21: Counter-Attack
Soul Society was in turmoil. Aizen's invasion had crippled the mighty Gotei 13 and left countless dead and injured in the face of their relentless attack. The first wave of Aizen's troops had decimated Sereitei's defences and pushed all forces back. While keeping a concentrated attack on the front, Aizen had also sent various detachments to destroy the infirmary.
Within that very infirmary now lay the recovering wounded from Ichigo and Train's rescue mission in Hueco Mundo. The small band of heroes who had broken through to Aizen's palace of Las Noches and slain some of his most prized generals along the way now recuperated in the infirmary under the watchful eye of Captain Retsu Unohana and her subordinate Isane Kotetsu as well as Orihime Inoue. With the three greatest healers in both worlds caring for them, each was certain to survive to fight again.
And they would certainly be needed.
The assistant captains of the 13 squads had done their best to fend off the first wave of Aizen's forces, however many had fallen. Only now had the bloody tides of war turned with Sephiria's reinforcements from Chronos. Her plan had been to bring Orihime to Soul Society so as to utilise her unusual powers and heal the wounded, however Sephiria's fear of an ambush led her to designating the last of her remaining time guardians to all escort Inoue personally.
But the time had come. With Chronos and the Gotei 13 now as a united front, once again morale had risen and even the lowest of foot-soldiers fought on with renewed vigour. The wavering sliver of hope in their hearts now burned ever brighter.
Sephiria issued the command for the counter-attack, leading the charge personally and rushing to the front line. She let out a victorious battle-cry, screaming so loud as to stir all of Soul Society into a frenzy of battle.
Unfortunately, her march was disrupted by the sudden appearance of two arrancar.
Apache and Sun-Sun both shared knowing glances, each recognising the enemy commander. Their eyes flared with burning desire and each drew their weapons.
Sephiria stood stock still, Christ drawn and at the ready. Taking up a rigid yet graceful stance she remained poised to attack, her body straight and perfectly aligned with only her sword arm extended forward. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Hey! What are you doin' meditating on a battlefield?! Are you stupid or what?!"
Having her question unanswered, Apache grew restless, her hopelessly short fuse already going out.
"Grr, dammit bitch! Don't ignore me!"
Apache charged head first; her antlers pointed outwards, eager to run through their opponent. With a mighty war-cry she came within striking distance of the stoic commander of Chronos, however she never made another move.
Without even appearing to have moved, Sephiria had sliced both antlers clean off and severed the grimy black hooves that had become of Apache's feet. As the startled Arrancar tumbled forward with a terrified cry of alarm Sephiria dealt her finishing blow.
Christ lavished in the taste of blood, savouring the sensation of carving through flesh. Apache had not even hit the ground when the blade soared through the beast's skull. A sickening crimson rain painted the glorious figure of Sephiria Arks, staining her pink uniform a much darker shade. With cold eyes she glanced up at her next victim, an unearthly aura enveloping the proud warrior, making her presence all the more intimidating.
Taken aback by the death of her comrade Sun-Sun hesitated in both her attack and her escape, however remaining still only proved her undoing.
Sephiria vanished in the blink of an eye, appearing a spit second later standing right beside her foe. Before she could even comprehend what was happening, Sun-Sun was cut down, her life ending amidst a sea of confusion, regret and shame. Her life ended before she could even register the pain of being sliced in two.
Standing triumphantly over their corpses, Sephiria cleaned her blade and sighed, "I cannot allow any more comrades to be slain. If I must become one with the denizens of Hell itself to do so then I shall become the devil."
That's right...I won't let anyone else die! I will save everyone, even if it costs me my life! I shall gladly be the shield to protect any who stand by my side! I will bear the burden of my mistakes, not my subordinates!
After mulling over that a thin smile crossed her stoic expression, "Hmm...I'm becoming more and more like him now..."
Renji let out a fearsome howl, manipulating the mighty serpent which had extended from his blade. The towering skeletal creature coiled protectively around him while snapping at the irritating flying pest, Abirama Redder. His fate was sealed, it was simply a matter of catching him, but even with wings of steel Redder was incredibly nimble whilst airborne while the great Zambimaru was sluggish.
It was tiresome, but Renji endured knowing full well he could not fall here. There were many others in desperate need of help and it was up to him to save them. His friends, his comrades, his subordinates, all of them...He would not let them fall! That's what Ichigo would say if he were standing beside him.
He always did...
With a confident smile and a determined stare, that moron would simply smirk and boast to the heavens-
"I have to win! I have to protect everyone!"
It appeared to have rubbed off on him too.
Redder grinned at the declaration and slowed to a crawl, hovering in place with his wings spread wide.
He's going to attack again. This is perfect! Now is my chance!
In unison each man roared in challenge. The great serpent shot forward with its fanged jaws opened wide, a rumbling, earth-shattering hiss rattling out from its bony form. Redder, remained undeterred, sending forth a volley of steel-feathered missiles straight into the demon snake.
There was a great explosion in the sky. Red flames spat out in all directions, as did the segments of Zambimaru's body.
Renji's eyes widened as the great serpent fell apart, crumbling into a pile of disconnected vertebrae and debris.
"W-What the..."
"So, that's all it takes to destroy a bankai huh? I was actually frightened when you first brought out that thing! But I guess the size is just for show! Ha ha ha ha!" Redder dropped down to earth and strode over to the ruins of Renji's zanpakuto.
"You bastard! How did you-"
"It was easy! That armoured hide might be strong, but your little buddy has so many opening's it's not funny! Your precious pet is only connected by a weak bond of reishi," Redder kicked one of the vertebrae and chuckled, "Since this guy is so huge you have to use up half of your strength just holding the damn thing together. Your bankai is just a scary looking house of cards! Ha ha ha ha!"
Renji bowed his head and stared at his hands. Slowly, his shoulders began tremble.
Then he laughed, at first a slow, dry chuckle, soon evolving into raucous frenzied howling.
Redder scowled, tensing up just slightly at the unnerving and ill-fitting outburst. "The Hell are you cackling about? Don't tell me that ink on your face has seeped into your brain!" a nervous laugh escaped him, more forced than anything.
"Ha...You want in on the joke?" Renji looked up; eyes alight with blazing passion and determination. "You were right about one thing. Hihio Zambimaru is held together by my own spiritual powers. But that doesn't mean it always has to stay attached." a murderous grin spread across his face as Renji continued, "I can separate the segments at will. But that's not all..."
Renji shot a hand out, directed towards Redder and roared, "Higa Zekko!"
Redder was trapped. Standing amidst the wreckage of the dislocated serpent, there was nowhere to run as each segment began to glow with red reishi and began to hover above the ground. With nowhere to run there was no escape from the bombardment as every segment became a blade of reishi.
The resulting explosion blanketed the sky and sent rocks and debris flying across the battlefield. Great clouds of dust and obscured what they could of the raging flames which erupted from the epicentre of the blast.
Renji closed his eyes and waited. He could still sense Redder's presence within the maelstrom of carnage. He had to give some credit to the bastard for surviving that, but it was already too late. Unbeknownst to Redder, it was as they say, out frying pan and into the fire.
What remained of him burst through the dust clouds and into the air. With only one wing left his flight path was wild and uncontrollable and his speed from earlier was all but eradicated, his flight like a drunken pigeon in his state.
However, bloodied and beaten though he was, Redder remained confident to the last.
"Ha! You sure fooled me! But now that I know your tricks you're finished! I'll end this right here, right now!"
Renji rolled his eyes and frowned, "That's my line. Hikotsu Taiho!"
In an instant the great serpent reattached itself, fitting together like an obscene puzzle until it was fully formed. Without a seconds hesitation the beast shot forth like a bullet, ensnaring Redder in its huge jaws. Even as the defiant arrancar held the great jaws open, he was caught unaware by the true attack.
From deep within the beast a deep red glow of energy surged along its length, only to erupt out of its gaping maw in a cataclysmic explosion removing every trace of Redder's existence.
Even his ashes...
Kiyone raced across the battlefield to find her captain. His illness could not have struck up at a worse time. In the midst of battle he would be in serious danger in his state. He needed medicine. And so she ran as fast as she could on legs she could no longer feel. She couldn't move straight and she stumbled every few steps but she continued on her path through the burning wreckage towards the territory of her 13th squad.
Pain surged through her, but she couldn't relent, couldn't give in...Not until she had performed her duty. Not until she was by her captain's side!
Jenos' words rang through her mind.
Strength isn't important when you're in love...
Was he joking? She had never known that man to be serious, just like Ukitake's childhood friend and fellow captain Shunsui Kyouraku. It seemed they had both been hanging out too much as of late.
But what if he was telling the truth?
Captain Ukitake...Do you really...Really...
'shunk'
"Urk." Kiyone let out a breathless cough and slumped over. She should have fallen, but something was holding her up. As her head bowed down she noticed the blade embedded in her chest.
What...When did he...
Everything became a blur. All she could see was a white coat, dancing in the wind. She instinctively reached out but her hand was hacked from the bone to land by her face. She stared with wide, terrified eyes at her amputated hand and screamed.
Her assailant simply laughed at her pain and misery, licking the blood from the squared blade wrenched from her gut. "You should have watched where you're going. Accidents do happen."
"Ah...Ah...Ah..." Words failed the stunned young shinigami, hopelessly stammering amidst heavy wheezing breaths. Her eyes flitted between the gushing stump on her forearm and the man who attacked her.
"Geez, you only lost a hand and already you're losing your mind. Pitiful! You're not even worth killing...But Lord Barragan gave clear instructions to leave none alive. So die!"
He drew his arm back and thrust his sword right between the clouded eyes of his prey; however the tiger's hunt was interrupted by a blurred shadow barrelling in from the side. Ggio Vega was knocked clear out of the way and in his place stood Naizer Bruckheimer, the fearsome number 5 of Chronos' Time Guardians.
Without looking down, he addressed Kiyone, his voice cold and unflinching, "Hang in there, kid. Help is on the way." Looking back, he studied her from behind his tinted sunglasses and frowned, "You should try and compress the wound and stop the bleeding. That is if you want to live to meet your captain."
Those few words served like an electric shock, waking Kiyone from her nightmare and back to reality. With her one shaking hand she wrapped part of her uniform over the stump of her wrist and compressed tightly, sending stinging tears from her eyes, clenched shut.
"Just hold out for a while. I'll deal with him!"
With a defiant roar, Vega charged at the intruder but Naizer manoeuvred around his attacks and buried an orichalcum tonfa under the ribs. Vega spat crimson spittle through his clenched teeth as he was thrown back from the force of the blow. Recovering after a few unsteady steps he rushed forward again, this time landing his sword against the side of Naizer's tonfa, however the veteran eraser wielded two, giving him ample room to bludgeon the arrancar from the side while guarding against his sword strike.
Vega was flung backwards into a pile of rubble, emerging enveloped in a blazing aura. He roared at the top of his lungs, "Bite off, Tigre Estoque!" and as the veil of red light cleared, the tiger was released from his cage.
Now with two squared off swords, each jutting out from his forearms, Vega stood on equal footing with the dual wielding Naizer. Their movements were untraceable to Kiyone's dizzy, blurred vision and so she concentrated on her wounds. Her missing hand left a profusely bleeding stump and compressing it had done little to stop it.
Kiyone closed her eyes and let out a deep breath.
She had another idea.
Slowly, she chanted an incantation whilst holding her good hand over her decimated wrist. When she finished she whispered through clenched teeth, "Hado number 4, Byakurai!"
The bolt of lightning seared the torn flesh around her wrist, cauterising it instantly. Kiyone bit her lip until it bled and finally let out a choked cry of pain and anguish, her scream echoing across Soul Society.
Naizer glanced over his shoulder to check on her, giving himself up to attack, an opportunity which Vega gladly took. Yet, even with a clear shot, even as his blade sliced down across his chest, Naizer seemed unperturbed. He simply turned back and scowled, dealing out a fierce blow to the face with imperceptible speed.
Vega staggered back, grasping his face, spitting blood and loosened teeth. He struggled to breathe and his left eye was closing up from his swollen face. He cursed under his breath, though it barely sounded human anymore. With a distorted growl he snarled, "Tigre Estoque, El Sable!"
The thin-framed arrancar suddenly bulged outwards, obscene musculature emerging from within until he had almost tripled in size. His arms, now as thick as tree trunks ended in massive curved talons rather than hands and his braided hair now ended in a claw of its own. He howled like a wild animal and charged head-on at his foe.
Naizer chuckled to himself and stood still, awaiting Vega's approach. When he was within striking distance Naizer bolted off like lightning, ducking under the sluggish swing of the deadly pendulum of Vega's right hook and smashing his tonfa deep into the arrancar's exposed mid-section. With the sickening crunch and snap of shattered bones Vega's eyes went blank. Naizer roared as he pushed on further with all his might, the blunt tonfa pushing through skin to sink through the morphed demon's hide. With his whole arm now inside Vega's stomach Naizer let out one last defiant roar and spun on his heels, using his buried tonfa to split Vega in half and erupt from out his side in a shower of gore.
Vega let out a dry, dead squeal as his massive corpse crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Exhausted and panting for breath, Naizer slumped down to one knee and sighed, "That fool...You sacrificed speed and agility for a freaking growth spurt! You failed to read the situation and paid the price for it. Now rot in Hell, demon! And while you're there...Warm the seat for your Lord Aizen!"
Kiyone stared up at him with a quivering frown. Twice now she had been rescued by Chronos. Twice now she had failed to prove her worth in the Gotei 13. And twice now she had been stalled delivering her medicine to Captain Ukitake.
Worthless...I'm worthless!
Unable to stand, or even crawl, Kiyone curled up in a ball and cried.
With the first wave of invading arrancar all but defeated and Chronos' numbers on the scene it seems Aizen's stranglehold on Sereitei is crumbling. However the battle is far from over! Both sides have yet to reveal their secret weapons, but now is the time! Do not miss the next thrilling installment!
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