20: Resistance
Sephiria stared out over the high balcony of the captain commander's throne room. From her point standing just beneath the dark clouds she watched the battles rage on. Streets awash with blood. Buildings razed until only rubble remained. Craters and splinters in the earth. Winding trails of smoke and flames.
Soul Society; the safe haven for the lost souls of the dead, the sanctuary for the departed, had truly become a scene from Hell.
With a bitter frown she stared down at the advancing legions of an army of armed hollows, each one identical to the last, a bare white skull with empty soulless eyes. Their ranks had pushed back the disorganised shinigami and trapped them in a corner. Without their leaders to instruct them every strategic position ingrained in their heads had simply evaporated in the face of the enemy.
Now all hope seemed lost.
Fortunately, the captains remained in reserve. The captain commander was having an emergency meeting, organising a means to break up the intimidating forces of hollows and arrancar and oppose their offensive.
Sephiria herself awaited her messengers. Her own plan had been put into effect as soon as the clouds had gathered. Now she simply had to wait for the good news...
And hope it doesn't arrive too late...
Ikkaku exhaled deeply through lips splattered with blood. His body had been badly beaten and torn but still he stood strong against, quite literally a mammoth. Nirge Parudoc, another of Barragan's personal guard. The brute had shown an impressive feat of strength without unleashing his full power. However now in his beastly elephant-like form his unnatural strength had increased beyond the third-seat's limits. The limits of his shikai at least.
Ikkaku scanned the battlefield. The small detachment he had led on patrol were all dead, the skull-faced executioners cutting them down seemingly without effort. Now they formed a defensive ring around the two superior combatants, trapping them within the confines of their duel.
All around him were enemy faces, not a single comrade in sight.
Perfect!
Ikkaku spat a mouthful of crimson spittle against the cracked ground and grinned, "You've got some skill I must say, but your luck has run out!"
"Ha! You talk big but you look like you're having a hard time even standing up! Don't make me laugh!"
Ikkaku's grin contorted into a devilish scowl, "Fine then. I'll finish this before you can even blink. How does that sound?"
"Huh?"
"Bankai!"
Nirge squinted through the blinding red haze, awe-struck by this new-found power. If he had such strength in the first place why did he wait so long to break it out?
Before the answer could be found Nirge's scaly trunk was severed leaving a gushing stump in the middle of his face. A strangle cry rattled out from his fanged maw as he writhed about in agony. His arms flailed wildly until the left one was sliced clean off. Losing his balance he toppled over and stared up at his cursed foe.
The triumphant warrior hefted a set of three impossibly sized blades, two swords, both as long as he was tall with blades as thick as his legs and a third oversized axe blade resting upon his shoulders. Each was linked by chains as thick as a forearm. The unmanageable speed with which he used them was phenomenal and the very fact they could carve so easily through Nirge's armoured hide brought a wave of nausea and trepidation.
Nirge hurled curses and roared in a vain attempt to unsettle his foe, but Ikkaku had enough. In the time it took Nirge to blink, his head had detached from his shoulders and the world was lost to a sea of black.
Sephiria had never been adept at sensing reiatsu. It was still a rather foreign concept to her. Even so it was not at all difficult to feel the violent surges in spiritual pressure across the battlefield. Some were disproportionately larger than all the rest and their results could be clearly seen.
The giant golem, the great skeletal serpent and the blazing red flames that cut through the dense cloud cover to reach the heavens...All of them, thankfully belonged to shinigami. However the strength of the arrancar was equally formidable. Sephiria could sense several of Aizen's minions lurking in the shadows, simply playing with their opponents. She feared the release of their powers. It seemed the arrancar fighting the most were mere underlings to a much greater threat. Considering the struggle to overcome the low-tiers of Aizen's ranks Sephiria grew anxious.
It was then that Yammamoto emerged from the meeting hall and observed the chaos alongside her.
"The captains have been dispatched, I assume?"
"Indeed, Miss Arks. The captains shall first aid the foot soldiers and let them regroup and gather themselves in defensive positions to face the incoming advance. Then they shall mete out those hidden generals and cut them down before they deal any serious damage. Aizen wants them to clear a path to you and I for which I fear these are his strongest men. The captains shall hold them back for as long as possible until your lot arrives."
"What of the other's trapped out there?"
"They must fend for themselves for now. A strong defensive line is paramount if we are to turn the tides of this battle. Besides, those arrancar currently fighting are mere decoys to distract our attention away from the true enemy."
"But what about the infirmary? They will surely be over-run!"
"It does not matter." the captain commander grunted, "Those that stand shall fight and those that fall shall die. In times of war we cannot leave ourselves open simply to pick the dead back up. If the fourth squad cannot withstand the enemy advances then it shall be a regrettable loss but not so worth risking our chance of victory to save them."
"But..."
"War is not a fairy-tale, Miss Arks. You said that yourself. There are happy endings, but not for everyone. Good people have to die to achieve peace." Yammamoto took a seat upon his throne and groaned, ignoring the confliction in Sephiria's gaze.
She gripped her sword and clenched down until her knuckles cracked. As much as she wished otherwise, she realised he was right. The words with which she had tried to sway Ichigo and Train were true. She could not risk the lives of the few healers at the expense of good fighters. The fourth squad was not known for its fighting ability and in the long run of the war would be more a burden than an advantage on the field.
She quickly wiped away the stray tears rolling down her pale cheeks and watched on as Soul Society burned.
It was then that a messenger arrived, kneeling before her, head bowed. "Miss Arks, we have urgent news!"
Sephiria found a determined albeit frail smile cross her features at the messenger's report. The words Ichigo Kurosaki had used against her back then suddenly welled up in her mind...
Nobody else has to die! We can save everyone!
Within the infirmary, chaos reigned. Unohana had no choice but to allow the Kotetsu sisters to defend the military hospital against the invaders while she herself tried to manage the wounded, among which included Shuhei Hisagi, the assistant captain of squad nine. If he were to be healed he could help fend off the enemy and allow them to breathe easy at least for a little while.
Neither of the sisters had ever shown much prowess in battle. Enough to pass their examinations within the court guards and certainly enough to attain their high ranks but even so they had just about scraped in. Isane's appeal was bolstered by her prowess in kido and her compatibility with the demands of squad four but without that she would be simply one of the dregs near the bottom rung.
Kiyone was pushed further up the ranks through circumstance alone. In all honesty her abilities had granted her fifth seat in squad thirteen but with the death of their lieutenant Kaien Shiba she was bumped up to fourth seat. There was only one warrior in the squad with the power to assume the empty lieutenant position but at the discretion of the Kuchiki family heads it was decided that the chosen warrior would not be given the position. Considering the lack of an assistant commander but knowing full well that both third and fourth seats were not strong enough to be promoted captain Ukitake had instead instated two third seats to accommodate for it. Thus Kiyone became third seat despite her unworthy abilities.
Kiyone had suffered hazing from even officers ranked under her. The other squad members had ridiculed her, laughing and mocking and ever taunting her. She strived to prove she had earned her position but had failed on all counts, eventually becoming nothing more than an errand girl for her captain...the only one who still believed in her, at least that was how she felt.
For that reason she also wanted to show her captain that he had not made a mistake in promoting her, that she was worthy to stand by his side and be his shield. This was a test like no other. She needed this!
With her sword drawn Kiyone stared down her opponent.
"Humph! Preying on the weak and injured. Even for one of Aizen's pets that is low!"
The blonde arrancar rolled her eye and sighed, "Are you blind or just stupid?"
"I don't have to take that from someone missing an eye!"
The girl smiled, "You're a fiery one aren't you? What's your name?"
"Kiyone, what's yours?"
"Menoly," she even bowed as a sign of respect, "You know I'd love to stay and chat but I've got people to see, lives to end...So how about we just get to the fun part huh?"
Rather than wait for an answer she simply charged, drawing a comparably short sword of her own and rushing straight for her opponent. Kiyone waited until she drew in close before taking a hasty step back and slashing out in a wide arc. Her blade just missed contact with the girl's bare midriff but managed only to carve through air. Laughing mockingly, Menoly spun around the arc of the blade and drove a hard kick into Kiyone's side throwing her off balance.
As she stumbled about she had no time to recover as Menoly pressed the attack with a volley of strikes, many of them landing but only dealing shallow wounds. She was toying with her. Kiyone grit her teeth and pushed her assailant off before hacking down upon her. Menoly danced out of harm's way and giggled. Her amusement only infuriated Kiyone more.
"Damn it! Don't play games with me!"
"What? But I thought you were playing a game too? Don't tell me you seriously are this weak?" the words flowed free as a river but stung like acid. Kiyone's face contorted in rage and a furious growl escaped her trembling frame.
"Shut up! I'm not weak!" She raced forwards recklessly only to be hurled back. But she simply stood back up again and resumed her assault. Each time she was struck back she continued to get up and fight. Determined to the last Kiyone rushed to fight regardless of her limited strength. Even as her shihakusho was torn and bloody, her vision blurring ever so slightly, her head spinning, she strode forth with her sword drawn.
Menoly savoured her chance to slowly destroy the fragile young thing, delighting each time she rose up again. "Ha! You really are stupid! You think you still stand a chance? You're a mess! You were weak from the start but in your state no you couldn't even hurt a fly! Give up you stupid brat!"
"Never!" With another wild head-on charge Kiyone let loose a battle-cry that did little to intimidate her foe. Menoly gave a sly smile as she prepared to deal the finishing blow. Drawing the small blade back for a powerful swing she waited for the right moment.
Wait for it...Wait for it...
A little bit closer...
Now!
Something shone before her eyes. Menoly became entranced by the unusual glistening strand hovering so delicately in the air, only to overlook Kiyone's charge.
Having lost her chance she could only guard against the incoming strike, leading to a tense deadlock. Up close she could see thin trails of blood trickling down from the corners of her mouth and the numerous tiny cuts and bruises all over her face. And yet despite her injuries, there was a tremendous fire in her eyes, a fearsome presence hidden within her.
Still, without the power to back it up the glare was meaningless. With a simple head-butt and a knee to the gut Kiyone was thrown a sizeable distance away leaving Menoly to ponder the shining strand from before.
It was then that her sword arm dropped to the ground.
"W-What?! What the hell?!" She panicked.
"Sorry, I don't usually like hurting pretty ladies, but that girl is on my team so I'm gonna have to ask you back off."
"Screw you! Where are you? Show yourself, coward!" Menoly screamed at the unseen intruder.
Jenos emerged from the debris of the infirmary wall and offered his cheesiest grin, "Here I am. Like what you see?"
"Grr, shut up you bastard! How dare you cut off my arm?!"
"Now, now, you know the game don't you? You waltz in on our turf and try to kill everybody and get upset when we fight back? That sounds silly doesn't it? Or maybe you didn't expect to run into anybody strong enough to beat you. Is that why you attacked a hospital? How shameful."
Menoly found herself unable to formulate the word she needed to respond to that. Instead she just roared like a caged animal. Her cry was soon rivalled by that of her former opponent, Kiyone.
"Stay back! Don't help me! This is my fight!" Once again she was on her feet, albeit shaking and looking far worse for wear than before.
Jenos took off his sunglasses and smirked, "I'm sorry, but your cute little face is nicer when it's not covered in blood. I'm sure your captain agrees."
"Captain...Cute?" For a moment she was actually blushing, apparently forgetting the entire battle at hand. Soon enough she regained her inner fire and snapped back, "Leave me be! I must defeat her! I need to be strong! For my captain and for myself!"
With a shake of his head Jenos crossed over to stand before her, moving with a speed akin with the shinigami. "Come now, Ukitake wouldn't wish for you to get yourself hurt. Besides, strength isn't important when you're in love."
That sweet little flustered expression returned as Kiyone's cheeks burned bright red, "When you're in...love?" Her eyes widened as if struck by a revelation, "Wait...Is that why he promoted me? Is that why he keeps me by his side to watch over him? Just because he...He...Likes me?"
"Sure, how else can a girl get a promotion?" Jenos laughed at his own joke before returning his attention to the wounded arrancar, "Besides, I hear old man Ukitake is feeling a bit under the weather right now. I bet he'd love for you to play nurse once again before things get too far out of hand."
Kiyone was speechless.
"Ha, no need to thank me!"
"I didn't thank you." she replied flatly.
"You didn't? Oh...Alright then..." Jenos almost looked rejected then but quickly raised his spirits and prepared to fight, "Well don't worry about your pals here. Chronos is here to help clean up this ugly mess Aizen has created!"
With a conflicted smile Kiyone hovered on her feet, stuck between staying or running. Jenos decided for her.
"Go!"
She ran.
The other arrancar girl in the infirmary, Loly stood poised to deal a finishing blow to the other Kotetsu sister only to feel suddenly weightless. She fell forward and on the way down mysteriously saw her feet rooted to ground. Blood rained down from where her waist and torso had once connected. Her one eye widened in shock and she tried to scream, though found herself unable to produce anything more than a croaking, pitiful sound as she watched her lower half fall in the opposite direction. She only had enough time to catch a glimpse of her executioner before disappearing into the eternal night of death.
Isane cowered against the wall, trembling with fear, still anticipating her own fate. When the pain never arrived she too glanced up in stunned awe.
"C-Captain Unohana?"
The gentle, motherly figure of the squad four captain remained hunched forward, a sword slick with blood still pointed out wide from the momentum of the single strike needed to fell the much weaker opponent. As she slowly straightened up she offered her calm, gentle smile, though it was soaked in blood.
"It is safe now Isane. Help has arrived." Her reassuring smile sought to soothe the hearts of the panicked staff and patients in the infirmary. However more-so than the captain's words, the two guardians from Chronos served as a further morale boost.
As Menoly met her end both Xiao Li and Jenos returned confident smiles to one another. Their smiles remained even as the next threat reared its head.
Reinforcements from Chronos have finally arrived and the captains have entered the fray as well! Can the tides of this bloody war be turned or has Aizen still got more tricks up his sleeve? Find out in the next thrilling chapter!
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