The moment the wraiths made contact with the Soul Reapers, a burst of lightning once more revealed the Storm dragon in her full glory. She had dragons to fight, so her human form was not enough, and she couldn't let her former kin total the shadow army to let the Reapers get past them. As she rose into the air she was immediately assaulted by blasts of fire from Infiro and Noxis. Her golden scales deflected most of the damage harmlessly but she still bared her fangs at them, lightning building up between her antlers like tesla coils. The lightning arced down into her mouth where she aimed it at the older Fire dragon Infiro and let off a breath of electricity. A shadow deflected the attack before Aberon took flight and charged directly at her.
On the ground below, multiple zanpaktous reached their full form to combat the horrifying wraiths. The giant snake of Hihio Zabimaru crushed what it could beneath its body and let off a beam of red energy at Korla herself. She took aim with her bow and the arrow she let fly intercepted the beam, creating a short-lived shadow portal that sucked in the energy like a black hole, essentially deleting it. Flames spread across the earth's surface as Yamamoto unleashed his Shikai, decimating many of the shadow soldiers with ease. However, the flames created larger shadows, and from these came twisted creatures of darkness with blood red eyes and far too many teeth to be comfortable.
"I don't have Theda's ability to control the dead, but I can get close." Korla let out a giggle as she used the tip of a summoned arrow to draw a rune into her left arm. "I kept some of my sisters' powers to use for this."
As she finished the rune, blood dripped down her arm to the ground, moving on its own to recreate the rune even as Korla moved on to drawing a second and then a third. As each rune was drawn in blood on the ground, twisted shadows rose up in familiar forms. A tall being of black plants with a decaying bird attached at her shoulder, a humanoid fox covered in pitch black flames, and a powerful werewolf with a mouth full of fangs. The runes they were summoned from were etched into the location of their now missing demon hearts. They might have had their skin turned black and eyes blood red, but it was clear who each one was.
"Do you think they're as strong as the real ones?" Komamura questioned with a scowl.
"Only one way to find out." Shuhei held his Shikai in both hands before throwing one of the scythe blades towards the fire fox phantom. The shadow twisted around and sent the blade flying with her tail, armored just like its original. Dark Firiat then charged forward in a counter attack with familiar speed, Komamura stopping her pounce with his giant phantom copy of his zanpaktou in Shikai, the fox slamming into the giant blade and growling.
"Well, in terms of ability, it seems they're about the same." Shuhei frowned, not liking their new odds with the Dark versions of the sisters present.
"They will likely fight with instinct rather than reason as well." Unohana noted, not yet in the fight.
Zaraki was suddenly seen by the phantom fire fox, attacking it a little more aggressively than his usual amount, no bloodthirsty smile on his face. His attack was blocked and countered but he didn't it scratch him this time. He would pay this phantom back for the crimes of its original, and no cheap poison tricks would kick him out of the fight. Kensei and Mashiro hurried over to help in the fight along with his Lieutenant and both Hiyori and Lisa added in their own blows in between Zaraki's to keep the fox off balance, her speed still deadly.
Meanwhile, Dark Lyrah was going after the Kurosaki siblings, Renji, Yoruichi, Byakuya and Rukia fighting beside them as they tried to pen the wolf in from the others and take it down. Much like its original, every attack caused black blood to splatter and the wolf got stronger. Because the fur was already black, it was hard to tell how much of the blood magic was already active, keeping them on guard for any strange attacks. The creature's strength alone had all of them struggling, and it didn't help that there were still wraiths trying to clutch at them from behind and rip them apart. Along with those, vines were breaking through the stone and reaching for them as a twisted, awful screeching echoed in the air. Dark Luetha's songs were nothing like the beautiful tunes of its original, but the grating noise was distracting all the same, a constant annoyance that couldn't enchant them but certainly drove them crazy. Yamamoto had his hands full countering the black plants with his flames, leaving it to Kyoraku, Mayuri and their Lieutenants to take down the singer itself, accompanied by the Greenleaf family matriarch and her daughters as they had magic over Flora as well to fight Luetha's influence on the environment.
Once her phantom sisters were fully engaged, Korla returned her bow to her hands and began her own assault. Kadin stepped forward to counter her shadows with his own, backed by Rangiku, Soi Fon, Love and Hachi. The Royal Guards, Kisuke, Rose, Hachi, Miyuki and Momo attempted to break through the wraith guard to reach Kamai himself, who was currently watching silently out of the way. A shadow rose up from his feet, revealing the glowing monstrosity of a familiar he called Hunter. The six-legged predator snarled at them, colors flaring brightly, before pouncing forward. They dared not let the neon green claws touch their skin since they were no doubt extremely poisonous.
Despite having five or more warriors up against each Demon Lord, dead or not, the battle barely made progress. Even in the sky, the dragon partners made barely a scratch on Kazara's golden scales, her body coated in lightning and capable of twisting around most of their attacks with her snake-like form, a feat the more Western bred dragons could not copy. The body was more natural to dragons of the sky like the Wind and Lightning types, but none of the drakes present possessed that form, even the pure Lightning dragon Wardin was an exception of his element. He was a power type in the element rather than a speed type, and that power wasn't much use on a fellow Lightning dragon.
"You betray our kin by becoming a demon and dare to step foot here again." Aberon flashed his fangs at her as he hovered across from her in the sky. She turned her ruby gaze on him with a cold sneer. "A hatchling killer like you deserves only death!"
"And we will be glad to give it to you!" Dyrilӕn added as she rushed forward, aiming to ram her horns into Kazara's back.
The golden dragon dove down and twisted back so she was now behind the Fire dragon, putting her paws onto the other's back and shoving her away.
"Please." Kazara spat back with a groan, flaring her fins with lightning surging between her antlers to fire back at Noxis and Hasyl's attacks. "You younger females act like you wouldn't do the same if your hatchling was taken from you. You've all grown soft. Partnering with humans again? Even if they're Soul Reapers they are not worthy of our loyalty and power."
"Says the dragon who gave hers to a twisted maniac!" Grendir scowled, smashing through a building and hurling the ruins at her. She swung her tail and batted away the rocks like flies.
"My Lord may be no dragon, but I prefer him to the hatchling you picked for a king." Kazara turned a scathing glare on Myndrӕl. "Chosen because you're the Soul King's partner? Talk about a consolation prize. You deserve no crown, glass dragon." He bared his teeth at her for the insult, a common slur for Ice dragons due to their element being easier to break when young. "I will show you your place."
The skies darkened angrily with a dark purple hue in the clouds, the winds shifting violently as the space around them was twisted and bent against their natural direction, streams of lightning flowing through the poles at the gathered dragons. Several were knocked to the ground below and their partners looked to them in worry as they felt their pain. But distractions were deadly, and as much as they wanted to check on their scaly partners they had no choice but continue their fight against the wraiths.
Myndrӕl stood strong against the deluge with a snarl, flaring his wings and letting out an angry roar of challenge. The air turned bitterly cold, frost biting through the rough winds. Kazara looked to her scales as sprinkles of ice latched on, adding water weight bit by bit. The male was attempting to slow her movements with a freeze. Perhaps she had underestimated the new generations of dragons. If only she could have seen her own child become so strong. Maybe then she'd be beside these others as allies rather than enemies.
A growl rose up deep in her throat as she met Myndrӕl's challenge with a roar of her own.
Only to have another roar respond from afar. Dragon gazes turned towards the floating hollow mountain where an enormous diamond scaled drake stood tall. The guardian of the Nest known as Dimara, partner to Ӕlfwyn Greenleaf. With her shimmering wings flared and a fierce battle cry as a signal, multiple dragons rose behind her from the Nest and surprised them all by flying straight into the storm rather than away. Leading them was a furious looking green Earth dragon, one Karin had met briefly alongside Toshiro when he was still a prince. She had been the mother of one of the successful hatchlings in previous years and among the few wild dragons that had their mind changed by their new Soul King, and it seemed she had a score to settle with the Storm dragon.
"So the dragons rally." Kazara narrowed her eyes at the approaching flock of dragons heading her way.
"Only because YOU came back here!" The green dragon roared. "You beastly egg crusher, I am not the only mother here who lost their children due to your petty spite!"
"Spite?" Kazara bared her fangs in fury, lightning coursing dangerously around her. "Spite!? I lost my child as well!"
"That doesn't give you the right to take away other dragon's hatchlings!" Ahvain twisted forward to the front, the other partnered dragons close behind her amidst the wild ones. "Partners or no partners, dragon kind will not sit by and let you taint these skies any more than you already have!"
Kazara noticed several of the elemental Keepers among the beating wings and twisting bodies, feeling her muscles tense. She could have managed the small dragon army challenging her at first using her demon powers and elements, but having the whole Nest penning her in along with the Keepers themselves was a stretch.
From below, Kamai watched with a frown. He didn't think the dragons would rise up like this. He'd been told they had grown selfish and cowardly, a species out to protect themselves and no other, not even other dragons. Yet somehow they had made a community together, and Kazara's past crimes were enough to rally them together in their fury and strike out when they should have turned tail and left their partnered kin to perish. He had not expected this… He glanced at the Greenleaf women. No doubt they had a hand in it, their family having ties as dragon riders as far back as the beginning of humans. With the Elementalist they adopted into their family he could see how the creatures managed to grow as a social species rather than the lone wolves Kazara once remembered. Even now the girl's pitiful kindness and Hope was somehow causing him problems.
He sensed someone break past Hunter's defense, putting up a barrier just as a flaming orb came his way, the fire crashing the flimsy last-minute shield in seconds but vanishing with it. His eyes narrowed on the two woman and wolf that stood across from him.
"You fight together as sisters." Kamai noted as he looked between Miyuki and Momo, both of them with fierce expressions on their faces.
"Because in a sense we are." Miyuki countered in a chilly tone.
"Both of us just want to protect our little brother." Momo agreed firmly.
"And you are not angry, my dear, that this girl replaced you?" Kamai looked pointedly at Miyuki.
"While I wish I could have been in her place, I could never repay her for looking after my only family. The only reason she shouldered that responsibility is because YOU stole me from my home."
"From what I have learned she was a poor sister regardless, abandoning him for a silver-tongued illusionist."
"I know I've done a lot of terrible things to him, blinded in youth as I was, but I would never truly abandon him." Momo bristled at the painful reminders of the past. "I will always be there to take care of him!"
"Your words will not change our minds." Miyuki said firmly as she traced a Rune over her arm, a mist building up around them. "We have already told our truths, so your twisted facts cannot confuse us."
"And your own illusions cannot confuse me." Kamai replied smoothly as the cold mist surrounded them. A darkness began to rise up over the fog and consumed the light. "There is no image to reflect away from you if there is no light."
The earth beneath him cracked angrily and shards spiked up to try and pierce at his legs, but he took a few steps back to avoid them. The cracks followed after him and a scarlet light lit up within the ground. He knew Miyuki couldn't use fire, it was her opposite… so then the other girl used fire. He sent shadows into the earth to suffocate the growing flames and made himself a black platform that the earth couldn't pierce through.
"Nice try girls, but I know how to deal with the elements very well." He called out to the two fighters hidden within the now darkened mist.
A figure came from his left, a sword aimed for his throat. He stopped Momo's blade with his own, a demonic black blade in the style of a castellan sword. The air twisted and Momo felt her heartbeat quicken rapidly with adrenaline as she felt the urge to run. The sudden rush of terror cause her to back away, her hands shaking.
"A meek soul such as yourself should not get so close to me." Kamai warned her as he noted her strong reaction to his power. The girl talked big, but she-
Whatever he was thinking was flipped on its side as Momo let out an angry, defiant shout and let loose a fireball in his direction. As he countered it with shadow a bolt of lightning shot at him from her hands, the Kido flying just past his head as he side-stepped it. Was this how she reacted to fear? Angrily throwing magic at her opponent? Well, it made for easy openings… He waited for her to fire another Kido before Flash Stepping over to her and aiming his sword at her heart.
Momo was pushed aside and his sword pierced an arm instead, Miyuki's arm. Startled that he had harmed her, Kamai didn't react in time to the wolf that latched her jaws onto his sword arm. Miyuki's familiar drew first blood on the Dark Master.
Outside the shadowy mist, other battles were beginning to gather casualties. The phantoms of the Demon Lords were just as fierce as their counterparts, vicious dark demons that tore through most of the defense of the Soul Reapers. With a bit of back up from the Visoreds Hiyori and Lisa as they used Ceros on the phantom, Kenpachi finally ran his blade through Dark Firiat's heart and the darkness dispersed into the air, leaving them all with vicious wounds but victorious. Komamura, Kensei, Shuhei and Mashiro had already moved on to the others dark sisters, Kensei and Mashiro stepping in to help with the werewolf while Shuhei continued to follow behind Komamura to tackle the enchantress. The faster they got rid of the phantoms the faster they could deal with the shadow master Korla.
"Oi, getting moving!" Hiyori griped at Kenpachi as she and Lisa both switched right into tackling the many wraiths surrounding them while the Squad Eleven Captain didn't move, looking up to the sky. "Ugh, whatever, you're basically made of steel anyway."
Zaraki didn't particularly care about whatever she was grumbling about, just staring down the golden Storm dragon with an excited gaze. There was an entire flock of dragons fighting this creature and yet Kazara was taking them down one by one with little damage to herself. She had spent years building up a solid defense in her scaly armor, and being able to shift the winds using her Gravity abilities made it hard to reach her in the sky unless another Gravity dragon helped.
"This will be even better than the werewolf." He grinned to himself.
"Yeah, go get her Kenny!" Yachiru cheered from his shoulder. She was clever at hiding herself even in this chaos.
"You have grown a lot with your zanpaktou in these fights. To beat a monstrous dragon like that, you would finally be able to surpass me." Unohana's words reached the fight-crazed Captain just before he took off, his glare turning back towards her while she just stood with a smile. "I was worried I would need to train you myself, but after this war I look forward to our rematch."
Kenpachi scoffed but she didn't miss the excitement in his eyes at the possibility. Without a word he rushed skyward to confront Kazara himself, so Unohana returned her attention to the war on the ground and assisted Hiyori and Lisa in dealing with the wraiths to let her comrades fight the bigger targets. There would be no safe place to retreat and heal, so everyone had to fend for themselves this time.