Once the smoke was finally cleared, they realized what had just happened.
It was another Demon Lord in her demonic form. As they spotted fire, they realized it must have been the one who had been fighting with Luetha before she turned, the Demon Leader of Magiks, Firiat. Her form was like that of a fox, with a long and thin muzzle, slanted eyes of sinister gold, and long ears ending in a blazing tuft. Her fur was a deep crimson, her belly and lower arms and legs were scaled with black edged in white, her long bushy tail tipped in a scarlet fire that ran up her spine to her head. Sneering, she showed off her row of razor pointed teeth as she stepped forwards on her hind legs, her body still somewhat human with a feminine shape.
"Oops, my claws got stuck." She snickered as she held up both hands.
Impaled on each one was a Soul Reaper; Ikkaku and Yumichika. They were holding on just enough to glare at her fiercely, but her claws had severed nerves, leaving them paralyzed.
"Ooh, what fierce expressions." A sneer revealed her fangs even more. "Gets me excited."
"You bitch!" Karin sent flames at the demon, but Firiat continued to just laugh as they passed harmlessly over her.
"I was an Elementalist too, if not as powerful as Ruala, and once I became a demon I became immune to elements like Fire and Lightning!" She sneered, dropping the two Soul Reapers to free up her hands. "You can't do anything to me, brat."
"But we still can!" Rangiku snapped, gathering her ash around her. "Bankai!"
As the ash grew in volume, swirling angrily around her, Ichigo leapt at the fox demon, already in his Bankai and clashing hard with Firiat. Startled by the brute strength behind the man, she chose to back off, preferring speed over strength. Now that she wasn't near the two Squad Eleven members, they were carefully picked up and taken from the field, Ichigo lingering to make sure of that before trying to engage the Demon Lord once more. Sparks danced at her feet as she matched his intense speed, laughing as she dodged around his strikes. Not many could outpace Ichigo's Bankai, and the fact that she could concerned them.
"Ichigo, I've got it!" Rangiku called out, her ash converging onto the demon as she Flash Stepped forward, possessing a weapon once more with claws over her hands made of blackened metal, an appearance of molten rock on them with ash seeping off of them.
"Heh, you think ash scares me? I make plenty of that!" Firiat sneered, allowing Ichigo to back off as Rangiku approached, curious about the woman's goal. Ash was nothing but a product of fire, of which she had just told them she was immune.
"But you need air to do it." The lieutenant scowled. "Schrodinger's Vacuum!"
The converging ash twisted into a vicious tornado, circling tighter and tighter into a solid wall, hiding the demon from sight within its gray clutches, sucking out all air within it. The fox demon was impressed, watching the fire on her body nearly go out, her lungs panicking at lack of oxygen. But she was still outwardly calm.
"Hell's Ash!" Wanting to ensure the defeat of the demon, knowing by definition that her last move may not actually kill, especially someone this powerful, Rangiku unleashed another attack. This one added on to the vacuum tornado, this time adding in swords of solidified ash, reverting to a molten rock state before stabbing into the vortex not unlike a magician stabbing swords into a box with someone inside. The space was tight and the swirling ash preventing no escape… it had to have worked.
But they all knew it hadn't. They could still sense the bright demon fire of Firiat.
"Rangiku back away!" Shuhei shouted in panic.
She responded quickly, narrowly missing claws across her throat as Firiat shot out of the tornado cloaked in blazing golden flames. Rather than giving chase as Rangiku regrouped with everyone else, furious, Firiat took a moment to breath in fresh air.
"Nice one, I had to use the iron in my blood for these flames." Firiat snickered, her flames returning to a normal fiery orange as they had access to oxygen again. "I'll need to replenish that… so I'll take one of you guys as payment!"
"The iron in her blood?" Someone wondered aloud, baffled, before tensing as Firiat charged forward again, hungry and out for blood.
Toshiro could only assume that if she had to use her own blood to escape the vacuum unharmed with flames, she was going to be a bit weaker, perhaps disoriented enough to make mistakes. Now was the time to pressure her and take her out, before she consumed any souls and recovered. They needed to find where her heart was hidden and destroy it. Those with flame and electric based abilities were keeping back, unsure how to be of any help with her immunity, and Karin especially looked frustrated.
He turned back to where the healers held back, guarded by Ruala and Tenjiro, the two guardians looking like they wanted to help fight but needed to stay back as healers with Squad Four and the foreign healers. Both of them also had abilities that would be beneficial against Firiat, with Ruala having elemental knowledge and Tenjiro able to manipulate water, though he said such an ability was less useful when it wasn't the water of his hot springs, a major part of his healing ability. He couldn't ask them to step away though when so many needed aid. Kenpachi pulled away from the irritated Tenjiro and stomped angrily towards the Demon Lord, ready to pay her back for harming his subordinates.
He hurried to join the fight, the demon barely noticing an extra among her opponents, tearing away at whoever she could get to. She finally managed to latch onto a poor soldier not fast enough to escape her… and to their horror she was quick to begin devouring him, his body gone in moments.
"Ah, that's a start, I'll just need a few more of you." She licked her bloodied lips with a sinister giggle, eyes looking for the next among the weakest she could snatch and gorge herself on, desperately needing iron before they overwhelmed her.
Toshiro was about to step in as well when a hand held him back.
"You've used enough energy, save it for when the doors are opened." It was Tenjiro, the healer having tried to hold down Kenpachi but giving up since he had patients with worse injuries to deal with, pausing only to stop his king from weakening himself.
"I can't just sit back and watch them die." Toshiro argued, scowling.
"I understand you want to help them but you have to remember that your life is more valuable. She may not kill you but I doubt she's just going to let you kill her, don't make it easier for their master to take you out."
Though unhappy, Toshiro had no argument. He could only put his faith in his friends to pull through and deal with this demon same as they did the other.
There was an irritated screech from Firiat as she backed away from those attacking her, baring her teeth at Kenpachi who almost mirrored the look back at her.
"Those were my best men." The Squad Eleven Captain snarled. He was angry because Ikkaku and Yumichika had survived but were likely to never fight again due to their injuries, not unless Orihime could reverse the damage once she came with the rest of the force. They had been taken out of the fight without the chance to die in battle, an insult to men of battle. Firiat had practically spit on their honor, and he wasn't about to have that.
"Oh boo hoo, it's not like I killed them yet." The fox demon sneered.
"That's the problem, brat, warriors either win or die!" He leapt forward and his blade struck against her surprisingly armored tail which she used like a shield. She had a smug look, but she was unaware that his countless battles with Ruala had honed his abilities against magic users just like her, as well as improved his speed. Other than the fact she was a humanoid fox, fighting Firiat felt like fighting the Royal Guard.
After a few more clashes with him, Firiat began to understand this, her feral sneer beginning to shift into an irritated snarl as he kept tanking through her hits. When Ichigo and Rangiku jumped back in to help she started to worry. Did they really still have this much strength after their fight with her sister? She would have thought Luetha did enough damage she could take out the rest of this meager force and capture the king before the rest showed up.
Pink seeped into the dark gray ash and she became distracted with trying to dodge Rangiku and Byakuya's combined swarm attack, knowing she couldn't afford to lose blood even if it was just tiny cuts. Magic lit up on her hands and a burst of fire cleared her way from the swarm, lightning at her feet helping her dart away, pausing for a breather on the top of the hill. She wasn't given long, the swarm approaching again.
"Quit jumping around!" Kenpachi appeared in front of her as she tried to escape, forcing her to skid to a stop, holding her tail in front to block his blade.
She screamed as blood burst from a wound; Kenpachi had broken through the armor spell she had on her tail, causing a terrible wound, the blood still having spots of yellow from lack of iron.
Firiat was pissed now; her armor had never bene broken before. She decided to lunge at Kenpachi rather than continue running since that no longer worked, her claws tearing open his arm. He scowled but ignored the wound to swing at her again. Her arm bled freely and now she jumped away to gain space.
"She keeps her claws poisoned, you'll be paralyzed in minutes!" Ruala's concern let her shout loud enough to be heard.
"That's all I need to kill a fox." Kenpachi growled, approaching the demon. Firiat snarled; people like him were her worst opponent, mages never did well against sturdy warriors like this.
She hated using high level spells, preferring to drag out the fight, but she had no choice. She opened her mouth and let loose a breath of lightning that knocked him back far away from her. Byakuya's Shikai came swarming at her again and she used fire to deal with it, no longer running as her form took on a sharp magical glow to show she was no longer playing around.
"Just explode, all of you!" She slammed her hands to the ground.
The ground began to crack and snap open, light shining from beneath before fire engulfed the field in harsh explosions.
She waited for a moment for the debris to clear, panting heavily. Using such spells before returning her iron levels to normal was dangerous, but up against so many Captain class and higher fighters they weren't letting her reach the weak and helpless to devour them. She summoned a few demon grunts so as to steal their energy to give her a boost while she waited to see who she managed to kill.
A figure leapt out of the smoke and right for her, causing her to stiffen and prepare to defend herself, her armor spell now on her whole body. It was Ichigo, his black blade clashing with her claws while the smoke was cleared away by a large ice dragon. There were definitely injuries among all the forces, but fortunately they were all resilient, the injured protected by Ruala's shields, the Royal Guard falling to her knees from how much energy she lost holding back such an explosion. Due to the magnitude of the attack, Toshiro could sit back no longer, sending the dragon he created to aid Ichigo in fighting the Demon Lord.
"You're more stubborn than cockroaches I'll give you that." Firiat growled to the orange-haired fighter, flipping around to avoid the dragon before defending his attacks again.
"It's your own fault for underestimating us." Ichigo snapped back, striking again and again, trying to find her heart. There had to be a cue, just like with Luetha, something she protected, but she fought with reckless abandon and there was nothing particularly well defended compared to the rest of her, she only used the armor spell to protect her skin when she clashed against blades, including her tail. Her underside was armored with scales, but it covered more than just her chest. Short of just stabbing and hoping for the best he couldn't see anything that stood out.
He got too distracted trying to find a clue that he left an opening she used to kick him back off the hill with a smug laugh.
"Trying to find my heart, were you? You sly dog." She sneered, jumping back down to face the remaining fighters, those who still had energy helping Ichigo to his feet and standing beside him ready to help. "I hid mine super well, and as long as I have it I'll keep using all the magic I have to wipe you out!"
The ice dragon came around for another strike, jaws open wide to swallow her whole. She used her fire breath ability again, a white hot flame that took care of the icy phantom, steam rising into the air as it vanished.
Standing next to her brother, Karin noticed something interesting that appeared when Firiat used the high level spell. A brief glow of a tattoo resting on the demon's stomach. Could it be… was she that reckless?
Firiat didn't give any more time to consider the possibility, her form still glowing with magic and lunging forward to strike at them first this time. Karin countered the flames with ease due to her own abilities, allowing Renji to slip by and send his Bankai charging towards her, the snake letting off its powerful beam. Firiat darted around the attack and dashed across the bony snake back to get to Renji himself, stopped only by Byakuya's swarm of blades as Captain protected his Lieutenant.
While the boys took her on, Karin retreated for now to explain what she had seen, knowing her powers weren't much use here other than to divert fire, and Firiat was now using more of her electricity as a result.
"Toshiro, I think I know where her heart is." She kept her voice down as she stopped at the Soul King's side, sealing her Bankai back for now.
One brow rising in question, he waited to hear what she had to say.
"When she uses bigger spells there's something glowing on her stomach, I think that's where she hid it, protected by those scales of hers."
"Not an easy spot to hit with how agile she is." Toshiro mused aloud. "And so far only Kenpachi has broken her magic armor."
The pair turned to where Kenpachi was forced to stay put with the others healing while Ruala tried to remove the paralyzing poison, cursing up a storm the more of the fight he missed. Karin cast a worried glance over to where Ikkaku and Yumichika were, now unconscious and scarily still. She didn't have time to go check if they were still alive or not… she could only hope they made it until Orihime arrived.
"Maybe I can." Karin spoke up. "At the least her fire won't hurt me, I might be able to get closer."
"She can use lightning too, and I'm sure she has other elements in her grasp even if she doesn't use them much, it's too risky." Toshiro shook his head. "Ichigo is more likely to break that magic armor considering he and Kenpachi both have similar raw power in their attacks."
"You have a point… I'll help give an opening then."
"Just be careful." He warned. "I'm sure Kuchiki and Rangiku can give you a hand with distracting her, make sure none of you are caught alone, she's probably still looking for a way to get her iron back."
"You got it." With that, Karin hurried off to pass on the strategy to the others. They needed to trap Firiat down long enough that Ichigo could break the heart. Perhaps once he knew where to stab he could break through just like Kenpachi did.
She returned her blade to Shikai form at the least before catching her brother's attention and relaying what she'd learned to him. With a short nod he agreed to try and go for the spot, holding back for now to wait for an opening, reaching a hand up to his face.
A deafening clap of thunder made them jump as a blast of lightning from above nearly put Renji down for the count, though he was clearly shaken at barely escaping the attack. Firiat wasn't playing around anymore, her claws going for Byakuya's throat, pink covering her vision as he protected himself. A surge of electricity pushed past and sent him to his knees as Firiat laughed.
"You guys actually scared me for a bit there, but looks like I'll still get to win!" She jeered, anticipating victory now that she'd weakened them with her stronger magic
Scowling, Byakuya managed to back her off with Senbonzakura. He was allowed reprieve as ash and sand swarmed the air in an attempt to trap the fox demon once more, Rangiku and Sestiva back in the fight after a quick heal.
"This again?" Not about to risk another sharp drop in iron escaping a hellish tornado, Firiat darted away from the cloud as fast as she could. Unknown to her the two girls were in on the plan, their swarms moving in an orchestrated movement to get her where they wanted her, cornering her to make her desperate. It worked, Firiat tired of running from swarms.
Back up to the hill the Demon Lord went, seeking an advantage in higher ground. She prepared another storm of lightning, this one stronger in order to hit more of them, the sky flashing as blades of pure voltage formed above her. If they wanted a chance to stop her they needed to do it now, and she grinned with malice knowing they couldn't. Even as the ash and sand swarmed around her she knew her spell would still cast.
"Taste my electric swords and perish, even if you take me with you!" She declared boldly, holding her arms out to her side as fire lit up on her skin in excitement.
"Senjumaru, Ruala, assist me!" Knowing he couldn't let this attack hit, Toshiro prepared a Kido spell. The two he called came to his side quickly, aiding with their own Kido and magic to back up the barrier he made. 'Hurry up Ichigo, this is the only opening you'll get!'
Any others still capable of Kido did what they could to aid the Soul King in a protective enchantment. As they did so, Ichigo donned his Hollow mask and Flash Stepped up to the hill.
"Ah… I forgot you had that…" Firiat confessed as she saw the black and white mask, her demonic eyes making contact with his Hollow gaze. "You still don't know how to kill me!"
Ichigo didn't give her a response, his time too short. The blade in his hands took on a black and red glow as he swung forward at the Demon Lord, fixed to her spot as she gave all her energy to her spell. She expected a strike to the neck, knowing it would hurt but confident she could recover and escape.
The blade struck her core instead, her only noise of pain a guttural grunt of shock as she coughed up pale blood. When did they figure it out? A gem of bright orange shattered along with her scales and bones, the once pristine shape of flame in jewel form now crushed.
"Tch… I still die… knowing you'll never win… against my master." The Demon Lord coughed out, managing a glare at Ichigo as he turned back and removed his mask. "You thought… I was hard to fight? Luetha and I…. we were the only ones… weak enough to get ignored… by the seal… my sisters… their power would rival even yours, hehe. Once you open that door… you're all dead!"
She fell to the ground as her body began to catch flame and burn away, a torn and bloodied fox finally fallen victim to the big dogs.
"We'll definitely win." Ichigo scowled down at the disintegrating demon.
"If you… can even… survive…" She managed a laugh with her last breath.
The sharp crack of thunder reminded him that Firiat's final spell was still a threat.
"Ichigo, over here!" Karin called out to her brother, motioning him over to where the others stood behind the Kido users as the swords of lightning threatened to fall at any second.
He darted over in an instant.
"Now!" Senjumaru called to those lending their own energy in Kido.
A thick barrier wall went up around those present just as the sky was covered in a blinding light and the ground shook with the sheer force of the impact. Cracks appeared in their defense as lightning coursed over it, a heavy feeling of dread in the air as the storm surged with the force of nature.
Then, just like many storms after they used up their energy, it was gone. The barrier was weak and ready to fall apart, but it did what it needed to do, just barely. Those inside let out a collective sigh of relief that they had survived. Toshiro and the others waited a moment more before releasing the Kido as the skies grew clear again. No sense getting hit with an aftershock as soon as they let their guard down. But all was safe now.
Both Demon Lords sent to stop them had been defeated.
I'm aware that it's been a few years since this story has been touched, so thank any of you still waiting on it for your patience. Because of the long hiatus, the original plans I had were basically scrapped and reset with new ideas I've developed over time to improve the story and ideas from others to deal with plot holes and the like. That means extra research was done and more notes written, but that also means this will not have regular updates. I want this to maintain a detailed and developed story (though for some of you I know you'd disagree it's good at all, be aware you can just stop reading, jeez) so I'm going to be taking my time with it. As I mentioned on my profile, my biggest pet peeve is when people comment like i'm obligated to do what they want, but guess what, unless you physically give me some money i'm basically going to ignore you, because this is my story. The reason I took such a long hiatus from this site was due to someone getting way too controlling about MY stories when I gave them access to it early, as well as being very nitpicky and manipulative when we did roleplays.
Anyway, rant aside, i'm thankful for those who like this story, and I hope it can end in a way that you enjoy, but I want this to be something that I enjoy as well, so please for the love of humanity if something pops up that you don't like and can't stand, go read something else and stop complaining at me like it'll change anything. I am, however, willing to hear ideas and advice, because nothing is perfect. I pretty much have the rest of the story set out, but i'm always open to small (read SMALL) ideas.