Chapter: 26
The two Quincies turned enemy fought mercilessly, sending attack after attack at each other. One fired arrows and the other shot a cero. Then to combat the arrows, Sharif lifted his arm to try doing the same. A bow appeared and he fired a folly at his former leader's arrows. They canceled out but there was no time to rest. Yagi was still on the move. Just like Sharif's fighting style, he didn't stay in the same place for long once someone knew his location. They were constantly moving.
"What of me when this was over?" asked Sharif. "I am a Hollow now. Part of me, at least. We kill Hollows. What would you have done with me when this was over?"
"Truth?" came Yagi's voice behind him. "I haven't decided yet."
"Would you have killed me?"
"Possibly."
Sharif fired over his shoulder at Yagi who dodged. "You gave me this power. I'm not this way by choice. And you would kill me for what you had me become? For what you did to me?"
"I was never certain you would survive at all. I expected you to be dead after Ichigo was through with you."
"So me being alive was pure luck. You did intend to kill me. I knew it. You didn't do this out of the goodness of your heart. You just didn't want to waste any parts. You never stepped in to stop Ichigo, even if you knew he was going to finish me off. You're heartless."
"Oh, don't call names, Sharif. I already explained why I did what I did. You're still alive, aren't you? Who do you have to thank for that?"
"You tried to kill me! You just happened upon me! You didn't save me! I'm just a torn piece of clothing you turned into a rag to clean something. This is not kindness! This is you being... You! Stop trying to talk your way out of this. You really don't care at all about any of us, do you? We're just being used. Every single one of us."
Yagi stopped and stood in front of Sharif. "Of course I'm using you. That is the role of subordinates. You do as I say. That is the relationship. You are merely tools that I must use to get what I want. I give you a command and you do it. If you are broken, why should I keep you? I discard you and get something better to do the job."
Sharif snarled and ran forward. He threw his arm forward to slash Yagi but his attack was stopped with Yagi's bare hand.
"And what good is a tool that doesn't do as you wish?"
The heel of Yagi's right foot sank into his stomach, sending him flying backward. Sharif stood up and rushed forward in another attack.
"The only reason any of you are here is because I have use of you. Do you really think I give a damn about you? Of course not. If I could find someone else who was strong and willing to do as I say, they would be your replacement. As strong as I am, I cannot do this task alone. There are too many risks. It's a dangerous job. Why would I risk my life when I could send you in my place?"
"So that's your play," said Sharif quietly. "If there is the slightest chance of someone getting hurt, you send someone in your place. That way we are the ones getting hurt and you remain safe."
"What was that I always say? Better you than me. Isn't that it?"
"Yeah. Something like that."
Sharif jumped as high as he could and back down. He was falling at a tremendous speed towards Yagi. His claws pointed straight down.
The crash sent a tremor out from the point of impact, stretching for miles. Sharif climbed out of the divot, knowing he missed his target. He looked around for Yagi, intending to kill him.
It wasn't just him who was expendable. The others were as well. Mordere, Yaku, even his cousin Zalya. They were all on the chopping block. They were being used and if anything happened to them, Yagi would not bother to save them. He would never risk is own life. He would rather sacrifice others in his place. Yagi always chose the safest road. He was determined not to die.
An arrow sank into Sharif's shoulder. He turned around and spotted Yagi ready with another arrow aimed at his head. Sharif jumped aside and charged. He kept his body close to the ground as he ran. This new body made it harder to fight like his usual self, but as long as he landed a hit, he didn't care about the difference.
Yagi saw him coming and switched to another weapon.
Sharif swung his arm down but from his elbow where his arm had been came a fountain of blood. "Gah!" Sharif covered the exposed cross section of his forearm with his left hand. His flesh began to bubble and take shape. His arm grew back, perfectly functional. There wasn't even a scar to indicate anything had happened.
Sharif hoped Yagi regretted giving him this new body to operate. He was going to use it and its power to crush him. This body would heal a million times over no matter what came his way. He was strong and powerful. It would allow him to fight Yagi with ease.
He knew all too well how Yagi became the leader. He was stronger and smarter than the rest of them. The proof of his power was in that kick that sent Sharif flying and the fact that he could stop his attacks with his bare hands. Yagi was powerful and shouldn't be taken lightly. Having this Hollow body would make fighting him easier but Sharif knew better than to get cocky. Killing Yagi would not be easy, but this power gave him a better chance.
Yagi watched the regeneration occur without blinking. He then turned his gaze up at Sharif's face and frowned. It seemed he knew it would not be easy to kill Sharif either. Unlike him, Yagi could not regenerate. If he sustained an injury, it would take time to heal and if he lost a limb, it would not grow back.
"In more ways than one, you have become so troublesome, Sharif."
Sharif exhaled sharply.
They jumped back from each other to attack at a distance. Arrow met cero and there was an explosion in the air. Sharif did not wait for the smoke to clear, running to the right and then into the cloud. When he emerged, Yagi was no longer there. Sharif spun around and felt something sharp sink into his abdomen. Yagi stood on the other side of that weapon and pressed it in further.
"To be honest, I wasn't even sure you would last," said Yagi. "I wasn't sure giving you Hollow parts would work. Everything about this is a mystery, even to me. I didn't think you would survive. I thought attempting such a thing would kill you. Even shorten your life."
Blood oozed from Sharif's mouth.
"Of course, so does a blade in your gut." Yagi ripped his weapon from Sharif and splattered the ground with his blood.
Sharif looked down at his wound. It was painful but the flow of blood was starting to slow. Even the pain was starting to subside. He was healing.
"Let's see what happens when I attack the part of you that's still human." Yagi flashed away and appeared behind Sharif.
His blade slid between Sharif's vertebrae and exited just below his ribs. Yagi pulled his weapon free and retreated.
This didn't feel right. It was painful, but it wasn't like his other injuries. Sharif staggered and fell to his knees. The blood wasn't stopping. His body wasn't healing this time.
Yagi stood above him and watched.
His image started to fade and blur. Sharif felt weak and tired.
Yagi put his foot on Sharif's shoulder and pushed him over onto his side. Sharif didn't get up. He lay where he was, staring up at Yagi with pitiful eyes. Yagi put away his weapon, turned and walked away.
"Now where did those Soul Reapers get to?" He had to catch up to them before they overwhelmed Mordere. He had done enough waiting. It was time to bring Ichigo directly to the Seireitei and let him loose.
Seeing the Seireitei awash in Soul Reaper blood had always been a dream of his which he longed to have become reality. Hopefully soon, it would happen. He didn't care how many bodies he had to walk over to do it.
"Get up. Get up!"
Ichigo could hear Mordere's voice but it sounded far away. Everything was dark.
"Five minutes of you in that state is far too little. Change again and this time have it go longer."
Ichigo wished he would stop.
"Stop resisting. On your feet and walk, damn you! Stop making me drag you everywhere."
He never felt so tired before. So drained.
"On you feet!"
He couldn't feel anything. Not even his body. He didn't know if he was moving or not. He didn't know what was happening. Everything was dark. He was numb.
For a while, Mordere was quiet. He could hear something happening around him but he couldn't identify the noise. Mordere was talking to someone but Ichigo couldn't make out a voice or understand what anyone was saying.
Mordere looked over at Ichigo's body and then back at the girl blocking his path. He lifted his arm to fire an arrow but someone else appeared and took a swing at his wrist. He pulled his arm back to avoid having it chopped off.
"I got this guy. You take care of Ichigo," said Shinji.
Rukia ran to Ichigo's side and tried to drag him away from the fighting. They didn't get very far and not because of the weight of his listless body. It was his heat. Ichigo's skin was on fire. Rukia feared this high a fever would be fatal. She didn't have a cloth on her but she still had the canteen of water, or what little was left of it. She took it out, unscrewed the cap and poured a little on Ichigo's face. He moaned but didn't open his eyes.
"Ichigo, hang in there." Rukia poured some water into his mouth. Ichigo coughed and turned his head away. He wouldn't drink. "Come on, Ichigo. Come on."
She finally managed to get a little into his mouth without him spitting it out. He swallowed and coughed again. Rukia put the cap back on the bottle to save the rest for later. There wasn't much left.
Ichigo opened his eyes and looked at Rukia. He smiled weakly, happy to see her. "Rukia..."
"Hang in there, Ichigo. You're going to be fine."
"Know what?" he whispered hoarsely. "I just remembered something from when I was a kid... I was sick one time and my dad was too afraid to treat me because he was afraid of making a mistake. He was worried about making me worse. He was scared seeing me sick like that. He doesn't do that stuff anymore. He has his own way of doing things now so sometimes I forget how much he cares about me. My dad loves me... so he..."
Rukia put her hand on his forehead. "You're burning up." Out of desperation, Rukia used her sword to create a small sheet of ice. She chipped a block of it off and placed it against Ichigo's forehead where it already started to melt. Ichigo's fever was so high, the ice was melting on contact. She could only pray this would bring it down.
"Dad... he's weird but he loves me... When I was little he acted different from now... I just remembered about when I was sick once..."
"Stop talking, Ichigo." She hand to hold the ice to his forehead with her bare hand. It kept melting and sliding off his skin. "The fever's making you delusional."
Ichigo blinked some of the melting ice out of his eyes. "Not as much as you would think. I did remember that memory..." Now he was starting to hear how he sounded. No wonder Rukia thought he was spouting nonsense. He tried to refrain from speaking until his fever was brought down a little. The only issue he had with that was the idea that talking helped him remain conscious. He was afraid he would black out again and become a Hollow.
Rukia tossed the ice in her hand aside and broke off another chunk. The one in her hand had shrunk to the size of a pencil and was getting thinner. Hopefully this thicker chunk would last a little longer. Getting another idea, Rukia dragged Ichigo's body over to the sheet of ice, hoping this would help bring down his fever as well. She had to make him as cold as possible.
Shinji was sent flying into the air and landed on the ground near Rojuro and Linnette. Mordere stood tall and turned to Rukia.
"That stubborn mock Soul Reaper brought this on himself. He's so weak and yet he refuses to let that Hollow take control again. At this rate, he'll die before reaching the Seireitei."
Rukia was afraid of this. She knew Ichigo was getting weaker. How much longer did he have?
"By all means, try helping him. Maybe he'll last a little longer. Maybe we'll actually make it."
By reducing his fever, Ichigo was given more time to live. However, that also meant the enemy could use him for their dark purpose. If he lived, it was both good news and bad news. If they allowed him to die, then the enemy's plan fell apart. However, no one wanted Ichigo to die. Except for the enemy because they would be rid of a powerful adversary, but only when the time was right.
What should she do? What could she do?
Mordere stepped closer.
Rukia put her hand on her sword. She didn't want to leave Ichigo's side but she may have to defend herself and take down the Quincy. She may not have a choice. Though Ichigo still needed her, if she didn't do something, no one would be able to help him.
"It's time for me to finish what I started with you, girl." Mordere raised his arm and pointed it at her chest. "I get to pay you back for our fight in the Seireitei from before. If you insist on-"
In an instant, Mordere was gone. He was caught in an explosion from the side. He took the hit on his right side and was blasted away.
Rukia realized what had happened. Mordere was attacked with a cero. She turned to her left to see who had fired it.
Standing several yards away was Veneno.
"You run your damn mouth too much, Quincy!"
Rukia was so relieved to see him. He was slightly battered but otherwise alright.
Veneno ran the distance to Ichigo and knelt down at his side, right next to Rukia. "Ichigo. Ichigo, you ok? Hang in there."
Ichigo looked up at him but wasn't able to do much else. He couldn't move his body. "Veneno. Good to see you."
Veneno smiled. "I got you a present." Veneno lifted something up and held it in both hands, smiling bright.
"My sword..." Ichigo couldn't see the whole thing from his position. His sword was so big, he was only able to see the handle and part of the blade. "Last time I had it... it was with Yagi at their hideout."
Veneno nodded. "I picked it up for you. They had it mounted on the wall like some trophy. But that's not where it belongs. It belongs with you."
Ichigo couldn't take his sword. His body still wouldn't move. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't take it back.
"Here." Veneno gingerly placed the sword at Ichigo's side. He took Ichigo's hand and placed it over the handle so it looked like Ichigo was holding it. "It's yours. Back where it belongs."
This was its rightful place. Right at Ichigo's side.
Ichigo's numb fingers could barely feel the handle of his weapon but it was there. He could feel it. Somehow, having his sword returned to him made him feel stronger. Some of his strength was returning.
"Heads up!" Linnette warned.
They turned in the same direction. Mordere was on his feet again. After taking a direct hit from a cero, his clothing was torn and smoking and charred but he was still able to stand. His Mohawk had been reduced to a close shave in parts and had a new color. His colorful hair had been charred gray and black.
He looked furious. "You..!" he snarled at Veneno. "I hoped you were crushed to death in our hideout. After the way you had at it, I figured you were buried alive in it."
Veneno wasn't looking at him. He was looking at Ichigo's legs. The hems of his hakama were torn and frayed. His sandals were worn and bloody. His heels and ankles were also bloody and scratched and covered with dirt. Veneno stood and looked at the ground. There were twin trails of blood in the dirt leading to where Ichigo lay. The line of blood stretched toward the horizon.
"Hey, Arran-crap!" snapped Mordere. "I'm talking to you, you piece of filth!"
Veneno finally acknowledged him. "Did you drag Ichigo here? Against his will?"
"He wouldn't walk no matter how many times I shoved him or threw him. I dragged him all the way this far."
Veneno looked at the scratches on Ichigo's nose and chin and forehead. There were lines on the side of his neck where his collar cut him raw. All the evidence was there.
"I see." Veneno nodded his head.
"It's his own fault for not walking when I ordered him to."
"And are you his master?" Veneno asked. "Does he have to answer to you?"
"He does when we have use of him."
"Use?" Veneno's fists were starting to shake. "As if experimenting on him wasn't bad enough, now you do this?" It made him sick. "I will never forgive you."
Mordere laughed. "And who is asking for that? Like I would apologize for something like this. Ichigo deserves it for-"
In an instant, Veneno was in Mordere's face and punched him. His speed was incredible. Mordere was blown off his feet and landed in the dirt. He pressed a hand of his sore cheek.
"He deserves nothing like this!" Veneno bellowed. "Treating any of my friends this way is unforgivable!"
"Friends? You're an Arrancar! You don't have any friends!"
"Thanks to Ichigo, I do." Veneno stood his ground, ready to fight. "And I'll be damned if I let you take any of them away from me!"
Mordere was on his feet again, but as soon as he was, Veneno punched him again. Mordere staggered back. Veneno threw another punch which Mordere caught. "You're asking for it!" Mordere threw him back and delivered a punch of his own. Veneno took the hit on his cheek and retaliated.
"That's enough."
Mordere and Veneno stopped. They turned.
Yagi was standing nearby, watching. "Is this really as far as Ichigo got?" he scoffed, unimpressed.
"Leader, I'm sorry," said Mordere. "He changed once or twice and then these Soul Reapers and this-"
"Enough, Mordere." Yagi turned to Veneno. "I'm not at all surprised to see you again. Accroding to your file, you're not only able to turn people into Hollows, but you are also able to clone yourself. I had a feeling I would be seeing you again."
Veneno snarled at him, showing his teeth.
"Mordere," said Yagi. "We're getting closer to the Seireitei. Please show Ichigo the way."
"Understood."
Veneno blocked his path. "I won't let you."
Mordere stood his full height, toe-to-toe with the shorter Arrancar. "Stand aside."
"Make me."
"With pleasure."
"Mordere..." Yagi said in a warning tone. He then spoke to Veneno. "Are you forgetting someone? I'm here, too. Are you really suggesting you'll stop both of us from reaching Ichigo?"
"I'm saying I'll stop you."
Yagi chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, you're outmatched. Not just outnumbered but out-skilled. You have two Soul Reaper Captains down, a little human girl, Ichigo who is in no shape to offer assistance and another Soul Reaper who must protect him since he cannot protect himself. Face it. You're the only one who is still able to fight who isn't guarding Ichigo. You against two powerful Quincies. You don't stand a chance. You didn't the last time you faced two of us."
Veneno remembered that fight. Since there were two of them, he had to make sure he didn't lose sight of either one. The second he did, he was attacked from behind. Thanks to that fight, he had learned some of their fighting styles. The blood-user wasn't here for this fight, but the other one he fought was. He and Kensei couldn't win against him even fighting together. To make matters worse, this time he was fighting with his own body, not a clone. If he made a mistake here, it was all over. This fight was for real. No tests and no do-overs.
These men were strong. He couldn't take them lightly. Taking them both on alone would be difficult. He couldn't even win against one when he had help.
"You're right. I don't stand a chance on my own against you guys."
Yagi smirked. "The first wise thing you've said. So why don't you stand aside and let us-"
"You didn't let me finish."
Yagi frowned, taken aback.
Veneno kept his eyes on the ground, his head tilted forward. To Yagi, it looked like a man in despair. Perhaps he was reading him wrong. This could have been a man in thought.
Veneno lifted his head to look at both Yagi and Mordere. "I was saying I don't stand a chance against you guys on my own. Not like this." He put a hand on his sword. "So I'll just have to become stronger."
Stronger than he was right now.
Drawing his sword, Veneno held it in front of his body. He turned the sword to the side and placed his palm against the smooth side of his weapon while the other held it in place. Immediately, the air began to change.
"Infect, Peste!"
He plunged the tip of his sword into his stomach and ripped it across to one side. Light shone from the wound and engulfed him. A powerful gust of wind stirred up dirt which pelted anyone nearby like a sandstorm. Rukia threw herself over Ichigo to protect him and Linnette turned her back to the powerful gust, hiding between the down Captains. Veneno sliced the air in two, giving them the prefect view of his new form.
What stood before them now was a giant scorpion. His arms had become pincers and his torso was mounted on a carapace with six legs, sharp and powerful like daggers. He hoisted his tail up and let his stinger flick the air as if it were counting his prey.
This was his release. His Resurreccion.
Veneno huffed like an angry bull ready to charge. His bare chest heaved, building and preparing for a fight. Ready to unleash his rage. He faced the two Quincies and breathed blood-lust through his teeth.
"You're going to regret everything you've done... I don't care how powerful you are, I'm stronger." Veneno took a step closer and snapped the air with his pincers. "I'm going to make you pay for everything you've done!"
"Big talk coming from an over-sized arachnid," scoffed Mordere. "Two of us and one of you. Not good odds."
"Let the Arrancar think what it wants," said Yagi in a snide tone. "Now he just looks like the beast he is."
That remark made Yagi Veneno's prime target.
"I'll put you in the ground myself!" Veneno charged. "You stinking Quincy piece of crap!"
To the attacking Quincy, taking over the Seireitei was going to be a breeze. He had already managed to kill two and several others were mortally wounded. Zalya zipped through the streets, attacking anyone in his sights. He didn't bother waiting to make sure they were dead. His goal was to take out as many Soul Reapers as possible. Due to their injuries, they would be unable to keep fighting, but if killing them was a main objective, he could always go back to finish them off. It wasn't like they were going anywhere.
"Yeah, baby! This is a cakewalk. These Soul Reapers don't know what hit them. They think we're making them look weak but that's not the case. They are weak and we're just showing them how much."
"I just said that exact thing two minutes ago," said Yaku. "You don't listen to me at all, do you? How depressing."
"Maybe if you spoke up once in a while..." Zalya spotted a Soul Reaper on a rooftop and slice him across the chest with his blood. The Soul Reaper fell and Zalya celebrated by performing a solo on his air guitar. "Yeah, baby! Yeah, yeah!"
Yaku hung his head. "Even if we are so much stronger, I think it would be best to attack them quietly. Sneak about and get them by surprise. You would waste less energy. Besides, our goal is to take them out."
"And we can do that any way we please. I chose this way."
"True, but taking them out and fighting them are two different things. As easy as this is, I still say doing it quietly without a big show and calling attention to your location would be best."
"You're only saying that because you have no stamina for a real fight. You just stand there and wave your mirror around."
Yaku looked down at his mirror. "I do not wave it. But you are right. There is no need for me to run around like a maniac when I have this."
"It wasn't meant as praise, baby."
Several more Soul Reapers appeared, surrounding the two Quincies. They all had their weapons drawn and were ready to strike. When they saw the blood coiled around Zalya's arm, they knew he was the blood-user they had heard rumors about. He would be tricky to defeat, but his partner looked easy by comparison.
"Oh, please," Zalya scoffed, amused.
"Just more targets," added Yaku.
"They don't stand a chance."
The Soul Reapers were gathered on the rooftops and in the street. There were thirty of them in total. Believing they had a good chance, they decided to attack as a team. Some would act as a distraction while most of their attacks were aimed at the Quincy holding the mirror. Once they took him out, the blood-user would be next. They had better odds taking one out at a time.
"Take them out!" yelled one of the men.
"Fat chance." Zalya snapped his fingers.
From the rooftops, Soul Reapers began to drop like flies, their bodies cut open by the blood sneaking up the building from behind. They were too busy looking in front of them to notice the blood behind them. They were under the impression that the blood coiled around Zalya's arm was all the blood he had. Never did they consider the possibility of there being blood elsewhere he could control.
"Negative Image." Yaku pointed his mirror at the Soul Reapers gathered on the ground and sucked them dry. They fell to the ground and lay unmoving. "That took all of ten seconds. How depressing."
"Told you this would be easy." With a flick of his wrist, Zalya took down the remaining Soul Reapers who were trying to hide. "I don't even know why you were sent with me. I could do this all by myself. I'm certainly powerful enough, baby."
"It is true. You are strong. That power of yours is something else."
Zalya wove the blood to spell 'thanks' in the space above his head. "I know, right? I could be a leader myself."
"Based on power, yes, you could," said Yaku. "But you are not smart enough to make a good leader. You are too stupid."
The blood wrapped around Yaku's shoulder and pulled him closer to Zalya. "What was that?"
"I am just saying that you are not that bright, Zalya. That's all. I am not trying to insult you. I am just stating facts."
"Pretty big talk coming from a guy I can easily bisect with a flick of my wrist."
Yaku was unafraid. "If you resent that, then I suppose you could have come up with that Hollow serum, yes?"
Zalya frowned. "Technically, leader stole that from the guy who invented it first."
"Shortcut. But he did perfect it and turned it into something we needed. He also invented the Blood Spear move simply by watching you and your abilities. Could you have done the same? Just through observation?"
Zalya sighed. "No." He commanded the blood to return to him and allowed Yaku to move freely. "He's a better leader. I would never try to take his place. Though he is my cousin, I'm afraid he'll kill me if I do anything. Even little things he hates. I have to watch myself around him. He's scary."
"I do not follow leader because I am afraid of him. I follow him because what he says makes sense to me," said Yaku. "When he explains things, you realize that he is right. Too many times men who are in power end up defeated because they were too arrogant. They went in assuming that they were too strong to be defeated and thought they had it all figured out. A smart man would never assume and think that there is a chance of failure. That way he can properly plan for every possible outcome and not assume. That is smart. Going into battle thinking you will win will be your downfall. Going in and thinking there is a chance, you may do better. You have a better chance of winning if you plan for different scenarios rather than think that you will win no matter what. That is why Aizen was defeated. He was powerful but he was also cocky. He got too cocky and lost. If only he had planned better."
Zalya sighed. "You run your mouth too much. Once I get you talking, you're a chatterbox."
"No one ever listens to me so it's nice to get it out of my system from time to time. How depressing."
More Soul Reapers were starting to appear, hearing screaming from their fallen comrades. They could only assume that the Quincies had returned.
"You know, Yaku..." said Zalya. "Making as much noise as possible will draw more of them to our location. That will make our job easier. Shows how bright they are. Gather together to create an easy target."
"They think it's strength in numbers," said Yaku. "The more of them there are, the better chance they have at winning."
"Nah, baby. It just gives us an easier target, converging on the same location like that. With our powers, the more of them there are gathered around, the better chances we have. It makes our job a lot easier."
"Also very true."
The Soul Reapers were gathered and ready to attack.
"Hyah!" Zalya sent a string of blood towards them. Moving like a long whip, the blood slashed them all. "Perfect, baby!" He then used the blood to slice off their limbs. "That's it, scream! Scream and call more of your friends to this location, baby! We'll slaughter you all!"
Yaku stood by and watched his partner hack the Soul Reapers apart. Blood splattered everywhere like crimson rain. Zalya hacked partway through a Soul Reaper's arm and then ripped the rest of it off with his bare hands. He looked like a beast tearing apart a carcase to get at the flesh and organs. It was disgusting to watch. He knew Zalya's goal was to get as much blood as possible to widen his range and gain power, but this gruesome sight was too much to stomach.
"I prefer a more clean way of killing my opponents," said Yaku. "This is too messy and gross for my taste."
"Then you go do your thing and I'll do mine. We'll each take out these Soul Reapers our own way."
"Fine. We'll fan out."
"Good thinking. Go over there and let me have these guys."
Yaku nodded. "Believe me, I plan to put some distance between us. As much as possible. How depressing."
Yaku turned away and walked up the street. He wasn't just leaving to get away from the bloodbath. He knew they would stand a better chance of taking over the Seireitei if they spread out. He would take care of the Soul Reapers in another direction while Zalya handled the ones nearby. It seemed like a better plan. Besides, he knew how wild Zalya would get and didn't want to be around for that. Zalya liked to do things on his own, anyway. No matter how he looked at it, staying away from Zalya was the best option.
Zalya finished butchering the Soul Reapers at his feet and looked around for others. His clothes and face and arms were colored red. He was soaked. Zalya tossed a severed arm onto a roof and started to walk away, satisfied with his work.
He heard a Soul Reaper scream. A woman.
He turned and saw a young girl gaping at the dead Soul Reapers on the ground. Their limps were torn off and one was missing their head. She was horrified at the brutality of it. This was overkill. This was something only a monster would do.
She turned her head and their eyes met. Hers were wet with tears and his were filled with delight.
"I guess I should get cleaned up for a lady." Zalya stood still and the blood lifted off his clothes and into the air. This Quincy garment was white once again. He smiled at her. "Care to try your luck, baby? Maybe get revenge?"
She looked furious. She took out her weapon. "Snap! T-"
He cut her off by wrapping the blood around her mouth and lifting her off the ground by her head. She kicked and struggled but there was no getting free.
"So tiny and weak. I feel sorry for you."
Rather than kill her, Zalya tossed her into the air and watched her sail over the many buildings before landing somewhere he could not see.
Yaku stopped, seeing a girl land at his feet. "That Zalya... Never looks before he tosses something towards me. He could have hit me. How depressing."
The Soul Reaper coughed and started to get up. Her whole body was shaking.
Yaku didn't see her as a threat and started to walk away.
"S- stop!" she ordered him.
He stopped and turned around to face her. She was picking up her fallen weapon. "You have a better chance if you run away and hide," he advised her. "You are just a girl and a small one at that. Utterly worthless."
"What did you say?" She angrily pointed her weapon at him. "See of you feel the same after I burn you!"
"With words or with that?"
She growled and tried releasing her Zanpakuto once more. "Snap!"
Yaku effortlessly stopped her. "Negative Image."
The mirror caught her reflection and suddenly she believed his words. She was utterly worthless. Of course she couldn't do this. Who was she kidding? There was no fooling anyone. She was pathetic. She was weak. She was useless. She deserved nothing.
She fell to the ground and dropped her sword.
Yaku lowered his mirror. "I almost don't even want to bother with you."
He started to walk away then stopped, considering something. Their orders were to kill Soul Reapers. Simply neutralizing them was a form of stopping them but it wasn't killing them. He planned to go back and kill them at his leisure but killing them while they were down and in his sight was equally convenient. He might as well kill her as long as she was nearby. It would save him the trouble of going back to search for her.
He started to walk back.
"Momo!"
He stopped and saw several Soul Reapers come to the girl's aid. He stepped back.
"Momo? Is she ok?"
"It was him. He did this."
Yaku blinked.
"We can handle him," said a Soul Reaper. "You take care of the Lieutenant."
Yaku held up his mirror with a bored expression on his face. "Negative Image." This was so easy it could be called troublesome. It was like pausing a movie with a remote control. All he had to do was hold up his mirror and the fight was over. They might as well save him the trouble and surrender now so he didn't have to keep moving his arms. It was a pain.
The Soul Reapers fell and Yaku moved on.
However, he missed the ones helping the downed Lieutenant. They were behind the attacking Soul Reapers so the mirror never caught their reflections. Their bodies blocked the attack.
"Did you see that?"
"Yeah. It was just as Captain Hitsugaya said. He's the one responsible for all those depressed Soul Reapers in the sickbay."
"Then that means none of them are actually injured. Just immobilized. Same as Momo. We have to go after that guy, Kira. Since Captain Hitsugaya told a bunch of us this guy's special powers, we have a better chance than those who don't."
"Is it really ok to just leave Momo here? And the others, too?"
"They'll be fine. Let's hurry before he gets away."
"Uh, right. Ok, let's go."
"Rising Corpses!"
Limbs began to twitch, bodies started to rise. One by one, the fallen Soul Reapers started to stand and march at Zalya's command. Soul Reapers hurrying to the scene were sent running in fear from the dead army of former comrades.
"That's it, baby! Run! Run while you still can!" Zalya laughed and performed another solo. He sent blood in different directions, cutting down the fleeing Soul Reapers. "Run! Run! Run!"
They couldn't fight him. They didn't know how. They were panicking.
Fearing others would get cut down by the corpses or by the blood, the Soul Reapers decided not to call for help or to report this. They didn't want anyone else to die.
Unfortunately, this meant that if they didn't stop Zalya, he would keep going and find others to attack. Since no one was coming to help, they had to be the ones to take him down. If they couldn't manage that, then others would be killed and the cycle would never stop. They attack, get cut down, others show up to help, they get cut down, more show up to help, get cut down... It would ever end until everyone was dead.
"Yeah, baby!"
Windows were shattered to reach those hiding inside. They were dragged out and sliced by the blood Zalya controlled. One Soul Reaper tried to stop him with Kido but he would not be restrained. Someone else tried to use Kido to blast him rather than restrain him but the blood blocked the attack. One attack managed to land but that only caused Zalya injury which made him stronger. He drew blood from his burn and added it to his collection.
"There's no stopping this guy..."
"He's not even their leader. Whoever commands him must be a total bad-ass."
"Well, he is an ass," said Zalya. "On a good day."
The blood coiled and bubbled. The red mass was enormous. Zalya had gathered the blood of the dead and of the living, making his collection very intimidating. Gallons and gallons of blood waved through the air, hungry for more. He kept the blood flowing, stretching it out and condensing it into a large ball. When stretched out, the collection of blood was enough to cover an entire building. Other times, it appeared larger. It was impossible to measure just how much he had. They wondered how they were supposed to fight something like that.
The blood pooled on the ground and spread out like water from an overturned bucket. The Soul Reapers backed away but there was too much blood to avoid. It swam around their ankles.
"And now..."
The blood severed their ankles from the rest of their legs. The Soul Reapers fell over in agony. Now they couldn't run away. They landed in the pool of blood and screamed, fearing it would severe any part of their body that touched it. Instead, the blood pulled away like the waves of the sea.
Zalya approached, the blood looming over him like a large red umbrella.
"Please! Please, don't kill me!"
He laughed. "Now you see how it is? How much stronger we are. How weak you are. You now fear us and rightfully so, baby."
The blood dragged those trying to hide out into the open to join their friends. The blood pinned them down. The ones missing their feet whimpered with fear and pain.
"Reduced to sniveling crybabies. You are pathetic. I don't blame you, though. Now you fear for your lives, baby. Any other reaction would be strange." Zalya guided the blood to where he wanted to attack. "Let me put you out of your misery, baby."
"No! No! Please, don't! Please! No!"
"Bye-bye, baby!"
The blood shot forward but never reached the Soul Reapers. A wall of ice blocked its path.
Zalya could have gone around the ice but he was too busy wondering where it had come from to bother. "What fresh hell is this now?"
"Hold on!"
Everyone turned. A Captain was looking down on them from atop a roof overlooking the scene below.
"Captain Hitsugaya!"
He jumped down from his perch and approached the injured men. "Those of you able to walk, carry the others to safety. I'll handle him."
"Watch out, Captain. He's the blood-user we were warned about."
"Yes, I know. Which is why I want you out of here as quickly as possible. I'll deal with him myself. I don't want anyone interfering."
His goal was to prevent anymore people from getting injured. He was worried if he received help, they would end up getting injured or killed. He wanted to keep the number of casualties from increasing. The only way to do that was to fight Zalya himself. Alone.
Zalya allowed the Soul Reapers to escape, knowing they would not get far. Cutting the Captain down would be just as easy as the others he attacked. Once he was taken care of, Zalya would finish what he started and go after the fleeing Soul Reapers. This fight would not take anymore than two minutes at the very most. He intended to finish this in a few seconds.
Hitsugaya turned to face his opponent. Zalya sized him up and started laughing.
"Ha! You? You're a Captain? A shrimp like you made Captain? Man, these Soul Reapers must be desperate, baby."
Hitsugaya scowled at him and raised his sword.
"Have it your way, baby. Once I finish with you, I'll go after those guys running away. This won't take long at all."
"You shouldn't get cocky," warned Hitsugaya. "You came in the Seireitei, asking for a fight. You knew what you were getting into. You know everyone, including Captains, would be after you."
"And the more you send my way, the more I get to cut down. You've made this easy for me, baby."
The blood bubbled and a few large drops broke away from the mass and floated to Zalya's hand. The blood he held was the size of a baseball. He quickly turned it into a large stake to pierce Hitsugaya's heart. If it missed, he would have it circle back and attack him from behind.
That was how he attacked the other Soul Reapers. When they blocked from the front, the blood flowed behind them and struck. It went around their swords. It flowed like water which was impossible to grab and hold. It had no form to deflect. Which was why the Soul Reapers were reduced to running and hiding. They could not combat something like that. Even if they did manage to hit the blood, just like cutting through a raindrop, it split into smaller drops and kept coming. There was no way to defend themselves.
"Now die!"
The blood shot forward in a straight line heading for Hitsugaya's chest.
He swung his sword and a cold air shot forward, freezing anything in its path.
Before it could reach the Captain, the blood hit the ground, frozen solid.
Zalya stared at the frozen blood encased in ice. He was so shocked, he was rendered silent.
"I guess you can't use blood that's encased in ice. You can only control it when it's freely flowing in the air. Which is why you can't control the blood inside a person. Not until you inflict injury which causes blood to flow."
Zalya lifted his gaze to stare at the Captain.
"I heard the rumors about you. I heard details of your powers from those who fought you. I made a mental note about the things I've heard, so I know not to injure you or to get cut myself. What I didn't know was how to stop you. No one did. Everyone said a man with your powers would be impossible to defeat. There was no way to bring you down. They said they tried everything and nothing worked. There was always a way around it, whatever it was."
The frozen blood would not obey him. It would not move. Zalya tried to free it from the ice by moving it but he couldn't bend it to his will.
"So I started thinking," Hitsugaya went on. "Everyone's trying to attack your body to stop you. But what about the blood? No one has thought of that yet. So I decided to try. And using what I know about how your power works, I think I figured something out."
Zalya looked at him again, curious.
"The blood you control can cut people. It can be sharp. But when people try to block it as if it were a sword, it becomes a liquid again. I don't think it's because you're changing the properties of it. It's still a liquid. That never changes. To make it sharp, you thin the blood and send it flying at a great speed. Same thing when you use the blood to pierce someone's chest like a bullet. It's still a liquid, but you're throwing it at a great speed, making it more dangerous. Like dropping a water balloon from different heights. If I were to drop a water balloon from where I'm standing, there won't be much damage. But if I were to drop it from on top of a building, and a tall one at that, it would be like getting hit with a rock. It's still water, but the velocity has changed it's power and the damage you take. The water now feels like a solid and you take damage as if it were. Same thing goes for the blood you control. It's still a liquid."
Zalya flinched. Hitsugaya had figured it out. It was true. The blood was always a liquid. It was the power behind it that changed the amount of damage it inflicted.
"So I thought." Hitsugaya pointed his sword at the mass behind Zalya. "You can't control the blood if it actually becomes a solid. Laws of physics. So if I were to freeze that blood, you will no longer have a weapon."
Zalya's eyes widened.
"I didn't just send those Soul Reapers away and ask to be left alone with you to protect others from getting injured or killed," said Hitaugaya. "I did it because I am the only one who can take you on. No one else stands a chance against you. No one but me."
From this moment on, Hitsugaya would be Zalya's opponent.
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