Toushirou, Byakuya and Kenpachi had defeated their respective Reigai, so they quickly headed towards the rest, who were still battling due to the support of Ghoul Unohana, who had healed them.
Both the Seated Officers and the Captains in that area were struggling against their clones, as they were all on pair with them, and to make things worse, they were back to perfect health.
"Hey, coward" The Ghoul Shuuhei chuckled, attacking with Bakudou 62: Hyapporankan. "Are you ever gonna accept that your Zanpakutou's desire is the same as yours?"
"That's not true! The only thing I desire... Is to follow my own path of justice, based on the teachings Captain Tousen left me... Along with the strength of Captain Muguruma" Shuuhei spat back, dodging the barrage of glowing rods of energy.
"Pathetic... At least I'll be able to enjoy killing you!" The Ghoul attacked, ready to rip him apart with the copied Kazeshini. "And who knows...? Maybe I'll go have fun with Rangiku after I'm done with you!" He spouted with a thirsty tongue out.
"Rngh...!" Shuuhei growled as his copy said something he would never dare mutter. While he felt attracted to the gorgeous Lieutenant of the 10th Division, he still had respect and manners that prevented him from thinking something so indecent, and what's more, saying it with that perverted expression.
The others were in similar situations. Kira, Momo, Tetsuzaemon, Nanao, Omaeda, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rangiku, Isane, Kiyone and Sentarou. Even Nemuri was intercepted by her Ghoul Reigai on her way to the main battlefield.
Under the Castle in the Sky, blood was spilled endlessly among the pieces of ruins of the Soul Society, product of the fierce encounter between the various combatants.
Still, even in such a desperate situation, not everything was lost. They were not alone...
"Reina del Bosque!" Apacci, in her Resurrección, attacked Kira's clone with a powerful charge of red Reiatsu, that took the shape of a giant deer with a great crown of horns.
The Reigai's vicious smile disappeared as it met its end at the hands of the Fracción.
"Th-Th-Thanks..." Kira shyly muttered.
"What's with that? Dude, you gotta man up!" She complained.
A similar situation occurred on the other ends.
"Reina de la Selva!" An orange lioness of Reiatsu completely erased the two Reigai that were tormenting Momo, both clones of her.
"You... Saved me..." She murmured, and then cried as she bowed. "Thank you!"
"Nah, I just did what I was told to do..." Mila Rose said in reply.
Yet in another place, Nanao was about to be crushed by steel beams from her own clone's Kidou, when someone came to her aid.
"Reina del Desierto!" A violet slithering Cero-like attack disintegrated the Reigai Nanao. It looked like a snake, but it had the face of a dragon.
As Nanao opened her eyes again, still in disbelief, she was surprised to see that her savior was a female Arrancar.
"I'm alive...! I... I am very grateful!" She bowed.
"Don't worry about it. We're allies after all, aren't we?" Sung-Sun noted. "That doesn't mean we're friends though"
Loly and Menoly took care of Omaeda's and Tetsuzaemon's Reigai, each Arrancar releasing their Zanpakutou.
"Poison, Escolopendra!" Loly exclaimed, turning into an insect humanoid, reminiscent of a centipede.
"Venom, Escorpión!" Menoly did the same.
Different from Loly, though, in addition to her hands turning into sharp white pincers, she gained a long tail with a penetrating stinger on its tip.
The two attacked at a single Reigai each, Loly at Omaeda's and Menoly at Tetsuzaemon's, to be precise.
Loly's arms went through the Reigai, injecting the deadly poison and disintegrating him slowly.
Menoly, on the other hand, stung her Reigai with her tail, paralizing him to later tear him apart with her pincers.
"Shit..." Tetsuzaemon cursed as he realized that he had been saved not only by an Arrancar, but a girl at that.
"You're welcome! Geez..." Loly corrected him.
"Th-Thank you so much!" Marechiyo got on his knees.
"Y-You're welcome, I guess..." Menoly muttered, uncomfortable due to the pathetic way in which the Lieutenant reacted.
"Let's go, Menoly, we can't leave Princess on her own" Loly told her.
"Yeah, if anything happened..." She gulped.
"I don't wanna think about it either, so let's do our job well"
Orihime, on her part, had succeeded to immobilize the Ghoul clones of Kiyone and Sentarou with her basic powers, so that the two could easily finish them.
Even without releasing her sword, she could still create the same barriers of the time she was a human.
"Thanks, Inoue-san, we couldn't have done it without your help!" Kiyone said.
"I admit that. The first time was hard already, so for this second round I was already beat..." Sentarou confessed.
"No problem, I'm glad I was of help!" She cheerfully said. "Now, I should go help someone else" She ran off, with Sonido.
Ikkaku and Yumichika were clashing endlessly with their evil counterparts, not willing to give up. They simply wouldn't be defeated by a pair of fakers like those.
"I know how much you hate showing your real power... But, it's just... So beautiful!" The Reigai Yumichika said, menacing to do the true Shikai of his Zanpakutou.
"You wouldn't dare...!" Yumichika became pale.
Hey, out of the way!" The two Ikkakus spouted as they continued fighting, passing by the other two.
"I'm gonna kill you first!" Ikkaku said.
"No, I'M gonna kill you first!" The Reigai replied. "Bankai!"
"Fuck!" Ikkaku cursed as he knew what that meant.
If his Reigai was sane, that probably wouldn't have occurred, but under the influence of Seku's Plague, it was expected that his personality was twisted, changing the rules completely.
Just as the two were chanting the forbidden command, someone stopped the two with a roar.
A giant chimera-like beast of brown fur charged into the battle, destroying everything on its path.
"That thing...!" The two Shinigami remembered seeing it in Fake Karakura.
The Tres Bestias were proudly mounted on their pet, each one occupying a different spot. Left shoulder (Mila Rose), head (Apacci) and right shoulder (Sung-Sun).
"Turn those two into dust!" Apacci commanded.
The beast looked at the four, perplexed at the almost equal appearance they had.
"The ones with those strange 'shiny' eyes" Sung-Sun clarified.
Ayon now understood what it had to do more clearly, attacking the two copies, who hadn't managed to release their true power thanks to the Fracciones' intermission, with its hands, tossing them into the air.
"What the-?" The Ghoul Ikkaku protested.
"Now!" The trio ordered.
The chimera easily put an end to the conflict between Ikkaku, Yumichika and their Reigai, blasting a giant red Cero that erased the two beings in a couple seconds.
"Aaarghhh! But... Even my death is so beautiful!" The Reigai Yumichika spouted.
"Oi, what the hell?!" Ikkaku was furious. "That was our battle!"
"I agree..." Yumichika also seemed annoyed.
"How rude...!" Sung-Sun didn't even want to look at them.
"You should be thankful, you were gonna die, you idiots!" Mila Rose shouted.
"We'd rather die than get help... From anyone!" Ikkaku replied.
"Yes. Please don't take this personal, but as members of Squad 11, battle is sacred. We'll forgive you, just because you're not Shinigami, hence you had no way of knowing our rules on this matter" Yumichika elegantly concluded.
"Oh, fuck you!" Apacci cursed. "But don't fret, if there's ever a next time (and I really hope there's not) we'll gladly leave you all by yourselves so you can go and die in peace! Freaks..."
The Fracciones turned their back along with the monster, heading towards the others that still needed help.
Shuuhei, Isane and Rangiku were still immersed in a deadly battle against their Reigai, feeling as if they were facing their own darkness.
"You... Fucking fake!" Shuuhei spouted, trying to defeat his clone with all his might.
"Who's the real faker though? The one who runs away from his destiny or the one that accepts who he is? You should think about that before using such strong words"
The two clashed with their released Zanpakutous, relentlessly looking for an opening to end the fight in a single swing.
"If only I had trained more..." Shuuhei blamed his own lack of strength, despite the clear preparation the Reigai had in contrast.
Before any thought of giving up rose in his mind, however, he remembered how there was something his clone couldn't possibly have.
Removing the bands from his wrists, he threw them at the Ghoul. As soon as the explosion caught him, Shuuhei dashed forward with a rolling swing of Kazeshini, managing to severe one of the Reigai's arms.
"Argh! You... I'm gonna kill you! Kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill kill KILL KILL KIIIIIIILLLLLLLL!"
"Now it is perfectly clear... You are not me, and won't ever be" He declared, ready to put an end to him.
"No... At least... I'm not afraid... Kgh!" He grinned. "Ban...kai...!"
"You scum!" Shuuhei became enraged.
He had never trained his Bankai, although he had already achieved it. This was because of his difficult relationship with Kazeshini, so he feared something terrible could happen if he went ahead unprepared, both physically and mentally.
However, the Ghoul didn't have that fear. He would do anything it took to kill him. Even without nearly mastering the technique, he would risk it all just to see the world burn.
"Fushi no-"
"I don't think so!" Sung-Sun said as Ayon rushed to attack Reigai, crushing it with a devastating punch.
Shuuhei opened his mouth in amazement as he realized who had come to his aid.
The images of the battle in Fake Karakura Town flashed back as he stared at the giant Hollow beast.
"Beat him to a pulp, Ayon!" Mila Rose commanded.
The Fracciones' pet did as he was told and continued punching the Reigai until nothing but a Soul Candy remained.
"Wait... This means you guys are...?" The Lieutenant asked, still surprised to see a previous enemy helping him.
"Yes, we are the masters of Ayon. Did you know him or anything?" Apacci asked.
"That thing almost killed me back in Karakura!" He yelled.
"He did?" Mila Rose didn't seem to care much. "Well, take this as a 'sorry' on his part"
"Tch... Anyways, you DID save my ass... So thank you, I guess..."
"You're welcome... Now, where should we go...?" They looked towards a confrontation between two Bankai of Tengen Myo'o and two shadows that appeared and disappeared all over the place like Ninjas. "Maybe... We should leave them alone. They seem to be handling things well enough"
On a different area though, Isane was having serious trouble with her Reigai, as it seemed to have the upper hand in terms of Kidou expertise.
"Hadou 31: Shakkahou!" The two attacked at the same time.
The Ghoul's attack was stronger than hers, enough to deal her some damage after their collision.
"How is this possible?" She asked herself, noticing that her powers were inferior.
"Now, give me your flesh, your soul, your place!" The evil Reigai demanded as it ran towards her. "Run, Itegumo!"
Just before Isane was stabbed, a yellow energy field protected her.
"This power is...!" Isane knew it.
"Now, let's see if what I learned with Ulquiorra works..." Orihime closed her eyes, and prepared her Zanpakutou, embedding a golden-yellow field on the edge of the blade.
Appearing in front of the Reigai with Sonido, she quickly slashed the Ghoul with her sword, using her special powers at the same time.
"Intervalo!"
Instead of destroying her, the cuts she dealt upon the Reigai had simply divided its body into pieces, not leaving a single drop of blood, thus not dealing any real damage, yet rendering her opponent useless.
"Wow... Thank you, Inoue-san" Isane seemed really grateful. "I would've lost if it wasn't for you"
"It's nothing..." She giggled nervously. "Actually, I was pretty scared too, as I'm not a natural fighter, so I wasn't sure I could make it work, but it looks like it did!"
"What... Is... This...?" The Reigai's detached head muttered.
Isane examined the way in which the Reigai was left.
"This power is unlike anything I've seen... It is alive and yet... Its body is scattered all over the place"
"Yeah I... I don't think I'm ready to actually kill someone, so I thought defeating them was good enough, and my powers allow it so... I'm really happy with what I accomplished"
"Don't worry, I'll take it from here. There's no need for you to stain your hands with blood" Isane assured her, staring at her clone with pity.
"Thank you for understanding" Orihime smiled, a bit shyly due to her inability to kill a more sentient-looking being.
Sure, in the past she had taken care of Hollows, but this was a completely different story. As dark as these Reigai were due to 'The Plague', they still looked similar to people she knew. It was impossible for her to kill them in the same way as she did with the spirit monsters.
"Princess!" Menoly and Loly ran to her.
"Girls, you're alright! Wow, you look really powerful in your Resurrección"
"Thank you" Loly smiled, but became angry right after. "Hey, don't try to flatter me to make me forget the problem at hand!"
"Eh?" She tilted her head in confusion.
"What did we tell you about leaving our side? Wait, what's that?!" She noticed that the woman had the Zanpakutou in her hand. "You were fighting? Oh shit... Please tell me you're okay...!" She checked her. "Do you see anything, Menoly?"
"No, she appears to be unscathed" The blonde replied, sighing in relief as well.
"Thank God..." Loly seemed calmer. "What were you thinking?!"
"Sorry... I just... I wanted to help... And since Ulquiorra had taught me a couple things... I thought I-"
"*sigh* I know, I know... Geez, it's almost impossible taking care of you, Princess" Loly crossed her arms.
"At least she's alright... But please refrain from running off like that again" Menoly requested.
"Okay... I... I'll do my best" She smiled at them, though her answer wasn't convincing in any way.
"And, d-don't get the wrong idea!" Loly reassured. "We're just worried now because our necks are at stake. It's not like we're friends or anything"
"Sure" Orihime giggled, knowing that wasn't true.
Momo and her counterpart were engaged in a fierce battle, when a silver flash passed by, completely obliterating the artificial Lieutenant.
"What the...? What was that...?!" She looked everywhere for the attacker, but failed to see anything.
Only a reptile bloodlust could be sensed.
Finally, the last Lieutenant that was in trouble continued fighting her Reigai, creating a sandstorm with her Zanpakutou's Shikai.
"Was I always so weak...? ~Fufufu~" The last Reigai mocked as she fought back with the same strength. "Now, seriously though, it's no wonder you couldn't save Gin"
"What are you...?!" She became enraged by such venomous words.
"Oh please, don't think I'm trying to provoke you here. I'm just stating a fact. You are lazy, weak and useless. All your empty tears ever got was getting your loved one killed" The Ghoul continued. "You never deserved him"
"That's not true!" Rangiku, angrily, tried to turn her to dust with Haineko.
The Reigai, however, easily saw her lousy rage-powered movements. It had succeeded in upsetting her.
"Is that the best you can do? If that's so, I guess I'll end this quickly" She laughed. "It's ironic even... If only he was alive, I would be so much better for him. Instead of cowering in fear, I would gladly accept him completely. His cold being... His bloodlust... I would love it all. You, on the other hand, were always afraid of him... What kind of woman would be afraid of the man she loves? You're just a pansy bitch"
"I wasn't afraid of him! I just... I just never saw how far he was going... And I didn't get the chance to stop him..." Rangiku tried to comfort herself.
"Fucking liar" The clone chuckled. "You never really knew what he was up to, cause you never had the spine to see it for yourself. You had no chance, but that's due to your own incompetence. You're better off dead, just accept it already!"
"If I died..." She thought, seeing his silhouette walking into a blinding light. "Would then I be able to walk by your side... Gin?"
As Rangiku thought that, exhausted both physically and mentally, she lost track of her Reigai for a second.
A second the Ghoul did not waste as she tried to slit her throat in an instant with a slash of Haineko's sand.
When her blue eyes came back to the real world, everything seemed to be in slow motion as her life flashed before her eyes.
"Shit... Looks like I lost my focus" She realized. "How stupid of me... Falling for such nonsense to a terribly bad copy. Seriously, did she even TRY to use make-up to fix that pale and tired look? Fufu... No... Seriously..." She sighed, looking back on all the things that she would leave behind. "I'm sorry Captain... I never was the hard-working type, and actually, I left like ten piles of undone work" She could even hear his voice scolding her. "I'm sorry, Orihime-chan, guess we won't be able to go shopping anymore" She remembered her friend. "Shuuhei, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji, Ichigo and Kira... I had a blast teasing you all" Those shenanigan-filled times she spent with them had been fun for sure. "And of course, the same goes to all the girls back at the Shinigami Women's Association. Yes, even you, flat-plank Nanao" The severing sand was reaching her neck. "I hope... That we can meet again in this next life... Gin"
She was already feeling a slight pain in her neck when her body was sent flying away from the sandstorm, tossed by someone who had grabbed her by the sleeve of her Shihakusho.
"What...?" Was all she could mutter, falling into the tiled rooftop of one of the houses.
Her senses couldn't respond correctly as the world returned to its usual rythm. No, it was way faster.
The next thing she saw, was that the sandstorm ceased.
All that was left, was the corpse of her Reigai, slowly disappearing until it only left a pink Soul Candy and the mysterious masked Arrancar.
"That is... Kitsune...san...?" She remembered.
The Arrancar's clothes were a bit dirty, indicating that the Ghoul Rangiku had tried to fight back. On closer inspection, his mask was also damaged, having a fissure right in one of his eyes, allowing her to see a trace of his sky-blue orb, staring right at her.
"That look... Those eyes... No" She denied it, as it wasn't logically possible. "I must be seeing things... After going through all that... Yeah, that must be it"
Gin passed his hand through the mask, wondering why she stared at him so much.
Exactly. A crack. One big enough for her to see his iris clearly.
And he could feel it. Her eyes like rapid rivers over him, searching him.
Like he could deal with it, like he could take it... Everything... And lose her too.
"Hmph..." He chuckled in disbelief. "So you still remember these eyes... These cold reptilian eyes... Rangiku" He murmured, only to himself. "Very well then..."
With her safe, Gin was ready to go where Harribel had requested him earlier, supporting the Vizards against the Horseman of Famine.
"If I survive... I promise I'll tell you the truth" He vowed to her, despite the strawberry-blonde girl not hearing him.
He turned around and used Sonido as he disappeared into the sky, ready to face one of the people responsible for endangering her.
It was simply unforgivable.
~~~~X~~~~
The three allies looked ti the same spot as a soul-shattering Reiatsu was released, clearly on purpose.
"Yama..." They thought at the same time.
"Sorry for the wait... But I had to make sure that I was in top condition for such implacable challengers" Yama said with pride as he saw the trio of legends.
The once strongest Archangel under Amaterasu's command.
The immortal Arrancar, and Primera Espada of Mugetsu.
And last but definitely not least, the strongest Shinigami in the Seireitei, the one who had Commanded the 13 Guard Squads for more than a thousand years.
"How dare you show your face in this World?" Yamamoto criticized. "After all these years of peace... What is the point of bringing it all to the ground?"
"Oh... I see you're upset due to the damage I caused your precious Soul Society. Sorry about that, but I really needed to get you all out of the way in order to calmly extract the Ouken from Karakura... If only there was a way to get one more easily..."
"I'm glad there's none. Cause then, what's next? You'll just destroy the Soul King and take his power, am I wrong? Arikado-san already informed us of your power and intentions, so there's no way I'm gonna sit back as you destroy everything we've constructed" Yamamoto declared. "I've seen this world rise back from the ashes many times, stronger after every cataclysm! I won't allow someone like you to destroy what we have"
"Someone like me? Hahaha... I remind you, Captain Commander, that I am an Old God. I may have been banished, but my authority is absolute" Yama replied, full of pride.
"That is not true. Amaterasu-sama made sure that we all stayed in Takemagahara and Tentei... So that the world of mortals would only belong to them. The Soul King stabilized the three worlds by starting the Soul Cycle, which is why they are this way today. You have no authority outside of Jigoku and the Togabito" Arikado clarified, easily refuting his claim.
Yamamoto stood in silence as he heard the actual truth. The worlds hadn't been created by the Soul King, but just stabilized by him. He knew that said truth was just a fabricated statement made by the Four Noble Families upon the foundation of Soul Society as everyone knew it, in order to avoid any rebellious intent towards the Soul King and their system.
Despite that, the Captain Commander wanted to protect peace above everything else. If people had to live a lie in order to maintain their current lifestyle, so be it.
"Whatever... I will not discuss authority with a servant like you" Yama looked down on him. "Besides, do you really think you can possibly stop me? Your powers are useless against me"
"I wouldn't say that... After all, you had a pretty bad time with my special attack the other day, don't you think?" Nageki reminded him.
"Hahah... You... You are asking me to kill you so damn badly..." The God was outraged by the comment.
"Go ahead. It's what I've wanted all along" He smiled, his fuchsia eyes glaring at him. "It's true... It might be impossible for us... But I'll make sure that he can kill you in case we don't" The Arrancar thought, scheming a counter-strategy, in case a full fledged assault failed.
"I'll make sure to extinguish your whole race after I'm done with everything!" He got the double-sided Katana out of its sheath, increasing the pressure in the area.
"Transform... Alquimista: Etapa Final" Nageki released his power, and turned his body into Adamantine.
"Open the gate of the Abyss... Abaddon" Arikado's wings became larger and an army of Reiatsu locusts joined him. These ones couldn't poison the enemy, but depended only on his own Reiryoku, so the other's attacks wouldn't affect them for as long as it didn't affect him. "It's time for the real fight..."
The locusts swarmed over him, but keeping their distance, reducing his visibility but not giving him the chance to absorb their power.
"Cautious, aren't we? No matter" Yama said to himself, already thinking of a way for that to work in his favor.
A gray fog filled the air, now completely nullifying his chances to see what was going on beyond the swarm of locusts and above clouds.
A point blank explosion quickly showed him the way things were going, sending him really far from his previous location, and in the place if arrival, someone was already expecting him with a really warm welcome. One that burned as hot as the core of the sun itself
"Bankai... Zanka no Tachi"
~~~~X~~~~
"Yo, are you even trying or what?" Shinji mocked as Mitsuyo seemed really disoriented.
Even with his eyes closed (in order to prevent the most distracting sense), the Fallen Angel's sense of pain and location were inverted as well. After a whole life fighting, many actions become a reflex based on your basic senses, and that's what failed him the most in that situation.
The masked Shinigami seemed to come from nowhere as they dealt him damage, slowly, but certainly effectively.
While he could absorb their Reiatsu as soon as they used an actual attack, there was no chance for him if they were just using melee weapons as well.
Blocking attacks out of pure luck, he knew he wouldn't be able to take it much longer. Eight against one was a very bad scenario, even for him, so he was left with a single option to get out of that predicament.
"Starve them to death... Hel" Mitsuyo commanded, releasing a power that would invert the current situation.
He extended five pairs of black wings as a golden armour with dark blue ornaments encased him, showing his might as one of the Four Horsemen.
Finally, getting the two blades on his back out, one of red handle and the other one of blue, he activated the first ability that would help him.
"Informal Gluttony" Suddenly, everyone felt how their Shikai was cancelled and a portion of their Reiatsu had been drained.
"What did he...?" Kensei was in shock.
Mitsuyo's wounds healed in an instant, showing how their previous efforts had been futile.
"Itadakimasu!" He said coldly. "Your Reiatsu is pretty tasty I must say. Maybe that mixture between Shinigami and Hollow gives it that special touch... Wouldn't you agree?"
"Tch... Let me guess. You sealed every Zanpakutou in your Reiatsu's area?" Shinji asked, just for confirmation.
"Not exactly. It's more like... I ate your Zanpakutou's abilities and you're never using them again" The Horseman replied.
All the Vizards stood there, shocked by such an unbelievable declaration.
"You're kidding me!" Hiyori spat, her eyes widened.
"Nope. This is an ability I rarely use, in fact, cause I have to use a lot of my Reiryoku. However, your Zanpakutou's ability didn't leave me other choice. Right now, your spirits are all inside my swords, and as long as I'm alive... Well, let's just say you're as good as a Samurai"
"My music...!" Rose seemed completely maddened by the thought of losing his powers.
"How unfair..." Lisa bit her lip.
"And what is fairness, if I may ask?" Mitsuyo questioned her. "Eight against one? Under these conditions... Maybe it was fair cause... What is real justice? Is there something like it, or is it all just an approximation? Maybe, the end justifies the means? Or maybe not... But that's not what I'm here for" He concluded. "The truth behind my power, is that it all comes to nothing in the scheme of things. You're unable to use even your Shikai, and at the same time, you cannot use any form of Kidou cause I'll take advantage from it. In your case, Hollow powers are out of the question as well. You're as good as human against me, and let me tell you... There is no human who can beat an Angel... And even less a Fallen one"
"Tsk... Bastard" Love muttered.
"Mashiro is super angry" She pouted.
"So... Are you just gonna give up, or are you going to try something reckless? Whatever choice is fine with me" Mitsuyo carelessly said.
"Very well then..." Shinji sighed, putting the empty Sakanade back in the sheath. "Let's go home, everyone"
"What? You're just gonna leave him all by his own?!" Hiyori spat in reply. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"
"If you wanna fight, go ahead, but it's stupid..." He retorted. "If anyone's got a chance, it's probably Kensei and Mashiro who are good with Hakuda. For the rest of us it's just suicide"
"But...! But...!" She didn't have anything logical to refute that idea. "That's what a coward would do!"
"Yeah, it is... But at least a coward's gonna live on and tell the story"
"There is no story to tell if these guys conquer it all, bald imbecile!"
"Idiotic midget!" He spat back, knowing what that would create.
The two continued quarreling endlessly, easily taking the spotlight. Even Mitsuyo seemed to be caught by their argument, despite its childish nature.
So caught... That he didn't even see it coming when a long blade passed through his body.
"Kgh...! What in this world...!?" Mitsuyo muttered as he looked back.
"Hi hi!" Gin saluted carelessly, taking off the Kitsune mask as he mocked the Fallen Angel. "Sorry to keep you waiting, but I had to take care of a couple things before coming to your party. Everyone seems to be having fun, although a little disagreement seemed to pop up... That's unfortunate, but these kind of things are what makes parties lively as well, just the right touch to add some spice, don't you think?"
"Everyone, turn him into shreds!" Shinji commanded.
He had planned to use Gin as a backup plan since the very moment they had gone without him. Honestly, he wasn't sure what kind of situation they would be immersed in, but he had heard from Urahara and other Captains that he was especially gifted for stealth and surprise appearances, so much that he was a natural-born assassin. Such an ally was surely an outstanding trump card to play at his favor, and it had been a complete success.
Mitsuyo quickly escaped the blade, harming his body greatly in the process, but immediately healing it with the Reiatsu he had stored before, though this meant it was only becoming less and less, so he wouldn't be able to tolerate many more attacks like those.
He activated his Tenshibuki, one sword catching fire and the other one being cloaked in water.
He sliced the air, throwing waves of fire and water at the Vizards and the Arrancar as they all moved around him, waiting for the right moment to strike.
Hachigen, not being directly in combat, followed his companions' movements really closely, ready to create a barrier if necessary.
"Shinso" Gin giggled as he shot the blade at Mitsuyo.
While it wasn't nearly as fast as his original Zanpakutou, the way in which Basilisco could contort and follow the enemy for a long distance was a great ability as well.
Mitsuyo was having trouble at first, but as the seconds went by, he got more accustomed to the way of fighting the Vizards had.
His speed was still far superior to that of the Vizards, even with their masks on, so it wasn't all that hard to dodge their attacks, even with their numerical superiority. However, even with that sensation, he couldn't help but feel that there was more going on around him than just what he was able to grasp at the moment.
"I won't let them win, that's for sure. No matter how hungry for victory they are..." Mitsuyo thought, creating a hurricane of flames and two cyclones of water.
Hachigen protected his friends who were in the line of fire (literally).
As they were all distracted with the great destructive attack, Mitsuyo decided to start the ritual that, he believed, would grant him victory.
He quickly made his way towards Hachigen, absorbing his Reiatsu as his guard was down.
"Tarnished Gluttony" He said as he stabbed him in the back, making him collapse.
"Hachi!" Hiyori went to his aid, attempting to attack Mitsuyo.
The Horseman, instead of dodging, showed her where did they get their title from. "Come forth... Famine"
A black horse with gold armour intercepted her, protecting its master.
"So that's why they are known as Horsemen" Gin realized.
Mitsuyo chuckled as he finished extracting the Reiryoku he needed, leaving an unconscious and badly wounded Hachigen to fall to his demise.
"Hiyori, take him to Orihime-san, now!" Shinji ordered.
She nodded, determined to save him, using all her might to take the Vizard to the girl as quickly as possible.
"Wait... Why would you do that?" Love inquired, angered, but confused as well. "You can't use that Reiatsu for attacks, and you are completely healed... What are you trying to get?!"
"That... Is correct. Although, I'm afraid to reveal that my greatest feat does not require any form of energy..." He stabbed himself in the stomach, gruesomely letting the dark blood out. "But... A sacrifice... Of flesh..."
"This doesn't look good..." Lisa could tell.
"At all" Rose agreed.
A dark red aura started coming out of the Horseman's body, and Famine, the horse, was being absorbed by said aura as well.
"It's been such a long time since I've used it... And don't worry, I won't use nearly as much power... As I would on an apocalyptic scale..." He panted. "But it will be just enough... To return you all to nothing..."
"What is he...?" Kensei was bewildered by that claim, oblivious about the way in which they could react.
"I don't know... Arikado-san didn't say much about him..." Shinji admitted his ignorance. "But based on his previous attacks, it wouldn't surprise me if he could take all the Reiryoku from our bodies"
They all were shocked by said possibility, and unfortunately, it was a plausible development after all they had witnessed.
"But then we would...!" Lisa muttered in disbelief.
Mitsuyo left his emotionless expression in the past as he smiled with a sadistic look on his eyes.
"That's it... Feed me fear..." His tongue came out with an evil grin. "Feed me fear as it all comes to an end..." The red aura melted his two blades as a sphere of dark red plasma was starting to form on top of his head.
"Ragnarok"
~~~~X~~~~
Kento had also gotten an armour of copper and orichalcum as he extended his tragic wings into the fierce battle with the three Espada.
His Claymore was charged with a powerful red, orange and yellow Reiatsu that looked like a rising fire as he swinged it proudly.
"Aegis" The Fallen Angel commanded, creating an arsenal of various Reiatsu-based cannons and blasters, as well as a tactical barrier, made of square-like pieces of Reiatsu.
"Cero Volcánico" Harribel attacked.
The squares instantly moved and regrouped to protect Kento from her beam completely.
"Just like I thought..." Ulquiorra said, indicating that he already had an idea of what their adversary's ability was like.
"What do we do then, Primera?" Grimmjow scoffed as he waited for a command from his superior, showing his unwillingness to have him in charge.
"Just like my Zanpakutou... We must enclose the enemy. No matter how versatile that barrier is, if we are able to overwhelm him, we'll be able to deal some good damage" He calmly replied, showing that he had no interest in a pointless quarrel with him.
Kento, without any delay, came after them, swinging the heavy claymore and leaving a trail of Reiatsu explosions in the process.
"Tsk... That's easier said than done!" Grimmjow retorted as they dispersed to dodge the assault. "You can't pretend to pull that shit off with this guy blowing up everything in his path!"
"That's why you have a plan... Right, Ulquiorra?" Harribel inquired, hoping to receive a positive answer, as Grimmjow had a point.
Ulquiorra could clearly see the mark in Grimmjow's Hollow Hole. There was only one way to put that ideal strategy in practice.
"Yeah... I do" He suspiciously answered. "For now, I wanna see what this guy's fully capable of... But then, that moment will come" He thought, gazing at his two fellow Espada. "Harribel, come with me. We'll attack from two flanks at once. Grimmjow, I want your support from the distance, is that alright?"
"Whatever..." He clearly wanted the front line, but even he had to admit that the difference in power was too great to even try said plan. "I'll slash him to bits from here!"
"Whatever you say..." Ulquiorra rolled his eyes. "Let's go, Harribel"
"Yes. Do I give it my all or...?"
"I'd tell you to take it easy if we were facing a known threat. But unfortunately... That's not the case, is it? So just make sure that you have enough to keep fighting for a while"
"Understood" She nodded, advancing into the enemy's area with both decision and caution, spinning her trident with boiling water.
Ulquiorra did the same from the other side, forcing Kento to act quickly in order to protect himself.
Shooting endlessly with the blasters, Kento quickly became ecstatic, as if witnessing the beginning of the apocalyptic war he and the other members of the Four Horsemen desired.
Not only that, but the clashing Reiatsu of the other encounters at the time only fed this sensation more and more. Nothing could snap away the thought of destruction, death and violence becoming eternal.
Kento's dream was living a perfect war. Seeing opposite factions fighting to prove their superiority in a conflict that lasted for evermore.
"Perfect war forever!" He said as he battled against the three Espada, blocking direct hits from Ulquiorra and Harribel with his weapon and his arms as his barrier took care of Grimmjow's ranged attacks.
Kento was an idiot, but he was clearly an eminence in the art of fighting. His senses were always sharp, and the way in which he could keep himself cool as he faced various powerful enemies at once was simply a feat to admire.
Ulquiorra carefully analized the moves of his enemy, trying to decode a series of patterns in an intent to find a more tangible strategy as he continued fighting with Chauve-Souris.
Harribel did the same, alternating attacks from Megalodon and her cannon-like arm, in hope of finding a weakness or, at least, an opening in the unbreakable stance of her adversary.
Kento could feel his blood boiling with adrenaline as the Espada became more aware of his movements, learning fast and not leaving anything to chance. They were fighting machines, and he was proud of that. In fact, of all the races, the one Kento mostly liked was that of Hollows, due to their intrinsic violence and their warlike way of life.
For him, it was a pity that such a formidable fighting species would come to an end under Yama's plan. Even so, Kento would gladly fight Yama in an intent to stop him, even knowing that he would die if he took said decision, cause he believed Hollows were the only beings that would be able to create the war he ached to witness and, if possible, participate, so with them gone... He would rather be gone as well, although a war against the Angels also seemed tempting.
"This is getting interesting! As a reward, let me show you what makes me a Horseman! Come, WAR!" A horse of fiery red fur protected by an Orichalcum armour came out of his Reiatsu's aura, its copper horseshoes sounding like cannonball blasts.
The horse went straight for Grimmjow, leaving clear that it wouldn't allow the three Espada to go as they pleased anymore.
"Fuck!" Grimmjow cursed as the horse attacked him. "This thing is far more dangerous than it looks... But I'm not quitting! I'm gonna keep slashing 'til you're nothing but smithereens!"
Kento laughed as he continued fighting the other two Espada, all while watching his pet battling Grimmjow.
"Don't worry, I was just teasing you a little! This is what horses are for!" Kento said, blowing Ulquiorra and Harribel away with an explosion of his claymore.
The next moment, War came galloping at him, and as soon as the two came in contact, am explosion of the same fire-like Reiatsu of before surprised the three.
Out of the fire, came Kento, fused with his horse, like a centaur.
On each of the horse-body's sides were blasters, and the humanoid part of Kento still had his gigantic blade with him, along with an automatic crossbow he had in his other hand.
"Full offensive, that's the way I like it!" Kento said as he shot a barrage of flaming arrows of Reiatsu at Ulquiorra, while slashing his claymore at Harribel, all at the same time as the blasters were shooting yellow beams at Grimmjow.
"He's the real deal... A way more complicated foe than I imagined" Ulquiorra thought. "There's only one way..."
Harribel was completely focused on Kento as ahe clashed her trident with his Claymore, barely standing on her feet as every hit seemed to be stronger.
"Kgh... If this doesn't stop... I don't know how much more I can possibly take!" She thought desperately. "But one thing's for sure... I won't be defeated by him, or any horseman at that. I won't let men who take Nel-sama's form so lightly attain victory!"
The Horsemen were a lot older than even Yukari, obviously, but for Harribel, the fact that there was someone who could transform into a centaur without her master's elegance and mercy was simply unforgivable.
She was clashing the trident with more and more strength as she thought about that, berzerk out of pure anger and frustration.
"Yes! YES YES YES YES YES YES! That's more like it! Just keep going further with more and more violence! That's what you were born to...!"
And that comment, suddenly made her snap.
All the teachings of Nelliel as well as her own ideas were being slammed by that impulsive behaviour. She was becoming an uncontrollable beast just like any basic Hollow. She wouldn't accept that.
"No... I must... Be better than this!" She told herself as she remembered the elegant yet rich style of fighting her predecessor had taught her.
She dodged the last slash of Kento, and countered by jumping with a somersault over the Horseman's head, spinning her body with her trident being held firm, creating a whirlpool of boiling water.
"Remolino Hirviendo!"
The frenzy mass of water swallowed Kento as she stood in the sky, calmly waiting to see the results of her efforts.
Unfortunately for her, before she could take a deeper breath, a powerful hand came out of the cyclone and grabbed her by the neck. Kento had escaped.
"Gah...!" She gasped as she was being strangled.
"No, Tier!" Grimmjow yelled, going to her aid.
But no matter how much he felt it, mere will or desire to protect was not enough to face an enemy so much greater to him.
Kento easily dispatched him, sending him flying with an explosive red flame.
Grimmjow, however, would not dare give up. Harribel was in trouble, he didn't care about anything else. That being the case, he was ready to swallow his own pride and ask for help, as we would not risk losing her.
"C'mon Ulquiorra, help me with this piece of shit! Tier's gonna get killed!"
"No" He coldly retorted.
Grimmjow's eyes froze in place as he heard the negative reply.
"The fuck did you just say?!"
"I said no, Grimmjow. There's nothing we can do..." He shook his head. "I'd love to say it's not your fault, but in fact it is..." Ulquiorra sighed. "...You're weak"
His teeth were pressed with anger and his lip trembled a bit.
"W-Weak...?!"
The Primera turned his back on Harribel, leaving the battle slowly.
"I'll go wait for Ichigo... As for you, you should just give up. Don't worry, no one will judge you. Everyone knows you weren't up to the task... And don't get the wrong idea" He clarified. "It's pitiful to lose a formidable comrade like Harribel, but I'm not gonna stand here and suffer a meaningless death just because one of my allies wasn't strong enough"
"No... You gotta be shittin' me...! You are the only one that can help me!"
"Wrong" Ulquiorra dismissed. "I'm the only one who's actually able to do something... Cause right now, in this opportunity, you're useless, Grimmjow"
"Use...less...?!" He couldn't even process it.
His eyes quickly went back to Harribel as she was starting to pass out.
"Grimm... Jow..." She muttered as she was being asphyxiated, her face showing a look of despair and sadness unseen in her, especially in that form Grimmjow admired.
If only he could do something, anything. If only he had a single possibility of saving her.
"For fuck's sake... FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!" He cursed his own inability.
"Yeah, that's it. Keep cursing your own weakness as your beloved dies a horrible imminent death..." Ulquiorra whispered swiftly, only increasing the contempt inside Grimmjow's heart. "Or... You can choose to fight, not like the beast you've always been, but like the man you have become"
That made the panther Arrancar finally understand what Ulquiorra was doing.
"So that's it..." At last, he could comprehend. "I was so damn blind... I remember what that weird voice said, and now that I'm here, seeing it with my own eyes, it's all true..." He thought, his heart starting to beat faster and faster. "I hate being weak, Tier... Because that means...!"
Ulquiorra smirked proudly as he witnessed the moment of truth.
"...I WON'T BE ABLE TO PROTECT YOU!" Grimmjow roared, severing Kento's arm with a strength unlike any he had ever bestowed in the past.
"What the...?!" Kento was surprised by that as well.
With the blonde woman in his arms, almost completely out of oxygen, an explosion of black and blue Reiatsu illuminated the area, ending in a white flash.
~~~~X~~~~
Lilynette and the other's continued facing the weakest Horseman, who was having trouble handling the four.
"I'm getting tired of this..." Seku thought with tedium. "It's time I show you true despair!"
He stepped back with his lance, using the aura of his horse, Plague, to use his most powerful ability.
"Sebitti" He said, commanding seven different familiars to appear.
"What the hell are those?" Bryssling spouted, looking at the god-looking like beings with intrigue and caution.
"Let me introduce you to my personal guard. Instead of showing you my horse like the others... I have my own way of using that power, and let me tell you, it's by far the most beautiful!"
"You talk too much" Lilynette said bored as she attempted to slash him with her two swords.
Two of the familiars intercepted her with their bronze weapons, one embedded with Light and the other one with Darkness.
"Nice try, Inu-gal, but these Seven lower Gods will protect me no matter what, and they're really tough to beat as we, so this is pretty much settled. You don't stand a chance"
"What did you just call her...?" Satya asked with disgust, the black thick fluid going out of his long sword.
"Oh, my bad. Should I just refer to her as bitch? It's technically correct after all" Seku shrugged with a mocking expression drawn on his lips.
"Let's go!" Ashido commanded, Bryssling and Lilynette following, as they all knew that things were about to get serious, cause Satya wasn't fucking around.
They were all stopped by the Sebitti, but that allowed Satya to focus on Seku while the others took care of the guardians.
Seku's smile started trembling as the Espada stared at him with his bright golden eyes, full of hate.
"Hey, you know... I was just... Fooling around a bit, that's all! I-I never meant to actually...!"
"No. You meant that and more, I can tell" Satya coldly retorted. "So for everything you said to insult her, I'll make sure to give you a nightmare you won't ever be able to forget..."
Seku, despite his sudden moment of fear, cooled his head for a moment and wholeheartedly accepted the challenge, preparing his spear.
"I see you have no intention of forgiving me so... I might as well prove you that even in my inexperience, I am a far superior being! It's only natural that I can make fun of you or your girlfriend"
"You can babble all you want..." Satya advanced with Sonido, swinging the black sword of liquid fear, not.caring about a single word that came out the Fallen Angel's rotten mouth. "But I'm not gonna let you get away with this!"
Sorry for the delay, but I was on a cruise for a whole week through the fjords of Norway, and now I'm in Scotland and, although I stay at a hotel and all, believe me when I say that I'm all day out visiting places and stuff, which is great and really inspirational, but it's not good for writing at the rythm I (and you might as well) am used to. Still, it's been a great trip, and I've been able to work anyways, just a lot slower.
Next Chapter we'll reach the conclusion concerning the Four Horsemen and the remaining Reigai (Urahara I'm looking at you), so that will be the last "boring" Chapter (cause I know you all just wanna see Ichigo to come back) although a couple interesting things DID happen in this one, but honestly... I can't wait for the main course of this conclusion to arrive either.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Whoo! Great chapter! And yea, I know the feeling of not being able to summon the right character on BBS sometimes... why you do this KLab?!
But I digress. Another great chapter! Looking forward to more!
Reply: That shit always happens, especially with my dear Nelliel I'm afraid, but all I can do is pray and get all the orbs I possibly can.
See you all next time! Evhron out.
P.S: I changed the names of the weapons of the Four Horsemen to have more variety, so they come from different mythologies. Now only the horses are named after their actual title, although Death remains the same, cause that's how Christianism/Mafia works.
P.S.2: I know that Nanao's and Kira's Reigai were already dead after accompanying Kagerouza, but the ones that appear in this Chapter were spares he left in Soul Society just in case, hence they became Ghouls.
Glossary:
Intervalo: Interval. Division or space between something. This ability is very similar to how Trafalgar D. Law cuts people in pieces with his Devil Fruit without harming them.
Reina del Desierto: Queen of the Desert.
Reina del Bosque: Queen of the Forest.
Reina de la Selva: Queen of the Jungle.
Remolino Hirviendo: Boiling Swirl.
Sebitti: Sumerian mythology. Seven lesser Gods created by Marduk to serve as the weapons of Erra, God of Plague.