Chapter 19: Desert and a Vampire

"Let's see if you'll feel the same way after checking out this little number. I've been saving it for you." Uryu drew his final Seele Schneider and fired at Taikon

"I'm telling you, you're wasting your time." Taikon said as a mouth appeared on his stomach, ready to swallow the weapon but it stopped before that happened. "What the hell?" Then, a light in the shape of a cross shined from the hilt and created a box surrounding Taikon.

"GERT SCHNEIDER! It creates a barrier identical of that of Sprenger by surrounding an adversary with high density reishi."

Taikon look at the barrier surrounding him and said, "But this doesn't any since. My attack was perfect. I should've sucked all of your reishi. Why am I in here?"

"There was more reishi around so I helped myself to yours."

Then cuts began to appear on Taikon's cheek, left shouder, and right hip, surprising the sinner. "What?! What?!"

"I've created a tiny wound there on your body." Uryu explained. "I did using Seele Schneider which allowed reishi to released and flow out of you. You're not the only one here who knows how to absorb reishi and in the process use as your own weapon." Taikon started to become nervous as Uryu took out a tiny capsule. "Quincies are much better at it. As you are about to discover." Uryu tossed the capsule at the hilt of the weapon encasing the sinner and cause a blue fluid to spill on the weapon, making an explosion.

Gunjo looked at the direction of the explosion and saw that he was the last sinner left against the intruders. "Taikon!" He said to himself. Rukia flash stepped in front of Gunjo, trying to attack while he was distracted. But Gunjo quickly reacted to Rukia's attempt and entangled her with tentacles, squeezing the life out of her. "From I can tell, both Taikon and Garogai had been defeated. This is not exactly what we had planned. But the results are still expectable." Rukia tried to swing her zanpakuto at the tentacles so she could free. But when she finally reached them, her zanpakuto broke. Her eyes widen when that happened. "Now die, if you please." Gunjo tighten the grip of his tentacles causing the soul reaper to scream in pain. "Yes, you have a loving voice when you scream." Rukia then grew lifeless from the pain and passed out, causing Gunjo to loosen his grip a little. "Very good, now I can get on schedule by taking care of…" He cut off as snow began to around him.

"SAN NO MAI…" Rukia chanted as her zanpakuto quickly reformed itself. "…SHIRAFUNE!" The zanpakuto was quickly repaired, piercing through Gunjo and made him screaming as ice began to cover his body. The ice quickly broke taking of the sinner with it, making Rukia the victor.

"Rukia!" Uryu shouted as he ran up to Rukia.

"Don't worry, I'm alright."

Then Ginjo began to snicker as he began to disappear. "You fight better than I expected." He said. "As opponents, you're quite surprising. You see, I actually attend to take you down with me." Then Renji showed up beside Rukia. "But that's okay; the possibility of us dying here was all part of the scenario all along. Everything is going according to plan."

"What was that?!" Uryu said surprised. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sorry, I'm afraid I can't tell you that." Gunjo said before disappearing completely.

"What's going on?" Rukia asked. "What we gotten into?"

Meanwhile, Ichigo, Moka and Kokuto finally arrived in Shuren's hideout. They've entered a room full of lanterns. As they were running down the stair into the place, Ichigo stepped down a few step by accident.

Kokuto walked to him, struck his hand out and said, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo took Kokuto's hand and return to his feet.

"We must be careful." Ichigo and Moka agreed and the three continued through the hideout until they've reached the outside. Ichigo noticed something and stopped at where he was.

"The sand is so strange." He said. "I sensed spiritual pressure."

"Well that's because it's not sand." Kokuto explained.

"What are you talking about?" Moka questioned.

"It's actually composed of the crushed bones of millions of sinners." Ichigo and Moka's eyes widen when they heard that. "They get repeatedly crushed by guardians until their spirits are completely broken. Ultimately, their bodies fall apart and burned by the flames of Hell. This desert is what becomes of sinner in the end. No matter how far you go, there is no freedom here."

"What do you mean, 'no freedom?'" Ichigo asked. "You people went to Karakura Town, didn't you?"

"The guardians can extend their will as well. In the end, we are unable to escape. We're trapped here, each with a tormented mind and unrelenting agony, to get crumbled away. Listen Ichigo, Moka, if we're successful and we're able to get Yuzu back I need to ask if you'll do me a favor."

"What is it?"

"Can you free me from Hell?" Ichigo looked at him and realized he was serious. "More than anything to be reborn, reborn so I can see my sister again. To speak to her and apologize."

Ichigo widen his eyes, then looked Kokuto with seriousness and said, "Alright if it's within my power, I'll help you."

"Thank you, now let's hurry. She's beyond that hill." Kokuto pointed the hill behind him.

"Yuzu." Ichigo said his sister's name as he, Moka and Kokuto followed that trail to the hill Kokuto pointed at. Once they got there, they saw a monument of a skelton with no arms and pillars behind. Ichigo and Moka's eyes widen they saw an unconscious Yuzu on that skeleton. "YUZU!" Ichigo yelled as he rushed to save his sister.

To be continued…

Four chapter left of Part 2 and this arc.