TTGL: So This is the Heavens
Chapter 20: Just who the hell do you think I am!
The power fizzled away like a fine morning mist. Kamina stepped forward and looked down, gazing into the puddle of blood left by the Vasto Lorde. He was humanoid again, stood tall on two feet rather than four. His blue hair was back, as were his eyes. He wasn't human looking though. Sharp claws and fangs still shone in the light and bone still covered key area's of his body. The hollow mask remained whole except for a slit across his eyes in the shape of his trademark shades. He was that well thought out cross between wolf and man. He was a hollow werewolf.
"So this is what it feels like to be a Vasto Lorde. Pretty sweet." Kamina grinned wolfishly.
"Well done." said a voice beside him. He turned to see Nel stood beside him. She was staring absently into the slowly drying blood. "Very few ever make it as far as you have. To gain your old looks back, now all you have to do is to tear of your mask. Once it's off, you'll never have to consume another hollow again."
Kamina grabbed the mask with his claws. "Well, here it goes." he ripped it off with all of his force. There was an explosion of unadulterated power that obliterated the surrounding trees like toothpicks. Even Nel had to brace herself against the raging blast.
"HAHAHAHA!" cackled Kamina as loud as his lungs would allow. He felt well and truly awesome, like he had been born anew as a god.
Looking down into the blood a familiar face looked back up at him. As far as he could see he looked identical to how he had been before the hollowfication. The only visible difference being the two small triangular mask fragments that sat between his eyes and ears. He was back in his loose fitting shinigami trousers and red cape. There was no obvious hollow hole but on closer inspection he found the absence of matter beneath his stomach wrap, right where his belly button should have been.
"You are a curious being." commented Nel. "A shinigami who retained his living memories, lost his powers due to a wound, became a hollow and evolving to Vasto Lorde level which entails regenerative abilities, healing the wound that blocked your shinigami powers. You are more than an arrancar yet you aren't a visored. You are the link between the two, not a shinigami with hollow powers, nor a hollow with shinigami powers but a whole new species."
"Sounds complicated." grunted Kamina as he flexed his muscles. "All I need to know is how much ass I can kick."
"More than any mere shinigami captain." suggested Nel with a smirk. "Are you ready to see for yourself?"
"Hell yeah!" Kamina shouted. He swung Gurren around with pent up energy and more trees met with a grizzly end.
Nel held out her hand and a garganta opened before her. "Between you and Ichigo, Aizen's days are numbered. Go now and bring the peace that those souls beg for."
"You got it!" confirmed Kamina as he stepped into the portal. He turned back. "You got a phone number or anything?"
She closed the garganta in his face. Kamina chuckled to himself then began the journey back home. The silvery path of spiritual energy was fading but still held him up. He sprinted along it and revelled in the feel of his enhanced body. The strain of running full force should have effected him but his muscles felt like they were on a gentle stroll while his lungs breathed calmly and easily.
A light appeared ahead and when Kamina reached it he hopped casually out, landing beside Ichigo back inside the interior of the Dai-Gurren. Ichigo was looking a bit bedraggled and tired but he offered a smile as Kamina reappeared.
"Man, keeping that tunnel active for so long was tougher than I thought. I was expecting you back sooner. What did you find out from Nel?"
"Aizen isn't in Hueco Mundo."
"We now know that. Squad Two discovered his location while you were away. Anyway, I can sense your powers again, did her method work then?"
"Yup, it was a bit long but it worked wonderfully. I'm ready to kick some ass, how long 'til we reach him?" asked Kamina, cracking his knuckles.
Ichigo rubbed his unshaved stubble. "Er, we have a bit of a problem. The Dai-Gurren has broken down and we're too far to travel by foot."
"Is Nemu working on it?"
"That's the problem. We got a transmission through just after you left from Captain Kurotsuchi. He ordered Nemu to return to him. She can't disobay his orders. While he was missing you were able to turn her mind away from him but now she has seen him again she'll be pulled in by his orbit once again."
Kamina started to leave the room and Ichigo followed. "He abuses her when she is with him, plagues her mind when he's away and now he steals my head mechanic. Me and the clown are going to have to have a little talk. Which way did they go?"
"Deep underneath the Seireitei is a prison called the Maggot's nest. Apparently he has converted that into his new lab as it was undamaged by Aizen's attack." explained Ichigo.
"How badly damaged is the ship?"
"Pretty bad. A hollow appeared in the engine room and chewed up all of our wires. All the mechanics are working on it but without Nemu we'll only get it back up to twelve percent power outage."
They emerged out onto the deck. Shinigami were lounging around everywhere. Ichigo continued. "That's still enough power to get us to Aizen with relative speed though. By the time someone had gotten back to the Seireitei and back again then we'd already be engaged with Aizen so its not worth the time."
"Forget that." snapped Kamina. "It's not the condition of the Dai-Gurren but that of the girl that worries me. It boils my blood just thinking that she is with that monster. Set of for Aizen. I'm gonna go bring her back. Don't worry though, I'll be there to fight Aizen, you can bet your life on it."
Without another word, Kamina jumped off of the deck and hit the ground at a sprint. Trees zipped past him in a blur. He was the mighty Kamina and he would leave no-one behind.
Hours passed by and his body still felt fresh. He was in familiar areas now and knew the ruins of the Seireitei were near by now. The thought struck him that he hadn't asked where the entrance to the Maggot's Nest was but that wouldn't pose a problem for long. Picking his way through the rubble he searched briefly before growing bored and pointing at the floor. A high powered cero fired from the finger, carving a hole straight through the ground.
Kamina admired his handiwork then stepped into it, falling for several seconds before landing in a dimly lit cavern. There were caged cells everywhere but no sign of life. Their was a faint smell in the air which Kamina followed, taking him deeper into the structure. It grew smaller and darker and more oppressive but such things didn't seem to phase him anymore whatsoever.
A loud sound echoed through the tunnels like a sharp slap followed by a distant, warped voice. Locking onto the sounds he powered through the last few tunnels as the sounds grew longer.
"You dare to abandon me! I created you! You live to serve me! I ought to take you to pieces and rebuild you with a more obedient brain. Maybe a dose of pain will freshen you up!"
There was another slapping sound followed by a crash. Kamina found a door and kicked it open, reducing it to tinder. Before him was a scene of abuse. Nemu lay on the floor on top of and covered in broken glass and shelving at the side of the room while the clown captain stood glowering over her with his long nailed hand still outstretched. He had his zanpakuto shikai in the other hand. Blood coated Nemu's skin.
Mayuri turned to face Kamina, his face screwed up with rage. "You! What are you doing here? I have better things to do then trade words with the likes of you."
Kamina walked straight past him and held a hand out to Nemu. Seeing that she couldn't move because of Mayuri's sword's wounds he picked her up, brushed the glass from her and laid her upon a nearby desk. Then, with burning eyes he turned to face the scientist.
"You dare to oppose me, worm? What I do with my creations is my business alone. Nobody else is here so nothing will stop me from adding you to my collection." spat the make-up wearing captain. He smiled sadistically.
"You make me sick." Kamina said in a low, threatening voice.
Mayuri cackled wildly. "I have a new experiment or two planned for you. I think I may implant a horde of ant sized hollow inside you so that they slowly consume both you and themselves, forming a man sized Gillian inside of you. While that is happening I also have a few potions that should yield interesting results."
The scientist clapped and several hidden doors opened up around the room. From them emerged misshapen figures bearing prisoner rags. They lumbered forwards, revealing the extent of the modifications that the captain had given them.
"Do you like my new squad? Without the stupid laws of the shinigami, I was able to create some real men. Each one has the equivalent strength as a third seat officer. Do you think that you can fight this many third seats after loosing your powers to Aizen?" Mayuri laughed. "There's only one way to find out. Attack him!"
The warped prisoners leapt forward with surprising speed. Their steps made cracks in the ground and their arms looked easily capable of snapping Kamina and half. The young shinigami drew his sword his sword, cutting three of the prisoners down as the blade arced out from its scabbard. Another two concise slashes and another four fell dead. The remaining prisoners were within striking distance now. They attacked but Kamina vanished, appearing behind them and cutting them to ribbons.
Mayuri looked on the verge of exploding. "Impossible! You should be a normal soul now. Even at your former level you should have been beaten to a pulp!" Strangely his face brightened up at this point. "This makes me want to examine you all the more. Nemu, hold him down for me. Nemu!"
He looked over at the girl and seemed to remember that she was paralysed. With a disappointed sigh he injected her with a serum. Within seconds she was able to stand.
"Now, go and hold him!" Mayuri ordered.
Nemu looked between the two men, completely unable to work out a logical decision. She clutched her head in pain.
"Useless!" seethed the captain. He lashed out with his hand but it never struck Nemu. Kamina's strong hands held him by the wrist.
"Bad move." growled Kamina. With a slight movement he snapped Mayuri's wrist. The scientist reeled back before slicing off his own arm and injecting the stump. Before Kamina's eyes the arm grew back completely undamaged.
"I'll have to settle for studying your corpse. Bankai! Konjiki Ashisogi Jizo!" His golden trident exploded outward, filling the room with vile smelling smoke. From the smoke came the form of a giant caterpillar that put gunmen to shame when it came to size. A golden head that looked disturbingly like a baby's sat atop a grotesque body. Blades jutted forward from its throat while noxious gasses spewed from its mouth.
"This is the true power of my zanpakuto. It's sheer size and strength can level a mountain while the gas that it produces is fatal to anyone who breathes it except for me. A lungful of those fumes will fell even the strongest captain. You will die a painful death while I laugh at you. Enjoy."
Ashisogi Jizo started forward with the power of a freight-train. Poisonous gas flooded the room and the blades looked set to shred Kamina. It moved with speed but in Kamina's eyes the world began to slow down. Before him, the world changed into the scrap littered battlefield of his mindscape. Two men where stood nearby. Kamina approached them. One was Gurren, the other Ren.
"Ren? I didn't expect to see you here."
"I'm head hollow now, buddy. Being the dominant mind within the dominant mind I managed to take control of internal affairs along with old man Gurren. I have all the other hollows housed in a custom made zoo. You should visit sometime, a real sight to see."
"You bet." chuckled Kamina. "Afraid I can't now though, I'm a little busy. Is operation ass kick ready?"
"Course it is, between me, Gurren and you it'll be unstoppable. Curious thing to note though, I was expecting to find your inner hollow in here but apparently, you and your inner hollow merged."
"Rock on. Nice to know everything is in order. Watch and be amazed." said Kamina smugly.
The onrushing form of Ashisogi Jizo reappeared as Kamina switched back to reality, the cocky smirk still upon his face. He placed a hand over his face and a wave of energy so powerful that it distorted time and space itself flooded from his body. A white mask formed over his face, the two triangles next to his eyes forming together to create his shades while the rest of his face formed into a human skull. His blue hair stood up straight and billowed, looking exactly like azure flames. Behind him his cape caught fire but did not burn, instead becoming a sheet of flames itself.
He held out a single finger and fired from it a high powered cero that flickered violently with orange energy. It tore straight through the monstrous caterpillar, rending a gaping hole through its face that continued along its body and out of its tail, hitting the captain behind it.
Kamina blew the smoke away from his finger and admired his handiwork. Gazing trough Ashisogi Jizo he watched as Mayuri staggered back, blood and guts spilling from the large wound in his stomach. Desperately the scientist searched his pockets and rammed a syringe into his side. The flesh re-grew but judging by the captain's face it was agony.
"I don't understand! How can this be possible? Nothing should be able to pierce through my zanpakuto like that! What the hell are you?" screamed Mayuri, anger gushing from his every word.
"Life's a bitch, eh?" said Kamina jovially. His voice sounded warped, like two different voices speaking simultaneously.
"I'll kill you! You wretch! You will suffer a thousand deaths by my hand!"
Mayuri ripped off his ear, revealing a small scythe like device. He threw this at Kamina with all of his strength. Kamina plucked it from the air and ripped it off. The captain reared back and reformed his shikai.
"Too late for that, clown. People have stood around and watched your abuse for too long. The mighty Kamina doesn't stand for such crap. Captain or not, I'm gonna teach you what happens to evil bastards like you."
He splayed his fingers, firing five beams of light at the clown. The beams ripped through him, soaking his entire body in blood. That should have killed anyone but the scientist was too messed up to know when to die.
From his white scientist robes he grabbed a small trigger looking device. He waved it around threateningly. "Scum! With this I'll blow you straight to hell! I will survive the blast but you won't!" He pulled the trigger.
Kamina flash-stepped in front of Nemu as Mayuri began to glow white. An explosion blasted the room to smithereens, smashing down all four walls and destroying the ceiling completely.
Mayuri stood shakily in the centre of a freshly made crater. His clothes were in tatters but another injection restored his body back to health. He laughed manically but was quickly silenced when the smoke cleared and Kamina was stood unharmed, Nemu curled up behind him.
"Coward." snarled Kamina. "Real men fight with their hands under their own strength. Those with power fight for those without. You abuse those around you and prey on the weak for your own sick pleasures. People like you grow and prosper while good men whither and die. I will change that."
"What do you know! I am the greatest mind ever to grace existence. I'll let you in on a secret. I knew your Spiral King. It was me that gave him the knowledge to create the beastmen. They are a form of gigai, imperfect dolls modelled from the same designs as Nemu. Lordgenome did it in good intentions but I simply enjoyed the challenge and the prospect of suffering. A world wide experiment you could say. Very handy things to have too."
From cracks in the walls rushed dozens of beastmen of varying shapes and sizes. They carried vicious weapons and howled as they leapt at Kamina. He didn't take in the details though. Suddenly he was deathly still with anger. Every death he had ever know of was a result of the beastmen. They were his enemy, and this man had created them.
"You bastard!" he growled. Gurren released its shikai becoming the giant black shades. With a single slash dozens of shades shot out from the zanpakuto, cutting down the beastmen instantly. With a roar, Kamina threw Gurren straight at Mayuri's face, they imbedded directly between his eyes.
Kamina was on him in a second. He pulled back his fist and with every ounce of his supernatural strength he slammed it into the captain's stomach. His hand and arm burst into flame with the sheer speed. "Blazing Comet Punch!"
Mayuri doubled over. Every bone in his body completely shattered and his stomach was coughed through his mouth. Kamina removed his fist and Mayuri collapsed. Weakly he reached for another syringe that had fallen from his robes but Kamina stamped on the glass.
Kamina placed his foot on the Captain's neck but the man suddenly liquefied, becoming a strange green goo upon the floor.
"Not this time." shouted Kamina, readying another cero.
Nemu threw herself in front of the blob. "Please, don't kill him. He is still my father."
Kamina looked ready to fire but sighed and lowered his sword. "Fine. I can't do that in front of you. Come on, let's leave him to his suffering. Time to go ho-"
A blade pierced his gut mid-sentence. He stared at the golden metal that protruded through his flesh, straight through Nemu and ending in a reformed Mayuri's hand.
"Nobody underestimates me, worm! Now scream in pain as my poison passes through you, paralysing your body but keeping your nerves active. Hahahaha!"
"You think that such a cheap trick will kill me. You've just sealed your fate. Just who the hell do you think I am!" Kamina stepped back, sliding the blade from his gut.
"GIGA"
Mayuri dropped his Zanpakuto, letting Nemu collapse.
"SHADE"
He turned and began to run, fumbling through his pockets for anything to help him.
"BREAK!"
Turning back to check his distance, Mayuri turned just in time to receive a flaming shade filled punch to the face. There was a splash of brains as the captain's head exploded. Once again the body liquefied but while Nemu was still down he incinerated it with a large cero beam.
"Pathetic." Kamina spat. "You'll not be missed. Give it a few years and I know just the guy to replace you, creepy though he is. Maybe it comes with the job."
He strode over to Nemu. "It's over now. You are free."
The girl stuttered a moment, tears in her usually devoid eyes as she gazed upon the charred ground. "T-thank you."
Kamina knelt down. "Now hop on. We'vbe got to hurry back to the others. Our final destinies await us. Tomorrow, we fight Aizen and end this once and for all!"
Nemu climbed onto his back and he set off full speed, Mayuri's wound not effecting him in the least.
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A/N: Sorry it's a bit late, I was going to post it yesterday but I had a Red vs. Blue marathon instead. Either way, its finished and online so I hope you all enjoyed.
I realise that I killed off a canon character with ease but I just wanted to show Kamina's vast improvements and I don't think he'd have stood for Mayuri's abuse to others. Sorry if anyone was a Mayuri fan.
Another point, this month I've hit 500 visitors for this story which I'm really chuffed with, thank you all so much. Hopefully next month I can get even higher.
The winner of this week's omake will be narutofan020. If you care to contact me either by review or PM you can have it sent to you privately or as a general post on here like the others. Thanks for the review.
Once again, thank you all for reading. Please review or PM me with your questions and comments.
-FWF