"Should we be….more active?" Izzy asked.
"It'd probably be more detrimental, to be honest. I think the Old Man is just looking for an excuse to defer the Execution long enough to get everything settled legally." I added some air quotes around the word. "The plan that the kids came up with is pretty sound."
"Their plan pretty much consisted of running in and beating up everyone and running away." She deadpanned.
"I was trained by Scáthach."
"Comment withdrawn."
"For real though, I don't expect them to succeed. But if they destroy the scaffold – execution stand thingy, the Old Man can call off the Execution so they can fix it and do it 'properly' or some other nonsense. Not only that, they can then capture the kids, and feel good about themselves and let everything settle while retaining their pride."
I looked at everyone present. The Old Man, Shunsui, the spiky haired Captain, and the petite woman that I met the other day along with Unohana. I resisted the urge to sneak over and chat her up. Along with those, there were others I didn't recognize, but they all wore the same Haori. And they all had Lieutenants at their sides as they all silently watched the apparent Unsealing of the Execution weapon.
"That would put a nice bow on everything and neatly tie it all up without any major lasting problems." She hummed. "At this point though, they better hope that's how things go. I won't say I've put in any significant effort, but I've spent a week here, and I did not do that just to see those children fail and have everything be for naught."
Is it weird that I thought her menacing and ominous threats were attractive?
"I'll support you however you want." If she wanted to tell them to get their shit together, I'd be behind her one hundred percent.
She smiled, turning back towards the Execution area. We were hidden well enough through our own efforts at the tree line at the edge of this massive rock formation which situated the whole Execution scaffold. "It's starting." She stated.
There was a massive polearm type Zanpakutō that pointed upwards. Or would it be called a Naginata? In the West I suppose they'd call it a Halbert, but the naming convention didn't really matter.
Yoruichi gave some information, that it's a Zanpakutō that's the combination of a rumored one million. Meant to carry out execution on the highest level – soul destruction.
The conglomeration of Zanpakutō released itself, turning into a massive fiery Phoenix. I admit, it was rather impressive, and its power wasn't anything to scoff at. And of course, Ichigo jumped right in, about to break the Scaffold, ignoring the big ol' monster.
"Something's wrong." Izzy's lips thinned with a small growl.
The Shadows appeared again, the imagery of an overlaid world and out came a dozen or so figures, who immediately began to bombard the Phoenix. The Arrows of the Quincy were noticeably effective against the thing. As each one landed upon its fiery body, a small amount of flames were forcibly dispersed. And there were hundreds and hundreds that laid into it in a single moment.
That being said, the Phoenix didn't take kindly to their involvement. Before the Captains could make a move, the Spirit instead ignored Ichigo and attacked.
"Alright, Guess I better step in." I noticed the Captains that were present also moved to intervene. A big battle was about to kickstart, and that's when I noticed another anomaly.
Like back in Karakura town, a black crack was pulled open in the sky, revealing a significant amount of Hollows that all roared in unison. And they were all at least the same power as that big fuck off one as well.
What were they called, Menos Grande?
"Oh, it's the Shinigami I put in time out." Izzy tilted her head as I too noticed the presence of a certain Shinigami heightened and his power weighed down on the surroundings.
He made a gesture, then all the Hollows in the sky attacked.
Hundreds of those same balls of light gathered and were released, bombarding the area. It didn't do any meaningful damage to the Shinigami present, or even the Quincy for that matter. But it made everyone retreat away from the immediate area.
That was when he began doing something to Rukia and I felt like I should intervene.
"I'm going." I flipped my hand over, pulling out Mirage.
"I'll watch the Children, do what you want." She gave me the go ahead.
I noticed him take something out of Rukia and immediately opened a portal, reaching through and grabbing his hand before he noticed. "Oh, this looks Important." I commented, before pulling myself through.
[***]
There was a beat of silence, perhaps as he processed that I wasn't going to let him go after he tugged on his hand one or two times.
Truthfully, I had absolutely no idea what was going on. All I knew was that this guy apparently went through a lot of effort to take this little thing, and since he went about summoning Hollows, then it's probably a good idea to stop him.
And it's Shiny, I want it.
And Yoruichi had mentioned him in a bad light once or twice. So….fuck him I guess.
"Release me." He seemed to finally register what was happening and hissed out a response.
"Let go of the marble and I will."
"You dare call it a- a Marble." He seethed. Raising a finger up from the hand holding up his sword, pointing it at me. "Hadō #4 Byakurai." He chanted; a bolt of pale lightning arced off his finger.
I activated my Semblance, letting it pass harmlessly through the midpoint of my chest as that part of me was turned into Lighting. "In my defense, it looks like a Marble."
"This is not happening as I finally achieved my goal." He growled, swinging his sword at me, admittedly, a little awkwardly due to my left hand being on his right wrist. He had to slash over himself and I deflected it with my Mirage. We played this song and dance a few times with every movement he attempted to jerk his arm free or swing his blade until the fury on his face reached its tipping point. "Enough! I should have simply done this from the start. Shatter – Kyōka Suigetsu!" He declared, activating his Zanpakutō.
Izzy mentioned about it trying to obscure her senses, and I could understand it now. It wasn't just physical either, it attacked my Reiatsu, burrowing into the source of my Reiryoku. His own Reiatsu was significant enough that it dwarfed mine by comparison. Granted, I wasn't quite 'full' yet, but that didn't help me in this particular situation.
[On your left.] Ddraig spoke up and I raised my blade, blocking another strike I actually didn't see.
Huh, that's weird. It was actually able to affect me. Was it because of my own Reiryoku in comparison to Izzy not having any?
[Duck and swipe upwards.]
I followed his directions.
[Thrust at 80 degrees.]
My Sword shot forward and I didn't feel like I hit anything but at the same time my instinct told me that I did.
"How are you doing this?" His voice reappeared. "You shouldn't be able to perceive my existence!"
"The Dragon in my soul is giving me directions." I replied with a completely serious expression.
"….die." He snarled, his image not matching the sensation I felt overheard as I brought my sword up to block.
I was fairly sure I blocked something.
But this was getting annoying. "Let's just nip this in the bud then." I stabbed Mirage into the ground and began to draw a Rune quickly in the air. Well, not just any rune, but a Primordial Rune. "Let all falsehoods be revealed." The Primordial Rune of Truth I drew pulsed and actualized, touching upon the closest approximation of the Origin I had beyond my Kaleidoscope.
The image of him blurred and sort of retracted until I saw a confused return of the original person who was still being held tight by me. In fact, his sword was glowing very brightly, and it was trembling in his grasp. "Kyōka Suigetsu?" He blurted out, confused and his eyes widened. "What's happening?!?"
Huh, I didn't know how a Primordial Rune would interact with his Zanpakutō's ability, but I was effectively clear of the illusions now.
"You forcibly dispelled my hypnosis…." He sounded confused and shocked though it only lasted for a brief moment before the full force of his Reiatsu slammed into me, as if he was done playing. "I have had enough. First that woman, and now you!"
Though his anger was abruptly paused as he looked up and I followed his eyes. It seems our little little cat and mouse game had been noticed , and a whole lot of Quincy were flying right towards us.
"Ichigo, Rukia, go" I noticed the Orange Haired kid getting ready himself and I decided to stop playing around. My hand around his wrist ignited with my Bloodline. My power of Destruction crackled out and tore away at the Shinigami's skin.
He let out a roar of fury and pain and nearly instantaneously his Reiryoku flowed out, fighting against my Destruction.
My Destruction was winning, easily so, but he continued to pump his Reiryoku out, acting as sort of a dowsing hose, warding away the worst of the damage.
The first of the arrows arrived, both the Shinigami – Aizen, and I were about to dodge, but we went opposite directions, jerking each other, and ended up not moving. He furiously swiped with his sword, deflecting the ones coming at him as I snapped my fingers to actualize a spell behind me.
My Runic Circles appeared, crackling with Lightning. They sent Volleys of thunderous bolts to intercept the ones aimed at me.
There were many different Reiatsu pressing down on us at this point. Everyone seemed to have recovered, and we were right in the center of the storm.
"Hark, Villains! Your tyranny ends here! Hand over the object!" A Quincy flew over wearing a…..lucha mask? One with a star shaped emblem on it.
I tugged away and Aizen seemingly allowed himself to be pulled as the Quincy crashed into the ground, utterly destroying the rocks beneath him. He swung his fist and I pushed Aizen in front of it. The Shinigami scowled in annoyance.
"Bakudō #8, Seki" He chanted quickly, the fist bounced off him with, repelling it backwards, sending the Quincy stumbling back.
"Aizen, explain yourself!" A Shinigami Captain with white hair, and rather short, let out a shout, appearing in a burst of Shunpo with a sword drawn.
Aizen looked at the Captain then at me. "Captain Hitsugaya, I'm trying to subdue this Ryoka."
"He's lying, he's with the Hollows." I pointed out.
"Nonsense, I am a – " His eyes widened and I realized what he was looking at. The Quincy got up, and the star on his mask was shining bright. "Bakudō #4, Hainawa." He cast another Kidō, an ethereal chain shot out, grabbing hold of the short Captain, and Aizen used it to yank him into the way of a star-like beam of energy launched by the Quincy.
"Star Flash!"
"Aizen!" The Captain looked back with eyes filled with horror.
"Dick." I called out, holding my hand up. "Greater Ward." I cast my own defensive spell, protecting the Captain. The blow was enough that my Ward nearly shattered from the impact, and I had to pump a significant amount of Magical Energy to maintain it.
I nearly lost my grip when Aizen swung his sword again, my Aura flaring up to block it. I quickly yanked Mirage out of the ground with a thought, returning it to my hand and our fight continued.
The Shinigami Captain broke free from the chains and turned to attack Aizen who merely flashed his blade. "Shatter – Kyōka Suigetsu." And the Captain Shinigami seemed to fly off and fight the Quincy.
"What a broken ability." Yoruichi did say he had strong illusions or something.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who broke free of it." He glowered, swinging his blade again as our song and dance continued once more. He glanced up to see the giant Fiery bird start to flicker out of existence, under the assault of so many opponents, but the Shinigami were also engaging with the Quincy at the moment. "I am running out of time. Release me!" He roared, gathering a significant amount of Reiatsu around him, striking downward at my arm with the accumulated power.
I dismissed my Power of Destruction and summoned the Boosted Gear onto my arm. The sheer force did send a shiver through my body, but it wasn't enough to harm the Boosted Gear, despite the ground beneath us cracking and sundering.
"Gin." Aizen growled out and a tear through space opened up, similar to the one the Hollows were using.
"Heyo, bossman, you called?" The lackadaisical Captain appeared with that eerie smile of his.
"Well, that's not good." I looked at the guy smiling brightly in my direction.
"Remove him!"
"If you insist~"
"Ara, should you be doing that, Ichimaru-kun?" Shusui stepped over in a blur, looking slightly weathered. "Aizen is currently wanted for questioning, do you really want to listen to his orders?"
Ichimaru Gin scratched his cheek. "Well, guess we're in the open now, eh boss?"
Aizen seethed further as the other two Shinigami clashed.
"I owe you one, Shunsui!" I called out as their quick speeds made them disappear from the immediate vicinity.
"I'm keeping a Talley!" I could vaguely hear as he departed.
"Anyways, -- Boost." I called out and Aizen almost slumped over at the sudden increase in strength I put out and my own power swelled up, I could see that he was in actual pain and his wrist almost crunched. My other swords shot out of my Ring, and the Shinigami looked cautious.
He glanced up to the sky, the Hollows weren't just hanging out either. They too were coming under fire, but at another gesture of his, they all turned to look right at me, charging up a very similar attack once more.
I quickly turned my swords out and shot them towards the sky, impaling several of those massive hollows before they could finish because even I would be wary about being hit by over a hundred of those all at once.
But there were in fact too many for me to just cleave my way out of.
I did some very quick calculations, my point on both the X and Y Axis as I leaned backwards, to avoid Aizen's blade from cleaving my throat. Their actual location as they were hiding in another Dimension, and snapped my fingers. For each beam of condensed Reiryoku that was fired off, I created two portals, one to receive, and one to redirect at the source.
The Ceros as they were named, essentially shot into portals, and came out the other end, blowing themselves up. It's a petty trick that any competent opponent could counter, but for these sort of mindless beasts, it was more than effective.
I looked at Aizen and took a big breath.
He must have sensed something was coming because he went into panic mode immediately. "Bakudō #44, Sekisho!"
"Fus Ro Dah!" I bellowed out at near point blank.
The Spiritual Shield he summoned vibrated and shattered. His Reiatsu flared up impressively once more and his feet buried into the ground as he roared, withstanding the attack and not letting his grip on the object waver.
"You are the single most infuriating individual I've ever met!" He had some blood dripping from his mouth.
I was curious if his hand even had feeling anymore? It was basically pulled from its socket, crushed, and even destroyed partially by my bloodline, yet he held on.
"Noted. But here's a question for you, why did it suddenly turn dark?" I asked.
He blinked, then looked up at the sky as the sun had disappeared. It was completely covered by storm clouds. I used that moment to portal away a few 'allies' that were a little too close for my liking.
My Whisper had been doing work.
A massive thunderous boom drew the attention of the battlefield. The thunderclaps reverberated throughout all of Soul Society. Lightning arced between the dark sky, dancing from cloud to cloud.
Two massive hands shot out of the clouds, pulling the rest of its titanic form forward. The construct made entirely of Lightning roared to life, an equally massive Hammer made of the same element appeared between its flowing fingers, gathering every ounce of lingering energy before reaching the precipice.
"Thor's Hammer." I declared.
Aizen tried to run away. The amount of Reiryoku he gathered under his feet was impressive and he shot into the air, trying to gain some kind of distance, but it was hopeless, I held him tight and didn't let him escape.
The hammer was brought down, Divine Punishment, one might say, and everyone else scattered.
It was at that moment that Aizen finally made the smart decision to literally cut his losses, even if he was a moment or two too late.
Even my own vision was engulfed with Lighting as the rock formation that we were sitting on was nearly reduced to rubble and a pillar of Lightning soared to the sky.
My Aura flared and my Semblance was activated, but that doesn't mean I could completely avoid my own big attack so easily. I felt sore and pained after even all of that. Like having just metaphysically punched myself in the face.
The ground beneath my feet was no longer present, yet I slowly glided downwards. I had yet to fully understand the method that these Shinigami used to 'fly' thus I had to rely upon my own familiar method.
My Wings sprouted behind my back, and I gently touched down on the nearest threshold that wouldn't collapse under my weight.
I also held the severed hand of a certain Shinigami within my Boosted Gear clad arm, complete with the strange object he was so keen on obtaining.
There was an eerie silence that perpetuated the battlefield, however. As in, no one was no longer fighting, instead, all eyes were now turned upon me. Quincy who had been fighting with Shinigami had ceased, and even the Shinigami who were fighting each other had stopped, just to look my way.
It kind of makes me self conscious when people stare at my wings.
"What, have none of you ever seen a Devil before?"
[***]
A/N
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