Okay, here's chapter five. Enjoy.
Chapter V: The Violent and the Lunatic.
"Pulverise, Rouzeki," Shuki said.
Red and violet light burst out from her, winding around her sword. For a second it was obscured, caught in a whirlwind of light, before she swept it to one side, and back onto her shoulder, dismissing the light. Where her katana had been, there was a sword as wide as her shoulders at its base, shaped like a long, pointed tooth, serrated at the edges. The hilt had doubled in length, a horsehair tassel dangling off the end.
One of the Michelangelos chuckled nervously. "That's it?"
"It's just a bigger sword. What's it good for other than sheer force?" Another Michelangelo asked derisively.
Shuki shrugged. "Nothing. It's big, and heavy, and powerful. That's it – Rouzeki isn't really a subtle girl, bless her soul."
"We're underwhelmed, my love," Michelangelo said.
"You should be," Shuki replied, "it's not very flashy. But it does the job."
"We'll see," Michelangelo shrugged. "La Incendio!"
"Cero!"
"La Incendio!"
"Cero!"
Two waves of fire and two beams of violet energy converged on her. Shuki humphed, swinging her sword about in a wide arc. The Ceros disintegrated, fizzling out as the flames died. On every side, the Michelangelos stumbled, cracks spreading across their armour, bleeding black.
Shuki set her sword against the ground, the point cracking the earth. She looked over to one side, where there were flashes in the distance. "Looks like Kyoujin Ikazuchi was let out to play."
"You lied," one of the Michelangelos wheezed, "you said - ..."
"That Rouzeki was big, heavy and powerful. It is. Just because it's more powerful than you thought it'd be, that doesn't mean I lied," Shuki said mildly, flash-stepping behind the Michelangelo, swinging Rouzeki down. The serrated edge crashed against her shoulder, tearing down through the porcelain, cleaving her in two before crashing into the ground with a thud.
With a small intake of breath, the Michelangelo dissolved into black dust, flickering away. Shuki hefted Rouzeki up again, resting it on her shoulder.
The other three backed off, throwing their arms out.
"El Hambre!" They said in unison, gold light arcing off them. Bit by bit, the sky turned gold, flaring brighter than before.
Shuki huffed to herself, putting another hand around Rouzeki's hilt and swinging it. A shockwave spread upwards, the gold ceiling shattering into shards of light, twirling in the air as they floated downwards. With a flash, Shuki was behind another Michelangelo, Rouzeki colliding with her side and, after a second of resistance, crashing through.
As the second Michelangelo dissolved, Shuki turned to the remaining pair.
They raised their hands, eyes flaring bright. "Cero," they said together, the beams combining together in the air, turning from violet to bright pink. Shuki slashed downwards, the Cero splitting in two.
"Sheer power won't help you anymore," she said, flickering behind one of them, swinging Rouzeki down. The Michelangelo turned, blocking it with both arms, screaming as her arms shattered and the sword cleaved through her mask, continuing down her middle until it hit earth, cracks spreading across the road.
Michelangelo took several stumbling steps back, snapping her fingers. The world cracked behind her, straining out as if an invisible mouth was swallowing, before a garganta opened.
"It's been fun, but I've no taste for dying again, my love," she said, backing into the garganta. Shuki raised an eyebrow as it closed.
"Hey, girl," she said, turning to Orihime, "my friend might be needing your help."
"Laugh it off, Kyoujin Ikazuchi."
Kyoujn Ikazuchi glowed red for a moment, then suddenly blue, the blade straightening before crooks started to appear – a triangular indentation near the hilt, a smaller one on the other side a little further up, a larger one at the very tip. With a flicker, a red horsehair tassel appeared at the end of the hilt.
Eiji flicked it around in his hand. "Look at him. He looks so cuddly and innocent. He's not, don't let him deceive you, man."
Leonardo tilted his head. "I don't see the point of this. While you are under the effect of my Epidemia, using your released sword will only hasten your demise."
"Aye, can't deny that," Eiji said, "still, let's not waste time. C'mon, Little Kyou." He flicked the blade slightly, experimentally, then gave it a small practice swing.
Bursting from the practice swing came a sheet of blue lightning, spreading wide, crackling and burning through the air. Leonardo's eyes widened, flickering away as the lightning rushed over the spot where he was standing.
"Impressive!" He yelled up at Eiji. "You would have incinerated me with that, and taken yourself with you, and - ..." He trailed off. Eiji was behind him.
"You talk a lot, man, and you don't really say anything new," he murmured, swinging the sword upwards. Leonardo just barely managed to avoid the wave of lightning, flickering away as another one came rushing towards him.
Eiji appeared nearby as he slowed, jabbing the sword in a quick stabbing motion. Arrows of lightning shot out, raining down over the building where Leonardo had been standing until a moment before. As he flickered into sight, he heard the rush of a haori billowing in the wind as Eiji arose behind him, carving out a cross in the air.
He turned just in time, summoning a Cero and firing it. The two attacks struck in mid-air, flickering for a moment before they exploded in a wall of fire.
Leonardo landed on another building, then vanished again as a bolt of electricity swung past him like a whip. He summoned another Cero, waiting for Eiji to appear.
Predictably enough, the Captain did, heaving his sword forward, a sheet of lightning emerging from the tip to crash against the Vasto Lorde's Cero. As the explosion dug furrows in the street, Leonardo vanished.
"So," he said, as he reappeared, "your sword's ability is to summon waves of lightning. How very limited, Captain Kougami Eiji."
"Nah," Eiji said, reappearing, "that'd be silly. Kyoujin Ikazuchi can generate plenty of electricity from my spiritual energy, but its ability is to control and manipulate electricity in all of its forms."
With a crackle of static, avast ring of lightning appeared around them, glowing brightly. As Leonardo turned, another ring appeared, and a third, and a fourth, a fifth, a sixth, a seventh, an eighth, spinning about until they were contained within a globe of electricity.
Leonardo's eyes widened. "You'll kill us both, Captain Kougami Eiji!"
"I know," Eiji said exasperatedly. "Haven't you realised by now that I just don't care?" He pulled a small bottle of alcohol from somewhere on his person, downing it, then shaking himself off slightly.
"But ..." Leonardo started.
Eiji grinned, pointing Kyoujin Ikazuchi at him. "Ready, man?"
"I ..."
As the globe closed in on him, a burning sensation stronger than the fire earlier scorching through his armour and onto his flesh, the light became too bright to see.
Donatello broke free from the ice.
He knew he would. He was a Vasto Lorde – not just a Vasto Lorde, but a powerful one, enhanced by the red core that had been bestowed upon him. Still, he hadn't been expecting it to take so long, for it to drain his energy so. The Kuchiki girl was – talented; moreso than either of the boys, even if they had raw power on their side.
"You are foolish," he intoned, "to believe I could be restrained like that, but I commend your strategising. It is futile, however. My strength is unparalleled amongst the Horsemen."
He narrowed his eyes. The boy – Kurosaki – was crouched in the centre of an elaborate circle inscribed into the ground, with Kuchiki and Abarai, their swords sealed, resting their hands on his shoulders as Kuchiki chanted.
"Stay quiet, Hollow," Abarai grumbled. "We're nearly done."
"Nearly done?" Donatello asked incredulously. "You fought me, arranged a trap, froze me, so that you could – ritualise?"
"Oh, angel of sacrifice, look kindly on us," Rukia said, eyes shut, "oh, devil of bloodshed, look cruelly on our enemies ..."
"It's a damn impractical spell," Renji said, "long incantation, you need this big, complicated circle, markings on your arms." He tugged back a sleeve to show black symbols painted on across his forearms, "not to mention at least two people."
"And what, precisely, does it do?" Donatello asked. "I'm dying to know."
"Inscribing a sigil of the sun into the earth and breathing gently, sing a song of death ..." Rukia continued.
"Oh, just a spiritual energy transfer," Renji said.
Donatello narrowed his eyes. All three were starting to glow. The Kurosaki boy trailing blue light up into the sky, while Abarai and Kuchiki glowed green and white. "And the purpose of this?"
Realisation dawned as Kurosaki reached a hand up, and pulled his mask over his face. Donatello's eyes widened.
"Sing a song of fire, and rage. Way of Binding Twenty-Two: Soul Infusion!" Rukia said, the glow around her and Renji fading abruptly as Ichigo's aura flared white.
"Getsuga," he said slowly, darkness gathering around his sword as he rose to his feet. "Tensho."
The wave of darkness was immense. All at once, that white aura turned black, looming forward as a wall of dark that stretched up to the sky. Acting on instinct, he fired a Cero – hurried, not at full power, splitting apart as the wall passed through it, as if it was no more substantial than water.
It collided with Donatello across his chest, seeping into the cracks that they had made and prising them open, tearing off chunks of porcelain and ripping through the flesh beneath.
The wave passed after what seemed like an age, and he dropped, as if he'd been frozen in place before. Dimly, he shuffled about, trying to focus his energy into making a garganta as the three blurred figures moved towards him.
It was sloppy, when it appeared, the sky cracking open as if he was some lowlife Gillian. But he could live with that. He pushed off the ground, flying towards the portal even as the shinigami yelled at each other to stop him. He was through before they could retaliate.
"Er, Ichigo – this is Captain Higa Shuki and Captain Kougami Eiji," Rukia said, nudging Ichigo forward a little.
He raised a hand, scowling. "Hey."
Renji practically exploded behind him, flailing his arms. "Show them some more respect than that, Ichigo!"
Shuki snorted, waving a hand. "It's fine."
They were in Ichigo's bedroom, having clambered through the window, followed shortly by Orihime, Ishida, Chad, and the two captains. It was, Ichigo decided, altogether too crowded for comfort. He folded his arms, scowl deepening. He could see how this was going to go already – it involved all four shinigami insisting that they just had to stay at his house.
"Yo," Eiji said, raising a hand. His kosode had been discarded and his chest and arms were heavily bandaged, but he seemed cheerful in spite of that. Orihime did good work – Ichigo gathered that he was practically dead by the time she got to him. "Want a drink?"
"I'm underage," Ichigo said quickly. It was impossible to tell beneath the captain's hair if he was blinking, but he seemed completely bewildered by this idea.
"... And? I think I've got some opium around here too - ..."
"I don't want any opium!" Ichigo said a little too loudly, flailing his arms. "You – can't take drugs in my house, either. If you need to do that, take it outside."
"Are you sure ... ?" Eiji asked, cocking his head. "Because I was talking to your father, and he - ..."
"I'm extremely sure," Ichigo said. "No drugs in this house. Ever. No alcohol either unless it's a special occasion."
"Well, I won't promise anything, man," Eiji said bemusedly. "How'd your battles go?"
"Michelangelo fled when the tide turned against her," Shuki said. "Rukia tells me Donatello did the same?"
"I haven't a clue what Little Leo did," Eiji chirped.
"He fled as well," Ishida said. "Just before Orihime arrived to heal us. He was missing over half his body and the remainder was mangled, burnt and bloody."
Eiji mimed a cheering motion.
Ishida flailed an arm. "You could've killed all of us!"
"I know! Drink?"
"None of us are overage!" Ishida protested. "Stop asking."
"Speak for yourself," Renji grumbled. "Captain Kougami's not asked ... not ... er ... please stop glaring at me, Captain Higa, Rukia."
"No," Shuki said. "Don't encourage the drunk man."
Ichigo frowned. "Why did you come here, anyway?"
Rukia turned to him, expression turning somber. "Because Soul Society is under attack, Ichigo."
Verrocchio of Death, they called him.
Here he stood, at the top of the shinigami's Sokyoku Hill, as a sword wielded by a tremendous metal giant came crashing down towards him. He raised one skeletal hand, grabbing it effortlessly and looking around. Sprawled, bleeding and battered, were the young Captain Hitsugaya Toshiro, his icy wings ripped off; Captain Kuchiki Byakuya, face down amidst a carpet of cherry blossoms; Captain Kenpachi Zaraki, still trying to rise to his feet even now.
On every side, Gillians rampaged by the dozens, surrounded by a swarm of regular Hollows. Every time a Hollow fell, two more took its place, emerging screaming from the portals.
"Captain Komamura Sajin," Verrocchio intoned slowly. "Your skills would be better suited to dealing with the Gillians."
"I have my orders," Komamura growled.
"So be it, my friend. Devorar."
With a crunch, the metal giant folded in on itself, plates buckling, the creature beneath bleeding and cracking. At its feet, Captain Komamura roared, falling to the ground, the metal giant glowing red and vanishing into dust.
This was beginning to get a little bit tiresome, Verrocchio was finding. Some of the captains posed more of a threat than others – Zaraki had, by sheer force of spiritual power, managed to push him back, and Kuchiki Byakuya had nearly overwhelmed his defences.
"Reap, Kazeshini!"
"Raise your head, Wabisuke."
"Snap, Tobiume."
Lieutenants. Verrocchio turned as a spinning blade zigzagged through the air towards him. It bounced off his chest, hanging in the air for a second, long enough for him to catch the chain and tug. To his credit, Lieutenant Hisagi landed on his feet, his other blade curving around. The chain wrapped about him, tightening to bind his arms to his side.
He felt a surge of spiritual energy behind him, then a clank of metal as a blade landed against him. Wabisuke, wielded by Lieutenant Kira, equipped of the power to double the weight of an object with each strike. That power could be problematic, even for him.
With a series of clangs, Kira struck him until his back felt heavy, an invisible weight pushing down on him.
"Cleverly done," he remarked mildly to the two lieutenants. "Devorar."
There was a momentary pull on the air, then the two of them crumpled, blood spurting out, bones shattering, organs grinding audibly into what Verrocchio had always been fond of describing as 'mulch', to the distaste of the other Horsemen.
"Now," Verrocchio said, curling a hand into Hisagi's kosode to hold him up. "What, I wonder, is Lieutenant Hinamori doing, my friend?"
Hisagi made a choking sound, blood and spittle flying from between his lips. With a snort, Verrocchio let him drop.
"Way of Destruction Number Ninety-One, Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling-Sear, " Hinamori said from behind him.
"Ah," Verrocchio remarked, turning. "Doing an incantation – for a level ninety-one spell, no less. I'm impressed by your ability with the demon arts, my friend."
"Way of Destruction Number Four, White Lightning," Hinamori continued.
Verrocchio's eyelights flared within his sockets. "Combined spells?"
Hinamori pointed Tobiume towards him, a fireball forming on the end as six spears, glowing bright red and crackling, formed around her. With a flick, all six shot forward, the fireball trailing just behind them, as Hinamori's shape flickered, reappearing to tighten hands around Hisagi and Kira's arms and vanish again.
"Hm," Verrocchio remarked as the spells struck.
The explosion was impressive, he had to admit. It tore through his armour and the flesh underneath, shattered his mask. As it subsided into smoke, the pieces started to form back together, bulbous swellings of white sprouting from his wounds to be reshaped into new limbs.
He was whole again once the smoke cleared. "An admirable attempt, my friend," he said to Hinamori as, a short distance away, she panted. "Rest now. Devorar."
Her knees hit the ground, then shattered, flesh peeling away to reveal bony knees and femurs, cracking and breaking. Distantly, Verrocchio heard a scream from Captain Hitsugaya. The ice wings were reforming, beating against the air as the young captain lunged for him.
"Devorar," he said without turning.
"Danku," came the response.
A semi-transparent wall shot up between them, repelling Captain Hitsugaya before it crumpled, glowing cracks appearing across it as it folded in on itself and shattered.
Verrocchio turned, lights flaring in his sockets again. An elderly gentleman, equipped of a tremendous moustache, strode towards him, drawing his swords. "Captain Kuchiki Ginrei. I expected you here earlier, to protect your grandson."
Ginrei lifted an eyebrow. "Byakuya is capable of looking after himself. I'm too old to be his keeper, you know how it is with grandchildren," he paused thoughtfully. "Well, I suppose you don't."
"Alas, no. But I'm very happy for you."
"My thanks," Ginrei said. "You are clearly powerful, I shan't insult you or endanger myself by holding back." He raised his sword. "Fall, Tatsutahime."
Next chapter up next week.