Voices in my Head
I can't lie
No sleep found in my bed
I can't lie
Where does this path lead?
I can't lie
This may be the end of me
Chapter 19 - White Deicide
You can't turn back now. This is the main stage, your place of choosing and they are but actors in the play. Orchestrate them however you wish. But remember, you are both the conductor and the main star. Never forget your role, less you become lost in the chaos of what's to come.
They were words Aaroniero took to heart as she looked over at the immediate threats laid bare before her. She couldn't afford to lose focus. These were enemies, and nothing of consequence to her beyond that. Obstacles that she must breach to achieve what she had patiently vied for.
A perfect ascendance!
"So," She began to speak, her eyes slowly turning from Ichigo's mask covered visage past Tōshirō and Byakuya's stoic expressions to see the guarded Tessai with a visibly nervous Yoruichi. Even Kisuke, the cagiest of them all, had a reaction that told her he was very uncertain what course of action to take. A smile breached her face as she raised Sode no Shirayuki to point at them from a lower angle, posturing the rest of her speech as a rhetorical question. "Which of you will be the first to die?"
A black streak sweeping over her head answered her.
With a raise of her immaculate Zanpakutō, a violent thuum shook the battle scarred urban environment. Upheaved earth surrounded Aaroniero's feet, but didn't tarnish her footing. She didn't even spare a glance to whom struck, her Pesquisa telling her quite well. It was something she sensed almost immediately when she revealed her true self to the current onlookers.
Slowly she looked up and caught the look of dilated hazel eyes, divided by jagged jutting teeth of his silently released sword. With red hair rivuletting behind his bristling brown cloak over his fluttering Shikhakushō, the Lieutenant's Reiatsu was on a fearsome display of bright red. The sight was both unsettling and amusing to the transcended Arrancar.
"I guess you're rushing to an early grave, Renji?" She queried, a grin spread thinly across her visage. "Do you want to join our friends from the 78th District that badly?"
"MONSTER!" He roared out, eyes almost erased from the hatred coursing through his veins. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO RUKIA?!"
"I am Rukia," Aaroniero intoned with a casual gesture to her transformed bosom, her Hōgyoku emblazoned hand on full display before the furious Shinigami. All the while she maintained a wicked grin, complemented by the violet irises and slit pupils drawn to a narrow stare up at him. "I have been for quite awhile. I believe it was before you all witnessed her unbelievable victory over Espada Novena; pleased to make your acquaintance, by the way, Lieutenant Abarai."
It was all too much for the red haired man to take. He had suspected something was amiss when Espada Octava, Szayel Apporro Granz, was mentioning something about Rukia again and again. He didn't want to believe it, given she seemed fine both before she went missing and after they ripped her up from that weird cocoon. But now, the dots connected.
It wasn't a prison, but a metamorphosis!
During his moment of deep thought, her hand reached up and grasped by the scalp. Alarm ripped through him at her speed bypassed his senses so easily, even while his power was radiating around him. Before he could break free of the lock his sword had over hers, he was dragged into a confusing secondary kind of lock.
One that had his lips merged with hers.
"RENJI!" Ichigo cried out with confusion, seeing this thing who called herself Rukia wrap her mouth around his comrade's. The complexion had shifted and the fury seemed to be subsided. An unsettling warmth spread over his cheeks while his sword sealed itself and his body seemed to give off an eerie familiar Reiatsu from before.
A blast of Kidō roared out to eradicate them both, but was swept away by an unseen force akin to a hurricane's gust.
The Hollowfied Substitute turned to see who fired and saw that it wasn't Kisuke or Tessai, but Byakuya. His left hand ebbed of vapors while a focused stare showed no hesitation. Part of him was disgusted that he'd do something so heartless as to catch him off guard, but the look of stern frustration was made evident by his next chosen words.
"I recognize the Reiatsu and method of capture she just utilized. It belonged to an Arrancar who bewitched me by mere touch. This feels wholly different, as if in a tier itself," Byakuya explained, raising his sword in a defensive posture as the other Shinigami exchanged bewildered looks. "Treat him as if you'd treat her; an enemy that must be eliminated by any means necessary."
"And here I thought it was Tōshirō who was the cold one," Aaroniero sneered, her left eye glaring via side glance as her lips separated in a wet plop from a dazed Renji's. "I intended to savor this moment, but you have to rush things, don't you? Do you care so little for the life of your subordinate and sister that'd execute us both?"
"You twisted his mind and made him your subservient slave. The Lieutenant I know would rather die fighting than be at your whim," Byakuya retorted firmly, a bitter edge to his normally placid words. "And you're no sister of mine."
That declaration made Aaroniero's eyes briefly widen with shock. A pain shot through her Shinigami heart and she briefly wavered from one foot to the other. Clutching at her chest, she heaved with labored breath, sweat perspiring upon her brow down her cheeks and dripping off her chin.
"What is this?! Why am I feeling this; now of all times?!"
In this instant, she was the one who let her guard down.
Six golden rods flew into each of her sides, followed by an incandescent twine of rope and finished by six violet outlined black holes with the latter most fixated on her chest. Her wide eyes narrowed and she shakily raised her face to see the casters. Byakuya's extended fingers, Tessai's outstretched palm and Kisuke's cane being the prime culprits.
Rikujōkōrō, Sajō Sabaku and Kuyō Shibari used in tandem. The triage of spells was an invaluable combination at this crucial point and the most clear headed of the assembled took advantage. She couldn't help but spread a dark smile at their opportunistic nature.
"I'm sorry, Ichigo, but we must destroy her no matter what she looks like. I hope you can forgive me someday," Kisuke apologized, casting aside the cane's scabbard to reveal his own Shikai already in a state of release. Raising the sword up to point in Aaroniero's direction, he began to chant aloud just as Byakuya and Tessai joined him. His own Kidō took the form of nine rose colored spears that vibrated and shined brightly around him in a halo formation as he spoke lowly. "Limit of the thousands hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, grey fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired."
"Ye lord! Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws," Byakuya chanted as a luminous orb of blue flames erected from his outstretched palm.
"By the light of the ether, swim forth in a furious torrent. Constrainted not by time or age, leap forth and obliterated. Beseeched by the anchor of the present, I pull forth the chariot of the beyond," Tessai chanted aloud, one hand bracing his pointed arm to emit a vibrant blue outlined white crackling light of Reishi.
Ichigo had been frozen with indecision. This whole time as Aaroniero declared who she is, it still looked and felt like the Rukia that he had protected and fought beside. The promise they made almost felt like it was carried out, but it had been just a lie. The reality was that this monster just smiled uncharacteristically in the face of certain death at the hands of those who attempted to rescue her.
Then, as Sōkatsui, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō and Senjū Kōten Taihō all soar towards her, he saw the impossible. A familiar tingle in the back of his skull and a Reiatsu that had been lingering in the back of all the others this monster wearing Rukia's face, spiked. Before he could warn them he witnessed the arrows of pink, pillar of blue and column of electricity all torn asunder before they could reach their target.
And in turn, three invisible arms struck each of the Shinigami, sending them sprawling across the ruined land around them. Tessai struck the upper office window of a distant building, Byakuya tumbled head over heels across some eviscerated muddied street and Kisuke crashed through a light pole and into the face of a building, landing in a dank alley.
"That was adorable!" Aaroniero crowed with a jeering laugh, her body frosting over like the Bakudou imprisoning her. In a matter of seconds they became brittle, shattering to pieces and releasing her of the binds pinning her in place. Rolling her neck side by side, she waved her sword nonchalantly to her side while waving a hand in their general direction. "A valiant effort, truly! Had that hit me, you might have dealt some damage. Not that anyone has the strength to stop me at this point!"
Her words had incited action against her. Yoruichi, clad in Shunkō, raced in a blur of white jagged light to land a Anti-Hierro armored kick to the back of her head. In her haste, she was taken off guard by a looping wrap of Zabimaru from the side. A gasp of shock, she was yanked around in a whipping crash into the ground, enabling a barrage of invisible tendrils to pummel her deeper into the earth.
"Thanks for the assistance, Renji," Aaroniero replied softly, turning to see his usual stony expression, only marred by the purple light wrapped around his irises. She cast an analytical stare towards at Tōshirō, noting his guarded expression and his unmoved person. Based solely on his Reiatsu, she assumed this new form of the Captain was a league above the one she was familiar with.
Turning to look over at Ichigo, her smile thinned and her eyes narrowed at him. She saw that his sword shook in his hand and his gaze held confusion. Chuckling, she waved her Hōgyōku implanted hand towards him, "What's the matter, Ichigo? Are we not friends anymore, now that you know the truth?"
"Back then, when I saved you," The Substitute inquired, almost a bit too softly. "You talked to me as if we still shared that bond. Was it all an act? Why go so far to help us?"
It was a question that struck a chord within her. For the longest time she had wondered just how long the ruse had been mere disguise. Even earlier, Byakuya's words had run daggers within her heart even though she knew they were bluntly true. When did fiction become reality?
Sighing, a somber smile akin to Rukia's old resigned grin, she answered with a hint of sadness in her eyes, "Maybe it's because...I genuinely liked being your friend, Ichigo. Take that what you will, maybe I enjoyed being with comrades who actually gave a damn about me. But really, it was never going to last," Aaroniero, gestured with Sode no Shirayuki with both hands gripped and the edge aimed upwards. "Hold still. I rather kill you in one blow."
Hakuren. It was an unforgettable wave of Reishi that directed the core of her Reiatsu's lowered temperature at a given target. Imitating snow it raced like a locomotive of white, moving far faster now than it ever did in the past. Ichigo braced himself for the oncoming freezing snow aiming to claim him...
...only for a blur of white appear in front of him, palming the snow and dissipating it before the cold effectively touched him.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, I recommend you don't lower your defenses, even against an ex-comrade," Tōshirō warned him, looking over his shoulder to stare at him intensely. "We need you, now more than ever. Cast aside your heart and help us destroy this fiend who uses Rukia Kuchiki's body."
"I know what you're asking me," Ichigo shakily answered, his sword rattling in his grip. Dilated eyes looked past him at an annoyed Aaroniero walking towards them. Gone was her smile and now the dispassionate look he often saw Rukia use when she wasn't amused by a situation. Clenching his eyes closed, his sword stiffened in his hand but didn't move an inch. "But, doing what you ask feels impossible!"
"Then surrender yourself," Aaroniero offered, lifting a hand for him to grasp only a few meters away past him and across Tōshirō. "And become one with me."
The Captain standing in front of the Substitute had an opening that was too hard to resist.
In a sword slash, the open-handed imprint of Aaroniero was fully encased in ice along with a good slab of the land. The enormous and overbearing simultaneous orchestra of Reiatsu was silence along with the breath of their enemy. Frozen to the core he furrowed his brow at the disappearance of Renji-
"Bankai, Hihiō Zabimaru!" A loud declaration was heard as what was an invisible Lieutenant had launched the babboon collared snake head to crash into Ichigo's undefended upper back, pinning him and sending Tōshirō somersaulting forward. He turned around, crouched and readied to eliminate the bewitched Shinigami and destroy his hold on Ichigo.
That is, until a white blade stabbed through his back out of his chest.
"W-What?!" He exclaimed, suddenly aware of Aaroniero's Reiatsu and physical form returning from behind.
With Busqueda la Mente, the evolved Arrancar in a Shinigami's body could pick up the finite details of anything within a wide radius. For example, the build-up of Reiatsu in a split second and a timely devastating attack thrust at her point blank was something made aware to her. Four seconds was his limit as she counted, and with it she was able to use Kidō to hide herself and her entranced slave to surprise both Ichigo and the Captain.
Knowing in another four seconds his mere tangible proximity could endanger her, she didn't dare to absorb this maverick.
"Sōkatsui!" With a coalescing combination of Kidō and Cero along the blade of her weapon, she consumed the Shinigami before he could counter her offensive. In a fissure of violet, the prodigy leader of the 10th Division was annihilated and left Ichigo aghast at the calculated murder.
The act of which was finally enough to trigger the subdued rage welling within his soul.
A hallowed yell, tainted by his Hollowfication, shrieked out into the air and created a wind on par with a hurricane's gale. Reiatsu bled from him, coloring the environment black with outlines of deep red akin to spilled blood. Ripping Hihiō Zabimaru from his person, he singlehandedly tossed his mind controlled ally aside while glaring a pupiless gold through his horned mask towards the flower collared, white cloaked pretender.
"What you've done with Rukia's face, her voice, and in her name...!" He intoned in a visceral rage, Getsuga already wrapping thick around his sword for good measure. Leaping forth in a streak of darkness, he swathed the space between him and clashed with Aaroniero's white sword with intense fervor. Both vented power in an act of collision, blowing in either direction to form enormous funnels of white and black in a mesmerizing sight that many could see across the war torn mock town.
"I WON'T FORGIVE YOU, AARONIERO!" Ichigo shouted as their blades clashed repeatedly, the shockwaves of their weapons' contact kick starting the battle between Hollowfied Shinigami and Shinigamified Hollow.
All the while the Hōgyōku on the back of Aaroniero's hand pulsed subtly and ominously.
Orihime was beside herself. Here, she had left the side of Tōshirō's side for a moment to go help heal some of the wounded. Now, she had felt it silenced while other familiar presences were quieted. Leaping onto a Shun Shun Rikka made platform, she flew swiftly, soon joined by her immediate friends.
"Orihime, you felt it too, didn't you?" Uryū questioned with urgency, his own platform maneuvering him beside her left.
"Yes, but it's all so much to take in," She admitted, swallowing hard as she looked ahead at the flashes of concussive and fiery forces at work. "We were all fooled. She seemed so much like her-"
"Yet, it makes all too much sense," Nelliel inputted, her Centauress Released State racing not far from them. A mask of stoic covered her face, showing how seriously she took the situation. "Rukia's ability to escape Angelle's attacks. Disappearing inexplicably for little to no reason. I wouldn't put it past her being the reason the bodies that kept vanishing into thin air, not to mention Lieutenant Sasakibe's impromptu absence."
"Dammit! I should've notice it sooner-"
"No, Aaroniero is a master of deception and armed with a silver tongue. Even back in my day as an Espada, he was the one most were purposefully distant from if only for how untrustworthy he appeared to be," The former Tres replied sincerely.
"So back then, when we all thought she beat the Espada. She was really the one who...who..." Orihime trailed off, biting her lower lip while tears welled up in her eyes. A somber note of acknowledgement to the fact their friend had died. Worse still was when she had been informed by the Visored leader, Shinji, not minutes ago that Chad was among those killed in action this news just dug deeper.
"We'll stop the bastard. If we can do anything, we have to at least try!"
"That's the spirit, kid," The blonde cropped Visored interceded, causing the three to briefly turn and notice the company of Visoreds had joined their midst. With his trenchcoat clapping behind him, Mashiro, Hiyori, and Lisa were on his right while Kensei, Rose, and Love strode on his left. Behind him was Hachi, the recovered Tanrei Kakushi, along with Shūhei, Sajin.
Furthermore they were also joined by Jushirō Ukitake and Nanao Ise. The Captain's appearance looked far more grave and almost understanding of the situation. Nanao wore a mask of dutiful stoicism to shut off the damning realization her own Captain had been slain.
"If the opportunity arises that we can kill this monster, leave it to me," The white-haired Captain declared, his eyes glaring ahead as they raced ahead. "As her Captain, her possession has become my responsibility. And with that, I shall do what must be done without hesitation!"
"Can ya, old man?" Shinji wondered silently, only briefly doubting the man's resolve. Despite himself he rolled his eyes and kept his wits about him. "Here I thought I'd get to pay my respects to Aizen, and now this shit-stain waltzes in to steal the show. Gonna make sure to make him pay for that."
"It seems that the situation has spiraled out of control, hasn't it?" Unohana questioned aloud in a laid back demeanor, despite her bloodied and placidly smiling state. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the Primera with both guns in hand and a frown on his visage. Much to the satisfaction of her blood thirst, going all out hadn't even broken the Primera's stride and hadn't even been touched once by her deadly attacks.
Other than a handful of scuff marks and superficial cuts to bruises, he had yet to be harmed by Soul Society's fomer Kenpachi.
"Ya know, if you want to just end our fight, you could always just say so," Starrk dryly commented with a sigh, raising one gun upright and another aimed at her. "No matter what I try, you just come back freshly healed a second later. We could honestly keep fighting forever with neither of us gaining any ground."
"Your nonchalant nature is probably why you don't react the way you should. Sousuke Aizen was killed by the enemy and now someone else has taken his place, someone familiar. Don't you care what happens to your side?" She inquired with a thin smile and a pensive thin-lidded stare.
"I'm not the kind of guy to worry about details of 'Who's in charge?'. As long as I got strong guys as my allies, I'm not really particular on my choice of what you'd describe as comrades," He answered, much to Lilynette's begrudging agreement. Lowering the guns to his sides, he shrugged while lopsidedly pouting his lip while drawling his words out lazily. "I mean, if killing is your true passion, why turn to healing? Doesn't that annoy ya if you're fantasizing on butchering your next victim?"
"I'm not a thug; at least, not anymore," Unohana raised her blade up, explaining as her reflection was mirrored across the flat of the sword. "I pursued healing for two reasons. One was, put simply, to learn how to recover after being injured in battle so I may fight more often to my heart's content. The other is a bit more solemn," Lowering the blade, she admitted aloud with a smile on her face with a subtle glint of regret in her eyes. "I've slain thousands in the name of justice for the Soul Society, and even more for my own personal amusement. But, one day, a certain someone reminded me that even a battle hardened warrior like myself was a fragile being; only able to do so much with the time I had.
"So, I decided to sheathe my blade and pursue a different path. One that I hoped could lead to a lasting impact rather than a fleeting existence such as my legacy as the First Kenpachi. The Fourth Division is the backbone of all fighters in the Gotei 13, and without it, they would crumble and be reduced to expendable shock troops with no potential of becoming stronger in strength and character.
"It is for this reason, that I decided that when that special person's life was in jeopardy, I'd draw my sword once more," The Captain said, clutching at a blood splatter of a freshly closed wound, squeezing it between her fingers to drip over her lowered weapon. Once it was effectively colored in a dark dye did a sudden swirling motion contort over the Zanpakutō and was raised while an immense pressure was released from her weapon and her body in conjunction. "Even if I'd die fighting you."
"Bankai, Minazuki!"
In this announcement, the madness of her Reiatsu Starrk felt was transformed into a physical shape. No longer could he see an edge to a sword that howled with hundreds of thousands of victims it's carved up, yearning for more for its unquenching thirst. Now it was merely a hilt attached to an everlasting geyser of ichor, dripping without ceasing and barely resembling a weapon at all.
He didn't need to be told what this weapon could do. His instincts told him it was dangerous and a single cut from it could spell instant death compared to her previous attacks being a minor threat in comparison. Without further urging, the wide-eyed Primera narrowed his glare at his enemy and raised his Reiatsu appropriately, unleashing a palpable blue streak into the sky and its width extending to overlap the horrifying aura surrounding the Captain. If anyone had turned to look, it could be felt as limitless and be shaped as that of a skyscraper in sheer yield.
"So you finally are using your full strength? That's good," Unohana said with a satisfied smile, holding her blood formed Bankai up at an angle close to her face. "It'll make the effort of shaving the rust off my weapon worth it."
"I'm not the kind of person to usually say 'This is my finishing move' but I guess that's what I'm going to use," Starrk admitted softly, raising his right arm, building up his Reishi as the cobalt light of his Reiatsu overcast the immediate decimated battle ground.
The luminous glow of his Reiatsu siphoned to the barrel of his gun, becoming an abysmal maelstrom of blackness with cobalt hued overcast. Becoming as large as Starrk was, the Cero howled loudly as the earth shook and buckled under the gravity of its pressure. Then, he whispered a single phrase that let it loose.
"Cero Oscuras."
A click of the trigger and the body sized sphere became a mountain scaled fissure of darkness. Roaring outward, it'd encroach its target in an instant, giving less time for the Bankai armed Shinigami to react. Her only gesture was that of a two-handed thrust, assuming a leg spread crouch stance as a banshee cry let loose from her blood soaked blade.
"One Thousandth Style, Genocide Spear!"
When the weapon met the storm, an immediate pressure was created between the opposing energies. Contorting and bending before the edge of the ichor dripping weapon, slicing partitions near her shrieked out and dissected the false earth with rupturing friction. Though the whole of her perception was dark, her weapon's power kept it at bay. The time she spent in this posture felt like eons as a wall of power was aiming to overwhelm her. But her Bankai would not yield and neither would her fighting spirit.
The searing bite on her shoulder, however, made her jolt in surprise and look at the unseen attacker. Gasping she saw a red-eyed, white-grey furred apparition in the form of a wolf. Upon digging its fangs into her durable clothed flesh did something else transpire; it glowed brightly and let loose a voluminous explosion that rocked her off kilter with a cry.
Losing her balance, the oncoming blast swept her away. Even as her skin was peeled off, her bones turned to ashes, she couldn't help but smile. Eyes closing she felt content at dying in battle and for once, a noble reason. Her final thoughts drifted to that special someone, recovering and unconscious in the hospital who she no doubt was now seen to by her lieutenant.
"Zaraki...I now bequeath to you...the name of Kenpachi for good. Use that power to save Soul Society...and surpass me. And finally open your heart...to the companion whose been calling your name for all these years. Farewell, Lieutenant, Captain Commander and little Yachiru..."
Once she was finally erased, did Starrk release his hold on the trigger. In his direct line of sight the whole of Karakura's mock setting was erased to the west by the width of several kilometers onward. He swore that he punched a hole through the barrier, but whatever was keeping it together, had quickly sewed back shut. Sighing, reformed his missing left pistol back into materialization and into his left hand's grip.
"Thanks for the back-up, Lilynette," Starrk intoned to his other half. "That Bankai was no joke. If she undid my Cero Oscuras with that technique of hers, I might've not had any alternative means of putting her down."
"Well I can't really let you just keel over and die on me, can ya?"
"Yeah, that'd been a waste of the talk we had earlier, too," The Primera dryly acknowledged.
"So, what now?"
"We could just take a nap, and wait out-"
"No lazying around, Starrk!"
Sighing, Starrk felt like arguing but felt no need to. He hadn't fired a Cero Oscuras in a long time and it always felt like an overkill. Though his stamina hardly depleted, it was still a drain on his motivation to get so serious in a fight. He bemoaned why he had to fight such a strong opponent, but knew Lilynette was right. Aizen or no, they had to go help their new boss.
What he didn't expect, was the sound of clapping not far away.
"Wow, that was a great show ya put on there," Gin Ichimaru applauded with his passively thin smile adorned on his face. "Takin' out Captain Unohana is no small feat. Leavin' an impression like that is certainly gonna make the Gotei 13 think twice about engagin' ya in a confrontation."
"Thanks," Starrk replied in a nonplussed manner, eye lazily scrutinizing Gin's tattered yet relatively unblemished person. "You don't look worse for wear. I guess that means you're my superior with Aizen gone?"
"I'm a comrade, Primera, don't think of me as boss. Think of Aaroniero as the new honcho," He casually mentioned with a roll of his arms.
"I see," The one-eyed Arrancar narrowed his gaze at him. "You aren't broken up at our substantial loss?"
Shaking his head, Gin raised an upright finger for demonstration, "Think of it this way, Starrk. Aizen might've ditched all of you Espada once he got his way, but with Aaroniero? He -no, rather she- is on our side and has been an Espada this whole time. We might get through this endeavor alive and even get to see what it'll be like up there."
"As long as I have strong comrades, I don't really care what plans you schemers have. Just make sure you don't cross me, and I won't have a reason to leave or turn on you. That sound fair?" Starrk inquired with a tilt of the head.
"You have no quarrel with me, Primera," Gin chuckled, turning his head back and forth. "Let's see. The last tower should be right over...ah, there!"
Striking a left shoulder pointed crouch, a flash of light followed as a streak of metal flew out of Gin's hidden right sleeve. Fast enough to barely be percieved by the Primera the Bankai of the White Army's commander struck its target from afar, leaving it to crumble under its ruined foundation. With the Bankai retracted in a simple gesture, Gin turned to look over his shoulder at Starrk, his blue eye glimmering with ambition and malice.
"Now, shall we get going, Primera Starrk?"
Ichigo Kurosaki. He was a useful tool for distracting her opponents, either ensuring she can scavenge off their remains or that they wouldn't notice her elaborate ruse. Surprising her at every turn, it wasn't until the fight against Ulquiorra that he ultimately surpassed expectations. Power geysered from him, ignited by his rage and tempered by his resolve, the source of both Hollow and Shinigami's strength merged into one cohesive fusion of energy.
It was this factor that enabled him to hold his own against her. Even after a great deal of absorption and her current released state of Glotonería, her raw power could only contend against his. Her white colored Reiatsu flashed against his onyx dyed power, their swords creating ear shrieking shockwaves with every parrying stroke. Not only was his power on point, but his speed, reflexes and reaction time was almost superior to hers.
"He's the perfect opponent to test my powers against," She thought with a sly smile.
Widening her eyes as he came to let loose a Getsuga downward stroke on her head, she unleashed a barrage of invisible psionic arms to deflect the attack. The two forces cancelled each other out, creating an elliptical wave that split the earth and distorted the air between their perspectives. Utilizing Gemelos Sonído, she left a stand-still afterimage while appearing behind him. Slashing the air in a semi-circle that was narrowly ducked by the horn-masked Substitute, she cast a perfect ice pillar that touched the earth and sky alike.
Having already backpedaled away from her ice construct, her long hair whipping about, Aaroniero grinned at seeing Ichigo imprisoned in the ice prison of her own design. That was, until a vibrant glow of crimson filled its interior and fired in her direction. Raising her left hand, her whole being was consumed in the blood tinted funnel of Reishi, the ice she created becoming a steaming vapor that swirled around the point of the blast's origin.
"Not good enough, Ichigo!" She crowed out, focusing several aspects into the outstretched limb, making the potentially damaging light rendered inert. Just as the Cero was wiped away, she saw him vanish from his original position. Furrowing her brow, she concentrated on her Pesquisa and attempted to locate him.
"Getsuga," A snarl whispered from her right, making her close her eyes and grin knowingly. Raising her sword wielding hand to point her blade in his direction, she manifested a Hakuren without needing to perform its dance. Just as it howled outward, he disappeared from her senses and reappeared above her, avoiding the temperature altering torrent of white that shot across the heavens. "Tenshō!"
"Waiting till the last second to launch an attack, eh?" She noted inwardly, using her left hand to stave off the significant cleaving force of Reishi tongues. Much to her surprise, the intensity of such dense force followed with its behemoth mass distorted her Pesquisa. Such was the case that only sound dictated that he was revving up a Cero to fire at her back.
With a grimace, she utilized Angelle's aspect once more to form an invisible barrier to buffet the incoming wave of bright red outlined white Reishi. Cushioning it with a mighty thuum, she physically finished disposing of the other pair of attacks to see that the force wasn't all pushing against her psychic barrier. Instead, the red outline pushed and strained, soon giving way to an abysmal burgundy edged blackness that shot straight through her mentally drawn power.
A piercing throb shot through her skull, followed by bleeding from the nose and eyes along with her ears. Barely having time to process the result of damage inflicted on her mind puppet arms, she raised a hand and unleashed the strongest Cero she could muster with a hastily merger of Soukatsui. The purple wave of light halted the wave of darkness, erasing it into sparks of Reishi and revealing its wielder.
A repelled Tensa Zangetsu.
"Where-?!" She barely croaked out before feeling a white-hot pain thrash her back following a overlapping flash of scarlet light. Flinging forward from the shock throbbing in her body, with her head still ringing from prior, she witnessed the blade pulled back by an elongated chain of the pommel. Growling she twisted around to launch a blind swing at him, unleashing a torrent of destructive Reiatsu of freezing temperature.
Despite a layer of frost clinging to the Hollowfied Shinigami's body, the mantle of black ebbing off his person had nullified the worst of her retaliation; least of all, was still quick to move into her proximity with a black wreathed weapon slashing down upon her. She only had time to move to brace for the coming attack before she was hit imminently.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" He shouted once more, the annihilating crescent moon unleashed mightily in the sky. With light vanishing for the next few seconds, the Hollowfied Shinigami heaved from the effort. Having released one substantial attack after another took the wind out of him at the very least, even if he felt like the reservoir had no bottom, his body disagreed with that notion.
When he heard a haunting laugh, his grip on his sword tightened just as his yellow eyes dilated with horror and disbelief.
"I have to hand it to you, Ichigo," Aaroniero chuckled aloud despite herself. Her right hand had taken the distinct black-red markings of Chad's Arm of the Giant, though from the burns along her appendage the tint was a bit marred. Even the left limb, Arm of the Devil, had some blemishing scorched tissue but suffered little other extreme. The sight of it put Ichigo in shock, causing her smile to stretch and lavender eyes narrow at him. "Had it not been for my decisive absorption of your friend when I first possessed Rukia, I would've probably suffered far more damage without his ample defensive strength."
"Chad...no," Tears welled up within Ichigo's eyes, memories of the unstoppable giant classmate of his. Even then, when he thought he was well and alive, it was just another puppet. Grief gave way to rage, and his wrath exploded in an ample blast of Reiatsu from his very being. "BASTARD! YOU'RE GOING TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO HIM!"
"Hikotsu Taihō!" A thunderous cry emitted from below, catching the enraged Substitute off guard. Having forgotten about the bewitched Renji he had cast aside earlier, the Bankai clad Shinigami had managed to fire off a massive destructive orb towards him. With a swing of his blade, he severed the attack and let both halves separate harmlessly away.
That momentary distraction was all it took for Aaroniero to use her limited regen to heal her wounds and return to the offensive.
With a stretch of her Hōgyoku attached hand, a floral white stem protruded from her palm and entangled around the Hollowfied Shinigami's person. Unleashing the extreme temperature as much as she could control without immobilizing herself, she had hastily threw him off balance and stiffened his muscles. Covered in a layer of frost that made him jerk and quiver, she drew him close, her left hand soon protruding four large petals to enclose over him.
"Shhhhhhh," She shushed him with a smile as she watched the white flower engulf him, his nearly frozen frame distending and stretching her secondary maw. All the while the divine jewel pulsed more frequently, much to Aaroniero's perplexity. Despite this, she licked her lips, her own long hair and face becoming as covered in freezing moisture as her victim was. "I'm going to enjoy savoring this increase of strength. Just let it go, Ichi-"
A sudden crack followed the floral maw was eradicated, crumbling into pieces as a bewildered Ichigo fell away from the brittle fragments with it. To her horror she saw her left arm was a stump and the Hōgyoku was falling away. Turning to her right, she saw from a distant building top was the white uniformed Quincy, with Ginrei Kojaku aimed in her direction.
"Uryū!" She shrieked.
"That was for Chad, you bitch," Uryū murmured unheard as he lowered his bow. "Now, Orihime!"
To her horror, she saw the insignificantly sized Tsubaki streaking like a hornet towards the falling Hōgyoku. Without wasting any time she created a clone with Gemelos Sonído, swooping in to use Kidō and psychic ability to brace the attack. Torn in half, it slowed down only for a moment as she grasped the breakdown sphere with her remaining hand and twisted away from the young woman's attack.
Dropping to the earth, she saw that Ichigo's mask had half of it torn away, revealing his paled face as he was caught by Orihime herself upon her Shun Shun Rikka glider. Tsubaki returned to orbit around her, a reminder that she wasn't defenseless against even her own transcended power. Much to her disgust, she wasn't alone.
Nelliel, in her released state, appeared not far away to skid to her forward left. Joined by the company of Visoreds, along with a few select Shinigami, including that of Rukia's Captain, Jūshirō Ukitake. She fought off any feelings her body's heart had for the man and cast them aside to focus on her own pain and anguish. Even worse, the several Shinigami she had tossed aside were back up on their feet, adding to the large numbers of capable fighters standing against her.
She grimaced at her predicament. Her own substantial powers aside, she was down an arm, and the damage she suffered earlier had waned her stamina. Then, she felt something transpire in the distance as well as observe.
The resolution of Starrk and Unohana's battle had transpired for a scenic view for the assembled enemies of hers. With the Captain's Reiatsu peaking along with the Primera's, the two collided with one victorious over the other. Much to her pleasure, the renowned healer was dispatched, leaving her with one less problem to deal with.
"Captain Unohana?!" Nanao cried out with dismay. "No!"
"Concentrate on the battle at hand, Lieutenant," Jūshirō intoned, his eyes glaring ahead at Aaroniero, steeling himself as he readied his sword in preparation. "Even damaged, she is still a threat to all of us. We can't be distracted now."
The sudden shuddering collapse of the final tower, however, made them all reel with fear and horror at what happened. The last of the dimensional pillars were decimated, leaving nothing but the eventual unfolding of space/time Kidō that had switched Karakura Town for the mock city. It'd be gradual, but far too quickly for most of their comfort.
"Who broke the last tower? Was it the Primera?" Uryū queried with alarm.
"Will Karakura Town be in danger?" Orihime also wondered aloud, doing her best to restore Ichigo's mask and heal him of his frostbite induced injuries.
"No, we can still delay its encroachment," The Kidō Commander Kakushi insisted, looking to her predecessor stoically. "If you and I, along with our Lieutenants, combine our efforts we might be able to delay its unraveling."
"You are correct, but it will only be for a little while," Tessai agreed with a nod, turning to nod to Hachigen for affirmation. With his former subordinate agreeing in silence, the three left in a series of Shunpo. "Good luck!"
"At this rate, luck may not be enough," Kisuke murmured under his breath, dusting his hat off while looking at Aaroniero with a cagey expression. With Yoruichi's bloodied and bruised frame standing shoulder to shoulder with him, he let out a sigh. "Damn, this situation was never in my strategy book. Looks like I might need to get my hands dirty."
"Look at you, being all proactive," Yoruichi joked with a Cheshire grin, despite the pain she was in.
"Hey, I gotta pull my weight too," He shrugged, looking towards Orihime fixated on getting Ichigo back into the fight. "We can't depend on our ace in the hole for now. That means we all have to work together," Turning to look at Shinji and his colleagues, he arched an eyebrow. "You okay with that?"
"Sure, as long as I get a chance to cut her head off," Shinji grinned sardonically. "Bitch took my revenge from under my nose. Won't let her get away from that."
"You're all really cocky to just stand around talking," Aaroniero sneered, her sword held aloft while Renji had rejoined her side. The sudden sense of presence of both Gin and Starrk wordlessly arriving behind her caused her to grin more confidently. Raising her sword upward, her body let loose a voluminous wave of pressure, forcing them back from its sheer hurricane proportions.
At the same time, she raised up into the air, with a swarm of ice covered vines digging into the earth. Wrapping around her legs up her purple Shikhakushō and crimson-black cloak, large plants spread from her back as if she was the trunk of a tree. Unfurling from each of them was a human skull, soon enamored with flesh, hair and clothing along with distinct features.
"No way," Ichigo gaped from behind Orihime's Shun Shun Rikka.
"Rudbornn's powers are quite fantastic, aren't they?" Aaroniero mused aloud, her own left appendage growing from the stump and replaced during the whole process. Admiring how the Hōgyoku glimmered far more majestically than before, she waved both hands at the 'fruit' of her creation. "These are just but a handful of those I devoured and made a part of me. It's only fitting I give them a second life as my own hands and feet where I cannot deal with every single one of you personally. They are my Calaveras!"
Dropping to the ground with a wet crunch, each one bore a vile and all too familiar presence for most of the Shinigami present.
"I see quite a few Shinigami, ready to be axed off," Rana Zolinder bemused, fresh in a white decor of her previously fitted uniform from life. With red flames of Reishi licking off her person, a wicked grin spread across her face to match the wholesale murderous stare fixated upon them all. "I can't wait to cut you all up!"
Dropping next to her was Sverrie Alessi and Sedosa Belleza, each sporting their own brand of significantly bolstered powers. Behind them was Padros, and Angelle Cooney, whom bore a manic look of blood lust on her own demure visage.
Nearby Sado Yasutora landed in a crouch, rising up and dressed in a white sleeveless top with white leggings to match. Next to him was Gantenbainne Mosqueda who retained his appearance for the most part, just with a glimmering orange hued aura wrapped around his muscular body.
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez landed on the far left, joined by Yammy Llargo, and Rudbornn Chelute. To the far right was Tier Harribel along with her reborn Tres Bestias. All of them boasted tremendous increase in power, making their presence a dangerous bolster to the enemy of the Shinigami.
At front and center, was Lieutenant Sasakibe, confirming many's suspicions while shocking the others with the horrifying conclusion that not even the Captain Commander's right hand was spared from this atrocity. With his own clothes draped in a pure white, he drew his sword dispassionately as he was joined by one other body.
"Of course, I will have my own copy to mediate this chaos. So, while I'm busy preparing the creation of the Ōken ," She began to say, her eyes drawn to the Calavera as something contorted and shifted in the last of her creations. "You can...play with...me?"
The Aaroniero Calavera began to contort and shudder, even after fully forming. The skull twisted to and fro, arms snapping in odd directions along with the shoulders through the back and legs. A thick rose Reiatsu perspired like a gas as the body's transformation was well underway. Long black hair became mid-length pink hue, lavender eyes became an eerie yellow that were framed by hollow mask fragment glasses. The diminutive stature became tall and lanky, the body covered by an iconic black striped white long-sleeved uniform complete with its own overlapping white cloak.
"Ahhhhhhh," He exhaled, a grin spread decadently across his face as his arms spread out with visible glee. "Finally, I've been reborn once more!"
"No," Uryū gawked, his face paling at the sight and the feel of the Reiatsu. This was not a copy, like the others. It was a true rebirth, in accompaniment of a slew of other signatures coalescing with his own. He shuddered at the implications and how long he had remained hidden to utilize this moment."...not this monster!"
"Szayel," Aaoniero sneered, detaching herself from her vines to land directly behind him. "You have one chance to explain why you decided to hijack one of my creations. Given my temperament, I may just kill you if you annoy me."
"Now-Now, let's not be hostile, Novena," The sakura haired Arrancar turned to raise his hands up disarmingly while smiling nervously at the transcended colleague of his. Despite the beguilingly endearing pout etched over her face, the glare coming from her violet eyes indicated she was serious about killing him. Clearing his throat, he made a few simple gestures, doing well not to earn more ire than he already enacted. "You see, my original body was slain awhile ago. As a precaution I had used my observation probes that carry small microbes of my own spiritronic structure with it and laced it over a number of my allies so I could be made aware of things happening outside of my privy. However, when you had seemingly masked your 'demise' with a false broadcast, my observers told me otherwise.
"I kept close watch on you despite my own current predicament with the Shinigami. It was only when I met an untimely fate that the observers became...hmmm...the human equivalent of a Horocrux, you could say," He grinned at his choice of words, ensuring his hands were always in Aaroniero's twitching line of sight. "And given that I found out how overwhelming your power was in comparison to mine, along with your superior biology, I had decided to simply keep watch during your continuous charade. Not until you had utilized Árbol that I thought to even use a more sophisticated version of Grabriel so that I may keep the body's qualities intact. How is that for an explanation?"
Aaroniero maintained her glare, studying Szayel for any deception in his words. Even if what he said was entirely true, his mere existence in this Calavera made him dangerous. He had purposefully severed the organic link between her and it, effectively cutting the strings of the puppet body. His intelligence along with the abilities he has in his possession made him dangerous and unpredictable.
Still, as long as she had the Hōgyoku, she had nothing to fear from someone of his caliber; regardless of his acquired power.
"Fine. Welcome back into the fold, Szayel," Aaroniero answered, her eyes turning towards the slew of enemies staring at her Calaveras and herself. "Let's make quick work of them. I intend to create the Ōken sooner rather than later-"
An immense Reiatsu suddenly washed over the onslaught of Shinigami and Arrancar alike. A breathtaking incline of heat billowed upward, creating an overcasting hue of red-orange-gold. Turning to look over her shoulder, she was both excited and afraid of what was coming. A walking pyre of flames larger than any tower of the Seireitei, poised from an aged, white-cloaked man's body.
"A mere Hollow dreams of trespassing the most sacred of heavens? For that, I will not wait idly for my Gotei 13 to dispatch you, Arrancar," Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto intoned, his eyes staring ahead with a righteous anger alight in the dark orbs. "Instead, I will be a bit selfish, and avenge my subordinate with my own two hands!"
A/N: And finished!
I know it's been a long time since the last chapter and there's a few reasons for that. One, I needed time to come up with a proper way to segue the plot forward without it becoming a big mess. It's an easy thing to happen with such a large cast still present in the narrative. And given my trusty editor, Firegod00, aided me in viewing this chapter ahead of time I hope I didn't bungle up the pacing and flow of this particular installment. Secondly, a lot of RL things have transpired in the last 5ish months so that took a toll on my writing abilities in general.
Regardless, I had a ton of fun writing this. Between Starrk and Unohana's final clash against each other to Aaroniero kicking ass to even Ichigo having a shining moment made this worth delivering, despite how long the time it took to complete it. And with Yamamoto furious, Aaroniero will have to devote all of her strength in combating Old Man Genocide. How will our heroes contend with Gin, Starrk, Szayel and the slew of Calaveras?
Find out in the next update of A Predator Among Us!