The three groups, Shinigami, Vizards and Arrancar, got ready to enter the Senkaimon, calming their minds and bodies in order to face the greatest threat in the history of the Worlds left in the Soul King's hands.
The plan was simple:
1. The teams that would fight directly with the Four Horsemen were already defined, as well as the people who would go against Yama himself. While no one had pretty clear how that would develop, they decided to believe in their abilities, as well as their partners'.
2. The rest, would either face their Reigai counterpart or support the ones with that task, as simple as that.
Neither Ulquiorra nor Orihime decided to mention a single word about Nelliel, and thankfully, no one asked anything about it, as they assumed that she would wait for Ichigo to finish training.
"But... Orihime" Ulquiorra said seriously. "What if Dark Nelliel appears in the battlefield?"
"That won't happen. Until Ichigo arrives, she will not hurt anyone..." Orihime denied.
"How can you be so sure?" Ulquiorra asked, as he had seen how different she was. For him, the behaviour of this new enemy was a complete enigma.
"Because, she loves Ichigo..." She trusted that belief. "As dark and wicked as this Nelliel might be... She doesn't want to hurt him, not for naught at least... The only reason she could have to attack anyone would be jealousy, and even then... She knows deep inside, that Ichigo's eyes are only for her" Orihime remembered the way in which he looked at the teal hair Arrancar, completely different from the way he looked at her. "Ulqui-kun..."
"What is it?" He noticed her sudden broken voice.
"I know it's not in our hands... But I really want her back" Orihime cried. "She and Ichigo looked so happy together... And she was such a good friend... I miss her"
"I know..." Ulquiorra embraced her. "I also know that it's not the best time to tell you... But I wanted you to know that I'll be helping Harribel and Grimmjow against the Horseman of War"
"*sigh* I figured you would do something like that..." She smiled sadly. "So all I'm gonna ask you... Is that you MUST return to me alive, okay?"
"I accept the order, Hime-sama" He smiled and kissed her as his hand strongly held her by the waist, not wanting to let go.
"I hope you get along better with those two after fighting together" She wished.
"I'll do my best... But I can't promise anything" He clarified. "Now... What are you gonna do? Will you stay here with your friends? Cause if that's the case, I'd gladly accept"
"About that... I'm sorry, but I won't be able to make you happy on that matter. If my powers were needed and I wasn't there... It would be just as if I killed them with my own hands"
"Orihime..." Ulquiorra caressed her face tenderly. "Just, promise me that you'll do your best to stay safe"
"Yeah! I'll go with Loly and Menoly" She happily replied. "They might not seem like it, but they're actually good friends of mine!"
"Really? Cause they used to despise you the first time I brought you to Hueco Mundo" Ulquiorra recalled.
"Maybe... But that's in the past" She quickly dismissed, not even worrying about it. "But lately, they've been really friendly towards me, so I've got no doubt about it!"
"*sigh* You will never stop to amaze me..." Ulquiorra said with a smile.
"I don't know... It might be like that now that we've been just a while together-"
"No, I can easily tell that Ichigo and the rest of your friends are still amazed by you even after all the things you've been through, so I can say that with certainty"
"Well... As long as it's not a problem for you..."
"And even if it's somehow troublesome... I'll have fun figuring out, don't worry" He gently pressed his forehead against her hers.
Orihime closed her eyes as she kissed him once again, worried that it could be the last one they shared.
The next morning, there was no need for more tribulation. Everything was already planned, and every thought had already been shared. Battle, was all that awaited them in the horizon, as a phantom that could sometimes hide its pressence, yet it never truly faded. Ever since Aizen's schemes began, there had been no rest, for anyone, and for better or worse, this meant a need to get stronger.
The Gotei 13, in particular, was not even a shadow of what it used to be when the Divisions had just been founded in terms of strength. Only a handful of them had what it took to fight against the Fallen Angels and the Old God that was menacing their very existence.
That said, everyone had done their best effort in order to be up to the challenge, and due to mere luck, destiny or chance, they had gotten an opportunity to fight back.
"Kisuke..." Yoruichi muttered, still worried as she would stay in Karakura Town.
"No need for goodbyes. I'll pull it off, somehow. We'll all do..." Urahara assured her. "So you can stop pretending you care"
"That's not-"
Urahara simply gave her a look that made her understand what he truly meant. He knew she cared about him, but now was not the time to be moved by such emotions.
"Right..." She sighed, smiling a bit afterwards.
"We'll take care of everything here, Boss" Tessai said, putting each of his hands on Jinta's and Ururu's head, respectively.
"And so will we" Isshin assured with Uryuu and Chad by his side. "At the very least... We'll be able to buy some time until Ichigo arrives"
Kon and Nozomi also nodded, though it was clear that they didn't represent a real threat to any enemy of the current level.
"You're being quite pessimist by assuming we're gonna need his help, Captain Shiba" Toushirou commented.
"I'd love to say the same..." Kyouraku replied. "But to be realistic, we don't know just what are we gonna find when we get back there. Sure... Arikado-san gave us a preview, but there's no actual way of knowing unless you're there, feeling in the flesh..."
Everyone else stood in silence, agreeing with that thought, though not verbally showing it.
"Let's go" Shinji sighed with bother. "We have no time to waste"
"Yes!" The Lieutenants replied, following the order.
Urahara opened the Senkaimon, and all the teams entered.
Passing through a more shadowy Dangai than usual, they quickly advanced towards the exit. Urahara had already done the calculations so that nothing weird happened. There was nothing to fear on that matter. All that was left, was making up the courage to see and accept the current condition of the Seireitei.
They all passed through the light at the end of the tunnel, some Captains and Lieutenants gulping, while the others merely staring at the scenery ahead.
The structures seemed mostly unscathed, though there was some destruction here and there, possibly to a handful of inhabitants not falling to the Plague, trying to fight or escape the Ghouls that now roamed the citadel.
"This is worse than I imagined..." Nanao gasped.
"Yeah... They don't look really alive to me" Shuhei pointed out, looking at the Ghouls with disgust.
"Hey, don't give me that crap now!" Loly spouted. "I was ordered to back off, so you better do the same"
"Don't get the wrong idea..." Kira started refuting. "We know we must hold back, but it's gonna take a bit of effort, that's all..."
"Anyways, let's start immobilizing them" Menoly said calmly. "Stick with us, Princess, Ulquiorra's gonna kill us otherwise"
The Primera Espada seemed to chuckle a bit as he heard that.
"S-Sure!" Orihime nodded. "If anyone needs extensive healing, bring them to me. With my powers I can reject any damage, no matter how bad... at least before the person has lost too much blood or has already... Died"
"Thank you for your help, Inoue-san" Ukitake told her.
The "calm" ambient (despite the gruesome sight) was broken by a bizarre request.
"Blood..." A rough man's voice said.
They were all stricken with fear as the image appeared in their heads. That was none other than the Ghoul Reigai of Zaraki Kenpachi.
"Ho? Now this got interesting!" Kenpachi grinned as he prepared his nameless Zanpakutou for some action.
"~Hehehe~ Go break all his bones, Ken-chan!" Yachiru said from his shoulder.
"Now that I think about it... Lieutenant Kusajishi's Reigai isn't with him, or to be seen..." Rangiku muttered.
"That's because I'm unique! ~Tee-hee!~" She closed one eye and stuck her tongue out as she made a peace symbol, like an idol or gal would do. "Now, go!"
"You don't need to say it" Kenpachi gladly collided with his Reigai counterpart, sending him away and running towards the location to continue fighting without any disturbance. "Just don't fall off, Yachiru!"
"And... We lost him" Shunsui sighed.
"It was to be expected, anyways" Byakuya noted.
As soon as he said that, he felt a barrage of deadly cherry blossoms going his way.
"Bankai: Senbonzakura Kageyoshi" The head of the Kuchiki family quickly reacted, protecting himself and the others with his own cherry blossoms.
The Ghoul Byakuya didn't mutter any word, but his shadowed expression spoke for itself. He wanted them all dead.
"Everyone, get moving!" Harribel ordered. "We must defeat the one behind the Ghouls and everything will be easier"
"On it!" Lilynette replied, leading her group towards the Castle in the Sky.
"We must do the same, Tier... Ulquiorra..." Grimmjow groaned the Primera's name, but accepted his aid.
"Yes. I'll leave Orihime in their hands" Ulquiorra accepted, going into Etapa Final at once.
"Well, this is goodbye, then" Shinji said. "Do your best, Momo"
"Y-Yes, Captain!" She nodded nervously.
Lisa looked at Shunsui defiantly, and Hiyori did the same with Kisuke as they said in unison:
"Don't fuck it up!"
To which the two simply chuckled.
"Fine..."
Harribel went into Etapa Final and Grimmjow went to Segunda Etapa, overwhelming the Shinigami currently at the place, with the exception of Rukia and Renji who had been training with them for a while.
In fact, the two Lieutenants easily made their way through the Ghouls thanks to their superior powers. Those two's Reigai would stand no chance with their outdated sata and specs, that was for sure.
In a moment, other Reigai Captains and Lieutenants appeared before their real versions, attacking together to confuse their rivals.
However, they weren't the only ones able to do cooperative strategies.
Shunsui and Juushirou used a back to back position to nullify any damage they could've taken.
"Just like in the old times..." Kyouraku chuckled.
"Sure thing" Ukitake smiled.
Following that, the two went for their respective Ghoul Reigai.
Toushirou and Byakuya lead their Reigai to a more vast space, so that they could go all out without harming anyone.
Soi-Fon and Komamura decided to move together as they confronted a combinated attack of the Reigai Lieutenants.
"Tch... These small fries think they can handle us?" She mocked.
"We'll show them otherwise!" Komamura said.
The two said as they released Shikai and fought back.
The Lieutenants and the Tres Bestias were all in their strongest forms as they made their way through the Ghouls.
"Urahara-san" Arikado went to him. "Nageki-san and I will go straight for Yama. I don't know if you would like to come as well"
"Hm... Since there is no Reigai of me... I could probably go help against Yama... Or maybe Ren"
"I'd rather have you stay here, Urahara-san" Nageki told him. "After all, there's something I need you to get to Ichigo"
"Oh, so that's why... Sure, no problem!" He agreed, receiving a pill. "Is this what I think it is?"
"Yes. There was no way of testing it on an actual being but, I believe the theory and the practical experiments were good enough. Just tell him to eat it. If things go they way I think... That's all you need to tell him" Nageki said, not wanting to waste any more time giving a more detailed explanation.
"I understand. I'll make sure he gets it" Urahara concluded.
"Let's go, Nageki-san" Arikado rushed him. "It's only a matter of time before he attempts to enter Karakura"
"Yeah, let's go at once" Nageki nodded and flew out of the place with Arikado, towards the Castle in the Sky.
"*sigh* Welp, I was willing to put up a good fight, but since I gotta be ready for the time Ichigo arrives... Guess I'm gonna lay down for a little bit, hehehe"
But just as the Shop owner was boasting his good luck, a single kick sent him flying.
Slamming roughly into a wall, Urahara spat a bit of blood.
"Damn... Looks like I opened my mouth too soon" He raised his head to have a look at the attacker.
"Or maybe, you just wanted me to appear, so you opened your mouth" It was none other, than Reigai Urahara.
"Oh geez... You got me" Kisuke admitted. "And not only that, but I see you're as smart as I am, since you are not a Ghoul like the others"
"Of course not. Actually, I was wondering if you could do me a favour..."
"Oh, and what would that be?" Urahara's eyes became sharp.
"Would you mind disappearing? You see, being a Reigai has quite some limitations, especially in terms of actually having a life, so I wanted to take your place, what do you say?"
"Um... Sorry, but I'm quite happy with the life I have" Kisuke replied. "And, I hate to say something so cliché, but this Universe is way too small for a second Urahara Kisuke to exist"
"Too bad... Guess I'll have to give you the position of fake by force" The Reigai got his Zanpakutou out.
"Hehehe... Why don't you come and try? I'm actually curious about what my clone can do" He said as he broke out of the wall.
"Scream... Benihime" The clone activated his copy Zanpakutou.
Urahara dodged it quickly but calmly, not letting his eyes miss a single movement of his Reigai.
"Looks like I'm gonna have to get serious, as expected of myself..." Urahara pulled his hat down a bit, determined to erase the faker as quickly as possible.
~~~~X~~~~
"So... How do we...?" Ashido was about to ask.
"There will be no need *yawn* for that" A childish voice replied.
It was none other than Seku, who was lazily expecting them with a white sceptre that looked a lot like a wizard's staff.
"Are you...?" Lilynette inquired.
"Seku, the Plague. I'm actually baffled by the fact that our plan failed, and all those Ghouls I obtained are actually copies of the originals... How sad indeed"
"Aum. If you turn everyone back to normal, we can spare you. We heard you're the weakest of the four" Satya calmly negotiated.
"Ahahahahahaha! How stupid!" He laughed. "Being the weakest of the strongest group of Fallen Angels that exists is not a shame at all. It just turns out that my abilities are better designed for tactical conquest instead of actual battle, but that doesn't mean you have any chance of beating me. Being the weakest of the Espada is a completely different matter, so I wouldn't be acting so cocky if I were you"
"You already released your Tenshibuki, there's nothing else you can possibly do!" Lilynette accused.
"Now, you're not being stupid, but simply ignorant. Have you heard of 'Fake Release'?"
"I... I think I have" Ashido said. "It is pretty common that novice Shinigami commit mistakes or don't know the right way to release their Zanpakutou, sometimes getting a different effect or ability from the one their weapon actually has"
"Exactly... But in this case, it is not an error. It is a tool I designed so that my dear Nergal could have an offensive mode for situations like this"
"Shit... That's clever" Bryssling admitted.
"Thank you! Now that I already unleashed this baby as Plague, by saying 'Infect'... Why don't I show you the other face?" He invited. "Devastate the city of the Gods... Erra!"
A tainted white Angelic armour encased his body, leaving only his face uncovered, while three pairs of black wings came out of his back. The staff he carried became a bronze spear with a terribly poisoned tip. Seven amulets of small golden tablets with ancient texts hanged by his neck.
"This guy...!" Lilynette seemed scared as soon as she felt the power emanating from the enemy.
"I think... We might not be up for it..." Bryssling admitted, frowning.
"Aum..." Satya digressed, evaluating if his power would be useful enough. "No choice but to try... Disperse, EscalofrÃo!"
"Decapitate, Cuernavaca!"
"Discipline, Castigador!"
"Kick about, Los Lobos..." Lilynette remembered the moment she accepted the only truth of her being. In the end... She was alone. "Segunda Etapa!"
An explosion of black and lightgreen Reiatsu made the Horseman curious as to what he would encounter.
"Wait, wasn't her Reiatsu...?" Ashido wondered, remembering the blue color.
"Blue? Not anymore" Satya refuted. "Lily-nee's Reiatsu used to be blue cause that was borrowed from Starrk... Now that she's trained her own power, a completely different Reiatsu comes to light. That is her true being..." The young-adult Satya said, proudly.
She wore a long black cloak of wild wolf fur, each hair having a lightgreen tip, giving a neat effect; it covered most of Lilynette's chest, though the middle part of her body was still nude, showing her Hollow Hole as well.
Her face, instead of the typical eyepatch, had a piece of black Hollow mask, with the flame mark still surrounding it.
Black skinny pants with green patterns went from her hips to her cowboy style boots, which were a darker shade of black with snake-skin patterns.
In addition to the clothes, physically, she also experienced some changes. Her teeth became as sharp as actual wolf's and her hands and feet grew nails of the same characteristics as said animal. Finally, a gray tail grew out from above her rear.
In her hands, to everyone's surprise, were no longer guns. Instead, she held two blades, both versions of her original Zanpakutou, with black handle and black blade with green edge. One long, and one short, just like the person she hated the most.
"I don't know what kind of silly joke this is... But I don't care. All I know is that in this form... Starrk is gone. I'm all alone" She confessed. "But even if that's the case... All the things he's taught me won't ever fade! And his power and soul are always latent within me!"
"Big talk, for a weakling like you" Seku mocked with a smile, appearing in a second in front of her, ready to poisson her with the deadly venom in his weapon.
"Lilly-nee!" Satya tried to block it in time, but Seku was way too fast.
However, Lilynette easily deviated the spear with the long blade, as she stabbed him with the short one.
"Colmillo de Lobo!" She commanded, making the short blade carve its way into Seku's body, with a powerful green Reiatsu boosting the sharpness of it.
"How...?" Seku was in shock. "How did you see me?"
"I didn't" She coldly muttered. "I just heard you, and... Unfortunately... Smelled you"
Seku pulled the blade out quickly to not feel so much pain and stepped back a bit, not sure how to react.
"You... Bitch!" He spat, like a brat.
"I know" She treated that like an epithet. "Your childish behaviour aside... It's just like I thought. You have no actual experience in combat"
Seku's look seemed to disfigure as he heard the harsh truth.
"It was obvious..." She continued. "Having unimaginably strong allies, you always stayed behind the scenes and used your disgusting Plague to control the weaker links in the enemy lines. I can feel it, you have a great potential, but you've never used it before, so your body cannot nearly fight to its fullest. You're all brains... But nothing else"
"Kghhh..." He made a sound of suppressed rage. "Ahaha... Hahahahahahahahaha!" He laughed madly.
"Did I say something funny?"
"Ah... It's just that, you actually managed to make me worry for a moment, I'm not gonna lie... But those 'dog tricks' won't let you go too far with the power of Pestilence..."
An ominous green and purple smoke started emanating from the spear.
"Tch...!" Lilynette escaped the area, as the gas was clearly a deadly trap.
Stepping back, she regrouped with the other three.
"Lilynette... Sorry for not acting in time" Ashido apologized.
"No, he's just on another league" She confessed. "I didn't tell you guys, but I've had this form for some time now, from the day I realized Starrk was still within me, actually"
"Oh, so that means..." Bryssling deduced.
"Yeah, I'm actually experienced with my Segunda Etapa, I just didn't show it" She confessed. "That, along with the fact that he's not used to fighting is the only reason I stood a chance. His Reiatsu is way more monstrous than what he actually shows, though again... It seems that the most dangerous treat about these enemies are their special abilities"
"Do you have anything in mind, Lily-nee?" Satya inquired.
"Yes, and you're the ace under the sleeve, Satya-kun" She replied. "Just one cut... And he'll be immersed in an illusion, even if it's for a moment, right?"
"Y-Yeah... It normally is, but I wouldn't be so sure"
"Then make sure to embed that spooky Reiatsu of yours in the blade, that won't fail" Bryssling said.
"I..."
"You know how to do it, Satya" Ashido agreed. "I saw you the other day. That sticky black fluid that came out of your blade... It was liquid fear, wasn't it?"
"Yes... It was..." He nodded. "But if by any chance I...!"
"Don't worry about us, Satya-kun" Lilynette smiled at him. "We'll make sure to distract him and dissipate that gas for you. You just focus on your power and your task, I know you can do it"
"If you put it like that... Okay, I'm in" He accepted.
~~~~X~~~~
The battle seemed to be completely in favour of the Alliance, quickly knocking out many of the Ghouls and Reigai, all thanks to the aid of the Arrancar and the two Lieutenants with special training.
While surrounded by the defeat of every respective Reigai Lieutenant (along with the total annihilation of Rukia's and Renji's), Kyouraku and Juushirou had their dark clones in a tight spot as well.
"*pant* You two took this way too seriously, eh?" The Reigai Shunsui spat.
"Looks like despite your dreadful condition, you're still able to speak" The real Shunsui remarked.
"Believe it or not... *pant* Our consciousness is pretty clear" The Reigai Ukitake replied. "The only thing is... We simply can't help this desire to kill!"
"What an unpleasant scenario..." The actual Ukitake commented. "Let's just put an end to their misery and get this over with..."
The two were ready to finish it with no further trouble. However, there was one single Ghoul Reigai that could make that all come to nothing...
With a single hand gesture, the Reigai Captains and Lieutenants that had been defeated rose back to life, countering and going back into the battlefield.
"No...!" Shunsui muttered.
"Why did she have to appear...?" Juushirou shared Kyouraku's thoughts.
With a psychotic look and loose hair, completely out of character (or maybe not), Unohana's Reigai joined the battlefield.
"You were having so much fun, and yet no one invited me..." She slashed Shunsui's and Juushirou's Reigai, just to add blood to Minazuki. "How awful..." She licked the blood from the Zanpakutou.
"Is that really Captain Unohana's Reigai...?" Rukia couldn't believe it.
"How scary..." Renji trembled.
"Yes" None other than Squad 4's Lieutenant replied. "That is without a doubt her Ghoul Reigai..."
With no time to waste, Shunsui decided to give the order:
"Rukia, Renji... I believe you're strong enough to hold her down for a bit. If the Arrancar help me, I'll be able to come to your aid, but for now, take care of that... Just, make sure you don't die"
Rukia widened her eyes at the seriousness of his tone.
Whatever monster they were about to face was one even one of the strongest Captains feared. The situation was as critical as it could get, but there was no one other than them to confront that nightmare.
"We'll do it. Let's go, Rukia!" Renji took the lead.
"Y-Yeah...!" She nodded, a bit nervous.
"BANKAI!" The two activated their sword's final release.
Every Lieutenant became speechless as they felt the power of the three that were about to fight, realizing that they had a long way to go.
"Now... I don't know what this exactly means, but whatever you are... Just by that look you've got there's no way in Hell I'm letting you loose!" Renji told the Ghoul.
"Is that so...? Then you better make sure to destroy me!" She howled, her mad blue eyes staring at them. "But I'm sorry to say... The only ones that can possibly kill me are either myself, Shigekuni Yamamoto, or..." She thought madly about her favourite. "...That man"
"I don't think we can even compare to that level..." Rukia admitted. "But if by doing that we can save the lives of our comrades, we won't doubt. We'll do everything we possibly can to survive"
"Very well... Just to honour that, instead of killing you right away, I'll slowly fill your hearts with despair. I want to see wether what you say is true or not, and for that..." She laughed madly. "I'll give you the pleasure of fighting the worst criminal in the history of Soul Society! Unohana Yachiru!"
"Unohana...?" Rukia muttered confused.
"Yachiru...?" Renji completed.
~~~~X~~~~
"I can feel in my flesh and bones that you are the tough guy 'round here!" Grimmjow smirked as he found himself face to face with the dark-skinned Fallen Angel of War.
"An Arrancar? Good... I've been wanting to take my frustrations out on one of you for a while now..."
"Let me guess, aside from Yama, you also hold a special grudge against our kind?" Harribel told him.
"Nah, it's nothing so deep as that guy. I'm just angry cause I had some trouble with an Arrancar whore the other day..." He rubbed one of his arms with frustration, showing that something had happened to ot., his Reiatsu rising every second.
"A... Whore...?" Ulquiorra got an idea of what he could be referring to. After all, there was only one female Arrancar strong enough to damage a Horseman.
Harribel's eyes were widened as she understood what that meant as well.
"Nel...sama?!" She muttered to herself.
"Are you by any chance... Referring to the Queen of Hueco Mundo?" Ulquiorra inquired.
"Ho? How did you know? Mitsuyo came across that slut a couple days ago, but I thought no one else knew about it" He foolishly revealed the truth.
"I met her before and figured she was the only one that could've cut your arm off" Ulquiorra gambled.
"Damn you...!" He became enraged only hearing that claim. "How in the FUCK?!"
"Because I noticed that it's not as big as your other arm, and the way you acted before gave out that your problem with her had something to do with that. It was obvious"
"Yeah... That bitch denied me my RIGHT as a superior being to play with her a little. What a filthy-"
"Don't you dare say another word!" Harribel threatened, her rage showing in her face like never before. "You have no right to say anything about her... And insulting her is crossing every god damned line!"
"Hm? What's with you? You still worry about her even after she betrayed you?"
"She never betrayed us! She's not herself... And even then, she's still an important person to me and to us all!"
"Well... Giving you a more careful look... You're just as hot as she is... Actually, even better without those scary eyes that skank has..." Kento chuckled. "Why don't you fool around with me a little bit in her place?"
Harribel was about to attack, but Grimmjow stopped her.
"Oi... If you wanna run your mouth 'bout Hueco Mundo's Queen, I know plenty of people who'll break the shit out of you... So quite honestly, I won't even bother" He started saying. "But... If you dare mess with MY Queen...!" His Reiatsu increased exponentially. "You're fucking dead, you hear me?!"
In a blink, the Espada appeared in front of the Horseman and kicked him in the face with a slash of Reiatsu included, wounding from his chest to his neck.
Kento was surprised to be sent flying. Despite him not releasing his sword, it was very difficult to find a being powerful enough to harm him at all.
"Heh... You got me a bit, but this is not even worthy of being called warmup" Kento spat blood and cleaned his wounded lip with his fist.
"And what about this?" Ulquiorra said from behind as he blasted a Cero Luna from point-blank range.
Kento was just in time to block half of the attack with his claymore, still taking quite some damage, but nothing he couldn't handle.
"These Espada are tougher than I imagined they'd be" He thought, frowning. "Maybe I have no choice but to take things seriously"
Before he could continue thinking, Harribel blasted her combined water attack.
"Cascada Hirviendo!"
"Tsk... Whatever, I've got no time for this" The Horseman spouted. "Enlist the soldiers... Mars!"
~~~~X~~~
"There he is. Yamamoto-san!" Arikado called his attention, though the old man simply flew past him, as if that mere intent of help insulted him. "Heh... As proud as always"
"Hey, don't take this as an insult or something of sorts but... Are you sure you have the strength to fight Yama? After all... You were just a Duke" Nageki told him.
"That is true, but I still have a way to change that" He put his hands in a prayer position, chanting something quickly.
From the Heavens, a shining white yet somehow dark armour descended.
"Is that...?"Nageki was a bout to ask.
"When I became a Fallen Angel, Amaterasu-sama took most of my power away, by my own accord, so that Yama never saw me as an actual threat" He explained. "I requested that said energy was embedded in the armour I used to have as an Angel, and that... If I saw myself in the need to use it, I would pray to Amaterasu-sama and ask her to send it to me"
"So you're saying that-"
"Correct. When I fought Kurosaki Ichigo, I didn't even have half of my true power. Back then, I thought that dying was the right path, actually. I thought that... If Yama was to find out I had been my Godess's spy, he would have become even more vengeful towards her, so I believed that my death would actually give her less trouble... But that didn't happen, did it?"
"No, I guess not. I used to think alike, but only in the fact that I sought death" Nageki confessed. "I had nothing to fight for, but a promise I made millions of years ago... Fulfilling that promise, for me... Marked the end of my life, as simple as that"
"I see..." Arikado understood. "Is that the same idea you withold in this moment, though?"
Nageki smiled a bit as he remembered what Nel had told him before.
"You're not alone, Nageki. If you still want to die... That's up to you. But you can always count on the fact that we'll be here for you"
His eyes looked more determined with that memory in his mind.
"At the very least... I'm gonna keep on living until I've fixed my past mistakes" He replied. "And honestly... I'm not doing that to repay a favour, but just because... It's what a friend would do"
"A noble answer. I would enjoy having a cup of tea with you. It's a rare sight... A being with a long enough lifetime to actually share a relatable background, while still keeping his manners. I'd dare say I haven't found that ever since I left Takemagahara"
"Maybe once this is all over..." Nageki agreed, digressing wether they would survive.
Arikado wore his armor, extending his black feathered wings as his original Reiatsu started flowing.
Nageki raised an eyebrow as he witnessed that change. The Fallen Angel was really powerful, probably superior to his own Etapa Final, which despite him not being the fighting type, was a lot to say.
The Arrancar also decided to go straight into his strongest form, so that Yama wouldn't be able to stand a chance. This time, he wouldn't hold back. He would make sure to take the King of Jigoku as far as possible to use his most destructive powers.
Joining Yamamoto as he flew towards the largest Reiatsu of the five great ones they sensed, the three decided the same strategy.
"We'll take him as far as we possibly can from the Seireitei" Yamamoto declared, implicitly accepting the two as his allies in this battle. "For both your Reiatsus, I can tell you'll be able to withstand my Bankai... But I cannot say the same about the rest of Soul Society, or the Gotei at that"
"Our powers also carry that risk" Nageki nodded. "Though we can't forget, Yama's Kamibuki can absorb even the greatest of our powers if we are not cautious"
"Yes, I already explained that to Yamamoto-san" Arikado noted. "We're gonna have to be pathologically cautious in that matter"
"And not even then are we assured of anything" Yamamoto could feel the critical nature of this encounter even before it took place. "The power of the Old Gods is said to be legendary... But I have already faced a being of comparable power in the past" He remembered the face of the 'Father of all Quincies'. "The destiny of this whole world rests in our hands"
~~~~X~~~~
"Collapse... Sakanade" Shinji released his Zanpakutou, seriously staring at the black-haired Fallen Angel.
"You are a scary Captain, Hirako Shinji" Mitsuyo commented.
"Ho? And what is it that you know about me?"
The other Vizards merely stared at the two as they exchanged words.
"I don't like to brag, but I am quite the investigator" Mitsuyo noted. "As you would expect, we know about the general scenario of you all and Aizen Sousuke. However, that wasn't what really surprised me. Sure, Hollow and Shinigami hybrids are interesting, but not nearly as interesting as the power of your Zanpakutou..."
"Sakanade? Yeah, I guess it's not half-bad as a weapon..." Shinji said carelessly.
Despite his words, everyone knew that the 5th Squad Captain was the most dangerous of their group. What they didn't know, was what his Bankai did, exactly.
"Last time... He returned pretty quickly to have taken care of all those Demons..." Hiyori thought. "I can't even imagine what Baldy has up his sleeve"
"You know... I was sent on a mission, one meant to confirm the deaths of all the Princes of Jigoku, as well as the completion of the God-like being, Neberu. It turns out, that none of those things were as surprising as your Bankai, Hirako-san" Mitsuyo said. "The way in which you turned the whole army of Jigoku against itself was both elegant and amusing, I must say. Such move made me understand why you didn't display this ability during your battle in Karakura, despite the decisive nature of said confrontation"
His comrades stared at Shinji in shock.
"They would've become blinded by your power and end up killing each other as well" Mitsuyo concluded.
"What a pain..." Shinji sighed with bother. "If that's all you have to say, can we start already? I'm pretty sure there are people who need our help"
"Hmhmhm... You can try as hard as you want to pretend nothing's going on here" Mitsuyo continued, now showing his true nature. "The truth of the matter is, your true power is the embodiment of egoism. Watching the world burn as you comfortably watch from inside your cocoon. What does this say about your personality? Have you ever cared about those comrades that stand beside you? Your actions and appearance may say yes, but the truth hidden inside that sword seems quite different. No wonder you've never even told them what you could do... You were always ready to dispose of them if things became too dangerous, right? If that's the case, I understand. After all, I would've done the same"
The Horseman of Famine was usually as cold and inexpressive as Ren, but behind that mask, was a cold-blooded sadist that enjoyed psychological torture more than anyone. Just like his Tenshibuki absorbed his enemies' attacks, his being enjoyed absorbing and tasting their darkest emotions.
"Ah, so this is what's all about..." He grinned. "You're trying to turn them against me, just like I did with those Demons, correct?"
"No, no... I don't think I'd be able to get that far... But at the very least, watching those hearts fill with doubt is a very useful tactic" He admitted. "I don't even have trouble saying it cause, even if I do, the seed has already been planted"
Shinji didn't even look behind as he put the Zanpakutou inside the sheath and told his friends:
"If anyone has any doubt about me, go ahead and kill me" He extended his arms, getting in a clearly defenseless position. "Just make sure to kill him as well, afterwards"
Mitsuyo was impressed by the Captain's decision, and out of mere curiosity, let go of the chance to kill him right there.
Was it possible for a man of so many secrets to be trusted blindly by comrades who shared so little in common? Shinji decided to leave the choice to them.
The Vizards behind him, after that hideous revelation, released their Zanpakutous.
He didn't even move as the Reiatsu of the seven rose behind his back.
"I would kill you a thousand times..." Hiyori spat. "But I have no doubts about you, Baldy. We know who you are at your core, and we know you would never do any of the things he says cause..."
Everyone's look became determined and confident.
"...You're just a useless lazy idiot" She concluded.
Shinji grinned again as he heard that, staring at Mitsuyo in the eye.
The next second, they all went against the Fallen Angel at once, ready to return him to the nothingness he came from.
~~~~X~~~~
"Are you sure it was okay to leave your Reigai run loose? If under the influence of that Fallen Angel's Plague, that creature could-"
"I understand your worries, Captain Kurotsuchi, but I believe we have enough backup to handle it, and still... A copy can't possibly achieve the threat level you're imagining" She refuted. "It's like that saying: 'Reality overcomes fiction'. I don't know how true that might be overall, but it certainly applies to this situation"
"If you say so..." He digressed as they arrived to their final destination, standing in front of the Castle. "Anyways, we seem to have way more important matters to attend. You don't always get the chance to dissect the first Shinigami to ever exist, after all..."
"In the name of the Soul King..." Chojiro gasped.
Ren gazed lazily at the two as he closed a book.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see you there" He didn't lie, although he felt their Spiritual Pressure from miles away. "I thought I would be seeing more faces though... Well, maybe my name isn't all that breath-taking anymore"
"No... Quite on the contrary" Mayuri replied. "You are such a celebrity, that I couldn't help but to keep my mouth shut, with the intention to have you all to myself... Unfortunately, I wasn't the only one who got to know"
"Don't worry, you'll be grateful that more people came with you to help, otherwise you wouldn't have a chance to defeat me, nor to scratch me, to tell the truth" Ren spoke.
"Lieutenant Sasakibe, Captain Kurotsuchi, activate your Bankai" Unohana ordered. "I will do the same... If we're left no other choice, of course"
"If you say so, Captain Unohana, I won't hesitate..." Chojiro knew what that meant, a sudden chill going down his spine as he imagined that. "Bankai... Kokou Gonryou Rikyuu!"
Black clouds emerged out of nowhere, covering the area of the Castle in the Sky, and blasting pillars of violet lightnings at Ren, encasing him inside a dome.
"A beautiful Shin'uchi..." Ren praised. "But looks aren't everything. True power comes in the form of establishing laws that limit your opponent's possibilities"
With a single slash of his scythe, Ren sliced the black clouds, dividing the storm itself and showing the blue sky above.
Despite the disappointing effect, Chojiro did not give up, commanding the clouds with his hands to reform, and this time, directing lightnings at him.
Ren could tell the power of the thunderbolts was no laughing matter, so he used a shadowy Shunpo-like technique to dodge each of them.
Not staying behind, Mayuri went ahead and released the true power of his Zanpakutou, as he had given the two Shinigami by his side an antidote earlier, so that they would withstand the poison gas.
"Bankai: Konjiki Ashisogi Jizou!" He summoned the spirit inside the Zanpakutou, who wasted no time spreading the venomous mist that came out of its mouth to the battlefield. "Hahaha! It doesn't matter wether you are a legendary being or not, no one can take this deadly poison without an antidote or a physical modification"
"Is that so?" Ren tilted his head. "You leave me no choice then..." He threw the scythe into the air, its edge receiving one of Chojiro's lightnings. "Bring upon the end...
Death"
A skull-like mask covered the upper half of his face, while his skin went from just pale to bleach white skin.
His black robe was tied with more silver chains and shackles, as his scythe was tied to one of them.
The weapon itself, became a longer double-edged scythe, with a stick made out of pure bone, and a black edge made of the toughest material on Earth, and possibly, existence: Adamantine.
"Now, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I no longer exist by the principles of life" Ren said. "My heart no longer needs to beat, in effect, my lungs no longer need to breathe. Do you see how useless your power has become?"
"This is unreal... To see Kurotsuchi's deadly techniques rendered useless in a mere instant, without even attacking" Unohana thought, amazed in a frightening manner.
Ren expected to see a look of fear or, at the very least, dissapointment on Mayuri's face. However, the 12th Squad's Captain instead of falling into despair, was filled with adrenaline as he encountered said enemy.
"Magnificent! A being who doesn't live by the very principles of life!" He exclaimed. "You are indeed legendary, Shinigami Ren. I'm gonna enjoy every second of this battle, and then, every second of the vivisection I'll be doing in you... Though, are you really alive? That's the first hypothesis we're gonna have to clear!"
"Go ahead" Ren's dark blue eyes shined behind the skull, showing the three the true face of Death. "All I want is to bring death upon this world. If there is possibly a being who can prove to kill Death itself..." He grinned madly for the first time. "...I'd be more than happy to die a thousand times"
Unohana prepared her Zanpakutou, amused beyond belief to find a monster greater than herself.
And we're back! I'm currently in Oslo, and I've had so little time to write. Me and my family have gone everywhere in the city, reason for which I've been waking up at 6-7 more or less, and I'm completely exhausted when I get back at the hotel!
Still, I've made a little effort and stayed up late to be able to continue this fic, as once I get back, University is already expecting me, so I really wanna advance as much as I can before that happens. In no case will I be rushing the story though, so rest assured.
It's cold in here, but I really love that. I was actually disappointed since we're in winter and temperatures have been like -7 at most, but it's good enough. In Kirkenes, my next stop, it is supposed to get to -15, so I'm looking forward to that, although I'm already a bit sick, but I'm blaming the plane (it was practically inevitable in three flights of 4, 15 and 2 hours respectively), let's just hope it's not Coronavirus, lol.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: By the Soul King! Great chapter! Loved this! I'm pretty much semi-speechless on all that has occurred so far in this chapter! Nonetheless, I will say that I enjoyed Yomi's interaction with Pesche and Dondochakka, along with the Arrancar and Soul Reapers! I also had the feeling though that Lilynette wouldn't be so...forgiving like the rest however due to the events that lead to Starrk's (and here's) demise till now. Who knows though? That COULD change, but then again, it WILL take time.
And finally...Ichigo is SO CLOSE! He MUST defeat that fragment of Tsukoyomi! And even if he should fail, well...I just know that Ichigo will pull through somehow in some way! That's just how he is after all. His growth is limitless like Aizen once proclaimed! "You are my greatest experiment, Kurosaki Ichigo..."
Keep this up! Looking forward to more nice you're back from your trip! Have fun!
P.S. Before I go by the way, did you see the upcoming summons for Bleach Brave Souls?! I'm going ALL IN! FOR NELLLL!
Reply: Happy to hear you liked that little part with Yomi. About Lilynette, she doesn't really have a reason to get over it, since Shinigami and Arrancar don't really have reasons to become friends yet, but at the very least, she's keeping her cool to work together in this moment of crisis.
Neither Ichigo nor Nel were directly in this chapter, which is new I think. Probably the only one in which this will happen, but anyways... He's currently fighting Tsukoyomi to both hone his new skills and learn about his powers and to TRY to get Etapa Final in the process, although that is very unlikely at the moment.
P.S. I went all in for Nel too and guess what? Not only did I miss her, but also every other character from the new banner. All I got was fillers and dupes, and I went to the 11th fucking step! Not only that, but god damned KLab releases the banner of Christmas Nel (which I also missed) right afterwards! I swear man, I wanna kill myself AND those bastards right now for fuck's sake...
Anyways, my frustrations aside, I hope you all liked this Chapter, see you next time and... Evhron out.
P.S. The title is in honour of a song (just like every other one), so that's why it's called that. Otani Kou is the composer for the soundtrack of "Shadow Of The Colossus", so just in case you thought it's an original character we haven't seen or somethin', no, this and the other titles are just my way of thanking my main source of inspiration, music.
Glossary:
Colmillo de Lobo: Wolf's Fang.