Chapter 31:
So far, things were going quite well. Thanks to the Hollow Reapers, the giant Hollows were being pushed back. A couple had already been taken down. Ichigo managed to take down one thanks to a group of Hollow Reapers weakening it. Still, it was difficult. His legs wouldn't stop shaking and he fought to catch his breath. This was a tough battle. He stopped on a bridge linking two buildings together to survey the area.
There were people being carried away on stretchers or over shoulders. People were running between buildings, some were shouting, others were quiet. Some people were being treated on the spot. He couldn't find Rukia anywhere. He wasn't too worried. She could handle herself. He wondered how many other people Veneno had transformed. So far he didn't see too many new Hollow Reapers.
"Things aren't too bad anymore. Now we have a chance thanks to him. I'm glad he's on our side this time."
Something rammed the bridge from underneath and sections went crumbling to the ground. Ichigo just managed to grab onto the railing as a huge Hollow head emerged from under the bridge and stare him in the face. It opened its mouth and fired a cero. Ichigo jumped up and landed on its mask and tried to stab it with his sword. It bucked its head and he went flying. He rolled to his feet and ran, trying to get some distance. When he felt he was a good distance away, he turned and attacked from afar.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
A direct hit, but it didn't faze it.
Ichigo stumbled into a wall and rested his shoulder against it. This battle was starting to take its toll on his body. It had been a long time since he fought this hard.
The only way he would have a chance was if he put his mask on again. That was how he managed to take the other Hollow down. He had to do the same for this one. He ran his hand over his face and slipped on his mask.
The Hollow fired another cero which he dodged easily. "Getsuga Tensho!" Another direct hit. Again, the Hollow was unfazed. This one must have been well protected somehow. It wasn't wearing any armor, so its flesh must have been extremely tough. "Ok. I can do this." Ichigo sprang into the air and fired straight at its mask. "Getsuga Tensho!" He swung once, then second on the back swing, throwing out two attacks, one in the shadow of the other. On the back swing, his shoulder snapped and heat entered his body. He grabbed his shoulder with his left hand and held it. It felt like someone had just pumped hot water into his arm.
This attack seemed to have worked on the Hollow. It screeched and bucked its head. It was in pain, but there was no blood and it didn't stagger. It looked in his direction and fired another cero which crashed into the wall behind him and he was buried under the rubble.
"Damn it!" His body was slowing down. He couldn't react in time. He kicked his way out and stepped out into the path of another cero. This one was deflected by a silver one. Veneno jumped into its path in order to protect him. The two ceros canceled each other out.
"You are useless without me, aren't you?" Veneno teased.
"Thanks for the help."
Veneno looked at Ichigo's chipped mask and bloody arm. He was also missing part of his hakama. "Are you doing ok? You look like a mess."
"I'm fine. This fight is just pissing me off. There's no end in sight. It's just going on forever."
"It may be over real soon," Veneno told him. "The last time I checked, there were only a couple Hollows left. Leave them to the others. We can take care of this one. We'll handle it together."
Ichigo nodded, standing up straight. "Yeah. We can do this."
The Hollow lunged at them with a speed unimaginable for a creature its size. It blew a hole through the wall behind them with its log-like arm. Ichigo and Veneno went separate ways, trying to get behind it and attack without being an easy target. They met at its back and fired their attacks at its spine. "Getsuga Tensho!" Ichigo screamed as Veneno lunched a cero. The Hollow's body lurched forward on impacted. Then it turned angrily at them and fired its own cero. They jumped out of the way in time, landed and ran up its arm, Veneno right behind Ichigo. Ichigo swung his sword vertically. It bounced off its shoulder with a nasty rattle. His vibrating hand gripped his sword tighter as he spun around, making a hasty retreat. Veneno appeared and struck the same place Ichigo's sword had contacted. It bounced off as well, but did manage to make a cut where Ichigo's could not. Ichigo reappeared and struck the wound, making it deeper and causing the Hollow pain. It swung its arm and they jumped to safety.
They landed and quickly glanced at each other to make sure the other was alright. Ichigo had gained no new wounds but he was still bleeding from his old ones. His white knuckles indicated that he wanted to continue the fight. He wasn't about to give up just because it was difficult. With hardly a moment to breathe, they kept moving, Ichigo keeping his eyes on the Hollow at all times, waiting for an opening. Even if the opportunity presented itself, there was no guarantee he could actually damage this beast. The Hollow wasn't going to give them an opening for a counterattack. Regardless, one hundred failures only made Ichigo want to take one hundred more swings and hope that one of them was a successful hit.
Its body was so hard it repelled every strike, but there had to be a weakness somewhere. Even if there wasn't one on its body, Ichigo knew where they had to hit. A fatal blow would be its mask. As long as they aimed for its head, eventually it would go down. They had to concentrate on that.
They scattered as the Hollow bore down on them from above. They scurried like rats at its feet, avoiding its swings. Then they attacked at once. The Hollow quickly adjusted to them switching from defense to offense. It pointed its claws at Ichigo and struck. In midair, Ichigo adjusted his form, letting the claws pass under him and continued his stride. He drew close to the Hollow as he raised his blade. It swung its other arm to block, which was exactly what Ichigo wanted. He leaned back and let gravity drop him to the ground. As he fell, Veneno took advantage of the opening and struck the Hollow's mask. When Ichigo's attack didn't come, the Hollow got confused and looked to its right. Its dark eyes looked right into Veneno's pupils.
"Hyah!" Veneno plunged his sword straight down. The blade caught the sunlight and gleamed as it was forced down and passed between the Hollow's fangs. Sparks flew and the painful shriek of steel on steel filled the air. The Hollow bit down and caught Veneno's sword in its mouth. "No!" Veneno clenched his teeth, realizing he was trapped. The Hollow had a hold of his sword which meant he would either have to release it or stay put and become an easy target. The Hollow raised its left arm and brought it down over Veneno's head. Veneno released his grip and threw himself backwards.
Ichigo watched his decent, tracking his movements with his eyes. Before Veneno could hit the ground, he flipped himself over and landed on his feet like a cat and backed away from the Hollow, weaponless. His sword was still stuck in the Hollow's mouth, scissored between its upper and lower fangs. It lowered its head to look at them. Snarling, it spat the sword out, tossing it over its shoulder and out of sight. Seeing Veneno as an easy target, it advanced. Veneno took a step back. The Hollow took a step forward in response.
"I don't need my sword," Veneno growled. He spread his arms and opened his mouth, forming a huge cero and fired at the Hollow's head. Blinded by smoke, the Hollow roared and took two steps back, giving Veneno the chance to move and retrieve his sword. It was stuck in a window, held in place by broken glass and the wooden frame. He grabbed it and returned to the fight with sword in hand.
The Hollow had recovered as well and spun around to catch Veneno in its mouth. But something distracted it. Ichigo bent below the Hollow's legs, sword pointed upward. He sprang up from his knees and thrust his sword straight up into the Hollow's stomach. Still stuck in its stomach, he called out his attack. "Getsuga Tensho!"
The Hollow shrieked as its insides were torn apart. Its stomach expanded from the attack and blood began to pour. At the same time, Veneno stabbed the Hollow's mask with his blade. A small crack began to form. It roared and bucked him off. Then it stomped its feet, trying to crush Ichigo.
The two met in the air together. "Now!" Ichigo and Veneno linked arms and threw themselves down, head-first toward the Hollow. Veneno turned his body to the side, taking Ichigo for a ride. He didn't fight it and spun with him. Their bodies rotated in the air, going faster and faster, picking up more and more speed.
"Ready?"
"Do it!"
Still spinning, their bodies formed a cyclone. It was then that they attacked. "Getsuga Tensho!" At the same time, Veneno fired a cero. Their attacks mixed, blending together into a powerful blast and slammed into the Hollow's head. They broke apart and retreated as quickly as they could. The attack did its damage and the Hollow's head was taken clean off its body. The rest of it began to disintegrate and was no more.
Ichigo and Veneno sat on a collapsed building, fighting to catch their breath. Both were still feeling dizzy after that last attack, but it did its job. They won.
"We did it."
"Yeah, we did."
They looked around. The sounds of battle seem to be so far away. Was that it? Did they take care of them all?
"Was that the last Hollow?" Ichigo asked.
"I thought there were two others, but those Hollow Reapers were taking care of them. Maybe that's it."
"I hope so. I'm pretty exhaust-"
From underneath the collapsed building came a clawed hand which grabbed Ichigo's leg and pulled. He held out his arms to stop himself. The talons gripped his leg tightly and blood began to flow. He started screaming as the pain grew worse. He was pulled straight down into the rubble. He could hear Veneno screaming his name as he was thrown into darkness.
The ninth Hollow opened its mouth in an attempt to swallow him.
"No!" He wasn't going down like this. "Getsuga Tensho!" He felt the talons leave his leg and he climbed back up the way he came. He broke through and into sunlight. Veneno grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the way as the Hollow followed him out of the hole it had made.
"That's the last one."
Ichigo tried to stand but his leg was in terrible pain. It throbbed whenever he put pressure on it. Veneno had to help him sprint to the next block, leaving a trail of blood behind him.
"Once we get rid of this one, that's the end of them." Ichigo forced himself to stand despite the pain. "You with me?"
Veneno smirked. "You're in worse shape than I am. You can't do this without me and you know it."
The Hollow emerged, shaking dust from its armored back and skull. Its head was wolf-like but its body was reptilian. Ichigo looked it up and down for a weak spot. It wasn't armored on its underside or around its neck. They should strike there first to weaken it. If they could stop it from moving then the rest was easy.
"Stay close."
"You sure you can run with that leg?" Veneno pointed his chin to Ichigo's injury.
"I'm fine. It's not even broken. I think."
Veneno smirked again and turned toward the Hollow. "Ready?"
They dashed forward and between the Hollow's legs. Ichigo pushed through the pain and ran, tracing a line in the Hollow's underside with his sword. Veneno did the same and blood started to pour. The Hollow was on the move, trying to get away from them. It moved in different directions trying to catch them out in the open. They stayed in its shadow which only angered it further. It jumped straight up and caught them in its sight. It aimed a cero at the ground as it started to land. The cero formed a crater in the ground but there were no bodies. They escaped.
A cero hit it in the back of the head and it turned. Another cero hit its throat. It stepped back, looking for the source. Another cero hit it from above. It looked up as Veneno fell from the sky and onto its head. Using his sword, he stabbed the Hollow's mask repeatedly. It roared and threw him off with a shake of its head. Veneno sailed to a building but did not crash. Instead he jumped off and went straight back to where the Hollow stood. He sliced into its throat with his blade, bounced off another building and did the same attack again. Despite its injury, the Hollow continued to fight back.
"Getsuga Tensho!"
The Hollow lurched forward as it was attacked from behind. Spotting Ichigo, it reached for him with its talons. Its attack was stopped as Veneno swooped in from the side and grabbed its arm. The thick, giant arm was forcibly held back with Veneno's bare hands. Veneno dug his nails into its flesh, protecting Ichigo and giving him a clear shot at the same time.
Ichigo raised his sword and swung. "Getsuga Tensho!" As his attack was unleashed, his shoulder throbbed painfully. Did he just aggravate his other injury? He thought he was fine; that it had worked itself out.
Again the Hollow advanced and Veneno could not hold it back this time. He was thrown to the ground and the Hollow attacked.
This close, it made the perfect target. Ichigo attacked again. "Getsuga Ten-!" His shoulder snapped. In mid-swing, something in his arm snapped and his grip went slack. No longer able to hold onto his weapon and in the middle of an attack, his sword flew out of his hand and into the Hollow's face. Ichigo doubled over in pain, holding his shoulder. The Hollow didn't slow for a moment and pressed him into the wall behind him with its head. His ribs were the next to go and he started to spit blood.
A powerful cero blasted the Hollow to one side and Ichigo felt himself being lifted up and carried away. Veneno dropped Ichigo beside his sword and picked up his weapon. "Are you ok?"
"No..." Ichigo couldn't move his right arm. He couldn't use his sword now that his arm was useless.
Veneno tore off a piece of his sleeve and asked Ichigo to hold out his left hand. He wrapped the torn cloth around Ichigo's hand and his sword's handle, binding them together. "Use your left hand. This should help you hold on."
"Thanks." He had no choice but to use his left hand.
The Hollow's cry resonated from the middle of the street, shaking the buildings and causing the windows to shatter and rain glass. With a burst of energy, it ran at them at top speed. Ichigo and Veneno jumped to the same place at the same time and they saw their opening. A small crack was beginning to form in the Hollow's mask. If they could hit that just once at the right time with the right amount of force...
"I'll get an opening for you," said Veneno. "Think you can hit it?"
"Yeah, no problem."
Veneno left Ichigo's side and attacked the Hollow from above. One cero after another hit the Hollow on its face and neck. It was no longer bothering with Ichigo, now focused on Veneno. It opened its mouth to swallow him, but Veneno saw this coming and held the Hollow's mouth open with his hands. He scowled from the strain of holding its jaws open.
"Now!"
Ichigo jumped down from his perch and onto the Hollow's head. He stabbed straight down and the tip of his blade entered its mask. It wasn't enough. Small chips fell but the crack didn't get any wider.
There was a massive explosion and Ichigo was thrown off its head. Veneno was gone. He looked wildly around and found his body laying on the ground in the middle of the street, badly burnt and smoking. Now he knew what had happened. While Veneno was holding the Hollow's mouth open, it decided to fire a cero from its teeth and Veneno took the hit and pointblank range.
Ichigo ran to his side, ignoring the danger. "Veneno!" Before he could touch him, Veneno started to gather himself up and knelt on the ground where he was. "Are you ok?"
"Do I look ok?" Veneno asked, getting to his feet. He brushed himself off and examined his body. "I'll survive. This is nothing."
Again the Hollow attacked. The tips of its talons grazed Ichigo's injured arm, taking his sleeve with it. He stumbled but didn't fall. He knew his body wasn't going to hold out for much longer. He needed rest after all these relentless Hollow attacks. He didn't think it would take this kind of toll on his body. They had to finish this quickly.
"I have an idea," he told Veneno. "We hit it high."
Veneno looked at the buildings surrounding them like a giant maze. He knew what Ichigo wanted. "Ok, let's do it."
Mid-step, they turned and ran back at the Hollow. Confused by their actions, the Hollow paused, wondering if it was a trap. Veneno's fingers wrapped tightly around his sword. Ichigo pulled the cloth around his hand tight with his teeth. They were going to attack. It fired a cero but they were gone.
The air was painted crimson with the Hollow's fresh blood. Ichigo's attack was a success. It turned its head and Veneno's attack landed on its other side. Ichigo turned and went back. Veneno sprang up. They met on either side of the Hollow's head and stabbed the sides of its mask with their blades. The Hollow screeched and the ground shook. They retreated to a building and sprang into the air again, repeating their attack. Again and again.
On the sixth strike, the Hollow's mask started to crack and the first crack on its forehead expanded.
"It's working!"
It snapped at them with its teeth. Ichigo's sword pierced its neck and Veneno's sword sliced into its forearm. Its exposed flesh was an easy target but not the prize they were after. They were trying to make it turn its head so they could get a clear shot at its forehead. They needed to break that mask. Ichigo's blade penetrated its chest just above its hole and its head turned in the exact way they wanted.
"Now!"
Veneno's cero blasted its mask and the cracks grew wider. One more hit should do it.
It was Ichigo's turn. He took his position on a rooftop which perfectly alined with the Hollow's head. At just the right angle, he would be able to finish it off with one blow. He started to run to the proper position. Just a few more steps and it would be perfect.
SNAP!
"Arugh!" Ichigo's leg suddenly stopped ad he went down. He held his knee with his left arm, pointing the tip of his blade to the side away from him. Did he break his leg? What happened? He could move it but with extreme pain. It felt like his leg was in a vice.
The Hollow turned, spotting an easy target.
"Damn it!" Ichigo started to drag himself away from the edge of the roof. He wasn't fast enough. The Hollow's talons came down around him and the roof cracked.
"Ichigo!" Veneno saw this and rushed to help. The Hollow's other arm swung at his hip, sweeping him off the ground.
Ichigo flipped his sword around and took a stab at the Hollow's hand, piercing it. The Hollow pulled back and Ichigo used the Hollow's strength to pull himself up onto his feet, then jerked his sword free. He could stand. Painfully, but he could stand. He looked over the edge of the roof and saw Veneno running up the side of the Hollow's arm. He was bleeding slightly from the cut on his cheek but was otherwise uninjured. He ran the last few steps and jumped toward Ichigo.
Ichigo saw his chance. Where he stood at that moment was the perfect place to attack from. The Hollow was right where he wanted it. He raised his sword for an attack.
Wise to this, the Hollow punched an hole in the side of the building, eliminating Ichigo's perch. With that gone, he had nowhere to attack from and the Hollow wasn't going to give them another chance. The roof, already weakened from the last attack, started to crumble and Ichigo fought to keep his balance. A piece under his feet slipped from the rest of the building and he started to fall.
"Hang on, Ichigo!" Veneno appeared under him and pushed Ichigo up with his hand. He was keeping him in line with where he had to be for the attack. Veneno would not let him fall. He was acting as his perch. "Hurry! You have your chance! Attack!"
Seeing this, the Hollow brought its head closer, making it an even easier target. Ichigo was poised for the attack when he realized what the Hollow was doing. It was getting rid of his perch. Its jaws crunched down on Veneno's torso. He was the only thing holding Ichigo up. Without him, Ichigo would have fallen. Ichigo didn't attack, watching in horror. Blood flowed freely from Veneno's stomach and chest and he vomited crimson. The Hollow was going to bite him in half.
"Do it!" Veneno spat blood at him. "Hurry!"
He did as he was told. "Getsuga Tensho!"
The Hollow's jaws opened again as it screeched in agony. A direct hit. Veneno slipped out and reached for the edge of the building, pulling himself up with his arms. He was still alive.
And so was the Hollow. It still wasn't enough. It roared loudly, shaking the building and more chucks started to slip free and fall. Ichigo took a step back, finding a sturdy piece to support himself. His eyes darted to the left, seeing Veneno pull himself onto the edge of the roof and collapse. He was bleeding profusely. His injuries were massive. But he was still moving. Then the Hollow stood tall and roared at its enemies. It had its sights set on Ichigo. It grabbed onto the edge of the building to support itself. One hand on the corner, the other on top of Veneno.
Veneno had stopped moving.
Overcome with rage, Ichigo ran forward, fearlessly. This was the last one. The last Hollow. His last attack. The last person it was going to hurt. Summoning up the very last bit of energy he had, Ichigo pounced and landed on the Hollow's head. Its fangs were still soaked with Veneno's blood which only fueled Ichigo's anger. He stabbed his sword straight down into the cracks of its mask and bellowed with all his might, "Getsuga Tensho!" His voice echoed and the ground trembled. The air exploded and the Hollow's mask shattered and it was torn to pieces.
The last remaining pieces of Ichigo's mask fell away, no longer needed. He won.
The Hollow started to topple, its body starting to vanish. The building it was supporting itself on started to crumble. Ichigo was going down with it. Now that the Hollow was disappearing, he couldn't remain where he was. He had to get out of the way.
However, something was preventing him from doing that. It was the person falling into the destruction. He still wasn't moving. Ichigo had two options. He had an easy escape route to his side, but it was only open for a few more seconds before it too succumbed to gravity and crumbled like the building. It was a small path between the falling rubble which was easy for an agile person to slip through on his own. But soon it would be gone so he had to go now if he stood any chance to get to safety and not be buried alive or crushed to death. Besides, he was injured. It was his best option.
On the other hand, what about Veneno? He couldn't just leave him and let him fall and get crushed to death. He was even more injured than Ichigo and he seemed to be unable to move. He couldn't save himself. There was also the possibility that Veneno was already dead, which was why he wasn't moving. Should he risk his life to save a corpse? What if Veneno wasn't dead? Still, if he went after him, Ichigo was going to miss his chance to get to safety.
Weighing the two options, Ichigo realized it would be foolish to dive in after Veneno. It was smarter to save himself and get away while he still had a chance. It would be too big a risk to try saving Veneno now. It was best if he took the safest path and saved himself.
So Ichigo jumped down and went after Veneno. He fell passed large chunks of building and rubble and glass. Small stones pelted him like tiny bullets. He tried to move his right arm to reach him but it still wouldn't listen to him and remained limp. He looked down at his left hand and at the sword still attached to it. He ripped the cloth off with his teeth and strapped it to his sash instead. His hand now free, he reached for Veneno's arm. He was just out of reach. Ichigo stretched as far as he could, turning his body into a straight line. His left hand interlocked with Veneno's right.
He felt Veneno squeeze back. He was still alive.
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