Chapter 40

"Sora, dodge!"

Cloud ran up, pushing Sora out of Bazz-B's way. Bazz-B drew fire from his fingertips, colliding with Cloud's sword.

"Get out of the way, blonde!" Bazz-B pointed at Cloud with his other hand, blasting fire into Cloud's face. Cloud backed his head up from the flames, unaware of his loose grip on his weapon. Bazz-B took advantage of this, forming a blade of fire and slashing Cloud's blade away from him.

"Have any last words, you-" Bazz-B did not go far with his comment. Sora got up, hitting Bazz back with his keyblade. Sora's blade transformed into some sort of cannon. Before Sora could think, however, Bazz-B rebounded with a kick, propelling Sora backwards.

"Sora! Where did you...?" Cloud was astounded at the cannon. Sora did not share Cloud's feelings, as he aimed the cannon at Bazz-B without hesitation. It fired a laser beam, hitting Bazz-B towards a tree.

"Auughh!" Bazz-B jumped up, unfazed at the hit. "You little shit! I gotta kick you in for that!"

"Don't you start, mohawk-man!" retorted Sora.

Bazz-B's eyes glinted red. The rage radiating from his body was noticeable enough for Sora and Cloud to notice. Askin was scared, hiding behind one of the trees.

"Oh, isn't this sad!" Bazz-B raised his right hand. Flames emitted from his fingertips. "And I thought that your hairstyle was awesome!"

"R-really?!" Sora blushed, while Cloud looked confused.

"Sora," said Cloud, "Spiky hair is common, you know-"

"WELL, IT DOES NOT EVEN MATTER!" Bazz-B points his hand at Sora. "Burn Finger 4!"

A fiery blast was heading towards Sora. In a stunning move, Sora turned his cannon into two keyblades, both the same as Roxas. He threw the dark keyblade into the blast, negating it. The dark keyblade floated there, with dark energy forming into spheres and launching towards Bazz-B.

"Shit!" Bazz-B tried to run, but Sora rushed to him, hitting the man in his abdominals. The Sternritter cried in agony, falling to the ground as the blasts detonated on him.

"How..." Bazz-B was struggling to get up, but Sora noticed a smile on his face.

"How could you be happy?" asked Sora.

"My...king...warned me about you," said Bazz-B. "I didn't even think that you were even in Kurosaki's group...until now."

"Who is that king?" said Cloud.

"I can explain," said Askin.

"Oh, of course you can," muttered Bazz-B. Your ass wasn't pushed to the ground now, isn't it."

"Well, I am different from you. After all," Askin said, "we were ordered to test his abilities, not kill him. That is why I didn't fight. Anyways...do you know about the Quincies?"

"Nope," said Cloud.

"Well, to put it bluntly, Quincies and Shinigami are different beings. Shinigami have the power to put souls up in heaven and down in hell. Quincies eradicate that soul."

"Wait...what?" asked Sora, mystified.

"Well, I mean a hollow. As you know, a hollow is a human soul in agony. If we kill it, the human soul is gone forever. If the shinigami kill it, the soul is sent to heaven or hell."

"So you guys must have had...arguments," said Cloud.

"Worse than that. We had a thousand year war, where thousands of shinigami and Quincies were killed. On our side, we had the Quincy know as the king, Juhas Bach. On the other hand lays the Captain-Commander of Soul Society, Captain Yamamoto. I have no idea about their relationship, other than they used to know each other. Anyways, they waged war until-"

"That's enough for today," interrupted Bazz-B. Sora and Cloud were surprised that Bazz-B was saying that. "You know his orders, right?"

"Well, fair enough." Askin looked at Sora with amusement. "Wait until the main surprise is revealed."

"What surprise?!" Sora and Cloud took up battle positions, but Askin stayed calm. That composure made Sora nervous.

"Trust me, kids, even with restrictions, you would die at my feet, and I wouldn't want that!" Askin was cheerful in saying this. Sora and Cloud stayed alert, aiming their weapons at the Sternritter.

"Restrictions?" said Cloud.

"Well, we were ordered to use a quarter of out strengths against you. We can't end your life yet...not when we have uses for you."

"What?!" Sora looked at Bazz-B, who was smiling again.

"You thought that the Sternritter can be beaten by the likes of you?" Bazz-B stood up, laughing. "Imagine that! A kid like you, matching the strength of a Sternritter!"

"Well, it was fun talking to you," said Askin, but we have to go now..." The two Sternritter raised their right hands, engulfing themselves in energy. In a flash, Sora and Cloud found themselves back to the forest spot they were left on.

"Wh-what happened?!" Axel and the others ran to them. "We saw a light, and you just got zapped here!"

"Long story," said Cloud, "but anyways, what are we suppose to do next?"

"I'l show you the hideout these guys are staying in. Come on!"

The heroes left.

Meanwhile, the Sternritter arrived at a large castle.

"So, Bazz-B," said Askin, "why did you go easy on him?"

"I would rather live longer than go through Jugram's speeches again," replied Bazz-B. "Besides, that kid has an attitude similar to Kurosaki."

"Not really. Kurosaki was not as calm."

"Hmph." The two Sternritter entered the castle. They were greeted by the white-haired Sternritter.

"Jugram, we finished the mission," said Bazz-B.

"I know. You did rather excellent, considering your limits."

"So..." Askin looked nervous. "What do we do next?"

"First, we must track down Ichigo Kurosaki. Our majesty has something to talk to him about."

"So, we are just tracking him down?"

"I would just wait until he comes back from his training. When you sense his presence, you two go and bring him back here. Understand?"

"I would," said Bazz-B, "but Ichigo is stronger than Askin and I. We need assistance in keeping the guy from escaping."

"I understand that." Jugram was silent for a moment, and then said, "Bring along several Sternritter for this task. If you have to, bring his friends here too. Now, go and rest."

The Sternritter left, while Jugram left into a passageway. He arrived at a throne, where a figure is shrouded in darkness.

"My majesty, everything is set in motion."

"Excellent, Jugram. He has received a bit of my power?"

"Somewhat. I sensed some of your energy in him."

"Good. Now, all we need is to find Ichigo." The figure looked calm.

"Should we be doing something else?" asked Jugram.

"All we can do is watch, Jugram. That is all we can do."