The Vizards' route turned out to be a scorching desert. On the sides, boiling pools of sulfuric and phosphoric acid showed them the hostile nature of the path they chose.
"What's that smell?!" Hiyori covered her nose, really bothered. "It's like rotten eggs... You better not be the ones responsible!" She threatened Love and Hachigen.
"Hey, I haven't done anything!" Love protested.
"Please don't accuse me of something so vulgar, Hiyori-san..." Hachigen felt insulted.
"That's the smell of sulfur, Hiyori" Lisa clarified. "As a matter of fact, some cultures believe that natural sources of sulfur come from Hell. I doubt that's possible though, as Jigoku is a completely separate realm from the Human World"
"Ah, I see..." She nodded. "In that case, I forgive you"
"Give us a break, you cannot forgive us if we didn't do anything" Love refuted.
"Hmph... Whatever you say" Hiyori crossed her arms. "Now, how much will it be? I'm literally burning out here!"
"We're all the same, just cope with it for another while" Lisa replied tired.
"Hrngh..." She growled. "Okay..."
After a long sweaty walk through the rest of the trail, they were reaching the end. An island surrounded by active magma came in sight, making them feel quite uneasy. To take things even further, on the outside shores of the lake, hordes of Demon soldiers were present, ready to witness the battle that was about to take place.
"There's way too many of them..." Hachigen said, afraid.
"Don't mind them, Hachi, they're beyond that lake of fire" Love tried to calm him. "But I can't deny it's a massive number of them"
"I hope we don't have to face that, otherwise we'll be in deep trouble" Lisa commented.
"Oh, I think we're already in deep shit..." Hiyori said as she looked at the structure ahead.
In the middle of the island, that was set like a battle arena, rose an abominable mountain made with pointy peaks of igneous rock, various kinds of skulls and sandstone.
At its top, sitting in a cliff, was a huge muscular red-skinned Demon with large goat horns, gazing at them with his evil orange eyes, the two collars with a ruby and topaz hanging from his neck, respectively.
"At last!" The Demon jumped into the arena, in front of them. Surprisingly, he only cracked the floor, not destroying it completely like they expected. "I heard you defeated the Dukes that conquered Hueco Mundo. I was there the invasion, though only as an observer. However, I know about their potential, so it is an impressive accomplishment if you ask me"
The Vizards gulped as they got a bit closer, speaking face to face.
"You... Must be Kachiki, right?" Love asked first.
"Yeah! The strongest Demon in what physical strength means! As well as the strongest of the three Princes of Jigoku..." He chuckled. "For the same reason, I'm always looking for powerful adversaries that can give me a good fight, in hope that one day I'll find someone else who is able to kill me!"
"Someone... Else...?" Hiyori inquired, impressed that there was an individual who could match that Demon. "Someone as in... Singular?!"
"Well... Of course, Yama-sama could easily do the job with his Kamibuki now that he got it back, but I wasn't referring to that" Kachiki replied. "I'm talking about the first Duke... Arikado"
"Huh? That Fallen Angel?" Lisa remembered. "He was defeated by Ichigo with Nel's aid"
"Tch... Of course he did. That bastard hasn't fought with his true strength ever since our little rebellion in Takemagahara" Kachiki clarified. "But mark my words... If there is someone who has been able to kill me, it is that man"
"Scary..." Hachi commented. "So that Demon didn't nearly use his full strength"
"Arikado used to be the second strongest Archangel. It's no surprise that he's capable of that and much more!" Kachiki's Reiatsu rose impulsively as he remembered the fight of his life. "I'm actually disappointed. Yama-sama knew that he would take this chance to either die or change sides once and for all... But I hoped that he would come here and face me in a final showdown!"
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but we are the ones with that job..." Hiyori talked confidently. "We killed that Duke, Hoji, and we heard that you were his master, so we decided to take you out as well"
"Ho? You four did that? Interesting..." Kachiki stretched his muscles and cracked his knuckles in a single movement, releasing a full charge of a slamming scorching Reiatsu. "Maybe you are more than meets eye"
The Vizards braced for the most powerful enemy they had faced until that moment.
"Here he comes" Lisa said, wearing her Hollow mask and activating Shikai.
They all did the same, knowing that it would probably not be enough, but even so, they wanted to have an idea of what fighting said Prince meant.
"Don't worry about the arena, it's made out of one of the strongest materials you'll find, so you can go crazy without having second thoughts, alright?" Kachiki grinned. "Now, let's do this!"
The Demon went straight ahead at them, impulsing himself by kicking the ground, cracking it, despite his previous comment about its hardness.
The Vizards dodged him, each going into a different direction as they had previously planned.
Hachigen casted several Bakudou spells to keep the Demon in that position, at least for a second or two.
Kachiki was binded by steel beams, an electrical whip, dark orbs and four clear lightscreen-like barriers.
"Now, everyone!" Love commanded as he sent a scorching heatwave towards Kachiki.
Hiyori created a powerful Triple Cero, sending the red beams towards the binded Demon.
Lisa, on her part, decided to support Love's attack by creating a gust of wind that rose from the Majin's feet to the sky.
"Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Kachiki laughed as he rejoiced in the pain caused by the different attacks.
"Not again... Another freak" Love muttered disappointed.
"Now it's clear why the other guy was such an M..." Lisa replied, facepalming.
Despite those couple seconds of calm, the time to relax was more than brief, as the Prince had already started to break Hachi's barriers one by one.
"Dammit... It wasn't nearly enough" Hiyori commented. "Also, Love!"
"What is it?" He asked back.
"Remember that this guy's powers are Earth and Fire. You won't be doing much damage with elemental attacks"
"Yes, I realized that a while ago... Still, I wanted to see if there was a chance" He scratched the back of his head.
"Well, there is no damage! So you better start using your Hollow powers and physical attacks or else you'll be using all your Reiatsu up to avail"
"I know... Sorry" He sighed. "I guess that was pretty stupid..."
"Hey, are you done?" Lisa reprimended them. "Cause this guy is almost out"
Hachi had been preoaring some other enchantments while they were chatting.
"Worry not, Lisa-san" Hachi calmed her. "I've got an idea. I doubt it will be an absolute solution, but it should help. Meanwhile, you should give it your all. Hiyori-san, I ask the same of you"
"Tch... I don't really like using it" Hiyori bit her lip with her fang. "But if we're reduced to this..."
"There's no reason to hold back, Hiyori" Lisa told her. "He's not that great at dodging, so you should do well with your Bankai"
"Okay... I get it" Hiyori sighed with bother. "I've never controlled it really well either, as it is complicated to train with it, but I'm gonna have to try, otherwise, things could get terrible pretty quick"
"Bankai: Tonbou no Kyouran Hikou!" Lisa released her full power.
"*sigh* Bankai..." Hiyori raised her sword in the air. "Orochi Nikuya!"
Hiyori's blade became loaded with her pink Reiatsu, which displayed a violent spiky aura in the edge of the sword.
"Gghhhrrraagh!" Kachiki exited the last barrier casted by Hachigen, which only contained him due to a final reinforcement he had casted with his special orange space-shifting fields. "You are pretty good with those things, Shinigami, but if you think that's gonna stop me... You've got another thing coming!"
The Demon threw a barrage of powerful fire punches at Hachigen, who had a special protective barrier around him, which acted by layers. Each layer was easily shattered by single punches, despite the favt that they were as strong as he could possibly make them.
Unknown to the Prince, however, Hachi was just finishing the enchantment for two greatly destructive Hadou.
"Everyone, behind me!" Hachi ordered, and his friends quickly complied. "Hadou 97: Suisei Maisou!"
A giant mass of water in the form of a cube fell down Kachiki, slamming him against the floor, while exerting a slamming pressure, just like the abyssal waters of the sea.
"Blugh... Gha!" Kachiki was surprised that he could feel endangered by a single attack of the Kidou Master.
"You did it, Hachi!" Love commented, really impressed.
Despite that first win, Hachigen was not content yet.
"No... It won't be enough" He replied, observing as the water cube started boiling.
"Dammit...!" Hiyori and Lisa said at the same time, realizing that the Prince simply rose his body temperature to turn the liquid into vapor, escaping the prison Hachigen had summoned.
"That's why... Hadou 98: Kaze Kakusei Uchiwa!"
An unstoppable blast of cutting wind sent the Majin flying up into the sky, with a force that would easily bleed a Lieutenant level Shinigami to death. For the Demon though, the slashing air was like mere tickles, not penetrating through his red skin.
In spite of this... Hachi was not planning to give up, and he wasn't not done. Not nearly done...
The water prison he had created earlier had boiled in its entirety, but the vapor produced by Kachiki's actions was the key to get the effect Hachigen had previously calculated. All that was left, was for him to use the strongest electric Hadou he knew, and the wild tempest would be complete. That said, Hachi had used a lot of Spiritual Pressure in the previous enchantments, so he was taking a risk by using so many high level Kidou at once.
"It's like Hiyori-san said... I still have a lot of Hollow Reiatsu inside me" Hachigen thought, building up the resolve to continue. "If worse comes to worse... I'll just have to become a Hollow and live in Las Noches"
He shifted his hands, making different figures as he finished the last enchantment he had prepared.
"Hadou 94: Kami o Utsu Kaminari!"
From his hand, a surge of powerful blue lightnings was shot towards the atmospheric phenomena he had artificially created, charging the storm with a brutal amount of electricity.
"This pain...!" Kachiki yelled as he felt the tri-elemental attack. "This is the sensation I was yearning for! Give me more!"
The four Vizards stared in shock as the Prince was only damaged, yet not obliterated by Hachi's superhuman efforts.
"Don't give up! Let's show him what we're made of!" Lisa said, commanding the swarm of Nodachis to fly and explode in Kachiki's face. "Tonbo no Saishuu Hikou!"
"Like Hell I'm gonna give up!" Hiyori spouted, slicing the air eight times with her released Zanpakutou.
Every swing created a pink slash of Reiatsu that was going directly towards the Demon.
"You're right... It's dangerous, but it's better than using my Bankai under these circumstances" Love said as he rose his Hollow Reiatsu in a savage way, his body slowly changing into a Hollow's, while still keeping his consciousness.
Back to the girls, Lisa's strongest attack impaled the Prince, the Nodachi's overloaded with indigo Reiatsu as they exploded violently.
"Argh!" Kachiki complained. "That actually... Hurt... A lot..." He thought, smiling eagerly.
"And now it's my turn!" Hiyori spouted as she made sure that each of the eight slashes went through him impeccably.
Kachiki braced as each slash went through him, realizing that none of them really hurt him in any way.
"Eh? What's the meaning of this...? What is her power...?" He thought intrigued.
As soon as the last slash went through him, eight rings of pink Reiatsu came out of his body, encircling and immobilizing him, despite his wicked strength.
"How can she...?"
"No wonder I like you, Lisa" Hiyori said as she smiled at her friend. "Orochi no Minagoroshi!"
The pink binding donuts absorbed Kachiki's Reiatsu, weakening him as they became overloaded.
"Die!" Hiyori said, as each ring became a snake head that bit his body, only to explode seconds after.
The Demon couldn't deny that he was now taking actual damage as he fell on the Arena, facemelting the crowd that witnessed their unbeatable leader being seriously hurt.
"Ungh..." He held his head as he stood up once again, just to find that the show was not over yet.
"Cero Oscuras!" A Hollowfied Love screamed with a distorted voice, pointing his hands at the Prince with a pose that easily resembled a Kamehameha.
A giant beam of black and red Reiatsu struck the Demon, dealing massive damage and inflicting friction burns, so the Prince couldn't withstand it easily like fire or magma burns.
He flew towards the holy mountain, being embedded on its surface as soon as he crashed into it. Kachiki spat a lot of blood.
"It's over!" Hiyori said to his face.
The other three Vizards approached him, ready to finish it before he could complicate things any further, but of course, the Demon was ready for that.
"Kekeke... GAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed madly, as excited as he could possibly get. "Not one of you would stand a chance on your own... That's for sure. But together, you all might be just able to kill me... In my current state that is"
"Now!" Love commanded, everyone directing a Cero at him.
However, it was not enough. Kachiki withstood it, coughing more blood, but holding a black Katana in his hand, ready to go to the limit.
"Earth Pus!" He attacked by punching the ground, which later formed big stalagmites that went their way, forcing them to flinch or dodge to not get stabbed instantly. "You did well... Let's see if... You can handle this..." He stabbed himself in the heart, just like his pupil had done before transforming. "Shake the Earth... Behemoth!"
An explosion of magma that came from below the arena swallowed him, creating dangerous fissures of lava in the rocky soil, all with a slamming brutal Reiatsu that surpassed anything they had experienced until that moment.
"Tch..." Lisa frowned as she felt it.
"Fuck!" Hiyori bit her lip, knowing that their chances to win had been reduced to almost none.
"Everyone... I was glad to meet you" Hachigen was ready for a horrible imminent death.
"Dammit..." Love, still Hollowfied, shook his head in sign of bad news.
As the torrent of magma came down, Kachiki was proudly showing his ultimate form.
A crown of six black horns was on top of his head. His face was still as brutal as it was in his previous form, though his orange eyes now seemed to glow like active magma, even more menacing.
His body had doubled his previous size, dividing it into a humanoid upper part and a bestial lower one.
His upper body was still of a sturdy red skin, but grew two more arms, the new ones holding weapons, a black and gold mace and a rocky axe with lines of lava.
His lower body had a dark skin with active magma lines, just like the axe, and seemed to resemble a rhinoceros in shape. As expected, he had four powerful legs, each with a golden hoof at its end.
"C'mon now! I've gone this far, so you might as well go beyond your limits!" He roared at them. "I don't care if you are many, I don't care if you cheat... All I want is for you to put me in the verge of life and death!"
As the Majin produced those words, he expelled the disgusting Evil Aura that his kind had, in hope of unlocking an unknown potential in his enemies.
Lisa felt a sudden impulse to see the Demon bleed to death, a grin being painted on her face as she imagined his screams of agony.
Hiyori experienced a similar feeling, getting as enraged as she could possibly be, wanting to beat the Majin to a pulp in order to release her anger.
Hachigen sensed a feeling of disgust for the Demon so great, that the mere sight of the monster became unbearable, feeding an unknown need to destroy.
Finally, Love simply became controlled by the impulsive desires of his inner Hollow-self, just wanting to fight out of an irrational violent instinct.
The other three didn't even think as they released the shackles on their inner Hollows, using their complete transformation at once, in an intent to completely destroy Kachiki.
"Come at me like I'm the thing you despise the most!" The Prince yelled as he saw the Hollowfied Vizards coming for his head.
Each of his four arms was busy dealing with one of them, either blocking or attacking, in an aimless battle that filled the Demon crowd with anxiety and ecstasy as they witnessed the most epic encounter in their empty miserable lives.
Hiyori slashed him frenzily with her Bankai still on, pink serpents biting one of Kachiki's arms endlessly.
"DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" She didn't stop yelling frantically.
"Yes... The pain...!" He moaned as the explosions burned his grotesquely muscular arm.
"Hehehehe... Ahahahahahaha!" Lisa laughed as she attempted to impale him multiple times with her Nodachi, forcing Kachiki to block with his mace. "Why won't you just bleed for me?"
"GAAHAHAHAHAHA! Sure, try it all you want, Miss! I'll give you all the blood you desire, as long as you get it yourself!" Kachiki rejoiced by seeing her bloodlust raising like Hell itself. "But I won't make it easy for you... Liquid Fire!"
From his axe, he threw lava waves at the Hollowfied Vizards, who were able to dodge it only because of the great speed they achieved by mixing Shunpo and Sonido.
"Ghraaahhh!" Love frenzily swinged his released Zanpakutou at the Demon, hitting him, though only dealing little damage.
"Ha! Those weak attempts are not even worth considering" He mocked, but Love was not finished.
From his mouth, a giant red Cero came out, hitting him right in the eyes.
"Argh! That worked though..." The Prince admitted.
"I can't stand it..." Another voice said, with a refined yet hateful tone.
"Huh?" Kachiki heard it.
"I though that I would be able to accept you but... It won't be possible. Your mere being is a poison to my sight, hear and... Ungh, smell" Hachigen covered his nose. "I'd rather die than allow you to keep existing"
"You sound pretty cocky despite not getting anywhere!" Kachiki swinged his axe at him, creating burning waves of Reiatsu that encased the Vizard. "Flame Deluge!"
Hachigen used his natural orange barriers to protect himself, to later try to slam him between two walls of his Reishi.
"How unsightly... You and your Demons should die... All shall perish!" Hachigen exclaimed with a rage that didn't belong to his character at all.
Kachiki felt the sheer force of the orange barriers that were crushing him, but still, he was way above that, breaking each with a powerful fire and earth punch.
"I gotta say... Great warmup. However, it's about time I show you all what true power means!" Kachiki hit the ground with his black amd gold mace, unleashing an unseen ability upon his enemies. "Sand Baptism!"
The mountain changed shape, turning into an imponent sandstorm that fell upon the Vizards.
Despite being completely controlled by negative emotions that rose within them uncontrollably, they could all feel the danger of the situation in which the Demonic Prince put them.
"In this Hell... I, ancestral... I am the Sun! I am the Moon! I am the greatest Demon to walk this Hell!" Kachiki growled. "Yama-sama is a God, an existence that we will never reach... But even so... I am the greatest being all those monsters can aspire to become! I won't be defeated by you... Nor anyone!"
His Demon crowd cheered powerfully as they heard him say those words of unquestionable strength, one they could only dream to obtain.
The sandstorm stopped, the rocky arena being filled with the remains of the colossal mountain that a minute ago was a high and mighty monument to the power of the red Demon.
"Terrestria I: Thaw!" Kachiki said as he carved his axe in the ground, only to push it further down with a strike of his mace of torment.
The earth below started rising its temperature, turning into lava in a matter of seconds.
The four Vizards instinctively jumoed into the air once that occurred, easily escaping the trap the Demon had set.
However, said attack was never a trap to begin with. It was part of something much more dangerous...
"Terrestria II: Thrive!" He yelled with a grin as he commanded the lava to rise.
With his four arms, he lead the lava to form shapes and grow to certain sizes, though this could not be seen by any of the Vizards, being blinded by the desire of Kachiki's destruction.
"DIEEEEEE!!!" Hiyori charged straight at him, the other three following her in the senseless impulsive attack.
"So this is the end..." Kachiki said, accepting that his current rivals were not nearly a match for him. "Terrestria III: Wither!"
The magma solidified itself in a second, turning into fists, spikes and clubs that went right at them like the very earth below them had a life of itself.
None of them could barely notice this was occurring though. They were still focused on harming Kachiki without any plan or thought at all.
The Prince had won. In a second, his four adversaries would be impaled, beaten and smashed to death. Such a thought didn't make him uncomfortable at all. He knew they wouldn't make the cut from the start.
Still, he wanted to give them a chance. He really wanted to see if the possibility of him being overwhelmed even in his mightiest form existed. That was his only purpose.
What kind if background was there for a Majin like him? What pushed him to follow the actual Demon King, as wicked as his ideas were?
An unbreakable bond of trust and care? A questioning of the actual system designed by the Heavens?
No... That was too complicated for a brute like him.
The answer was way more mundane and simple:
There was none.
His only motive was violence. He fought endless wars and epic battles as an Archangel before, but with the times of peace that came after these bellic conflicts, Kachiki became bored to death. There was no way of feeding his hunger for battle. No way but... Starting a war himself.
With that single option remaining, his role was clear. All he had to do was enter the first conflict he saw, and what better than a rebellion lead by one of the most capable and powerful Gods in Takemagahara?
He did it, and despite the fact that he lost the battle, he won something much more precious: An excuse to keep fighting, to keep getting stronger. Hell, he even got a rival he could look up to, despite him pretending to be way weaker for reasons he couldn't comprehend... But that was just a detail.
In the end, he would defy the Heaven that banished him and enter battle for as long as he was alive...
For as long as no one was able to prove his meaningless existence by erasing him as the zero he was.
He closed his eyes as he bid farewell to the enemies he had just met. They did well, but not nearly as he desired, that was for sure.
Four strikes were heard in that instant, inviting him to open his eyes once more.
"What do we have here...?" A sly male voice he hadn't heard said without a care in the world. "It looks like you became stronger, yes... But still, if you're letting yourself be controlled by the likes of these monsters, you still have a long way, Hiyori" The blonde man grinned at his friend as she was on safe ground.
"Ungh..." She held her haid in pain, her Hollow armor breaking and leaving only her mask. "What was that for, you goddamn bald?!"
She didn't realize what she had said until that last moment.
"Huh? Sh-Shinji..." Her eyes glistened a bit as she noticed the current situation.
"Great, it looks like a good hit in the head is enough to make them snap" Kensei said as he helped Hachi get up.
"Ow... That did hurt quite a bit" The big man complained as the same thing occurred to his transformation. "I-It's you!"
"And who else would it be...?" Rose helped Love. "Such an unexpected entrance in the most climactic moment of the battle could only be the work of an artist like me..."
"Tch... Don't speak as if you were alone" Love replied in protest, but was really grateful.
"Oi, Kensei! Now we get to beat that big guy up, right?!" Mashiro eagerly exclaimed as she took Lisa's hand.
"Be careful... He's nowhere near what we've faced before" Lisa warned them.
"Oh, we know that very well, and we didn't want to fall behind you either" Shinji said in reply. "We learned quite some things about your Complete Hollow transformation"
"Yeah? Like what?!" Hiyori spat back.
"For example, using Descorrer to reach Hueco Mundo from directly from the Dangai. We met some new faces and were guided to the Kimon. Once in this Hell, we simply followed your Reiatsu and got to this place, only to see that you were all acting like total beasts, so we gave you a little 'waky waky' in the head infused with Reiatsu to make sure that you came back to normal. To be honest... I don't really get what's going on here exactly, but one thing is clear..." He pointed Sakanade at the Demon as he wore his Hollow mask. "He's the enemy"
"And we're gonna take care of him, so you guys just sit back and relax" Kensei wore his mask and released his Katana. "It's been quite a while since I had the opportunity to fight a real threat! Last time... All I could do was scaring away a trio of female Arrancar that appeared in Karakura" He quickly remembered running across the Tres Bestias during the Hollow Exodus.
"Tch, tch, tch... Thots like those would never have their way with you, Kensei!" Mashiro declared. "I'm the only one worthy of that spot! Riiiight? After all, I'm your Super Lieutenant!" She attempted to snuggle him, but he dodged easily.
"Not now, Mashiro, please..." He facepalmed. "This is a life-threatening encounter, try to take it a bit seriously at least"
"Hmph! Okay!" She pouted, crossing her arms. A second later, she wore her mask and stroke a cool pose.
"Wait- Wait- Wait- Wait a damn second! So that means you guys...!" Hiyori deduced what they had done.
"Yeah, we trained for a very very long time" Shinji replied with a chuckle. "All so that we weren't left behind"
"Shall we start, then? Kinshara is eager to show its true strength..." Rose put on his mask and used Shikai.
"I don't know... What do you think, Demon? Do you habe any problem with us joining in the middle of the fight?" Shinji asked, clearly teasing.
Kachicki's face of surprise turned into a smile as he heard those words, realizing that the fight was not over.
"No, no, not at all! You're more than welcome to join us!" He laughed. "There is only one condition..."
"Really? And what would that be?" Shinji inquired, interested.
"Make sure that this ends as my funeral!" His eyes spitting fire as he roared that. "Let's do this!"
"Kensei, you take the offensive" Shinji commanded in a murmur. "Don't hesitate to give it your all from the start"
"Alright" He accepted.
"Rose, I'll let you unleash your Bankai but wait for my signal..." The blonde continued. "In this moment, take two of them as far as you can so that we don't suffer collateral damage"
"Very well... As long as I have a solo, even if it's for an ephimereal compass" He poetically replied.
"*sigh* Whatever you say..." Shinji said, rolling his eyes. "Mashiro, for now, same thing as Rose. After that, you're free to support us as a ranged fighter"
"Understood, Captain Hirako!" She agreed in an overly formal way, mocking him for taking the lead.
"I'll help you with the monster, Kensei. Let's go, he won't wait much longer" He concluded.
"Right. Here we come!" The other Captain replied. "Bankai: Tekken Tachikaze!"
Grayish purple bandages covered his arms while in his back appeared an arc of the same material, rising over his head.
"Collapse... Sakanade" Shinji limited himself to use Shikai, knowing that going further would not help them under this conditions.
"YEEEEAAAARRRGGHHH!" Kachiki went straight at them, with his four arms controlling the sand remaining in the field. "Sand Blow!"
A torrent of cutting sand flew at them at a dangerous speed, but they did not flinch an inch.
Shinji appeared behind the Demon's back, using his special ability to confuse him.
"Yo!" He greeted as Sakanade spinned around his hand.
What the?!" Kachiki muttered as he felt the whole world revolving around him.
"Sandbag Beat!" Kensei threw a series of rapid punches, straight at the Prince's stomach.
Kachiki felt how the hits actually damaged his strong body, but he could still withstand it.
"Ragh!" He swinged his axe at Kensei, only to find that he had moved in a completely opposite way of what he intended to do. "Eh...?"
"Looks like I'm gonna have to go even further...!" Kensei raised his Hollow Reiatsu until white cylindrical protrusions grew in his back and forearms, as a white armor layer extended through the rest of his skin.
He repeated the same attack, but now, the Hollowfied Sandbag Beat was truly devastating.
Kachiki spat blood after receiving the last powerful punch of the Vizard, who was also helped by the wind of Tachikaze in order to get enough power to deal the enemy an important amount of damage.
"Well done, Kensei!" Mashiro shouted from the distance as she shot two green Ceros from her legs. "Now it's my turn!" She said as she let her Zanpakutou out of the sheath. "Buzz around, Jouu Bachi!"
Her Zanpakutou changed into blue Reiatsu that flowed through her. Then, a Sai appeared in each hand.
"Mashiro is using... Her Zanpakutou?" Lisa wondered.
"I guess Kensei accepted to teach her how to use it well during the time they were in the Dangai" Love commented.
"We shall see what she has learned in that case. I was never good with my Zanpakutou in terms of swordsmanship but... I can always release it so that-"
"No, Hachi" Love stopped him. "Like it or not, we've used up almost all of our Reiatsu, Hollow and Shinigami. Nothing good can come out of forcing it anymore"
"I agree" Hiyori nodded. "As long as they keep this pace, baldy and the others don't need our help. It's better not to be a hindrance, though I hate to admit that would be the case" She bit her lip.
"Actually... Out of mere curiosity. Have you ever used your Zanpakutou in battle?" Lisa asked Hachi.
"No. Not once" Hachigen shook his head. "It is not really 'dangerous' or anything, but it does unlock a potential in my Kidou Tessai-san described as... Potentially catastrophic"
"Damn..." Hiyori was amazed. "I'd like to see that one day..."
Hachigen remembered the words of his master for a moment, back when he was in Soul Society:
"I believe... You might have what it takes to learn the most dangerous spells of all Kidou, but to use them, releasing your Zanpakutou is a must, and even then... You should be extremely careful"
"Are you referring to Bankin and... Goryutenmetsu?" Hachigen asked, stranged as he already studied those enchantments.
"No..." Tessai denied. "I'm talking about two secret techniques, only known by the Chief of Kidou Corps, and only passed down from one to another personally"
"Huh?" Hachi seemed amused.
"I'm talking about the zenith of the Path of Binding and the Path of Destruction. Bakudou 100 and... Hadou 100"
He came back to witnessing the battle as a shiver went down his spine. The secret techniques were not known by anyone else in the present. Only Tessai and him knew about that power, and as things were, it was likely that the techniques would die with them.
"Maybe it is better that way..." Hachi concluded thinking.
Mashiro attacked Kachiki with quick slashes of her Sai, leaving blue marks of Reiatsu through his body.
"And now... Time to sting!" From her Sai, hundreds of thousands of small Reiatsu bees attacked every spot that had been spotted by her Zanpakutou.
Kachiki, still troubled by Shinji's ability, could only jump and move his arms around helplessly, in an intent to either block, dodge or attack. Whatever happened, was fine with him, as long as it had an effect.
"This is a bothersome ability... But I must find a way to beat it...!" He anxiously thought, having more reasons to continue struggling in order to fight them. "Earth Pus: Salvation!"
He hit the ground with the giant mace, forcing the magma to come out from newly formed stalagmites.
The battling Vizards dangerously evaded the heat as they continued their relentless siege.
Rose also joined the party, elegantly swinging his whip-like Zanpakutou, punishing the Prince with every hit.
"I'm waiting..." He melodically said to Shinji, remarking how he wanted to.use his Bankai.
"Good for you" The blonde replied, slashing the Demon multiple times as he dismissed his partner's wish.
"Now, Shinji... I think we should end it as soon as possible" Kensei told him."Each of his attacks is more accurate than the last. If this goes on... Your ability won't be an advantage anymore"
"I know, but this guy is sturdy as this very Hell! I wanted to make sure that we can finish him off in a single barrage, you know?" Shinji replied. "But you guys are right... Rose, do it"
"My pleasure..." He made a reverence.
"Mashiro, go back" Kensei ordered.
"Okay!"
"Bankai: Kinshara Butoudan"
Large hands of the same golden string as Kinshara appeared in the air, one holding a baton, which commanded the troupe of Rose's Dancers of Death.
"Hm... Which attack should be the prologue to this masterpiece?" Rose wondered.
"Sorry but you're gonna have to go straight to the 'Grand Final', otherwise we'll be all dead" Shinji noted as he looked at the Primce, who was now attacking swiftly with his axe and mace, which created fierce elemental attacks.
"Tsk... What a bad taste" Rose commented as he prepared his strongest attack. "Ein Heldenleben"
With an epic conclusion, the large hands commanded the dancers to encircle Kachiki, not leaving him a single route of escape as they started to wrap them in their strings.
"Woah... This power... It's gonna hurt... It's gonna tear me to pieces!" He chuckled. "Will it be able to kill me?"
As soon as he was covered in strings, the hands ordered that there was sound.
As soon as the strings vibrated with music, a cupola of yellow Reiatsu engulfed Kachiki, who could feel his whole body breaking due to the illusion created by Rose, losing a pair of hearts in the process.
"Kgh...! That was... Incredible" He grinned. "Now I only got 3 left..."
As a Majin, his regenerative prowess recovered his broken bones in a couple seconds, allowing him to stand up even after the fierce attack.
"But... That's supposed to be the 'Grand Finale', isn't it?" Rose was shocked.
"Not with this guy, apparently" Shinji replied. "Kensei, Mashiro! Just like we practiced, now!"
Kensei stroke the air multiple times with his fists and blades, throwing a series of wind slashes and waves, charged with green Reiatsu.
Mashiro threw the Sai in the air and kicked them with great force, embedding each blade with a blue Reiatsu.
"Mashiro Ultra Kick!" Two giant blue slices of Reishi flew straight at Kachiki.
"Argh!" Kachiki complained, while still refusing to give up.
"It won't be enough! Let's do something! Anything!" Hiyori ordered the rest of the group.
"Yes!" They all agreed.
Hiyori fired a triple pink Cero at the Prince, complemented by an orange Cero from Hachi, an indigo one from Lisa and a red one from Love.
"Heh... I knew you'd end up doing something" Shinji chuckled.
"It ain't much... But it's honest work!" Hiyori spat.
"I can't sit idly while everyone is so motivated... Let's do this!" Rose connected six strings of Kinshara, and started a totally facemelting Shred.
"It's happening..." Kachiki embraced the pain. "My life... Is being erased"
"And... Just to make sure this guy stays dead..." Shinji raised his Hollow Reiatsu as well.
Turned into his Complete Hollow form, he cut his hand and said:
"Gran Rey Cero!"
From his palm, a giant violet beam appeared, erasing everything in its path as it reached the Demon's body.
Kachiki could finally experiemce the feeling he had fought for his whole life.
The feeling of defeat.
The sensation of loss.
The idea of death.
But even in that moment, he couldn't possibly be more alive.
His three remaining hearts were crushed at the same time, obliterated by the rainbow finishing move done by the eight Vizards.
Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Violet.
All those forms of Reiatsu had to collide in order to destroy him once and for all.
It was a fine day to die, and an epic way of dying as well.
Kachiki perished doing what he loved most. Maybe he was a beast his whole life, but at least, he could bid farewell to immortality dying in battle, completely overpowered by his enemies.
"Goodbye... Arikado" He thought. "I might've never faced you again... But I'm sure... My energy will flow... All this violence will go somewhere... And somehow... Mark my words... We'll meet again... For the last time... In the battlefield..."
Kachiki's existence disappeared with a rainbow flash that turned white in the last moment, exploding massively and sending the eight Vizards flying through the arena.
"Geez..." Shinji complained. "I never thought that we would make such a mess"
A big hole was left in the spot where the Prince had been destroyed. The only trace being a cloud of disgusting dark energy that flew in another direction.
"What is that...?" Hiyori asked, a bit frightened.
"It must be what made us act like monsters" Lisa determined.
"Well... In any case, what should we do now?" Love asked. "I'm not really in condition to help anybody so..."
Kensei and Shinji went back to normal, so everyone also wore off their masks.
"Ichigo is ahead, he'll be alright" Shinji trusted him. "I am more worried about us to be honest"
"What do you mean?" Lisa asked, still not realizing what had happened.
"Oh my..." Hachigen felt like fainting.
The whole crowd of Demons was coming for them, as the lake of lava had dried along with Kachiki's death.
There were easily a couple thousands of them, and they didn't look weak either.
"Shit... In our state... I doubt we can fight that!" Hiyori spouted.
"True" Kensei agreed. "I'm not really exhausted but... So many of them are gonna be a bit of trouble"
"What are we gonna do?" Mashiro asked her friends as the creatures only got closer, scaling to the arena.
"You all...? Run" Shinji ordered. "I'll take care of them"
"What?!" Hiyori couldn't believe it. "Don't be ridiculous, baldy, you gotta go with us! We're still in time!"
"Yes, but they are still gonna give trouble to someone else. I won't allow that, and I have the means to do it" Shinji replied. "However, I need you all to leave as fast as you can. I won't be able to do anything if you're still inside the area of my Reiatsu which, I don't really wanna brag... But it's pretty damn massive" He grinned proudly.
"I understand" Kensei nodded, as he knew about his Bankai. "Everyone, let's go. We'll only put him at risk if we stay any longer"
"Okay..." The rest accepted, a bit doubtful, but sensibly.
"You better come back in one piece... Or else I'll make sure to chop you to pieces!" Hiyori threatened him, being very worried.
"And stay the size of a shrimp like you? No, thank you..." He teased in the end.
"Grr..." Hiyori growled.
"Hey, what are you waiting for?" Lisa called her attention.
"Nothing. Let's go!" Hiyori ran with them.
Shinji sighed as he looked at the carbon stampede that was coming for him and his friends.
"What a day... Three years in that place..." He remembered the Dangai. "...Only to see myself in this mess. It better be worth it, Ichigo..."
Just as the Demons were reaching him, he sensed the presence of Hachi, the slowest, disappearing from his field of Reiatsu.
"Well, that about does it..." Shinji grinned as he raised Sakanade with pride. "Bankai...
Sakasama Yokoshima Happou Fusagari"
~~~~X~~~~
Ichigo continued clashing against Kurokage, who had a completely black Katana with a strange shifting Tsuba.
"You sure like resisting, Kurosaki..." The Demon hissed. "You know you can't win, you have no way of truly destroying me!"
"Shut up. Even if that's true, I learn quick. I'll find a way to kill you, just you wait!" Ichigo spouted back, slashing a barrage of Getsuga Tenshou at the shadow. "I just have to wait for Urahara to arrive. Until then, all I gotta do is take the least damage and use as little Reiatsu as possible... Otherwise I won't be able to face Yama" He thought.
"Kageoni!" The Shadow clearly mocked Shunsui.
"What in the world...? That is!" He widened his eyes.
"I know what you're thinking, but I'd like to remind you that shadows belonged to me millions of years before that Captain even existed!"
"Really...?" Ichigo pretended not to be impressed. "What really surprised me is that after all those years you haven't matured a little bit... Playing silly games like some spoiled brat!" Ichigo destroyed his shape, though that was just temporary.
The shadow reassembled itself, way more pissed.
"Enough with games!" Kurokage declared, taking a bit of distance. "Swallow the light... Erebus!" The Duke transformed into the full shadow entity, becoming unkillable through any known means as dual shadow daggers appeared in his vanta black hands, though he decided to save them for later, apparently. "How about a bit of art? I'm pretty good at forming shapes with my hands. Would you mind taking a look at them?"
"What?" Ichigo asked confused, only for him to shake his head and attack him without any other doubt.
"Heheheh... Blackmore!"
A giant dragon of shadows rose, spitting black fire at him.
"Huh? This actually... Burns!" Ichigo thought as he noticed. "How is he...?"
"What happened? Suddenly you aren't so talkative. It's just as if... A cat bit your tongue..." He transformed the dragon into a shadow tiger's head, moving his hands as if they were two big jaws crunching their prey.
"What a bothersome ability... He can do literally anything!" Ichigo thought. "All I can do for now, is destroy him and his shadows before he can get me" He pointed his finger at him. "Cero Luna!"
The white and red beams were smaller, but it was enough for Ichigo to control the situation a bit more, but it was far from perfect.
As soon as the figures died, the shadow remainings joined Kurokage, making him stronger.
The body of him grew larger and changed form into a contorted creature, having an indefinite shape and size, constantly swifting.
"What... In the actual... Fuck...?!"
Kurokage simply replied with a monstrous screech, attacking him with his continous morphing ability.
"Nel... Ulquiorra... You have no idea how lucky you are!" He exclaimed as he continued fighting the terribly troublesome enemy.
Here it is, the conclusion to the three Princes, though not the last part of this Sub-Arc. This one took a while longer because I had to check the other Vizard's abilities and concepts in order to create a dynamic and cohesive fight, but I hope it was worth it.
Next time, we'll see the rest of the encounter with the Duke of Shadows, as well as the re-introduction of the only missing Duke: V.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Another fantastic chapter! I cannot wait for the next chapter! Am I correct in assuming Halibel has reached her Etapa Finale? From what I recall, it's Regular Resurrecion, Segunda Etapa, and then Etapa Finale/Beyond Resurrecion right?
But yea. Good work! I hope Grimmjow will get HIS own Etapa Finale in the future too! I also hope he saw how Halibel "looked" at him; almost as if giving him a look of pride instead of that one look in where he always felt "pitied" back when he was an enemy to Ichigo.
Reply: I ended up adding the confirmation that yes, that transformation is Harribel's Etapa Final (not 'Finale' cause it's in Spanish, by the way). The order is correct though. Basically, third stage is Etapa Final.
One day, Grimmjow will get there too, don't worry. It kinda reminds me of how Vegeta wanted to become a Super Saiyan actually, lol, and his relationship with Ichigo is pretty similar to what happens with Goku as well.
See you next time! Evhron Out.
Glosary:
Orochi Nikuya: Giant Snake Butchery.
Suisei Maisou: Aquatic Burial.
Kaze Kakusei Uchiwa: Wind Waking Fan.
Kami o Utsu Kaminari: God-Striking Thunder.
Orochi no Minagoroshi: Orochi's Massacre. Orochi is an eight headed giant snake of Japanese mythology.
Jouu Bachi: Queen Bee. Mashiro's Zanpakutou. She has only reached Shikai stage.