A/N:
Welcome back to Bleached Clover. Thank you everyone for supporting my stories. For reading, reviewing, favouriting, and following it.
Please also do support me on Patre-on to get access up to Chapter 18. You can also read my original story, Immortuos on Wattpad or Royal Road and find newer chapters on Patre-on.
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Sit back, lay down and enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 12: [Part Two]: "Welcome me back, impudent humans."
"What are we going to do now?" Ichigo questioned. Anna shook her head. "Search the entire city until we find it. There isn't another way." She stated with a hint of annoyance.
Before either could speak further, a groan emanated to their left. The two deftly turned in its direction, spotting a large group of zombies moving in tandem towards them. Their cacophony of grunts grew louder at the sight of two fresh prey.
The street they stood on was wider than average, able to accommodate the size of two elephants crossing each other with ease. The horde of zombies clogged the offshoot road, equally as large as the one Ichigo and Anna followed.
Ichigo eyed the group with apprehension. He turned to Anna with a questioning gaze. The honey-brown haired girl shook her head. "Those are not the ones we're looking for."
Ichigo swallowed a snicker at the familiar statement. A rough draft of wind blasted over the top of a small duplex lining the street. Appearing out of thin air, a short, hooded figure stood heavily upon the roof.
He craned his neck, staring at the two under masked features. Ichigo pointed at the person with a casual thumb. "Maybe we should ask this guy. He's bound to have some answers." He suggested in an equally frivolous tone.
Anna flashed him a look of thought before nodding in agreement. "What are you bickering on about?" The hooded figure voiced in confusion. He blanched in surprise as Anna burst from her position, appearing behind him in an instant.
She swung her arm, batting the man straight down the building. Panic and terror gripped the person as he struggled through the air, his screams filling the space around them.
Anna blinked from her space once more, catching the guy mid-air with remarkable speed and precision. She vaulted him in the air, forcefully slamming him against the ground near her initial position. The impact created a resounding crash, causing the pavement to crack under the force.
The hood fell over in tithers, smeared with dust and tears revealing a young man in his twenties. A thin layer of red hair covered his scalp. A slant scar ran down his left eyebrow, nearly missing his eye.
Groaning in pain from the impact, the man struggled to get back up. Ichigo regarded the person with a sense of pity while Anna reappeared beside him, her glare directed at the red-haired man, her silence speaking volumes.
Ichigo couldn't help but curl his lips in amusement. "What happened to not hurting innocents." He mocked the girl. Anna whipped around to face him; her frustration evident. "He's hardly innocent. Even if he didn't collude with the demons, chances are they're being manipulated by one.
"Innocent until proven guilty, Anna." Ichigo countered with a grin, enjoying the visible frustration on her face. "Not the other way around."
Shaking his head, Ichigo walked over to the man. He bent his knees, lowering himself.
"Don't pretend you didn't use magic to slow down your fall," Ichigo stated calmly. The red-haired man lay with his back turned to Ichigo, his eyes wide in surprise. "Not that it helped much," Ichigo added with a lopsided grin, gesturing toward the small dent in the ground.
"If you answer our questions, I might be able to convince her," Ichigo continued, pointing to the brown-haired girl, "to spare your life." He finished his offer.
The man took a moment to contemplate. The hood shifted, the red head grunting in pained effort, attempting to pull himself up.
He managed to push himself to a seating position. "What do you monsters want?" The man breathed the words between bouts of exhaustion.
Ichigo deftly smacked the backside of his head. "Release your hold on them first." He demanded, now gesturing to the horde of frozen zombies. The people stood still, ceasing their hapless march after losing prompts from their master.
The hooded man nodded fervently. His grimoire pulsed lightly. In the same moment, the lifeless horde crumpled to the ground like paper.
Ichigo nodded in satisfaction. He turned to Anna, deferring the next question to her.
Anna stepped forward, exhaling irritably. She circled around the hooded man, her glare intensifying as she approached him.
"Have you had any dealings with demons?" Taking both Ichigo and the red-headed man by surprise, albeit for different reasons.
Ichigo blanched at the simplicity of the prompt while the man blankly stared back in confusion.
"Demons? What are you on about, girl?" He mocked Anna, who clenched her lips in displeasure. She leaned in, ready to chew him out for his derogatory tone.
Ichigo intervened, saying, "We're trying to find a tree," The exposition surprised Anna.
'Why would you reveal that?' She gestured to the orange-head. Ichigo flashed her a confused look, the words lost in translation.
"A tree? What would I know about something…" The red-head trailed off mid-rant. He gained a thoughtful look. His features soon morphed into understanding.
"You're probably looking for that grotesque tree some of our guys found a while back." He began. Both Ichigo and Anna widened their eyes at this revelation.
"I knew the moment I saw it, that there was something wrong with that tree. I mean, it was in a bakery for god's sake. If it's really related to demons, it's best to burn it with fire." The man ranted.
Anna nodded with a small smile, agreeing with his statement. Ichigo shook his head in disbelief. "Well, tell us where it is already." He prompted.
The red-head shook his head. "That's the thing. I don't remember. I clearly remember seeing the tree, but I can't seem to remember what happened next." He scratched his crimson locks in apprehension.
Ichigo gained a thoughtful look. "I do remember seeing a bakery on my way to the royal castle."
Anna gained a serious look. "Lead the way." She walked over to him. Ichigo eyed the red head with a grim look, causing the man to cower in fear at the intensity of his glare.
"What's your name? Why would you join the invaders?" Ichigo asked Karei. The question surprised Karei, and he hesitated before responding.
"I'm Karei. I'm just a mercenary, looking for a quick buck. They paid a lot." Karei admitted, gesturing with his hands to allude to the substantial sum of money he'd been offered.
Ichigo eyed Karei in slight disdain. He shook his head, swallowing his unsolicited advice. He blitzed away in a flash-step. Anna looked at Karei with a small pause before following suit.
The two of them arrived near a blazing inferno. The street was lined with fire and smoke, each structure swept in a torrent of flames Anna coughed lightly as she choked on the smoke.
Ichigo cautiously made his way through the smoke, avoiding the reach of the yellow flames . He paused in front of a shop with a bakery sign that read, "Master Plumy's Bakery." Surprisingly, the shop stood in pristine condition, wedged between the burning surroundings.
Ichigo shared an understanding look with Anna. The two walked inside, cool air brazing against their skin. Ichigo shivered at the thermal shock. The inside was frigid cold, a stark contrast to the inferno outside
Anna turned grim at the abrupt change in temperature, glancing around the room suspiciously.
In front of them was a wooden display with no one standing behind it. A small doorway leading to the back of the shop lay open behind the counter.
Ichigo cautiously stepped forward, slowly making his way to the doorway. He peeped inside. Another wave of chilly air blasted across his face. He bristled at the cold, spotting a similarly large, dead tree standing between the back room.
Anna jut her head beside him, coming face to face with the monstrosity. She glared at the tree with unbridled hatred. She pushed the orange-head aside, stamping her way to the tree.
"Life is precious." She repeated to herself, her eyes glinting with veiled sorrow.
The sword at her side, sheathed in jade unhooked. Anna readied herself to cut through the horrifying mass.
Before she could swing, a black swirling mass gathered below her feet. It burst forth at the girl, Anna narrowly dodging it in a burst of speed.
The swirling, lumpy mass gathered together and retreated, revealing a human-like figure emerging from the tree's base. Anna screeched to a halt beside Ichigo, falling into an offensive stance. Ichigo quickly unsheathe his own two blades, following goo's movements.
Ichigo's eyes widened as a tall, slender man stood before them, gradually transforming from black to a pale brown. Red glowing eyes fixed on the two humans, and the man's lips curled into a feral smile.
"Welcome me back, impudent humans."
A/N:
Welcome back to Bleached Clover. Thank you everyone for supporting my stories. For reading, reviewing, favouriting, and following it.
Please also do support me on Patre-on to get access up to Chapter 18, ahead of their launch on this site. You will also gain access to original works and unreleased chapters of my other story.
Visit the homepage of Patre-on and add /poisonedwriter to the URL to find my page.