A/N: Updates will be completely random, it may be another week until I update or it might be months - this is because of the longer chapters (9.5k-10k) unlike my normal chapters (4.5k-5.5k). It is also because my main bleach story is still in progress and will be for a while (We Stand Upon the Heavens).
'Italics' = Thoughts
''Italics'' = Zanpakuto Speech
''Bold and Italics'' = Inner Hollow Speech
''Bold'' = Vizard with mask on
I watched from a distance as Ichigo ate his breakfast, having passed out earlier from sheer exhaustion. He had sparred with his Zanpakuto for almost three days straight before his reserves ran dry and he passed out, even so he struggled to continue fighting, wordlessly showing a mix of determination and overshadowing hatred for the man who killed his sisters.
No hollows had appeared in Karakura, thought it was now clear it was likely Aizen's intervention which had done so. Soul Society had not been notified by Aizen's actions yet, mainly because this was more personal to the Kurosaki family.
Although on the bright side, Ichigo had displayed phenomenal growth. His combination of determined hatred pushed him well beyond his limits and the results shined as I had watched, his strikes stronger, his speed faster, his reflexes quicker. To my surprise he also showed he possessed hollow powers by forming his mask, which shouldn't happen since he hasn't defeated his inner hollow, more so it had taken me all of five seconds to realise he was sparring against both Zangetsu and his Inner hollow.
Even Ichigo showed a level of ruthless brutality that I had not expected from a boy so young as him, kicking his opponents when they were down, sometimes literally. I was worried for his mental stability, as he lost not only his mother but his two younger sisters to hollows, all three having to now suffer for as long as the hollows live. He seemed passive bordering on cold and empty, but I could feel the rage hidden beneath his mask of emptiness, slowly stewing so when he encounters his opponent once more, he'll tear them to shreds without regard for his own health.
A sudden wave of Reiatsu washed over me and the other occupants of the store, and I noticed that Ichigo in particular bristled at the clearly Arrancar Reiatsu.
''He's back... good'' Ichigo muttered darkly as he burst out of the Shoten, allowing me to catch the tail end of his words ''... I'm gonna butcher this fucker...''.
''Hm, the human world has changed drastically since one thousand years ago'' Kaka Juka mused as himself, me and Yammy walked out of the Garganta into a park ''The civilians around us will prove problematic to finding our target. Yammy, if you'd please''.
Yammy grunted and opened his mouth, immediately forcing the air, Reishi and souls to fly into his open maw like a vacuum. In under half a minute all the trashy humans around us were dead, their eyes lifeless and corpses cold. My eyes however caught a twitch from one of them, which was followed by the purple haired woman to prop herself on her elbows, staring in horror at us.
''Eh? One survived?'' Yammy queried, approaching the horrified form of the pitiful human who tried to back away, before Yammy could take another step my senses picked up on two signatures close by, lieutenant-class.
''El Directo!'' A deep voice roared and from the treeline a blast of blue energy pummelled into Yammy, exploding on contact and damaging the Diez with mild burns.
''Tatsuki!'' A high pitched woman's voice cried as an auburn-haired girl rushed into the soon-to-be battlefield, her arms grabbed the fallen woman under her arms and began dragging her back with considerable effort.
''YOU FUCKER!'' Yammy roared as he charged Chad, using Sonido to get in front him before striking him in the chest, sending the man soaring back and into several trees. The woman exclaimed something along the lines of 'Sado-kun!' but it was hard to hear over the abrupt sound of Shunpo.
''Ichigo Kurosaki'' Kaka observed as he walked forwards slightly, a step or two in front of me ''Yammy, deal with the worthless humans. Ulquiorra, prepare to fight any incoming back-up. I shall deal with the boy-''.
''Bastard!'' Ichigo roared in white-hot rage as he blurred in front of Kaka and swung down, though the Shikai was bulky enough to allow Kaka to step back to avoid the attack. I Sonido back to the edge of the forest while keeping my senses extended for any incoming support while watching the unfolding battles.
Ichigo pointed his blade out in front of him and braced his arm ''BANKAI!''.
''Going Bankai so early are we?'' Kaka taunted/mused ''I have heard that while your Bankai increases your speed and power to the point of matching other Bankai, it is clearly undeveloped. Aizen himself believes you could match the captain commander one day, given enough training''.
Ichigo glared at his opponent with pure hatred ''I will set Karin and Yuzu's souls free, bastard!''.
'So Kaka Juka has somehow attained/absorbed/devoured his human sisters souls?' I mused 'Perhaps that is why Raika-sama asked him to stay behind at the latest meeting'.
''You appear to like cursing quite a bit, boy'' Kaka taunted ''Has your mother never taunt you manners? Or did she die before then?''.
Ichigo disappeared in a blur behind the Halcyon and swung, only for his blade to be caught with apparent ease with his left hand. Shock replaced his anger, only for the aforementioned emotion to return in full force. He backed off for only a moment to reach his hand up and gather energy and pull down to reveal-
'A Hollow Mask?!' I thought with slightly widened eyes, Aizen had showed them the clip of the elder Kurosaki partly Hollowfying on the Sokyoku hill, but still it was surprising to see him turn it into an ability less than a week after he returned.
With a double-toned roar he charged the mildly surprised Kaka with almost double the speed and apparently strength, if the fact Kaka dodged was any indication. The orange head attempted to get a second hit in but the man ducked with surprising agility, thrusting a fist out and knocking the wind out of the substitute and sending him shooting into almost a dozen trees before crumpling to the ground, his mask shattering to show his shocked expression.
'Hm, so Kaka Juka possesses massive physical strength? Is that his main strength?' I mused as I sensed Kisuke Urahara appear before Yammy.
Ichigo coughed up blood and lazily got to his feet ''Shit...''.
''Pitiful, is your resolve to save your sisters so weak?'' Kaka said mockingly ''Perhaps I should send their souls to hell? Have them suffer endless pain and suffering, only to be reincarnated back in hell? I have the power to do that, you know, so tell me... are you so weak as to let them suffer, like how your mother has been for the past few years? Or how I have her absorbed her soul too?''.
Ichigo stilled, eyes wide ''W-What?''.
Despite the upper half of his face being shielded by the shadows of his hood, a grin formed on his face ''I absorbed the grand fisher at the request of Raika-sama, meaning your mother and sisters will now lay in eternal torment within me''.
Ichigo froze, his eyes gradually widening before he hung his head as if in defeat, his hair covering his eyes. However judging from his tensing grip on his Zanpakuto, he is merely freezing in cold rage, which Kaka noticed but pretended not to.
''Pitiful, well I guess its time to send them to hell-''.
Ichigo abruptly appeared before him, mask on and cold fury blazing in his eyes that made the Novena Halcyon widen his eyes behind his hood.
''GETSUGA TENSHOU!'' He bellowed, sending a point-blank black Getsuga Tenshou at his opponent, creating a massive explosion. The substitute backed off, golden eyes blazing as he waited for any sign of movement. He was rewarded when a completely unscathed Kaka appeared before him, fist already crashing into the boys masked face and sending him into the ground, making a crater almost a dozen meters wide.
''Congratulations boy, you forced me to use Sonido'' Kaka said condescendingly before looking over at Yammy, who was missing an arm and fighting Kisuke Urahara ''Yammy, Ulquiorra, we are leaving''.
I appeared by his side in a low buzz, an angry Yammy following a moment later. I opened a Garganta behind us as Urahara, Yoruichi Shihouin appeared in front of us with stern expressions.
''Farewell, Shinigami'' I say and step into the Garganta, followed by Yammy and Kaka.
As the Garganta closed, I turn to Yoruichi ''Get him back to the Shoten and have Tessai begin a healing Kido, then come back for Sado-kun while I contact soul society''.
Yoruichi merely nodded sombrely, scooping up the barely conscious Ichigo before disappearing in a blur. I move to Inoue and put a hand on her shoulder, taking her with me in a blur that left us outside my Shoten in a handful of steps. She was barely injured, only have a mild concussion from what I could deduce so I bring her into the store, laying her down on a spare futon.
With swift steps I went into my spare room where I had begun setting up a communication device with soul society, consisting of one large screen and a smaller computer on the side to wire it up. I rapidly type up a message and send it off to Mayuri, hopefully I can have them call for a captains meeting shortly-
My thoughts were interrupted when the large screen abruptly flickered blue, then a fuzzy grey before forming a visual picture of the whole Gotei 13 captains in the meeting hall. Some had annoyed looks on their faces while others seemed merely concerned, laughing lightly to myself in embarrassment I cough, donning a serious face.
''Kisuke Urahara, what reason do you have for interrupting a captains meeting?'' Yamamoto thundered.
''Aizen's made his move'' I say gravely and immediately had their full attention ''It appears as though he is using the Hogyoku to create artificial Arrancar, Arrancar being the term for a hollow who has removed his mask and gained the powers of a Shinigami''.
''I have already briefed the captains on them after my division detected their presence, Urahara'' Mayuri hissed and I sighed mentally but smiled.
''Good boy, Mayuri-kun!'' I mockingly praise making the man silently fume ''But back onto the topic, three powerful Arrancar appeared only a few minutes ago. The large one, known as Yammy, is somewhere between lieutenant-class and low level captain-class. The next one was a pale skinned Arrancar with black hair and emerald eyes, known as Ulquiorra. He didn't engage in combat but merely observed, though his power was noticeably higher than Yammy, easily captain-class''.
My expression turned grave ''The last one was a hooded dark skinned man, who name is unknown, is likely the strongest of the trio. He was capable of fighting Kurosaki-san, who was in Bankai, with only his bare hands - not to mention he downed him in two attacks, the first incapacitating him before he got a second wind''.
Many eyes widened at that fact, as while he was not the strongest of fighters, defeating a Bankai with bare hands was scary ''That's not all, Yoruichi heard him mentioning someone called Raika-sama, so it is likely to be a superior-''.
I was cut off as the pictured blurred and everyone on screen hunched over, the floor around Yamamoto groaned and parts even began burning. After a plea from Unohana and Kyoraku he reigned in his apparent Reiatsu.
''Yama-jii?'' Kyoraku questioned warily.
''Raika...'' Unohana murmured, her tone sombre.
''Kisuke Urahara... this unnamed Arrancar, describe its appearance to the last detail'' Yamamoto said wearily, stunning everyone.
''Uh, sure'' I say with a frown ''He wore a long hooded white robe, white Hakama pants, black Obi and standard black footwear. He had dark skin and his upper face was concealed by the shadow of his hood''.
Yamamoto bowed his head ''So... it seems as if Aizen has freed Raika from her eternal prison''.
''Mind explaining anything?'' Zaraki said in an impatient tone, getting several ignored glares and the captain commander and Unohana straightening up.
''Raika, also known as Queen Raika, is the third ruler of Hueco Mundo and a very powerful Arrancar'' Yamamoto began, getting surprised looks from everyone save Unohana ''A millennium ago, we went to war with her, as Central 46 deemed her too powerful to exist''.
You could almost hear the disdain when he spoke of the late council ''At the same time however, we were also having troubles with the Quincy, and after futile debates they declared war on us as well, resulting in a three-way war between the Quincy, Hollows and Shinigami. In the end I managed to force the Father of the Quincy to retreat and with assistance sealed away Raika''.
''However there was a prophecy that the day Queen Raika awakes, so will the Quincy King, and the war will start anew'' He spoke gravely ''If it is true that Raika has returned, Yhwach cannot be far behind. I have no doubt that the Arrancar you spoke of is the Novena Espada, Kaka Juka... he was the second weakest of the ten Espada and took two captains with him before falling''.
Every one of the captains had shocked expressions, numbed by the information but Yamamoto continued ''It is likely that the Arrancar you saw in the human world are merely a recon team, Kisuke Urahara. If any Arrancar appear in the world of the living take caution, as the Espada were excellent at hiding their true strength until it was too late. Captains, prepare yourselves and your divisions... All captain-class and lieutenant-class fighters will be needed in the coming war''.
''We lost eleven captains and twelve lieutenants last time, this time we will prove the might of the Gotei 13!''.
As the Garganta opened in the middle of the stony room, all Espada and Halcyon alongside their Fraccion turned their gaze as an unscathed Ulquiorra, badly damaged Yammy and untouched Kaka stepped out and onto the floor quietly.
''Ulquiorra, if you'd please'' Aizen smiled and I nodded, reaching and grabbing my eye and pulling it out before crushing it. It turned into Reishi and floated around the room, allowing them to see my point of view of the battle. After a minute or two a scoff was heard, turning the attention to Grimmjow.
''He looks like a pansy, I mean sure he has that weird hollow mask power-up but still! He couldn't even touch him'' He said while gesturing to Kaka.
''You seem to forget Grimmjow that the Halcyon are above the Espada'' Harribel scolded.
''Tch'' Grimmjow scoffed but said nothing more.
''What is your opinion on him, Kaka Juka?'' Aizen questioned the hooded man.
''...his potential for growth is unimaginable, as his Mask-enhanced Point-Blank Getsuga Tenshou attack forced me to use Sonido to evade, plus he fought quite well under the control of his rage'' He said after a pause ''His power, with his Bankai and Mask, is on par with the Cuatro Espada pre-resurreccion, or on par with the Quinto Espada post-Resurreccion - however the mask itself is relatively fragile, a Bala could probably shatter it''.
''Tch, why didn't ya kill him?'' Nnoitra barked.
''Because he is necessary for the future, despite the threat level he currently poses'' Was his vague answer.
''Starrk-kun~'' Was all the warning I got before I felt a person land on me.
Lazily I remove the pillow from my face and sleepily look up at Charlotte, who like always was grinning. I almost wanted to groan when I saw Lilynette grinning in the background, unintentionally showing that she had some involvement in this.
''What?'' I question, trying to reposition so she wasn't straddling me, to no avail.
''I'm bored~'' She pouted cutely.
''Well why don't you go bother Hiotsume?'' I question, to which she shook her head at.
''She's been hanging around Ulquiorra lately''.
I raise an eyebrow ''And Ulquiorra hasn't kicked her out?''.
''She very subtle'' Charlotte smiled ''She's probably training him at the moment, using it as an excuse to talk to him - speaking of which, time for training!~''.
''I don't wanna'' I murmur and put a pillow over my face, trying to find relief in the comfort of sleep.
''Aw, Starrk-kun~'' Charlotte whined as she removed the pillow ''What would it take to get you to train?''.
''Nothing''.
''Not even if I take my shirt off?~'' She said in a quiet but sultry tone, her face feigning innocence as she slowly began lifting the bottom of her shirt.
''I'm getting up'' I groan, making her stop the process and grin in victory ''I wish you would stop resorting to stripping to get me up''.
''But Starrk-kun its fun~'' Charlotte grinned as I stood up with her ''Most guys would kill to see a girl shirtless''.
''Yeah well you won't be seeing me do that anytime soon'' I yawned as I walked to the door, Lilynette obediently following besides us.
''Starrk-kun you meanie~'' She puffed her cheeks out ''Are you saying you don't like my boobs?''.
''I don't remember saying that'' I say coolly.
''But you eluded to that'' She retorted slyly.
''Nope''.
''Yup''.
''Nope''.
''Yup''.
''Nope''.
''Yup''.
''Will I get a different answer?''.
''Nope'' She grinned and abruptly hopped onto my back, resting her chin on my head and wrapping her legs around my torso ''Mush!''.
''I'm not a horse'' I growled lightly.
''Shush'' She grinned and patted my head.
''Weirdos'' Lilynette muttered, getting a laugh out of the Cuatro Halcyon.
''So how do I master the second release?'' I asked to thin air on my balcony and Rin walked out from behind the curtain with shy gracefulness.
''Y-You've entered your inner world and met your Zanpakuto, right?'' She said shyly and I nodded, silently prompting her to continue ''Well the key to mastering it is to enter your inner world and relive your human life''.
I frowned ''That is... unusual''.
''Yeah'' She agreed, twirling a bit of her hair around her finger idly ''Its different per person, but usually your Zanpakuto will teach you''.
Nodding, I searched within myself for Murcielago ''This may take awhile''.
Rin merely nodded.
''Barragan-sama'' Ggio stated as he walked in the room with the Primera Halcyon behind him, grinning madly as always ''Hayato-sama has come to assist you, on Raika-sama's and Aizen-sama's orders''.
The aged Arrancar looked at the Primera ''What about?''.
Hayato kept grinning ''Oh nothing much, just to help you achieve the second release, Segunda Etapa''.
His eyes widened ''A second release?''.
''Yuuuup'' Hayato said ''Its the true equal to Bankai, which is why all the Halcyon are now ordered to teach the Espada - so that we'll fair better in the coming war''.
The former king nodded ''Very well''.
''So you'll be teaching me how to attain a second release, something that surpasses Resurreccion?'' Harribel asked with a raised eyebrow.
''Yeah'' Hans said lazily ''Its not too hard, just a bunch of meditating and stuff like that''.
''Very Well, come in''.
''Eh? A second release?'' Nnoitra asked with something between surprise and excitement.
''Yeah, though to earn it you have to do a bunch of shitty meditating like the bastard Shinigami'' Oragon scoffed ''Though trust me, its power is badass''.
''Well what are we waiting for?!'' Nnoitra grinned widely.
''Tch, meditating?'' Grimmjow growled at his Halcyon counterpart, Oshiro.
''Hai'' The man said impassively ''The human phrase 'patience is a virtue' is very suited here''.
''If it grants me more power, then I'll do it'' He growled as he fell into what Oshiro said was called Jinzen.
''Good, relax yourself and try and block out your surroundings'' Oshiro said before falling silent.
''Segunda Etapa? A fitting name for a second release'' Zommari nodded thoughtfully ''And it is achieved through meditation? I think it will not be too challenging''.
''Mm, I myself was one of the first to achieve it'' Darius concurred ''Finding inner peace when that is our common practice is not a challenge''.
Zommari nodded, falling into a mediation stance that he normally used when releasing his Resurreccion, he breathed deeply and relaxed.
''Hm, I normally do not meditate very often if at all, however I have done it occasionally in the interest of seeing if it proved any results'' Szayel hummed as he looked out of the corner of his eye at Maria ''But if Aizen-sama and Raika-sama request it, then it would be of interest to try - especially if this second release is true''.
''I can assure you it is real'' Maria said calmly ''And it will be needed for the oncoming war, once you have achieved it Raika-sama has ordered me to inform you of all the intelligence that the Halcyon Espada possess, anything ranging from our opponents to the infrastructure of the Seireitei to our third enemy in this war''.
Szayel grinned ''A three-way war? How delightful''.
''Meditate... to get... second release... Segunda Etapa'' Xenolith said in his usual disjointed speech to the Novena Espada.
''I see'' He replied and fell down into a simple meditating stance ''If Aizen-sama requests it, then I will follow orders''.
''The second release, Segunda Etapa, requires you to attain a level of inner peace through meditation and communicating with your Zanpakuto'' Kaka Juka instructed ''Aizen-sama and Raika-sama have ordered this, please do follow through so you can crush the Shinigami ants''.
Yammy grinned ''Oh I will''.
A frantic knock at the door signalled that the recently deployed advanced team had narrowed down their apparent search for Ichigo to here. They had arrived earlier this morning and after collecting Gigai from me headed to Karakura high, where I presume they met with Ichigo's friends and, since Ichigo had not left the Shoten since his sisters death - save the fight earlier - I presume his friends remained uninformed. Their Reiatsu signatures left the high school after it ended for the day and went to the Kurosaki household, where they undoubtedly found an empty house.
It was cleaned up by the forensics team after the human investigators arrived, and after tons of complicated paperwork I finally managed to get Ichigo and Isshin legal housing in my Shoten, after all I doubted they would want to stay in the clinic after the 'incident'.
The advanced team of Shinigami knocked again and I sighed tiredly, Ichigo and Isshin were downstairs and Tessai - who had heard the knock - was now sitting right in front of the trapdoor as to prevent anyone entering. I went over to the door and opened it, revealing Inoue, Sado, Ishida, Toshiro, Matsumoto, Ikkaku, Yumichika, Rukia and Renji.
''Urahara-san'' Toshiro greeted, currently in his Gigai.
''What can I do for you today, Captain Hitsugaya and co?'' I say cheerfully, but by their frowns they saw past the façade.
''Where is Ichigo?'' Rukia interrupted.
My smile fell and I attempted to hide it behind my fan ''Training''.
''Can we see him?''.
I shook my head ''I'm afraid not''.
''Why?'' Hitsugaya said suspiciously.
''Because he doesn't want to see anyone'' I reply sharply ''You've probably not heard of what has happened to Kurosaki-san, so I'll give you the blunt answer; his sisters were killed right in front of him on Aizen's orders, now he's gone into intense, nearly non-stop training''.
Everyone widened their eyes, but before they could speak I do ''Before you ask 'Can we see him?' or 'He needs to be around friends!' I can tell you right now that he doesn't, while I understand your concern it would be best to leave him alone. His grief is unmovable and he barely speaks now, anytime he is not training he is resting, then he is training again. If you were to speak to him, I can not guarantee he will not lash out in silent anger''.
Without any other words, I close my Shoten door with a sharp snap, leaving them standing outside and silently denying them access to my store.
[Several Days Later...]
A knock at the door interrupted my plans at sneaky out of Las Noches with my Fraccion to the world of the living. Shooing them to the other side of the room with a wave of my hand I walk to the door and swing it open, fairly surprised to see Nnoitra and Oragon at the door, Tesla standing off to the side alongside two unknown Fraccion, who I assumed to be Oragon's.
The first one to the left was a short blue haired girl, standing at about 5'4 with her straight hair going down to her lower back and bangs cupping her face. She held a blank expression in her deep blue orbs. She wore a knee-length white skirt and black belt around her waist, along with a strap of fabric that wrapped around her chest, having teal fur trims to possible hide how little shirt clothing she wore and all but displaying her C sized chest. Her hollow hole was located on her throat, while her mask fragment was the same as Oragon, only be different in that they were two wavy lines above her eyebrows.
The other was slightly taller but just as petite, standing around 5'7 with wavy blonde hair with random blue streaks through it that stopped at her shoulders. Her expression was bored as her golden orbs watched our soon-to-be discussion idly, wearing the same outfit as her fellow Fraccion but having a smaller chest and a longer skirt. Her hollow hole was located just below her chest, her mask fragments more jagged than the wavy lines of her counterpart or the straight ones of her Espada leader.
Time resumed as I focused on the two Espada ''What is it?''.
''Raika-sama knows you're planning on sneaking to the world of the living to challenge the Kurosaki brat'' Oragon said and I stiffened ''Raika-sama has ordered me and Nnoitra to come along, that way you won't take flak from Aizen since it is now an official mission, well you two will be fighting while I have the objective of damaging the town''.
''So when we leaving?'' I asked, secretly thankful to the Queen - an angry Aizen is terrifying.
''Now, if you're ready'' Nnoitra sneered as Tesla came to his side.
''Tch, hell yeah I'm ready - I call the Kurosaki bastard''.
''Fine with me, I'll take the Shinigami captain that's stationed there'' Nnoitra grinned with bloodlust.
''Your Fraccion can deal with any non-captains'' Oragon said ''Mizu, Kaminari''.
The blue one straightened up when 'Mizu' was called, and the blonde copied when 'Kaminari' was called.
''Hai?''.
''You two will deal with anyone of captain-class when Nnoitra or Grimmjow are preoccupied, am I clear?'' He said sternly, making both Fraccion nod with a smile ''Everyone ready? Lets go!''.
With a mix of a low buzz and a ripping sound, the Garganta opened and myself, Nnoitra and Grimmjow stepped out with our Fraccion following.
''Go find anyone with any spiritual pressure'' Grimmjow ordered to his Fraccion with a grin ''...and kill them''.
''This shall be interesting'' I grinned, making the two other Espada mimic me and grin feral grins as Grimmjow's Fraccion took off.
It was nearly seven at night at the Urahara Shoten when the alarms started blaring, waking all its occupants immediately. I was at my computer in a heartbeat, the screen having activated when the alarms started. It showed six lieutenant-class Reiatsu signatures and five captain-class ones, making my eyes widen.
''Yoruichi-san~'' I call, trying to be merry despite the grave situation ''We'll be needed on the battlefield''.
A tired and somewhat grumpy Yoruichi dragged herself into the room, fully dressed in her usual gear ''Fine, Fine...''.
''El Directo!'' I roared, pumping my fist towards the Arrancar with a weird head. He snorted and batted the attack away like it was nothing, making my eyes widen.
''Is that all? You aren't even worth seeing my Resurreccion!'' He said and blurred forward with his hand shaped into a knife, too fast for me to dodge.
''Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!'' Rukia cried out as she appeared in a blur of Shunpo, her ice veil striking true and forcing the Arrancar to retreat backwards.
It was not to be, as she appeared behind him, a circle of ice forming at his feet ''Some no mai, Tsukishiro!''.
''Wha-'' Was all the unnamed Arrancar got to say before a pillar of ice struck upwards, freezing the hollow. For a moment all was still before the moment was ruined as the pillar shattered, along with the victim.
''Thank you, Kuchiki-san'' I intone, making the girl smile.
''Its fine, but we should hurry, Ichigo took off before I could blink'' Rukia said and I nod, and we both took off in a run towards the nearest battle.
I stood idly on the air, watching as the remains of my Fraccion were eliminated and making me grit my teeth ''Idiots''.
Nnoitra's Fraccion, Tesla, stood behind his master, obediently waiting for his orders. Oragon and Nnoitra stood idly, waiting for a moment before Oragon spoke.
''I'm off to do my part, I expect you'll have somewhat interesting opponents'' He said before disappearing in a buzz.
Just as he left the sound of Shunpo echoed almost a dozen times as a bunch of Shinigami appeared before us ''Why have you attacked, Arrancar? The Hogyoku is said to not awaken until winter''.
I smirked, but before I could speak I caught sight of Ichigo Kurosaki, the next thing I new the strawberry swung his cleaver blade down at me. I drew my sword and in an instant blocked the blade, though I was confused by the sheer strength behind it. Since I underestimated it, I found myself flying back into ground level.
Coughing lightly, I got to my feet but immediately had to dodge the same cleaver which shattered the ground where it struck, making my eyes widen at the ferocity the kid was showing.
''What is your name, Arrancar?'' Ichigo said coldly.
''Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, Sexta Espada'' I grinned at him, but his face did not change much.
''Tell me, Grimmjow, who is the Arrancar that wears a hood? Dark skin, deep voice, ring any bells?'' He asked.
I narrowed my eyes ''You're probably talking about that creep Kaka Juka, the Novena Halcyon''.
His face showed confusion ''Halcyon?''.
''Tch'' I scoffed ''The Halcyon are a rank above the Espada, the Diez Halcyon is on par with the Primera Espada, and that bastard is the Novena''.
Ichigo abruptly smiled darkly ''I see, so if you're the Sexta... then you'll be no trouble at all''.
''Bastard'' I growled and lunged at him, but he blocked my blade easily enough ''Release your Bankai!''.
''If you answer one more question'' He said simply ''Who are the other five in the sky?''.
''Nnoitra Gilga, the Quinto Espada is the one with the hood and weird weapon. Oragon Nimizemi is the one with the weird hair, he's the Septima Halcyon'' I noticed he narrowed his eyes at that ''The small blonde who's fighting with the weird sword is Nnoitra's Fraccion, Tesla. The two chicks are Oragon's Fraccion, Mizu and Kaminari''.
Ichigo was quiet for a moment before nodding ''Thank you, now as promise... Bankai''.
I was taken aback as the air sudden weighed a lot more than normal, almost crushing before it was reigned in. The smoke from the release was cut in half with the swing of his sword, revealing it to be the same black Daito and black Gi as Aizen had said it was, only that he also now had a black gauntlet on the sword hand with the chain going inside it.
''Tensa Zangetsu''.
Just as the Espada looked like it was going to speak, Ichigo appeared out of nowhere and clashed blades with the Arrancar, sending the blue-haired man down to ground level.
''He's mine'' Ichigo said coldly before blurring down to the man.
''Ichigo...'' Rukia said quietly.
''Tch, Tesla take the pineapple and midget'' I growled and my Fraccion nodded, blurring away from me and the two Shinigami reluctantly following.
''Maa, Maa'' A cheery voice suddenly said as a shopkeeper appeared, who I instantly recognised as Kisuke Urahara ''I'll take this one with Yoruichi-san, Hitsugaya-kun''.
Before I could get my own word in a dark skinned woman appeared before me ''Shunko!''.
She was covered in a blinding white lightning before she threw a punch at my chest, mildly succeeding in piercing my Hierro as I rocketed away from the battle. I growled at the two newcomers, but also felt a sense of glee from fighting an opponent who Aizen himself deemed very dangerous. That left Mizu and Kaminari to fight the busty blonde lieutenant, the midget captain and the girly man.
''Come at me!'' I grinned widely.
As Nnoitra was taken away I turned my gaze to our opponents, a captain and two lieutenant-class fighters.
''I choose the midget captain'' Kaminari stated as drew her Zanpakuto ''Why'd they let a kid become a captain anyway? Has the Gotei 13 really fallen so far from a thousand years ago?''.
The midget growled and swung his blade ''Hyorinmaru!''.
The released blade shot out an ice dragon, barely phasing my counter part as she deftly dodged around it. Using Sonido I buzz behind the feminine man and lash out, carving a deep gash along the mans back before he even noticed I attacked. With a painful gasp the man was sent rocketing into the ground, something that seemed to be happening quite often tonight like it was a running joke.
''Yumichika!'' The lieutenant gasped before she turned serious ''Growl, Haineko!''.
Her sword, save everything below the hilt, turned to ash and blew towards me like a gust of deadly wind. Narrowing my eyes at the pathetic attempt to harm me I charge my blade with my Reiryoku and swing, creating a shockwave strong enough to dispel the ash and force the lady to take a step back. Using Sonido I appear in front of the lieutenant and swung, her blade reformed in an instant and blocked the attack, but regardless of our stature difference my strength was making her blade tremble.
''Even though your comrade was unwounded, he went down in a single strike... what rank was he?'' I ask softly.
''Fourth seat'' The woman said as she futilely attempted to push me back.
''I see, well no wonder he went down so fast'' I muse mockingly ''I may be a Fraccion, but the difference in our power is obvious''.
I allow her to push me back and Sonido behind her, Reiryoku building in my wrist ''Bala!''.
The energy attack struck true and struck the woman in her back, sending her tumbling and gasping in pain. I Sonido above the pathetic excuse of a lieutenant and attempt to impale her, only for a snow-white blade to block me.
''Rukia...'' The busty lieutenant muttered as she Shunpo'ed back and fell into stance, the white blade removed itself from me and apparently belonged to the midget Tesla was supposed to be fighting. With a quick glance I noticed that only the pineapple was fighting him, and Tesla wasn't doing much more than toy with the severely weakened Shinigami.
''Your friend will die if you do not help him, Shinigami'' I say idly looking at Kaminari's fight, she had several cuts but was clearly winning against the captain, though he had the willpower to keep fighting.
''Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!'' Rukia's voice cried and I immediately returned my gaze to her to see a veil of snow heading my way.
''Pathetic'' I scoffed, charging enough Reiryoku into my blade and swinging it, causing a shockwave of air pressure to dispel the Hakuren into two parts going past me on either side.
''Growl, Haineko!'' Matsumoto shouted and I noticed the ash coming from above, behind, in front and above me - combined with the Hakuren it prevented my escape.
''Good use of tactics'' I called out to them as I quickly gathered Reiryoku into my fingertip and aimed down to the city ''...but I'm not like those idiots you fought earlier''.
''Cero''.
The deep blue beam of a Cero screeched down to the city below, but before it was halfway a deep voice yelled ''El Directo!''.
A white-blue burst of energy shot up and in a display of deadly accuracy struck the Cero head-on, forcing it to detonate prematurely in the air, causing a large sphere to spawn in mid-air and not far from where we were in the air.
''Good work, Chad'' I murmur to myself as I blur behind the Sexta Espada and swung my blade, meeting the panther kings and forcing him back ''If you're the Sexta, then I think I'll end this and go take down the Septima Halcyon''.
Grimmjow growled and Sonido'd backwards and I allowed him a breather, since I was dominating this fight. However that decision would come to bite me in the ass only a few moments later, as he cut his hand and a bright blue Cero formed.
''Gran Rey Cero!'' He roared and the beam fired, but unlike a regular Cero it was erratic and hissed dangerously, forcing me to unveil one of my two trump cards.
''Getsuga Tenshou!'' I cry and swung, sending a pitch black (with red outline) Getsuga at the Cero. The moment the two attacks struck it caused a large explosion which died quickly, the dust clearing with the swing of my blade.
''Stop being so cocky, bastard!'' He roared as his Reiatsu flared and he dragged his nails along his blade, making a low humming sound ''Grind, Pantera!''.
In an explosion of blue Reiatsu the panther king emerged, decked out in full white armour and taking on a more panther-like body. His hands and feet were now covered in black armour and the claws were sharpened, a tail was also now present and his hair became untamed and grew a pair of cat ears.
''Here I come, Shinigami!'' Grimmjow cackled as he charged me, abruptly taking me off guard as he appeared in front of me. He brought a downwards axe kick at me and even though I blocked it his strength sent me down to ground level, where I steadied myself before impact. I dodged to the side as Grimmjow attempted the same attack, but he easily dodged my counterstrike and forcing me to give chase as he used Sonido to go back into the air.
Before we could continue a literal wall of flames burst into life on the other side of Karakura, making all fighters take pause. My eyes widened at the sight of the easily hundred foot wall at a diagonal angle run through almost a kilometre of Karakura town, likely turning it to ash. Like a bullet train it was quick, disappearing a moment later but the damage was evident. Silence fell upon all fighters before the sirens of ambulances and police cars broke us out of our reverie.
''What the hell?'' I whisper in shock.
''So that's what Oragon meant'' Grimmjow said quietly ''Didn't think he'd go and destroy the town that much, geez''.
I glared at him ''Bastard!''.
I moved to strike but an abrupt Bala struck my chest, not doing much damage but forcing me to take pause. In a easy Sonido the guy Grimmjow identified as Oragon appeared, his hands smoking slightly as he smirked smugly.
''We're leaving, I'm afraid'' He said with a wide smirk ''It took too long for me to... find the right angle to strike''.
Growling, I blur behind the man and swung but was blocked by a girl with dark blue hair, she trembled under my blade but held strong. Oragon spun with shocking speed and backhanded me, sending me skidding back as Tesla, Mizu, Kaminari, Nnoitra and Grimmjow stood behind him. In a collective burst of Shunpo, a badly bleeding Rukia and Matsumoto appeared, a cut-up Toshiro appeared and a bloodied and beaten Renji appeared, Yumichika slung over one shoulder.
''Its been fun, Shinigami... its a shame you are all so pathetically weak compared to your predecessors'' He said in his still smug tone ''They say change is a good thing, but in this situation it clearly is not. Enjoy your despair Kurosaki, because I think you are smart enough to realise I didn't just strike any part of Karakura town''.
My eyes narrowed ''What did you do?''.
He laughed cruelly ''I think it is quite apparent what I did, Kurosaki''.
I growled and the man continued to smile with smug cruelty before saying ''Does the name Mizuiro and Keigo mean anything to you? It won't anymore''.
Shock overtook my body before white-hot rage overtook my system, my head hung as my hair overshadowed my eyes.
'I failed... again... Fuck... fuck... fuck, fuck, fuck fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck FUCK!'.
In a fit of uncontrolled rage and uncaring for my comrades safety, I reach up and with a swift clawing motion, slam my mask on. The effect was instantaneous; my weakened comrades, the Sexta and the Fraccion all gasped and hunched over as my full angry Reiatsu crashed down on them. Nnoitra widened his eyes and trembled slightly as he fought to remain upright while Oragon merely widened his eyes in surprise.
My blade, thrumming with Zangetsu's and my inner hollows anger, charged as a black and red Getsuga charged in it. I used Shunpo and appeared right in front of the man, who immediately reached for his sword.
And I struck
''GETSUGA TENSHOU!''.
The explosion was nothing short of fantastic, a huge four sided star exploded in the sky, forcing the Shinigami to escape the blast zone whereas the Arrancar could not. After almost ten seconds of the explosion reeling it began to shrink before eventually fizzling out, revealing on the edge of the blast zone a slightly burned Ichigo who was glaring furiously at the spot the Arrancar once stood at.
He slashed at the air, forcing the smoke to dissipate and reveal the still-alive Arrancar. Both of the Espada were lightly burned, the Fraccion having stood behind the two Espada and thus took minimum damage, while the Halcyon stood at the front. His clothes were singed slightly and was panting, his skin having been slightly burned by the attack his sword held in front of him.
To some, it would be seen as a great achievement to have done that much damage to the Halcyon, considering that he was ranked high above Grimmjow and Nnoitra.
To others, it would be seen as a pathetic attack, only managing to singe his clothing and give him first degree burns with Ichigo's most powerful attack.
To Ichigo, it was downright fucking impossible.
''Tch'' The Halcyon muttered, sheathing his blade ''Even now, you couldn't kill me... you are lucky our time is up, otherwise I'd crush you''.
Just as he finished several Negacion crashed down on the Arrancar, the Halcyon still gazing at Ichigo ''Your performance... was pathetic''.
''Bastard'' Ichigo growled as his mask crumbled, showing his blazing glare.
The other Arrancar said nothing as they were taken up to the sky, disappearing into the Garganta with only a quiet ''Tch'' as a goodbye.
Ichigo dropped his Bankai, wordlessly falling back into his cleaver permanent Shikai before speaking quietly ''Toshiro, can you open a Senkaimon?''.
Toshiro narrowed his eyes ''Why?''.
''Urahara mentioned something about a war a thousand years ago, and that Jii-san was involved in it'' He said ''I need to speak with the captain commander, so I ask again, can you open a Senkaimon?''.
Toshiro clicked his tongue in annoyance, though the answer was as clear as day.
I sped across the Seireitei, speeding past several captains on my way towards the first division. The advanced team remained in the living world encase of a follow-up attack, so I thankfully got to go by myself. Seeing the open office where I felt the old dragon I Shunpo once more, landing inside the large office and making the commander look up at me, wide awake despite the late hour.
''Ichigo Kurosaki'' He rumbled ''Captain Kurotsuchi informed me of an attack mere minutes ago''.
''Yeah, one of the Espada from the war was with them, the Septima Oragon Nimizemi'' I say and the room instantly got hotter but I ignore it ''There was already a set of Espada created by Aizen when Raika was... born? Anyway apparently there is another rank above the Espada, that being the Halcyon Espada - which I assume are the Espada from the war''.
''I fought against the Sexta Espada and I was able to match his Resurreccion with my Bankai, but the Septima Halcyon interrupted before we could finish our fight. His Fraccion fought against Toshiro, Rangiku-san and Yumichika. The blue haired one defeated Yumichika and Rukia replaced him in the fight, though they could barely touch her, the yellow-haired one fought Toshiro to a standstill despite him using Bankai'' I say solemnly ''Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san fought the Quinto Espada Nnoitra Gilga and tied, while Renji fought against his Fraccion Tesla. Grimmjow's Fraccion were defeated by the advanced team''.
I take a breath ''Oragon used our fight as a distraction and burned a large portion of Karakura town to ash, and aiming it so it intentionally killed two of my close friends. I powered up to my strongest and unleashed a point-blank Getsuga at him, but only managed to singe him slightly before they escaped with Negacion''.
If it had been any other moment, I would've snickered at the surprised look on the mans face, clearly not expecting me to report so formally.
He eventually replied ''I see, thank you for reporting this... but I doubt you came here for that purpose only''.
I nodded ''The Novena Halcyon, Kaka Juka, killed my sisters in front of me... I... couldn't save them. Urahara-san had said I always grew stronger when fighting a superior opponent, so I thought...''.
Thankfully he knew what I was getting at and nodded, getting up from his chair. He spared me a glance before Shunpo'ing out of the room, me following sharply. After several bursts of Shunpo we arrived in a dirt training field behind the division, him about a two dozen feet apart from me.
''Kaka Juka is a fierce opponent, even if he is the Novena'' Yamamoto spoke as he drew his blade slowly, any nearby Shinigami immediately fleeing the scene to not get caught in the soon-to-be fight ''I will grant your request at training, if only because I know of the pains he has caused''.
''He has lost friends or family to the man as well'' Zangetsu mused, decrypting the message in an instant.
I nod to the man and we both fell into stance, ready to strike in an instant.
Then we moved.
''Oragon'' Raika said from her throne beside Aizen ''Report''.
''Hai'' The man responded ''Upon us exiting the Garganta, Grimmjow sent his Fraccion out to attack anyone with Reiatsu, and succeeded in wounding and drawing their attention at the cost of their lives. Ichigo Kurosaki appeared with the rest of the Shinigami and he directly attacked Grimmjow, taking their fight elsewhere. Nnoitra fought against Kisuke Urahara and Yoruichi Shihouin while I went to destroy part of Karakura town. Mizu fought against Lieutenant Matsumoto and Rukia Kuchiki and was on the winning side, while my other Fraccion Kaminari fought a wounded Captain Hitsugaya, again on the winning side. Nnoitra's Fraccion, Tesla Lindocruz , fought against Renji Abarai and was on par with his Shikai without releasing, though it is unknown if he could match up against his Bankai''.
''Grimmjow?'' Aizen said, wordlessly asking for my report.
''Kurosaki is far stronger than you thought, he matched my Resurreccion with his Bankai'' I growled ''He's also got this weird mask power-up he used against Oragon''.
''You've mentioned that before'' Aizen nodded ''Nnoitra?''.
''Urahara could cut through my Hierro occasionally, but the woman could barely touch me'' He grinned, wordlessly boasting.
''I see'' Aizen nodded with an unnerving smile, resting his head on a fist ''You are dismissed, please continue with your training whenever you please''.
Tier opened her eyes, the hours of non-stop concentration and the occasional praise from Hans (Who thought it was impressive I had the patience) had now seemingly paid off. Instead of my room I was now seated in an underwater desert, the sea a green-blue hue. It was strange that I did not need to breathe normal air, as when I took a breath it worked like normal oxygen.
Various pieces of random debris lay on and in the sand, occasionally bubbles floating out of the cracks. Sea weed vines sprouted every now and then and went up to the sky, or rather the surface of the water. In the not-so-far distance was a large sand castle, and I was mildly surprised to find myself already walking towards it. Despite that I felt calm, if a bit elated at the sight of such a large amount of water (I was a shark as an Adjuchas after all).
After almost two minutes of walking in the serene underwater paradise I reached the front of the underwater castle, a large open archway that magically supported the sand. Shrugging at the gravity defying act I walk into the sand castle, leaving me in a square room with four walls and a dome roof. Along the walls were different statues, some were oddly familiar like the hammerhead shark that tried to kill me before I joined Aizen, while others were not... why was I wearing a bikini and without a mask?
''That's because, Tier, that was what you looked like when you were human'' A double toned, slightly sultry female spoke. I spun on my heel to face the speaker, being a very similar version to me. Her hair lacked the three tails I had them in and instead let her blonde hair do whatever it wanted, her face was fully exposed and lacked the mask but rather it started at her neck. It was like a neck brace before shark-fin shaped bones trailed down her front and in between her breasts and to her crotch, where the small shark fins grew so that it was big enough to classify as decency. Her buxom chest was barely covered, though it seemed as if two nimble bone hands came around from her back, the thin fingers just covering enough.
She had a shark tailfin behind her to cover her rear, flapping slowly and idly making a gentle current. She had a weird sort of bone stockings, starting at her thighs and ending at her feet where bone-white boots lay. She had what looked like black stockings underneath the bone ones. She wielded an odd spear of sorts, the design simple but like my Resurreccion weapon it was like a massive shark tooth on the end of the pole, the other end of the pole being a sharp point. All over her outfit was a mix of white with black stripes or lines while her body adorned blue lightning bolts, much like me.
''Who are you?'' I blurt out, making the nearly naked woman chuckled.
''You are smarter than you let on, Tier'' The woman smiled but when I gave no indication of replying she audibly huffed and cross her arms over her chest ''I'm Tiburon!''.
My eyes widened, only one undignified word coming out of my slack jaw ''Oh''.
The woman huffed ''You can do better than that Tier, get that mouth working again''.
I felt my eyebrow twitch but said nothing as I regained my composure.
''Feel better?'' Tiburon asked with mock concern.
''Yes'' I reply coolly and take a moment to think before asking ''Is it because of me meditating you've gained sentience? Like a Shinigami Zanpakuto?''.
Tiburon shook her head ''We've been sentient since the start, but you can't hear us... but now you can''.
She started seriously and ended in a grin, making me blink before composing myself instantly ''So, how do I achieve Segunda Etapa?''.
My Zanpakuto smirked ''You have to bring me out into the real world, and defeat me in a fight''.
''And how do I manifest you?''.
''We'll get to that soon, just go find someplace nice and private for us to have our fight before you manifest me'' Tiburon said and I nodded, slightly surprised when I found myself fading along with my consciousness.
I watched are Harribel opened her eyes slowly, obviously slightly disoriented. I waited for her to address me as I casually sat on her bed, shining my blade with a cloth. After a few seconds she raised my gaze to mine in silence, what followed was ten seconds of silent staring before I broke the silence.
''Did you find your Zanpakuto?''.
She nodded ''I will be going out into the desert to manifest her, if you'll excuse me''.
With no other words she disappeared in a low buzz of Sonido. I sighed and sleepily rubbed my eyes, now that my charge had left to train I had to follow, encase any powerful hollows try and kill her while she was weakened from fighting her Zanpakuto.
''I wonder how the others are doing...?''.
Zommari opened his eyes to reveal a place he had only seen occasionally in a dream. It was a land of black sand, similar to Hueco Mundo but definitive by the colour of the sand, or rather ash. Eyes of varying sizes floated in the red-hued sky, looking at him as he walked towards an old cathedral in the wasteland of ash and eyes. I reached it quickly and pushed on the large, rotten wooden doors. With a low groan the door gradually opened, allowing me to walk in before closing on its own. The cathedral was fairly well lit by hanging chandeliers of wrought bronze, occasionally making a slight chime.
The pews were, as expected, rather rotten too. The wooden floors creaked after each step I took, the wood - like everything else - rotten and decaying. At the head of the room on the wall was a massive stained glass picture of his precious Aizen-sama, completely untouched by the decay. Below that by the pedestal was a figure, the lights above giving a clear view of hid odd form.
Similar to my Resurreccion form his body from the waist down was a pink ball, only his was more sleek and teardrop-like. It had 8 vertical eye-shaped bone plating, each with a set of jagged teeth and a black eye, a gold crescent moon of a pupil inside. Each of the plating was on the eight compass sides (North, North-East, etc.). A white tail came out from behind, starting off fairly thick but thinning out and growing a small head the size of a fist with a set of teeth but no eyes, instead the eyes were dotted all over the tail.
His midsection revealed the only part of his dark brown skin, along with his hollow hole. The pink teardrop ended a few centimetres below the hole and grew four diagonal spikes outwards, as a form of close-quarter defence possibly. Above the dark brown skin was white bone skin that covered his abs, but turned into a similar material as the bottom half only white when you reached the pectoral muscles and up where three eyes lay on each pectoral. His face was stark white as where his eyes, two blackish purple rivers of tears below them. His teeth were like the rest of his body's; a set of sharp teeth.
His back was hunched slightly due to having what some would guess was a massive ball of the same material his lower half was made of, only the bottom halves and puffy shoulders were white while the upper half of the orb was hot pink with one massive black-on-gold eye. He had three to four eyes on his puffy shoulders and had some smaller ones on his pink orb along with two rows of spikes, double of what I possessed on my head. His biceps and part of his forearms were pitch black with a skin-come-cloth before they ended where two white gauntlet-like things took their place.
They were thick and almost shield-like, with one eye on the back of each of them and the fingers elongated into claws. Surprisingly on the palms of its hands were pure pitch black eye sockets, no pupils or irises in sight.
''Welcome to my domain, Zommari'' Its voice was deep and raspy, but it surprisingly did not move its mouth - then again it was hard to tell if he spoke from another mouth.
''It is good to finally meet you'' I nod to the giant, who stood a foot and a half taller than me.
''As it is to finally meet you'' The giant extended the same courtesy ''Do you who I am?''.
''I was asked by Aizen-sama and Raika-sama to contact my Zanpakuto to achieve the second release, Segunda Etapa'' I said coolly ''It would be right to assume you are my Zanpakuto, Brujeria?''.
The apparent Zanpakuto chuckled, a deep echoing rumble despite no mouths visibly opening ''Right you are, and as you said, you wish to achieve Segunda Etapa?''.
I nod as a reply and the spirit also nods, though more to himself ''Very well, find an open area to manifest me, we shall do combat to become strong enough to wield my full power and please Aizen-sama''.
I nod and I felt my consciousness fading, though the spirits deep reverberating chuckle never left my head.
A/N: So how do you guys like that? We saw what level Ichigo is currently on compared to canon (At the time) and for those who want an all-out power comparison, with mask and Bankai he's probably on par with Nnoitra when released, possibly Ulquiorra when released. You got a peek at Oragon's power and how he represents his aspect, arrogance, quite well. I've already planned his Resurreccion and I can assure you it will be interesting and unique.
We got a peek at Harribel's inner world, which is like the seabed of an ocean with a sandcastle in it. We met Tiburon, who was a bit more cheery than Harribel's normal demeanour allows.
We saw Zommari's inner world, and let me tell you I had a lot of fun writing it despite the short description. Think of a desert with ash-black sand and floating eyes that are always facing you, with a rotten and crumbling cathedral in the distance and a red-hue sky.
For those who can't understand my descriptions very well (I try) for the spirits, just google 'Bleach [Espada] Segunda Etapa' and match them up to the description. Yes, all of the spirits are the Segunda Etapa forms of the Espada, tease~ (Except Starrk's, I have thought out of my own version of his Segunda Etapa and his spirit wont be his second release).
Arrancarfighter on deviant art is responsible for the two Segunda Etapa forms of Harribel and Zommari, check him out!
Next update is unknown, but I can assure you I will not be giving up just yet. You'll start to see the Quincy though!