"Layne!"
The excited voice, tinged with relief tripped Layne's sense as he groggily came to his senses, his mouth felt dry and had a coarse lining of Hueco Mundo sand inside, which he proceeded to cough and spit out as he forced himself to sit up, the false daylight of the Las Noches dome sun blinding him as he yanked his eyes open
"Careful, careful" Isane admonished him, her unique lavender hair and soft features slowly registering "Don't sit up so quickly, you're lucky to be alive!"
Layne spat out another mouthful of sand and she handed him a container of water, which he then used to completely rinse his mouth out
Layne recalled back before he passed out, in what seemed like an eternity ago, vaguely recalled getting kicked, punched, stabbed, burned and had the mother of all lightning bolts dropped on his face, and had to concede the point
"I remember, I lived through it" He shot back weakly, swirling some more water around his dry mouth and spitting it out again "What are you doing here?"
"They came to help us"
Sitting behind him was Chad, who looked much better than he did when Layne had last laid eyes on him
Isane nodded to confirm what Chad said
"I thought we were on our own, but I guess we just played into the grand plan like we were expected to"
Layne glanced at Chad and grinned "Ichigo is going to be pissed"
Chad gave a slight nod in response, but continued to keep his expression grim
"Speaking of Ichigo... how is everyone else doing? Layne trailed off, as he looked around and noticed that there was no one there aside from the three of them
"Don't answer that… we should stop wasting time here"
"Before you go… when Joel found out that Hueco Mundo was a desert, he gave me something for you"
Isane handed Layne a pair of thongs wrapped in a plain grey shirt
Layne looked down at his shredded shirt, and bare feet and conceded to himself that Joel may in fact be a genius only masquerading as an idiot
"Tousen, the Tenteikuura"
As the magic of the Tenteikuura wrapped itself in Layne's mind in a way that had only happened once before, Layne instantly knew something was wrong
Previously in Soul Society when Isane had used the Tenteikuura to inform the Soul Society (and Ichigo, Layne, Ishida, Chad, Orihime and Moll) about Aizen's betrayal and impending execution of Rukia the feeling in Layne's head had been one of quiet determination, some fear but the message conveyed even before the message was conveyed it was able to be determined that the message was from an ally
This time, there was none of that; this time… there was only malice
"Can you hear me, invading force?" The resounding impact of Aizen's deep voice ricocheted around not only Layne's skull, but all of his allies in Hueco Mundo as well
Layne, Chad and Isane all glanced at each other; as if to confirm that they were all hearing the same thing
"It's Tenteikuura" Isane said
"Allow me first to convey my respect to you for felling so many of my Espada, but more importantly… now we commence our invasion of the human world"
"What?" Layne burst out "Were we too late?"
"I am placing Inoue Orihime in the fifth tower, if you'd like to rescue her, come and take her back… she is no longer of any use to me"
"What…?!" Chad exclaimed
"Her ability is awe inspiring; the rejection of events is a power that far exceeds the realm of what humans are capable of, the highest levels of the Soul Society understood the significance of this ability and that is why her abduction was my means of inducing a crisis in Soul Society, in a way that they would strength their own defenses, and not that of the human world… She was also bait to lure the newest military assets of the Soul Society, the Ryoka, and the Shinigami Substitutes to Hueco Mundo, and further, I have succeeded in imprisoning in Hueco Mundo the four captains who came to reinforce them"
Isane suddenly knelt down in shock, silently performing some Kido
"The four Garganta that we used to come here, have all been sealed off"
"No way in, no way out?" Layne asked
Isane could only nod in response, her expression grave, as Layne cursed
After a brief pause, Aizen's disembodied voice continued in their heads
"The interesting thing about the Gotei 13, is the fact that there are thirteen captains, that hold the vast majority of the military strength of the Soul Society… but three have defected, and four are imprisoned… as the numbers have it, Soul Society's military strength has been halved and this will be too easy"
"We will annihilate Karakura town, create the Ouken and conquer Soul Society… then once that is finished, we will return to deal with you at our leisure"
The kido of the Tenteikuura faded from their heads leaving them reeling from the information they had just received
"There's no way he would have told us all that unless we were legitimately trapped here" Layne commented, while wracking his brains for a suggestion as what to do "Shit, how the hell are we supposed to get to Karakura town from here, it's completely fucking defenseless"
"Um… not completely defenseless"
High in the skies above the Replica Karakura town that Urahara had constructed in the time between Orihime's abduction and the current point in time, stood the forces of the Soul Society, standing in a loose formation with Yamamoto dead center in their group, flanked by Sasakibe directly at his side, and only slightly further, Soi Fon, Hitsugaya, Komamura, Kyoraku and Ukitake, as well as most of their lieutenants, Matsumoto, Iba, Omaeda and Joel.
Joel inwardly grimaced at how pissed off Moll had been that she was denied the opportunity to make up for losing Orihime in the Dangai Precipe world, and had been prepared to argue her case directly to Yamamoto himself, but had been prevented, by another mission that she hadn't had time to tell Joel about before embarking upon it
As he ruminated, they sky seemed to split open, like a mouth opening, and Aizen, Tousen, Gin, Kieran, Jed and Anita stepped through, exactly as planned.
Joel's heart jumped into his throat at the sight, this was it, the final conflict that had been brewing for so long, ever since he'd been walking to Layne's house after school and pulled through a mysterious portal to nowhere this had been coming… but he was here, among some of the finest Soul Society had to offer, and he was going to do his duty, no matter what the cost
"It would seem, that we have made it in time" Yamamoto commented on Aizen's groups arrival as easily as if he were performing one of his tea ceremonies
"In time?" Aizen queried "What do you mean by that… I am well aware that this is not Karakura Town, however that will not interfere with my plans in the slightest, Starrk, Barragan, Haribel…come here"
This time there were three monstrous rips in the sky and many more figures stepped through, on the left, three female Arrancar flanked a fourth, in the middle a much older and fatter male Arrancar stepped through with an entire retinue of Arrancar with him and on the right only two stepped through, a middle aged man and a young girl Arrancar.
The average reiatsu density in the area increased exponentially, causing Joel to catch his breath before releasing more of his own in response, nearby he felt the rest of the Lieutenants he was with do the same
"If Karakura Town is in Soul Society, then we will annihilate all of you, and make the Ouken in Soul Society… it is as simple as that" Aizen continued, seeming completely unbothered by the whole situation
Ichigo raised his head, the situation before him becoming crystal clear, Orihime had just been snatched from under his nose and he had to get her back
"Kenpachi… you said a little while ago that my job is to protect Karakura Town…but you're wrong… my job is to protect my friends"
Ichigo leapt away and sped off towards the five towers in the distance, where Orihime was waiting.
In the tower, Orihime watched quietly as Ulquiorra stepped towards her, his footsteps echoing loudly throughout the otherwise silent room
He stopped a few feet away from her and observed for a few seconds before asking
"Are you afraid?"
Orihime didn't reply, and so Ulquiorra continued
"Lord Aizen has deemed you unnecessary, there is nothing to protect you anymore… it's over, you will die here alone… so I'm asking if you are afraid"
"I am not afraid… because I am not alone, everyone came to rescue me… my heart is already with theirs
Ichigo sped towards the tower, cutting through a couple of low level hollows that attempted to block his path with ease
However, a veritable army of human sized Arrancar stood in his way as he leapt closer to the tower, each one of them had the same human skull like mask and white robes on, except for the taller one standing in the center, whose mask looked like a cow skull
As Ichigo approached Cow Skull drew his sword and threatened him
"I assume you are the intruder, Ichigo Kurosaki… I am Rudeborn, captain of the Exequias… I have come for your life
Ichigo changed his stance without saying a word… this was just another obstacle in in the way of Orihime
"I don't have time for this" Ichigo cursed
"That's just fine; I also am out of time and patience with you intruders" Rudeborn replied
Rudeborn clicked his fingers and suddenly Ichigo was surrounded be Exequias
Ichigo bashed a few away, but their sudden assault had left him surprised, and they were swarming in too fast
Damn… how many are there?
Some maniacal cackling then sounded and several of the Exequias were bashed off Ichigo by Zabimaru
Ichigo looked down to see Renji bashing down Exequias like they were so many flies
Beside him, Chad flared his arm and demolished the large wall in Ichigo's way, revealing the doorway to the tower and taking out many more Exequias with it
"Pathetic, how could you fools let such a minor turn of events defeat you" Rudeborn lambasted his men, before noticing that Ichigo was distracted by the arrival of his friends and attempted to attack him
"Tsugi No Mae, Hakuren"
Rukia's signature ice flash froze Rudeborn's arm and alerted Ichigo's attention to Rukia, standing on a platform of ice she had previously conjured
"Rukia!" He exclaimed, overjoyed to see her alive and well
"Save the reunion for later Ichigo, you have work to do" she admonished him, before pointing at the entrance to the tower that Chad had uncovered "Go save her!"
Ichigo nodded, regaining some of his focus and flashstepped towards the tower, disappearing into its depths
With Rudeborn and the Exchequias engaged with Rukia, Renji and Chad, Ichigo was free to ascend the side of the tower, and leapt up, breaking through the floors before a sense of danger caused him to defend above his head, deflecting what would have been a lethal blow
Visera sheathed his sword as Ichigo flipped backwards, annoyed at let another impediment to rescuing Orihime
"Impressive, Ichigo Kurosaki… when I first encountered you that would have been enough to end your existence"
Ichigo was bothered by the arrogance of that statement, but getting used to it at this point, it seemed to be baked into all of the Arrancar, like it was a vital part of their existence
"I guess I'll just have to try harder"
Visera disappeared from Ichigo's sight and reappeared behind him, far too fast for Ichigo to react effectively, in fact he felt sluggish, and unable to move quickly
Shit
"Listen mate, I have had just about enough of this" Layne growled, appearing behind Ichigo and knocking Visera out of the way "You blinded me last time… now my eyes are different colors, What the hell did you do to me?"
Layne glanced at Ichigo still standing there in shock that he was nearly skewered
"What are you waiting for idiot, go!"
Ichigo nodded and leapt upwards, ascending the tower yet again
Layne shifted his attention to Visera again, who stood up and turned his head towards Layne
"Good… you are the only one I wanted to encounter anyway"
His goal was in sight, he could feel it, there was one last barrier between Ichigo and getting to Orihime, the last time he tangled with Ulquiorra he'd left a hole through his chest… but there was no other choice
Ichigo broke through the floor and came face to face with Ulquiorra again, who was in the middle of very clearly threatening Orihime
"Get the hell away from her"
Breathing heavily, Omaeda was the first of the Gotei 13 to comment on the situation
"His reiatsu is friggin monstrous… like always"
"You can run away if you're afraid, coward" Soi Fon remarked dismissively, causing Joel to giggle for a second, before regaining his professionalism
"So the plan is to strike at the head of the snake first right?" Iba asked, seemingly at the group, but it was Komamura who replied
"No… Aizen's abilities are unique, we need to be able to concentrate our attacks on him, and so we need to take out those around him first"
"Who do you think is the strongest out of the three Espada?" Kyoraku mused
"That's a tough one… we won't know unless we ask Aizen" Ukitake replied
"They have tattoos ranking them" Joel mentioned, recalling his encounters with Luppi and Mollow "We could just ask to see those…"
"There's a problem… there's no guarantee that Aizen won't interfere while we're fighting with the Espada" Hitsugaya observed, to a murmur of agreement from Matsumoto
"Everyone get back" Yamamoto declared, his cane melting away to reveal is Zanpakuto
Every single member of the Gotei 13 took a step backward instinctively… and then realized that they weren't back far enough and took a few more steps
"Reduce all creation to ashes… Ryujin Jakka"
Flames exploded out around Yamamoto, the sheer force of the release pushing the Lieutenants a few more steps back, and causing Omaeda to yelp in surprise
Joel was privately glad that he yelped, it reassured him that he wasn't the only one unaware of the Captain Commander's abilities
"Get down Ukitake!" Kyoraku shouted
"I know" Ukitake replied as he dove down
Taking that as a cue, the rest of the Gotei 13 ducked down and Yamamoto sent his incredible firestorm directly at Aizen's group
The flames streaked directly towards Aizen, who made no motion, however Kieran and Jed moved directly in front of him to take the hit, but the flames split before them, and surrounded the six Shinigami that had come with the Arrancar, forming an impassable cocoon of flames
"Jojaku Enjou" Yamamoto murmured, completing his techniques and sealing his Shikai in one swift motion
"Aizen and his minions will not be able to emerge from that wall of flame for some time... now then, should we crush the opposition?"
"Man… the Captain Commander is really out for blood" Ukitake commented
"That just shows you how bad his mood is right now" Kyoraku responded
"Man, it's so hot" Gin commented, stepping back from the wall of fire that surrounded the six of them "The Captain Commander really overdid it… what are we gonna do Cap'n, with this up we can't do a thing"
"Nothing… this fight will be over, without us having to get involved"
The elderly Arrancar in the middle took note of Aizen's group being engulfed in a prison of flame, but didn't seem particularly bothered by it
"What a dilemma, our enemies are numerous… and the boss got himself trapped"
"Speaking that way towards Aizen-sama is out of line Barrangan" The blonde female Arrancar remarked
"Speaking towards me that way is out of line, Halibel" Barragan retorted, before clicking his fingers
The seven Arrancar flanking him produced several odd objects, looking like bone, which they assembled into a throne that Barragan sat in
"While the boss is trapped, I will be handing out of the orders… and I will not stand for any complaining"
Starrk shrugged "Fine by me" before getting kicked in the nuts by the small girl with him
Barragan ignored the scene in front of him and returned his attention to Yamamoto
"You said that you substituted he real town with a fake replica constructed in Soul Society… the Boss was saying, 'I should invade the Soul Society and take the town' … but is it really necessary to go through all that trouble… You mentioned that you constructed five pillars and with their power we switched the towns… if that's the case, what happens if we destroy those pillars… Findor"
One of Barragan's Fraccion, who's mask resembled a Bird of Prey approached closer and held his hand to his lips, making a strange whistling noise that echoed throughout the air and town
Four large Garganta opened above the cardinal directions surrounding the two groups at the edges of the town, North, South, East and West, and some monstrously large hollows crawled through
"I know the locations of the pillars; it is a standard practice to have constructs of this nature in the same layout of any zone"
"Shit!" Omaeda exclaimed "If the pillars are destroyed, then Karakura town will return and the real Karakura town will become the battlefield!"
"You fool… did you really think that I would not deploy anyone at those locations? Some very capable soldiers have been put in place" Yamamoto said calmly
At each of the locations, Moll, Ikkaku, Shuhei, Kira and Yumichika and the pillars they defended became visible to both sides as various hollow bodies fell around them