Standing in the garden to bar their way was probably the most dangerous obstacle they could have faced. Kamai was calmly observing a black rose he held up in his hands.
"The flowers already miss their caretaker." Kamai stated in a gentle tone, though this did not ease the worries of the Soul Reapers nearby. "For someone so powerful in the elements of Winter, she took such good care of this garden."
"I'm sure that entertained her enough she didn't ask questions." Karin stepped forward with a snarl in her tone.
"No, she didn't. She had absolute trust in me…" He tossed the flower aside and turned to Karin with a burning look in his eyes. "Up until you invaded my home and took her from me."
The fierce anger that Karin saw in his eyes made her wonder if he really did care for the Hitsugaya princess as his own… knowing what she did about the man's past, there was a small chance it was true, that he took good care of Miyuki because of who her mother was.
"Maybe you shouldn't have hidden anything from her then." Karin snapped back, refusing to back down. "You should have told her the truth instead of letting those demon brats lie to her for so long!"
The air seemed to shimmer dangerously even though Kamai's expression never changed. Toshiro twitched in Kadin's arms, his brow furrowing in pain in response to something they couldn't see.
"We know all about how you got your curse from Sylfie Greenleaf." Karin continued when Kamai remained silent. "Why do you think Miyuki would ever trust you after you stole her from her family and let them think she was dead?"
"I am her family now." Kamai hissed dangerously, his words startling the Soul Reapers. "She never needed to know such trifling details."
"You just wanted to keep something of Lady Anya's." Kadin accused. "You couldn't bear to actually kill her daughter just for the throne, so you stashed her away. You couldn't have Lady Anya, so you took her daughter!"
"That's enough." There was a dark, twisted echo behind his words as transparent tendrils snaked through the air. Karin's heart began to beat faster and she felt her hands begin to shake, causing her to look at them in surprise? Why was she acting so scared? She glanced back at Toshiro as he let out a whimper of pain, Kadin glancing around in concern but otherwise unaffected by the strange power. "I already regretted what I had to do to Anya… the least I could do to repay her was to let her daughter live. I could have let the boy live as well if his father had just done what was right and passed the title on to me instead of an ignorant child."
"That's no excuse!" A voice shouted.
The tendrils retreated as Miyuki and Rangiku entered the garden, Kamai turning his attention to them immediately.
"You might regret what you did to my mother, but that doesn't excuse the shameful actions you've taken to keep me ignorant of the truth." Miyuki snapped, the air filling with a sharp chill that made Kamai flinch for the first time in all of their encounters with him, even if it was just out of surprise. This must be the first time she talked back against him. "This is exactly why you have the curse that you do, and even with it you can only lie and manipulate others around you! You did whatever you could to make sure I only saw the good in you, but all this time you were just keeping me around because of my mother. You didn't even try to learn my name or give one to me, I was just here to remind you of HER!"
"I gave EVERYTHING to you, but I would not replace the name she gave you." Kamai retorted sharply. "She refused to let me know it, knowing what I could do with a name. Even when she relied on me to heal your frailty, she refused to let me have it. I made sure you survived, I made sure you grew up peacefully-"
"You allowed me to think my family hated me!" Miyuki cut him off. "You wanted me to think of you as a father but you were plotting to kill my brother!" She took a step back. "Were you… were you going to kill me as well? Just for the throne?"
His lack of response was the only answer they needed. If it came to it, even his relationship with Miyuki would be sacrificed for his perfect world. Not even the sadness in his eyes could ease the pain of betrayal in Miyuki's heart.
"I'm protecting my brother." She stated firmly to the one she once idolized.
"You barely know him and now you wish to die for him?"
"We were both forced to live in ignorance of our true history. On that fact alone… I feel like I know him the best out of anyone here."
Kamai's expression slowly hardened as he came to terms with what he had just heard.
"I never wanted to hurt you, my dear… but if you choose this path, I will have to."
The words were painful, and for a moment Miyuki wished she could go back to how things were, peaceful and safe. But not even his true feelings could change what he had done. She once revered him as someone who would save the world… but now she knew he was a snake, a man with the conviction to kill even those closest to him if it meant he attained his goal of replacing the cycle of souls.
"You already hurt me when you let my mother die without ever letting her be our mother." Miyuki spat, tears forming in the corners of her eyes.
Kamai didn't flinch this time, but they could feel his pain in the air. He honestly regretted his actions, but by the conviction in his expression he wasn't about to apologize for it. He was going to continue his quest which meant he was still going to be their worst enemy.
"The Soul King will not leave this place alive unless that Soul King is me." Kamai's tone was harsh, void of any further emotion.
Two more figures entered the garden; Korla and Kazara. Both were armed with their projectiles, and both looked ready to shed blood. It was either fight or die, but this recuse party was not prepared to take on all three of these enemies. Their best case scenario would have been to have Kadin escape with Toshiro back to the entrance, but with Korla now present she would likely intercept him, blocking off their only other route out through the shadows.
"I won't let you kill him." Karin held her blade in front of her. "Bankai! Tenrairyuu Homuratei!"
The burst of flames cut off the transparent shadows inching closer before hurtling towards Kamai. More opaque shadows lifted from his form and cast aside the flames with ease, the man himself doing no more than waving his hand before him. From beneath his feet Hunter rose up and approached the group with a snarl. Miyuki's wolf stepped in front with a fierce bark as she bared her teeth back at the larger familiar. Karin wished she could ask for Seraphina's help, but she was making sure Toshiro stayed alive, so Karin could only hope her power was enough to get Kadin away from the others.
Lightning brushed past her as Kazara took a shot, an arrow of black nearly striking her from the other side when her attention was elsewhere. A scowl crossed Karin's face; defending from both sides AND trying to get past Kamai was going to be a nightmare.
Miyuki quickly knelt down and traced a rune into the ground. A mist began to rise up around them, bringing with it a biting cold. Her wolf took a snap at Hunter before leading him into the mist where she seemed to vanish. Kazara and Korla hesitated in their shots as their vision was obscured, even Karin's bright flames seemed to be muffled in the cold cloud.
"It won't keep them away for long, it will just force them to battle up close." Miyuki warned. "Move quickly, Lord Kamai knows how to find us still."
"I'll keep us defended, let's move forward." Rangiku stepped up to her Captain's side. "Growl, Haineko."
The ash swirled around them in a protective barrier and they began moving in a steady pace forward and trusting Miyuki to guide them through.
"You were right about me knowing how to find you." Kamai's voice echoed seconds before he cut through the mist, a twisted black blade held in one hand coming down on Rangiku.
A set of fiery claws blocked him a Karin touched down on the ground, her wings snapping forward to land a blow he easily dodged back from, stepping back into the mist and out of sight.
An arrow landed on the ground near them. Korla was still taking shots.
"I thought she didn't miss." Kadin said with a frown.
"As far as she was concerned she didn't." Miyuki replied. "I'm using the frost in the mist to refract light. It will be like a house of mirrors for them, our positions altered just enough they won't know exactly where we are. But Lord Kamai knows how to get around it. I might be able to fool the sisters for a bit but he will strike again."
"Let's hurry then." Kadin commanded, worried what might happen if the manifestation of fear their enemy had mastered came into contact with them. It had bested the Soul King, so risking an encounter before understanding it was too risky.
Onward they ran, darkness trying to catch them off guard at every turn. Miyuki's frosty illusions saved them from getting shot at by lightning or shadow arrows more than once, but when Kazara jumped in close for a melee fight she could not be so easily misled.
"I'll take her, go!" Karin ordered the others as she used her wings to block a lightning strike before charging, her claws clashing loudly against the violet guns.
Though Rangiku cast her a worried look, she followed her Captain wordlessly past the Demon Lord, Miyuki leading them back to the tunnel as best she could. Even if the others couldn't see through the mist, she never needed sight to travel in the labyrinth, and now that her Earth magic was returned as well she could make her own path straight forward. Her arm twitched painfully as her familiar took a hit, worrying her. Hunter was much stronger than her wolf… a name for her familiar was long overdue, especially now that Miyuki knew her own, and it would likely make the demon wolf much stronger.
"You spirits of death sure are eager to die for one another." Kazara narrowed her eyes at Karin over their weapons. "But I suppose it makes sense. Compared to the life of the Soul King, your life is expendable."
"It's what you make of it that counts, and getting turned into a demon sounds pretty lame if you ask me." Karin shot back.
"A sharp tongue; I might have liked you under different circumstances."
"Thanks, not really feeling the same way about you."
As the two clashed, Korla was about to enter the fray, a dagger in hand, when a hand on her shoulder stopped her.
"No need, we can allow them to escape." Kamai said quietly to the archer.
"But you said-"
"That was before I realized something." The Dark Master cut her off, a mischievous look on his face. "Save your energy and gather any demons left from the nests… we will be returning the favor to them soon."
Korla nodded, trusting her lord and stepping back into the fading mist, her shadow horse coming to life and waiting for her to mount before taking off.
Kadin and the others had reached the tunnel, stopping just short of the twisting thorns. They would have to reduce their energy output as low as possible to get through safely, but with enemies chasing them down that was going to be difficult.
"Here, I can erase our presence, but we have to move slow." Miyuki held a hand out towards the others. "Don't let go of one another or my magic can't cover you."
"What about Karin?" Rangiku asked.
"My wolf will lead her through the same way if she can get away from the sisters."
"She'll make it. Rangiku, put a hand on my shoulder and hold tight. Miyuki, you'll have to grab onto your brother, my hands are full."
Miyuki did as she was asked and carefully took hold of Toshiro's hands, frowning as she sensed very little Spirit Energy within him. At its current level she wouldn't even need to mask his presence… but she did so anyway so that the protection would pass to the others behind him. With that the odd line of people headed back through the thorns. Just before stepping inside after them, Rangiku turned to shout.
"Karin, we're out!" She alerted the Kurosaki sister.
The echo just barely reached where said woman was doing her best to hold off the dragon turned demon. Her nerves screamed in protest at the repeated electrical shocks, but fortunately Kazara had not used the same electrical torture on her that she had used on the king. Scorch marks could barely be seen on the already black earth but Kazara's only injury was a claw injury on her shoulder, a sort of payback for the one Karin herself had sustained from the wolf.
They both paused as they heard the shout, Kazara's eyes narrowing as she wondered why Korla would allow such a shame as letting them escape. She left Karin to fume and gave chase only to be stopped in the mist. When Karin hurried behind her to hopefully defend her allies, she did not see the lightning user at all. Confused, Karin pressed on until she reached the tunnel. No trace of Kazara.
"Where did she…?" Sword still raised, Karin tried to figure out what the Demon Lord was planning and where she'd run off to.
A bark next to her caught her attention. The white wolf. With a grumble the canine nosed Karin's hand to rest at her shoulders, growling when the woman pulled away in confusion.
"I don't have time for pets, girl." Karin grumbled, turning back to the mist in case Kazara was about to strike.
The wolf snorted and motioned with her head to the tunnel then lifted her leg up and down a few times to indicate her shoulder. A suggestion to grab on. Though still confused about why Kazara decided to just run away rather than keep up a pursuit, Karin sealed her Bankai away and sheathed her blade, putting a hand onto the wolf's shoulder and allowing the creature to lead her back through the thorns. Unlike before, the vines barely twitched as they walked through, a strange aura surrounding the pair that the thorns were uninterested in.
Karin still couldn't help a glance back into the realm of demons, concerned about the fact they had escaped so easily. Kamai Dethmaiyn was not a pushover, he was a planner. If they escaped with only one attempted attack it was because he let them, this much she was sure about. Toshiro wouldn't have been captured by someone this easy to get away from. This battle was far from over…
Sound nearly deafened her as she was reminded that the World of the Living was still in the midst of paranormal storms and heavenly fury. Her clothes were instantly soaked and her guide gave a whimper and ran back over to her master as thunder rumbled loudly overhead. Red briefly obscured her vision before she realized Dyrilӕn had hurried over and used her wing to give her partner cover from the storm A quick glance showed the others had joined up with Ichigo and were sheltered under Aberon and Myndrӕl's wings as the latter grumbled in worry over the state of his partner.
"We need to get out of these storms!" Karin yelled at them over the sound of thunder and rain. She dashed quickly from the shelter of one dragon to the other, Dyrilӕn following behind and simply trying to help block more of the rain from the small people. Ahvain and Shadow had joined them as well, the former with no wings to help and standing worriedly to the side with the latter.
"Agreed, it's been insane out here." Ichigo replied to his sister, still having to yell somewhat over the sky's rage. The dragon wings kept back the rain, but not the noise.
"How is he?" Letting her brother set up a way back, Karin hurried to kneel down by Toshiro. He was still out cold and wasn't responding at all to Rangiku's weak healing. They needed a professional, possibly several.
"Not great, but the important thing is we got him out of there." Kadin explained to her. "I'm sure you'll go with your brother back to the Soul King's realm, so Rangiku and I will check back in with the Soul Society." Once he said that he carefully let Karin take up the responsibility of holding onto the weakened Toshiro. Rangiku looked like she wanted to go with the Kurosaki siblings as well but stayed silent, knowing he was in safe hands. She handed Hyorinmaru off to Miyuki since she would be going to the Soul King's realm as well and could return it to its master.
"If Captain Unohana isn't too busy could you ask her to come help?" Karin questioned.
"Considering he's the Soul King she won't really have much choice but to help." The Squad Ten Captain reminded her.
They left it at that, Kadin and Rangiku stepping to the side and opening a door back to the Soul Society, their dragons following behind them. The weather was a little less violent in the world of souls, but there was a lingering sense of danger hovering over all of them that made everyone anxious. They could assume it was the same in all of the Soul Societies and possibly even the other realms.
"It will take too long to wait for the other Royal Guards, we can fly straight to the realm." Myndrӕl said in a rush to Ichigo.
"Oh that was the plan, I was just telling them to get a bed ready." Ichigo responded, shoving his phone back in his pocket. A butterfly would not survive this weather so he was told to use the Soul Pager once the mission was done. "You got him, Karin?"
"Of course." There was no hesitation in his sister's reply as she carefully helped Toshiro up onto her dragon's back then mounted up behind him, Myndrӕl continuing to cover them while they waited for Ichigo to situate himself onto Aberon's back so they could all take off, Miyuki and her wolf quickly scrambling onto the Ice dragon's back at his suggestion. They took off quickly.
Wind rushed violently past them, giving the dragons some trouble in their flight, but they pushed upwards as best they could. The atmosphere around them shifted as they passed the spirit barrier back into their home, the storm lowering in volume and intensity. The skies above the palace were still gray and rumbling, but the rain was only a light drizzle, just enough to be miserable but no longer dangerous.
"It's definitely nice that you guys can pass between realms without a door." Karin mused aloud to her dragon.
"A dragon's wings can take them anywhere." The Fire Dragoness replied with her agreement. "It's much faster as well."
The dragons perched briefly on the platform to Toshiro's floor to allow their passenger to dismount. Karin was not quite able to carry Toshiro like Kadin could, so Ichigo was quick to step over and help, letting his sister lead the way to the infirmary. Ichibe joined them from another hall and kept pace with them, his gaze filled with worry as he looked to his king.
"Those injuries will not be quick to recover." He stated in a grave tone.
"But he will recover, right?" Karin's glare was harsh as she asked him this. Normally such disrespect would be punished, but Ichibe knew her anger was a mask for her worry and panic and dismissed it.
"Without a doubt. And his mark still shines brightly, meaning he was not even close to giving up." He paused as Karin turned to look at the symbol of the Soul King still glowing a bright icy blue on Toshiro's hand. "There was never any doubt he would hold strong, but now he needs time to rest, and in that time we will have trials of our own to face."
"Dethmaiyn definitely has something planned… he let us leave pretty easily for someone who kept an entire army out of his castle."
"He might try to invade this place to kidnap my brother once more." Miyuki suggested.
"Impossible, Dethmaiyn was banished and is unable to breach this realm." Ichibe shook his head at her comment. She looked relieved that the war would not be brought to this realm. "His likely target will be the Japanese branch once more, as it has been for years, in order to draw out the king again."
"I'll head down to back them up." Ichigo spoke up with no room for argument. Ichibe didn't give any indication that he would even try to argue, simply nodded and kept walking with them.
Despite the mission being successful, the air still felt heavy with dread.