Requiem of the Night

Introit
The starry night sky was dark. The beauty of the gleam in the sky accompanied by the cool breeze felt calm to the touch. All of nature was seemingly at peace..for a moment. Disrupting the peace, a swirling portal erupted from the sky. The full moon shined magnificently as young man appeared from the portal. He sported few wounds, slowly healed from the time spent in the escaping portal. A scowl was across his face as he looked around; the towering trees stood overhead and the cows of birds flying overhead were sounded. "Oh, how I hate nature" he said distastefully, before leaping toward the branch of a tree. Within a few more leaps and bounds, he found himself perched atop a tree in a park, reminiscing of his [http://betterbleachfanfiction.wikia.com/wiki/Assignment:_Clash_of_Trickery! past battle and escape] that had only occurred 24 hours ago, give or take an hour. Eying a couple that sat at the park bench below him, he grinned wickedly. In seconds, a set horrific screams sounded and then..utter silence. The mangled body of two lovers lay in the grass, and towering over them, Zenchō Maebure. "Oh, how I love their blood." he said, licking his lips slowly he read the shirt of the male, "Davis, Year 11 at Karakura High School".

---

Myst was talking to one of her many spies that had links back to the Seireitei. He had news that sent shivers down the woman's spine, a rare thing to accomplish these days. The spy informed her of a Reikon Kyuuban who recently appeared out of nowhere, effectively nowhere at any rate. From the sparse details that were known, she knew that whoever it was was an expert at hiding. As the spy walked away, Myst pondered how to find the man, the few details she was given would make even the most hardened tracker become lost in the chase unless he knew what to look for. Just as tried to think of someone, she mentally face-palmed herself. I have his cell number, why not call and see if he can help me?

Without a moment to hesitate, she dialed the numbers rapidly, hoping she could get hold of him before it was too late. "Come on, come on....I don't have time for this." Finding she had reached his voice mail, she had to find a way to word the reason for the call. "Ryuichi, It's Myst. I need help. Something big's going down and needless to say, I cannot handle it alone. Call me ASAP. Thanks." she said, hanging up and already wondering who this new Reikon Kyuuban was.

---

He drummed his fingers across his desk as he examined ADA's body laid flat on what appeared to be an operating table. His eyebrows furrowed in thought, as he examined the readings on his laptop. A myriad of data ran across the screen and with each passing second Ryuichi's frown deepened. ADA had grown increasingly....erratic the past week, every since his battle with that psychotic Shinigami. He knew the dangers of this dark energy she was accumulating but he had no idea that the rate would increase as it did by using the Final Form. It had exceeded all of his expectations. Hmm perhaps---

"--essage for you master." Drawn out of his thoughts, he glanced towards ADA. He was almost startled to find her mere inches from his face. Blue eyes, with a hint of something...foreign stared back at silver, and he was forced swallow the lump in his throat. Sometimes that stare held a sense of admiration, respect...even longing. At other times....it was like looking in the eyes of a predator.

This was one of those times. And they were becoming increasingly common. His mind however raced back to her previous comment, and although he only caught a fraction of it, he still understood the message.

No pun intended.

"Yes, ADA, what is it?" He asked, giving her a pointed look that conveyed in so many words, that she was invading his personal space. Apparently taking note of his discomfort, ADA casually distanced herself, walking around his desk with an almost sensual charm. How a mechanical construct could even conceive of, let alone pull it off astounded him.

"Myst has left you a voice-mail. She sounded...distraught. She requires your aid, it appears urgent. Perhaps you should...?" She let the question hang in the air. He might have been able to fool his classmates, hell even his own father, but he could never fool her. Her growing rampancy had all but dominated his thoughts since their return. He had spent countless hours toiling away from a solution that was intent on evading him. Still, Myst was a friend, probably one of the few he had in this world, he could do to help her out. After-all he did give her his word.

"Alright, I'll contact her, prepare my things ADA." She was already underway before the words left his mouth. Just another reason he felt so helpless. ADA was silent, but even he could see the worry in her eyes. Not just for herself but him as well. Regardless, they had a job to do, idly he wondered just what sort problem Myst had gotten herself into as he dialed her number.

---

Myst knew Ryuichi would take a short while to get ready, given how he was prepared for everything. However, such a matter as the one that she was in left little time to sit around. She knew the list of places where the monster decided to feed and the names of the victims. Never before had any Reikon Kyuuban in history, as far as she knew, carelessly fed on people, almost leaving the trail of corpses to taunt anybody who knew the truth of the murders. The mass media portrayed it like gang violence and hoodlums taking advantage of the "Twilight" film series' popularity to effectively find more fictional ways to kill targets. Myst knew better. The way the corpses looked so shrunk and hollow. A mere mortal could never have done that, only a true bloodsucking monster could. Whoever the guy was, he was giving RK in general a bad reputation. She thought of calling her friends in the Gotei 13, but threw the notion away as soon as it came. Not that Atsuya would decline helping her, but him openly aiding her would put his very existence at risk, and their friends' as well.

Something in the list of the drained people commonly showed up. ''They all attend the same school. Not to mention the times of death were consistent with when RK normally feed and some of the locations are near the school to begin with. Something tells me that if I stake out the school long enough, whoever it is will show up, or perhaps make a mistake.'' She thought, walking over to her closet and debating to blend in with the crowd or just sit outside and wait. Wonder if a few of my contacts would be able to pull a few strings? Deciding to just go take a look around, she was able to get to the school with little trouble, mostly because there was no class that day. Whoever the killer was, he was extremely good at hiding the unmistakable feel of the RK's hardwired sense of malice that lingers days, sometimes more, after the kill.

"Nothing. Just nothing. So, he doesn't kill here, but every victim attends...He's probably well liked in that case. I wish I had another hint, something that would tell me about this guy." She whispered to herself.

"Sometimes, the absence of evidence is in of itself a clue." A voice said behind her.

Myst turned to see none other than Ryuichi, dressed in his typical school uniform. With just a glance it was obvious that Ryuichi had gotten stronger since their last meaning, likely having refined his existing techniques. Yet to her perceptible eye, she could tell there was a noticeably wear in his eyes, faint signs of stress dotted all across his normally masked features.

He seemed so...old.

Ryuichi took the time to examine the area, drifting from one spot to the next, hands carefully tracing themselves across grass and concrete in a precise manner. It was almost as if he already knew what to look for, and was just verifying his own intuition. This continued for over ten minutes, and once he was finished he returned looking less than pleased.

"You were right to contact me. Whoever this is, he's good at hiding his presence, fortunately not good enough." He began. The praise seemed odd given his usual demeanor, but the way he described the man's skills hinted at the gravity of the situation.

"I found traces of residual spiritual energy, usually they would have faded after a few hours, since most students rarely have enough to leave a fresh trail for long. But I've been able to track the victims. When I realized that, I had ADA analyze their spiritual frequency just to be sure, and found an anomaly." He paused as though gathering his thoughts, though it was likely he was trying to find some analogy in explaining his findings. After a moment, he continued.

"Every spiritual power has a unique spiritual wavelength associated with it, a frequency if you will. In the victims I detected a variance, it was as if something had superimposed itself over their spiritual power. Unless you were a Quincy, you wouldn't have detected it. Given the times of death, we can infer that he spent some time tracking them in the early evening and then struck later."

His gaze spoke volumes of his control. He was furious, the fact that so many murders had occurred at his own school. The fact that he hadn't even noticed until now must have been eating at him.

"I'll need to examine the bodies." He asked rather than stated.

Myst nodded. "Then come. I will take you to the poor souls who've fallen to this monster." she said, opening her signature wormhole to her now overly vacant mansion's lowest level. "Ryuichi, I need to tell you something first. Before we see their bodies, you need to know that a Reikon Kyuuban did this." she said solemnly, entering the portal. Once Ryuichi was safely in the room, she walked to a table and yanked off a sheet that covered a young woman who's skin was taut and dry, the tone grey and lifeless. "Sorry I have to show you your classmates like this. Honestly, it kills me to have to, but you're the only one I can trust with this."

He recognized them or what was left. Kikyo from mathematics, Akira from physical fitness, and more. Over half a dozen bodies littered the area, each one more gruesome than the next. He swept his gaze over the mounds of mutilated sunken flesh and bone. In others it was as if a wild animal had torn them to shreds, leaving only pieces; an arm here, a leg there. It showed a total disregard of life. In his mind, he could hear their hollow screams of agony as this monster ripped through them, as it drowned itself in their blood.

"We will make him pay master." ADA's voice assured him. But even with her assurances, he couldn't shake the feeling that he it was his fault. Had he not been so preoccupied he would have immediately noticed the signs. He should have been able to stop this, he could have stopped this. Instead, six families will have to bury their children without a body. His body shook with rage, but he steeled himself for what was to come. For now he would gather his evidence, and with Myst's help they would plan a course of attack. No matter what happened this night.

The bastard was going to die.

He pulled out his forensics kit, and began taking samples from all the bodies. He was methodical in his proceedings, and spoke to the bodies, conversing with them as though they were alive. He knew their spirits, had been devoured, existing as nothing more than a fleeting source of power for this fiend. Once he collected the evidence, he had ADA materialize and transform herself into a large piece of machinery, a miniature lab of sorts. He began tirelessly examining the samples for clues, from blood samples, to hair follicles to concentrated vials of residual spiritual energy. All the while Myst conversed with her contacts regarding possible locations and the nature of these attacks. It seemed that even her own subordinates found this to be appalling.

It was only an hour into his research that he made a breakthrough. It took some time, but he was able to piece together a working sample of the targets general spiritual composition. Mind you, recreating a specific wavelength of energy, one that would lead to the origin is extremely difficult. He had to decipher which fragments of energy where the students, then separate them. Then he had to create a link between what little physical evidence he obtained to the spiritual, but with ADA's help, what would have taken days took less than sixty minutes.

Within his hand, was an isolated aura of energy, the vampires energy to be exact. Now that he had a trace, he could finally begin tracking the monster down.

"I've got it!" He said, grabbing the attention of Myst. "I've managed to isolate his spiritual energy signature. Here, take it, make sure everyone knows it, with this we should be able to get a fix on his location. I assume you have a plan of attack?" He asked.

"Yeah. I got a plan. You'll get your vengeance this night. My subordinates will track him down and send us the information we need." Myst replied. "I wish I found out sooner. I could have stopped him."

Not long after Myst sent the information, messages were coming in, detailing where the monster was. "Ryuichi, we need to move. We got him cornered." she said, opening the portal, only this one didn't lead to where they were, or anywhere Myst or Ryuichi ever were, but the details that she received were enough to conceptualize where to do. The two emerged from the vortex quietly. The place was little more than a run down shack on the outskirts of town. Without a moment's pause, Myst transformed, turning her hair silver and her eyes red. ''This was too easy. That's never a good sign, but why look this gift horse in the mouth?'' her mind's eye saw both outcomes as equally likely, success and failure. "He's either here now, or somehow he knew. The signature's faint." she whispered to her partner in this endeavor.

Kyrie Eleison
From atop a small ragged shelter, Zenchō overlooked the growing crowd. He had been feeding for several days now, and had regained his might and now at perfect health. With a devious grin, he realized he had been cornered by growing numbers of what seemed like spiritual beings. Showing no concern, he stood perched at the top of his shelter. Unmoving and steadily, he gauged the power of the people around him. "So many fools. They'll be my next snack" he said darkly, before dropping several small spheres to the ground. Before him a portal opened, and with it, he vanished. "Those two are much more powerful then the others in the forest around me" he thought, as he fled from the forest his shanty shelter was immersed in. Escaping to a more...suitable terrain, he left a trail. He had purposefully murdered the students in plain sight, and left the bodies because he was getting bored. And killing a more powerful adversary would end the boredom that had left him with a feeling of emptiness following his battle with Tsubaki. This time his trail would be the steady increase in his spiritual pressure.

With leaps and bounds, he darted through the forest. An elaborate work on natures part, yet it was nothing compared to what he had been planning. And, just as he continued toward the northern mountains, a garganta erupted from his previous location. A decent swarm of Hollow invaded the forest and if left unchecked, the swarm would quickly invade Karakura Town. "That should keep the peons at bay so that I can deal with the strong ones" he stated. Stopping his running, he finally reached the base of the mountain. And after a moment of gasping for breath, he gradually climbed up the mountain attempting to ambush and strike his attackers from a better position.

"This will be enjoyable." he thought, soon reaching a cave.

Myst's acute senses picked up the sudden influx of incoming Hollows. "Crap...He's already trying to destroy us." she groaned. With a slight flick of her wrist, she signaled the others to protect the town. "I was afraid of this. They'll be fine, we need to destroy the one who took off to the mountains. We destroy him, we can finally put this nightmare behind us." Barely moving a muscle more than what would be required of her, she drew her Zanpakuto. While the others dealt with the Hollows, she saw the strange spheres. "On second thought, we might need one of those spheres to tell us what's going on."

Myst walked over to the spheres and picked one up. "He's using bait to draw the Hollows. Isn't that cheating?" she mused to herself, the idea of a cheating RK a bit amusing to her. "He's playing smart actually. He wanted me to send my teams to protect the town, eliminating the small fry and distract us. Wonder what he's planning..." she said aloud, for some reason wanting to fight the strange man they labeled a monster more than usual.

Ryuichi muttered a curse as his own spiritual senses detected the approaching horde of Hollows. Veering off with Myst, he silently examined the sphere's from a distance. From just a glance he could tell that these were modified Hollow Bait's, to what extent he was unsure, but the sheer number of Hollows hinted that they were of an advanced design. ADA's silence was also unnerving, she was conversing less and less as time passed, another indication of her rapid descent. He growled in irritation damning her rampancy and that monster for quite possibly accelerating the process. A small part of him felt ashamed, he was more concerned with ADA than dealing with the deaths of fellow students he had known for years. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he redirected his attention back to Myst and their present situation.

"He's trying to separate us from your subordinates. He wants to face us alone." He scowled. "He's not smart, he's just playing us. C'mon, lets finish this." Without another word, Ryuichi bounded off towards the mountain, Myst following in his tracks. The journey was short, as they soon reached the base of the mountain in only a few minutes. The scent of blood was fresh to Myst's enhanced senses, once again igniting her primal hunger, but she paid it no heed. Her thirst for vengeance for this injustice outweighed the petty instinct this time. With a nod to Ryuichi, the pair silently made their way up the mountain, caution prevalent in their every step. Finally they reached a large cave where the trail disappeared into.

Ryuichi simply flared his reiatsu, causing light to illuminate the darkness, with resolution, they walked into the mountains depths.

"Human...Reikon Kyuuban.....th-the hell" he murmured, sniffing out his possible prey, he stalked them from the caves jagged sides, taking comfort hiding behind the large pillars around them. Noticing the light, he chuckled all the while he continued moving about through the rocks. Using the data collected from his reishi collection, and common knowledge he inferred the following: "Ha! A Quincy, eh? That girl beside him might be troublesome. And the other woman, damn, " he paused for a second, remembering how the blood of a vampire cursed his life, thrusting him into turmoil and confusion. With a deep, drawn out growl that echoed through the thick cave walls he leaped from the safety of the pillars and began running down the cave at astonishing speeds. It was then, then and there, Zenchō had let out a deafening bark while running --his Reikon Kyuuban instinct overwhelming his threads of sanity with blood-thirst and revenge. He felt vengeful, for at long last the Reikon Kyuuban would feel his pain for taking his mother away from him. Deepening his descent into the cave, he quickly came to a halt before hastily spinning around on the ball of his feet leaving a small crater around his feet as he did so. "C'mon, c'mon. Come at me, and I shall devour you all!" he yelled, the crystallites near the back of the cave immersing him in a bright greenish light subsequently revealing a change in eye color, and something more...demonic in his spiritual pressure.

Overcome by insanity at the moment, he chose not to draw his bow and arrow, and instead head for the most violent death he could think of for his opponents. Drawing two katana from his waist, he bent at his knees and readily watched the only entrance into the green abyss, waiting for his three opponents to emerge. Steadily, his eyes flickered back and forth, to-and-fro, again and again his eyes bounced around the area. "I-I can't stop--too hungry.." he thought, his subconscious slowly fading away and leaving nothing behind, the array of emotions surging through him only furthered his deepening insanity...

Myst slowly moved in front of Ryuichi, feeling their target become more crazy by the second. Rather than allow the monster to become a viable threat, if he wasn't one yet, she had to attack. Taking no chances, she fired off a Kyūketsuki Ga Satsuei straight for his head, her inhuman eyes giving her near-total clarity in the dark cave. The blast's red glare was blindingly immense and the attack itself was larger the circumference of her head, meaning she wanted to both kill, and perhaps show off that after nineteen years of being a vampire, she wasn't a minor threat at all.

The blinding red glare of the incoming blasts shined brilliantly as it overcome the shadows in the cave. The coloration was beautiful as the crystallites of the cave bounced the red light of the vampire blast. Hastily, Zenchō lifted his blades in a defensive manner, and instantly the red blast impacted the demonic warrior. But, just then, two immense blasts erupted from the tips of the blade impacting the Kyūketsuki Ga Satsuei directly. Suddenly, the two impacted blasts ravaged at each other as the bright lights bounced around and particles of the two attacks shot off quickly. A ball of the colliding spiritual attacks formed and quickly exploded and dispersed about crashing into the walls of the caves. "I am Tokoyami" a voice said, once again concealed, this time by a wispy plume of smoke. "and I will kill you both..."

Ryuichi glanced at ADA with some concern. He knew the dangers of bringing her here, and had resigned himself to using a reconstructed GEMINI, order to stave off her impending rampancy. With a nod, he sent a telepathic message, indicating his plan, "At the very least", he thought, "she can provide peripheral support." Silently ADA materialized her own ZEUS, whilst sliding a Seele Schneider into the clip.

By the time Myst's attack had collided with the monsters own, Ryuichi was already underway with his plan. When the dust settled, a ring of four Seele Schneiders could be seen surrounding the cave walls, two on each corner of the corridor just a few feet forward and above Myst, along with another two directly below them. Ryuichi held the final Seele Schneider in his hand, ready to complete the ritual.

"You won't be able to dodge this next attack. Its going to tear the entire cavern apart, there's no place for you to hide. For one who ran like a coward, its only fitting you die like one." He said as he began to finish the last component of the infamous Sprenger.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, child" Zench ō spoke, his words daunting as he appeared in front of his attackers. "I picked this location for a reason. I could have simply shot you down from the mountains peak, or maybe, hidden within the shadows casted by the cave. But neither were sufficient." he explained, slamming the butt of his katana into the wall of the cave behind him. He slammed time and time again, relentlessly his attacks sped up and increased in power as he pounded the cave wall. Being a observer of Karakura for awhile now, Zench ō calmly enacted his plan and with a final strike a break extended down the length of the wall. Large cracks began to form and following it water flooded into the cave area, "a fitting death for me you say" he said carelessly, allowing the water to flood the cave, already reaching his kneecaps.

Almost in immediate reaction, Zench ō fired a blast from the katana's tip and shot toward the cave roof, sending boulders hurled down to the ground, more specifically, over the entrance of the cave. Meanwhile, Zench ō's person was encased in his own spirit energy, readying himself for the battle to change course. "Unnerving isn't it. Unable to do anything but baffle as you realize that the "trap" that you have attempted has utterly backfired. Idly standing by to watch yourself drown away and die. Pitiful." Unconcerned with the potential threat the Quincy attack held, Zench ō was assured survival as the water would prove beneficial to him.

Myst knew the water would fill fast, but she also knew that time wasn't a overtly important factor, as sooner or later, the cavern would flood and that would be exactly what the other Reikon would want, although she already planned hers and Ryuichi's escape. Once the situation grew dire enough, both of them in a panic, she'd make her move, but that could be avoided if she could end the fight before it got that far. "No, a fitting death would be your blood drained from your neck by my fangs. However, I promised Ryuichi the kill. Besides that, no matter what, you're at a disadvantage." She held out her hand and manifested her Zanpakto. "Light the sky, Gesshoku." The hilt of the sword was connected to a gauge by a chain, and that guage was already starting to fill. "When it gets to the half way point, you're dead."

---

Ryuichi scoffed in response to his enemies retort. Ordinarily he would have traded banter with the fiend, but the fact that several of his classmates were dead due to his own ignorance, compelled the arrogant prince to hold his tongue. Worthless insults wouldn’t honor their memory, nor would it kill this bastard fast enough. Fortunately his opponent was either a fool or blissfully ignorant of his opposition, either way, the advantage was to Ryuichi.

ADA hoisted her transformed arm, as a low hum echoed throughout the cavern, electricity dancing around the barrel of the rifle. For a moment, all was silent beyond the rushing water, and then she fired.

ZEUS is an Anti-Soul Armament designed as a miniature railgun, and so when it fired, it released a resounding boom, and a blinding flash of light, as the shot appeared as a beam of pure unadulterated destructive energy, cracking the earth around ADA, and evaporating the water beneath her. To simply state that it sped towards its target is a gross understatement, such raw power and technological ingenuity was nigh instantaneous. Evading such an attack was nearly impossible, even by Shinigami standards.

Yet a single moment before she fired, the loud syllables of Ryuichi’s voice echoed through the cave as he unleashed the Quincy Ginto "Gritz" upon the unsuspecting opponent, intent on trapping, or even distracting it long enough for ADA’s attack to strike true.

---

As the low-level Ginto moved was preformed by the young expert, blinding, glimmering light obscured the vision of all those present. Originating from the shady person, Zench ō, he scoffed as ADA's fatal blast seemingly struck its target on the dot. Timing his Hirenkyaku skillfully, he was able to conjoin that with his excellent hearing skills to theorize the speed and power of the attack, however it was far surpassing his expectations. Still not entirely aware of what the woman was, he used his unique style of combat in order to evade the brunt of the attack, only scathing the attack barely with his life, the blinding light came from the Rans ōtengai in use. All occuring in a matter of seconds, Zench ō's athletic skills proved themselves as his reaction and recovery was truly awe-worthy for human standards. While the base of his water was covered in water, Zench ō stood with his back straight and a sneer across his face, only barely hailing his life from ADA's attack and the Ginto technique. However, the baffling speed of the combined attack resembled a well pracitce orchestra who sounded perfectly in unison. The powerful combo, although well attempted by Zench ō, he was entirely uncapable of moving at the speed required to evade.

With his left arm burned from elbow to palm and the majority of his torso left badly damaged from the railgun attack, he ignored this while speaking, however his open mouth suddenly shut. Clearly, the Zench ō was in agony from the previous attack. Seconds past, before Zench ō could be seen without a shirt and the majority of his torso and left side was harmed. Tight and without a word, anyone partaking in battle could tell that Zench ō was scanning the area. Wasting nigh half a second, Zench ō cocked his head back before swinging it forthright his opponent, and upon the swinging motion of his skull, very imprudently dashed at his opponents. His body in the process of transforming into a colossal sized bat! With quick quakes in the earth, the bat dashed toward security and an open battlefield, although if he harmed his opponents in the process he wouldn't show displeasure. From the low ouput of spiritual power, one could easily feel pitiful for the psychopath as the previous strike razed his great amount of spiritual reserves.

---

Myst rolled away from the giant bat and glanced at it and the direction it was headed. Two thoughts were clear in her head, the first was that if it were to get outside, they'd miss their one good chance for a kill and the second was along the lines of "My God, that thing is huge. Even I can't replicate that." In order to stop the enormous flying creature, she knew she had to move and attempt to keep it within either her own or Ryuichi's sight at all times.

That thought was what spirred her most reckless action since becoming a Reikon Kyuuban. Running alongside the beast, she waited till it was about to take off and jumped astride it's back and grabbed fistfulls of it's fine hairs. "No ya don't fatty. I'm not letting you slip through my fingers."

---

"Useless." He said. Ryuichi's cold visage did not turn to regard the speeding demon as it flew past him whilst Myst, leapt on its back. ADA's feint had provided the necessary distraction, his opponent was on the defensive, for now he would seize the offense and perhaps finally put an end to this pitable creature. Words of power poured out of his mouth as spiritual power poured throughout the cavern;

"Before me things created were naught, save things eternal, and eternal I endure. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here. Hells Gate!"

As the last syllable left his lips, a massive collection of spiritual energy materialized ahead of the enormous bat monster, solidifying into a powerful shimmering gate, blocking off his escape route. Meanwhile ADA had trailed after the beast, gaining speed before she flickered to its side and hurling her body into it. She threw out her legs, spinning rapidly in a corkscrew, as she attempted to drill straight through the behemoth, whilst it was distracted by both the barrier and Myst.

Ryuichi, simply turned around, hoisting his Anti-Soul Armaments CASTOR and POLLUX the twin set that composed GEMINI, cocking a silver-tube cartridge into their magazines. His voice echoed, barely above a whisper, but to the keen senses of the demon bat and Myst it was as though he were speaking directly to them.

"Run in foul beast, scurry to that dark corner of despair, and drown in the sea of hopelessness, for all that awaits you, is the all consuming void of death!"

Yet, it was all for not;

As the huge monstrosity crashed against the impenetrable gate, the beast reeled back and the aroma of sweat and blood had invaded his nose. His body became insensate for a brief moment, his eyes blurred and he lost conciousness; in a moment, Zench ō was kneeling on the ground, his head inquisitively staring at ADA and then to Myst, who had been consequentially hurled to the rocks on the right after the immense shock from the powerful defense Ryuichi launched. Luckily, he crashed into the pillar of Hell first, which prevented the females attack from slicing himself apart. Without any hesitation, his ears rang with the words that came from Ryuichi's mouth, yet Zench ō knew that his plan was already executed. Before anyone could react, the water became still, in fact everything did. Silence drifted in and the faces in the cave became blank; nothing moved. The cave roof came crashing down! Massive assortments of boulders and sharpened earthern spikes pummelled the water and people below. The previous transformation caused the mountain to fold in on itself, and nothing could possibly prevent the destruction of all within.

The behemoth had doomed them all; whether it be the rising water the roared underneath them or the insurmountable odds of the crashing rocks, every move that had been previously casted meant nothing. And through it all, the hysterical laughing of the Reikon Kyuuban and Quincy hybrid bolstered. "Hah, look at me. I've been beat to a bloody pulp and yet, we are all going to die here. 'Guess your not getting your damn revenge eh, Quincy? Ahahaa" His voice trailed off into a terrible laugh, yet compared to the bang of crashing rocks all around them, his voice was sweet like an angel. Seconds had passed, and boulders had already consumed the cave and soon, all within would be crushed by the imploding mountain. And as this ensued, the water rushed in quicker and quicker. Escape became farther and farther to obtain, until soon, it would be impossible to reach, leaving only death.

A smug grin suffussed on his face, and he hoisted his arms up. He then began to fire decent quantities of arrows toward Myst and ADA, knowing that with Ishida being so far away from them the Quincy would be more concerned about protecting his own life then fighting. In addition, attacking ADA would provide a reaction from Ishida; a reaction that Zench ō would love to see. Walking as he fired, the impending doom became irrelevant with his only concern being the slaughter of those before him. With dynamic sudden footwork and quick shifting motions, in no time at all, he began to use the Klavier technique to dismantle Myst and ADA. Paying no attention to Ishida's beginning sequence to the Gintō spell.

Myst knew that survivng meant using a technique that she out right hated, the Karunēji Musaboru. She opened her mouth and began devouring arrows. The boost to her spiritual energy was slight, made more so as she was trying to avoid the rocks and any arrows out of her range. After a moment, the Klavier technique was fired. All she could do at that point was to pray that she recovered enough to last the barrage. Each arrow felt like a swarm of hornets all their own, and a few were close to being lethal wounds, but missed thanks to her quickly shifting her body around and keeping her arms raised to defend.

Once the blast ended, Myst was a wreck. Blood streamed down her entire body like wine flowing at a fancy dinner, soaking the haori that she wore. Cuts, too numerous to count, littered her arms and legs. A particularly annoying gash over her left eye dripped down and temporarally blinded her. "Too bad you're not the first Quincy to do this to me. I might be a bit more impressed." she lied. The fact was, if the battle wasn't over soon, her life would be. One of the arrows hit close to her right lung and tore part of her diaphram. Breathing was hard, and it was painful, more than the myriad cuts that laced her skin, but she fought the urge to scream and give the monster that satisfaction of knowing that he beat her.

---

ADA danced through the volley of arrows, as they swarmed around her and Myst. Her form flickered from one location to the next, as she moved through the air with the supernal speed and agility. But even that wasnt enough to dodge all of the arrows, there were too many, she could calculate the trajectory, speed, angle even the degree of impact, but her body just couldnt cope, not with her already damaged pysche suffering from growing rampancy. Mathematical errors she wouldnt have made began to surge through her system as arrow after arrow slammed her into despite her best efforts.

ADA," Her master's voice chimed in her head. While it still had a pang of worry in it, Ryuichi's voice was unusually calm and collected. I'm going to do a reversal of your spiritual cross-link and provide you with additional spiritual power. That should be enough to boost your defensive capabilities. In the meantime, protect Myst and draw that monster's attention away. I've got a plan. 

Blinking once in surprise, she didnt have time to retort when she felt a surge of power flow through her systems. Her already formidable defensive abilities flared to new heights, and with this temporary boost to her power, ADA quickly manuevered herself so that she would absorb a majority of the attacks, using her body as a shield to help protect Myst from the rest of the onslaught.

But she wasnt through yet, throwing caution to the wind, she unleashed her own counterattack, and opened fire upon the monster as he flashed around them in his manical daze. Whilst Myst used her vampiric power to absorb the arrows being fired upon her, ADA used the opportunity to unleash hell upon her opponent, her form a blur of white and black metal, as she descended upon him, firing a stream of spiritual bullets upon him.

She would not fail her master!

---

After disengaging the mental link between himself and ADA, Ryuichi was left to his own devices, more importantly a method by which they could survive the collapse of this cavern and the rising water level. Fortunately his earlier feint would now serve another purpose. His knee's buckled as he called upon more of his spiritual power, exhaustion finally catching up with him. ADA was draining a continuous stream of spiritual energy from him, which meant he had to do this quickly lest he fall prey to the dark embrace of unconciousness.

Positioning himself before the circular pentacle of Seele Schneiders before him, he held the final piece to his front; arms crossed and eyes closed in deep concentration. The power of his words rippled through the air as he began his incantation, "In Limbo I tread, over snow white fields of sand."

Spiritual energy began emanating from the four points, a thin line of power surging from one point to the next. In the distance he could the rapid sound of flesh and metal being torn apart by vicious beams of energy. He had to hurry, otherwise, there wouldnt be anyone left to save!

"Anchored as its king, forever am I its guide," He continued. Sweat was pouring profusely from his brows, while his body shook from the effort. The strain of maintaining a connection to ADA, and casting this spell was drawing upon everything he had. That monster's hideous laughter echoing through the halls, as the whole place crumbled around them, rock and debri smashing into his body, yet he endured. He was almost finished, he could feel it.

The spiritual energy within the circle began to churn, as a dark void began to form between it, his mind bringing to bear a destination. With labored breaths he came upon the finality of his spell.

"Within these hands I form a bridge, for it is the key, my dawn, my sight!" He roared, as the spell came to completion. Slamming the final Seele Schneider down into the pool of water beneath him, the fabric between the dimensions was violently torn apart as a shimmering barrier manifested before him. Crumbling to his knee's Ryuichi took deep breaths, his spiritual energy running at an all time low, and not a moment too soon.

Off in the distance, he could see Myst, drenched in her own blood, sporting multiple lacerations, holes penetrating through her body, hell she had enough injuries to kill him three times over. If Myst was bad, ADA was far worse; in her present condition, her rampancy had interferred with her bodies ability to withstand its usual punishment. Her body was literally checkered with holes, large and small, circuitry exposed and spiritual energy leaking out of her. Despite their injuries both of the warrior maidens stood their ground, determined not to give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing them broken.

Good.

Reopening the mental connection between he and ADA, he sent one last message. Ive opened up a Kaisakuhashi, grab Myst and lets get out of here!

---

The battle had drained ADA of a considerable amount of spiritual power, it seems even that function was suffering from her growing rampancy as well. Thankfully her adversary's attack had finally come to its close. None of them had faired well in the last clash, all three combatants had suffered numerous injuries. Then she felt her masters presence in her mind, along with his command.

"Acknowledged." Without dropping a beat, ADA moved with surprising speed given her current state, grabbing Myst roughly by the waist before making a mad dash towards her master. She nearly gave a start at seeing Ryuichi's condition, but paid it no heed as she grabbed him as well, and blasted forward through the rippling and swirling tunnel of energy.

---

Jaw agape and head cocked back, Zench ō looked forward. The air of insanity and murder that he once gave off was replaced; his opponents leave had filled him with.., emptiness. With his enemies vanishing into, only God could tell, the psychotic warrior felt forsaken. As if, what he had searched for the past month had just up and left, without so much as a passionate goodbye. To think, Zench ō's chosen landscape had completely failed him at this point; a top him, a crumbling mountain, below him ascending torrents of water, and in front of him...in front of him was streaks of long amber roads composed of the opponents blood.

"Bastards.." His voice trailed as he spoke, the crumbling world before him crashed his words and pummeled his physical being. Slowly, and seemingly unintentionally, his body edged forward. The rocks sending his body barreling into the rising water time and time again, yet formidably, he continued the struggle. Rocks of small and huge proportion crashed against his firm skin, pummeling whatever was left of him out of him. Spitting out mouthfulls of blood onto the solid rugged terrain, his face could be seen before the cave became silent and dark..a grim smug still plastered on the killers face. Silence. All things became quiet. The final rocks crashed into the cavern, and the water bursted throught those boulders remarkably. Ultimately, just as the murdered faded from view...the mountain followed.

Silence remained as the trio dashed through the blackened portal, intent on heading to Ryuichi's desired location..and forgetting such an altercation that had just occured. Yet, just as before, there hopes, in fact, every motion enacted was for naught.

Appearing from the edges of the trio's vision, a blooded mass of a person drifted toward them. With a raised head a full blow of spiritual pressure entered the portal and sweeped passed them quickly; there requiem wasn't over, it had just begun. Hailing newfound slashes that stretch down the length of his limbs, the crashing terrian hadn't been kind to Zench ō's face either, as a new freshly opened wound was dressed down his cheek, chin and stopped mid-way on his throat. Another layed horizontally across his forehead with increasing blood blocking his vision he shot them a grimace, "Though you got rid o' me. Damn pests. You all will die, slice you down until you are rugs casted on the ground. Only for me to tread upon!"

His angered tone only added to thick tension that could be felt, surely, his opponents would be shocked to see his presence. Yet, from what Zench ō has gathered, the Ishida wouldn't be. The Ishida would be greeting Zench ō and accurately formulating a plan against him, before sending those damn bitches to distract him, giving him just enough time to cast a spell. Well, this time...that would not happen. With his limbs dripping of red, Zench ō mouth became agape once again. As, truthfully, his limbs were insensate and numbness was swiftly creeping in, and his mouth was his only tool remaining.

With a thundering boom of cascading lights of all fiery color, a Kyūketsuki Ga Satsuei had been fired and without hesitation it fired directly toward ADA. Feeling empowered by seeing his prey still present, his attack was executed all the more thoroughly. Hopefully, the attack would swallow the mechanic bitches existence up, leaving a sharkbait of Reikon Kyuuban meat, and a tactical genius who can't stand on his own two feet, or atleast, thats what Zench ō hoped and pondered.

Myst growled in frustration. The monster just couldn't die, no matter what. The guage on her Zanpakto was nearly full, but she needed something to block the brunt of the red wave heading towards her, ADA and Ryuichi. "Uuchu!" she yelled, creating the familier box-like construct in between the trio and the scalding glow of deathly light. The explosion was immense. The airless void inside the box tried to displace the air around it but that only served two functions; sending Zench ō backwards and pushing the trio back along the path they came.

ADA was already evading before the attack had even left the foul mouth of their adversary, but given the current efficiency of her combat frame, it hadn't done much. Sending a worried glance at her master, whose face was wrought with exhaustion and concentration as he struggled to maintain control of the Ginto, she formulated a strategy. With grim determination she shot forward, racing past Myst who unleashed her own attack to counter the vampire's rippling torrent of crimson energy.

Her form swirled about as the attacks collided and the explosion nearly sent her barrelling out the slipstream, a cloud of misty energy filling the region from the clash. Not a moment later, her form shot out of the hazy mist, though the left most side of her frame scorched black from the explosion, indicating she had not escaped unscathed. Maintaining her current form was difficult, and the rippling waves of energy that showered them as they traveled through the interdimensional pathway offered no relief, but she knew what she had to, what the stakes were!

Thankfully, the vampire's single mindedness in trying to destroy her proved to be fortiutous as Myst's attack created an opening in his defeneses. Hastening her speed, she flickered above the vampire in a rapid spin as she attempted a devastating axe kick to his exposed head. But that was just a feint, as she flung her functioning right arm downward to unleash a shower of spirit bullets while circling around him to distract him whilst Myst could flank him.

Hastily, the warrior gasped for air as he mentally took heed of ADA's attack. His concentration blurred, and his mind drew a blank as he gazed helplessly upon ADA's metallic, deadly beauty. Her body swift and elegant as she flew up before the vampire. Her face blank and motionless as she began her attack. Looking beyond her, he briefly gazed toward Ryuchi and the Reikon Kyuuban female. One was wrought with agony, and the other boiling with innate fury; both of them passionate to see Zench ō die however...

As ADA's fury became known, he quickly glanced around him, taking a feel for the reiryoku that controlled this form of delicate and powerful transportation. He felt a sense of rejuvenation just before her attack began. His eyes slowly rolled back and his body jerked around with incredible force as she pummeled his harshly beaten body. The flurry of bullets that battered his already body that was on the brink of death.

The explosion left his senses jarred, and as the visage of ADAs' strikes made contact, his body began to go cold once again. As time sped, Zench ō inched closer to an unconcious state; the hastened speed of his foes coupled with their fiery willpower to live left the once empowered warrior helpless as he drifted through the void, battered and beaten. Yet despite all this, his subconcious was racing -- well aware that despite the efforts his adversaries put forth they were painfully exhausted.

Because of this, his body was still in full gear in spite of the failing status of his mindset. Being the powerful machinery and spiritual combination that she lives up too, she hadn't ceased the slightest despite her failing functioning condition, and for this reason Zench ō had an opening; Zench ō's immense amount of stored reishi particles.

ADA maintained her attack, constantly raining down powerful blows and, for a brief few seconds his mind raced backwards. Back to the tens of spiritually inclined warriors who he sapped the life of, leaving no trace. Ironically, only with the factor of death, could Zenchō become a much more threatening force. Because of the mechanical constructs attack, she has unintentionally relinquished reiryoku toward the foe and as her decisive attack continued Zench ō managed to maintain; which springed his spiritual power back to life, refilling the depths of his soot colored soul with power.

"Bad move" Zench ō retorted with a sly broad smile.

Suddenly, sparks became an exuberant flame, and from flame to wild reiryoku whipping and lashing around. As it struck, it tore through the void and seemingly imploded, sending Zench ō reeling back and ADA reeling forward--using the attained reishi it was hardly a problem for Zench ō to unleash an equally powerful amount of power in ADA's direction. And although small in comparison to the huge portal that the trio were rushing through, a brief silence drifted in. He's still alive and he's not going to stop came to the mind of the insane assailant as he formed a smile that only a fixated murderer could produce. And, with power sapped from ADA and power gained as a result, Zench ō commenced another Kyūketsuki Ga Satsuei, but this time, directly toward Ryuichi who would hopefully be caught off guard by the sudden blast.

With a body throbbing in pain and face swollen and bloody, his mouth went agape once more, and spiritual energy began to gather at his bottom lip. In seconds, a concentrated ball of sparkling red energy was ready and with the portal drawing near to its exit, hopefully time would be on his side.

Myst saw the light before she saw the man wielding it. However, the dread it filled her with meant only one thing, the man they begged to end was unkillable. He could counter Ryuichi and Ada by using his Quincy powers, and match her blow for blow with the RK half. Feeling that nothing could counter the blast effectively, Although she hated to use this power, as it left a bad aftertaste, she first had to get in front of the blast itself.

With a quick kick in the opposite direction, her great strength forcing her through the non-solid surface easily, she was in front of Ryuichi. In her head, she wondered when the portal would end and return them to solid ground, the twisted nature of being forced to fight mid-air seemed perverse, even for the Queen of all Bloodsuckers. However, time wasn't on her side, or so she feared. Gathering the last bit of the usable blood in her body, she charged her own blast of terror. If time truly was with her, then she could twist the scales to suit her, the Karunēji Musaboru technique would allow her to absorb her blast, recovering most of her just used power, and his, giving her some more in reserve. The red light filled her vision, both his and her own, and when the two collided, Myst already knew the outcome, and was more than prepared.

---

The frustration of being unable to help ADA and Myst was infuriating, but none more so than his own helplessness in the current situation as they two warriors fought to protect him. Grunting in effort, he maintained concentration of the Kaisakuhashi, stretching what was left of his reserves into the Ginto. He couldn’t slip up now, any mistake and they could all end up destroyed or lost forever in the Dangai Precipice. His body shuddered with exhaustion from the effort, as it struggled to maintain the furious output of spiritual needed to maintain ADA's form, and the spell.

Just a little bit longer, and they would be at their destination.

It was sobering to realize that only then, would they be able to make the final push to defeat the monstrosity before them. Until then, they just needed to buy him time.

He was brought out thoughts when crimson illuminated his features as a wave of crimson vampiric energy surged towards him.

''That fool!? He would destroy us all!?''

Eyes widened in bewilderment as Mysts form flickered in front of him, a reassuring smile on her features as she briefly glanced towards him. He could feel the resolve rolling off of her in waves as she took the attack head on.

---

ADA was blown back by the force of the vampire's reiatsu, sending her form barreling away like a rag-doll. Her energy reserves were dangerously low, functionality had dropped to 38.6%, the entirety of her left arm had been vaporized in the vampires ensuing attack, along with the lower portion of her left leg.

But she wasn’t finished yet.

Righting herself midflight, she was able to come up in time to witness the energy wave streak towards Ryuichi, as though hungrily awaiting to devour him, only for Myst to intercept and unleash her own attack. Relief washed over ADA, her master was safe.

For now.

Turning her attention back towards her adversary, she calculated the next phase of her attack. His capacity to absorb spiritual energy was an unknown, and the fact that he could absorb so much from just her attack was a testament to his skill in that ability.

He was however, not the Quincy Prince himself, whose reiryoku absorption capabilities were paltry at best in comparison to her master. Even with Ryuichi multi-tasking with supplying her reserves and concentrating on the spell, she felt his energy soar from the massive amounts of spiritual energy being expended by Myst and their opponent.

And with the renewal of his energy, so too did her own. A rare smile graced the features of ADA, as she analyzed her next course of action. With the opponent momentarily distracted, she could flank her opponent, and create an opening for Myst.

Displacing herself, she reappeared at the vampire's flank, unfurling her leg to deliver a vicious sweep kick to his exposed head in an attempt to decapitate the fiend. Using her momentum she would press her attack with a flurry of lightning fast kicks, each blow eviscerating the void itself as deafening booms followed in the shockwaves of the immense force of her attacks. In her overwhelming and aggressive offensive strategy she would attempt a feint, that would hopefully expose his guard, so that he would be unaware of the slithering hand that sought to crush his neck.

Zench ō's face reflected his anger; These pests just don't know when to die. In a fury, he watched as his demonic wave was rendered useless by Mysts' intervention. He quickly raised his head upward to the sky in sad, angered relief. But, before he could react he seen the revitalized in energy, yet badly wounded ADA enter his vision. "This bitch again...she doesn't learn..if I so desire, whenever you are near me your spiritual power will be taken. But, try as you might. I will assure that you die quickly since your master refuses to fight" the monstrosity thought.

The highly destructive attack launched by the mechanical women and for a brief moment, he shuttered with premptive agony as he knew ADA's bolstering strength all to well. He bit his lip, as the physical power of ADA overwhelmed him. There was no way in hell that he would exit this unscathed, but the behemoth had confidence that he would survive this onslaught. As he was struck in the upper echelon of his torso and face, he clinched his fist down so tight that it bled. ''"THIS will be your final reckoning women. I swear I will tear you down, piece by piece." ''

Unlike before his, mind didn't flutter, his knees didn't buckle and his power didn't waver. As his visage eclipsed by the offensive power, his spiritual power was still registered --in fact, it began to increase! Streakes of blood ran down his face but the beast hadn't yet surrendered. As she enacted her perfectly executed feint, his body quivered as he felt filled from the onslaught, all due because of his reishi collection.

Zench ō let out a heart wrenching roar as he just made it away from ADA crushing fingertips. Something sparkled in his eyes as he glanced at the grizzled vampire queen drifted weakily, but slowly regained power and, at the powerful Quincy who was slowly and delicately keeping the trio alive. Escaping the attack, he raised his spiritual power to higher levels, and like a crushing weight had just been poured down upon the others. Like a mountain had fell upon their hands. Dragging his feet, he strolled away from ADA and distinctly floated away, while keeping an eye on her. "Thanks for fueling my spiritual energy" the uglied monster spoke, his face unrecognizable by the super-kicks done upon his skull and his body limp by strain and overusage, yet still capable of fighting for quite some more time. Gashes pertaining crimson blood dripped from his forehead and chest.

For a brief few seconds, he was still. Collecting his mind and body after the solid blows connection.

His energy brushed about the void, reflecting colors of agony, power and dominance. Every hair on his bloody neck stood on end, and his lips curled into a snarl. Twisting about, he promptly unleahed a torret of blue colored arrows toward Ryuchi. Bending about and aimed at Ryuichi from multipled angles, the arrows moved in unison to overflow and overwhelm the Quincy. With a firm grasp on his Bow & Arrow, he proceeded to swirl about to fire arrows at both ADA and Myst. "Let me introduce you to terror. We are both disgusted by your pitiful resilence. We won't be lenient any longer!"

Positioning himself; he kept his feet in front of him, balled his toes up and curved at his back. All of this allowed him to be propelled back slightly as he fired wave after wave of attack. His higher levels of spiritual power allowed him to overlook the anguish in both his damaged arms, and keep his rage festering. Hopefully his unorthodox stance would keep the distance between him and his opponents growing --he doubted he could withstand another physical assualt like that, even with his spiritual power high. Meanwhile, he kept his ears open as to hear any crinks or clangs of tempered metal...

The piercing strikes were earnest -- all bearing murderous intent. Meanwhile, ringlets of spiritual power formed and attacked at the void itself, cracking and disturbing its very existence, hopefully using his spiritual power the Gint ō would be disrupted. All the while, his Rans ōtengai was being used to a small extent, assisting him in his movement and execution of attack.

Not a moment to rest, the multiple changes in direction left his attacks unpredictable. Grumbling, he continued his onslaught with blood dripping down his eyes and face, and an urge of deathly sensation seeping through his mind. "I refuse to die here. Not without devouring that damn Quincy. Smart ass bastard! And..that Reikon Kyuuban women will be nice trophy to keep in my bed chamber."

Myst loved the rush of sudden power that the twisted maniac imparted. She was about to counter in kind, noticing he had actually flipped his lid, weakening him as a threat in some regards, although he was now more dangerous than ever, but his sudden blitz upon her position forced her back on the defense. The vortex they were in lacked shadows for her to sneak around in for a surprise attack, but her Zanpakto's guage was finally full, and she decided that it would have to serve devensively rather than in offense.

Muttering the technique's name, Bouyou, caused her Zanpakto's blade to glow and lengthen immensely, turning the otherwise average sword into a claymore in size, with which she blocked the arrows closing in on her, no effort wasted in the process. To her, the increased size meant little in how it felt in her hand, the extra girth was no more than solidified energy, rather than solid whatever material comprised Zanpakto.

The assult ended soon enough, allowing her to counter, at the exact moment the freak was at his most vulnerable. Myst pointed the Zanpakto at her target and the energy blade responded to her will and fired away from the actual sword, almost like a rocket taking flight. If it hit, the explosion would prove dangerous to all four beings in the enclosed space.

Zench ō scoffed as he watched the speeding blade seek him out, examining the weapon and its intentions he knew that Myst had lost her mind. Psychaotic women, its my job to kill us all. Guess she finally got the picture; death is inevitable. He smiled in pleasure. Using Rans ōtengai his speed increased dramatically from what it once was, bolting upward with nigh impossible speed for a human..then again, this was no human.

Still dashing about, he moved like lightning in the vortex, whipping his body around for increased movement he was well aware that only ADA and her enhanced sensory could maintain sight upon him. It was a moment before he stopped; the warrior gingerly took note of the ringlets of spiritual power that he exuded, His eyes went slit as his gaze met that of Myst. "That damn women. Kill her and then the other two will fall like domino."

Zench ō glanced back for a brief moment in his whirling flurry of high-speed movement, catching eye of the explosion that ensued meters behind him. The concussive force of the blast propelled him forthright, however using Rans ōtengai he managed composure and heaved his Bow & Arrow to the side, empowering his arrow with his own reishi composition. Stopping a few feet from Myst, he wielded the Quincy weapon with a single hand and fired a single arrow that ricocheted from the side of vortex and swung around, aimed at Myst from behind at her ankle.

While this occurred he moved to the left and enwidened his glare and fired a second arrow toward her mid-section. Zench ō was determined to have a chance of his reddish brown eyes meeting that of Myst and if not, then his secondary tactic would render her immobilized.

The hated Reikon Kyuuban that dueled against her didn't realize one important fact. Her senses were sharper than what he gave her credit for. Myst swung at the arrow speeding for her midsection, splintering it into it's base component, Reishi. The second arrow that bounced around almost hit, but it grazed enough to where it cut into her Achilies Tendon in her left ankle, shredding it and immoblizing her in effect. Just putting weight on that foot was painful, to say the least.

It was at that moment Myst decided to teach the RK that compared to her was but a child with a temper, albeit, a strong child, a lesson in how you get to the top. It wasn't luck or age, but skill and power. Her opponent had the power, yes, but he wasn't skilled with what the creator deity bestowed upon their kind. Myst knew his game, it was one she played well. A quick glance in the eye can end an entire war among them all.

Kuro no Me, the Crow's Eye. Possibly the most powerful hypnosis outside of Aizen's Zanpakto. But, it had a counter, one that any Reikon Kyuuban could use: Kokoro Burokku, the mind block. Myst blinked once, using the Burokku to defend against the use of Kuro no Me, and tried to get a glimpse of her target to use her own, the perfect loophole, and the most creative way to trick and fool another.

Gradual
Amidst the chaos of the ensuing clash between Myst and the vampire, ADA struggled to retain concious movement. Her frame was badly damaged, and in the aftermath of her own rather reckless offense had all but crippled her ability to defend herself, let alone launch another offense at the vampire. But, as she stared at the blazing form of Myst who was sheathed in a aura of rippling spiritual power, she was...

Relieved.

The statisical probability of her gambit had been less than 12.634%. Logic would have dictated that she should have sacrificed Myst to achieve the optimum 67.2%, giving her the best chance at saving her master. Was this...a result of her growing rampancy or her own development as a self-aware being capable of making logical and emotional decisions?

Data not found.

There was no evidence, no facts or analysis that could compute such an answer, so she had none. So why then did she choose to employ her strategy? Her mind drifted to her master, through their connection she could feel his hurt..his anguish at the sight of her form. He was worried, explicity so, so much that she was filled with her own sense of shame and guilt at undertaking such a risky maneuver.

But it had to be done, she could not, would not sacrifice an ally to achieve her goal. The vampire had all but stripped ADA of most of her power, leaving her a mere husk of her former self. Her systems barely had enough power to continue functioning, at this point she could do little more than act as a distraction to the vampire at best. Still, her gambit paid off, for now she would leave it in Mysts capable hands at dealing with vampire, for now she would return to Ryuichi.

With that her form dissipated and dispersed in a cloud of spiritual particles.

---

"ADA!?" He all be screamed, at seeing her form suddenly and inexplicably disperse. However when he felt the comfortable presence enter his mind once more, all of his worry turned to relief.

ADA. He began. He was a mess at this point. Blood was dripping from his eyes, nose, ears and mouth from the strain of the Ginto. Yes master? She asked innocently.

He only hmphed in response, no more words were necessary, at least not now. At the moment, that damned monster and Myst were fighting to the death. He was thankful for Myst, truly, had she not taken the brunt of the monsters attacks, he would have long since died, but here she stood, battling for all of their sakes.

To think he managed to defeat her?

Well, with the Kaisakuhashi nearing completion, he would join the fray once more, and then they would finally annihilate this piece of trash, once and for all. Concentrating once more he focused on his spell.

Establish the connection. A single image; white dunes stretched as far as the eye could see, a crescent moon hung menacingly in the night.

Stablize the bridge. The tunnel began to warp, its edges and horizons bending and controting until encapsulated the occupants in sphere, yet size, and distance remained, indistinct.

Set the anchor. All at once, the scintillating background began to fade, breaking off in chunks of black and white, as light began to creep through cracks.

His eyes opening with a final proclamation, the Kaisakuhashi disintegrated like shattered glass, revealing itself and the location of their final battle.

Hueco Mundo.

The Quincy Prince arose as raw unadulterated power swept about him, the white sands disintigrating into reishi before they were quickly absorbed, transformed into spiritual power.

Bloodied hands arched, and in moments a mass of concentrated spiritual energy amassed in his hands, coalascing and condensing into a newly furnished but familiar pair of firearms; GEMINI. In normal circumstances he would have opted for a witty comeback, an insult to aggravate his opponent, but after seeing the dead faces of his classmates and the nearly broken form of ADA, Ryuichi was above such childish behavior.

Instead, he wordlessly fired a series of shots into the air, ten in total, much to the confusion of those in the battle. Yet from his lips their keen senses could hear the distinct sounds of an incantation, followed by a harsh, "Heizen...Wucht!"

The previous shots he fired, glowed in the air, and in seconds formed what appeared to be two transculent and very large, Heizen. To Myst the sheer size of of either of them easily dwarfed the paltry variants Ryuichi used in their last battle, easily the size of a small building each, hovered high above each of his weapons. To the quincy vampire, the sheer size and scope of these techniques would be impossible to achieve through normal means, no Quincy should be capable of summoning that much power from a Ginto.

Their only warning was a single shot, before the mighty Heizen Wucht's descended upon the monster.

---

Before his plan could be fully enacted upon Myst, he noticed the defeat of ADA; and snarled as he watched Ryuichi's exhausted, anxious face widen. He could taste the blood that secreted from the Ishidas face, feel the blood gingerly drip from his face.

Zenchō appeared upon the white sands of Hueco Mundo, coming into view like an anchor descending down into the water. He stuck out, plain and simple. Coated in blood, and enjoying it, he licked his lips as he watched the Prince prepare a powerful Gintō. He truly was an awe-worthy combatant. Nothing short of a prodigy; a true miracle to the Quincy race.

He licked his upper lip with fiendish intent, tasting the blood that exuded from him. The sensual embrace of pain and pleasure blended into him; motivated him. He read the lips of the Quincy, and immediately stood on end. Focusing, he straightened his body and gazed stoutly at Ryuichi. All the while, the vampire Quincy felt the consecutive amounts of reishi particles that littered the atmosphere in large sums flow toward him and the other Quincy.

Energy seeped into them both, empowering them. He watched the harsh words exit the throat of the Prince, evidently he was enraged. "Hopefully, I got to 'em. His dead friends. Losing his precious bitch! That'll break down his mental stability" the monster thought, lingering on the previous events to open up a suitable time to strike. Meanwhile, his subconscious races; thought of the Vampire Queen were kept at bay. He was well aware that she was just barely getting by, but also kept in mind that she is ruler of the Reikon Kyuuban for a reason.

Unfortunately, time was of the essence and Zench ō helplessly watched as his ebbed away from him; the Gintō was complete, and it was masterful. Even the satonic presence of Zench ō couldn't possibly evade the attack. However Zench ō wouldn't sit idly by and be sliced down by the large-scale spell. "Crush me" he muttered softly. Then, his voice got louder: "Crush me" he exclaimed.

Then louder, as if breaking the volume scale; just how insane, just how wide was the scope for this monster! "Crush me" he howled, his eyes enwidening and his body tensing up. "CRUSH ME!" he demanded, his voice screeched the words and could possible send even shrills of terror into the execrable actions of Hollow. Just as Ryuchi is being empowered by the setting, so was the beast, nay, the entity of insanity. The entity was surmised once he felt the ominous aura of Hueco Mundo, but now aware, he could simply jump with joy.

Then, as the rushing piece of composed reishi and metallic construct came speeding down, Zench ō could feel his own Ransōtengai become greater. His core began to beat, vibrate..., thud with indescribable new power. His indiscriminate slaughter of classmates, and even his feeding months ago were minor to this scale of power that surged within him. Maybe, Ryuichi was feeling the same thing. Maybe all Quincy felt this same power. A world full of reishi; essentially, the world was now a weapon at his disposal.

Whipping blue streams of reiryoku lashed out from Zench ōs person, moving about like limbs he expertly manuever the tail-like constructs to destroy the gint ō spell. The tail-like constructs were large and growing, feeding off the enviroment. His hair began to unwind and flow upward, noting the resurgence of energy throughout him. Zench ō was back...but then again, he has yet to face the Prince.

Grumbling, Zench ō commanded the tails to stop the spell, but his power was still lacking. The tempered material impaled the monster at his shoulder, despite his efforts. The rushing blade descended down upon his shoulder just as the controlled tails began to slow it down. The measured ability of his power was good, but not great. As it slashed at him, he let out a disgruntled howl and directed his slit-eye gaze toward the one resonponsible. Eyes that craved for self-satisfaction and blood. Without warning, his tail like constructs; a result from his advanced Ransōtengai and the immense reishi present, sent the spell whirling at Myst. And, while doing this, he rose his Bow & Arrow.

"Your next, Ishida Ryuichi!" he declared, firing a stream of arrows toward him. The blood that poured from his shoulder in bucketfulls was generally dismissed; hirenkyaku allowing him to keep that limb sensual and gifted him with movement, that normally would be impossible. Anyone unfortunate enough to watch this bout, was well aware that this battle was breaking the ordinary and shattering limitations. He bit down on his bottom lip and proceeded with his attack, keeping in mind his next attack.

---

Myst knew she was outclassed, and that was being generous about her current position. The reishi in the world was palpable, meaning that both Quincy were far above her. Standing was painful, thanks to her torn heel tendons. She expected a death blow while she was down, but it never came. Pondering why, she looked up at her enemy, half expecting to see Ryuichi had done something reckless like some cliche anime stunt. Thankfully, he hadn't been that foolish. What she saw was something that impressed her more than anything. She saw the Quincy's Ginto lodged in the monster's shoulder, and it was massive, more so than the last time she saw that move.

What she didn't expect was the freak to rip the spell clean out of his arm and hurl it at her. If she didn't react, it was liable to do some real damage. {C}Focusing for a moment, she prepared a two stage counter. Before she could act however, she needed to know where her Zanpakto was in terms of it's level. As long as it was at least one segment, her plan would at least save her life, or even rip a hole through the Ginto and slam into the twisted RK who threw it at her. The guage wasn't even beginning to charge after her last attack. But since when had a measly setback killed anyone? {C}What she did now was risky, after all, she was almost drained completely, but she had to try.

Death at this point wouldn't benefit her in the slightest. First, she raised her hand and charged the KGS, the carmine wave wasn't even at one-tenth of it's true power, which was by design at this point, and not just survival. As it came in contact with the steel-like bar, it's effect was two-fold. One, it slowed down the giant object, and two, it super-heated it. That would allow her to slice it when it was close enough. {C}Just like a scene from every samurai flick on the market, Myst readied her blade and waited untill the right time. Too soon, and she would only nick it.

Too late, it wouldn't split enough to go around her. Because of where she held the Zanpakto, she would need to swing up, splitting the object from below. One swing, that's all. A humourous image of her brother flashed in her mind, his ice wall unable to stop her swing, leaving him bisected, for a moment. He just healed it in second. And just as predicted, her senses allowed her to strike while she could, severing the Ginto like a hot knife in butter.

Glaring at the man in front if her, she allowed herself to acknowledge his skill. And his cruelty. Taking out the weakest link was pragmatic, not that she would make the same choice. But now, it was like witnessing the Gods going at it, and she was a mortal when compared to them. But that didn't shake her resolve one bit. "What? Did you honestly think a second rate Quincy wannabe could kill me?! I'm not some idiot with an apple over her head ya know!" She yelled, trying to throw off her attacker's concentration. The white sands below her were stained with the blood that flowed from her wounds, dying them red, a deep, dark red.

Zenchō smiled in amusement; the beast was feeding off Myst anger, her pain. "You want to hurt me don't you, Queen of Reikon Kyuuban. Well then...hurt me! Kill me! Thats what you want, so do it!" He paused, gulping in another piece of Hueco Mundo air. His being was still radiating and obtaining reishi from the atmosphere. "Pathetic. You are no queen of mine bitch!" He shouted, changing tactics. Back-stepping, he ceased firing arrows toward the Quincy Prince, and now, redirected his attacks to both enemies before him. "Show me. Both of you, show me all your power" he demanded; voice increased in volume and low in tone.

---

Ryuichi quickly condensed a three-layered sphere of reishi around him, watching with grim satisfaction as the vampire's barrage of spirit arrows collided against his defenses. He cast a sideways worried glance at Myst; she was running low on energy, and if this kept up...

He smirked as the idea came alit in his head. He had tried the same thing in the past, perhaps it would provide a similar effect here. He winced as the first layer of his shields cracked, before shattering like glass, the onslaught of spirit arrows bombarded his fields with increasing frequency and force. The madness in that monsters eyes was evident, any reason he might have had before was lost in the ensuing bloodlust.

With one hand he gripped both pistols, while the other reached into one of his pockets, to withdraw a small syringe. With it, he began to draw his own blood into the vials, hoping that they would be enough for Myst to regain her strength. His spiritual senses flared, warning him of the battle she was going through, against his own attack no less.

Damn that monster!

He quickly hurried as fast as he could, the ebb of her spiritual power waning as her injuries were quickly catching up to her. Another resounding crash, signaled the destruction of the second layer of his shielding, it hadnt even lasted as long as the first, just torn to shreds, he didnt have much time. A moment later he was finished with withdrawing the blood, and in his hand he held several vials of blood.

He flickered from his previous space, reappearing at Mysts side, just as the monster began gloating its power. Hmph, perfect, a little conversation was exactly what he needed to buy them enough time. Just as the last words left the monsters mouth, Ryuichi wordlessly shoved the vials to Myst, getting her attention, as he held an arm steady firing his own slavo of shots, four in total, going wide, but the incantation he whispered into the wind, told her enough.

"Before me things created were naught, save things eternal, and eternal I endure. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here! "

"Hell's Gate!"

Just as the vampire resumed his devastating bombardment, an ashen bone white wall formed in front of them, it was slightly haze and transparent, and from the way the attacks where cracking through it, wouldnt last very long, but it had served its purpose. Turning to Myst, his gaze was enough to convey a simple but hope inspiring message.

This is it, lets kill this monster and go home.

Myst felt the blood-filled capsules in her hands as she opened them and drank their contents. Not a moment later had the blood slid down her parched throat, and she could already feel the power returning to her. Now she was finally able to again strike back at the twisted vampire shooting the defensive structure in front of her and Ryuichi.

Catching his gaze, she smiled in thanks, the blood staining her lips a deep crimson. Not wasting a second, she ran up the structure, her body a flurry of movement. Flipping over the wall, she narrowly dodged a barrage of arrows, many of which were pounding the Ginto-created defense known as Hell's Gate. Running to the left, with a slight limp, hardly noticeable in her current state, she took advantage of Zenchou's opening and fired a massive KGS straight for him. The size of the beam itself was such that it looked like a bullet train being spray-painted a carmine red.

The demonic entity was tense, high-strung by the events transpiring; he had found pleasure in the strife and evident fear and anxiety he had emanated. But now, this clear act of defiance and rebellion in the eyes of the monstrosity was simple ignorance...willful ignorance to utterly and downright dismiss their fate.

Feeling the stature of large construct amass, he became aware that his arrows were for naught. Brief exhaustion overcame him, yet just as quickly, rejuvenation ensued within him. The evil intent within him increased with his absorption, and with it, hordes of incoming, lurking abominations could be sensed coming near --Menos Grande.

Meeting Myst, he embraced her full throttle attack. "She's stronger. And she's walking with stride. That fuckin' Quincy must've done sumthin' while that barrier was raised. Uncouth little prick. Can't avoid the inevitable!" His thoughts raced as she entered his vision.His words came out raspy as his throat was dry from battle. His muscles were tense as they too were adrenaline pumped throughout the battle. His mind racing and his opponents movements appearing as flickers before his rattled eyes. "Dammit" he muttered, being enveloped by the blast.

Meanwhile, silhouettes of large monsters became evident, masked by the large dunes and other ripples in the battle zone created by the ongoing conflict.

Silence drew and tension withdrew, and for a moment, all was serene. The hollow that had amassed seemingly ceased and time began to flow backwards, but just as all became quiet..true evil festered stronger. Becoming visible once more after the waves of black cloud faded into the sky, Zenchō compiled his energy and risen. Skin charred by the attack, breathing heavily, yet with a smug grin permeate upon his grimly face Myst could feel that this was a Reikon Kyuuban being faced.

Why wasn't he dead? Is he eternal? Why hadn't he been obliterated by her enhanced KGS? Just why? Nay, a better question would be, exactly what is this behemoth capable of. His Ransōtengai was clear through the fading cloud of black but that wasn't the culprit behind his survival. It was much worse; his growing quench is more likely, or maybe it is the energy that is constantly re-fueling him via Hueco Mundo. No matter the cause, his survival was clear and a problem for the Prince and Queen.

His eyes hardened, his fingers twitched, the pounding within his chest became greater. Clearly he had relinquished and incredible reservoir of power in order to survive the KGS, but still remaining is spectacular no less. Sand and debris' rolled around at his feet, just before the warrior vanished. Gone in a blur. Whatever technique had been used it was made greater by his Hirenkyaku, assuring that his movements were just fast enough to avoid being perceived by any visual means.

A growing grumbling noise emitted from afar. It was loud and chilling. And..it wasn't Zenchō.

Although the monstrocity was locked away, hidden from sight and spiritual undetected he wasn't entirely gone. That much was clear. He was waiting, lurking about awaiting for a chance to defeat the Queen and Prince with one fowl swoop. Meanwhile, multiple beasts of towering size lorded over their territory. Faces of pure white killing instinct they glared down at the Reikon Kyuuban and Quincy warrior.

They moved together, in packs; one was sent to find blood, which set the stage for the others to strike, hunt...eat. This time was no different, except now they all amassed at once as result from the growing spiritual pressure that resonated of pure Hollow origin. A figure faded from existence had brought them here with power that made all of Hueco Mundo tremble in unison, Zenchō had become one with the breathing masses that caused strife throughout this domain.

Whether the beast were subject to his whim or irrevocably enticed to the area wasn't relevant; the gillian were present, hungry, and were cocked on the three that ventured into their habitat. With a bellowing screech that was followed by more and more howls of fully realized rage and hate, the gillian swarm enclosed upon Ishida and Myst. Thier mouths went agape all in one fluid motion, as if an entire symphony was being orchestrated.

Meanwhile, moving rapidly, the behemoth known as Zenchō lurked about in the shadows of Hueco Mundo, gradually hastening speed as he viewed the Prince and Queen from below.

"Ryuichi," Myst began, flashing over to him, "we got bigger problems. Gillian class, maybe greater. He's hiding within their masses, more likely their shadows." she warned. "If so, we'll never hit him now. I can thin their ranks, but you have to keep them off me after my attack fires." she said, holding her sword straight up,

"Inseki." At her command, a large fireball appeared in the dark sky, illuminating the area. Turning her wrist to the left, the fireball broke apart and rained what appeared to be numerous Hoshi down upon the Gillian, each with more explosive force than the original attack.

Myst attack connected; raining down on the swarmed hollow of Gillian and dismantling their crowd. The Hollow faded, dispersing into a black fog. Nigh a hollow destroyed wasn't replaced; the gaping maw of each Hollow appeared to be instantly replaced. Gradually, the pack surrounding the Prince and Queen closed in, attempting to smother them with their own malicious presence before their individual cero in preparation could be launched. Meanwhile, a screeching boon reverberated throughout the area; steadily increasing in volume.

A feeling of utter opprehension amassed; most likely sending chills down the spine of Myst and infuritating the prideful Quincy Prince, who under any circumstances, wouldn't stand to be out of the controlled position. Yet, blood dabbled down his lip and smattered the sandy floor, through the concealment a safe haven of the Menos shadow, the toll of battle was evident in his throbbing head and torso. However, with the scenario currently in his favor, the behemoth narrowed his eyes and began pulsating; a flushing wave of reishi bolted forth, to once again, revitalize his fleeting physical well-being while at the same time bringing forth a luminescent light of unblemished reiryoku, most likely an attempt to enrage or entice the Hollow further.

He eyed the Menos with mild irritation, his hands clenching around the grip of his Anti-Soul Arms, as energy welled within him. With a mental tug, he pulled more energy from the white sands, feeling the enriched spiritual energy funnel itself into his weapons, before leveling them at the pack. His mind like a thick fog, as he felt ADA's presence...

Confusion...

Uncertainty...

Despair...

Her thoughts were like a rolling wave of one part emotion, another....just pure mind-numbing rage, the onset of her rampancy smashing against her mental walls; cracks and tears forming upon them with every assault, pushing up against her sanity. It was a terrifying feeling, to see one's own sanity enclosed by an encroaching oblivion.

He was barely aware of his own movements, as he silently fired a slavo of spirit bullets at his targets. Almost mechanically, but honed by intense training and instinct, his body was nothing more than faint dark blur of motion, flickering around Myst as he unleashed a rain of energy upon the Menos, each shot carefully, and methodically precise as they tore at the Hollows Mask, disintegrating them completely.

He could ADA in his mindscape, laying there in an empty void, as a thick red haze, crashed into invisbile walls with the force of a tsunami, the pain reflected in her eyes.....

It was too much.

This was his fault, his sin.

His foolish pride, his damnable ambition to push the limits of himself and ADA. He should have been more patient, more careful, he should have analyzed the risks thoroughly but no. He just charged forward like an ignorant child, drunk and blinded by his own power. Squinting his eyes, he tried to shut out his thoughts, tried to focus on his anger and frustration.

That damned monster came to mind, laughing that visceral laugh of his, mocking him and his creation. A ghastly amalgam of everything Myst and he stood for, a demon made unto flesh, a creature of pure destruction. His anger boiled at his weakness, as he saw it attack ADA with impunity in the last exchange, the frustration at his own helplessness at seeing the carnage inflicted upon his classmates. He held onto it, channeled it, and let it suffuse his sluggish movements, felt his body surge with renewed strength! He was going to take every ounce of his hatred and use it to rip every spiritron from that monsters body!

Despite his attacks the Menos were closing in on them, which meant he would need an attack capable of decimating them all. A wry smile made its way onto his face, his mind already forging the strategy. He flickered as a clawed white hand smashed into his previous space, reappearing in view above the mass of Menos. Held in his hands was not the small firearms, but instead a massive rifle, not unlike an anti-tank sniper rifle.

He loaded a Seele Schneider into the firing chamber, the weapon giving an audible click as it glowed with power. Inserting a silver cartridge into the weapon and ejected three empty "shells"; for every shell his power spiked to levels far beyond its maximum, providing him the necessary boost he would need for his next attack. His voice echoed in a hollow but there was a clear intent, as the words of magic stirred the currents of power around him, giving them shape and form with each syllable.

"The silver rod descending from heaven, strikes the five-fingered stone bed of the restless behemoth - Gott Zügeln Gritz!"

At the final word, he fired a single defeaning round into the glowing pentacle before him, which with an augmented Seele Schneider split into five ghostly chains, each one arcing wildly as they swarmed a Menos each, wrapping around its hollow mask as the Cero's continued to charge.

A single mental pulse, and all hell broke loose.

The five bounded Menos were unceremoniously pulled, their heads wrenched into the direction of their fellows, wide arcing waves of crimson death slicing through their own ranks, as Ryuichi darted across the chains, firing round after round at the Menos.

Several Cero's criss-crossed around him intent on annihilating him completely, yet he weaved around them like a phantom, as he thinned the ranks. All around him, Mysts own attack continued to rain oblivion upon them, the sound of explosions ringing in his ears. Leaping off one of the chains, he soared above another Cero, before muttering a quick word, as a beam of energy, a Heizen erupted from his rifle, slicing through the Hollow mask of Menos to front.

Four more to his rear fired another round of Cero's, while another half dozen opened their gaping maws as to devour him. With the barest mental effort, a wall of spiritrons materialized at his back, as he dashed forward, using the resulting explosion as the Cero's slammed into his barrier to propel him foward --- and into the maw of another Hollow.

He wasted no time in firing a concentrated beam of energy that tore through the screeching creature, its disintegrating form providing enough cover as he suddenly swerved to the side, the remaining Cero's to his rear having cut through his barrier destroying a few more Menos. His spiritual senses flared, warning him of the claw that attempted to skewer him from below causing him to flash to the side as it passed. With another tug, the chained hollows, fired their Cero's obliterating their brethren.

Several more explosions detonated around him, as Mysts Hoshi began to make short work of the remaining Hollows, but he maintained his focus. The Hollows were inconsequential, he thought, bringing his rifle to bear by slamming the butt end on charging Menos's mask, cracking it. Flipping his rifle around he shoved the barrel into the exposed hole, and fired. Hefting his weapon from the dissolving corpse, he found all the other Hollows annihilated in the ensuing attack, save for the five bound by his chains. With a wave of his hand, the chains glowed brighting, tightening their hold, before crushing the remaining Hollows into dust.

In his eyes was a cold and cruel fury promising the absolute destruction only a Quincy can bring, as he extended his senses for the presence of that monster. It wasnt that the vampire was gone, he could....detect his presence, just not where. He huffed irritably, and descended towards Myst.

"I cant seem to get a fix on his location, but if I use you as a conduit, I should be able to." Noting the confusion on her face he continued. "I can try and extend my senses through you, through a form of resonance; being a vampire yourself, that should provide the needed...boost to my own...signal, allowing me to track him."

Myst was panting heavily, the blitzkrieg of attacks having taken its toll. When the Hollow started dying like sheep to the slaughter, her heart skipped a beat, worried that Ryuichi had done something reckless, which was far beyond what she expected of him. However, she collected herself and her counternace brightened once he came closer. Silently, she thanked whatever God looked down on them that he was fine.

"What you do, do it quickly. For all we know, that scum is getting away from us while we were dealing with the Hollow. Let's track him down and end this. Combined, our senses should be more than enough." she told him as her breathing slowed to a normal pace.

A gaze of lightning peered forth from the abyss of malice, observing the dispatch of Hollow quickly tumble to the ground and dissipate. Hurriedly, the darkness converged upward and outward, the behemoth known as Zenchō reawakened. With all the palpable fanfare of a volcano eruption, the demonic entity captured the landscape immediately, eyeing the furious opponents before him, noticeable exhausted. His lips parted slowly, and words escaped his lips; "you slaughtered those Hollow rather suddenly, Myst, Ryuichi. It's almost like you guys have a vendetta" His words increasing in volume and grimly in nature.

Despite his efforts, he had attained many wounds, although, the time spent hidden allowed enough time to heal. As he appeared, his wounds were mainly shut tight by spirit particles, however, he was quite drained of power, mind and body both fading out of consciousness. His revelation from the shadow forced his closed eyes to snap open to see the Reikon Kyuuban Queen and Quincy Prince combining their sensory power. "You two are quite the monsters too. Unleashing such a torrent of attacks against pitiful Hollow. You guys are just like me."

The tyrant of evil and forger of chaos barked forth, screaming at his opponents; his words incoherent yet anyone with half-a-mind could sense the vengefulness in his words. A cold, white fury spun within him aggravating his mental instability; the embodiment of Quincy righteousness stood before him, spiting him, striking him down, and the monstrocity wouldn't allow intolerance, so his anger lit ablaze. He was well aware that this battle wouldn't continue much longer. Attempting to conceal his heavy panting, Zenchō forced what was left of his power to spring forth in a wave of reshi toward his opponent, hopefully cleaving through them like a curtain being torn open.

He solemnly gulped, having seen the power that both his opponents briefly displayed; the rifle of the Quincy Prince and luminious golden chains unveiled to defeat the Menos, and the female Vampires formidable zanpakutō. Suddenly, he propelled into the sky, using his little remaining power and Quincy abilities to keep him afloat in the thunderous cascade of Hueco Mundos' roof. He snarled deviously as clouds of spirit particles gathered in the sky, the sensation of ambient reishi flooding into, out, and back into his cold exterior. "Prepare yourself, Prince of the Quincy and Queen of the Reikon Kyuuban. I will use every ounce of power I have left to rip your fucking head off."

Despite his statement, Zenchō was clearly only minutes away from death; if one looked close enough, the silhouette of deaths personfication could be viewed. And, it wasn't a shinigami. This was no fairytale and this monster wouldn't be reincarnated if he was to die, no, he would be sent directly to Hell; no turning back, no redemption.

A sudden, quick spike of spiritual power followed by a burst of enegy resounded in the sky...the sinister dark coloration of Zenchō's eyes the last thing to fade out of view. A black and purple miasma concealing him.

Myst watched as Zenchō faded into darkness, confused, scared, and most of all, she wondered how such a monster could exist. No matter what the pair accomplished, that one, sole being remained standing. But that wasn't high on her priority list, Ryuichi was. Even though this was where he was at his strongest, she knew the young man was only human.

Gathering her energy into the familier form of her signature technique, every ounce she could spare was focused on the single task of countering the destructive Reishi heading their way. It wouldn't be enough to entirely prevent the destructive energy from reaching her, just slow it down somewhat, but in her mind, Myst already accepted that fact, even if it meant her dream wouldn't become her reality. Rather, she was hoping to give Ryuichi a chance at escaping, a chance at living, to see his own goal completed.

Tract
A calloused hand laid gently on Myst's shoulder, as Ryuichi stepped forward from behind her. The look he sent her, said he knew what her thoughts were, and in that instant, she found herself enveloped in an aura; a fierce yet almost gentle warmth, a calm like that of a storm. It was so many things, a plethora of emotions flowing around her, a maelstrom of righteous power, a blanket of unfathomable comfort reassuring in its touch.

He regarded her curiously, taking a few moments to take in her disheveled appearance, the blood caked on her features, the subtle limp in her step, the exhaustion clearly showing through the slight tremble of her body. She was injured in numerous places, had suffered so many wounds it was a surprise she was still standing, let alone had enough energy to commit to another attack. Despite all this, she knew the hopelessness before them, and even with that, she was still willing to lay down her life....

For him.

Thoughts of ADA and her valiant struggle to buy them enough time, flickered through his mind. He could only watch in abject horror as she weathered through one assault after another, sensing her bouts of confusion as her processes were slowly numbed from rampancy. In the end, her thoughts had been of him...it was always him.

The pistols in his hand dissolved into energy as he summoned forth his other Anti-Soul Arm---Scheitholt. Feeling a familiar weight in his hands made him relax, they could win this. Nodding to Myst, he wordlessly got in front of her before settling into a low crouch, the sniper-rifle held high into the sky as that damned monster began its final attack.

"We're going to go for a final combination attack." He said breaking the silence. "I want you to channel your energy through my weapon, with it and a Demon's Baptism, we should have enough power to annihilate that monster." He turned his head back, giving Myst one last look, and nodded. Withdrawing a Seele Schneider from his belt, he inserted the arrow into his rifle and began the invocation.

"In darkness beyond blackest pitch, in sea of chaos, deeper than deepest night..." All at once energy around them swirled into existence, trails of crimson spiraling energy amassing around the pair. The earth beneath them shook with power, and the winds began to howl.

Myst felt Ryuichi's hand, realizing he wasn't about to leave her to suffer her chosen fate. She was thankful for little in life, but knowing he was will to stand by her, well, it proved maybe there was a God after all. Listening to the Quincy Prince and the idea he had in store for the monster they so despised, it brought her hope.

Placing her hand on the rifle's side, she focused, giving everything to the attack that would soon come forth. It was as if time stood still, every moment inching closer, and yet feeling a mile apart. And yet, she was strangly glad for the time to clear her mind, preparing for whatever would come next, the final clash of power between the two sides.

Already he could feel the strain of the ginto, but with Myst adding her power to his own, he felt an overwhelming calm, as energies of life and death circulated. With another defiant shout he continued the diabolic invocation!

"I call upon thee from thy realm of infernos, to destroy the fools who stand..." Dark malevelent energies surged through his body, his veins burning with power, as he focused his will outward. Scheitholt was like the center of a massive vacuum, energies from all over were being gathered for one final attack! The sands beneath them were viciously torn upward as they were rapidly converted into raw energy, as the Scheitholt glew with an onminous crimson hue. Hellfire roared to life around them, as the powers of Quincy and Reikon Kyuuban unified!

Myst watched the chaos unfold around her and Ryuichi, knowing that this was the truest manifestation of a Quncy's power. The prospect of it thrilled her. The entire desert that bore witness to the carnage thus far was now a fuel for the final blow. To her, that was something exciting to see, a world being broken down, it's base component being reforged. Along with her own power, she knew Ryuichi's spell was enough to destroy the shadow that loomed above them both, the shadow of a monster.

Despite himself he couldnt help but smirk in anticipation. The deaths of his classmates, the carnage wrought by this monster was going to end in but a few moments. He took hold of all of his anger and directed it towards the spell, every ounce, of it. For all the pain he inflicted on Myst, for all the pain ADA suffered, he would pay this monster back a thousand times!!!

"before the mighty gift betsowed in my unworthy hand, let thy unholy rages be unleashed!!!" With one final push, he recited the end of the spell, his voice warping into a snarl as the wild energies converged into a single point!

An enormous turrent of energy surged from both the Quincy and the Reikon Kyuuban, as their powers combined, in a deafening howl, as gale-force winds red as blood and black as night whipped about them! It was as if their entire world warped, the very space itself bending around them as the massive influx of energies, began to destabilize the dimensional boundry. And in that single moment, their cry echoed throughout the heavens, as all of their will exploded in a final shout!

"KYUKETSUKI GA SATSUEI!!!|DEMONS BAPTISM!!!" They shouted in unison, unleashing the full brunt of their powers together. The wild energies shrunk before rapidly expanding into a wave of energy of such magnitude that its light illuminated Hueco Mundo from one horizon to the next as it blasted forward in a halo of blood red energy and hellfire!

Hellfire spewed forth; crimson beam of energy hissed as he bolted through the dense reishi vicinity; portruding from the base was waves of utter compulsion far greater than what Tokoyami could ever amass. The whirling coalsced of energies whipped about eagerly, distorting and vaporizing anything that may be in its path, leaving absolutely nothing in its wake. The ground quaked and split, howling with agony as the unfathomable power forced its way into existence, using the willpower of Myst and Ryuichi as a medium. The enchanting words lingered in the murky sky of Hueco Mundo, having been littered with chaotic spiritual energy from prior clashes, constantly reverberating amongst the three combatants.

The energy snapped into existence, a wave that immersed everything and left nothing behind, sped toward the foe with incredible speed! Suddenly, it expanded, swelled, and widened - energy like no other, in fact, energy that only Zenchō could possibly unfurl but never equate. The sheer magnitude of energy made Zenchō - the embodiment of malice, shiver in overwhelming fear. The grasp of emotion and power far from his reach; he watched as crimson light immersed his being, his eyes fixated on the pulsating rythm of finely tempered energy that sought him out. His pitiful levels of exerted energy were devoured wholly; his secondary and tertiary levels of energy barred the attack briefly before shattering bequeath the spell.

It was too late...

No scream, shout or cry for help escaped his lip. His knees buckled and released, simply, gave in. He gulped his own blood and swallowed; his tattered being fading as the blast of unified resolve struck him, full force. The endless desert of Hueco Mundo shone crimson for a fleeting moment, energy rippling across the land like a torrential wave commanded by a might ocean! The dunes stirred and a chorus of thunderous sceeches resounded and then, a jagged scar tore itself into the sky, permanetly slashed into view.

In a split second, the jagged scar became a shimmering light that slowly left the landscape, replaced by a thick smoke substance. Enroaching death dissolved, no, disintergrated everything in the vicinity save the combatants. Everything and anything within reach was crushed and thoroughly obliterated, as if an anvil slammed onto it a million times; the land was razed through the duration of the battle, the worst of battle forever funneled into the minds of the battlers and any hollow unfortunate enough to witness. The debris slowly swept away, bellowing winds and screeches and ensuing wave of rocketing energy having subsided.

Zenchō was beholden to an attack that he could not yet comprehend. Silence took its place. A moment passed; the cold exterior, singed and badly disfigured remains of Zenchō remained; no gruesome cuts, or wildly inflamed limbs, no, it was as if his body had just barely survived being sucked away into a vortex. He came plummeting to the sandy, cold dune below. His spiritual signature was still identifiable to an extent, yet, the damage to his physical being was evident.

Once light shone upon the stiffened body, blood trickled from every single limb on the body. A gaping hole was as plain as the blueness of the sky, positioned to the left of his bellybutton. Whatever wasn't marred with vibrant red was singed to the very tip. His hair turned black with soot at the end, and his pupils furiously shaked within his callous iron eyes. Bewildered, shooken, and dumbfounded beyond oblivion; the manifestation of horror couldn't even spare a cough as to retain whatever precious oxygen he could gulp down, thus, he remained silent as his insensate lump of a body crouched in the large crater of sand and shame his defeat brought.

The aftermath left a large miasma of rainbow color-clad spirit energy some few meters above the crater, though impossible to absorb. The energy generated from the shockwave wasn't beneficial, in fact, fatal; the colliding forces of multiple spirit energies caused a force unlike any other, closer to the properties of Hell if anything.

Meanwhile, his reishi collection was far overloaded and had crashed. His stolen Zanpakutou tools were also damaged even though they hadn't even been drawn. He hadn't even attempted to bring himself up, to much exertion would make what remained of him disintegrate.

Evil had been conquered for the time being.

But, chaos sowed did not begin receding, it was permanent; the pain brought onto families through losing friends, lovers, children, parents. The insurmountable mountain crumbling down to ash, and the maelstrom winds and jagged scars left on Hueco Mundo proved definite. However, his defeat proved that evil was finite, and could be defeaten with some good old perseverance, strategy, and classic friendship. Yet, like golden, evil may never corrode; it shall survive the testament of time and onslaughts of punishment, and still shine, as such, Zenchō began to grimace. The enegy foretold by Myst began to set in, it was the cruel fate set in stone by eons of time and wisdom through the vices of elder RK. Than again, everything that had occurred to Zenchō had been cruel, now, cruelty was some sort of fine elixer that he couldn't resist - it made him happy, being cruel and accepting cruelty, the cylce that was even too much for Hollow to accept, more resemblant to the nature of a demon if anything at all.

A dense energy, a far cry from Ransōtengai began to gather at his exterior; it wasn't healing nor encouraging his intensely injured body, but, eating away at the remains. Somehow, his energy was steadily inclining though his physical being was slowly evaporating. Almost immediately, Zenchō recognized the oncurring damage and reacted - on instinct, his willpower managed to stave off the proceeding influx of energies that sought to change him..for now, but it was strong, the overbearing impulse of madness deepening.

Zenchō laid in the crater of his defeat, painfully beaten by the combined forces of Reikon Kyuuban and Quincy; both of which fought to eradicate this anomaly from bringing further disgrace to their respective races, in addition, to putting an end to his maniacle slaughters. His breathing was ragged and off tempo and so was his vision,slowly, his senses began to fail him. "Dammit! It should'nt have ended this way! Dammit! Damn it all!"

Gradually, his spiritual frequency began to diminish. "....I will--I must live forever!It won't end this way!"

"You boot lickin' ass of a Quincy! Curse you! You---you and that damn vampire bringin' me to verge o' death like this. How shameful. I swear by god I will get you back for this! You glasses wearin' fuck an' tha' pink haired bitch ova' their too! I will--I promise you I will get my revenge!" As his speech drew a close, he had no time to catch his breath; his voice was meek, not so much carrying cowardice, but overwhelming anguish. His body was soon enclosed in a veil, a nigh-permanent sneer forced its self onto his face while his visage was sucked away by this unknown purple shroud.

Slowly, it crept up from his legs to his torso. Meanwhile, no longer able to give of the capable willpower to stave off the transformation; light began to converge at his dissipating lower limbs. Using whatever remained of his dispersed, and soon to be useless reishi collection to forge an escape, through means of his heightened Hirenkyaku. He watched, vision blurred with a slanted gaze at the enemies that sought him out, remaining relentless.

Myst fought to remain standing, a fight she failed. Falling to her knees, the vampiress looked at the pitiful man lying broken and destroyed. "Rot in Hell, monster. You squandered your gifts, killed too many innocents, you're unforgivable. There were better ways, ones that didn't involve killing. Too bad, you might have been something worth remembering if you hadn't screwed up." she said, he voice shaking, watching the shadow-like energy devour the remaining portion of the man's body, whatever it foretold.

Part of her was happy the great battle was finally drawing to a close, but most of her mind rilled against what she had just done. She willingly took the life of another in cold blood, something she strove to avoid up until that point. Hellish thoughts spun around her mind, only one offering solace: The spirits that the twisted freak took could finally rest in peace, their unjust death avenged.

---

Ryuichi watched dispassionately at the writhing mass of what was left of that monster. He wanted to feel something, should have felt something at the long awaited closure of this battle. At watching this monster existing crumble into dust. He had desired vengeance, pure and simple for the deaths this thing caused. In the end...he just felt a wave of weariness weigh down on his shoulders.

He idly glanced at his blacked arms and hands--- burnt with varying degree's of first to second degree burns from the amount of spiritual power he had just released. The remains of his sniper rifle scattered around him, having detonated in an explosion, unable to handle the power he had summoned forth. With a tired sigh, he shifted one leg forward. Then the other, before crumbling to his knee's. Mysts' hand caught him before his body hit the sand, easing him into a steady crouched position.

Her outburst had drawn him from his thoughts, but it was clear that she was torn up inside. He couldnt tell what was the reason, but given all they had accomplished, he felt...that he had to do something. Maybe it was the adrenaline in his system, maybe it was the familial relationship they had, and the bond they undoubtedly shared after a life or death battle.

"We did it Myst, we won." he said breaking the silence. "We've beaten a foe who thought itself superior, and we've stopped it from committing more atrocities." There was the unspoken truth though, even though they killed it, the innocents who suffered and died...that would never go away. Reaching into a pocket he pulled out a Ginto, and quickly recited the incantation, a tear in space opening up before them. Standing up he offered Myst a hand, pulling her to her feet.

"We should leave, see to it that the students....that they get the a respectful service. Don't worry, I'll..." He paused for a moment, thoughts swirling in his head, eyes glazed for a moment. "---I'll tell their families the news." He tried offering a smile, but it was obvious it was forced. An uncomfortable silence filled the air again, as neither moved from their spot, consumed by their own thoughts, their own guilt.

Myst's mind was in overdrive. her anger at herself taking center stage. "I'm sorry this had to happen. If I just took more notice of the reports, this could have been avoided. Your friends could still be alive. It wasn't this monster that killed them, it was my foolish belief that a RK wouldn't dare attack so brazenly." she said, tears running down her face. Not wanting to let Ryuichi to see her in such an emotionally wrecked state of mind, she turned away from him and eased to the portal. She had heard small bits of information about each abduction and death, which at the time seemed like random murders, but on a level too frequent to be on a human scale.