When they rounded the corner, Shane pulled out his phone.
"The tracker is off the charts," he said. He looked around and said, "I can't tell where it's coming from." Shane's phone began to ring and he answered it. "Spirit aura type confirmed: Arrancar. Limit release authorized."
"Understood," Shane replied and hung up. "Looks like this is for real," he said, and started running with Olivia right behind.
When they reached the park, Shane skidded to a stop. The air was still and nothing was moving. The air was thick with tension, waiting for something to happen. Shane suddenly grabbed Olivia and jumped to the side, just as the ground where they were standing exploded. Shane swallowed a piece of Soul Candy and jumped to his feet in his spirit form. He reached inside his robe and put on the gloves Yoruichi gave him.
"What was that?" Olivia asked, appearing next to Shane in spirit form. Her supply bag was slung over her shoulder and she carried her sealed Soul Slayer in her left hand. Out of the corner of his eye, Shane could see her hand slightly shaking. He put his hand on hers and gave a slight squeeze of reassurance.
"They're here," Olivia whispered gravely.
Out of the dust walked a familiar person. She had traded her black shinigami uniform for a sleeveless white one that matched her pale skin and tied around the waist with a black sash. Her hard, cold eyes showed little care for her former friends.
"It's been a while, Akuma," Shane said. Akuma smirked and tilted her head to the side. "I see you're just the same as always," she said.
"Hello Akuma. It's nice to see you again," Olivia said curtly. Akuma put her hands out and said, "Hail, hail, the gang's all here. I want you to meet some new friends of mine." Two more people appeared at Akuma' side. One of them Shane recognized. "Hey, I remember you," he said. "You're Luna de Somethingoranother, right?"
Luna's eyes became very cold. "Your very presence brings humiliation upon me. I'll surely kill you this time."
The other person was tall, taller than Akuma, and impossibly huge. His uniform seemed to barely contain his enormous muscle mass. His mask covered his head, leaving a space for his lower face. Shane assumed the two narrow slits in the mask were eye holes. "This guy here doesn't talk much, but we call him El Destructor," Akuma said. She raised her hand in the air and said, "And of course, we can't forget all the mindless minions." Numerous portals opened and countless hollows began streaming into the Real World.
Shane's fists tightened and Olivia gasped. "Can you take care of the hollows?" Shane asked.
"I think so," Olivia said. She held her Soul Slayer to her chest and said, "It's been a while since we've fought together." Olivia ran her hand over the sheath. The hollows came in to attack, but Shane flash stepped away and countered. The hollows dissolved into spirit particles and disappeared. Shane moved in closer to Akuma, but Luna suddenly appeared in his way.
"Hey! Why are you doing this?" Shane shouted at Akuma.
"Do not ignore me!" Luna shouted and swung for his head. Shane moved his head to the side and used Luna's momentum to push her away. Shane moved toward Akuma again, but Luna was right by his side.
"I don't have time for you!" Shane growled. He swung half-heartily at Luna and she dodged away. "How dare you mock me!" Luna raged and drew her sword from over her right shoulder, swinging at Shane. Shane pushed Luna's sword away with his left hand and gave her a hard blow to the face with his right elbow. Luna's head snapped around and her eyes clouded briefly. Shane flash stepped away from Luna and was met by a wall of hollows.
"Get out of my way!" Shane shouted. As he reached for his sword, a leather-like rope wrapped itself around his wrist. Shane turned his head to see Luna holding the other end. She gave a tug and Shane was violently jerked backwards. Luna swung Shane around like a sling, then flung him to the ground with great force. Shane hit the ground and bounced to his feet. With his free hand, he wiped a thin trickle of blood from his mouth. "You're really starting to annoy me," Shane said. He drew his sword with his free hand and cut the rope.
"I don't know you very well, but I loathe your very existence," Luna said, eyes burning with hatred.
"Ouch lady. Those are some strong words," Shane replied. He drew his other sword and traced lazy patterns in the air. "You remember the last time we fought?" he asked.
"I try very hard to forget," Luna said. She began to slowly circle Shane, quietly, stealthily, like a hunter cornering its prey.
"You said you wanted to see what a released Soul Slayer looked like," Shane said. He worked his arms around and rolled his head around.
"No you don't!" Luna shouted and jumped toward Shane.
"Rise, Tsukuyomi," Shane said and touched the ends of his swords together. Too late, Luna was pushed back by the release of Shane's spirit power. His spirit is different from the last time, she noted. It is stronger, focused, more refined. This is not the same man I fought before. For the first time, a tiny seed of fear was planted in the back of Luna's mind.
Shane spun Tsukuyomi around his hand. The twin blades sliced through the air with barely a whisper. He caught his sword in his hand and held it in front of him. "This is my Soul Slayer," he said.
Luna switched her grip on her own short sword and hunched over, ready to attack. "I have never seen a weapon like that before," she said.
Shane shrugged and hefted Tsukuyomi in his hand. "It is pretty unique."
Let's end this quickly, Dark Tsukuyomi whispered in Shane's mind. Luna rushed at Shane and he moved to meet her. Before he had taken two steps, Shane tossed Tsukuyomi high in the air. Luna took her eyes off Shane for a split second to follow the sword. Seizing the opportunity, Shane stepped into Luna, grabbed her sword hand and threw her over his shoulder. When Luna hit the ground, Shane shifted his grip on her arm and put his knee in her back. Luna cried out in pain as Shane locked her shoulder joint and bent her arm painfully behind her. Shane grabbed her other arm and pinned it to her side.
"Way of Binding No.7 Crawling Rope," Shane called out and a length of gold colored rope wrapped itself around Luna's body. Shane stood up and caught the falling Tsukuyomi before it pierced Luna through the spine.
"I'd like to fight you, but there's something I have to do first," Shane said and flash stepped away. Luna began to shake violently with anger.
Things were not looking very good for Olivia. She was surrounded by many hollows and trying her best to fight back. Mostly she was trying to avoid being stepped on and squished. "Way of Destruction No. 31 Red Flame Cannon," Olivia called out and shot many red fireballs at hollows, trying to create some space. Several hollows disappeared, but more took their place. A particularly large hollow reached for Olivia, but she ducked and ran between its legs.
She was able to distance herself from the majority of the hollows. "Okay, I can do this," Olivia blew out a breath and concentrated. She began to mutter a lengthy incantation and made several hand signs. When she was ready, Olivia opened her eyes. The hollows began to surround her again. She looked around and drew a mental circle around herself, about 20 feet in diameter. "Okay hollows, come and get me," Olivia said.
The hollows closed closer and closer. Their cries were deafening and Olivia could feel them breathing down her neck. When the hollows crossed her invisible line, Olivia made one more hand sign, raised her hand in the air and shouted, "Way of Destruction No. 65 Meteor!"
Many flaming rocks began to fall around Olivia and annihilate the hollows. The rocks impacted the ground with tremendous force, throwing dirt and debris high in the air, making it difficult to see. All around her, hollows were crying out in pain and disappearing. The rocks stopped falling and the dust in the air began to clear. Olivia could see that her kido spell had taken care of most of the larger hollows and the ones flying above her.
"Well that worked well," Olivia said. Several smaller hollows lept at her, but she avoided them easily. Olivia took off her supply bag and set it on the ground. With her sword in her left hand, Olivia grasped the hilt with her right hand and pulled it free. She tossed the sheath at her supply bag and set up a barrier around her belongings. Olivia ran her hand lovingly over the polished blade. Her sword was not like other Soul Slayers. While others resembled katana, hers was closer to a jian. The blade was several inches shorter, thinner and double edged. A small gold tassel hung freely from the pommel. "Please, lend me some of your power today," she whispered. A hollow lunged at her, but Olivia moved aside and made several quick, precise cuts on the hollow. The hollow's mask broke into pieces and the hollow disappeared.
Other hollows tried to attack Olivia, but her fluid, graceful movements kept her out of danger. Her Soul Slayer danced through the air, cutting and slicing hollows left and right. When the last hollow disappeared, Olivia was finally able to stop and catch her breath. She began to cough violently and pain shot through her body. I guess I strained myself too much, Olivia thought sadly. She took several deep breaths to try and calm herself.
A wave of dark, heavy spirit energy suddenly engulfed Olivia, crushing the air out of her lungs. Her eyes went wide as she struggled to breathe. She looked around and noticed the other Arrancar that had appeared with Akuma. This must be the power of an Arrancar, Olivia thought. She looked down at her sword and saw her hand shaking. What am I afraid of? Olivia asked herself. I don't think I can beat this Arrancar by myself. She looked around, but Shane was nowhere to be found. She turned back to the Arrancar. He didn't go chasing Shane. Does that mean he came here for me?
Olivia stood up and pushed away her fear. She took a deep breath and walked out to meet the Arrancar. As she drew closer, Olivia began to realize how physically imposing he was. He's the biggest person I've ever seen. I bet he's bigger than Captain Komamura or Zaraki Kenpachi.
The small, frail shinigami healer and the enormous hollow stared at each other. Olivia broke the silence and said, "I know it probably doesn't matter, but do you have a name?" Silence. Olivia cocked her head to the side and waved her hand in the arrancar's face. "Can you even see me?" Olivia asked. The arrancar held his gargantuan fist out and flicked a finger in Olivia's direction. The displaced air created a sonic boom that nearly knocked Olivia to the ground The wind pulled violently at her clothing and Olivia felt like she'd been run over by a truck. So powerful! she thought.
Olivia countered with a Red Flame Cannon. Nothing. The fireball didn't even singe the arrancar's clothing. Olivia tried more kido spells, each more powerful than the last, but to no avail. The arrancar didn't dodge, didn't move, didn't grunt in pain or show any trace of emotion. He began to walk after Olivia with even strides. No matter which way Olivia turned, he followed her methodically. Olivia had to admire the arrancar's single mindedness and focus. "I bet you're the type who doesn't stop until you get what you're after," Olivia called out. The arrancar didn't reply, but Olivia expected he wouldn't.
As Olivia turned to run away again, she was caught by another coughing fit, this one worse than the last. Olivia collapsed to the ground, struggling to breathe. Why does my illness always flare up at the most inopportune time? she thought. A shadow appeared over her and the ground shook beneath the arrancar's heavy footsteps. Olivia shakily stood on her feet and stumbled a few steps away. She turned to face the arrancar, who had stopped.
Olivia clutched her sword tightly in her hand and gently held the tip of the blade in her other hand. "Please, fight with me one more time," she whispered to her sword. The arracar reached for Olivia.
"Illuminate the heavens, Amaterasu," Olivia called out to her Soul Slayer. Her sword began to glow with a brilliant light. A wave of peace engulfed Olivia and embraced her like a warm blanket. The sword began to change shape, growing longer and thinner. When the light faded, Olivia was holding a long wooden staff with a brass cap on one end and topped with a gold colored circle on the other with seven small points arranged around the outer edge of the hoop in a star pattern. Several gold and silver charms dangled from the hoop, jingling slightly in the wind. The wooden staff was braided with gold streamers that started at the top near the hoop and floated freely around the middle. The wooden staff was inlaid with strange gold symbols.
Olivia held the staff at her side. The brass end cap made a sharp CLICK sound on the pavement. She breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at her staff. "I don't remember the last time Amaterasu was released like this," Olivia admitted. She grew serious and looked back to the Arrancar. "Shall we?" she asked. The arrancar said nothing and moved toward Olivia, who turned to run.
Olivia looked over her shoulder to make sure the arrancar was following. Olivia stopped, turned around and touched the end of the staff to the ground in front of her. Two glowing yellow balls appeared and bounced around before settling on the ground. When the arrancar stepped near one of them, they exploded. The arrancar continued walking as if nothing happened. Olivia noticed his pants were singed slightly.
"So it is slightly more effective," she said to herself. Olivia turned and ran to the right of where she was and stopped. The arrancar turned to follow. Olivia held Amaterasu out in front of her and said, "Rising Sun: Thunder Crest." Amaterasu floated out of Olivia's hand and the tip quickly drew a sigil on the ground. When it was complete, the the sigil floated forward a few feet, then settled on the ground as Amaterasu returned to Olivia's hand. The arrancar stepped into the sigil and was immediately trapped by lightning. The arrancar's body began to twitch from the electricity. Olivia touched her staff to the ground and more yellow bombs appeared, exploding at the arrancar's feet.
Olivia didn't wait for the smoke to clear and was on the move again, setting up more bombs. The arrancar emerged from the smoke, his clothing torn and burnt at the edges, but otherwise unaffected. More hollows began to appear, quickly complicating things for Olivia. She looked around and sighed. "I could cast Meteor again, but that spell takes time." She stole a glance at the Arrancar who was quickly approaching. "I'll just have to try that then," she said. Olivia set up more bombs to trap the arrancar and dispose of some of the smaller hollows. The air soon became cloudy from all the dirt and debris from the explosions. Olivia set up another Thunder Crest and waited. When the arrancar became trapped, Olivia held Amaterasu out so the top was pointed at the arrancar. "Morning Sun, Solar Flare," Olivia called out. A burning ball of blue plasma was summoned that looked like a small sun, one meter in diameter. It slowly floated forth and exploded violently when it came in contact with the arrancar.
With this small opening, Olivia whispered the incantation, made the hand signs, and raised her hand in the air. For the second time that day, burning rocks fell from the sky, obliterating everything around Olivia.
Olivia emerged from the cloud of smoke coughing and wiping the dirt from her eyes. She blinked her eyes and Shane appeared in front of her.
"Are you doing okay?" he asked. He noticed Amaterasu and whistled. "It's been a long time since I've seen you release your Soul Slayer," he said.
Olivia nodded in agreement. "It seems to have helped," she said. The smoke finally cleared, revealing the devastation. The grass was charred black and the ground was covered with large craters, some with small fires burning randomly. Shane blinked in surprise. "It's always the quiet ones who surprise you," he said.
Heavy footsteps shook the ground. Olivia and Shane turned around and saw the large arrancar moving toward them. His clothing was mostly burned away, but he didn't appear to have any scratches or markings on him.
"I don't know what to say," Olivia said with a shrug. "He's taken everything I've thrown at him and just kept coming." Shane suddenly pushed Olivia to the side and blocked Luna's wild attack. Shane could see the fury burning in her eyes and her anger radiated like a wildfire. With effort, Shane pushed her back.
"Now what?" Olivia asked. Shane glanced back and forth between the two arrancar, his mind working furiously. Where's Akuma? Where did she go? "I've got an idea, but you'll be pretty defenseless," he said. He told Olivia his idea and she paled slightly. "Can you do it?" Shane asked. Olivia gathered her courage and nodded her head.
"I'm sorry for asking so much of you," Shane said. Olivia waved him off. "We've been in worse places before," she said.
"Really? I think this one ranks near the top," Shane said. He dodged Luna's sudden attack and jumped away, Luna right on his heels. Olivia took a deep breath and turned to the other arrancar, who had become uncomfortably close. Olivia smmoned another Solar Flare that exploded right in his face. She backed up and set a Thunder Crest trap with bombs before retreating again. When the arrancar set off the trap, Olivia held out Amaterasu and called out, "Noon Day Sun, Light Crest." Amaterasu floated out of Olivia's hand and rotated parallel to the ground, drew a sigil in the air before returning to Olivia's hand. Streaks of light shot out of the sigil and hit the arrancar. Olivia retreated back further, and pointed Amaterasu to the air.
Meanwhile, Shane was fighting with Luna, who was so enraged, she forgot all about technique and finesse, and was simply trying to bash Shane to bits with brute force. Shane struggled under the onslaught. With a mighty shout, Luna raised her sword overhead with both hands, intending to cleave Shane in two. Sensing an opening, Shane thrust his hand into Luna's solar plexus and fired a Red Flame Cannon shot point blank. Luna staggered back and charged at Shane again.
What happened to Akuma? Shane thought as he dodged Luna's attack. Sensing his distraction, Luna screamed at him, "Why won't you take me seriously?"
"Huh?" Shane said, distracted from his thoughts.
"EXACTLY MY POINT!" Luna shouted, trembling with rage "Do you think so little of me that you just ignore me?"
Shane was taken aback. "Is that what this is about? You think I'm not taking you seriously?" he asked. In reply, Luna thrust two fingers in his direction and fired a Cero at him. Shane flash stepped away, dodging the Cero. Shane glanced down at Olivia and saw she was ready. "All right, have it your way," Shane said. He clapped his hands together with Tsukuyomi balanced in the crook of his thumbs. "Tsukuyomi Full Moon Technique," Shane said. His body began to glow silvery-white as Tsukuyomi used Shane's spirit power to increase his abilities.
"Finally, you are serious!" Luna gloated as Shane charged at her. She met him head on and their bodies collided together, creating an explosion of spirit power. Shane's movements were faster, more powerful and Luna gleefully matched his intensity. Shane feigned a backhand strike and twisted his body to land a powerful roundhouse heel kick that sent Luna falling back to the ground. Shane cocked his arm back and hurled Tsukuyomi like a javelin with all his might.
Luna landed on the ground in front of the other arrancar. She stood up and tried to move, but found her pant leg was pinned to the ground by Tsukuyomi.
"Now Olivia!" Shane shouted. Luna's head snapped around her eyes grew wide with terror.
Olivia raised her Soul Slayer, Amaterasu, to the heavens and tilted her head back. Her eyes were closed in deep concentration as she focused her remaining spiritual energy through Amaterasu. Several of the gold symbols began to glow and the charms and the ribbon stood on end. Olivia began floating several inches off the ground. When her sprit energy was raised to its fullest. Olivia opened her eyes and called out, "Twilight Sun, Starfall."
The ground around Olivia's feet began to crackle with energy and the sky became dark. The ground started to tremble and Luna looked to the sky. Large pieces of flaming rock began to fall around the two arrancar. A giant ball of burning energy filled the sky and fell on the arrancar. The explosion ripped the ground apart and threw a mushroom cloud of dust into the sky.
Olivia's feet touched the ground and she collapsed, trembling. Amaterasu began to glow, and in a flash of light, re-sealed itself into a sword. Olivia was breathing heavily as sweating profusely from the strain. She was dirty, her clothes were torn and several cuts began to show on her arms. Amaterasu slipped from her hand and clattered to the ground.
Shane landed in the midst of the enormous crater left from Olivia's technique. There was no trace of the arrancar, but Shane was sure they were still alive. He pulled Tsukuyomi out of the dirt and called out to Olivia. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," Olivia replied, standing shakily to her feet. She suddenly bent over in a coughing fit and Shane ran to her side. Before he could reach her, Olivia suddenly arched back, her face wide open with shock.
A long, cold blade suddenly protruded from her chest. With her last seconds of life, Olivia looked down and slowly reached up and touched the sword coated with her blood. Her head slumped forward and her arms fell limply to the side. Olivia's body was lowered to a kneeling position. From there, Akuma placed her foot on Olivia's back and with no remorse, pulled the long, wicked sword free from Olivia's body.
He felt as if his heart was stabbed with a hot knife and ripped from his body. All the energy drained out of Shane's body. His legs felt as if they were made of lead, impossible to move. He felt deflated, like a balloon with all the air let out. Shane's mind was overloaded with the shock of that horrific sight that will plague him for the rest of his life. Shane began to walk mindlessly, completely oblivious to everything going on around him. He heard nothing, he felt nothing, he only saw what was in front of him. Shane gently kneeled next to Olivia's broken and lifeless body. He didn't care that his clothes were now stained with her lifeblood. A lump formed in his throat and grew until he had trouble breathing, but the tears would not come. Shane reached out and carefully held Olivia in his arms. Her eyes were closed and her hair tosseled carelessly. Shane used his sleeve to wipe the blood off Olivia's face.
Akuma watched curiously from a distance. She sighed and wiped the blood off her Soul Slayer and placed it back in the scabbard. "I just don't understand you," she said. Akuma turned to walk away and called back, "Maybe I don't want to fight you. You're so weak, you couldn't even save dear Olivia." Akuma opened a gate back to Hueco Mundo and disappeared with all the remaining Hollows.
Shane was now alone. He didn't know what to do. He couldn't think. He sat there and stared blankly into space, holding Olivia's body close to him. He was empty, devoid of all feeling and emotion. All the grief, rage, pain, sorrow, loss, and hopelessness churned together in a heavy ball of ice that settled in his core and radiated cold emptiness through his body.