Episode 30: Black II
Adopheles shoves me aside. "Leave this big oaf to me." His reatsu flares silver and the 'V' shaped fragment of his mask reappears. Another object forms at the tip of the 'V': a silver ball of energy.
"Cero..."
"HAAAGGHHH!" The monster brings down his mighty axes the moment Adopheles fires the silver cero. As the smoke clears I can tell from the jaw-dropping expression on the mighty Goliath that he has been defeated. His mouth quivers, sending air ripples towards me; then a giant hole bursts in the right side of his chest.
"In...300 years...noone has defeated...the mighty...Jidanbo." He crashes to the ground in an earth shattering thud. The behemoth's blood floods the entrance to the gate. I am amazed but somewhat frightened by Adopheles' power.
So this must be the power of the Espada...
"Now to find a way past this mysterious wall." Adopheles presses his palm against the wall. A blue force field morphs around his hand. "Hmm...It seems to be some sort of spiritual barrier...Using a cero wouldn't work as it would simply absorb the energy of the blast..." He taps the wall then laughs. "Heh...it seems I'll have to use it then..."
"Use what?" I ask curious.
"My Ressureccion of course." He unsheaths his sword and taps it against the walled barrier, then he calls out a strange phrase to his Zanpakuto. His body slowly begins to transform. "You haven't been an Arrancar long enough to understand this but your sword holds the majority of your hollow powers...when we Arrancar resurrect we revive some of our old powers and abilities...my ability is to absorb reatsu then use it as an offensive weapon. One of his arms seems to have taken the shape of a hand cannon whilst the other fans out and almost looks like an armoured vacuum pump. Glowing flickers of blue energy are being sucked into the pump whilst a bright sparkle develops in the other end. "I need you to hold off those Shinigami for a while for this to work Banzai."
"Stop them before they infiltrate Seretei!" The Shinigami have finally rushed us. There are at least a hundred of them.
I let my sword transform into it's deadly razor wire. "This time I'll cut your bodies to shreds." I face the large group as they roar a battle cry. I swoop down and swing my blade in an arc, taking down several Shinigami. Several more come from behind in a wave but I straighten my blade into tiny barbs impaling them as they rush forward. Some of them are skewered in the eyes and mouth...a painful way to die but essential for our cause.
"Don't let the Ryoka through." Some of the more senior officers encourage their subordinates to advance. The outcome is the same. I can now manipulate my sword to change from a flexible array of wires into a deadly set of barbs. Ducking, weaving, dodging and impaling. I seem to decimate this army with ease.
"That's enough." Only one Shinigami is left. "I am Girungo Hanatoru, Tenth Seat of the Sixth Division...I will not lose to a little squirt like you." He slashes with his sword. I materialise my weapon back into it's katana state so I can fight evenly with this man.
"GRRNNGHHH!" I throw him back with my sword but he recovers enough to barge me with full force. I'm thorn back but rake my fingers on the ground to remain in fighting stance. I raise my sword to block an incoming strike from above then kick my foot out. He wraps his leg around mine then twists. I fall through the melee but he now has the opening to stab me. In desperation I pull out my right hand and scream. There seems to be an explosion nearby but as I open my eyes I notice my Shinigami opponent is missing the upper half of his body. The rest is singed and smoke rises from the stump of a torso left behind. I must have used a cero in my Arrancar form.
"Heh...well I'll remember to use that more often." As I dust my hands in victory another wave of Shinigami arrive from the distance. "So more of you wish to travel to your death?" I place my sword horizontally in front of my body and place the flat of my other hand on the flat of my blade. I can now aim my cero. "Die..." I fire a rapid stream of cero blasts in all directions. By only charging the cero for a millisecond I am able to fire more in quick succession. They aren't as devastating as a cero but they keep the black-clad warriors down permanently.
I turn for a moment to observe Adopheles' progress. "ALMOST DONE MATE!"
I can hear his grunts as he sucks up more of the spiritual energy. His other arm is glowing brighter than a neutron star. Surely it's almost over.
"HYAH!" They don't seem to give up as more of them back up their comrades. I resort to the traditional cutting down method and run through the crowd. Mowing down as many as possible before I'm engulfed in the crowd.
"ADOPHELES!" My voice is eventually muffled by the mob of warriors. I will surely be ripped to pieces now.
I'm thrown around and beaten – pummelled to a bloody pulp. My vision becomes blurred and my face is wet with blood. One of the Shinigami slams the but of his sword in my eye before I'm knocked unconscious.
I wake up feeling sore and greatly uncomfortable. It seems I'm in a gaol cell. I'm still delirious and dizzy from the previous battle so I return to sleep without protest.
"...Filthy Arrancar...It was only a matter of time before these hollows would try any pathetic trick to become more like us Shinigami...the most important thing they still lack though is a heart..."
"...Well this one should be put out of his misery soon when we send him to the hollow pits...HAHAHAHA...those suckers will eat him alive..."
"Dammit..." I mutter weakly before fading into darkness again.
"Oh my...they sure beat you up good...Aizen ain't gonna be impressed with 'ur mission now..."
"Huh..." I slowly open my eyes to see a fox-eyed Shinigami in a white haori staring into my cell. His body is tilted forward and he shares a very patronising expression.
"I might just forget to lock this door then...The guards have taken a nap for a while so our little criminal can stretch his legs for a while..." I'm not sure what he means by that but he soon leaves. I sit up and slowly trudge out of my cell. I notice trails of blood across the halls. I turn a corner and am shocked to find the guards throats have been cut open. Some have heads hanging by a thread. As a hollow I shouldn't feel empathy for these captors of mine but somehow I cannot contain my stomach contents. Eventually I must move on and escape into the night. Only the night here is temporary.
Seretei seems like a peaceful place. There are Japanese Sakura trees and cherry blossoms flying through the night breeze. A small pond glitters in the moonlight as coy fish hover in their sleep. I clench my fists capturing one of my tears. I will never be able to know this place as home. I am here in the heavens, but as a fugitive – a monster. Sometimes I wish I could just return to being a lowly hollow in the dark forests of Hueco Mundo. My only true feelings were survival back then. Now I must be contempt with a cruel loneliness. The pain of hollowfication may be gone, but the bitterness that erodes the space that I once knew as my heart, still aches my soul each and every day. I throw a pebble into the pond signifying my shattered dreams, and withdraw into the night.
I seek refuge in a small alley. A few Shinigami roam past with torches but they do not notice me. I huddle into the corner and nestle my head into my chest. It's strange but I actually feel very cold out here at night. A hollow should get used to the cold as their body does not require warmth. However I am shivering more than ever. I fear this cold spell may actually kill me. My body becomes spasmodic as I try to retain the heat.
I want to cry but my tears soon crystallise and form ice. Beaten, sore and cold...I feel like an abandoned kitten.
Suddenly I'm wrapped in the warmth of a thick rugged blanket. "Here you go...poor fella...You'll be alright now." The voice is just as soothing. In fact it's familiar. The bust chestnut haired girl smiles cheerfully to comfort me. "You're in safe hands now...I'm Orihime Inoue."
Orihime Inoue...once a close friend of the Substitute Shinigami...If she were to know who I truly am...would she still display such humility? Don't miss the next dramatic chapter!