As the attack group began to make their way into the main cavern, Soi-Fon stepped in front of Yoruichi and held out her right hand with the palm facing upwards. "Bakudō 3: Hakkō Gaido!"
A small blue-white orb appeared, no larger than an apple. It then floated upwards until it was over Soi-Fon's head, casting light around her. Other Soul Reapers, particularly those up front, were casting the same spell, and Yoruichi had already done so. Classified as a Binding Spell because it 'bound' a tiny bit of spirit energy from the caster to create light, the technique was quite useful for illuminating dark environments. It wasn't as harsh as its Destruction Spell counterpart, Nikkō Bāsuto, and it could be sustained for far longer; almost indefinitely by a sufficiently skilled caster. The spell was also useful in that it could be maintained with almost no conscious thought, leaving the caster free to fight under the orb's light rather than face their opponent in darkness.
Spell casting isn't Soi-Fon's primary area of expertise, thought Yoruichi with a smile, but she's still done a very good job of maintaining her skills in that realm.
To her right, Kisuke smirked. "Aren't we just a merry band of warriors?"
Yoruichi chuckled; the tension in the group could be cut with a knife, so any attempt at humor was welcome. "Merry might be a bit of an exaggeration."
"We need to stay focused, Kisuke!" snapped Soi-Fon, "Now's not the time for your quips!"
Kisuke shook his head. "Looks like someone's a little high-strung today. What's the matter, Soi-Fon? Pre-mission jitters keep you up past your bedtime last night?"
Soi-Fon glared at him. "Shut up!"
Yoruichi smiled. "Now, now, Soi-Fon; play nice. We're all on the same team here, remember?"
Kisuke gave her a playful punch to the shoulder. "You know you'd miss me if something terrible happened down here!"
Soi-Fon folded her arms. "Unlikely."
She would, Yoruichi mused, Kisuke's her comrade, and Soi-Fon cares in her own way… although she'll never admit it.
Up ahead she saw a pair of scouts racing towards them. Their swords weren't drawn, and Yoruichi couldn't hear or see any signs of pursuit, but the two Soul Reapers looked quite nervous.
"What did you find?" she asked as they came up to her.
"The main nest is just down there," said the first one, a woman with short-cropped black hair, "There are more than we expected!"
"How many more?" asked Kisuke.
"We counted… at least forty," said the second scout, a red-haired young man, as he struggled to catch his breath, "There could… be more hiding down there."
"Forty," murmured Soi-Fon as she gave the attack group a once-over, "We should be able to take them, but…"
"It might get messy," Yoruichi finished for her, "Busting out our most powerful techniques could bring the cave down on our heads, so it'll be mostly blade work. We'll have to be careful."
"You almost sound nervous, Captain Shihōin," said Rhaegon from off to the side with a smirk, "That's not like you."
"Caution never hurt anyone, Drakken," Yoruichi replied firmly, "It's certainly warranted given the circumstances."
"What kind of Hollows did you see?" asked Soi-Fon, "Are there any Menos down there?"
The first scout shook her head. "No… I don't think the caverns are big enough for them."
"A Gillian couldn't fit down here," said the second, "An Adjuchas, though…"
"That might be a problem," Kisuke admitted.
Yoruichi nodded. "If we encounter one, we might actually be better off luring it to the surface. It'll be easier to deal with it out in the open than in a tight environment like this."
"That'll put the students in danger, though," Soi-Fon pointed out.
"Not if I keep it focused on me," Yoruichi countered, "If we do find one, I'm pretty sure I can distract it while you and Kisuke get the students clear. Once they're safe, I'll be able to play for keeps."
"Kisuke can see to the students," said Soi-Fon, "Any of the other officers can. I'm your bodyguard, so I'm not leaving your side, Lady Yoruichi."
Yoruichi smiled. "I appreciate that, but I don't know if you're ready for a fight like that yet. A Gillian I know you can take, but an Adjuchas is a whole different beast."
"I can take one," Soi-Fon argued, "You've trained me, Lady Yoruichi! I know I have what it takes to defeat one!"
Yoruichi nodded. "I appreciate the vote of confidence in the instruction I've given you over the years, but we need to be realistic, Soi-Fon. Hopefully we won't have to test you in such a manner today."
"We'll know more once we're down there," said Kisuke, nodding at the darkness ahead, "The sooner we get down there, the better. I know we can suppress our spiritual pressure, but given our numbers the Hollows are bound to be aware of us."
"You're probably right," said Yoruichi grimly, "We need to strike now."
The attack group pressed onwards, and Yoruichi instinctively moved her hand so that it hovered over the hilt of her Zanpakutō. She would be ready to engage at the drop of a hat, and her quick-draw skills would very much come in handy in an environment like this.
As they drew closer to where the scouts had come from, Yoruichi began to hear noises coming from down the cavern. It sounded like heavy breathing, claws scraping on stone, drool dripping from fangs, and more. The very air grew foul as they drew near their goal, and Yoruichi saw more than one Soul Reaper's nose wrinkle in disgust.
It's a Hollow nest, she thought, What were they expecting? It was never going to smell like a spring picnic…
"We're close," Soi-Fon whispered.
"How do you want to play this?" asked Kisuke.
Yoruichi's eyes narrowed. "Blind and blitz. Sound good to you, Drakken?"
Squad Ten's Captain smiled. "I'm game. Would you like to do the honors?"
"We'll do it together," Yoruichi replied, "The light bursts will be more effective in tandem."
Rhaegon nodded. "Very well, then."
The two Captains stepped forward before holding out their hands and unleashing their spells as one. "Hadō 6: Nikkō Bāsuto!"
There may have been no incantation chanted, but the power of the Captains was such that it wasn't needed for the spell to be effective. Two large and blazing orbs of bright white light shot forward, and after traveling down into darkness a significant way they burst together, illuminating a vast cavern.
One that was filled to bursting with Hollows.
None of the gathered beasts stood out to Yoruichi as a potential Adjuchas, but it was a large crowd; there was always the possibility that one was using the lesser Hollows as camouflage. Even if there were no Menos to contend with today, that didn't mean that they could let their guard down; rank and file Hollows were plenty dangerous in their own right, as Yoruichi knew from more than her share of firsthand experience.
The scouts were wrong, she thought grimly as she assessed the situation, I'm willing to bet there are way more than forty of these beasts down here. That still won't stop me from taking them down.
She drew her Zanpakutō in the blink of an eye. "Attack!"
"Send these foul beasts into the abyss!" Rhaegon commanded.
Taking full advantage of her speed and the remaining light from the twin Kidō bursts, Yoruichi Flash Stepped forward and decapitated the closest Hollow before the beast could so much as raise a claw to defend itself. The other nearby Hollows immediately charged, swinging wildly with their arms and lunging forward trying to snap her up in their jaws, but Yoruichi was already on the move. She leapt onto the back of one beast and plunged her sword into its head before jumping clear of the creature and stabbing another through the chest. Ducking to avoid a swipe from a powerful arm that ended in fearsome claws, Yoruichi swiftly cut the limb off before carving up the Hollow that it had belonged to.
"Lady Yoruichi!" cried Soi-Fon as she stabbed a Hollow in the back, "You mustn't be so reckless!"
Yoruichi smiled at her bodyguard as she thrust her blade straight through the mask of her next target. "No need to worry, Soi-Fon. I know what I'm doing!"
"It's my duty to protect you!" Soi-Fon argued as she sliced another Hollow's arm off before stabbing it in the throat, "I could never forgive myself if anything happened to you! I won't allow it!"
Yoruichi laughed as she cut a beast's head clean off. "That's sweet, Soi-Fon. I'll make sure to take care of myself to spare you any grief."
Soi-Fon shook her head before kicking a Hollow hard enough to send the creature flying into the nearest wall. "Let's just kill these vermin and get out of here!"
Yoruichi grinned. "Bet I can take down more than you!"
Turning her words into action, she backflipped over a charging Hollow. As she came down she slammed her foot into the back of the creature's neck, sending it crashing to the floor. Her coup de grace came as she plunged her Zanpakutō into the beast's skull. She swiftly withdrew her blade and rolled to the side to avoid a swipe from another foe's claws. As she came back up she thrust her blade into her attacker's shoulder before pulling it out and making a second strike, this one catching the Hollow at the base of its jaw and plunging the sword into the monster's brain.
She was about to strike down another beast that was coming at her from the side when her Third Seat beat her to the punch. Drawing his Zanpakutō and attacking in a single fluid motion, Kisuke cut off the Hollow's legs at the knees, and his follow-up attack took the beast's head clean off.
"Looks like we've really stirred things up," he said with a smile, "Quite a lively bunch here, don't you think?"
"That's one way to put it!" Yoruichi replied as she casually whirled around and sliced a Hollow that had been trying to attack her from behind in half.
"Now's not the time for banter, Kisuke!" Soi-Fon growled as she stabbed another beast in the throat, "We have work to do!"
Kisuke nodded before plunging his sword into a Hollow's torso. "That we do. Given the crowd, I guess I'd better kick things up a notch. You don't mind, do you?"
"Just be careful," said Yoruichi as she nailed a Hollow in the head with a spin kick before slicing clean through its neck, "I'd rather avoid us causing a cave-in while we're down here."
Kisuke smiled as he casually ducked beneath a swiping arm that was almost as thick as his torso. "I think I can manage that."
Whirling around and cleaving the attacking limb from the beast that had used it to attack him, Kisuke's grin turned devious as he held out his Zanpakutō. "Awaken, Benihime!"
Yoruichi felt a surge of spiritual pressure as her old friend unleashed his Shikai. The Zanpakutō glowed with crimson energy as it transformed from a katana into something much more unique. Like a katana, it was still a single-edged sword, but now it was a straight blade instead of a curved one, and it was slightly thicker than it had been in its sealed state. Rather than tapering at the end like a traditional katana, Benihime's Shikai form had tip that ended in a slanted razor-like edge. Meanwhile, the weapon's hilt had significantly changed as well. The grip, which had black decorative wrapping, bent forwards towards the end and had a crimson tassel hanging from it. Rather than a traditional tsuba, the base of the blade now had a U-shaped guard that went up the first three inches of the sword and had a flower-petal design engraved upon it. There was a red string wrapped thrice around the hilt, and it was topped off by a three-loop bow on the back side while a folded paper decoration hung from the front.
Kisuke's smile then became downright cruel. "Sing, Benihime."
He made a broad swing with his sword, and from the arc of the strike flew a torrent of blood-red energy. The wide burst of power cut the Hollow that had attacked Kisuke in half, and it wasn't the only beast to fall; three more monsters were torn apart by the crimson wave of energy.
Yoruichi smirked as she cut down another foe. "Not bad. It's been awhile since you've let her enjoy herself!"
Kisuke chuckled as he blocked a strike from a Hollow before plunging his sword into its chest. "True, but this won't be enough to satisfy her. She wants bigger prey than what we're up against here!"
"She'll have to deal with whatever comes our way today," Yoruichi replied as she ducked beneath a vicious swipe from a Hollow's claws, "She shouldn't be greedy."
She brought her foot up and delivered a solid kick in the chin to the Hollow before cutting its arm off and finishing it off with a stab to the neck. Another monster tried to attack her from behind, but Soi-Fon swiftly intercepted it. Yoruichi saw her bodyguard grab the Hollow by the arm and toss it as though the creature weighed next to nothing. As the beast hit the ground, Soi-Fon pounced on top of it and jammed her blade straight through its skull.
Despite all the beasts that the three of them had already killed, there were still plenty more to go. Yoruichi couldn't help but chuckle as she caught Soi-Fon giving Kisuke the occasional envious glance as he tore into the Hollows with his Shikai. It was obvious what her bodyguard wanted to do, and Yoruichi was inclined to indulge her, although she did wonder why Soi-Fon felt like she needed permission to unleash her true power in the first place.
"No need to be jealous of him, Soi-Fon," said Yoruichi with a smirk as she decapitated a Hollow, "If you want to compete with Kisuke, then what are you waiting for? Go for it!"
Soi-Fon's eyes widened slightly as she leapt over a Hollow before kicking it into the ground and plunging her blade into its back. "Lady Yoruichi, are you sure? My Shikai's still incomplete!"
"Of course!" Yoruichi replied as she kicked another beast in the face, "It'll be good practice for you, after all! If there's one place where your Zanpakutō is guaranteed to grow, it's the battlefield!"
Soi-Fon smiled. "All right, then!"
Ducking beneath a Hollow's claws before stabbing the beast in the throat, Soi-Fon then leapt back to give herself a bit of breathing room to release her weapon's power. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"
The blade was bathed in red-white energy before the Zanpakutō transformed into its Shikai state. When the light had faded, the weapon had undergone a radical shift. Rather than a wakizashi, Soi-Fon's Zanpakutō now took on the form of a black and gold gauntlet that was worn on her right forearm. A small golden chain linked the gauntlet to a golden-yellow 'stinger' blade that was fitted over Soi-Fon's middle finger. The stinger blade was roughly twice the length of her finger, and when taken together with the gauntlet it looked like a hornet had taken up residence on her forearm and hand. While small as far as Zanpakutō releases were concerned, Yoruichi knew full well just how deceptive that size could be; the weapon was still capable of blocking attacks from both Hollow claws and swords if wielded correctly, and its slender, form-fitting nature actually was an asset in that it allowed Soi-Fon to use it with remarkable speed and flexibility.
Rushing forward, Soi-Fon immediately plunged her stinger blade into the chest of a Hollow. In addition to creating a rather deep puncture wound, a moment later a butterfly-shaped mark appeared directly over the point of impact. Swiftly withdrawing her blade, Soi-Fon then stabbed the exact same spot a second later. The Hollow stumbled, and its entire body began to seize up. It tried to attack Soi-Fon, but its movements were a jerky and uncoordinated mess. After a few seconds of flailing around, the Hollow was engulfed in crimson energy. A moment later there was a flash as the butterfly mark expanded, and then the Hollow completely disintegrated.
Nigeki Kessatsu, thought Yoruichi as she casually slashed through a Hollow's throat, Soi-Fon's definitely getting better with it. The poison Suzumebachi exudes seems to be working a little faster now, too.
When Soi-Fon had protested that her Shikai was still incomplete, Yoruichi had been well aware that it wasn't the weapon's actual combat effectiveness that her bodyguard had been doubting. As had just been demonstrated, Soi-Fon's Zanpakutō was more than capable of handling Hollows even if she was still refining its abilities. It was more an issue of fine details rather than anything else. For example, the butterfly-shaped marks that appeared on a target's flesh, known as Hōmonka, could currently only be maintained by the force of Soi-Fon's will for approximately ten minutes. In a fast-paced fight such as the one they were involved in now, that was hardly a concern, as Soi-Fon had just proven by how swiftly she had taken down her target. However, from what Yoruichi understood, her bodyguard believed that the crests were capable of remaining for much longer than that; Soi-Fon just lacked the strength to make that possible. There was also the issue of the venom; from what Soi-Fon had told Yoruichi, it seemed that Suzumebachi's poison was actually still developing and had the potential to act faster with further development of Soi-Fon's power.
While Nigeki Kessatsu was a technique geared towards single targets, Soi-Fon was more than capable of applying it in a large fight. Thanks to Yoruichi's tutelage, her bodyguard was highly proficient in both Hohō and Hakuda, and the Shikai form of her Zanpakutō was practically tailor-made to take advantage of those skills. Her speed allowed her to land the required two hits before most Hollows were capable of fully comprehending their peril. It was also well suited to hit and run attacks; she could land the initial blow on one Hollow, then mark another beast or two before coming back around to deliver the fatal second strike when her foe least expected it. It wasn't as effective as Kisuke's Benihime for taking on multiple opponents simultaneously, but it was deadly nonetheless.
While Yoruichi and her subordinates had formed the tip of the spear, they were hardly engaging the enemy by themselves. Their initial lightning strike had naturally drawn the attention of most of the other Hollows, and that had provided an ideal opening for the rest of the Soul Reapers in the attack group to engage. The frontline hitters for Squads Two and Ten were now fully engaged with the enemy, and they were making an impressive dent in the Hollows' numbers.
As she cut down another foe she saw Rhaegon carving a bloody swath through the monstrous horde. Despite her personal dislike of the man, Yoruichi would freely admit that his skill in the art of Zanjutsu was impressive. Squad Ten's Captain was an absolute natural with a blade, as the Hollows were finding out rather brutally today. His swordsmanship was as efficient as it was elegant, to the point that it almost looked like he was dancing around his foes as cleaved limbs and heads from them. Like Yoruichi, Rhaegon was keeping his Zanpakutō in its sealed form, which was definitely a good thing; she'd seen his Shikai before, and while it would normally be quite useful in a large-scale fight, it also would've had just as much of a chance of causing a cave-in as Yoruichi's if something went wrong.
It's always strange to find things that he and I have in common, she mused as she cut a Hollow's arms off before finishing it off with a stab to the neck, but in the case of our Shikais, it's true; they're good for a brawl, but the amount of power they throw around is not to be taken lightly.
Rhaegon's Lieutenant, however, was not under the same constraints. As Yoruichi saw Obran pull his sword out of a Hollow's chest, she felt a surge of spiritual pressure as the man released his Zanpakutō.
"Arise and bite, Akai Baipā!" he said with a smirk.
In a flash of red-white light, his sword transformed into an ornate spear. The handle and shaft were composed of a dark wood that looked polished to almost a mirror-sheen, and the very bottom of it was capped with a small steel point. Meanwhile, the actual business-end of the weapon was a blade with waved edges. A red and bronze serpent coiled around the base of the blade, fusing it with the shaft. Two small rubies served as 'eyes' for the snake, and they were glowing with spirit energy.
A Hollow lunged at Obran, who responded by sweeping the spear across the beast's torso. The cut was quite shallow, and at first glance it appeared to have minimal impact on the creature. However, as the monster tried to attack the Lieutenant again, Yoruichi could tell that its moves were slowing down. The creature's breathing soon became ragged, and that was followed by the Hollow gnashing its teeth in what was clearly pain.
Soi-Fon's not the only Soul Reaper that wields a poisoned Zanpakutō, thought Yoruichi as she tripped a Hollow with a sweeping kick before stabbing it in the back of the head, I almost feel sorry for that beast; Akai Baipā's a slow killer… and a very painful one.
A battlefield was hardly the place to take one's sweet time in dispatching the enemy, though, so rather than allow his enemy to suffer the full agony of his weapon's venom, Obran made a quick thrust that sent the spear straight through the Hollow's gut. He then swiftly withdrew his Zanpakutō, and the beast dissolved a few seconds later as it hit the ground.
Obran wasn't even looking at the Hollow as it died; he had already turned his attention to his next foes. Whirling the spear around him, he inflicted a multitude of cuts on the group of beasts that had been trying to swarm him, and as they recoiled in pain he then finished them off in rapid succession with precise thrusts to their throats. As the Hollows fell around him, Obran smirked and spun his Zanpakutō in an artful flourish before engaging a fresh set of foes. Squad Ten's Lieutenant had a reputation as a rather flashy fighter, but there was no denying his effectiveness, and Yoruichi knew that despite his penchant for showmanship Obran could also be quite crafty in a skirmish. He certainly wasn't a foe to be taken lightly, as the Hollows were finding out the hard way.
Obran wasn't the only one of Rhaegon's subordinates that was unleashing their Zanpakutō. A little way past the Lieutenant, Yoruichi caught a glimpse of Squad Ten's Third Seat, and the surge in his spiritual pressure was all she need to know that Isshin Shiba was getting down to business.
"Burn, Engetsu!" he shouted.
Physically, the sword did not change, but the sudden surge in spiritual pressure was all anyone needed to know that Shiba's Shikai had been unleashed. The blade became sheathed in spirit energy that engulfed the tassels trailing from the hilt, creating long streams of power flowing from the weapon.
He may be a Third Seat, thought Yoruichi as she plunged her blade into a Hollow's back, but his spiritual pressure is easily Lieutenant-class at least. In fact, in terms of raw power, he might actually be stronger than Obran…
She was concerned that the sheer strength of the energy flowing from Engetsu might pose a risk to the integrity of the cave they were fighting in, but Isshin seemed to have it under control. As a group of Hollows charged him, Isshin met them head-on. Yoruichi was intrigued when she saw him actually bite one of his own fingers hard enough to draw blood, but the reason for such a strange action was revealed a moment later as he then spat that blood onto his sword. A wave of blue-white energy ripped forth a moment later and reduced the whole group of Hollows to nothing more than ash.
"Captain Shihōin!" cried one of her subordinates, "We have a problem!"
As she cut down another monster, Yoruichi saw a female Soul Reaper with short-cropped black hair running towards her. She wasn't being pursued, but Yoruichi was still determined to make sure that the woman was able to deliver her message safely.
"Soi-Fon, Kisuke, cover me!" she ordered.
"Right!" Soi-Fon replied.
"You got it!" called Kisuke.
She rushed over to her subordinate, cutting down any Hollows that were unfortunate enough to get in her way. As she drew near, Kisuke and Soi-Fon took over, carving out a bit of much needed space for Yoruichi to hear her messenger out.
"What's happened?" she asked.
"Several Hollows have broken off from the main group!" the woman replied, "They made for one of the side passages and are heading for the surface as we speak!"
"Shit!" Yoruichi hissed, "Who's closest to them?"
"Our Tenth Seat's team," she said, "He wants your permission to pursue; he believes that this group is too strong for the interceptors to handle on their own!"
Yoruichi nodded. "Let him know that he can go after them. I'll send someone with you to clear a path."
The woman nodded. "Understood, Captain Shihōin."
Yoruichi then turned to her Third Seat. "Kisuke, go with her! Make sure she gets to where she needs to go no matter what, you got that?"
Kisuke nodded as he shredded a group of Hollows with a burst of crimson energy from Benihime. "Understood!"
"Soi-Fon, with me!" Yoruichi ordered.
With that, she plunged back into the fray.