A/N: I'm so sorry this chapter is late. Basically I've been having a bit of girl trouble, and that has sapped my motivation recently. I won't go into details, but it's been resolved at least for the short term. So my writing continues.

As with the 'Battle Royale' chapters, I will be using the word "flash-steps" to describe the fast movement employed by the Rache and Shinigami. Since the higher level Rache were originally Quincy, the method they'd use would be, in most cases, the flying-shuttle step, but that doesn't scan well in the English language.

x

The Heir Apparent
Chapter 42: Decider 1, An Early Loss

Rukia flash-stepped to the top of the gatehouse, the place where the fighting was the most intense. The Soul Reapers had wanted to force the gates open, allowing the bulk of their forces inside quickly, but naturally the Rache had stationed many elite troops there to stop them. The amount of dead and dying in such a small space was sickening, especially since the Shinigami dead were eroding. Their companions were doing their best to cut off their heads, but it was difficult in the heat of battle.

The gatehouse towers were taller than any other of the fortress. Essentially on the top it was two ovals linked together by rectangular wall at the back. The gate between them, far down below, was shaped like the maw of an underworld beast, the metal teeth being the portcullis. There was an assault team trying to break through it, but they were having no more success than the sappers on the walls.

She picked Ajmer Khaan immediately, it wasn't difficult since he was dressed differently to the rest of the white-garbed Rache and his spiritual pressure was far greater. He was a stocky man with dark skin and features that, in the mortal world, would be associated with the Indian subcontinent. He wore a blood red cloak over his steel scale armour. In his hands was a repeater crossbow and a whip tipped with flame, which he used simultaneously. He was killing Shinigami at an unprecedented rate, even seated officers stood no chance against him.

Rukia had landed on the oval opposite his, and there was a whole melee separating them. 'Dance, Sode no Shirayuki,' she said, her drawn zanpakutou lengthening and growing a long white ribbon as it changed into its shikai.

Meanwhile the fighting continued on the towers, the assault being led by lieutenant Ganju, most of those fighting were second division ninjas too. Rukia entered the fray, quickly cutting down three Rache. They were no match for her speed.

'Out of the way,' she shouted to the shinigami, marking four spots on the ground, 'Second dance, Hakuren.'

The icy blast froze the majority of the Rache resistance, or sent them scattering off the towers. Only one remained unmoved, Khaan. He turned his face towards her, lips curling in a sneer.

'Lieutenant, get your men out of here!' she ordered Ganju.

He nodded immediately, for which she was thankful, since despite her temporary promotion she was still only his rank. At his curt order the second division deserted the towers, leaving them vacant except for her and her opponent.

'So,' said Khaan with distaste, 'This is all I'll be getting, a half-grown girl.'

Rukia's cheeks heated, but her reply was stony, 'I'm Kuchiki Rukia, lieutenant of the thirteenth division and acting captain of the tenth.'

'I know who you are,' he said, 'You're the other one with an ice type zanpakutou. Well I already defeated the real captain of the tenth, the one with the strongest ice type blade. Do you really think you could do any better than the boy prodigy, eh?'

'I will because I must,' said Rukia, 'There is no one else left to defeat you but me.'

Though the ninjas had left the top of the towers, they were still moving around them; apparently trying to find an entrance to where the opening mechanisms must surely be. Khaan noticed too, and guffawed loudly.

'Ha, the fools. Marx designed this fortress, and he thought of everything. There's only one way in, here,' he said, tapping a trapdoor with his feet. 'And this is the only key,' he continued, touching the thin chain around his neck, tucked in below his collar. 'You can have it, if you defeat me. Not that that will ever happen.'

Using enough power she could probably batter through the trapdoor, though it would undoubtedly be resilient, and she wouldn't be able to attempt it with Khaan there to interfere. Either way, she had no choice, she had to fight and defeat him if they were to open the gates. And if they didn't defeat all the leaders of this dangerous order they'd reform and attack them again in another hundred years.

Then she noticed the bonfire floating above her head, when had that appeared? Kyoraku had mentioned something about it being linked to Khaans abilities, but he'd talked about four different coloured flames, and hadn't gained much of an impression of them. Poor Hitsugaya was still in no condition to be telling them anything about it.

'I see you've noticed my tracer. It won't leave you until you die.'

'You talk too much,' said Rukia coldly, 'First dance, Tsukishiro.'

x

Ichigo released his Bankai as he ran, increasing his speed dramatically. As he reached the area that Hisagi had told him about he saw what had happened, the evidence was all over in the still smoking rents in the ground. The Rache had taken the fight off the walls to the ground below, forcing the shinigami back and inflicting heavy casualties on them. They were still fighting furiously.

At once he attacked, appearing in the thick of his enemies and slicing a crossbow wielder nearly in half. The man actually kept firing for another second before his torso folded over like a door on hinges, blood spraying up like a water feature. Meanwhile Ichigo was already cutting all those closest, putting from his mind the fact that they couldn't possibly survive such injuries. He had to find Takumo, but he had a duty to his men as well, and their numbers had surely been thinned already by the powerful Rache leader. They would have a much better chance once he'd evened the odds.

The Rache reacted quickly and precisely, breaking off their now doomed attack and reforming back on the castle walls. Even some of the ones he'd cut had managed to get away, these were obviously a stronger breed than their average foot soldier. A look at his own men proved it without doubt. The Rache had been beating back a force four times larger than theirs! And the shinigami were being led by lieutenants Hisagi, Kira and Iba.

One of them though had not left. Takumo stood alone on the field of death, looking sideways at him and waiting. He seemed unarmed.

'Get the men out of here,' said Ichigo to the lieutenants, 'Move to one of the other walls, I don't want anyone getting caught in this.'

'Understood,' said Kira, nodding to Hisagi who'd just rejoined them.

'You captains always get the best fights,' said Iba.

'Get your Bankai and promotion, and you'll get them too,' said Ichigo, but his mind was already elsewhere. He barely noticed as the Shinigami spit into sections and moved off, he just watched Takumo as he walked slowly towards him, hand tight around his sword hilt. He was trying to be as calm as possible, yet even still every muscle felt as tense as steel cabling. Why hadn't Takumo ignited his bow already?

'So, we meet again Kurosaki Ichigo, once human now Shinigami captain of the thirteenth protection division.' The Rache leader hadn't moved a muscle.

His temper flared, but he caught it. 'We do, Ishida Takumo, once human now leader of a band of murderers and soul destroyers.'

'Now that wasn't very nice,' said Takumo.

'I'm going to kill you,' he said, suppressed rage making his voice grate, 'And then I'll find a way to send you to hell for eternity.'

'Touché, all because I culled one of your freakish friends.'

Ichigo couldn't hold back anymore, he dived at the man.

-And found himself staring at a spear point just before it would have entered his eye. Shit! He limboed below it, the blade missing him by millimetres. Then it swung down at him, and he reacted. An instant later he was away; and wondering how. The movement had been one of the strangest things he'd ever done, but it had worked.

'My my, you are quick,' said Takumo, 'I have faith that this could be interesting. Too bad you don't stand a chance.'

He was holding his already released Nage-yari, a rattle dangling just below the sword-like blade. A quick glance confirmed that he was wearing the gauntlet with the brother rattle. Of course, that was it, he should have been looking out for it from the beginning. Takumo's stance had been to hide his right arm, he could form the javelins instantly in his hand. Allowing himself to be goaded had nearly cost him his life, he couldn't afford any more mistakes. He took a deep breath.

'That gauntlet, that's your true fusion release isn't it?' said Ichigo, and when Takumo didn't reply he continued, 'I thought it was strange, that you could lose your spear and yet still clone it in your hands. The rattle is just to link your power to the one that is being thrown, it disappears after you make another, probably because you can't maintain more than one connection.'

'Impressive, you worked out the basis of my abilities with only having seen a fraction of them,' said Takumo, 'I can hardly believe that you've only been a Shinigami for a year. Sad, really, that you won't have a chance to grow to your full potential. You are, without doubt, the greatest prodigy that Seireitei has ever seen. I was the greatest prodigy of the old Quincy order. Fitting, is it not, that we should meet like this? Quincy versus Shinigami, hybrid versus hybrid.'

'You're noisy,' said Ichigo, swinging his blade, 'Getsuga Tenshou.'

x

Although the fighting was intense on the walls, inside the courtyard it was strangely peaceful. Ikkaku reached it unchallenged, and realised why as soon as he landed. Besides having access to the stairways up the walls and being the main way out the gate, if it had been open, he had no access to the keep. No doubt one had to enter through the walls. A strange design, but then this hadn't been built to be a commercial hub. Ikkaku raised his sword and scabbard as he saw the figure approaching.

'You're really bad at sensing reiatsu,' said Marx, walking calmly towards him, 'I half thought I would have to release my fusion to make you come after me.'

'Heh, I can't be bothered with all those lame tricks,' said Ikkaku.

'You should, they are what separates the true masters from the strong fools that are destined to fall.'

Ikkaku's eyes narrowed, 'Are we going to do this or what?'

'In a minute. I'm surprised you didn't bring any support, since you obviously don't stand a chance against me on your own. Where is the Spirit King?'

'Not coming. Anyway, I don't do two on one fights.'

'A pity,' said Marx, removing his ebony cloak and tossing it aside. His uniform underneath was white, patterned at the collars and cuffs with black. 'I had hoped to deal with you both at the same time, but no matter, he can wait. Today you will die, as will all the Shinigami who were foolish enough to come here. After that it will be easy enough for us to overwhelm the survivors. I would suggest that you release your Bankai if you truly wish to fight.'

'I was going to,' said Ikkaku, slotting his scabbard into the hilt of his blade, 'Grow, Houzukimaru,' he shouted, forming his spear, 'Bankai, Ryumon Houzukimaru.'

It was the first time he'd released his Bankai so soon after his Shikai, and he could feel his body take immediate strain. He hadn't warmed up properly for this increase in power, yet he had no choice. Marx nodded approvingly.

'Good, my turn now. Shake the foundations of the earth, Steinspalter.'

His war hammer and crossbow glowed as they fused together as one, the new weapon growing significantly. Ikkaku knew what to expect, but it was impossible not to feel a chill run up his spine seeing it again. Two crossed bow shafts, each holding two strings, attached to a thick grip. A four-shot repeater crossbow, with a power unlike any he'd ever seen before.

'You're afraid,' said Marx, 'That's good.'

Fury smothered the emotion, 'Shut up, you oily fuck!'

'Anger is even better,' he said, and raised his crossbow, firing three bolts above his head before turning the last at Ikkaku.

Ikkaku sidestepped, the shot hissing past him. Then another four-barbed bolt smashed into the ground just in front of him, showering him with sharp pebbles that cut his skin. Marx hadn't fired again, so how… He looked up just in time to see two more bolts descending on him. He dodged the first, but the second hit the massive blade that floated behind his back. A thread of black energy appeared between it and Marx's crossbow. He fired again, into the ground, the thread now between the two bolts solidifying in an instant into thick chain.

'Che,' said Ikkaku.

'One slightly new trick and you're already bound?' said Marx, disappointed.

'Not yet I'm not,' said Ikkaku, letting go of one of his massive blades to grip onto the shaft. If left in it would inhibit his movement, so with a wrench he ripped it out. Doing so took a piece of his weapon with it, and cracks ran from the hole.

Marx nodded, 'Let us continue,' he said, and disappeared.

'I hate these fast types,' Ikkaku muttered to himself, before diving to his left, a bolt slicing the air where he'd been milliseconds before.

They continued for some time, Ikkaku's Bankai blades getting pieces broken off them at intervals, but so far Marx hadn't been able to hit his body. He was bleeding though, from sharp pieces of metal and stone flying through the air. If they continued at this rate he'd have no weapon left, but all he needed before then was to hit his enemy once. One mistake, one miscalculation, that was all it would take.

Marx though was giving him no such openings, always saying firmly out of reach. When Ikkaku threw caution to the wind and charged, Marx fired all four bolts at once. With no way to dodge, Ikkaku blocked by crossing his weapons. The bolts smashed into the blades, pinning them together, and a second later there were four chains connecting them to the ground.

Ikkaku knew that he couldn't pull all these out in the heat of battle, and the blades would be ruined anyway. So he focused his power, and allowed a link in each of the two thick chains connecting his three blades to disappear, detaching the smaller two from the largest blade that normally hovered over his back. He jumped back, leaving behind the two thirds of his weapon, noting as he did so that the dragon standard had finally burned to the end and was fully ignited.

Marx noticed too, 'What does that do?' he said.

'Heh, like I'm gonna tell you.'

'Suit yourself, I'll work it out myself,' the pale man shrugged.

As Marx fired again, Ikkaku dodged, and found himself closer to his enemy than he had ever been before. This was his chance, his one hope of winning. Ryumon Houzukimaru had the ability to discharge all its incredible power in one blast once the standard had burned to the end, the one time it could operate at range. He swung the blade, releasing all the pent up energy in one massive blast. The destruction churned up the entire courtyard, ripping piles of resilient stones off the keep's wall and sending up a thick cloud of dust.

Then he gasped aloud, feeling the shock of being hit. He fell to his knees, and turned his head to survey the damage. Marx was behind him, he'd stuck two bolts into the back of his calves so that they penetrated out the front. The black chains had already formed, and so close to him that he wouldn't be able to move more than a meter. Then Marx shot him twice more in the triceps, also sinking the connecting bolts into the ground near to him. What was left of his weapon fell from his hand, and reverted back to his sealed blade.

'Gah!' he spat out blood from biting his tongue, 'Finish it!'

'I don't think so,' said Marx, reverting his release back to the original war hammer and crossbow.

'Why the hell not?' Ikkaku didn't much like the idea of his soul being destroyed, but he'd always wanted to die honourably in battle.

'I kept you alive for a reason, to witness the utter destruction of Gotei thirteen, and my rise to dominance. You are no threat to me now, so just be quiet and watch.'

'You're insane,' said Ikkaku.

'I prefer to think that I'm a genius.'

x

Kyoraku and Bismark paused in their battle, and both looked in the direction of the castle. The surging energy had faded, leaving behind two weaker powers. What had happened, who had won?

'What's Marx playing at?' said Bismark angrily.

His tone suggested that he knew what was going on, so Kyoraku said, 'Did he win?'

'Yes, he beat your third-seat, but now he's powered down and he's not killing him. I told my men not to take any prisoners.'

'Maybe Ikkaku hurt him in that last attack?' Kyoraku suggested.

'If he did, that's no reason to keep him alive.'

Kyoraku hoped that they were both too injured to continue fighting, because if Marx interfered in either Ichigo or Rukia's battles it would almost certainly spell doom for them. They were already evenly matched up. Best case scenario if Marx had won was for him to attempt to help Bismark, but that move didn't make sense and he was obviously intelligent. It was useless imagining his potential actions though, Kyoraku was occupied and could do nothing to stop him.

This was a moment that his enemy was distracted though, so he dived forward. Bismark didn't miss a beat, dodging backwards and releasing two sunbolt arrows from his golden longbow. It was then that Kyoraku realised that he had a slight edge with his speed, not enough to make a difference in a sword duel; but since his opponent was fighting with a ranged weapon it was certainly useful. Then he felt a familiar surge in his weapon, Katen Kyokotsu was ready to play. About time.

'Takaoni,' he cried, leaping above his opponent.

But Bismark was high in the air a moment later, unleashing a storm of bright arrows. Then tapped his weapon, and the bow began to glow. Kyoraku, guessing what was about to happen, covered his eyes with one of his scimitar blades just before the blinding flash came. On reflex his other sliced through the powerful arrow that had been released at the same time. He had been right; the uniqueness of the fusion powers came entirely from the Shinigami ones they had stolen. That attack had been the same as Yamamoto Raikawa's; with only the addition of the simultaneous shot. It was a good thing he'd taken the time to look up the man's abilities, which had been recorded in the Shinigami Archives.

'Kageoni,' he switched games, and dropped down to ground.

He had been hoping to score an easy strike on the man's shadow, but Bismark dodged as soon as he came close, firing arrows the entire time. Just how many of his powers had the Rache observed?

'Surprised?' Bismark shouted as they fought, 'We had our agents in the twelfth division put sensors into the Fake town you used. We have data on everything you did there.'

Then they would have detected the energy signatures, but that wasn't enough to work out what the attacks did. And with Soul Society's detection technology, they wouldn't have been able to hide cameras. Wait, they could have hid sensitive sound-detection bugs without too much trouble, and he'd explained the rules of his games. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now he could curse himself for being a fool. Bismark would know all his best games except Kenoni and his Bankai. That meant that they were on a roughly even footing when it came to knowledge of the other's abilities.

He couldn't use Kenoni, not now. He wasn't certain how it would work against the Rache fusion powers, but even if it did seal them fully he'd be a sitting duck if Marx decided to intervene. That left only his Bankai. He was holding his own for now, but he sensed that Bismark wasn't going all out, not yet. That was the only major card he had left to play if things became more intense.

Either way, he had to change tactics. Remembering the battle over fake Karakura town reminded him of his opponent there, and his abilities. 'Bakudo no 35, Kuroi hibana,' he said as he ran, firing the streaming black fire from the tip of his left blade. Bismark shot his arrows through it, like he'd done with every other spell he'd attempted.

'That won't work, not with this one,' said Kyoraku softly.

Bismark blinked as the fire reformed without slowing, then it struck him. Bismark was sent skidding back through the air, his uniform and skin singed despite the sphere of defensive energy he'd thrown up at the last moment. He stood panting.

'You piece of offal,' he gasped, dropping down to the ground, 'What did you do?'

'A Kido, obviously. You gave me the idea, reminding me of my fight with the Espada. That was a bad idea, now try facing the stronger version of it. Bakudo no 75, Kuroi hi taihou.'

The blast was terrific, sending shockwaves through the air licked with tongues of flame. Even though Bismark readied his shield properly, he was sent flying backwards for nearly fifty meters, all the while taking earth and foliage with him. Kyoraku had the presence of mind to put out all of the small fires that had started as a result of his attack before following, he didn't want the assault to have to contend with a forest fire on top of everything else.

Bismark was trying to stand, his clothing ruined and burns all over his body. He seemed to be exhaling smoke. He fell to one knee before righting himself again, and stared balefully at Kyoraku between coughs. 'Urgh, I'll make you pay for that,' he promised.

'No, you won't. You're finished. Even your shielding doesn't work properly against this form of attack. Kido was always the Quincy's greatest weakness, and since you Rache obviously haven't bothered to learn to use it, it remains so. This time, I'll use the incantation as well.' That would make it even more powerful.

The giant Rache leader gave a hollow laugh, 'I've barely started, Shinigami. True, I can't use your spells, but once I take it to the next level it won't matter.'

'You have another level?' said Kyoraku, his eyes widening slightly.

Bismark raised his bow with both hands above his head. 'Light shining, the brightest sun, scorch and consume all darkness. Ban-fusion Heilige Herrlicher.'

x

A/N: Kuroi hibana means black quick flame. Kuroi hi taihou means black flame cannon. Both are my own creations. Basically they're fire that reforms after being attacked, otherwise they're much the same as the other flame Kido spells.

Steinspalter is Stone Splitter. Heilige Herrlicher is Saintly Glorious one. As to what exactly is a Ban-fusion, I'll be getting to that in the next chapter. Remember that the initial fusion is roughly on par with Bankai.