Chapter 56: Vasto Lorde
"Little one! Little one..!" she called out, ignoring the killing intent coming from practically everywhere around her. It didn't take her more than a second for her attention to go back to Ruby from Summer and Crescent.
It was the first time Tier had seen her so weak. So defeated. It reminded her of the time she met the cheetah Adjuchas as she was lying on her back, reaching out for 'Yang' and dying from hunger. But that was wrong. It was the first time she had ever seen her like this.
Her cheetah skull-shaped mask covering her head was now whole, unlike the half that rested on top of her head. Overall, her form was very similar to her released state, with her deep red fur with black spots, long tail, clawed limbs and bipedal appearance. But there was no doubt that what she was seeing, was her Vasto Lorde form. A form that no one, save for her master, Summer, Crescent and Szayelaporro of all, had seen. But more than that, what really shook Tier was the weak, hollow reishi she was sensing from Ruby. It was an absolute far cry from her sharp, eerie, twisted reishi that was powerful enough to almost match her own at its peak.
Her face and head were hidden by the mask that covered her, and she could make out her dark hair reaching out to her shoulders. When Harribel peered into those empty, gaping holes where her eyes were, deep below, she could make out the tiniest glint of silver, with dilated pupils and eyes open wide. Her mouth was slightly open, gaping ever so slightly for life. No matter how much she shook her, it was as if Ruby's mind was lost in limbo. Indeed, it was as if her very soul was sucked out of her. And if Summer and Crescent's current appearance and presence told her anything, it was that her thoughts may be closer to reality than she thought.
"Watch out!" alerted a feminine voice. Tier's attention snapped back to her surroundings, and she ducked to narrowly avoid a sword strike. Staring at her with a pensive expression was none other than the once-King of Hueco Mundo, or something that resembled him.
"This one belongs to the Mistress of Hell, Harribel"
The blonde Arrancar repelled his attack with her own shark-fin like sword, projecting herself in front of Ruby protectively. Her eyes scanned across the battlefield to gauge the situation once more. Not good, she told herself. Barragan himself was unscathed, as if he was merely giving her a warning; He hadn't even bothered using his time accelerating breath, which would have meant instant death for her. The rest had their eyes focused on her. Standing in front of her and around her were all of the Arrancars and Soul Reapers she and the rest of the Espada had seen re-animated by Salem, not to mention the other hybrid Grimm that were no doubt slaughtered by Ruby. The sheer number of carcasses around her gave her another hint about the events that may have followed, as well as the apprehensive and fearful eyes of the children, some of whom were deeply wounded.
Nnoitora and Arturo's visages vanished with a blur, followed by her own. With a swift strike, the blonde Arrancar blocked Nnoitora's crescent like Zanpakuto first, before pushing him away and intercepting Arturo's.
She expected to feel metal, however her sword cut through nothing but air, and she felt a sharp pain alongside her arm. A thin red line seeped out of the wound. Tier held her stance, and attempted to drive away the teal haired Arrancar by sending a condensed water wave shot from her sword. The latter however, merely split it apart with his own blade, sending the two halves of her attack cleanly through the two buildings behind him.
Two bright flashes of light illuminated her eyes on both extremities, with one shining deep red and the other giving off a pink hue, coming from Yami and Zommari.
"Ceros!" she thought inwardly, and with quick thinking, she used Sonido to dash forward, carrying Ruby along with her. The two death beams collided with each other, intersecting at the point where they last were, creating a mini explosion that scattered the nearby corpses, dust, debris in all directions, combined with gusting winds that pushed the spectators of the battle away from the epicenter. The blast had just narrowly missed doing any damage to them.
"As expected, it always pays off to leave it to cannon fodder to create the perfect opening for us to strike" came a voice full of glee. Looking ahead, she could see the corrupted form of Mayuri Kurotsuchi thrusting his sinister looking Zanpakuto at her, and alongside her, Szayelaporro, who attempted to do the same with his own Zanpakuto, with two more ceros zeroing in on her location from Nnoitora and Aaroniero.
Though her mind was sharp and perceptive in battle, she knew she couldn't avoid every single attack currently aimed at her and protect Ruby at the same time. If she had really regressed to being a Vasto Lorde, Ruby would likely die at her current state with attacks of such intensity, especially the ceros. In the best case, they would leave her severely wounded. The question then, was which ones to intercept and which ones she could accept taking a hit. There was also the issue of the nearby humans, whom she suspected were no doubt Ruby's family.
In the end, in that split second within her mind, she instinctively raised her shark-fin sword to protect Ruby, placing it in between Szayelaporro and Mayuri's thrusts. At the very least, she knew she had to avoid Mayuri's nerve paralyzing strike. She had no idea how far away the rest of her companions were, but if she were to fall now, there was no saving anyone.
*Klaang*
Had she really been that outdone that she let herself close her eyes in the heat of battle? Otherwise, how else could she have missed the flash of teal-green standing right in front of her, parrying both of their attacks? Nelliel, in her released state, was the first of her comrades to reach her.
Looking back, Nelliel took one glance at Tier and then over to defeated Vasto Lorde by her side. Her eyes raised in surprise, before looking back at Tier. She gave but one subtle nod, before intercepting Szayelaporro, while Harribel took the opportunity to strike back at Kurotsuchi.
Indeed, though both had many things to say to each other, over the years of fighting together, they needed no more than a few signs here and there as and when required to communicate intent and other important information. Words could leave more questions than answers They could be distracting to those fighting, especially in a situation such as this. And they both knew that the other would rather hear about the details of what was going on after the dust had settled.
And the two ceros? True, Harribel almost turned in reflex to instinctively intercept the two attacks. However, her urge to do so disappeared once two other reishi signatures made itself known, followed very closely by the rest.
"Just wont stay dead, huh? Stubborn bastard" snarled Grimmjow, swiping upwards at Nnoitora with his clawed hind limbs and slicing off Nnoitora's hand and tongue, thereby effectively canceling out his Cero.
Ulquiorra took it upon himself to intercept Arturo's next strike aimed at Ruby, while Starrk canceled out the cero from Aaroniero and bala from Yami using his own ceros.
"Ulquiorra Cifer, known to be the most powerful Arrancar to currently exist. And yet, I question such claims for someone who had no qualms about working with someone like Aizen. Today, let's see which one of us is worth that mantle!" he declared with increased fervor. The black-haired Espada however pressed on with his offense, caring little for Arturo's provocations.
"Harribel-sama!" called out Apacci's voice, appearing next to her and Ruby, followed by the other Tres Bestias, Pesche and then Dondochaka. Mila-Rose and Sung-sun flinched rather sharply at Ruby's current form, while Nel's fraccione did a double take.
"Would you look at that~~The whole pack seems to have finally sniffed its way in~~" cooed Szayelaporro with glee, his eyes still focused on Ruby over Nel, who was focused on getting the mad scientist from Hell away from everyone else.
"Take her to safety, and protect her family and friends" she told them, before focusing her attention on Mayuri. The ex-shinigami scientist continued to strike at Harribel, unfazed by the 3rd Espada's clearly superior speed, offense and defense. However, after blasting a hole straight through the mad scientist's chest and watching it slowly close up with a black, gunky substance, Tier knew that their whole ordeal just got infinitely more strenuous.
"Damn bastards are immortal!" growled the blue jaguar, half annoyed and half ecstatic. "But that means I can take my time killing this shitbug! Oy! Harribel! What the hell did these bastards do to Ruby?!"
"I don't know, but she is still alive. Focus on repelling them until we get an opening to retreat!" she suggested, narrowly missing Mayuri's attack from scraping her. She knew that even a single mistake was fatal, especially since she was mortal and her enemies weren't. Being paralyzed was the last thing she wanted.
"Repelling them? My my, you don't seem to understand your position, now do you? Or perhaps you see but fail to comprehend? Whatever the case, it always pains me to see such lack of intellect in a creature that looks and talks like I do. It merely goes to show that an imitation will only ever be that. In simpler words, you are merely wasting your time, Queen of Hueco Mundo. You may possess superior physical prowess, but they are within mortal limits. This close to the source, the time it takes for me to regenerate lethal wounds is next to nothing. Eventually, you will fatigue, tire and inevitably fall. Just in time for me to examine an Arrancar of such high quality~~" jeered Mayuri, clearly enjoying his exchange with Harribel more than he wanted to admit. The latter however, felt no such need, and focused on preventing her thoughts form being distracted.
Beyond their initial surprise, it was hardly something to ponder about. After all, they had seen Salem become the Overseer of Hell. Or rather, her body being taken over by the latter. And they had seen her raise the dead first hand, not to mention the twisted evil reishi coming off from each and very one of them. Reishi that was now lacking within Ruby herself.
"Oy..! Oy..! Ruby..! Wake up...!" called out Mila-Rose with concern, laying down Ruby gently next to the bewildered teams JNPR, WBY, Glynda, Ozpin, Amber and Qrow.
"This isn't good..her reishi is so weak..." commented Sung-sun. "She's...become a Vasto Lorde. But how is this possible..? I've never heard of an Arrancar regressing back to a hollow. Does that mean something happened to Summer and Crescent..?"
"Shit!" cursed Apacci. "She's slipping out...I can barely make out her breathing. At this rate...is she gonna die here..?!"
Tensions were naturally high, with the people of Remnant even more confused by the new arrivals. Not only were they unlike any kind of beings they had ever seen, but they also seemed to be rather familiar with Ruby. Suddenly, the one with stag-like antlers and brown fur almost all over her body grabbed Jaune by his shoulders.
"Oy! You! What the hell happened here?! Why the hell is she in that state?!" she demanded, startling the poor blond to no end.
"Woah woah woah, calm down sista!" called out Pesche, trying to pry her off Jaune. Pyrrha, Ren and Nora tried doing the same by getting Jaune.
"Wh-who are you people?" asked Weiss timidly. "Why do you know Ruby?!"
"Are you perhaps friends of Ruby?" cut in Ozpin "You wouldn't happen to be her Arrancar companions, would you?" Out of every one of Ruby's companions from Remnant, he and Qrow were the most composed. To Ozpin, even this sight was nothing compared to the things he had seen in his long life and to Qrow, it helped that he was blinded after having his eyes plucked out. But it made his worries that much graver for his mind seemed to make up the worst possible images from the information he could grasp using his other senses.
"You know of us?" asked Mila-Rose, surprised.
"Watch out!" alerted Sung-sun, deflecting a stray bala that came their way. Apacci forced Blake's head out of harm's way from the path of stray debris, while Glynda used her semblance to stop a rather large piece of rock from reaching them. Though the boulder collided with Glynda with sizable force, her semblance managed to decelerate it enough while her Aura protected her from the worst. The blonde disciplinarian staggered, with Pesche, Dondochaka and Amber supporting her.
"Will you be alright? You're already in a bad shape, you should rest, I'll keep them safe" offered Amber, supporting her. But Glynda shook her head. "I can't, not until we get them and the other students to safety. It is precisely during times like these that our duties as instructors and teachers are vital, both in helping us get through the crisis and giving the children someone they can depend on"
"Aptly put, Glynda. Question and answers we may have for each other, but now is hardly the time for that, yes? Which is why, may I count on your cooperation? Ruby is just as dear to us as she is to you. But alas, we lack the skills your kin possess in dealing with the current crisis. All of this was caused by her appearance here" said Ozpin, pointing to Salem. "I admit, I do not know the reasons for which she orchestrated this, nor do I claim to know of the reasons for her transformation. I do know that the way she is now, she is no longer the same entity I have come to know over several millennia. However, if there is the slightest chance that she still possesses a small sliver of what she once was, there may yet be a chance that we can salvage our current situation"
Mila-Rose, Sung-sun and even Apacci remained silent, but their transfixed eyes told the headmaster that they were listening, perhaps waiting for something.
"I will attempt to convince her. Or learn of her current objectives. Whatever it takes to gain the time you need to take her away to safety" replied Ozpin.
Mila-Rose narrowed her eyes. "Not happening. I can't let one of her companions here walk to his death, no matter the reason. And besides, with your current strength, you're nothing but a burden. Are you just blind, or can't you see the rest of us struggling against those things? You really think you can do any better with such weak reishi? Even Ruby in her state has more spirit energy than you're giving out. Plus, none of you are in any condition to be fighting, from the looks of your injuries. Heck, she even has her arms cut off. Just stay here and let us handle it. Once Ruby wakes up, she should be able to take us back to Hueco Mundo while we give her an opening. We'll hold her off till then"
"Whoa whoa, hold on now...snake-faunus-looking...missy? I give up at this point. Anyway, what about us?" inquired Roman Torchwick. "Are you just going to leave us here while you make off with Red? You're not seriously going to leave behind a bunch of teenagers, a blind old bird, a dominatrix who looks like she just had the tables turned on her, that guy who looks 25 and 45 simultaneously and the two of us to die? How in the world can you say that to this adorable little face, girlie?!" he said, pulling Neo from behind and shoving her in front of him.
"Of course, not" replied Sung-sun nonchalantly, casually slapping away a couple of Hybrid Grimm that approached them with her snake-like body. "We couldn't do that even if we wanted to. Ruby won't stand for abandoning you even if it means it kills her. The entire reason we're even here instead of retreating with Ruby is because we don't want to leave her companions here to die. And that's why this is just a pain, so stay here like good boys and girls and leave the rest to us. Otherwise, you're just in the way"
Some more hybrid Grimm approached the group, many of whom attacked from the sky, while an equal portion of them came in from all around them. Their numbers and varieties were growing, with each wave of enemies the Tres Bestias cleared becoming more and more powerful. And the ones they killed from before would be back withing a minute or two. With a quick glance, the Tres Bestias could tell that the Espada were already getting overwhelmed. More so because of their desire to prevent collateral damage than a lack of skill, as none of them were using any energy-based attacks unless absolutely necessary, and even when they did, it was limited to basic ceros and balas. For one, what worried the Tres Bestias was the fact that until that point, they had been subjected to the inhuman treatment Quilge had in store for them with no break in between. Even with Salem helping them at the time, it didn't take away the fact that none of them were in their most optimum state. The Espada were already getting injuries of different kinds, with some more concerning than others. And they were definitely too occupied to be paying attention to anything else. Even Tier and Nel had completely taken their attention off of Ruby, choosing to focus on their opponents.
Starrk and Lily were taking on multiple high level reanimated Arrancars and Soul Reapers, including but not limited to Yami, Aaroniero, Barragan and Hybrid Grimm consisting of both Hollow and Hell types.
Grimmjow had the upper hand against a hellified Nnoitora, but the gleeful expression on the latter's face told him that the mantis Arrancar was merely waiting for Grimmjow to tire and run out of spirit energy before he could deliver a lethal strike. While the blue jaguar liked his challenges in a fight, being so restrained by things like collateral damage were things he despised. If not for the cheetah Vasto Lorde, even Tier and Nelliel's persuasion would have meant little to the blue jaguar.
Ulquiorra appeared to be evenly matched against a corrupted Arturo, but the bat Arrancar could tell that the latter was holding out against him, for whatever reason. And Ulquiorra wondered if he was mistaken, or if was a consequence of them being in this world, but he could feel his reishi drain much faster than it usually did. Unlike some of his peers, the bat Arrancar knew when he was at his limits, just like the time he faced a hollowfied Ichigo 2 years ago.
Nelliel's forte was being able to tank attacks, but the very nature of Szayeloporro's attacks meant she was ill matched against her opponent. She knew of his methods and techniques, atleast when he was still an Arrancar. But what surprised her more was that Szayelaporro hadn't even bothered to release his resurreccion. He took his time provoking her into attacking him by talking about the times when Ruby was his captive and his enjoyment of the same. A normally tame and gentle person, even Nelliel found herself hard pressed to keep her emotions from flaring. She bit her lips, plugging her ears mentally with sounds from the battle to redirect her burning thoughts from invading her mind.
Tier on the other hand, was clearly much worse than the rest, but was also the one facing off most opponents at once. Strong she was, but not tireless. And her matchup was simply off. Mayuri took the liberty to re-direct other Hell and Hollow Grimm, two of which were much stronger than the average Hell Grimm and the rest of which were Menos class Hybrids while he would drift in the background, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. She couldn't use any of her high damage output attacks, but her mastery over water-based moves allowed her the versatility to shoot high-pressure short-range attacks that sliced straight through opponents. It worked just as well, if not more efficiently. This was clearly evident by the mountain of corpses, some reforming, some still caked with entrails, slurry water and earth surrounding her. However, she was but a single entity, facing off against others that had none of the limitations she had on herself, such as possessing a mortal body. And sure enough, her left abdomen and right leg had bright red stains from stab wounds, which were slowly going numb, with the feeling spreading outward like freezing water passing through her veins.
"How much longer...?" she thought to herself, fatigued. "I cannot tell how long we have been going at it. Is the little one still not awake..? I am worried about Mila, Sung-sun and Apacci as well. Unlike us, if one of them decide to go after them, with her friends to protect, the Tres Bestias will be overwhelmed. Even my own senses and limbs are going dull. As much as I wish, I cannot discern the fact that the Quincy's torture took its toll on all of us. Will this end if we kill Salem? Or are we all doomed to die here, only to join her ranks? Why did Summer and Crescent leave? I only wish one of us had some clue as to what happened here. Will that finally allow us to retreat from here? Or, will that be in vain as well?"
A gentle, soothing breeze. Distant mountains barely visible by their silhouette against the darkening sky. Scattered cottage houses in the distance could be seen, with some lights visible on some of them. And firm, dull brown earth underneath their feet, surrounded by throngs of green and brown. Their surroundings felt as familiar as the place they were just in moments ago, while feeling more alien than any place any of them had ever visited in their life. The feeling was at the tip of their tongues, as if something was so inherently off, and yet, just as subtle. It took them a few seconds of silently looking around to even realize that their surroundings looked completely different, and then some more to break the silence.
"Wh-what just happened?" asked Yuzu, looking around. "There was a huge flash of light and then..."
"Is everyone alright?" asked Uryu, looking around. "It would appear that we're all here, wherever that is. And unharmed"
"We were just at Mom's old house right..? Where the hell is this..?" asked Karin. "And where are those 5?"
"Beats me" tsked Tatsuki. "Dammit, just when I was feeling a bit sorry for them, they go ahead and pull this shit.."
"Was this really their doing?" asked Ichigo. "Maybe something happened that caused.."
"If that was the case, why are they not here with us? Think, Ichigo!" cut in the tomboy.
"E-everyone..!" cautioned Yuzu with a stammer. "L-look at the moon!"
The 4 turned their heads in the direction pointed to by Yuzu, only for their expressions to mirror her expression of astonishment.
"It's in pieces..!" said Uryu with disbelief. "But that's...that's impossible!"
"Is this really happening...?!" exclaimed Tatsuki. "Oy...you guys are also seeing this right..? It's not just me right?" Ichigo nodded his head, his eyes still wide open in shock, unsure of how else to respond.
"Wait...wait..didnt Ruby-nee say that her world was one where the moon was in pieces? Then...is this Ruby-nee's home world?!" asked Karin in disbelief. There was a collective gasp following her statement. Indeed, upon hearing Karin's statement, their own memories began to stir. Memories of the things that Ruby would speak of, especially after the end of the Winter battle with Aizen. Things that she no longer had to hide from them, after the truth of the matter had come to light regarding her origins.
"Then...this is Remnant.." stated Yuzu, looking around. "Onee-chan's home..."
"But the question is, if this is indeed Remnant, why are we here? Weren't we at the realm of the Quincy just now?" asked Uryu to himself. "I thought your sister mentioned that nobody could enter her homeworld other than herself?"
"She did" confirmed Ichigo. "Then...does that mean, Nee-san called us here..?"
"Maybe" answered Uryu. "It still wouldn't explain why we are able to enter here. If she is indeed the only one who can freely travel between our worlds, then wouldn't that mean that we couldn't do the same even if she wished for it?"
"You do have a point" agreed Tatsuki. "Then, was it their doing after all?"
"I...don't know" admitted Uryu. "It seems very unlikely however. If a person who CAN freely travel between our worlds can't call us here, then what's to say that someone who couldn't do so from the beginning has any chance of being responsible for this?"
"I'm sure it wasn't them.." added Yuzu. "They didn't seem like the kind of people who would do something like that. And even if they did, I'm sure they had their reasons. There has to be. I could tell, they were genuinely nice to us and worried about us"
"You're way too trusting of people as usual" sighed Karin. "But...maybe this once, I can take your word for it, not because of how nice they were, but because what four-eyes here said. I also think it would've been impossible for them to send us here. Ruby-nee herself could only do it because of the Soul King. I doubt those guys could pull off something like that. And besides, I'm not sure why we collectively decided this was Ruby-nee's place. Maybe it's not, maybe we're just mistaken into thinking that because of the moon. Who's to say this isn't some illusion like the one Aizen pulled off?"
"Aizen..?! You think this is his work?" questioned Tatsuki, concerned.
"No, that can't be" replied Ichigo. "His power doesnt work on us. It's why we were even able to win against him in our battle. His power doesnt work on us because we never saw his Shikai. So it can't be him"
"It was just a suggestion. It could be anyone. I'm just saying that we shouldn't be so quick to accept that we're in Ruby-nee's world" answered Karin. "If they can cast an illusion on all of us without us noticing it, they've to be pretty strong"
"Still, the reishi in the air bothers me" said Uryu. "It's reishi I've never felt before. It feels like I'm standing in a spiritually enriched area like the Soul Society or the Quincy homeland, and yet, it feels thin somehow, almost like this is an enhanced version of the World of the Living" He then tried forming his spirit bow and arrow, which worked as he expected them to.
Yuzu's head suddenly perked up, as did Uryu's. Both of them turned sharply towards the distance, with looks of recognition and shock.
"I can sense some really massive spirit energies in that direction..!" she exclaimed, squinting her eyes to concentrate. "...I-it's..! That reishi...it's definitely Ulquiorra..!"
"You're right! I can sense a lot of Arrancar reishi that way and...what?! No way...this twisted, evil reishi...it's definitely from Hell!"
"Are you sure?" I can't sense anything" asked Karin, straining hard. After being pointed to by Yuzu, Karin's eyes went wide with recognition as well. "You're right...but it's so darn far away. I'm still surprised you managed to pick up something that far"
"You dont think...something's happening with Aneki do you?" asked Tatsuki with concern.
Collective gasps rang out from the group once more, and yet, the confusion only seemed to increase. Was this truly Remnant? Why was there Arrancar reishi here? And if one of them belonged to Ulquiorra, was this really Remnant? Or was this merely another dimension on Earth they had never set foot in their lives before, giving them the impression that they were in the home world of their elder sister? The hell reishi certainly pointed out the possibility that Ruby for one was in the middle of something. For her reishi to be felt this far away meant that she was straining herself, which didnt quite spell right with any of them.
"Well, there's only one way to find out" declared Ichigo, instinctively reaching out for his Zanpakuto, only to realize he was still in his human body.
"Ack, damn, forgot I wasn't in my Soul Reaper form" he cursed, reaching for his pant pockets, fumbling for his substitute Shinigami badge.
"Wait Onii-chan!" said Yuzu, holding his hand. "You can't do that here!"
"Yeah, dumbass Ichi-nii. You're not planning to take off to god knows where while leaving your body here to rot are you?" said Karin, popping out a tube of Soul Candy from her pocket. "Tsuki-nee got me to bring these along in case something happened, since this dunderhead here didn't think much would happen" she said, poking her twin sibling's head.
"Seems I can use my abilities just fine" informed Tatsuki, activating her ability and changing her outfit to that of her martial arts outfit with padded gloves, helmet and spaulders. She punched a few times in the air, generating fiery blasts. The three Kurosaki siblings popped their respective Soul Candies into their mouths; Kon, Chappy the Rabbit and another Soul Candy called Yuki.
"Whoa! Finally! How long has it been since I've breathed fresh air!" exclaimed Kon, in Ichigo's human body.
"Yeah! You never called us for two years! 2. Whole. YEARS! That was so cruel of you, dear brother~~!" shrieked Chappy in Yuzu's body, tackling Ichigo.
"Like hell! Weren't you just trying to smother me to death just yesterday and calling it 'Waking my dear brother'?" retorted Ichigo.
"Being stuffed inside a plushie doesn't count!" she protested, comically beating away at the Substitute Soul Reaper.
"Woah...! Oy, pipe down!" demanded the orange haired soul reaper, but the Soul Candy simply wouldn't let go.
"Hmph. It's not like I wanted to be outside or anything, especially near you three" scoffed Yuki in Karin's body, turning away with a huff.
"Dammit, watching my body act that way is really embarrassing..." thought Karin inwardly. "Where the hell is that old man when you need him to look after our bodies..?"
"Alright, stop fooling around three" stated Tatsuki, grabbing Chappy from Ichigo, Kon and then Yuki, followed by a stern look. The two girls went obediently quiet, as did Kon, though the latter's goofy expression spoke of ulterior motives.
"Stay here while we go check out whatever's going on there. The two of you keep this one out of trouble, and stay out of trouble yourselves" she said, pointing to Yuki and Chappy first, and then to Kon. "You don't want me to be telling you what'd happen otherwise, now would you?" said Tatsuki almost menacingly, going in closer and putting her arms around the three.
The three quietly nodded.
"Alright, let's go" she ordered with a confident expression, with any hints of her 'threatening aura' lost. The Kurosaki siblings and Uryu could only wonder to themselves what transpired between the soul candy spirits and the fiery tomboy without their notice. And while it helped ease the tension in the air, it was certainly something that could be left for another day. When she started walking however, that's when Ichigo blinked at her clueless.
"Wait, what are doing?" he asked.
"Going in that direction, genius" she replied in a matter-of-factly way.
"Yeah, I get that but why are you just walking there? Isn't it pretty far? We'll take ages if we just walk there" he asked. "Isn't it a lot faster if we used flash step or something?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Sure, why not? And do tell me to use Bankai while I'm at it too"
"Ah...right" apologized the orange haired teen, deadpanned. "Well...I could just carry you I guess" He then offered his back to her, and Karin could shake her head, sighing. The tomboy herself grit her teeth in embarrassment, knocking his hand away.
"Like hell I'll do that!"
"But it's the fastest way to get there...do you really want to walk all the way and waste a few hours? I'm pretty sure even with flash step it'll take us a while. Look, it's no biggie, I won't drop you. So just climb on and hold on tight" he replied, failing to understanding her reaction. This time, Yuzu and even Uryu joined Karin in facepalming. The tomboy found herself flaring red, in utter disbelief that her childhood friend was genuinely this oblivious.
"Are you even listening to what you're saying dumbass?!" she questioned him, backing away a bit.
"Huh? Wait, don't tell me you're embarrassed because..." he asked in disbelief, before heaving a huge sigh, his face slightly red. "Look, there's really no ulterior motive behind it. I'm just carrying you there because it's the fastest way to get there. We're not kids you know, that's why I didn't think much of it. I didn't think it would bother you that much. But if you're uncomfortable about it, I'll just ask Karin or Yuzu to carry you there" he said.
Tatsuki blinked her eyes in surprise. "No..it's fine. You're right. If Aneki's there, then it's better to have someone help me out. Let's go" She then held on to Ichigo from behind. Tatsuki found herself wondering how quickly she'd calmed down after being so flustered. Perhaps it was the unexpected maturity her childhood friend displayed. It didn't feel like it had been that long since she'd know that teary eyed little boy who was always running behind his big sister and mother. Despite the two of them having gone through a lot together, and Tatsuki having practically lived with the Kurosaki's, she thought she knew everything about him.
"When did you suddenly stop being a whiny ass?" she asked him, giving him a playful jab with an exasperated sigh.
"Heh, just hold on and try not to whine when I used flash step" he retorted with a smirk, before disappearing in a blur. The last thing Karin, Yuzu and Uryu made out was Tatsuki's surprised face as she was 'flash-stepped' without any warning.
Following that, they gave quick nods to each other and disappeared with blurs of their own.
Invisible bubbles rose up in a sea without light. But perhaps that too was her imagination. Over the last few minutes, she had experienced many different sensations, with neither one making any sense over the other. Strangely enough, Ruby Rose did not suffocate or drown. The sensation of it was familiar enough for her to instantly accept her current predicament, and to tell her where her soul was.
This was her inner world.
Or what was left of it, which was nothing.
She was nothing. Not a Soul Reaper, not a human, not a Faunus, not a denizen of Hell.
She was void.
She was hollow.
The moment the White Witch struck her hand into her entire being, her entire body screamed and burned, trying to purge the foreign influence invading her body and soul. Parts of which were the souls of her daughter and mother. Her influence was that of godkin. She was an irresistible force, a call to the soul she could not defy. Especially given that her daughter was cut from the same cloth as herself. And as both Ruby and Summer had once been denizens of Hell themselves, even bearing some of her reishi, the end result was inevitable.
In the heat of battle, she had hardly expected such an interruption. To say that she was completely taken off guard was not an understatement. Perhaps it was because of the comforting presences of her mother and daughter that the Rose huntress felt no sense of urgency. Her mother for one, had gone through things that no one could possibly endure, mentally or physically. And her daughter was born of Hell itself. Something would work itself out, she was sure of it. She was worried about her friends and her family, but she was sure, it would just be fine. She had gone through worse and lived to tell the tale. Because so far, it had always worked itself out, thanks to her friends and family.
But that was not to be.
Even if they were part of her soul, they were, in the end, different individuals, with different ideas, different perspectives and different priorities.
"It'll be fine, sweetie. Don't worry about us" she heard her mother say, clasping her cheeks with her hands and touching her forehead with her own. She had a smile on her face, but even Ruby could tell that Summer's expression was strained. Not something that she saw on her face often. She could then see Crescent clutch Ruby's hand tightly, and Ruby could've sworn she heard her daughter say something.
And then, they were gone.
Her inner world, her mother, her daughter, her hell reishi.
All of it, gone.
And thus, she was void. There was nothing at all. Her own being felt utterly incomplete. Like she desperately craved something.
Her soul ached with longing and glutenous hunger. Violent flames licked and rolled within her. The sounds of battle, of her friends struggling to slay the minions of Salem, of flesh being ripped apart, of bones breaking and blood splashing droned away, leaving nothing but pure suffering. She had gone through physical torture and mutilation beyond all means, psychological trauma of all different kinds and natures, and yet, nothing compared to the agony of having her soul ripped away from her to pieces.
She wanted nothing more than to fill that gaping void in her soul.
She would do anything.
Anything, if it meant the emptiness within her was filled.
"Foolish child" came the voice of the Queen of Hell. "You, who have seen it all through your mother's eyes, did you really forget it all in the brief moment of respite granted to you? Your mind may forget, but your time in my domain will forever be etched deep within your soul. It is a part of you, and you will never find respite from the nightmares that once tormented you. Did you believe you had left my grasp the moment you left my domain? Did you truly believe your past to be bereft, despite carrying my essence within your spirit?"
Ruby struggled to answer, to retort, to demand her to return that which belonged to her. But nothing came out.
"You poor, pitiful thing" continued the White Witch, in a voice genuinely laden with concern and pity. "To escape me is impossible. That is the law of the world. That is karma, the payment for those that have broken the rules. It was my intention to have you serve as my most powerful warrior, for no lesser mantle is fitting for you. By my side, all of this would have been absolved. You, despite your sins, could have been free of all shackles and chains, following a path as my closest confidant helping to maintain karma in both worlds. This pain, this agony you face now, they are merely the result of rejecting this. Your mother and daughter did not save you, Ruby Rose. They have been freed of their shackles, of their burdens, while you suffer in agony"
"G...th...ba...giv...the...back...!"
"That I cannot. They have already submitted themselves to me. They did so in exchange for your protection. I cannot break that contract, even if I or you wish for it. But why do you desire them still? The only time you were truly free was back when you were in my domain. You were true to your desires, your instincts and yourself. Your daughter and mother, your brother and sisters, they have only served to shackle you. Now you feel the weight of those connections. Look around you, Ruby Rose" she said, and now, light filled her world. But it was merely a window, with darkness covering the rest. A window that opened her voided world to the 5 senses, as well as the spiritual.
Ruby could see the desolate landscape that was once the gardens of Beacon Academy. A spine chilling and yet, familiar sensation. One that pierced directly into her psyche. Mounds and heaps of corpses littering the grounds in a sea of black, red and brown, with more following. Otherworldly creatures both old and new filled her vision, and her 'limbs' ached in anticipation, her hunger guiding her thoughts to rip them apart.
She could see her friends, beaten and broken, with her sister missing her arms, her uncle without his light, and impossibly so, Nelliel. And she was at the mercy of the man her soul rejected the most, as were the rest of her friends.
She had seen this before. This scene was one among many that tormented her mind, all the way back when she fought the guardian of the 4th layer of Hell. It had shown it to her, though its exact form had been different. And soon, she knew, the rest of her nightmares were merely inches away from becoming reality.
"Behold, your nightmares. Those visions you experienced back in my domain, were not illusions merely meant to torment you, child. They were but possibilities of what could have been. My domain is one of truth, where all is laid bare to be judged. My words were not falsities. You were always in Hell, whether figurative or otherwise. You may have left its material form, but your soul will always be a part of my domain. And this time, all this came not by my hand, and neither was I the one responsible for your fate back then. Even your power is cursed. Each time, you activated it to save your family, only to put yourself in peril. Landing yourself a far greater burden each time. And this time, you will not find solace, even in Hell. You will be left here, trapped in an eternal torment of hunger and longing, while the rest of the world turns to dust. But you can rest in torment well, knowing that your mother and daughter will serve a greater purpose, free of the same plight that now consumes you"
Salem's words had long since drowned out to Ruby. Even as she was watching her friends slowly being overwhelmed by Hell's sinners, the words within her had not changed.
Give them back.
Give them back.
Give me back my daughter and mother.
Those words were all that drove her in the limbo within her hollow mind. Nothing else mattered.
It was her instinct.
A primal howl echoed throughout the desolate twilight. The spiritual pressure accompanying it was just as vicious. It was a far cry from the energies given out by those fighting, but even so, it made every single combatant freeze in their tracks.
The Arrancars were all too familiar with the cry. It was one they had experienced themselves at some point in their lives. It was a cry that emanated from the most base, primal desires of oneself, and it was one that signaled the end of the boundary between sentience and instinct.
Given that Yang, Qrow and Amber were the closest to her, it was no surprise to say that they almost had their souls leave their bodies from the sheer force of her spiritual pressure washing over them. Amber being the closest of the three meant that she took the blunt of that pressure head on, and even with her maiden abilities protecting her, Amber's aura shattered before she even realized it. Qrow and Yang were next, however it was clearly evident that the impact of Ruby's spiritual pressure had been less than a fraction of the force with which Amber had been hit, for they too were left dazed with just their auras disintegrated.
The blonde brawler shrieked in surprise and terror, while her uncle grabbed her instinctively to protect her niece from whatever it was that his eyes could not see. The moment he heard 3 auras shatter simultaneously, he knew he didn't need his eyes to tell that something was very wrong.
"Ruby..!" came the collective voices of the Tres Bestias, Tier and Nel.
A fatal mistake. And one that the captives of Salem fully capitalized.
Tier Harribel found 3 new cuts on her body, along her chest, her face and her belly. Nelliel sported a good enough defense that she could stand and tank hits from the lesser hollow Grimm and Hell Grimm, but her large body prevented moving at speeds she could when she used her Sonido. The multitude of enemies combined with Szayelaporro's antics were enough to overwhelm her, with the end result being a few lost fingers, a tail that was now half its length and a deep gash on her hind leg, with something akin to a thorn piercing through her other hoof.
Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were mostly unperturbed, and it was anyone's guess if that was due to them simply not having an opening to get distracted, or if they had simply resigned to the fact that Ruby was the last thing they needed to focus on in their current situation.
Starrk maintained his focus as well, but Lilynette couldn't. And so, two cero blasts that the Primera Espada wanted to fire off never did, causing four bala blasts from Yami, a cero from Aaroniero and the wispy, time accelerating respira from Barragan to make it past his defenses. Starrk allowed the hits on him from the balas and cero, knowing full well that if respira made contact with him, it was game over. His hierro protected him from most of the damage, however, the parts where they did hit stung rather painfully, like an iron-clad fist punching him in the chest.
"Dammit!" cursed Apacci, as she struggled to regain ground after getting hit squarely in the face by a speeding fireball by one of the nearby Hybrid Grimm. She retaliated with a quick bala of her own, but the damage was done. The blast was surprisingly painful and burned her eyes, like poison. She didn't know if it was the hell reishi or if it was the consequence of being hit in a spot where her hierro wasn't present, or both. She blindly flailed around while her vision blurred, tears falling down her eyes.
"Aaargh!" cried out Pyrrha when Apacci's blind flailing strike struck her in the chest, shattering what little aura she had left and leaving a rather nasty bruise in its place.
"Control yourself, you almost killed them!" scolded Sung-sun, wrapping her tail around Apacci and pinning her in place. But in that exact instant, a hybrid Grimm in the shape of a large, reptilian bird swooped down and sunk its beak into her flesh. The snake Arrancar flicked the tip of her tail in a painful reflex, snapping off the Grimm's face.
"Oof..!" groaned the lioness Arrancar, cutting off the head of another humanoid Grimm on the ground that followed up after the flying Grimm. "How the hell are these things getting past our Hierro?! And is it just me or are these things getting worse? I could've sworn I just killed something that was like an Adjuchas on steroids"
"I don't know. Maybe Salem..no, Galathea did something to them after summoning them...but we can't keep going at this for much longer" replied the snake Arrancar.
Just next to them however, things were taking a different turn of events. Standing in in front of team WBY, JNPR, Neo and Roman Torchwick was Qrow, still clutching Yang protectively. Standing in front of the blind crow were Glynda and Amber, and standing in front of the duo was Ozpin, having erected a protective barrier around them. His face was grave and serious as he observed the now-standing Cheetah Vasto Lorde, her hollow, silver eyes clearly giving off a very different light than before.
"Umm...sis, you alright?" asked Pesche, going forward past Ozpin.
Dondochaka followed right his partner. "Yeah, you sounded like you had some aggression to work out or something. I mean, don't get me wrong, I understand ya after what happened but you know...I think the kids are probably scared of ya now..actually, I just might be as well. You know, just a teensy-weensy bit"
Only raspy breaths could be heard coming from beyond masked Vasto Lorde.
"Sis...is that really you..?" asked Yang slowly. "Hey...say something.."
"Ms. Xiao Long, I do not think that is a particularly good idea. We have no idea the state Ms. Rose is in. I do not like the look in her eyes and the feel of her spiritual pressure. We do not know what could provoke her"
"Provoke? You're talking as if she's a wild animal!" protested Blake. "She just had her mother and daughter pulled out of her, I'm sure she's in pain and needs our help!"
"Ms. Belladonna, that is not at all what I insinuated-"
"Hey! You numbskulls better pipe down!" hissed Roman "Being Grimm chow is the lats thing on my agenda after demon spawn and evil witches! Look at her! She's basically Grimm now! That mask, those murderous eyes, what else could she be?! I swear to god I'll haunt the rest of you brats from beyond if I end up becoming human BBQ"
"In that case, maybe someone should practice what he preaches and pipe down a litt-" started Ren, but not before the ice cream girl bonked the black haired teen with her trusty umbrella.
"Hey! What's the big idea?!-!" retorted Nora.
Another whack.
"Hey, knock it off-!"
*KLAAANG*
Where there should have been an umbrella, Weiss found herself looking at a deep red colored clawed hand locked with a broadsword. Both the Schnee heiress and the ice cream girl yelped and stumbled backward, understandably taken aback by the sudden interruption. It took a second for the white-haired girl to even realize that had Mila Rose not stopped Ruby, her claw would have sliced right through Neo. Neo herself gasped with an expression of fright, scurrying backwards several steps.
"Oy! Ruby! Why are you attacking them? Can you understand what I'm saying?" she asked, and with relative ease, pushed her away. The masked vasto lorde let out a few more raspy breaths, and scanned her dull, silver eyes across the scene, almost as if trying to comprehend something.
"Wh-why did she attack..?" questioned Yang. "Is she really..?"
Mila-Rose was ready to intercept Ruby once more, knowing that in her current, unknown stupor, might attack her own allies once more.
But what she and the rest of them had failed to understand, was the fact that she had never intended to attack at all. The moment Mila-Rose saw Ruby move towards them, she had merely assumed the worst, from her lack of understanding of Ruby's current state. The cheetah vasto lorde had merely defended herself when she noticed Mila-Rose approach her first. And unknown to Mila-Rose, this mistake would not be to kind to her or anyone else.
While she appeared primal and beastly, Ruby's mind on the inside was rather calm, in more states than one. Her instinct, the very same which awoke her currently, was still burning just the same but so was her mental reasoning. Her mind could accept and acknowledge that those around her were those that she knew, and were dear to her. However, it also washed out everything else out of her mind.
Such as the sounds of battle around her, her friends talking to her, approaching her, her friends currently fighting her or even the fact that she needed to be a certain way in front of them. In other words, they currently, did not matter. Not one bit. Their presence was so mundane that she simply shut them off from her mind, masked by her instincts. All shackles had been cut loose, owing to the absence of those that acted as the shackles of her most primal thoughts. It was almost as if her current driving force kept such things from her mind, focusing it on the only thing she wanted.
Her mother and her daughter.
She would act unrestrained, like the beast she was, free to act on her nature, so as to restore that which restrained them in the first place.
And in the other corner of the battlefield, the demented Arrancar scientist's mouth curved into a smile, upon watching his target of interest.
Ruby dashed forward once more, unperturbed by Mila-Rose or anyone else. Her focused, sharp silvery eyes were locked on to the White Witch in the distance, whose eyes were also focused on her. Mila-Rose intercepted her once more, but this time, the Vasto Lorde simply slipped past her, continuing on towards Salem.
"Wha-!" The Lioness arrancar blinked, clearly not catching on what was happening. "What is she..?"
Along her way, Ruby's eyes ignored Pesche and Dondochaka's advances to hold her, the cautious and curious looks from Ozpin, Glynda and Amber, questioning and worried looks from Blake, Weiss, Yang, the glares from Neo and Roman, Apacci and Sung-sun still holding off their enemies, and even said enemies themselves. In fact, they saw not their forms, their expressions and their expectations of her. Her sharp nose picked up nothing more than the scent of blood and dust, and ignored the homely scent of her kin and allies that at some point soothed her soul. Her ears picked up nothing but the sounds that alerted her to the next prey, ignoring the questioning and worried cries of her friends, calling to her. Her mouth salivated, longing for reishi to satiate the insatiable hunger of her soul that ate her from within. And her mind thus ignored her friends and family altogether once their comforting and familiar reishi signaled to her that they were not threats or prey.
Be it out of confusion or apprehension, none of them tried to grab Ruby's attention beyond that. All, except the Grimm. Those fighting Apacci and Sung-sun zeroed in on her, like moths drawn to a flame.
They were in the way, and her instincts marked them as prey, enemies to be slaughtered. And the hollow hole by her stomach ached with hunger.
*Squaaaalch*
With a swift strike, her claws sliced off the massive, bear like paws of an Ursa-like Hybrid Grimm, following which she lunged at her enemy, sinking her teeth onto her prey's neck, biting away a massive chunk of flesh, and then another and then another. The beast roared with pain, but the vasto lorde was unconcerned by the brutal scene. The only thing she could feel was her depleted reishi stores replenishing, and the beast melting back into darkness.
The second maskless Grimm that approached her tried to gnaw on her with its massive jaws, but a second later, the its lower jaw was hanging several inches away from its upper one in a mass of stringy tissues, muscle and tendons. Using a well timed back flip to avoid a reflexive swipe from the massive elephantine trunk, Ruby thrusted right through the massive appendage, ripping it apart with a beastly snarl, and gouging out a massive chunk of it with her fangs. The Hell Grimm tipped over, and with swift action, the Vasto Lorde put several holes through its grotesque head with a flurry of balas.
Diving forward with a burst of speed towards her target, she attempted evading a massive volley of bullets aimed at her by the weaker humanoid Hell Grimm wielding Atlesian semi automatic dust powered rifles, SMGs, bows and other human weapons crafted both on Earth and Remnant. The spray of bullets and other projectiles coming from 30 or so Grimm was nearly impossible for any being to avoid, especially for one such as Ruby, who in her current state could not use her Sonido as freely. But the astonished onlookers from Remnant as well as those from Earth would soon see first hand a side of the cheetah Arrancar she had never spoken of in detail, even to the closest of her friends.
The onslaught of minuscule burning metallic projectiles rained down in her direction, mostly hitting and ricocheting off metal, brick, plaster, concrete, dust, corpses and flesh. But some did hit true to their mark, perforating through her mask, her right arm, tail and leaving several holes through her abdomen. Her right arm had almost torn off, leaving it hanging just barely. And her jaw bone had been split apart and hung loose, making for a disturbing and macabre sight.
"RUBY!" came the collective cries of teams WBY, JNPR, Tier, Nelliel and the Tres Bestias. In fact, the sight was so ghastly that Weiss, Jaune and Yang had physical reactions to it, unable to look more than a second.
Worried looks however, soon turned to sour expressions of apprehension, shock and distaste.
The vasto lorde merely pressed on, completely brushing off the painful and gruesome wounds on her, didn't so much as wince or whine from the searing pain she was no doubt feeling. Instead, the cheetah vasto lorde circled around her opponents in a manner that was foreign to any fighting style, firing off a spray of balas with her other hand, which was only slightly better than her almost decapitated arm. And then, forming a cero with her sliced off jaw, she fired it at the horde, wiping them clean. The beam continued on to one of the halls of Beacon Academy, destroying it as it went through.
This sight was horrifying enough for the kids and even Glynda and Amber to watch, as it was to Tier, Nel, Grimmjow, Pesche, Dondochaka and the Tres Bestias. However, what happened next would truly change everything they knew and how they saw her.
Casually using her left arm, as if it was no more routine than reloading her gun, she ripped off the dangling pieces of her jaw bone and right arm, throwing them away and continued advancing towards Salem undeterred, her silver eyes fixed back onto her. As she dashed, her limbs and jaw regenerated, along with the rest of her injuries.
Two more Grimm, this time looking like a black blob of flesh and blood squelched their way towards her and then morphed, growing and expanding, changing colors until-
"T-that's...me...!" exclaimed Yang, looking at an exact identical copy of herself that the Grimm had changed to. The other similarly took the form of Tier, even her expressions matching those of the genuine article down to their most minute detail.
"Ruby...please, stop. I-I'm worried for you, you look so hurt! Please, I'm worried you'll die, so please don't-!" said the Yang-imposter Grimm, mimicking her every expression. Even the look of concern on her face was as genuine as the real one, as well as the two stubby arms she now sported.
"Little one, please, you've done enough. Leave the rest to me and take care of your friends. We'll handle the rest" said the Tier-imposter, extending one of her arms.
"No" she said calmly, before slicing Yang-imposter's head off. The head continued to mimic her expressions even as it 'died'. And in a second fluid motion, she bit down on Tier's neck, draining reishi and then blasted her head off with a bala. All of it, without so much as a flinch.
Another bright flash of orange appeared right behind her, and two centipede like hybrid Grimm appeared, once again without their masks. They consisted of fat, rotund segments with appendages of various animal species making up their 'legs', and a bloated body that glowed orange. Both of them instantly opened their jaws wide, pouring down a sea of flames onto her. They could see the burning form of her body as the flames licked her fur, bones and muscles.
Ruby moved quickly, diving straight through the first one of the two like a corkscrew, and ripping a large line across the longitudinal segment of the Grimm. It drew a fountain of blood, and the rose huntress drenched herself in it to extinguish the flames, before charging a cero and firing it straight through the second one. Following that, she simply turned towards Salem.
Inhuman. Beastly. Vile. Putrid and evil. And yet, hauntingly sentient, deliberate and human. That's what she was. A far cry from the weak, dying self she had been just moments ago, going on to stand at the epicenter of a grisly and malevolent massacre with no semblance to anything humanly possible. For while her actions seemed motivated by instinct alone, they were too deliberate, too efficient and fluid to be written off as belonging to a mindless monster. She was, without a lack of a better word, a specter with conscience, an arbiter with the mind of a human being. And THAT, is what made the entire ordeal truly terrifying to watch. Because without it, she would just be an obscure monster beyond understanding. But now, she was an object of relatable, comprehensible fear.
"No...no..." whimpered Yang, her heart winding painfully and in fear of what her sister looked like. The doubts she possessed ever since her 'change' since the last week were like a festering wound, growing worse and worse with time and exposure. Her sister had been one of the most stable and comforting sources of her strength, comfort and of home. And now, that very same pillar of support hadn't so much as hesitated to rip her 'look-alike' apart without even looking twice. She wanted to scream, to flail, to rebel against the world she knew, which was now crumbling.
The scene had affected more than just Yang. Qrow, though he couldn't see anything, could tell from Yang's whimpering, shivering and crying that something was very wrong. Glynda had an expression of utter shock and fear, of one who had been nothing more than a mischievous, bubbly student just a week ago. Ozpin himself found himself clutching his cane rather tightly. Weiss and Blake sported similar looks of horror and apprehension, and the former even looked ready to break down any second. Blake however, could look no further, at someone whom she had bonded with and trusted over the last few days turn themselves into the very picture of Hell. To Pyrrha and Ren, it reaffirmed everything they assumed about her, and more. And for once, the ever cheerful and bright Nora was no longer smiling, like a joke that turned sour.
Tier, Nel and Grimmjow were watching wide eyed, no longer bothering about their enemies. The shock and disbelief was simply too much to even bother focusing on a battle, even if it could potentially be lethal. Starrk tried his hardest to cover for the rest of them, but from the misfires on his gun and the weeping, he could tell that Lilynette was not in the most stable of mental conditions herself, after witnessing the scene. Even Ulquiorra found himself sparing glances at her, though he was definitely the most composed of the lot. Because the people of Remnant had known her for a little more than a week, while they on the other hand, were seeing first hand, the details of that which she had brushed off as nothing more than a 'bad nightmare' of her life.
In reality, it was nothing more than a mere vasto lorde fighting her enemies. Something that should have hardly been the center of attention in a battlefield filled with enemies of two different worlds, Arrancars, powerful Soul Reapers, sinners of Hell and one of the Archangels herself. But even the other faction, it appeared, found their gazes drawn in to Ruby and the onslaught that continued on.
"Mom...Crescent...give...them...back..." she growled in a dry and raspy voice, as more and more of the Grimm circled on her. But the endless cycle of slaughter only continued, while the cheetah vasto lorde continued pressing on towards Salem. And in the midst of all that, was a cackle. A cackle that soon grew into full blown laughter, that cut across the sounds of combat, burning earth, grass, flesh, gunfire, the sounds of clashing swords, fangs and claws and the silences of the rest.
"Yes...yes...YEES! That's it! That's the way! Kuahahahahahah!"
It took little effort for the lunatic Arrancar scientist to push aside a fatigued Nel, slip past her, cut through throngs of his own allies and reach the cheetah faunus with an ecstatic wide smile on his face, barring her way to Salem.
"Get out of my way.." Rasped the vasto lorde, with bated breaths, her claws ready to strike. The Arrancar scientist however, only grinned wider. He ran his tongue down the length of his Zanpakuto, calling to her with a luscious, twistedly perverted look.
"Then, make me, my dear little kitten. Show me your true self, in front of those dull, boring, pitiful souls! Souls that you hold dear! Show them! Your most primal desires, that piercing bloodlust that shoots waves of pleasure into me, those demented, cursed eyes that promises my death, tear me apart and grant me death, over and over again!" he challenged her, blocking her path to Salem.
And that was all that the rose huntress needed, to sink her claws and fangs into him.
She started with a flurry of balas, that Szayelaporro made no effort to dodge. The hollow bullets themselves merely impacted the mad scientist, but left no damage. Growling, the cheetah vasto lorde lunged forward, swiping downward with her claws voraciously, while attempting to bite down on his throat and rip it out.
"Have you forgotten, my dear little murder machine..? An Arrancar is several times superior than the strongest Vasto Lorde" he squealed with glee. With a swing of his sword, he sent her flying backward several feet, slicing off her upper torso. Like a rag doll, the two halves of her rolled along the ground. "You can't so much as scratch my Hierro, the way you are now. But you don't care, do you? The only thing you care is getting to her. But for that, you'll have to pass through me first!"
"Get lost..!" she snarled, regenerating her lower body while her decapitated lower half disappeared away. Sprinting forward once more, she tried different tactics, such as circling around, bombarding him with balas in a specific spot to weaken his defense and then strike from behind, using enemy weapons that could hurt his Hierro, and what not. But each time, she would get shredded, impaled, blasted with ceros, have limbs torn off all while Szayelaporro's glee grew. And each time, she would return, pushing her hollow regenerative powers to their limits, consuming other lesser enemies to replenish her reishi, and then charge at the scientist with greater vigor and ferocity.
"That's it. That's the real you" he said, knocking her away once more. "You were nothing more than a tame puppy the moment you became that weakling little thing you call an Arrancar. That blasted woman and your adorable hooded murder puppet are what made you not you. But now...kahahahahaha! Now, Ruby Rose is truly back! Welcome back, Ruby! Welcome back to Hell! The most feared warrior down below! She who shook the very archangel of Hell itself! And the one and only specimen worth my adoration! Continue to struggle, live and grow, rip and tear into your enemies, devour them and use them as nourishment, use those cursed eyes to purge the world and give meaning to the word Vasto Lorde once more. And until then, you and I can go back to the good old days!" he challenged her.
Charging once more, she used her self-damaging Sonido, gaining a burst of speed, and then lunged straight at his eyes. Her claws went right through, and as she thrust further, the wound opened further, until finally, it went right through his head. With a vicious rip, she split it open, like a melon coming apart. She then kicked the headless body of the Arrancar away with an angry grunt, before going towards Salem.
But before she could face Salem, she felt an inky, bony hand caress her from behind, that wrapped around her and left a burning imprint as it did.
"Surely you didn't forget that we are immortal, now did you my dearie~~?" cooed Szayelaporro's voice from behind. He stabbed her with his Zanpakuto, and then pinned her to the ground. Following that, he drew something purple from within his eerie looking robe, and plunged it straight through her hollow hole.
The Rose faunus let out a howl that pierced through the sky, as purple-black electric crackles manifested around her, forming chain link tattoos of sorts, similar to the ones that the sinner of hell had around them.
"How do you like that, my dear little kitten? Does it stir some fond memories? My chains of hell make for neat little restraints, don't they? Of course, they are not the real deal, but even as they are, they are still stronger than any bakudo spell. It'll keep you nice and tied up while I go ahead and slaughter the rest of your family, so that they can give you company down below. You and your family can enjoy being my specimens once more!"
"I think that's enough fun you've had for a while. I have a score to settle with her" came Nnoitora's cracked voice, as half of his body appeared right next to them, with his other half regenerating from Grimmjow's previous attack. He then drove his crescent shaped Zanpakuto into her torso, but unlike Szayelaporro's attack, Ruby didn't even whimper.
"I believe we came to an agreement about allowing my own time with her for study, or did you forget, Szayelaporro?" came Mayuri Kurotsuchi's voice, who flash stepped right next to the two, carrying Tier within the mouth of his bankai. The vile looking, hell spawn like creature spat out the 3rd Espada, placing her right next to Ruby. "
"Tch, bastard...!" growled Grimmjow, using his fastest Sonido to cover the distance between him and the other three, but was cut short when he found himself side shotted by a large double-sided axe. Pain shot up the Jaguar arrancar's arm, upper torso and leg, as he plummeted down to the ground. Seeing Tier fall, Apacci rushed out first, followed by Mila-Rose. Sung-sun however, refrained from doing so in fear of leaving Ruby's friends unguarded.
"Let them go you fucking shits!" roared the deer Arrancar.
"No don't!" cried out Starrk, but either because he was inaudible or because the deer Arrancar didn't care, she continued charging towards Szayelaporro undeterred. A pointless death is what awaited, or so it seemed at first.
Before she could reach her target, something bright sped towards where Ruby was, crashing straight at Szayelaporro. The scientist blinked his eyes at first, taking a moment to recognize the object that just hit him. And then, an enormous pillar of bluish, fiery reishi enveloped the Arrancar scientist. Two more lights struck Nnoitora and Mayuri, followed by five around Salem herself.
The ensuing pillars of reishi lit the entire sky blue, as if creating an artificial twilight. And the magnitude of reishi coming off from them was just as massive.
"Wh..what the hell?!" exclaimed Apacci.
"Wait...that spiritual pressure..that's the reishi of a Quincy!" gasped Mila-Rose, stopping dead in her tracks.
*Fwip*
The air around team WBY and JNPR stirred ever so slightly, and right in the midst of them all, a fiery orange curtain swayed in the wind.
"My deepest apologies, friends of Ruby" came the voice of a woman. She appeared to have a blue and white mechanical looking bow, and a similarly looking electro-mechanical short sword that beamed red and blue. "But I will keep you safe now. For she is my dearest friend" She gently set down the two bodies in her hand, namely those of Ruby's and Tier's. Her blue eyes were flashing red furiously, like a machine going off rails on danger alarms. The woman herself could see numerous messages override her point of view, with her vision going red in periodic flashes.
"Soldaten! Ensure the safety of the citizens of Beacon Academy and the city of Vale, and eliminate our enemies and protect the people! Askin, Lille, Gerard, Perninda, please assist me in suppressing our enemy forces! Do your duties as his Majesty commands!" she ordered, her voice reaching far and wide. As if on cue, several more 'lights' struck every single Hollow and Hell Grimm in the vicinity, including the already regenerating Mayuri, Nnoitora, Szayelaporro and Salem. The sounds of several feet running across the battlefield in a stamped could be heard, as many figures of white appeared all around the vicinity of the school grounds.
"Heh, look at the little missy, already taking command. She must really want to impress His Majesty on her first proper mission. Speaking of which, isn't calling all five of us a bit of an overkill?" asked the man called Askin Nakk Le Vaar, one of the five closest generals and confidants of the Quincy King.
"Wah haha hahaha! Quite the adorable little tyke, isnt she?" roared the haughty man called Gerard Valkyrie, rushing aggressively into Arturo and Ulquiorra's battle, interrupting both of them.
"As long as such evil breathes in this world or our own, as an envoy of God, I shall purge these heathen sinners myself" declared the man called Lille Barro, sniping from afar using a rifle of sorts, revealing himself to be the cause of the shining lights from before.
Another white hooded figure landed next to a massive group of Hell and Hollow Grimm, and within seconds, they all began to shrivel, crush up and die, as if their very meat, blood and bones were sucked dry by something. And along the ground, several nerve-like appendages could be seen coming from where the white hooded one stood.
More sounds of battle and bright lights could be observed from inside the academy, and not that long after, several soldiers could be seen coming out of the buildings, escorting students, teachers and other staff and non-staff members out from the various buildings of Beacon Academy.
"You...I remember you" said Ozpin, facing the new. He wondered how the girl managed to get inside the barrier he erected, and more importantly, why this woman, of all, gave off such a vastly different aura compared to a few days back. Indeed, she was no foreign face to teams WBY and JNPR, as well as Amber and Glynda.
"You're...her! Brunhilde...!" gasped Pyrrha.
The woman herself wore what appeared to be a white hooded cloak, an ankle length trench coat, knee high boots, black stockings and various glowing blue lines along her attire. They almost seemed mechanical in nature, like her swords and bow. She also wore a white hat with similar blue trimmings with a black peak and an insignia emblazoned in the front. Her long, fiery orange hair hung loose behind her like a curtain in soft curls, with a pink ribbon tying off a section of her bangs. She had fair skin with freckles across her face. With a beaming smile, her aura was radiant and warm as she looked upon them with assuring looks. Her bright blue eyes seemed to glow bright with life.
"Yes" she replied in a soft voice, lacking the same authority she spoke with to her soldiers. "My most sincere apologies for being late. Words cannot express my regret for the losses Beacon Academy has suffered at the hands of the evil Witch. When I sensed her evil spiritual pressure at Beacon, I was worried sick for Ruby and her friends. And so, I asked his Majesty to join this mission, and he was happy to oblige. Now, I can protect Ruby's precious friends with my own hands. Worry not. I've already sent word to our medics to tend to the injured and the dead. No more evil will befall you or her anymore. This I promise. I assure you that I mean no harm, I am merely worried for my dear friend"
"That's..." began Ozpin. "If I may ask, what are you doing here, Ms..?"
"Please, Brunhilde is just fine. As I stated, I am here to rescue the people of Beacon Academy and Vale, under his Majesty's orders. And see Ruby of course" she replied, still looking around for her. "That's him, by the way" she said, pointing to the sky.
When they tilted their heads towards the skies, they could see, in the far distance, a humanoid figure with a flowing dark cape, similarly styled white military clothes as the new commers below, and long, flowing black hair with a mutton chop beard and mustache. And alongside him was a humanoid looking robot of sorts, with lights flashing on and off.
For the first time since her coming, an expression of dissatisfaction adorned Salem's face, as she gazed upon her brother.
"Yhwach..." she rasped, frowning at him. "Finally, you show yourself"
"People of Remnant" a deep, commanding voice rang out from above, as if spoken to them using a megaphone. "What you see below, is the enemy that has been plaguing your world for eons to come. And this, is the result of her malice. Untold death and destruction at the heart of the place that represented your hopes and dreams against the forces of evil. Many of you still sported doubt and concern regarding the guidance I offer to you and your people against the forces of darkness. Your concerns are, of course, understandable. However, the evils she promises are just as much as so. Now, you see the consequences first hand" he said, and the robot panned its 'head' from one side of the battle field, to the next, as if shooting footage.
And indeed, while those in Beacon were in no condition to watch the news, had anyone opened their scroll at the time, they would have seen a shot of their burning campus grounds with corpses, flames, broken gravel, dirt and several different entities of various shapes and sizes and of course, humans and faunus.
"But I shall lay both fears and concerns to rest, as I cleanse this city and this world of her taint and finally leading this world into god's utopia that it was always meant to be" he declared, giving the signal for his soldiers and generals to lead the counterattack.
Yeah, I didn't expect to get into Remnant until I finished the stuff in Soul Society, but I figured I would switch back and forth, like a change in POV until the events merged. So next chapter will be part 2 of the battle in the Soul Society. As always, thank you for reading and supporting the story, it really means a lot!
Response to reviews:
Argorok: Thanks a lot as always! Yup, it has indeed! As I mentioned, I will be doing a little change of POV with each chapter, so I'm able to give equal focus on both sides until things converge. And well, things have already gotten ugly here, havent they?
Lucian Naruto: Welp, I'm sure she definitely wishes she could go back to those times now. But I'm sure she'll get the opportunity.
Monster King: Thanks a lot, I will!
Xeno01: Thanks! Well, I'd say that the arrancars did a fantastic job considering that their enemies were their equal, but juiced up by the new Salem and have immortal bodies while they don't. And damn, some scene they got to witness huh? I'm sure Yang has so many more things in her mind going on, and it's going to come spilling out very soon. As for Aizen and Kisuke, what ARE they doing? Well, they should be entering the scenes very soon, as their Zanpakutos work on making a portal again. That is true, but then again, they ARE still young. And people that age make mistakes. And this too, will make them grow better. That is indeed true, as well as Summer herself, from the looks of it! Wonder what they would think of her and Crescent should he or Unohana meet them as they are now, as Salem's minions. Thank you so much for your heartfelt comments!
Farhan Nugraha: You raised a good point, and I think it was answered here. But yes, they do have their own combat passes but chose not to use it now for obvious reasons. Summer's Zanpakuto's name will come up soon. Of course, they are already here after all. Well, maybe, maybe not. Time will tell. Thanks for reading!
Shihaku4: Ahaha quite ironic, isnt it? Yup, Tai did give it his best in handling it, and given the kind of guy he is, I'd say he took it pretty alright. Quite fitting for him too!