Hey Guys! I'm really sorry its been so long, but like I said I haven't had much access to a computer. Luckily, that time let me think a lot about how I wanted to end the story. Enjoy!
At the top of the cliff, they were staring straight into the amber eyes of a dragon. Ichigo drew his sword, preparing in case of hostilities.
"Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu," He whispered.
An ancient voice rang out an instant later. "Krosis. Apologies, but your mind games will not work on me, child of man. I am far to old and experienced for that."
Ichigo's eyes widened, his sword changed back to Tensa Zangetsu, and he took a fighting stance.
"Relax, child. I am also far to old to fight," The dragon rumbled. "I have resigned myself to watching how the world proceeds. My rule is long over... and it appears my child's is approaching its end as well."
"You are okay with seeing Gabriel die?" Ichigo asked.
"Is any parent okay with watching their child die? No. The fact that his twin brother will be the one fighting him only makes it worse– Krosis. Apologies, I have said too much."
"What does he mean, Arakiel, by twin brother?" Ichigo asked slowly.
"I was hoping this would never come up. The truth is, I lied. The wise dragon I spoke of did not create Gabriel alone. He created twins: Gabriel of love... and me, Arakiel of hate. Everything has a duality. We angels are no different. We can only be created in pairs. I hope you can forgive me for lying to you..."
"Don't worry about that. I'm sure you had your reasons for lying to me, and I'm sure you'll tell me the whole truth when you're ready. For now, we need to focus on the task at hand."
"You will find Gabriel at the peak of the mountain," the dragon said. "Please... don't make him suffer." With that, the dragon took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes. His body began to rise and fall regularly, signaling he was sleeping.
"I won't," Ichigo replied softly. "Okay everyone, lets go."
"Right," They all said in unison.
Behind the ancient dragon was a simple path leading up. A few stairs here and there, but for the most part just a light slope that wound around the peak. It wasn't long before Ichigo could see the clearing the he assumed was the peak. They arrived at the top to see a rather alarming sight. Before them stood who they could only assume was Gabriel wreathed in purple, ominous light. He stood 3 meters tall with his arms raised. His back was to Ichigo, and in front of him were two rings of the same light. Gabriel was chanting in a language older than the dragons', lost to time.
Suddenly Gabriel went silent, and flashes of searing white light erupted from the circles. There stood two Seraphs, twisted and warped. Reality seemed to shatter and reform around them.
"Kill them," Gabriel ordered them, and in an instant the Seraphs were in front of Ichigo.
"Emi, Maya, and Kiri take the one on the left. Nel and I will take the one on the right," Ichigo said.
The two groups split off while the few remaining stood back. Together they could take one of the Seraphs, but definitely not both.
Emi wasn't sure what to think of this Seraph. It appeared to be corrupted by... something. Something old and powerful. The way it moved was unpredictable and the way reality seemed to shift around it was unsettling. Suddenly reality shimmered in front of the trio and the Seraph swung a sword down upon them. Maya was hit into a boulder and Kiri had suffered a small scratch on his arm. Emi had barely escaped injury with his speed superior to even Yoruichi's.
"Judge," Kiri said as he threw a dagger of green spiritual pressure at the Seraph. The dagger stopped a foot from him and dropped to the ground. "Jury," Kiri continued and threw a sword three times the size of the dagger. This time the sword got a little closer before it stopped. An instant later something shattered around the sword and it dropped to the ground. Both the sword and dagger dissolved into thin air an instant later. "Executioner!" Kiri finished as a gigantic cleaver formed over his head. He grasped the handle and swung straight down. The Seraph raised its sword in an instant to block, but it was cut straight through by the cleaver. This, however, had reduced the force of Kiri's attack so much that the cleaver, upon contact, bit through the Seraph's shoulder just an inch or two deep. The cut healed almost immediately.
The Seraph responded by raising his hand. In its palm a pure black ball appeared. From that ball shot a tentacle identical to the ones that Ichigo had called upon when fighting the Seraph of life. It pierced through the left side of Kiri's stomach, leaving a gaping hole. The tentacle then retracted back to the black orb and the Seraph closed it's hand. Kiri dropped to the ground, chest rising and falling very weakly. If Emi didn't end this soon, Kiri would die.
"Fine," he said. He looked to where Maya had collapsed. She had just risen, groaning, and began moving towards Kiri. She knew some medical Kido, so she would probably be able to stabilize him. He really did have to finish this. "Bankai: Museigen no burēdowāku."
There was a bright flash of light and the surroundings changed. When he could see again, he and the Seraph were alone. The landscape around them was not the peak of a mountain, but a barren landscape. Looking up to the sky, there were massive gears turning, shrouded in clouds. As far as the eye could see, sticking out of the ground all around him were countless Zanpakuto.
"What... is... this..." The Seraph asked in a strangled voice.
"This is the power of my Bankai. Replication. In this reality, a replica of every Zanpakuto I have ever touched resides for my use," Emi explained. "On top of that, it is totally sealed off from any other dimension. Therefore you will not be able to call upon those tentacles anymore."
"I... see... however... my speed... is not... inhibited." Seraph once again seemed to teleport in front of Emi and slammed his hand down on him.
"Too slow," Emi said as he dove to the side, grabbing a Zanpakuto and ripping it out of the ground as he did so. "Bankai. Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," Emi pointed the sword to the ground and dropped it. It sank into the ground as massive blades rose up around him and then dissolved into hundreds of thousands of 'petals.' The petals swirled around Emi as a shield. He picked up another Zanpakuto beside him. "Bankai. Tensa Zangetsu." Blue reiatsu flared up around him and, when it dispersed, he was wearing an outfit similar to Ichigo's, but instead of black, it was a crimson red. "Interesting. Looks like I can only stand one more bankai before my bones start breaking under the spiritual pressure. Hmm, what to choose..." Emi muttered to himself as he pondered what the last bankai would be. He had examined every captain's Zanpakuto before they left, but wasn't sure which would be best. Kaname's would have been perfect, but sadly his Zanpakuto had died along with him.
"You... don't have... time... to think!" The corrupted Seraph choked out. He charged forward at Emi, drawing a second sword seemingly out of nowhere. He swung it straight down on Emi's head. Emi simply heard the scraping of metal on metal as the petals of Senbonzakura Kageyoshi surged up to meet it. The Seraph hissed in anger and pain as more of the petals rose up past the sword and began to carve through its skin.
"Now if you would kindly wait here, I need to find something," Emi said as if talking to a child and not an enemy warrior. Looking around, he spotted the sword he had been looking for. There was a sword that looked oddly similar to Zangetsu next to it, but he paid it no mind. He walked over to it and pulled it from the ground as the Seraph stood in place, stunned. "Bankai. Zanka no Tachi." Of course in the end he went with the most powerful Bankai in the soul society. Head captain Genryusai Yamamoto's Zanka no Tachi, which was so powerful it could literally destroy a dimension. "I now have an impenetrable defense, superior speed, and an unblockable offense. You cannot win any longer." Emi's mouth was dry. Zanka no Tachi truly was formidable.
"Nonsense! The... ancient ones... granted me this... power..." Agitation was evident in the Seraphs voice. "I... am... superior to... you in... every way!" It screamed in its strangled voice. The Seraph charged once more, blinded by its rage. It swung its blade wildly, each slash blocked again and again by hundreds of thousands of steel petals.
One more swing and petals surrounded the blade, holding it in place. An instant later, Emi was behind the Seraph. With a lazy swing of Zanka no Tachi, one of the Seraph's arms were gone. Another swing and a leg was gone, too. The Seraph was still desperately trying to free his blade, but lost his balance and fell to the ground.
Times almost up. Any longer with all three bankai active and I'll pass out. Better finish this now. "Goodbye, Seraph." Emi swung his sword down and just like that, the Seraphs head was separated from its body. There was no blood, the heat of Zanka no Tachi had cauterized the wound instantly.
"It is... this world... you should bid... farewell." The rolling head choked.
Emi's eyes widened. "Wha–" His question was cut off as the body of the Seraph exploded, tentacles flying everywhere like shrapnel. The three Bankai that had been active a moment before had run out, so there were no petals to shield him. He took four wounds to his abdomen, and he could feel they had barely missed his heart. His vision faded to black as his own bankai ended, returning him to the normal world. He heard someone shout his name, then nothing.
Ichigo's Seraph had just been defeated as Emi seemed to pop back into existence with wounds in his chest. He heard Maya shout out his name and saw her begin to dash towards him. Kiri seemed to be alive, but definitely not in good shape. Looking towards Gabriel, he saw only a smug smile on his face. That made Ichigo rather angry. How unfortunate for Gabriel.
Hey guys, once again, sorry it's been so long. I hope the wait was worth it! And I may or may not have taken ideas from another anime but shhhhhhhhh. Anyway, please leave a review!