Koichiro, looking at them, decided to give it his best shot, just like his brother.
"Butterfly Place" He said as a white mist covered the place.
"Huh? What is happening...?" They all wondered.
The flies had suddenly disappeared, so that black butterflies with rainbow wings would take their place.
"Butterfly Bullet" Koichiro pointed his polearm at them, sacrificing butterflies to shoot a ricochet of bullets with butterfly wings.
The bullets not only flew at an immense speed, but also changed into elemental attacks as they flew through the air.
Fire red bullets. Wind green bullets. Ice blue bullets. Water indigo bullets. Electric yellow bullets. Orange rock bullets. Poison violet bullets.
Every colour of the rainbow had a respective bullet that could cause massive damage. But in addition to that, Koichiro proved that he wasn't done yet.
He sacrificed a whole group of butterflies to do one devastating attack.
"Energy White Bullet" He said as he shot a giant beam of white light at them.
The beam erased everything on its path, but thankfully, the team avoided it and encircled Koichiro.
"Now you've got nowhere to run, but then again, you do wish to die, don't you?" Grimmjow spat with a mixture of irony and anger.
"Yes. But I cannot die, not until I've consumed the last ounce of Reiryoku I have left!" Koichiro growled.
"Show me then!" Grimmjow dared.
"Void Black Bullet"
A small black hole appeared in front of them, menacing to swallow and vanish them into an unknown fate.
"Wow, this Demon is truly something else" Lisa thought.
"This place has become small" Koichiro said. "We need to bring this to a new level... To the border of life and death... But for that... Soichiro... Please give me the strength to go even further! GIVE ME A PLAN TO RELINE!"
An aura of energy covered Koichiro. His horrible Demonic body started shattering, like the cocoon of a beautiful butterfly.
Once the carcass was broken, enveloped in a grey aura with rainbow shines, was Koichiro, turned back into a small unicorn headed humanoid being, but with a luminous grey body with giant angelic wings, one white and one black. His eyes were also halved. His left eye was amber, like it used to be, but his right eye was sapphire, like his brother's.
"This... This is not the power of a Demon! This has nothing to do with my stupid Onibuki! This...! This is the power of both of our Resurrección combined! My Unicornio and your Pegaso..." Koichiro smiled with happiness. "Now I understand. It was impossible for you to leave this world without me... After all, we were one being before we became Arrancar. You were always with me and I was always with you, even if we didn't realize it. I couldn't be happier to know this now, even if I'm about to die... I'll make sure that these Arrancar have what it takes to protect the world we loved back then... Just look!"
He commanded a group of his now upgraded Chaos butterflies to destroy the ceiling.
"Now... Can you help me write the conclusion to my suicide note?" He asked his four "enemies".
"Wha-?" Lisa was about to ask.
"I'll explain that later" Harribel replied sadly.
"In short, he wishes to die, but in a goddamn complicated way" Grimmjow summarized.
No one truly understood what had just happened, so they decided to follow him and fulfill his wish.
They all flew beyond the palace, into the artificial sky inside of Las Noches.
"No, this won't do..." He thought as he looked at the space. "We need to go over the top" He snapped his fingers, on which command a swarm of his Chaos butterflies destroyed all that was left of the celing of Las Noches. "Far better... Like in the old times"
The four partners flew to his altitude and stood in the air, right in front of him.
"Are you all ready?" Koichiro asked them.
"Let's do this!" Lisa said determined.
"Yeah" Love agreed.
"Ready when you are, Tier" Grimmjow told her.
"Perfect, cause that would be now!" She replied, ready for the final showdown.
The swarm of Chaos butterflies flew behind Koichiro, waiting his orders.
"If only I could've used this power before" Koichiro thought. "Anyway... This final display of power goes in the names of you all: Soichiro (4), Yukari-sama (2), Nageki-san (1), and of course you... Gran Rey Cero (0)"
"Here goes nothing..." Grimmjow thought.
"Bullet Hell!" Koichiro said as a rain of Chaos butterflies turned into bullets and blasts of all kinds.
The chance of getting hit was probably more than a 90% and yet, they were all doing their best to fight back.
The Vizards used the remaining power of their Bankai to attack from the distance, while Grimmjow and Harribel...
"Gran Rey Cero" Grimmjow bit his hand on purpose to make it bleed and shoot the gigantic blue laser.
"Gran Reina Cero" Harribel cut her hand on her blade and let the blood flow through it to blast the enormous yellow beam.
Koichiro tried to overpower all attacks with his bullets, but the attacks were cancelled out.
"Wow... So we are evenly matched under these circumstances... Fascinating" He thought as the scenery was covered in smoke.
Love appeared from above when he least expected it and hit him with his club.
"Now go!" He told the others, not wanting to miss the chance.
"I know! Grimmjow, the rain combo!" Harribel reminded her friend.
"Oh, great idea! Oi, Vizard girl! Can you pin him to the ground with somethin'?"
"I'll see what I can do" Lisa replied, bracing herself. "Tonbo no saishuu hikou!"
She didn't have enough energy to create a siege of Nodachis, so she concentrated on creating one single big and very powerful Nodachi to do as Grimmjow asked her.
The Nodachi pierced Koichiro through the chest and started throwing him right into the sand, three thousand meters below.
Harribel pointed her gun at the same place where he was falling, in order to do the first step of one of the special combos she made with Grimmjow thanks to their Segunda Etapa.
"Inundación" She said as she exploded a gigantic amount of water that fell quicker than Koichiro. As a result, the sands below were filled with an instant sea created by her attack.
Koichiro fell into the water, still immobilized by Lisa's attack.
"I wonder what they'll do next... Cause I think, they have what it takes" He thought.
Grimmjow, just before falling into the water, decided to use his attack.
"Colmillo Salvaje!"
The whole mass of water conducted his electricity, immediately increasing the destructive power of his attack, which only toasted him a little because of the power overload.
For one last time, the life of the Duke flashed before his eyes, in a single second that passed like ten thousand days.
"I'm coming... Nii-san" Koichiro said with a smile, as his immortal life finally came to an end. Not in a pool of blood. Not in a river of pain and not in a sea of sorrow either...
...But in a firework of rainbow, amber and sapphire.
~~~~X~~~~
Damn, I had a blast writing this one! The music references I added thanks to Soichiro made it so fun for me, haha.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Excellent chapter! I loved it! Great work! I wonder what shall happen next? Especially seeing as next chapter will most likely focus on Grimmjow and Harribel! Still, that V Duke was creepy as heck!
Reply: I don't know if it met your expectations, but here is our dear Espada's chapter. If you found V scary now, buckle up, cause things will get even scarier when it comes back (though there will be a while before that).
Like always, I hope you all liked how this chapter turned out. See you next time! When we'll be suffering Unto The Locust (kudos if you get that reference) with Ichigo and Nel.
Evhron out.
PD: Soichiro's name is in honour of Soichiro Mizuno, an amazing guitarist, as well as the composer of Tulpa (aka the best song in Takenawa Intrigue). The IIII is because, since Soichiro and Koichiro were one in the end, it's like there was two number IIs (II plus II = IIII ).
Glossary:
Rondo: A typical musical form from the 17th century.
Scherzo: A short composition, normally part of a greater work.
Berceuse: A lullaby.
Silencio: Silence, in music notation.
Prelude: An introductory piece of music. In this case, it refers to a piano prelude.
Étude: A short complex instrumental piece of music, created with the purpose of studying and perfecting a technique or skill in particular.
Mazurka: Polish folk dance.
Magnum Opus: The greatest masterpiece of an artist.
Ouverture: instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, etc.
Sonata: instrumental piece (opposed to a Cantata)
Requiem: Piece of music meant to be played because of someone's death.
Colmillo Salvaje: translated to Wild Fang. Also, an amazing song by Janne Da Arc.
Lanzallamas: Flamethrower.
Pegaso: Pegasus.
Unicornio: Unicorn.
Gran Reina Cero: Great Queen Cero. Again, a Gran Rey Cero, but called different to show Tier's girl-power and stuff lol.
Inundación: Flood.
Marejada: Spanish for a Tsunami-like effect that produces great floods in coasts.