The Cauldron of Black: The Creator and the Destroyer

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The Living Apocalypse
A deathly silence loomed over the battlefield, following the approach of the beast.

His presence was an anesthetic to everything else - voices, attacks, emotions and even sense. Everything was smothered under his presence, and everything smothered was forced to draw its attention to him. The initial panic that had occurred - people getting knocked down and thrown away, struggles to get back up and see what had attacked - had been swept away as quickly as it had arrived. Now there was only shock, awe and horror. Even some of the Quincy were regarding their objective with apprehension - a feeling they hadn't expected themselves to experience.

Thanks to Ultharon's approach, Renji's final attack had been blown away. Armisael, affected by both the wave of power and her own amazement, was nearly blown out of the sky along with it. But she was quick to right herself, giving a few flaps and twists of the body to keep herself safe. The sounds of flesh tearing and more blood spilling made her aware of the purchase on her back. "Oh?" She commented casually. "You're still alive back there? And despite what I put you through, you didn't even scream once. They must have put you through absolute hell for that, didn't they?"

Then, she performed what would be a surprising move, given the scenario. A three-sixty degree spin was performed. When Renji was facing the ground, the spikes that kept him bound to her retracted back into her body with sickening cracks. She briefly folded her wings as she turned back to belly-up position, her hands thrust out to Renji as he began to fall. She caught him underneath his arms, looking down on him with a mixture of amusement and satisfaction. "I can only wonder," She whispered, slowly lowering herself to ground level. "Will all of that resolve, endurance and determination matter now?"

She turned her gaze to the other members of the audience - particularly, the members of the enemy side.

"Wh-what the hell is that thing?!"

"Is that Ultharon?! How did he get free?!"

"I'd like to believe," Tsubasa breathed, regarding Ultharon with the same sense of apprehension he had felt when facing down an angry Yashin. Beads of sweat fell down his face, and suddenly the irritation within him was long forgotten. "That I'm entitled to a bad mood whenever I get the short end of the stick. I mean, if you can keep the biggest smile on your face after seeing that kind of thing stroll in... well..." He put on a wry grin. "The Spirit King has certainly blessed you."

"My God." Gina whispered, a clearer look of horror on her face. "I never would've thought... in my lifetime, I'd..." She trailed off, unable to say anything more. Her body was trembling, threatening to fall to its knees.

There were others who carried a much more positive outlook to it.

After getting over his own shock and horror, Zeruel turned back to face Daisuke. The grin on his face grew wider, and he gave a short set of laughter at the statement. "Spare me? I'm afraid that's not possible, boy." He answered casually, keeping a haughty tone of amusement in his words. "After all, in the next few minutes, there's not going to be anything left to spare. Neither from me--"

As he spoke, there would be another to share his anticipation.

When the smoke cleared from Tome's attack, Arael would be seen sitting with his arms resting on his knees. There was a puddle of blood around him - the only sign of him having been wounded. By the time he was seen, all of his injuries had healed until little more than scratches and light scars were left. Half of his shirt had been burned away, exposing part of a bare torso. Although he looked worse for the wear, he still bore a grin as wide as the Cheshire cats. He didn't bother looking at Ultharon like the rest did, keeping his eyes on his opponents and feasting on their own horror at the situation.

"...or from you."

Jūshin was the first to notice it, swinging his head back to the white-haired Quincy and glaring. "And just what the hell's so funny over there?" He growled, trying to keep himself composed. "I think we'd all love a chuckle right now."

Arael chuckled, his eyes flashing with twisted delight as he raised his arms in a casual shrug. "Looks like Christmas came early for me." He taunted, slowly bringing himself up to his feet. "Shouldn't we stop this fighting and partake in this wonderful occasion?"

"Holy. Shit," Tome declared out loud as his bared-tooth visage became as slack jawed as it could manage. Among the Commanders he was looking wide-eyed at the roaring and howling form of Ultharon. A demonic being without reproach of destructive capability, the objective of this madman. In the chaos of him trying to shuffle around the quaking grounds that sent hundreds of earthen spears that somehow stopped the flurry of the endless winter wind. His own body felt frozen and stationary at the sight of such a monster. "We're fucked, aren't we?"

"How...?" Hana asked hoarsely, earning the sidelong look of Elizabeth while Aesa stared as stoically as she could at the distant monster. "Arael never reached his cell. He didn't break his chains. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR TARNISHING MY MASTER'S LEGACY?!"

"Captain-Commander, steel yourself!" Elizabeth corrected her comrade, gripping her shoulder firmly to shake her daze ridden reverie to let her focus on the man standing in front of them. "He's still here. Something else is afoot. But we can't let this madman run loose. We'll deal with him first, and then focus our combined efforts in containing Ultharon."

"Right...you're right, Elizabeth," She nodded, her eyes steely staring at the smug expression that the Quincy Leader wore. "We should kill him to make sure he doesn't get to live his depraved dream out. Isn't that right, your Majesty?" She asked, lending her glance at Yurei's King.

While the leaders of the Alliance were collecting themselves, most of the scattered forces of the Alliance reconvened and gathered together in united numbers. Despite the stone trees that erected themselves like cancerous growth along the snowy landscape, the barrier at least was down and allowed them an open space to view their enemy. They had an incredible number of capable soldiers on their side but this was a monster literally out of Hell, one of the worst kinds of Togabito you could face down in the bowels of damnation. If gods existed in a metaphysical sense, they were not watching right now.

"Brae-san...please tell me I'm not awake," Yoki told Braeburn as her rotating suit halted its spinning, allowing her person strapped of belts containing the crimson orbs to be still with the shock of Ultharon's return. "This is all a nightmare...right?"

"It isn't. This is all too real," Meikurai whispered aloud as he eyed at the monster with apprehension of the highest degree.

Kaze couldn't help but watch with undeniable curiosity. With his disposal of Bardiel he now could pay attention to a real specimen he had been dying to know about. Disposing of all the pain and suffering he had been wrought, he could only wonder what he could find out from the beast. That is, if their Alliance was worth their salt and were able to best him without destroying his body.

"Eh? A new strong guy has appeared," Kenpachi stated, his blood having long dried up at the stand-off between himself and Ramiel. Toshiro and Shinji both looked on with reserved caution, knowing things had just taken a turn for the worst. What they did from this point on could help tip the balancing point.

"Sodai," Gin spoke, having finally allowed himself to move since the first time they arrived. "It's time we take action. This is what we prepared for."

"Right," The solemn echo of the Takuji House nodded with agreement.

As plans were made behind the scenes, the bloodied Renji lowered to the ground as the mere sight of the monster made his eyes widen. Struggling to stand, even with his injuries, he began to stumble towards the creature. Gripping his sword tightly his brows twitched as sweat crept down his face and scalp equally. The pain was nothing compared to his alarm, "Shut up! I got a job to do. Consider our fight postponed till this is settled...!"

"You see, Angelika? This was the vision that my foresight predicted would happen," Yashin Kagai thought within, standing alone as the destruction to the landscape was wrought around him. Even as one "tree" rose up and twisted meters away, he stood unfaze as he looked up stonily at the being who snarled to the skies of his prison. His cell was broken, his chains unbound and he was free. "I wanted you to escape from this, or be prepared at failing that. I just hope the latter has come to pass..."

"Splendid, isn't it?" The Reaper entertained his void and opinion next to Yashin, whom merely ignored the presence of the Hankami altogether. His scythe balanced over one shoulder, he remained adamantly uninvolved with most of the battles that had been silenced by this being's arrival. A serious focused stare entered his eyes, one that the Reaper never remembered seeing during his years of watching the world of mortal spirits and physical beings alike. "His power, I mean. Quite breathtaking to take in such pure malevolent madness and anger ridden energy into one solid construct. He's a walking apocalypse-"

"He's The Apocalypse, Hankami," Yashin breathed out neutrally as he kept an impassive disposition that didn't share a smile that his Hankami seemed to cater to his drunken state of death he felt from the battle. He was like a foul odor, coming off a rotting corpse. It was something his own attuned senses of Reishi and natural scents alike that he wished to be rid of him if only to not sour his disposotion. But his attention was far too attached to the the Almighty Archdemon roaring like a wild animal free of its cage. "He's the worst kind of evil. Mindless, Aimless and Endless Destruction. Do not underestimate an unleashed beast for something beneath your status as a god. He'll end you quicker than you can blink with that attitude."

"Ha! You must be truly arrogant to believe you're at a place where you can say such things to-" The Reaper found himself interrupted by the instantaneous absence of Yashin. Not believing that he vanished, he looked around till he saw the very visage of perfect evolution had appeared before the beast. Not with the intent of attack, but with the attitude of conversation. "What are you...doing?"

"Ultharon the Almighty," Yashin greeted, now donning a polite smile as he bowed before the now freed Hollowfied entity. "It pleases me to see you freed from your unruly chains. I wonder who it was to free you though I am curious what your intent is after being unshackled. Vengeance? Domination? Or is it pure destruction you yearn? Entertain me with an answer if you'd be so kind."

"What is he...doing?" Daisuke asked, having only briefly received a verbal lashing from Zeruel when he witnessed Ultharon's awakening. The mere presence of its roar made his blood go cold. The fiery mantle of his aura dimmed in the face of such unruly animosity. They had failed so soon?!

"That Beast," Sachiel intoned aloud, a sense of disgust unheard by the others but only known to herself as she spoke. "What a wretched creature to be let loose like that. Did Arael do this, or did someone behind the scenes we weren't aware of?"

Murasaki couldn't help but stare in awe at the amount of Reiatsu radiating off of the Togabito. Despite being imprisoned, the creature was incredibly strong and yielded a strength at the bare minimum on par with a Captain Commander's power. She could only wonder if his hatred and desire to escape had fueled his strength to new dimensions. Gripping her sword, she stayed close to her mother, wanting to keep her safe no matter what without speaking words to alarm her.

"Yes, you're forgiven, Qilin-kun," Ayui whispered, her eyes staring at a monster she never seen before. "Stupid question, but what IS that?"

The mighty Hollow lord, after finishing his grand bellow, leaped from the fallen tree and onto the snow-covered ground below, flakes of frost and snow being sent skywards around his impact area in the process. As he stood straight up, he found Yashin kneeling before him, daring to address him so boldly. It was here that Yashin would notice something rather alarming about Ultharon's appearance, and that would be that the monster had been impaled from behind with an ornate and almost ancient-looking katana, emanating a fiery blue aura. More surprising than that was the fact that Ultharon, at a glance, hadn't seemed to have been affected by this apparent attack as, despite an occasional wobble of the legs, he appeared to be functioning just fine.

Yashin would almost certainly recognize who this katana belonged to.

The red-eyed Hollow lord glared down at Yashin with bared fangs, a ghastly snarl escaping the narrow gaps of his teeth in the form of light vapors. But then, he started coughing, a black blood-like substance slowly draining down his mouth and onto the ground below. The coughing would cease in exchange for dry and almost incoherent mutterings as Ultharon began to slowly walk towards the allies and their Quincy adversaries, now seeming to disregard Yashin entirely.

"Gh..ami... grghami..." he would utter, seemingly to himself as he walked past the kneeling Yashin. "Blasphemous mur....murderers.. mmmrk...mmm... blood-crazed... f-f-fiends..." he went on. The more he moved, the more steady his approach would become. If one looked carefully, they would see that the typical Hollow "bones" that made up most of Ultharon's armor was beginning to slowly fall apart, flake by flake, piece by piece. The katana impaled through his back seemed to only glow brighter as he came closer to the battlefield.

"Atonement... for the wretches... mercy for... for my... grrgk... for my children" he would go on, his speech becoming more clear and clear with each word. "By the wrath... by the wrath of the all...f-father...".

What is he...?

The sight gradually wiped the grin off Arael's face when he turned to see it. Confusion swam in his eyes as he attempted to realize what was going on. Everything was going as planned, for the most part. The beast had been released into the wild, seemingly seeing everyone and everything as hostile. He was in perfect position for a session of sweet talk and a lure to draw attention to the Shinigami. But there was no anticipating this. If not for the katana and the shifting of the voices, he would've assumed that this was some sort of transformation. But it wasn't. It was something that he hadn't predicted - something that probably anyone would've predicted.

A possession.

He furrowed his eyebrows, his mouth curling downwards in a slight scowl. Suddenly, things didn't seem so positive for him anymore.

This change of expression was not lost to Jūshin, who had caught it out of his peripheral. His own shock fell to pensiveness, and he peered at the Quincy even as he spoke. "Somehow, I don't think he's going to be living his dream, either way." He commented. "I have absolutely no idea as to what the hell is going on. But it looks like he doesn't have a clue, either. Hate to play the minority here, but I really think we should focus on Ultharon... or rather, what I assume is Ultharon."

He switched his gaze to a spot a certain distance away, looking at a shocked police Captain. "Avaron!" He called out, the authority in his voice making her snap her head away from the peculiar sight. "Gather your subordinates and get to a minimum safe distance! We'll handle things from here on out!"

"R-right!" Shaking herself out of her funk, Avaron turned to her subordinates and began barking orders at them. "You heard him! Let's get out of here! It's out of our hands now!"

From his own private corner, Braeburn watched them retreat. He turned his attention to his Quincy allies, taking in their expressions of confusion and wariness. His own face held bemusement and apprehension even as he fixed his sword back onto his waist, his Shikai regressing back to its sealed state. But most of all, it held a horrified recognition. Even if the D.C.O. squad couldn't see his face, they could hear these emotions reflected in his words.

"I recognize that sword..."

The V-14 leader would take it much better.

Even as her colleagues seemed to tense up in the same apprehension that had stricken the rest of them, she stood with only a slight look of irritation and a faint scowl. Her hands were slipped into her pockets. "Well, isn't this a predicament we're seeing right now?" She questioned rhetorically. "Here I was expecting the great abomination of a Hollow to bring about the apocalypse, and suddenly, this happens?" She closed her eyes and lowered her head, a wry smirk being made out of her mouth. "Yashin, you are a terrible fortune teller."

Remembering how many thousands of troops were still on the battlefield, Hana and Elizabeth turned on their heels to give respective orders. They told their men to fall back to the upper level of Hell, and prepare for retreat. While the order met some deliberation Shinigami and Knights alike were pulling back. Their battle had just took a turn for the worst, and they couldn't afford to be caught up in a nightmare. It was only by thankful chance that Kaze had created makeshift anchors to allow them successful passage upward away from the monstrocity. But the Elites of the DCO, the remaining Paladins, and some faithful Officers were still staying their ground.

Whether out of fear or curiosity, no one would know.

"No," Yashin proclaimed out loud. What he saw brought back a wave of memories. Back when he was a formless being that was sent to destroy the Hankami and those that were the creator lord's enemies. Before he was sent on the doomed task he caught sight of an ancient sword sheathed on his maker's side. It was that sword, and Ultharon was being affected by it.

At first glance, it was a curious sight. Nostalgia came back like an adrenaline rush. But now alarm grew as something akin to a change in Reishi quality came off the monster. Now panic spread through him, and he leaped through the air, scythe drawn. Swinging down -his weapon that could cut through space- drew not just through the monster's body and aim for its heart but also the blade that was stuck within its body. In a decisive moment he acted, knowing that if he didn't do anything he'd regret it.

"I won't let you return to this world!" He shouted as he attacked the beast and the weapon in one fell swoop.

It would be the move that would likely change everything.

The staggering and weary looking Ultharon seemed to regain all sense of self when Yashin made his move. His tail, now slowly shortening, reached up to his upper back and wrapped around the handle of the sword, before quickly and fluidly pulling it from his chest, leaving a trail of black blood to follow in it's wake. The tail then swung the blade up to meet Yashin's scythe, clashing in a violent impact of sparks and metal. A blue fire erupted from Ultharon's blade, emanating a power that no on else on the battlefield would be able to recognize, burning into Yashin and his own weapon. Ultharon then slashed the weapon to Yashin's right, parrying his scythe attack, before swinging the blade back towards him again and slamming it into the scythe once again, this time with far much more power, so much so that the attack would send Yashin flying backwards several meters, before embedding him into the side of the massive tree that Ultharon had just escaped from.

Doing this would only cause the Hollow lord to undergo yet another change of state. The gaping hole in his chest from where he pulled the sword out, now reminiscent of a typical Hollow Hole, began to spout the blackish substance that had been seen coming out of his body earlier, almost like a geyser. His tail then shifted over to his right hand, which clenched the handle of the katana as if it were his own, and his entire body began to radiate the same blue-fire aura that had been seen just seconds prior. He began to snarl as his body would begin to visibly change, white hair beginning to grow out of the back of his head, his bone-like armor slowly falling apart, his tail becoming practically nonexistant, he appeared to be changing into something more... human.

But his next course of action would be anything but human.

As if he wanted to go down fighting to whatever force was possessing him, Ultharon's piercing red eyes glared at the Shinigami and Quincy forces that lay just ahead of him. The hatred would be oh-so apparent in his expression, his animal-like stare, his bared and snarling teeth, he just wanted to watch all of them die by his hands, to suffer as he had suffered, and he wasn't about to let some spirit take that away from him. As the blue fire began to eat further and further away at his form, a crimson orb began to form within his now opened mouth. This orb would be highly recognizable as a Cero, but as the alliance possibly already expected, this would be unlike any Cero that they had witnessed before. As if he were stealing the energy that was possessing him, the blue fire aura began to channel into the crimson Cero that he was preparing, causing it to only get bigger and bigger with each passing second. He reared back, clenching his fists as his body continued to change and bleed, before unleashing his Cero upon both the Shinigami forces and the Quincy forces.

It was an almost mesmerizing blend of colors, seeing the being wrapped in azure flames let out a blast as red as blood, but it was a force deadlier than any Demon could muster in comparison. The Cero, enormous as it was, caused the snow-filled horizon to change into a reddish hue, and said snow began to melt almost immediately. The blast would slam into the very center of the Shinigami and Quincy's battlefield, before it would begin to shift and move, angling itself towards the Shinigami, and then through the distant background, and then back around to the nearby Quincy. In the wake of the Cero, wherever it traveled, would be a colossal explosion that would send such mighty shockwaves, even the combatants that avoided the beam itself would be sent flying. Huge walls of fire would come as a result, molding this final level of Hell into something straight out of a novel.

Ultharon was about to leave, and it was clear that he intended on taking each and every single living being there with him.

It was a sight that the retreating Alliance and the standing elites could only gape at the sight. Ultharon's changing form was largely unnoticed by comparing to the enormous well of power he was tapping into. It was mesmerizing as it was terrifying, the sheer scope of its condensed power readying to be unleashed. A sight that made the remaining enemies most likely waver at their conviction to fight back at the same time that the heroes felt helpless.

But one of them, a man who has always rose for the occasion to fight the impossible, leaped forward at unprecedented speeds to meet the horizon eclipsing wave of devastating Reishi.

"HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Daisuke howled aloud as he tapped into the depths of his potential and the power that he borrowed from within. Flames of Hell jettisoned out of the frost covered earth, cracking it and sending fissures of magma rising upward to consume the many mineralized trees into ash. With wings spread out like a Phoenix of myth, he thrust his blade forward to crash against the bludgeoning wave of explosive might. When the two collided, it was halted but did not buckle, merely causing a chaotic storm of Reiatsu that sent immense pressure waves filled with static energy that crackled and snapped all around the landscape. In this time, he took his precious breaths of effort to shout out at those still standing. "EVERYONE! POOL YOUR POWER TOGETHER TO STOP THIS! NOW'S OUR ONLY CHANCE! FIGHT! BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!"

Taking only a few moments to regain clarity, Hana furrowed her brows and clapped her hands together. Leaping forward, she was soon joined by Aesa and Elizabeth with Tome in tow with presumably the King of Yurei as well. Hundreds to thousands of rings soon escaped her palms, rotating in and around each other, amassing to the size of a meteor in sheer width of the high spinning rings that imitated a vacuum pulling twister of force. Shouting out loud, it soon became a energy induced storm of blades, allowing her to slam into an opposing wall of Ultharon's destructive Cero, "THIS IS FOR MY MASTER, YOU DAMNED MONSTER! SHUNKŌ!"

"By the Holy Light I Reflect On High," Elizabeth chanted, her blade's mirrors soon coalescing into a crystaline image of a feathered sword of glistening colors and rays. Swinging it forward upon reaching close proximity, it created a powerful arrow of divine rays that rushed forward to strike the wall of power that overcast the entire land in a stark red. "CRYSTAL RAY SPEAR!"

"Hallowed Cross!" Aesa announced as she unleashed a cross shaped blaze of pure white Reishi of Hollow kind into the fray, swathing through the immense pressure of the attack sent their way.

"CERO OSCURAS!" Tome howled out as he unleashed a pitch black wave against his own large portion of the power that sought to annihilate them all. While he poured as much strength as he could into the attack, he wondered if it'd be enough. But just when he thought he was alone he turned slightly to see Hiroi, having cracked free of the ice that Rukia created and zoomed forward like a missile to crash mightily next to his long time friend.

"Couldn't let you have all the fun, Tome!" He snarled as he generated an explosive pressure from his palms to push against the attack alongside him.

"I'm with ya too!" Jack the Wallaby appeared, thrusting a great deal number of punches against the Reishi surface in an effort to push it back with raw might.

"Devil's Shot!" Yokujin declared as he poured his own Hollow energy into his gun and fired a devastating blast at the Reishi energy heading their way.

"One Hundred Sword Art," Kogun announced as his large scabbards thrust out all of the swords imaginable in a blurred dance of metal and reflecting light. Grasping each one of them with extended bands of caution tape, he became a yellow-black dizzying tornado of friction and cutting pressure against the powerful gale of energy sent by the Archdemon. "Shredding Cyclone!"

"Bankai," Gin proclaimed with a quick draw of his sword, placing its pommel parallel to his chest while his sword created a myriad of skyscraper scaled cutting thrusts at the distant wave of volatile crimson light. "Kaminoyshini Yari, Butō: Renjin!"

S ōdai activated his own Hollow mask to engage the attack directly, firing a dark red Cero to counter the brighter red one. T ōshir ō Hitsugaya used his own Bankai to vaporize it with his ice powers, Kukky ōna jumped in with his own Bankai activated with a loud shout to run into the blaze his son assaulted without regard for his own life. Taiyō Ikidōri launched a volley of continuous Kid ō which was lobbied by Ry ōken Aizen,   Kōjaku Kuchiki utilized his Bankai to charge into the blazing light aiming to replicate its power while simultaneously pushing it back with memorized techniques he could conjur from forethought. Shind ō returned to the fray with his wounds healed and a Hollow mask activated, allowing him to fire his own grey colored Cero to impact the wall of imminent death heading their way.

"Should we-?"

"Don't bother," M ōka refuted Shito who was at first seeming worried that the immense wall of Hollowfied power was going to reach them. "I can sense them. The amount of Captain Commander Class warriors the Alliance has on top of Captains pushing back against that beast of a Cero is astronomical. Even though this is a impressive display, a dying Hollow's Cero isn't going to withstand their unified push. And even if it did, I'll use whatever power I have to halt the attack altogether. That is, if Angelika doesn't beat me to it, right Leader?"

Athena herself was already on the verge of erecting a barrier for the behest of the Sect's forces. Looking over to see none of them had made a move, she knew that it must be their confidence in their allies that made them unmoved. While some flinched, none of them turned to run or ran towards it. She admired their stoic nature to stare death in the eye and be completely unafraid. Still, she had to ask her Keeper, if nothing else to be sure, "Keeper, what are your orders?!"

Yashin himself had been winded by the unsuspecting attack. While he suffered no damage, his back was indented into the stoney tree that Ultharon's tail whipped him into. Wincing at the spasm of momentary sensation akin to pain he felt, he opened them wide at seeing the monolithic energy beam he spewed out. Consumed by a wildfire of blue tongues and his form rapidly losing its integrity of what it once was, he knew that the beast was so angry that he was losing his own consciousness that he intended to kill as many as he could. Glaring hotly, he threw his scythe from his stuck position, aiming to cut the bipedal monster's backside while he focused on killing so many. "I'll teach you to turn your back on me, beast!"

For once in her life, Angelika wasn't sure how to respond.

Throughout it all, she had focused her gaze on Yashin - or more importantly, his expression. That wasn't the face of the calm, smooth composure he always held. Now there was desperation and anger. Now, there was a look that would've better suited the likes of themselves. At first, she was unable to comprehend it, looking on with bemusement. But when she heard an all-too-familiar voice of the Shadow speak one word in her head, that expression was soon to change to comprehending shock.

Izanagi.

Her decision was set.

She swung her hand out, her voice raising to carry to all of her subordinates. "Focus your fire!" She called out, her voice expressing both authority and urgency. "I want the strongest units forward! Attack the monster while he's distracted! Do not let up, no matter what--!"

But it turns out, no one would have to lift a finger.

Within the center of the sky above their heads, they could see a brief twinkle. Then, they would see a projectile of a flaming missile headed straight down to their location at immense speed. If one looked closely enough, they would be able to see what was in the center of that massive fire comet. Her hair whipped behind her, normally crimson eyes shining a brilliant orange. It was impossible not to see coming, for the power radiating off of her flying form was a multitude of weights weighing down upon the battlefield. It only took her a handful of seconds to reach her destination, and when she did, she swung her blade down with all her might upon Ultharon.

It was the Punisher - and from where the others were standing, she wasn't too happy.

But as they had all feared, it would not be Ultharon that would receive the blow.

The monster's feet dug deeper into the frozen earth as it tried to maintain it's mighty Cero. This wasn't supposed to happen, it thought to itself; no group of Shinigami could stand against his accumulated hatred so steadily. The fact that he could feel himself slipping more and more from his own mind was certainly not helping him in his struggle. Slowly, steadily, his mind began to fade, his hearing, his sight, and more importantly his focus, all began to wane. His massive Cero steadily began to lose it's strength, faltering under the combined might of the Alliance's onslaught.

And then, he felt it.

His eyes turned towards the descending Hankami Queen, the Punisher, a falling star of pure flame heading straight for him. Just then, there was an odd sense of both apprehension and satisfaction in observing her descend straight for him. There was a boiling anger inside of him that was not his, but someone else's, perhaps the being that was in the process of possessing him. It was there that the rage and fear of losing himself seemed to vanished, and as his Cero finally diminished and the God-like blue flame that consumed him began to grow in size and power, he grinned madly. Those of the alliance would even hear a small echo of his chuckle before he exploded into a magnificent orb of intense blue fire, one that was so powerful, it was able to nullify the oncoming attacks from the Alliance. This orb remained in place for a handful of seconds before it completely vanished, leaving only a massive cloud of smoke. All was quiet for an instance, as the Punisher neared her destined target, it would seem to be an easy kill. Whatever Ultharon had amounted to, it surely didn't have enough power to withstand her unholy wrath, could it?

That would be disproven once Yashin's scythe made it's way towards where Ultharon had been standing.

The twirling blade would be caught middair by a hand, not a Hollow's hand, but the hand of what appeared to be a human. Still obscured by the smoke, the hand, with it's newly acquired weapon, swung the scythe towards the Punisher and they both clashed just afterwords. The impact of their weapons caused the smoke to be blown away, and it finally revealed who this new entity was. His expression appeared to be utterly lifeless and cold, but as the Punisher could no doubt tell, there was an unyielding amount of rage in the being's eyes. There would be no doubting it now; the threat they had all come to vanquish had been completely taken out of the equation, in favor of something potentially far worse.

As the power radiating from the clash of the two Gods became more visible and damaging to the surrounding environment, the God-King of Creation itself glared into the Punisher's iris', and said one single sentence: "...the age of the Hankami... ends here." With that, he used his scythe to parry the Punisher's attack, before bringing around his blue katana that had been seen earlier and slamming it into either her or her weapon, whichever one was closest, and sending her flying back into the sky from whence she came.

With a few precious moments of silence, the God-King turned to face the Alliance and Quincy forces, addressing them all as one. "My disciples... your time here is over. Leave this place, now." he began, his deep and resonant voice echoing seemingly throughout the entire plane of Hell that they stood upon. Before he continued, he threw Yashin's scythe back at him, not even turning to face the man, as the weapon would stick straight into the tree next to Yashin, a possible sign that the being no longer considered him a threat.

"You will exalt the will of your elders.... the will that is Izanagi."

Izanagi-no-Mikoto.

That one word was enough to make the reality of the situation all too clear to Braeburn. He took a few steps back, all thoughts of his own personal plans forgotten in the face of what he had encountered. Beads of sweat were running down his face, and the expression of fear became more and more apparent. Although instincts were telling him to redraw his sword and defend himself, his mind was telling him not to incur the wrath of the man - no, the being - standing before them all. So he simply stood there, trying desperately to decide on what to do. As dedicated as he was, something about him told him that the god's presence here was not a good thing.

He wasn't the only one thinking this.

"What the hell is this...?" Arael asked vehemently, his teeth clenching and his eyes glaring at what had previously been Ultharon. Gone was the smug and smooth attitude, replaced by a restrained frustration. His hands clenched into fists, and his nails dug into the skin so hard that they started bleeding within seconds. "First Dorado, and now this? Is this some sort of a sick joke?" With each and every words spoken, his voice rose from a bare whisper to a slightly-louder-than-normal voice - one that attracted the attention of his nearby Quincy allies.

"Commander..." Ramiel muttered, furrowing his eyebrows and frowning as he peered at Izanami. Like Arael, he too had broken his usual attitude in favor for wariness and a state of alert. "Not that I'm saying it to be okay to bend in the face of an enemy... but would it be best if we retreated? Things don't seem to be going the way--"

"No!" Arael growled, abruptly turning his sharp gaze to Ramiel. This made the taller man flinch in the most subtle of ways, but nothing else. "I will not be deterred by this false deity. Whatever twisted prank this is will not stop me!"

"Ah--!"

They were forced to turn their attention away from it all when they saw that the Punisher was not only stopped in her tracks, but sent back the way she came.

She was thrown out of her battle trance, reeling in shock even as she was sent flying back up into the sky. But it didn't take her long to recover, gritting her teeth and using her respective powers. The power of Hell bent to her will, slowing her down and stopping her as quickly as she had been sent up. But she was a considerable distance up above their heads, capable of marking the entire group through direct vision. Beads of sweat fell down her face as she took it all in. "Just a single strike, and I was almost sent back home." She muttered to herself, furrowing her eyebrows. "And here, I thought I had a bit more of a chance than that." She closed her eyes and shook her head, emitting a wry chuckle.

"But then again, I shouldn't have expected less from dear old Dad, should I?"

After seeing both the Punisher and Yashin repelled so effortlessly, Angelika slowly lowered her arm back down and fell into a momentary silence. The way his power nullified the Alliance's combined attacks, the blocks of both of the empowered being's strikes and how they were sent off on their ways shook her down to her core. It was a demonstration of just how powerful this "Izanagi" was and the ensuing consequences of attempting to fight him directly. If he could repel two god-like powers with such ease, then there was no doubt he could do the same to the rest of them. Oliver's voice didn't help ease the reality of that fact.

"Uh, Nazi? Not to be a downer or anything... but I think we just might be screwed here."

"For once..." Angelika muttered. "I wholeheartedly agree with you."

Daisuke was completely shocked. Part of him knew that to pool of their powers together wasn't going to work, but he didn't know it was because of the almighty Izanagi took Ultharon's place. When he felt a rippling shockwave followed by the purest of blue fires he's ever seen, making even Shous pale in comparison, he found his skin was burned by the mere touch of it. Crashing into the ground, he rolled head over heel, writhing in pain as was on all fours, still wrapped around the power of Shinsei infused Reiryoku that kept him alive. Looking up with widened eyes that saw the haze emitting from Izanagi, he knew right from the start that he was stronger than anything he could have hoped to come across.

"It's like he's the Cosmos embodied...what kind of entity can simply walk without causing everything around to crumble under his might?!" The Lieutenant thought as the distant sounds of clattering of feet and bodies struck the frost evaporating earth.

"What is that?!" Ryōken asked aloud incredulously at the being who announced himself as the Creator of all things.

"I believe he's the groom to Izanami," Kukkyōna deadpanned.

"Now isn't the time for that kind of humor, Kukkyōna!" He shouted back with a wide-eyed manner of panic.

"I'm being completely serious," He replied lowly, sweat being sighted behind the sight of his Bankai's mantle of incredibly brilliant colored Reiatsu. "As of now, I'm unsure if anyone can walk away alive if this being wishes to kill us."

"Please tell me you don't suggest we run away," Taiyō spoke up with a belligerent growl.

"We may not have a choice," Shindō suggested, his own wounds having healed after he unmasked himself but the look of apprehension plain as day on his face. "This is a being that can't be matched even by my Incomplete Philosophy. Attempting so could be suicide."

"My Zanpakutō couldn't hope to do any damage either," Kōjaku furthered, his own gaze less stoic and more unnerved than usual.

"Then what are we supposed to do?!" Ryōken desperately waved his arms in panic.

"Wait for word from our leaders," The Head of the Hayate Noble House nodded up ahead. "We'll know what our next move is, judging by their actions."

Elsewhere, the members of V-14 were ridden into shock and stupor, unable to fully process what they were seeing or feeling. The sight of all the members of the participating Alliance were just backhanded in such a way, including the almighty Punisher, was just too much for them to take in.

"Mother was...sent back?!" Mōka cried out with disbelief, her arm lowering after the cosmic collision between two incredible deities; only one was able to repel the other. The sight of the Queen of Hell being able to be rebounded by her own frontal assault made her question what could she do if this was really the case. Did any Hankami have a chance if her own parent couldn't?

"Oh fuck me sideways," Hyōryū muttered at the sight of the being who took the place of Ultharon. They had nearly been destroyed one moment but through a combined effort sent it back. But when the God-King, Izanagi, blew them all back with a wall of blue flames that vanished as quickly as they come it made her realize just what their chances were.

"This is bad," Kunō murmured, looking to Karitori as she saw the user of Yamiki aside from herself shake at the sight of the being she could sense across the stretch of Hellish landscape. "We may need to pull out."

"And go where?!" She hissed in an equally lower tone. "If we don't stop that thing, who knows where it'll strike next?!"

"Flinging ourselves against a wall is more useful than fighting a god of that scale," She growled with a turn to look back at a frightened but angry Karitori. "This is a CREATOR, after all. Unlike the model and placeholder the Soul Societies had constructed mutually to stabilize the world in the absence of his existence, this is the real deal. He could wipe us out by blinking. We cannot approach this threat conventionally."

"The best we can hope now," Shito silenced the others, his own strangely calm voice permeating the silence. "Is how our allies' commanders act next."

Sure enough, Hana along with the King of Yūrei, the Knight Commander Elizabeth and the Paladinus Primus Aesa all landed in front of Izanagi. While they were in awe of how much power was passively running off this being or his claim to being the Izanagi-no-Mikoto, they hardly felt it plausible to question him outright. Hana, however, was more concerned what happened to Ultharon, the monster that her Master and surrogate father sent to Hell in the first place.

"Where did he go?" Hana inquired with as much composure as she could manage, her eyes staring at the unreal human visage that overwhelmed Ultharon's. "Where did Ultharon go?! How do I not know you're simply him masquerading as the Creator of our reality?!"

"He's real enough," Yashin countered her claim as walked back, scythe in hand, his face full of caution as his eyes drifted over to the being he had been born from. "He is the creator of the Shadow, the place I wrested myself and created on my own accord. He is the forefather of all mortals and spirits, barring the Hankami being the children of Izanami his wife. What you witnessed was his sword piercing Ultharon's flesh and overtaking his body. He now wears the body like a Warden commands the Prison of Criminals. He may be using the Archdemon's body but he really is Izanagi as I am myself and you are yourself."

"Impossible," Elizabeth breathed out loud finally. "I had thought Izanagi disappeared eons ago. How was his soul presiding inside of a sword all of this time without anyone's knowing?!"

"Knowing what you do about swords or Zanpakutōs, is it really that surprising?" Aesa asked incredulously.

"It's just...it's...how is this all real?!" She cried out loud, almost beside herself with the implication at the creator of all things standing in front of them after he used possession to take their greatest fear and make it his own shell.

"If you'd be kind as to answer a question of mine, Izanagi-no-Mikoto, as well in addition to hers," Yashin spoke in a cautious tone, knowing just what kind of being was capable of catching his scythe without any ramifications done to him. "What are your aims? I want to know what you intend to do to this world."

Izanagi's eyes closed and he let out a heavy sigh from his nose. It was a very risky thing that Hana and her comrades had done in his eyes, to so boldly approach and demand questions of him without the slightest sense of respect. In some ways he could understand their apprehension; he'd just changed the entire situation of the war for them all, but even then, they had to be put in their place properly. His eyes opened calmly, his iris' shining a light blue, before Hana, Elizabeth, Aesa, and Jushin's bones would begin to undergo extensive amounts of stress, forcibly falling to both of their knees before him.

"To approach your father so boldly and to demand things of him... the gall!" he said in a strict voice, one that would echo in their minds in line with the arcane power he used to bring such powerful figures down before him. His katana pointed down towards them, Hana in particular. "I will not repeat myself again: Hana Yugure, Elizabeth Stronghelm, Aesa Saras, and Jushin Igen; return to your homes with your forces immediately, lest you be caught in this ensuing storm and swept away for all eternity."

Just as he finished, there would be a noise in the distance behind the allies. There were several large floating objects heading straight towards them. As they approached, they would be revealed as fairly large gunships numbering up to about two dozen, and they would all have several dangerous armaments equipped to them. They would approach the allied forces and land several dozen meters away from the allied forces, their side doors sliding open to reveal the militarized troopers that would all be recognized as Asumu Godai's men, at least three in each gunship. In particular, the central gunship of the armada's door would open to reveal Asumu himself, perched on the side of the ship with a large scoped rifle in hand, aiming straight for Arael and his Quincy followers. Standing next to him would be Brina McTavish, showing the allied forces that the armored Quincy weren't here to engage them.

"I have sealed all forms of dimensional travel in this land, all except the first and second levels." Izanagi continued. "These humans will bring all of you home. For the last time, leave this place... and never return."

Why?!

Arael's eyes glared lividly at the godly entity, suddenly desiring that the ability to kill with one's gaze alone wasn't a mere myth. No longer was he bothering to contain his anger, for at the moment, the dissolution of his plan was more important than how he looked in the face of his subordinates.

''I was so close!! To think that Dorado would be the only "wild card" fate would use to stop my progress! Now the father of all existence is intervening?! Has the universe itself truly conspired against me?! No! I won't accept it! I will not accept defeat, not when I have come so far!!''

His lip curled to expose his bare teeth, his fists clenching so hard that the nails drew his blood. But he managed to uncurl one of his hands. A bloodied index and middle finger pointed at Izanagi's head, both tips glowing a bright blue. It was the summoning of a storm of Heilig Pfeil, all of those arrows aimed to fire at his target's head. The immense power he showed when forcefully subduing the leaders of the Alliance didn't matter to him. The clear threat he displayed to them all didn't matter to him. All that mattered was the death of the second inconvenience in his plans.

''All I need is to pierce his head. That's all. If I can do that--!!''

But he would never get the chance to, for the Punisher had beat him to the punch.

There was the woosh of a blade cutting through the air, and then a massive torrent of flames that crashed into Izanagi with the force of a hurricane. The resulting flow of flames merged as they were unleashed, creating a wildfire that illuminated the battlefield. The storm grew to the size of a crater, its heat strongly felt by even those who were miles away from it. But those of the Alliance would not be dealt harm; whatever flames that did made contact were virtually harmless. However, they did carry the possibility of Izanagi getting incinerated within seconds. But the more observant would know better. If twas an effort to slow him down and hinder him, if the possibility of killing him was too far fetched.

"You old fuck."

The Punisher fluttered down to the ground, her sword lowered to her side but her eyes set on her enemy. "You were gone for what might as well have been forever." She said coldly, her tone's temperature matching that of the level of Hell they were in. "They kept saying that you had died long ago. They said you were gone for all eternity. But now, you have the nerve to come back, step in my territory and take control? There was another fool who attempted the very same thing not too long ago, and he's enjoying the coziest of fates for his heresy. Now I find another, in the form of my old man." She took in a deep breath. "There just aren't enough clowns in my family, are there?"

She lifted her sword to point at her enemy. "It doesn't matter who you are. This realm answers to one person and one person only. That person is me. I am the judge, jury and executioner of everything that goes on here. If you really want control, then you're going to have to strike me down to do it." A wry grin crossed her face. "Unless, of course, you actually do have a problem hurting your own daughter?"

Being floored down by the Creator Lord himself was one thing, but being saved by the Punisher herself was something she was completely beside herself on. The two had been at odds with each other since they first met. She never once cared for her, even when she became the Captain Commander. She begrudgingly accepted her help and only acknowledged that she was useful with the exception of the controversially questionable relationship she had with Daisuke. And yet, here she was now, protecting her and the others now.

She knew now she had a duty with the others. This wasn't a battle that could be won ordinarily. She needed time to prepare for her only countermeasure should this fail. And she knew that was the biggest certainty at this time.

"We must fall back," Hana quietly spoke to the others.

"What?! But...we can't just leave-"

"We can and we will!" Hana cried out, turning to glance at the King, the Knight Commander and the Paldinus Primus with a serious glint in her eyes. "Get to the gunships. That's an order! EVERYONE!"

As she bellowed, Daisuke couldn't help but feel horrified. They were all leaving Sakura behind to fight this new threat. Where Ultharon disappeared now a new entity had come take its place. Was it more powerful or just as dangerous as the Archdemon of legend? He didn't know, other than it was far past time to simply just let things go. With grounded teeth, he leaped forward, landing a good two dozen meters away from the Hankami and her apparent father.

"Leave, Hayate boy," Yashin answered as he noted with his own brand of omnipotence catching wind that the members of V-14 were joining the rest in the gunship. Even the Quincies were beginning to file in, not really understanding why their own comrade ferretted out their enemies just that it wasn't safe. The only one that seemed adamant on remaining was Arael himself, rooted in place as the Queen of Hell assaulted him and her flames prevailed over the Hellscape of ashen frost. "This battle is beyond even your impossible optimism and resolve. I intend to stay merely as an observer. I'm not sure even I can harm dear old father."

"But I-"

"Do it or I'll kill you for your idiocy," He growled as he furiously glared at Daisuke and raised his scythe meaningfully.

Gulping back a wave of apprehension he turned to look at his lover and one only adoration. Closing his eyes he finally subdued his power just as Hana entered the gunship dozens of meters away. Opening his eyes with tears welled up, he called to her as he sheathed his blade, "Sakura, come back to me. Don't die here! Got it?!"

With that he took off, rushing to the nearest ship as forces clambered into their only method of escaping the dreaded world.

It was just then, right when he stepped foot onto the gunship, Hell would literally break loose.

The flaming sphere that surrounded Izanagi pulsated outwards for only a second, before a massive slash erupted from it. While one could make out Izanagi's katana barely escaping the fire, but following it's slashing motion was a slightly visible rend of blue-tinted wind that cut into the Punisher from her left hip up to her right shoulder. The force of this attack for forcibly push her back several meters, wind current flying out from behind her as Izanagi remained motionless, her flames now completely dissipated.

"You are no daughter of mine." he spoke in his resonant tone, the malice clear in his cold eyes. "My daughters are the moon and oceans. My sons the earth and stars. This world lives as long as I draw breath, and you and your siblings are but lowly coughs in my world."

Hell's Fury
Yashin could only wince as he parted the air with his scythe, allowing the fierce hot winds exuding from the deity and demi-deity standing before him. He wished to witness it all. Such a hopeless uphill battle could only be compared to the kind of conflict that someone like Daisuke Hayate had fought time and again. In fact he wagered that if it wasn't for his influence, the Hankami wouldn't have even dreamed of holding off her father on her own in a battle that'd seem hopeless from the start.

"Either that or she's just that unsavoringly angry which I cannot blame her for," He thought with a toothy smile, his blue eyes glistening in the orange luminous overcast surrounding the embers cast by Sakura's parted fire. The force of Izanagi's sword swipe was enough to cause the entire level of Hell's tundra landscape to tremble and quake. The nearest soil cracked and splintered near their feet, stirring up the earth to release chasms that looked like huge abysmal gashes that kept spiraling down into oblivion. His words, however, made a logical amount of sense as he was a creator before anything else.

"I wonder how long someone even with such limitless strength can handle the stress of combatting the source of all living things both spiritual and material?" He asked himself while observing closely at the two's legendary conflict unraveling before his gaze.

Suddenly, the outside world become non-existent. All sensation was numbed down to the point of being unable to feel, with the sole exception of the searing pain that shot through her chest. The grin on her face was frozen, but the look in her eyes had changed completely. Pupils shrank, and her gaze drifted down to see the blood spill from the given wound. At the same time, she found herself being lifted off the ground and thrown away. Once again, her body was treated like a ball and hurled away from her target at immense speeds. She couldn't even feel the wind blowing against her back as she rocketed off.

Nothing...?

It felt as if she was flying forever. But in reality, she hadn't moved that far away just yet. It was the speed of her thoughts racing through her head.

''Not even that kind of attack could hurt him? All he had to do was swing his sword. Not only were my flames dissipated, but a blow like this was dealt. I thought I'd have more time than that. I thought that they would leave long before this moment. But they get a front-row seat. One strike, and I'm already...''

The smile faded away.

''Of course this would happen. This is so pathetic.Not only did he take me down in one shot, but he took me out right after Daisuke told me not to die. Now he has a front-row seat to watching me fall. I can already see it now. Him getting all mad, rushing out of that gunship with his Bankai out. He moves in, attacking Izanagi with all of his might only to get--''

Then, the image of Daisuke getting cut down by Izanagi brought by every sense numbed by her shock. Her eyes widened, and she felt a burning hot fire coursing through her.

No.

She sucked in her breath, fighting the pain and regaining control of her body. She shoved one foot behind her and stabilized her position, allowing herself to skid across the ground in a standing position. Once again, she summoned the will of Hell to catch her and keep her from flying too far. It was here that the ache of her wound set in. Her free hand clutched at it, her body hunching over from the burden. She breathed heavily, sweat falling down her form at an alarming rate. But she was glaring at Izanagi with defiance, her teeth set in a very ferocious snarl.

''I can't have that happen. The last thing I want him doing is trying to save me, only to get himself killed. I have to stay strong for him. For all of them. I might as well be one of the last lines of defense here, the only thing that can keep Ultharon and... father ...in this cage. If I fall, I don't know what's going to happen. I have to fight.''

She opened her mouth to start to retort at Izanagi. But she stopped mid-way.

''And I won't do any of that wasting words with him. He's made it clear just what he thinks about idle chit-chat.''

She closed her eyes, straightened herself and focused. She focused on the environment around her. She focused on the very core of the dimension itself, what made up its foundation and everyone within. She called on its essence, drawing it to her. Her unspoken call caused a reaction; the ground started to shake, the skies seemed to cloud up and a crimson energy could be seen fogging the air. As the seconds passed, her stance straightened further and further. Her breathing slowed, and she transitioned from pain to composure. She lowered her head so that her eyes would not be seen. But her smile would be clear as day.

"Man... I don't think I've felt this bad in a long time." She started to whisper. But as she continued to speak, her words gained strength and volume. "Just that one slash, and it feels like my body's gonna split into spiritrons at any second. It feels like I just mouthed off and got a walloping for it. God, I hate it so much. But at least it makes me aware of what's going to happen if I lose. You'll take control. You'll forcibly rip it away from the hands of mortal kind for the sake of your own dream. You'll take away their freedom so you can carry out your vision, no matter just how it may affect the ones below you. I was the cause of that before, and I'll be damned if I let it happen again. I'm going to put you down, Daddy, even if that means I have to bring the entirety of my dimension down on your head to do it!"

With those last words, the environment seemed to erupt into nothing but crimson flames. All the energy accumulated within the area started zeroing in on the Punisher, enveloping her form from view. The world around them lost its color, becoming dark and dreary. Ice melted, flames disappeared, and all life was sucked dry from every bit of the dimension. All that was left was a complete wasteland - something that would put even the known wastelands of Hell to shame. All that was left to glow was the sphere that enveloped the Punisher's body, and even it was slowly dying. It only took a matter of seconds before it disappeared completely, leaving the Punisher visible once more.

But instead of their usual attire, the Punisher was decked in a simple toga-like dress of gray. It appeared tattered and burned, but only enough to mar the appearance. Their shoes and armwear disappeared, leaving them to stand barefoot on the ground. In her hands, she wielded a scythe-hammer hybrid. While the majority of the weapon appeared to be scythe-like, the normally blunt end of the scythe blade was replaced with the shape of a war hammer. Visually, it appeared to be made out of bone. She held it in two hands and slid into a preparatory stance, grinning toothily at her foe. Visually, none of it seemed very impressive. But the immense rise of power was made clear. She was wielding the entirety of Hell's power - her power - in order to fight him. Truly, it was her last stand.

But judging from that shark-like grin, she didn't seem too phased by the pressure.

"All right, then." She said, gripping her hammer-scythe in two hands. "Let's see if I can send God to Hell."

When the Punisher emerged into her new state, Izanagi's eyes would widen for only a split second. In her face, he didn't see the red-haired Punisher; instead he saw the dark hair and face of another, his wife from so many years ago that was destroyed and sentenced to damnation. She was smiling pleasantly at him, but that was only for a second, as her eyes slowly fell from their sockets and blood began to pour from them. Serpents rose from the bottom of her robes and began to eat away at her flesh as she yet retained her smile. It caused him to close his eyes and grasp his head briefly, voices of her and his disciples all screaming for their lives and cursing his name. He heard the laughter of his wife, laughter that quickly changed into horrific shrieks of an inhuman sort, making him flinch for only a few seconds more.

With a steady breath, his eyes cracked back open, a hateful glare directed straight towards the Hankami that had taken everything from him. All the things that had escaped the Punisher's mouth caused him to smirk. "Speaking as if you're some sort of martyr.... You dare to act as if I will bring this world to it's knees as you had done so long ago, to say that I am some sort of monster..." Upon finishing, he slowly sheathed his katana back into it's holster, almost appearing to withdraw from a fight all together.

But this would be refuted with his next course of action.

"...Hypocrite."

He then ripped his katana from the sheathe and slashed out at her, creating an enormous wave of blue-tinted wind that went straight for her at lightning speeds. Within the wake of this slash were several thousand slashes of wind moving and cutting in all directions, as if a hundred thousand members of Izanagi's own soldiers were there hoping to cut down the Punisher should she move anywhere near him, should she avoid the first attack, that is.

If she said she was fearless at that moment, she would've been telling a bold-faced lie.

In the brief second that she was allowed to register it, a flash of alarm appeared on the Punisher's face. It was from the first sign of metal drawn from her enemy's sheath that she had a taste of that insurmountable power, the same power that had created this world. It was made very clear that she was pointing a gun at the head of the universe, fighting against existence itself in an effort to preserve it. Had it not been for her apprehension, she would have laughed at the irony. But instead, she had to act. Any second wasted would bring death that much closer to her. There was no time to worry about what she felt.

And so, she fought back.

Her scythe swung to meet the force sent her way. The blade parted the windy seas, and then, she was surrounded. She shut her eyes and clenched her teeth, briefly frozen in place by the multitude of attacks sent her way. Her body twirled, and her wrists spun her weapon around to block those slashes. Of course, she would not be able to block them all. But in that moment, her dress shifted into the form of a blood-red flaming curtain. Every slash that she was unable to counter directly was dispelled by the heat of the flaming dress. Some of them manage to reach her skin, and she hissed as she felt slight gashes being torn into her. But they were nothing to wear her down just yet. She could still keep fighting.

"I might fall here."

After a few seconds of that exchange, she used a Haya to appear in the sky. She was upside-down, her head briefly tilted to look at Izanagi before lowering to sight out the retreating gunships. In that instant, she caught the sight of Daisuke, and she could swear that he was looking right at her. She allowed the time to focus on him, smiling warmly and giving him a look as encouraging as she could muster. At the same time, the signs of tears could be seen falling down her face.

"But that's all right. Because I know that when I do, you'll be ready."

A blink, and her tears had been thrown away. A hardened look was directed back down to Izanagi, and she raised her scythe in preparation to attack.

"You'll be ready to stop the villain, as always. You'll be fighting tooth and nail, and chances are you'll be pressed into a corner. But you'll make it. You'll win, just like you always have.... even if you don't think it's true. I believe in you."

She swung her blade towards the ground. In its wake, massive ravines of blood-red flames followed. They were hot enough to completely disintegrate the ground, burning deep through the earth for miles. At least one carried the threat of consuming Izanagi, but all would move in parallel with one another to raze the landscape. With that one swing, the entire landscape had been destroyed and consumed in a crimson firestorm. The Punisher relaxed, keeping herself on the alert and looking out for her adversary as much as she could.

"The only regret I have is that I might not be able to keep my end of the bargain for you. Sorry, Daisuke... I can only hope you're ready to lose me."

But from Daisuke's perspective he may have been watching a nightmare three fold worst than what Harbinger had accomplished. From there he even had a blind sense of hope and a prevailing nobility propelling him forward to battle an impossibility. At least with fighting Sakura, he knew there was a chance of winning. Through fusing with her, he felt like he could accomplish anything, something he proven with Zeruel himself. But now, it was all he could do to watch in vain hope that she couldn't possibly-

"It's not like I could attempt a Fusion now. He makes the King of Quincies look pitiful by comparison. It'd simply just put us both in harm's way of a different sort," He grimaced, closing his eyes as tears welled up. "Dammit! Is there nothing I can do?!"

The Captain Commander felt similar grievances. Her helplessness at not stopping this was mounting on her. Watching the level of Hell be razed and torn apart by the two forces just made her feel small. Was her title all but for naught? She wished that she had the strength to stop it, like her old superior may have had.

"Father...is this the end?" She thought as she looked on in silent horror just as hundreds to thousands did the same.

From Yashin's perspective he may been watching a valiant knight attempt to fight a towering demon. The way that the world seemed to fade into a morbid darkness that was only illuminated by both Izanagi and the Punisher made it all the more eerie. Her power felt almost infinite, enough so he wondered just how far his own power could reach. If the Hell Queen couldn't stop him what chance did he have?

Shaking his head, he recognized a look of disorientation flicker to the nearby Izanagi. He looked like as if he saw a ghost and then was clenching his head. He suppressed an urge to try and launch a surprise attack. This was their battle and he knew he'd just be getting in the way, foolishly surmising that the Creator of all things could be letting his guard down. With a shout he unleashed a monolithic wind of slashes, each one parried by the beautiful Hankami while withstanding damage no ordinary being could hope to withstand. It was attributed to the fact her new form could be so durable while also attest that with a single swing of his blade he could inflict so much pain and suffering.

Watching her descend and swing her own scythe, the landscape seem to be torn asunder, spewing molten flames upwards. He had to take to the sky and cut a rift through space in order to avoid needless collateral damage on his own person. Looking towards the pair he only wondered -with a slight tint of hope- that the Punisher was able to even project a modicum amount of damage on his dear old father. That was, if it was possible to harm him at all.

"Even now I'm having doubts. What kind of effect is this thing wearing Izanagi's face having on me?" Yashin thought as he sweated, wiping it away as he strained to focus all of his attention on the battle of the ages happening below his feet.

Izanagi raised his katana upwards, it's blade connecting with the scythe where it's bone-like handle met it's blade. The tip of the Punisher's weapon was just a hair from plunging straight through the God's eye, but his own strength was enough to keep it from so. As their weapons remained locked, he smiled once more as he stared up at his somewhat divine foe. "Do you see them?" he started as his katana began to glow with a blue light. Before the Punisher's eyes would appear dozens of human faces, all different from one another. Some were old, young, middle-aged. Some were happy, sad, angry, frightened, maddened. Seconds would pass and these dozens of faces would multiply by fifties, and then hundreds as he would continue speaking to her. "You may not remember them, but I remember. I remember each and every one of their faces, their names, their duties, their hobbies and talents... but most of all..."

A tint of almost Hollow-like yellow streaked his eyes as they narrowed angrily at her. "... I remember you killing them."

He then slashed his sword to the right, creating yet another violent wind wave that would propel her up into the skies. As she would ascend, the faces plaguing her vision would multiply into the hundreds, and then thousands, too many for any such mind to comprehend all at once. As Izanagi watched his target fly up into the skies, he began to slowly sheathe his katana once more. "This is not only my vengeance..." he began, slowly sliding the steel of his blade into it's holster. "...but the vengeance of all those who fell to your flames."

With that, the katana clicked into it's sheathe, creating a light blue spark from between them. At the very moment that it had done so, the wind slash that propelled the Punisher into the sky erupted into several thousand wind slashes as the attack had done before, but this time, they appeared to be in the form of a sphere, in the hopes of causing enough damage (physical and mental) without letting her escape too far.

No one is exempt from their sins.

For the longest period, the Punisher felt as if she had lost all strength. Her eyes widened when she saw all of those faces. She wasn't so careless as to forget the souls she had personally reaped from existence. Like Izanagi, she had remembered every single detail from every one of them. Memories came flooding back, hitting her head with the force of a sledgehammer. The beads of sweat came down fast and in numbers, emphasizing her horror. It didn't help that those painfully familiar faces multiplied, barring her ability to see both the battlefield and her opponent. She was forced to shut her eyes, forcing away her traitorous vision. But even then, she couldn't shut out the questions of doubt that came into her mind.

"Why am I here, playing the hero?"

Once again, she was thrown away by the force of Izanagi's attack. Her body tensed up as it flew into the air, and she gripped her scythe as tightly as she could. Her teeth were clenched and her lip was curled in a snarl that only looked defiant on the outside.

"I've killed so many people, treated humanity like the scum of existence. I was so cruel, never once giving them a chance to prosper. All I did was carry out Mother's will, slaughtering as I needed to. What right do I have to act like I'm the hero?"

So distracted by her own self-deprecation that she was unable to see Izanagi pull that dreaded sword out again, unleashing another apocalyptic iaido swing. It was only a fraction of a second after that she could feel the wind shift once again before she was bombarded. It caused her eyes to open up to a ghastly sight. Every slash was accompanied by those damned familiar faces, with both illusion and reality surrounding her to make her very own personal curtain of death. Terror overcame her, but at the same time, something primal burned within her. All of her logic pointed out that she didn't deserve to be fighting, and yet...

"NO! I CAN'T--!!"

She shut her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, they were shining with a brilliant crimson light. Her power erupted from her body in the form of crimson flames that grew into a defensive sphere around her. Izanagi's attack was thwarted, his winds being quelled in the face of her supernatural fires. It only lasted for a brief second, but its power resonated through the entire area in that brief lifeline. The faces were consumed as well, freeing her mind from the emotional burden Izanagi had hit her with. That massive sphere would be dispersed, leaving the Punisher's form to float in the air. She looked down upon the spot where Izanagi stood, barely making out the details of his form thanks to the massive hellfires that raged around him.

At first, there was little more than rage. There was terror at the fact that she had witnessed that, terror at nearly suffering a miserable and gruesome demise. Every part of her demanded that she attack, to make him pay for putting her through such torture. But then, she caught herself. She sucked in a deep breath and closed her eyes once more.

''...I can't die here. Not yet. There is a reason why I'm here, serving as their shield. Despite everything, I need to keep reminding myself that.''

Heart rate steadied. Her mind was stable. She could breathe again.

One of her eyes opened up to look down on Izanagi. She held the scythe close to her chest, bending her knees a little and presenting herself in an inappropriately casual pose as she floated in the air. She projected her own voice to resonate down to him. "Are you seriously trying to put me on a guilt trip over all those years ago?" She questioned. "I hate to break it to you, Izzy, but those people you remember so dearly? They're dead and gone, sentenced to whatever fate they deserved. I'm focused on the here and now. Here and now, I see that humanity deserves to live on in the way that they want to. Here and now, there are people counting on me to stop the storm before it can even begin. If you feel that I'm in need of some punishment for what I did before, then go ahead and try to bend me over your knee. But I've got to warn you."

That eye sparked with a dose of lethal clarity. "I'm a very rebellious child."

As the fleet of airships rose up past the atmosphere of the 6th Level and into the 5th all could momentarily see the Punisher's form pressed upwards into the dark clouds. Following the ghastly screaming wave of thousands of sword slashes sent through the air to combat her it looked grim and grisly. But while one wallowed in his own powerlessness he also had faith and hope. Hope in that she could survive and faith that she wouldn't meet an untimely end. And when she broke free with a hellish curtain that burned away the Creator's attack, it made Daisuke smile, if only for a moment before they were completely out of sight.

"I know you will survive. I will continue having faith in you, Sakura," Daisuke finished his thoughts as he felt himself flop onto his back within the floor of the gunship, his beating heart finally growing still with exiting tension. "Thank you, for everything."

"The Punisher isn't anything if not resilient," Yashin breathed out as he raised an arm to block out the momentary shine her Hell born power christened her with. Breaking away from the attack he admired her zeal and prowess to continually fight back against the Creator. He knew that out of all the Hankami he knew she'd be the most stubborn. He was just wondering out of the corner of his mind why the Reaper was just watching from the sidelines. Casting a gaze at the horrifically winged silver haired man, he wondered if he intended for his sibling to die or for him to take advantage of the situation somehow. "Either way, I won't let you interfere, Reaper."

Izanagi glared up at her, his annoyance in her resistance to him very apparent in his expression. He couldn't help but start thinking similar thoughts to her own, however; why was she playing the hero all this time? In the age that he knew her from, she would have killed every non-Hell native present, including this Daisuke that had spoken openly to her earlier. He hadn't even thought about it up until this point, but she outright defended them from his own wrath. It was downright impossible for her to have changed, even after thirty thousand years... or was it?

He erased the thought from his mind; he'd waited far too long for this moment, and he wasn't about to let any doubt prevent him from his ultimate goal.

He looked up at her and smirked once more with a half-lidded gaze. "Dead and gone, you say?" he said, his form gradually lifting off of the ground and floating up to be on even "ground" with her. "What do you think I've been doing down here all of these years?" he continued, holding his katana up for her to see plainly. Upon closer inspection, it would be revealed that the katana's broadside had a large, glowing blue crack on it, traveling from the base of it's hilt all the way up to the tip of the blade. "This sword was once pure steel, but you remember how it happened. I tried to fight back against you and your wretched siblings, but your combined might was too much; the stress of your onslaught nearly shattered it to pieces. It was left empty and void afterwords, just like me. The only release I could find was through death, and I used this blade to grant me such..."

He then cast his gaze from the Punisher to the blade, looking at it fondly as he grazed his hand along it's broadside. "But it seemed I wasn't so empty after all... there was a part of my soul still left inside... the part that just wanted to kill you. And so as I fell to the depths below, hidden away inside of this blade, I searched for all of the souls that you'd damned here, and bade them to join me within the sword. I'd gotten so many souls and had become so powerful, I was regaining enough of my power to make a difference." He then pointed the blade at her. "And then... all I needed was a host, a host with enough power to let me conquer you entirely."

The Punisher chuckled, closing her eye again. "So, in other words, you've spent a lot of time stealing from me." She summarized, her casual tone laced with venom. She lowered her head, her bangs overshadowing the upper part of her face. "Even if you're all too willing to reject our bloodline, you're not too prideful to "borrow" power straight from my womb. But then again, I guess that's to be expected from someone who felt nothing but the desire to kill your own children. Pride, honor and open-mindedness gets thrown out the window in exchange for that basic survival instinct, for those shreds of emotions that are so deeply desired by someone who'd otherwise feel nothing at all. I almost feel sorry for you, Dad. To know that you've gotten reduced to such a sorry state... I feel like I'm about to put down a rabid dog."

Her hands clenched the staff of her scythe a little harder. The crimson of her eyes could be seen peeking out from under her bangs, giving an unsettling vibe to her glare. "And that brings up the question. If I kill you, will you pass on? Will you fall back down to the depths of my stomach, right where you belong? Or will someone so empty have no beginning after the end? Will you simply cease to exist, becoming nothing more than an annoying memory in all of our heads?" She let out a giggle that was far from jovial or humored. "I guess this would be a good time for me to find out. Wouldn't you agree?"

Then, she was upon him.

Her scythe was swung, starting the first of a volley of attacks against Izanagi's person. Each swing and strike brought a destructive effect along with it. The wake of her swings seemed to cause the air around them to break apart, making it much harder to breathe for any unfortunate soul that was in the area. The ground was rippling, the shockwaves generated from her blows violently molding what was left of the landscape. She brought everything she had in the art of melee combat into play. She twirled and twisted both weapon and body in order to evade him and get around his weaker spots. Staff, blade and hammer were all used in fluid conjunction to ensure that her fighting style was impossible, if not extremely difficult, to read. She clashed against the god with all of her strength, refusing to give even a millimeter to him.

Izanagi met the Punisher's onslaught head-on, but the sheer ferocity of her attacks forced him to step back initially. As steel clashed and sparks flew, he almost felt the need to laugh upon hearing her words. She truly was projecting towards him, either out of genuine ignorance or stubborn denial. "Stealing? From you?" he said, his katana managing to keep on even ground with her staff and blade swings. The hammer portion of her scythe, however, warranted a little more caution, as he found himself ducking and weaving to avoid potential blunt damage. "You mean how you stole my kingdom from me?"

With that being said, he stopped his backpeddling, and his katana was raised up to his right side and halted one of the Punisher's scythe swings dead in it's tracks. Such force was used in the swing, an immense wave of wind erupted in it's wake, shooting out towards Izanagi's left side. "You can stand here and laugh all you want at the situation... but you know far too well what all of this means for you." he continued speaking as he began to steadily push her scythe back away from him, overpowering any amount of strength she was putting into her grip. "You're terrified that I've finally come back. The ghost that you and your siblings hoped to keep stored away has at last come back to take what is rightfully his. You've spent so long nestled on your hellish throne that you can't comprehend the fact that it's true owner has come to kick you out of it. And so now you fight desperately to keep it... but you know that it's impossible." His eyes narrowed as he had now fully pushed the scythe away from him. "And the only dog that's getting put down here.... is you".

With that, his katana, which had once again intersected the scythe where it's blade connects with it's handle, flew down towards the Punisher's right arm with the full intent to sever it. The blade grinded against her staff, creating a slew of sparks that would fly directly into her face in the hopes of distracting her long enough for his katana to slice her limb clean off.

Once more, she was shoved aside.

But this time, and much to her shock, she was hurt.

At first, she only felt the pain of the sparks hitting her face. She had to shut her eyes and clench her teeth, recoiling under the combined effort of the distraction and the strength that repelled her. But then, there was the pain of that wicked blade searing through her right shoulder. The force of his strike not only robbed her of that limb, but it also knocked the scythe out of her hands. She staggered back, nearly falling onto her butt and stopping in a hunched position. Her free hand was left to hold the bleeding socket, and she stared at Izanagi with a mixture of anger and pain. She sucked in a deep breath, shutting her eyes in an effort to calm herself. But her efforts were ruined when she felt the warmth of her own flames jet from the wound. She didn't have to open her eyes to realize what was happening - a steady torrent of flames was pouring from the socket, as red as the blood that had previously spilled from it. It was like a broken valve, demonstrating just what was happening to her.

A smile crept across her face, and she chuckled.

"Well... you might be right about something." She muttered, giving a casual shrug. Although she was trying to sound jovial, she couldn't keep the bitterness and sorrow from seeping in. "I do know what it means for me. Everything I said earlier about me sending you to Hell? That was a lie. I know I can't beat you. Even with the entirety of Hell on my side, all it took was a couple of swings from your sword to put me down for the count." Her smile faded away, and she opened up her eyes to a half-lidded position. "And I am terrified. By Mother, I'm scared shitless. But it's not because I'm about to lose my throne. It's the fact that I won't be able to see what happens next once I fall. Will you succeed, or will they? I'm taking the biggest gamble of my life here. I'm putting faith in the ones I once hated with a passion. I'm letting them take the stage, and I'm praying that they'll be able to do what I couldn't."

The smile returned to her face. But this time, it was genuine and warmer. "But they definitely deserve it. They don't need pitiful excuses of gods like us anymore to watch over them. They've earned the right to decide their fate with their own hands. Even as we speak, they're working up a plan to stop you from manipulating the strings. If I'm going to die here," She shut her eyes, hanging her head as she felt tears trail down her cheeks. "I'm happy to die knowing that they've got it all under control."

In Death We Part
Yashin could hardly believe how much ferocity the Punisher was still showing after the beating Izanagi was giving her. He could taste the Shinsei pressure with every thwarting blow each shared. Words were exchanged but it was hard for him to keep up with the dialogue. It was all he could do to stay alert for their movements. It wasn't until the Hellish Fury had subsided with an overwhelming one-handed clash followed by the severance of her arm that he found himself grimacing. As she bled, she stood her ground as she clung onto her stump, seeming to be smiling despite her horrid fate.

"This is bad," Yashin decided inwardly, letting himself drop to the ground as he clenched his scythe tightly with indecision. "What is the best course of action? If the Queen dies, what will become of Hell? Will it cease to exist? Will the Balance be broken? So many questions arise that lead to no good outcome if she falls here. The fire of the nether must continue to burn. That's why I should-"

That's when he felt it. Like a cold bristling breeze, the dim light that was emanating from the Punisher was overwhelmed by a near pitch black wave of power. All light came out as a contrast of grey-silver, making the being whom walked forward astonish Yashin himself. Wings dripping of ichor and faces seemed to mutely shriek out while a robe of muscle, tendons and bone sewed together was wrapped around his form. While his face retained his seemingly human beauty, he wore a crown of finger bones that had onyx encrusted jewels where fingernails should be. His sword hissed as an ebony mist rose from it and the hilt a dull, almost transparent grey like something out of a ghost's story was within his hand.

"Father," The Reaper called out in a strangely quiet and calm tone, his eyes now a burning gold with slits for pupils. "I will not allow you to take her life. But you can take mine if you can."

"What are you doing?" Yashin finally asked, finding himself desiring to know the reason the Hankami was acting such a way.

"I've...done a lot of selfish things up until now," He retorted, finding himself looking somewhat sullen for the first time since Yashin had been aware of his expressions. Sorrow, was that in his eyes? "I caused a war because I saw nothing but mediocrity and bigotry, wanting to cleanse it all to make it pure and simple. I've watched the worlds of spirits and men bear fruits and watch them wither. But in all the time that we've been apart...I cannot forget the days that I was most content.

"I was the happiest when you were in my arms," The Reaper, known only by his kin as Sendatsu, as he smiled sadly as tears seemed to well up in his eyes. "The thought of losing you drove me mad. I couldn't bear it. That thing taking you from me. It made my heart ache. But now, I know it's either you or everything you worked hard to find a way to change it. So that is why I will use the eons of power I've collected in my time ferrying the dead, guiding them when the Shinigami could not, to turn my sword-"

"-against you, Creator!" In mid-speech, he was there, like a ghost's whisper in front of their forefather. His blade was already arcing a blinding sheet of darkness along with the seemingly formless steel that aimed to crash against his defenses and land a blow to him. The earth evaporated, the wind howled horrifically and his entire aura rose up like a maddening gale of wraiths. The wings of mute faces now screamed and let loose a sonic shout that seemed to shatter the vista before him for an endless distance. All the while he had put himself in between the injured Senkoku and Izanagi.

"You...dare...stand in my way...bastard of my wife?!" Izanagi howled with indignation, more infuriated that he was delayed by another spawn. His hand trembled on the blade that space seemed to warp around him, giving him a nightmarish blur that marred his beautiful image into something horrific. All the while the Reaper held his ground, unwilling to allow her to fall here.

"Do yourself a favor, seed of the Shadow!" He shouted towards Yashin, watching the man strike a rare form of awe and uncertainty. "Take her and leave. If she falls, Hell goes with her. The world can keep going on if I or my other siblings vanish but she cannot be allowed to perish. Do I make myself clear?!"

Wordlessly, the evolved deity scowled. He hated being ordered and told what he should do. He already planned contingencies in how to best extract her without confronting Izanagi. Now the Reaper struck a rare chord of change and decided to redeem himself by putting his sword between the Creator and the Queen. Bowing his head, he knew what must be done.

Without batting an eye at the horrific show he put on, he warped through space and appeared by the Punisher's side. Grasping her arm along with its weapon with one hand he used his now disarmed hand to grip her free-handed shoulder, "You heard him. It is time we took our leave. Your value is far beyond your own comprehension, Senkoku."

Of all things, the Punisher certainly wasn't expecting to get rescued - especially by the likes of the one she had held so much disgust for.

Her eyes widened, and her body briefly froze up when she heard his voice. It was no longer the tune of depravity and insanity she had come to expect from him. In that moment, he had gained a conscience - or at least a semblance of it. As he spoke to her, the initial anger that had welled up within was extinguished. There was no more speaking as if she was just a toy for him. These were the words of someone who had genuinely loved her. It was almost as if...

A flicker of Daisuke's face flashed before her eyes, and the briefest moment of uncertainty crossed her countenance. That moment would pass when Yashin put a hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to him, looking as if she had just snapped out of a trance. But after a few seconds, she closed her eyes and chuckled. "Well, gee. If I knew that the troublemakers of the family would jump in to save me, I wouldn't have made this my last stand. You always have a way with fucking up someone's plans, don't you?" The smile faded when she looked back at the duel between the Reaper and Izanagi, her bangs overshadowing her eyes once more.

"But... I think you might be a bit too late on the trigger. You see those flames leaking out of my socket?" She gestured to the aforementioned stump of a limb, which continued to vent those blood-red flames. "If I take significant damage, all the power I siphoned will grow unstable. The more damage I take, the less I'll be able to control it. I was planning on fighting until I got really messed up, and then," Her smile gained a darkly humored edge to it. "I was going to blow myself to kingdom come. All of this withheld power would be released in a supernova powerful enough to annihilate this entire dimension. As tough as Dad is, I don't think even he would've been able to survive it."

She let out a heavy breath, hanging her head. "Now... I'm trying to do everything I can to keep the bomb from detonating early. But I can't stop the energy from seeping back out. It won't be long now. Sooner or later, I'll lose all of it. If my regeneration abilities were working right, this wouldn't be a problem. But that blade..." She trailed off, shaking her head. "I'm done for. Just leave me."

As the Reaper was about to reply, Izanagi lunged himself upon the son of Izanami. His sword swipe was horrendously strong, forcing the foul winged Hankami to steel himself as his heels ground into the eroding earth he stood firm on. Despite the force of the attack causing his hands to bleed and his body spasm in pain, even flecks of pressure gashing his face, he held him back. Both of his outer appendages swooped around and launched powerful fissures of darkness that forced Izanagi to use his free hand to block. In that instant, he pushed back and began his own attacks, ones of which cause the landscape of Hell to howl and crack with every swing of his blade against Izanagi's.

He had the upper hand, but he didn't know for how long.

"Don't let her die, bastard!" He howled at Yashin without taking his eyes off his enemy.

"I wasn't planning on that," The Shadow's mind replied with a furrowed brow. He had to be precarious in how he handled Sakura's injuries. If it was true that she was about to lose her life because of instability he who had powers to bend and cut space like an expert surgeon had a chance of mending the damage. Taking his scythe he cut at the molten opening, causing a fissure of space to form where her stump was, halting its exuding malleable energies. Retrieving her arm he pulled it away from the similarly shaped weapon to his own and placed it back where her appendage would connect. Turning to look at Sakura with honest blue eyes, he whispered to her. "This is going to hurt."

With a pulse of his own divine energies into the limb, he pressed the stump and arm together, causing a hissing seal to form around where the two had been separated. Like attaching a pipe back in place of a main, he knew that the stability of her power would return like the dominant amount of power to an Arrancar's. As a violet line of Reiatsu formed around where the two had been separated soon there was only a small visible scar to where her dominant arm had been severed. Her nerves reattached and her power stabilized, he looked to the Punisher as a near deafening collision between Hankami and Creator kept ensuing.

"I know this may sounds inappropriate to ask but, how do you feel? Less likely to cause a cataclysm?" He asked, sincere in his desire to know if his efforts bore fruit or not. If it was all for naught he wouldn't stay in the dimension much longer. He had no desire to stay in a place that would essentially collapse a dimension of creation, let alone face down the Creator himself.

Getting your nerves tied back together wa not a good feeling. The sharp pain that shot through the re-attached arm and shoulder spoke volumes for the truth of that fact.

The Punisher clenched her teeth and let out a muffled yell when the limb was restored, her body flinching. It was baffling for her, to say the least. For centuries, she had learned to embrace the pain and treat it as a gift more than an affliction. But now, she felt it as all other beings felt it. Had her state of mind changed that much? Had she really fallen in step that much with the ones she had separated herself from after so long? Had it not been for the current situation, she would've found it something to think about. But right now, one of her kin was in danger. Her ex-lover was in danger.

There was conflict within her. The logical, callous part of her told her to abandon him for her own safety. It wasn't out of the desire to satisfy his request. It was the part of her that relished his possible demise. After all, this was the very same individual who had willingly played a part in the Hankami's downfall. He was the one who had hunted them down in his own twisted and demented dream of a dystopia. She could hardly believe that his aims were for the sake of the greater good, that such a depraved and insane being would even think of playing the hero. But the more sympathetic and emotional side insisted that she help him. Once upon a time, she was like him. She had been given the chance at redemption that she should've never got. Wasn't it fair that she do the same for this man?

She took a moment to steady herself, taking a brief moment to regard her condition. Then, she looked at Yashin. "It's... it's dying down." She breathed, giving a nod. "B-but the Re-- Sendatsu...."

"Do not think of my well being, Senkoku!" Sendatsu cried out, his head turned just enough to show a grim smile and a somber gaze sent her way. "I killed what little was left in me long ago. Only now do I see a chance to live just for a few moments. This is my fate, one last act of good to atone for eons of wrong I've committed. I now only do this because I can't bear the thought of you disappearing," Turning his head back to look at a furious Izanagi, he could tell by the way his 'Father's' stance was changing that he was about to end things. "NOW GO!!!"

"I've been delayed long enough," The Creator snarled as a pure white flame manifested around his left hand. In a mesmerizing display of brilliance a sleek sword of near transparent glass was held in his grip, emanating the most dazzling tongues of fire one could bear witness. The essence of it made the Reaper chill to the bone at what he saw. A fire that none have seen since that day; a day that was etched in his and every Hankami's mind when they slew him with their combined might ages ago. "This is Maikotsu, the Sword of Flames I reserve for only those needing absolute destruction. No defying power of yours can withstand this blow."

With widening eyes, he leaped forward, carrying forth all of the strength he could muster while yelling like thunder. It was during this time that Yashin chose to act now. Without breathing a word of apology he gestured with his scythe while taking the Punisher and her weapon in tow, cutting a rift through space while quickly sealing it behind. She'd only get a momentary glance of a white pyre of flames cutting through the Reaper's sword, sending the fragment to reflect a look of solemn surrender on Sendatsu's face as his whole body was cut down the middle and burnt into ash as the blaze soon set the entire floor aflame and turned to ash.

The Reaper had fallen so that she could live.

Our Enemy's Intent
From that moment on, there was nothing but silence.

The Punisher could only stare in shock and horror at the fragment that reflected the Reaper's demise. The sight of him consumed in flames etched itself into her mind. It was a fate that she had been dreaming of for the longest time. But that was supposed to be a fate by her hands, back when he was a disgusting creature. His sacrifice left her unsure of what to think. But above these feelings of uncertainty was a strong feeling of loss, as if she had just witnessed something very important get erased before her very eyes. In addition, it wa a demonstration of just how powerful Izanagi was compared to his "children". All it would take was one stroke each, and they would be wiped clean from existence.

Suddenly, things weren't looking so hopeful.

She spoke no words. But she fell to her knees, her grounded scythe forgotten. She did nothing but stare into space - a space that the Reaper had previously occupied. Her eyes had lost their light, and that expression of shock seemed frozen on her face.

"Punisher," Yashin proclaimed, his hand releasing her shoulder as he warped them to an appropriately safe location. Within the Dangai Precipice World's border dimension, the Valley of Screams, lied the headquarters of the Alliance's Deep Cover Ops. A home away from home for the Soul Society's best and a safe haven for those fleeing the war torn dimensions; even more so now that Hell had fallen to someone of Izanagi's maddening power. That in mind, he looked around in the empty, dark armory that he ported them to. "You can take some time to recouperate but we'll need to regroup soon. Our father won't take too kindly with you escaping his grip. But I'm sure that the rest of your siblings are in just as much danger. If the Reaper can fall to him when using his greatest powers your combined might may be the only thing that can stop it. If nothing else...we may need to consult with those in the Royal Dimension...for a change."

Turning to look back at her hunched frame, he wondered if she heard anything he said. Considering the shock mingled horror she experienced at seeing an ex-lover of hers be consumed in white hot flames it must have been hard. While he hadn't experienced loss of that nature he could only try to understand. No one was like him as he was there since the beginning, dying and being reborn each lifetime, experiencing it as if it was just part of his life cycle. Now, it seemed that he had something worth fighting for that he began to feel a true sense of fear and apprehension.

For once, he wasn't able to formulate a plan to deal with a true Deity.

"Are you listening to me, Senkoku?" He asked in a stern tone, trying to speak to her as a peer rather than someone who was used to being looked down on. Rightfully so, in his mind, given his recent ascension to godhood. But he wondered how much that mattered if he couldn't even desire to take on Izanagi personally. All he did was throw in a sneak attack and just wondered if anything else could even be bothered. But her? She gave it her all and then some, power of the likes he couldn't fathom her calling upon. He just wondered if there was any other way.

"...yeah." The Punisher muttered. "I read you loud and clear."

Slowly, she brought herself up to her feet and dusted herself off. Her stance remained hunched, however, and although it lessened slightly, her miserable disposition had not faded. "I... I can't believe it. After everything that's happened... he put himself in harm's way to ensure that I'd be safe. God..." She placed a hand up to her eyes. "It had to be at the last moment that he showed himself to be more than a psycho. The moment in where he gets a change of heart is the moment where he's cut down - no - erased. And all it took was one strike.That's..." She put on a bitter smile, chuckling humorlessly. "That's not something good for the morale, is it?"

She dropped that arm, before spreading both of them out. Her head lifted, her eyes drifting to the ceiling. "I.... I'm going to have to call uncle here. I am at a loss as to what to do. I mounted the entirety of Hell against him, and he still pushed me back just like that. Even if I feel back, got my siblings to mount up a combined attack against him... I don't think it would be enough. He'd just cut us down, one-by-one, until there's no one left. But, hey!" She offered a half-hearted shrug. "No one seemed to be big fans of us in the first place, so once we're gone, everyone'll have a good excuse to celebrate!"

It was here that Yashin felt himself incredibly infuriated.

While he hadn't felt great attachment to the Hankami given his own origins or their participation having impeded his plans on a number of occasions in the past he couldn't help admire their will and their power, testified in past recent feats. To see her be resigned like this was understandable but completely unnecessary. Worse she was accepting such a defeatist attitude that he scorned himself for even asking her for a plan or what their next move should be. While calling uncle, the Nihilist, was a good idea for gaining council he knew that perhaps calling in the Primera and her family would be an excellent idea also. More heads would lead to more collaborated ideas. Maybe even the artificial placeholder of the known cosmos, the Soul King, the substitute for Izanami and Izanagi could help shed some light on things.

But her last words didn't inspire him to do the most rational or calm thing.

With her looking up at the ceiling with both arms outstretched he pulled back an arm and backhanded her across the face. Given his own standing in addition to her weakened state, he knew it'd hurt but he didn't intend to do damage. If anything he was more or less aggravated to the point of losing his visible composure and shift it into legitimate anger, echoing through his own growling voice, "Now isn't the time to play the part of a defeatist, let alone act like a child, Punisher. You had resorted to sacrificing your life only minutes ago to take down your father but in all honesty, what would it have gained? It'd at best slow him down and given his power in the second sword, he'd easily cut down the energy you'd have used.  Beyond the obvious damage to the  Balance  that our  crazy  father  would inflict in reclaiming his glory and old kingdom, he'd most likely destroy the Material World and Hueco Mundo so he can reshape it.  And do not even THINK you'd be not missed if you Hankami disappear, given the fact a certain young Shinigami who is attached to you. And because I, for the first time in eons, finally found something worth protecting instead of simply laying in wait in the background I don't wish to lie over and die so you siblings can have your suicidal wish of mortality come full circle!"

"?!"

If one could see the Punisher's look on her face when she was hit, it would be best described as priceless.

She staggered a few steps away from Yashin, her form hunched over and a hand flying to the stricken cheek. At first, she was completely shocked. But when she heard Yashin's retort, she felt irritated. His voice and the stinging of her cheek caused a fire to burn in her, and not that of the kind she got while fighting or getting injured by an enemy. The fact that he had the gall to slap her was enough to earn a strong ire. But the idea of being scolded multiplied that feeling. It was the equivalent of a father speaking down to his child. From the likes of Yashin, it was a feeling that was far from welcomed.

That being said, she had to fight to keep herself from grabbing her scythe and attempting to incinerate him where he stood.

She took in a deep breath, straightening herself up and quelling the slight shakes of her body. She lowered her hand away from her cheek, not looking at Yashin. But the temperature near her dropped to a very low level, to the point where there was actually frost forming on the ground. Her voice matched this environmental change, controlled and yet clearly projecting the anger that welled within her. "You don't want to roll over and die, huh?" She questioned, her tone falsely conversational at first. "If that's the case, then why did you just hit me?"

She slowly turned towards Yashin, folding her hands behind her back. Her crimson eyes were glowing, and there was what appeared to be a pleasant smile on her face. Anyone could tell it was far from cheerful. "Had you did that fifty years back, I wouldn't have hesitated in burning you to a crisp. But the way you're speaking to me right now... it's really bringing back old urges. I know you find it hard to believe, but I'm not being a defeatist. I'm not being suicidal. Matter of fact, those last words I said about our deaths being celebrated? They were a joke. I'm being a realist. We're going up against the very Creator of existence - one who's learned from his past mistakes. I just played my best card, and despite everything, it did no good. Just how do I fight something that can wipe me out with one swing of the sword? How can I outsmart something that can see anything and everything? If there is a way, I'm just not seeing it."

She turned her body and started walking towards her fallen scythe. But her gaze was on Yashin the entire time. "So forgive me if I'm not entirely optimistic about our chances anymore. Whether I fight or not, there's a high chance that I'm just going to end up like the Reaper. I couldn't sugarcoat that fact even if I wanted to. That being said, it makes me just as frustrated as I am afraid. There's only one person I nominated to bear the brunt of it. But you're really trying to bump that number up to two." She bent over to grasp the scythe staff, holding it to her chest with both hands and turning around to face Yashin once more. "So, here's some friendly advice."

Her grip tightened a little on the scythe, and her grin began to flash its teeth. "If you ever touch me like that again, you'd better be ready to show me just how unwilling you are to die."

It was here that Yashin had felt a bit ashamed. He had misinterpreted her words during his bout of uncertainty mingled with indecision. Had he truly misread the context of her words?

No, that wasn't it entirely. Even as she explained herself it held a dry sense of sardonic truism. The deadly seriousness of the matter was that they were in such a bind that she couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of challenging a true god. A Creator. Not someone with evolved strength or inherited deification. They were fighting the real deal, not even a puppet put up by Shinigami over a thousand years ago to keep stability and peace within the spiritual and material realms on equal merit. But he wasn't a defeatist and even a hint within what she spoke still angered him.

"I apologize that I misread some of your words. I am not used to speaking with you so your humor has been completely missed by the likes of me," Yashin replied with mute enthusiasm, his eyes still glaring at her slasher smile as she held her weapon threateningly. It made his own grip on his scythe tighten if only by a fraction if only to be prepared to fight an unstable Hankami. Far from the one thing he wanted to do, he continued to speak his mind despite the uneven footing he placed himself on courteousy of the action he took on her person. "But never the less, I do not desire to look at this as a unwinnable situation. I never have in the eons that I've existed. Time and again victory of achieving my goals slipped from my grasp more than you can fathom. Unlike you I was never handed power, I had to fight and earn it; tooth and nail, planning and manipulation, strategy and tact. I am a cautious man but I am not a coward. I will not run from this fight and you even playfully suggesting that we don't have a chance makes my blood burn. You are a disservice to not only your kin but the one who dared to even TRY to be noble in his final hour in saving your wretched, black heart from being pierced by our twisted excuse of a father!"

Turning his back to her he slammed the scythe's pommel on the ground, making a loud clang resound in the air as he hissed to himself, "I don't know what I was thinking, asking you of all people for guidance. Your idea of stopping him was collapsing HELL atop of him. You think someone who created Hell to begin with could be STOPPED by such an attempt? You'd only succeed in making him angry. But try, TRY to stop and think why did he bide all of his time to simply go after you. Even if we are to begin to calculate that he saw no mortal as being comparable to himself as far as threats to his power are concerned he is still running on borrowed power himself. Why go after you or the Hankami at all? What do you offer that he has to gain? Is it Shinsei? Status? Or is it really just superficial in the most unlikely case? Someone who has been plotting his return since his supposed demise wouldn't simply go out of his way to kill you on a whim. He needs something, something specific from you and your siblings," Turning to look over his shoulder he finally bore a calculating eye at her as he whispered aloud as if he already had an idea. "Could you possibly fathom what that is?"

"Well, I've thought about it so far." The Punisher muttered, lowering the scythe from its chest-level position and straightening up. The smile was gone, replaced by a sardonic frown. "And I've chalked it up to three things. One, he's on his period and relates killing us to the effects of a tampon. Two, he's going loony and thinks a killing spree is a good way to start of his day. Three, he thinks he's in a video game and believes we're free points on his scoreboard. Personally, I'm putting money on the last one."

Although her tone was casual, there was a subtle lace of sarcasm lacing every word. Another lace of acid would accompany that, courtesy of how deep his words had cut. Years ago, she would've accepted the idea of being wretched. But there were people who started to see something in her, people who were starting to see her as something more than a monster. Being called out as the thing she was actively trying to avoid becoming was a knife to her heart. In addition, he called her out as a disgrace to her brothers and sisters. But she had to keep herself in check. The last thing she wanted to do was show weakness to Yashin.

Refraining from verbally lashing out, all Yashin could do was ponder. It was true that an old god like Izanagi would have an unmistakeable grudge for what befell him and his glorious empire that he ruled over. Now he'd probably want ample revenge against his Children and reclaim what was to be the glory days. As a Creator, it was both his right and his power to do such things, especially now that he had a Destroyer's power as his own such as the Archdemon himself. Still, if he was so fixated on the Hankami, why didn't he simply reveal his trump card from the start?

What was to be truly gained?

Unless a part of Izanami was dwelling within each of her children there was no real bonus for destroying them. Then again he was running on borrowed power and who knew if that had a limit comparatively to his old form. If he wanted to maintain it, he'd need not just the darkness that flowed through the denizens of Hell to restore him. He'd need something even greater, pure, a kind of energy that'd...

"He needs your powers," He whispered, his eyes widening at the implication this meant. "Not just Shinsei but...the Aspects that make you all different from bith to each of your kin," he continued, turning to look at her dead in the eyes. "If he really wants to keep this strength he has without it bleeding off him like an overfilled cauldron, he'd need your divinely blessed properties given to you by his bride, Izanami. Your power that reins over the damned and wields Hell within your fist. The Reaper's rein over death and the ferretting of the majority's material world's passing, holding entropy by the neck. Each of you have a power that could truly restore him and cull out the temporary energies that make up not only Ultharon that he holds captive but the coalesced energies that make up the captives he absorbed over time. If he gets to you or even the others, he'd truly have unlimited power and domain over the Six Worlds."

Hence, her own suspicions were confirmed.

But even though she had come to the same conclusion (sarcasm be damned), it was a heavy weight against her heart to hear it spoken by someone else - especially someone as knowledgeable as Yashin. She breathed in deeply and exhaled a distressed sigh, lowering her hammer-scythe to the side and closing her eyes. "And we already saw just how powerful he was without our help." She added, the sardonic bite in her tone giving way to a solemn one. "One stroke of that goddamn blade was enough to cut Sendatsu down. If he gets a hold of all of us, there's not a chance in Hell that'd we'd be able to stop him. He'd truly be something that ascended beyond everything we know." She lowered her head, slowly bring her scythe up to bear again--

--before slamming the blade into the ground. There was a considerable amount of restraint within that blow, as the only effects on the floor were miniscule cracks where the blade was embedded. But it was enough to convey the fury within the female Hankami. "God damn it." She hissed, shaking her head repeatedly. "Some of them don't even have the offensive power to fight back if he comes for them. The Melody and the Oracle... if he kills them, fighting him won't even be an option anymore." She slowly released her grip on the scythe, raising hands to grip the sides of her head. Anger was giving way to anxiety, which was demonstrated by the increased pace of her breathing. "God damn it, god damn it, god damn it...!"

Her hands gripped at her hair, and she started to pace around the room. A notably sharp breath was taken before she spoke again. "There... there has to be a way. There has to. There has to be some way that Dad can be taken out before he kills anyone else. There's got to be a way he can be stopped before he acquires any more power. They don't deserve another apocalyptic shift of the world. They deserve to live for the remainder of the time that they have. I can't afford to let that opportunity get ripped away. Not again! Not ever!"

"You still gave us a chance," Yashin reassured her as he watched her finish her tirade of frustration. It wasn't something that was lost on him; he felt just as much frustration if not greater. He had attempted to kill Izanagi before he was fully formed and yet Ultharon stopped him. Even a second attempt and he found his power reflected. Still, the knowledge that his attack hadn't fully connected yet gave him a small sliver of hope his power was still potent enough to injure or even fell the Creator. The fact he was running on borrowed power meant he was on as much of a clock as they were. If he didn't absorb the essence of a Hankami soon, the aspects would be out of his reach and his chance for revenge or retribution would be lost. "The Reaper...Sendatsu...both of you bled out his power. We all could feel it. He didn't hold back his strength which is understandable. He even used a great deal of power to destroy your sibling in a single blow. He's bleeding his power as we speak. As long as we stay ahead of him if only by a small margin we'll gain an advantage in numbers and correctly timed strategy. There's still hope for this world to exist outside of his thrall, and I won't give up without a fight myself."

Walking past her, he placed a rare comforting pat on her back as he tread in front of her outside of the armory towards the main hall.

"Come. The Alliance will regroup in full numbers along with the Quincy. We'll need to be present if we are to mitigate the chaos that is to ensue from their petty differences with the entire Six Worlds at risk," Yashin ushered her, explaining why they couldn't delay any longer. He knew what was needing to be done and why they are pivotal to the Alliance's cohesion. For as much as he valued Angelika and other mortal souls, he knew that the presence of true demi-deities was necessary to keep their morale up. To see Senkoku alive he knew that'd at least give them a breadth of chance if only a small one.

His pat on the shoulder was enough to steady her. She took in a deep breath, lowering her hands to her side and doing her best to steady herself. If his words were true, there was still a chance. There was hope to still bring down Izanagi before he could claim another life. These thoughts gave her comfort, assuring her that not everything was lost. She could still make an effort to avenge Sendatsu's death, to ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain. After she took a few more seconds to regain her composure, she raised her head up and gave Yashin a nod. "Right. I'm right behind you."

As she began to follow him, she couldn't help but let a rather mischievous remark come from her mouth.

"Hey, little bro. You better put a ring on that quick. God knows how much of that salad Blondie's been tossing. Ha ha~!"

Yashin couldn't help but twitch at the crass yet telling dialogue of her insinuating his passings to Angelika Hartmann. It was also no coincidence that Oliver was secretly pining for her affections as they already had made love. But it didn't matter to him. He knew that not only were they two halves of the same being, but they also were meant to be together. Men like Oliver came in breaths and left just as quickly. Their existence would extend as much as their mutual passion as they felt for each other, of that he was sure. Perhaps he even could say that it was love.

Love? He didn't understand such an emotion but he knew what desire was. In the past he had desired things but it never came from such an obsession that changed his ways of thinking. He knew that in the past he'd never stoop himself to be on an equal playing field to even someone like Angelika, or be considered subordinate to anyone without tugging their strings. Now, the desperation was there. The intent to fight was genuine. His authenticity of wanting to save this world extended to wanting her to be safe in it, not just those he called subordinates.

"Yes," The blue-eyed man whispered, his eyes briefly flickering a shade of red that showed the Kanji of Seven, as he stepped forward down the hall with purpose. "I think it is about time I stopped dancing around the issue. Before this war is over, the matter will be settled and I will feel complete. That fool can take a step back unless he wishes to be crushed."

Retracing Our Steps
It felt like they were ascending to Heaven. The constant sensation of being lifted in the air was almost relieving to Brina as she sat in her seat, watching the outside pass her by. Along with the blasted landscape, she made out other airships following the same path as hers was - the path to sanctuary. It was a rather breathtaking sight, and had she a camera, she would've taken pictures. But it didn't distract her from the reality of the situation. She doubted that anything could at this point in time.

She gave a heavy sigh, shifting one leg over the other and clasping her hands on her knee. Her eyes drifted towards another passenger of the ship - specifically, the one she had to work with in order to escape. "Well, Asumu, I won't lie. I'm impressed." She commented, tilting her head to the side and giving a small smile. "Awful convenient for you to have such a massive transport system just waiting to cart us all off to safety. Just where did you manage to get all of it, huh?"

Asumu wasn't initially ready to respond to her. When it came to Shinigami, his distaste was well known, but for Brina he was able to make an exception due to their history. Having to share one of his gunships with several of them at once however, was another story. "They were on reserve." he finally spoke without looking at her. "After the Inner Circle and Alliance were neutralized, Yhwach was going to have these turn the Seireitei into a parking lot, and thus give us room to create a new foundation."

He looked around at the other Shinigami that shared the ship with him, somewhat scornfully. "Didn't ever get that far though, sadly."

"Excuse me for fighting back, asshole," Sazuke bit back, her eyes glaring hatefully as she leaned against the far wall of the airship, giving her a straight direction stare towards him. With arms crossed over her uniform covered bosom, she seethed behind her demonic mask. Just the sight of him made her want to tear him apart but kept herself in check given his participation in their escape. "We're not cattle that just fall in line because a few shots are fired. I'd kill a thousand more like you if it meant keeping you from obtaining your objective."

"I don't think that's the kind of talk that's needed, Captain Tensai," Yoruichi rebuked evenly, keeping a firm grip on the roof handle of the airship as they continued their flight. Turning her gaze to look apologetically, yet skeptically none-the-less, at Asumu she brushed up her own inquiry to the man. "Speaking of which, why bother saving both of us? I don't believe we've been properly introduced and since I didn't see you in the last war personally I can only assume you're what's left of Yhwach's forces. Why help the Alliance and SKM? Why both?"

Sui-Feng, the last of the noteworthy Shinigami still present, just remained silent. The solemn muteness coming from her was only in response to the damning realization that not only a feared monster she had failed to destroy had come back but was now possessed by the incorporeal form of a once dead Creator, Izanagi. She had only read fairy tales about the beginning of all things, how the Six Worlds became what they were and how the Shinigami heralded the stabilization that was the Spirit King, keeping all things in Balance while dividing the protection and guardianship of the material world between a number of realms within the Spiritual Realm that was home to the Soul Society.

Now, it was all real and it was her nightmare to live through it.

"Oh Akisame," Sui-Feng thought as she looked sorrowfully as she pulled her legs up to rest underneath her chin and braced against her chest. With arms wrapped around her shins she did all she could suppress tears of loneliness and fear. She had no idea how she was going to get through this without her fomer lover. "I wish you were here..."

Naturally, this didn't escape the notice of Brina.

A slight eyebrow was cocked in slight bemusement. But her eyes flickered with a hint of sympathy. The first thing that came to mind was to head over and sit beside the woman and comfort her. But she knew that at a time like this, spooning people was not an appropriate thing to do. They all had to remain strong so that they could prepare for what was ahead. Certainly, she couldn't understand what they were all feeling - she was a support of Izanagi, as with the rest of her family, after all. But she did understand that weakness and emotion could be a severe hindrance to success. If they were to be ready for the oncoming storm, they all had to be in top form.

Still, it didn't mean she had to be cruel about getting that through to her former master.

So, she decided to go with the teasing route. "Hey! Young lady!" She called out to Sui-Feng, putting forth her best stern tone. One could tell that she was being joking about it, especially with the smirk on her face. "If you don't stop moping over there, I'm going to have to bend you over my knee!"

Sui-Feng recoiled at the sudden rebuking she got. When she lifted her head up and turned to see who it belonged to, her face was wiped of melancholy and replaced by her trademark scornful glare. Clicking her teeth against her tongue she hissed as she stared hard at her reformed subordinate, "Why don't you go ahead and try, Brina-san?"

As Sazuke rolled her eyes, Yoruichi had paused in her inquiry to observe with great humor. She was tempted to lash out with her own brand of teasing but decided to let teacher and student bond. A long time ago, she could barely get Sui-Feng to be pried off her as she was almost as stubborn as a leech. Now she had moved on and she had formed new bonds, even if some were needing to be mended. Thus she simply watched as the two interacted.

The interruption gave Asumu a moment to pause, but he was able to look past it and address Yoruichi fully when the two seemed to have quietened down. "Turns out God can make a pretty compelling argument; I dare not say no to anything he asks of me and my men." He started, before his eyes began to look over the other passengers of his ship, some lesser Shinigami, along with some members of the SKM mentioned earlier. "And make no mistake, I'm not allied with them." he said, referring to the Quincy group in general. "I came here with the purpose of putting a bullet between their pre-pubescent leader's eyes, and after what he's caused today, I might take my time with it." he finished with a slight smirk.

"You'll need to get in line for that," Yoruichi joked, returning her attention back to Asumu with a cheeky grin. "I'm pretty sure every Shinigami from the Soul Society to Yurei to Aether all want a piece of him. And given he's at our mercy instead of the other way around, I'm sure it'll be easy to make sure the reckoning happens."

"With all due respect, Yoruichi-sama," Sazuke respectfully reprimanded, causing the dark haired and skinned beauty to eye her over the shoulder. "If we execute him when we arrive there's sure to be panic among the Quincy that we have along with us. Even if it's a simple matter of destroying him which has proved not it'd be wiser if we dealt with his subordinates first before we had any execution or torture issued out to the man."

"It's not even a matter about killing him but what to do with the rest?" Sui-Feng looked over to Yoruichi, Sazuke and then finally Brina. "Surely it can't be easy to simply off them right as they get off the airships. They're still powerful, weathered and beaten as they are, which makes them dangerous enough to do serious damage to the interior of the base. If that happens that'll just be a waste of resources and time that we could use to off-set our enemy from the objective. Again, if we try to do this too hastily we're going to suffer consequences."

Meanwhile, the S.K.M. operatives - or rather, what was in the ship with them - was striking up a conversation of their own. They seemed to tune out what was said by the Shinigami.

"What's the casualties on our side?" Zeruel asked, his arms folded across his chest as he regarded the other two. Strangely, despite the presence of their enemies being in such close proximity, neither he or his Quincy compatriots were agitated by it. It was as if the earlier fighting had never happened between them.

"Tabris, Leliel and Bardiel." Armisael answered solemnly, her head hung. She bore a similar state to Sui-Feng, sitting in a slump with her back against the cold steel of the cockpit. "Tabris was slain by Byakuya Kuchiki, Leliel was killed by the Plague and Bardiel was taken by Captain Kaze Sasayaki."

"Three of our best..." Zeruel summarized, scowling and exhaling a short, harsh sigh. "Damn it all. The Commander isn't going to be very happy once he hears that those three fell in battle. But at the very least, they've successfully managed to pass on. I can only hope that we will do the same soon enough."

"That is all any of us can hope for." Ramiel said smoothly, closing his eyes. Like Zeruel, he had his arms folded across his chest and his respective weapon holstered onto his back. "But in all honesty? I don't think he'd be pleased either way. Things didn't seem to go out the way he planned. I dare say that none of us saw this coming."

"...god damn it..." Both of their attention was turned to Armisael, and she put her hands in her face. As much as she could cover her expression, she couldn't cover the cracks in her voice. "I can't believe that fucker went and did that." She muttered. "I can't believe he turned on us. The way he just up and attacked our leader.... I thought he understood us. I can't believe I thought..." She trailed off, shaking her head in a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

Zeruel gave an indifferent shrug. "That's what you get for giving your heart to a mercenary, sister." He said casually. "When they get their fill, they'll just up and leave. They don't worry about any bonds they made or anything like that. All they care for is themselves. But all it would really do," He flashed her a small yet darkened smirk. "Is give you another target to kill, isn't that right?"

Armisael sucked in a breath before looking up at Zeruel, her eyes glaring daggers. But of course, it wasn't at her fellow Quincy. "Oh, you bet I'm going to kill him." She growled. "I'm going to splatter the contents of his skull all over these airships. He's going to regret even thinking about turning on us like he did."

"With that being said," Ramiel cut in smoothly, stepping in between them and catching both of their attention. He gave each of them a meaningful look. "I don't think it's a very appropriate time for us to be fighting. Right now, there is a much bigger issue, something bigger than all of us combined." He lifted his gaze to look over at the rest of the occupants, particularly Asumu, Brina, Yoruichi, Sazuke and Sui-Feng. "Instead of worry about having to kill the other side, it's best if we worked together to deal with this new problem. I'm sure you all would agree with that?"

"Oh, I agree." Asumu said as he glared at Ramiel. "But no matter what you do, your actions aren't going to be excused; I'll kill each and every one of you for what you've done when this is over."

"N-Not me too," Sachiel interrupted meekly, her form finally becoming less transparent and more visible as she stood next to Armisael silently. Her hood had finally been drawn back, revealing a short violet haired woman with greyish colored skin and bright amethyst eyes. With a red diamond mark on her forehead, the exotically vivid visage of the Angel contorted to one of shock that someone she admired so much was so willing to kill each and every one of them. While she didn't particularly care for all of them, she knew they were her comrades and to see them get hurt made her feel more than discomfort but inner agony. To hear him proclaim it to the Archangels she couldn't help but she was included with the lot of them. "You wouldn't just...kill us...even after all we've been through, right Asumu?"

Upon seeing her revealed, Asumu's fierce expression was lowered into one that conveyed more annoyance than anger. He looked at her for a few seconds, realizing that of all of them, Sachiel was most likely the youngest and had done the least harm; she certainly didn't deserve so cruel a fate, but she had played a hand in these schemes regardless, and he couldn't let her age throw him off. He scoffed before replying. "...you'll all answer for this, one way or another. If my judgment doesn't suffice, maybe theirs will." he said, referring to the Shinigami in the last bit.

Whatever retort any of the three Archangels had in mind was cut off by Sachiel's sudden appearance and question. They looked at her in surprise, and even Brina had to gawk slightly at the open display of emotion the Quincy was showing. Was this the very same cold-blooded Quincy that had nearly killed her Shinigami adversaries moments before? Like the rest of them, she seemed like a completely different person outside of battle. But unlike them, she wasn't that willing to shift with the tides. Like Armisael to Tome, Sachiel had gotten attached to Asumu.

But they didn't have much time to think about it before Asumu's closing words.

Zeruel was the first to speak after a moment of silence, closing his eyes and tilting his head to the side. "Are you so sure?" He questioned, speaking as if he would about the weather. "I had always assumed that the Shinigami had judged us long ago when they nearly exterminated our kind off the face of existence. We all had assumed that with that purge, we were forever damned. To have them judge us again after we are still serving our sentence?" He gave a small chuckle, a sound of amusement. "That's a rather funny thing to think about."

"Besides that," Armisael commented, giving Asumu a coy look. "Just what is it that we have to answer for here? I was under the impression that we were only doing something someone like you should be encouraging - the elimination of the Shinigami. Yet, you seem more willing to side with them than your fellow en and women. Did they sway your heart that easily, little mercenary?" It was noted that the seemingly hostile undertone within, her words were conversational and more teasing than anything else.

Asumu glared at Armisael, the anger in his face now back in full force and his fists clenching upon hearing her words. "You all sought to unleash our worst enemy... the strongest member of a race we swore to oppose. A being that nearly wiped out our kind, and theirs, several times over." He looked at Brina, and then at Sazuke, then Yoruichi, and finally Sui-Feng, before looking back at the SKM. "The Shinigami have always been our enemies... but against something like Ultharon, all differences must be cast aside; it will take all of us to stop something like him." He glared at Armisael in particular. "The fact that you all were willing to work with that thing, let alone approach it for aid... not a single one of you deserve the title of 'Quincy'."

A scoff from Armisael. The anger at Tome's betrayal had now disappeared completely, pushed aside in favor of amusement and disbelief. One of her bent legs rested on the ground in a perpendicular angle to the one still up, making her sitting position appear to be more relaxed than before. "Oh, and now "Quincy" is suddenly a title?" She questioned rhetorically, mocking his words. "And here I thought it referred to the spiritual mediums of humanity. Has pride in being what you are twisted your definition of the word that much?"

She took in a deep breath, allowing a brief silence - and tension - to settle in. She brought herself to stand, having to be careful courtesy of the airship's constant movement. She looked Asumu in the eye. "Here's a little food for thought, little Asumu. There once was a time where the Shinigami and Quincy were allies with one another. There was a time when they attempted to work with one another. But the Shinigami had one way of doing things, while the Quincy had another way. These different methods clashed with one another, and both sides simply couldn't find a way to reason with each other. So the Shinigami decided it would be best for all of existence if the Quincy were just erased. It was little more than a conflict of interests that escalated into something extreme."

She spread her arms out, closing one of her eyes and giving an almost playful smile. "The survivor would be wracked with a constant paranoia, a fear that they too would join the fallen in. They - we - allowed that fear to drive us. We allowed anger and a desire for revenge drive us. For over half a millennium, we hunted and were hunted in return. Back then, there wasn't a single Shinigami we crossed that was capable of matching our power. We slaughtered them all as ruthlessly as they had slaughtered us, convinced that with each and every death was a step closer to obtaining closure. But each kill only drove us deeper within our hunger, and it wasn't long before we began to lose sight of what our goal was. It wasn't long before we began to ask ourselves. What are we trying to accomplish here? Why were we killing so much? Who was it that we were killing? It was because of these questions that we eventually decide to vanish from the face of the earth. Everyone forgot that we ever existed, and the Quincy was finally put in their grave... until now, of course."

She lowered her hands, opening her eye and taking a few steps closer to Asumu. "You see, in all of those years, we finally began to understand. The ones we were fighting, the ones we had demonized and damned to hell and back... they weren't demons. They weren't the villains or monsters we romanticized them to be. They were men and women like us. They fought for a cause, fought for reasons known only to themselves. Just like we made them out to be nothing but cruel monsters, they had made us to be the very same thing. It's such a senseless, irrational cycle, isn't it? Two sides, trying desperately to justify their acts of cruelty towards each other. Yet, in the end, all it is is just a conflict of interests, born from their deepest and darkest fears sown by that simple disagreement oh so long ago."

She tilted her head to the side. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Asumu? "Enemy". "Oath". "Title". All of those are just excuses. They hold no water, as far as we are concerned. When it comes right down to it, all that matters is sating whatever primal instincts you value the most." She raised her arms again in a nonchalant shrug. "It almost makes me wonder. Just what instinct drives you?"

On the sidelines, Brina was watching with keen interest. This seemed to be turning quickly into a philosophical debate, if she was interpreting it correctly. The fact that it was two Quincy going against each other instead of a Quincy and a Shinigami made it all the more abnormal. She always held the impression that the Quincy - or at least, the ones she encountered - held a bit more of a bond to each other than members of any other species. But with each word spoken, that theory was being shoved out the window.

Yoruichi was also intrigued while Sazuke simply stayed quiet just as Sui-Feng did. While the older Shinigami could see the merit of the discussion it really wasn't their place to interfere on their own group's philosophical or religious beliefs. Even if it showed they weren't all cut from the same cloth, the Quincy were still enemies of the Shinigami no matter the belief. At least, that's what they believed. Yoruichi never saw any true worth out of destroying an entire racial organization of humans that used spiritual powers in such a unique way. Sure if they were left unchecked in great number, they'd be dangerous to the fabric of the cosmos. But as a few? What could they do other than follow the path they wanted to seek?

"I think," Sachiel began to say, turning to look at Armisael after remaining silent among the banter between the two prominent Archangels. "Instinct is what led us astray. We should be more than simply animals in that regard. We are humans, and by extension so are the passed on spirits like Shinigami. I believed that what we did was going to better a decaying world, something that no one would dare stand in the way. I was afraid of how our leader's actions was becoming apparently colder but I had nothing else to believe in. The place I'm from, the things I've seen, it was all so horrible. I wanted it to go away and to be wiped clean. Even if he did things I disagreed with we had the same thing in common, right? I kept telling myself that over and over no matter how many people's blood I shed that it was for a better tomorrow, a better world. Even if it disappeared forever, wasn't it better than more suffering?"

Bowing her head, her hands balled up into fists as her teeth clenched tightly, "Then...the thing we were aiming to let loose...I became truly afraid. Such a monster was unholy and was filled with such terrible Reishi that I knew that what we were doing was letting loose an unnatural end to what still had some semblance of beauty. And we just stood there, waiting to take it all in. Our brave leader did nothing and just accepted our end was nigh. But then, our own enemies rushed in as one unified front and stopped it from killing us. Even the Hankami, corrupt and old gods came in to save us, keeping us from being harmed by her power as well as the Creator himself. I just...I don't think instinct can cut it anymore, nor traditions of beliefs."

Looking between the two, Sachiel raised her voice as she glared back at both of them with a measure of uncertainty and courage that split her voice into cracked levels. "Please! We cannot continue on like this! This isn't a matter of the past we pride ourselves or for us the end something we believe is wrong. This is for the future! Nothing can end well as long as we continue to fight the same fight. If we truly sought out our own annihilation then we should just sit back and let the Creator just unleash chaos. We should kill every Shinigami on board and keep fighting. No, we are for our own survival. This isn't the end. I refuse to believe my life has culminated to such a pathetic, wretched climax. I want more and I want it to be good! Isn't that worth more than a suicide on a hopeless battle, or destroying everything just for the sake of believing it's the right thing to do?!"

Silence.

At least three pairs of the eyes on Sachiel were filled with shock in the wake of the speech's beginning. But as Sachiel spoke, one of them - Armisael's - slowly settled to a rather cold and blank look. The other two regarded her with confusion, almost as if she had introduced a concept completely foreign to their comprehension. Their bemusement was shared with Brina, who was surprised at the display of emotion. But in that moment, there were no words. There was only the sounds of the airship's engine as it continued to lift. But that silence would only last a few seconds before Armisael took the opportunity to speak.

With the ice coating her tone, it may have been better for her not to say anything at all.

"You know...." She muttered, her voice exuding a false calm. "I didn't think I'd have to deal with any more surprises other than Tome. But now, here I am, listening to one of our own speaking like an outsider. I'm hearing her speak about being scared in the face of the apocalypse. I'm hearing her speak about her trying to justify everything we've done as something done for the greater good. I'm hearing her spit on everything I've built my life on, on what we've built on. I was expecting this kind of talk from anyone else, but I didn't expect it from someone I considered to be a very close comrade. I really didn't. But you just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

She took in a deep breath, exhaling in what appeared to be an attempt to calm herself. But the ire could be felt by every passenger of the ship, especially her Quincy comrades. Ramiel stretched a hand out, attempting to placate Armisael. "Armisael, don't--"

But he was cut off when Armisael raised a hand up to him - a signal to remain silent. Her cold gaze remained on Sachiel and that eerily calm voice continued to speak to the younger Quincy. "You know what? It is nice to know that you were considerate enough to share something like this to us. I wonder how the Commander would react to it? With the current situation, maybe he'd find it humorous."

Because of Sachiel's interruption, Asumu was prevented from just outright punching Armisael, but he realized that it was a good thing that she had halted such an outcome. Being in the same room with them made him sick, and he wanted to give the order for all of his men aboard the other ships to just open fire on them now, but this simply wasn't the time for such action; they needed to all stand trial for what they had done. He did smile, however, at the thought that he still had a way to rob them of their freedom, for inn the haze of confusion and tension, it hadn't occurred to any of them that Reishi seemed to be non-existent in this supposed Quincy vessel, at least that's what Asumu counted on. Right now, for as long as they were in the ships, none of the SKM or troopers were Quincy any longer, just humans.

Using their argument against them, Asumu's left hand, having been next to his left leg, pulled out a pistol with lightning speed from his sheathe and fired three shots at the S.K.M members. Instead of cutting through their flesh like ordinary bullets, these projectiles were sharp and black, with glowing blue orbs on their tips, and they pierced the skin of the other Quincy. One bullet would lodge itself into Armisael's hip, another into Zeruel's neck, and the last one into Ramiel's collar bone. They would only have a split second to react before a crippling electric pulse would wreck their bodies, dropping them all to their backs and paralyzing them all while electrocuting them for several agonizing seconds.

He may have been human, but he was still the best shot out of all of them.

He looked over at Sachiel and, unlike the other three, briefly gazed at her with a tinge of regret in both his eyes and his voice. "...sorry about this." he said before he fired another shot into her hip. As the crippling burst of electricity would shoot into her body, she would fall towards Asumu's direction, but instead of letting her hit the hard floor, he instinctively caught her with his own hands before gently setting her down. He could tell that Sachiel wasn't like her comrades; there might be hope for her yet.

It was something that none of them saw coming.

At first, they regarded his movement with surprise.

When the darts connected with their forms, they were bemused and perhaps a bit amused.

But when those darts activated and they were subject to that agonizing electrocution, all amusement flew out the window.

"GAAAAAAAAAAA~!"

"KYAAAAAAAAA~!"

"BRBRBRBRBRBR~"

The three Archangels couldn't help the screams that tore from their throats when they felt the currents tearing through them. Their internal workings were run through, and the Core that served as their hearts was knocked offline. They would reboot and fall to an state of emergency power, but thanks to the properties of the dart, they would not allow for additional benefits outside of the ability to keep living. In their writing, Armisael and Zeruel fell back against the inner wall, while Ramiel collapsed on the flooring. In the wake of the shock, Ramiel's rifle and Zeruel's sword vanished - a fact they would soon discover when they managed to regain some sense of themselves. Brina couldn't help but whistle at the sight, adding a morbidly humored quip. "Preemptive strike. Impressive."

If they heard it, the Quincy affected chose not to notice over their own plight. As they attempted to recover, they were shocked to find that they were unable to move their bodies. They couldn't look up at their assault, even though the ones that spoke up directed their voices to him.

"What the hell?!" Zeruel snarled, his eyes swinging towards Asumu and delivering a murderous glare. "Are you serious?! This is how you want us?! We would've helped you!!"

"Paralyzed and being brought to the enemy base." Ramiel grumbled, allowing his body to relax once he realized that there was nothing he could do. "Somehow, I felt this was coming, but... at the hands of a fellow Quincy... I never would've thought..."

"H-Hey."

But the most surprising out of all of them was when Armisael spoke up.

It was as if her voice had lost all of its power. Her eyes were wide and their contents had shrank to dots. She had a clearly anxious smile on her face, her body trembling not just out of vain attempts to break out of her own paralysis - but out of the growing sense of apprehension in her heart. Although her words were directed to Asumu, her gaze was staring aimlessly in front of her. "Look, I wasn't trying to make you mad or anything. I didn't think you'd take it that seriously, you know? Come on, I..." She swallowed. "This has to be a joke, right? There's no way you're just going to leave us like this, all helpless and unable to defend ourselves. Ha ha ha, we've all had our laughs now, you can let us go already..."

As much as she tried, she could not keep the growing panic out of her voice.

Sachiel's fear had dissolved to outright surprise when the shots came from Asumu's gun. Truly she hadn't considered that during the time she had been focused at what her leader could do and how alone she felt among all of her kin that the Marksman chose now to disable them. Even when her eyes met his, he looked apologetic yet the betrayal hurt far worse than the pain that was to come. A loud cry left her and she fell to the ground in a convulsing mass, looking with an icy glare.

She had nothing left to say, even after Armisael was brought to her wit's end as she babbled with clear fear. It was all talk till your power was robbed from you and the person you despised at the bargaining position. Even as she lied numb on the ground, with occasional jolts of pain, she gave credit to him; no matter how much she felt angry at him.

"Damn," Yoruichi turned to regard Asumu, raising a hand to try and conduct Shunkou only to find nothing truly happened. "Here I thought it was feeling a bit too quiet in here. You planned this to be the perfect death traps for your own kind. All the same, I think it was for the best. We needed some way to contain them and they aren't average prisoners nor are they all the most...stable. I think the Commanders will agree this was the best course of action, Asumu."

"Luckily, that only accounts for the harnessing of Reishi and not our own store of Reiryoku," Sazuke commented, glaring heatedly from the side as she kept leaning against the wall of the moving airship. "If you tried that with me, no fancy gun tricks would save you from me."

"Easy there, Sazuke," Sui-Feng calmed her down, taking a stand to regard the Quincy briefly considering applying the finishing blows here. Skilled in assassination and close quarters, she knew that all four of them had the advantage. If they wanted to, even a quick draw like Asumu would find himself at the mercy of his own disadvantage. Still, the time and place for it wasn't now as she could tell they were nearing the first level of Hell by now. Taking a stare at the man, she inquired vocally with crossed arms. "What do you plan on doing with them? I mean, beyond the obvious in helping us now they might prove a liability. You want to end them right now?"

Asumu stood straight up from his seat, looking down upon the fallen Quincy with a blank expression. "Oh, you're going to help us, whether you like it or not." he started, stepping over to the three fallen SKM members. "And no, I'm not going to kill them... not like this, nor will I let them walk free. I wanted to do this as soon as we landed, but with their power, such action would only cause problems." He crouched down to look primarily at Armisael. "And this has nothing to do with your words, but your actions. You and your fellows are willing to sink to incredible lows to achieve your goals. Goals that I will not stand for, no matter how deep the resentment between our kind and the Shinigami may be."

As he stood back up, he put his hand to his earpiece and one could hear some static talking over it. "The other SKM members have been incapacitated." he started, looking over to the Shinigami. "They will give you no trouble when we land."

"For God's sakes, Asumu!!"

In that moment, and much to the shock of Ramiel and Zeruel, Armisael had blown away what was left of her composure. Her voice was fluctating in volume, carried by the amount of emotion she held in her words. She was crying freely now, her gaze trying to fall on Asumu as best as she could. But all she could get in her view without hurting her eyes was his legs. Tears fell down her cheeks, and her head was shaking left and right in a strained signal of refusal. "I... I'm crying like a child here!!" She begged, shutting her eyes tightly. "If you're going to abandon us, have the decency to shoot us!! But don't leave us out here to the vultures!! Do you even know what it's like, being a prisoner of war?! I know!! I know, and by God, I do not want to go back!! If I have to go back, I'm going to--!!"

"Armisael!!" Ramiel's voice was sharp as he spoke to the female Archangel. If he could, he would've been giving her a reprimanding glare. "That's enough! Begging isn't going to get you anywhere! Control yourself now!"

"Yes, please..." Zeruel growled, his own anger starting to fade to annoyance. "If you cry any more, we all just might drown in your tears. For God's sake, have some dignity."

Armisael fell silent, save for her hiccuping and sobbing. She hung her head, her hair overshadowing her eyes. But they didn't keep the tears from dripping down her face. She was muttering under her breath, her whispers mostly unintelligible to those around her. But there was no missing a particular phrase she uttered as she rambled on, lost in her misery and fear.

"Please don't send me back... I don't want them to touch me again... I don't want to..."

"To think this is what our enemy really is like," Sazuke mused silently as she took pitiable interest in Armisael's wailing. It turned into annoyance as she scoffed and looked out at the disappearing bleak atmosphere. Soon it became nothing but a wholesale blackness as light was sapped and a familiar chill entered the wind that blew past them. As the host of gunships sailed on they'd be flying into an enormous Senkaimon that was left open by Kaze himself, allowing them entrance into the Dangai Precipice World. Their journey would take them on a path towards an opening in the wall of negative energy, a swirling portal of light that'd access them to their sanctuary: the Deep Cover Ops headquarters.

"Calm down," Sui-Feng coolly commanded Armisael, her stride taking her to squat in front of her incapacitated frame. Arms leaning over her upraised knees, her eyes stared at the scared orbs as their transport continued to fly with the rest of the vehicles. Observing her for awhile, a rare smile breached her face as she consoled her. "We're not that way anymore. As long as I'm around, there won't be needless torture or experimentation by our resident mad scientist.

"Got it?" She finished by looking over at Sazuke's back, knowing she'd be the first to possibly oppose.

"They're the Commander's concern anyways, not mine," Sazuke remarked callously, not bothering to look over her shoulder at her former superior. "Do what you want with them. The Alliance will see to it that justice is had anyways. Lives were taken and harm was made to many, after all. I doubt they'll have much kindness from the masses."

"There," Sui-Feng finished with a smile as she stood up, their gunship finally passing the envelope of the portal, their exit of Hell finally been made. It was thankful that the entrance was such a wide space that so many gunships could land, but the parking was still quite cramp. The thousands of soldiers and their subsequent officers would pile out, trying to retain formation while maneuvering around their rescue crafts. Amidst them of course would be many Quincy, both under Asumu's command and the SKM that survived along with their Leader or Archangel superiors.

"That's a sight," Yoruichi commented with a cheshire grin at Sui-Feng whom simply scowled with annoyance. "I never thought you'd be the one giving the sweet talk to calm somebody down. You'd be as cold as the Ice Queen over there. My haven't you grown?"

"Someone had to," Sui-Feng replied with a faint blush of bashfulness, turning away after being complimented by her idol. "S-She was going into shock so someone had to, right?"

"Right-Right," Yoruichi waved as she joined Brina's side and thumbed towards the exit. "Guess we should get going then, hm?"

Brina almost didn't answer her.

The sight of her master comforting the distressed Quincy froze her. In the times that she served as the Lieutenant of Sui-Feng, it was a rarity for the woman to show such compassion. But for reasons known only to her, she had just comforted what the Shinigami knew as one of their worst enemies in history. It was particularly jarring to see Armisael listening to her, ceasing her sobbing and giving the former Onmitsukidō captain her full attention. Once she said what she had to say, Armisael closed her eyes and gave a fervent nod of acknowledgement. Brina wasn't the only one to share this feeling of surprise; out of the corner of her eyes, she saw both Ramiel and Zeruel regard the exchange as if they were seeing Ultharon on the battlefield for the first time. At the same time, a part of her found it humorous and endearing. It was like a mother assuring her child about the monster under their bed being a figment of imagination.

"Either we've really fallen out of touch, or I just never knew you that well, Sui-Feng."

A small, warm smile was made from her mouth. She took in a deep breath, pushing herself off of her seat and brushing herself off. She looked at Yoruichi, giving a light nod and a lopsided grin. "Right." She said, moving to step off the gunship. "The creator of existence isn't going to kill himself any time soon, after all."

"I'll be damned." Ramiel muttered, his eyes barely managing to catch the sight of Sui-Feng calming Armisael down. "That's twice in a row I've seen them show kindness to her." He closed his eyes, giving a soft chuckle. "If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought fate itself was conspiring against my thought process."

"When was the first time?" Zeruel questioned, cocking an eyebrow at Ramiel. In his peripheral, he saw Armisael take deep and slow breaths to mentally steady herself again.

"During the battle in Sussex." Ramiel explained, his smile fading away. "The Sect had turned on us, and Armisael's opponent spared her after another episode. A more pragmatic enemy would've allowed her to die in that field." His eyes opened to look up at the gunship ceiling. "The Shinigami of old would have allowed her to die in that field."

Zeruel grinned, doing his best to look up at Armisael. "Maybe she's just got a charming personality. Keep it up, Annie, and I think the whole of the Gotei 13'll be just lining up to give you all the hugs they can."

It was enough to break Armisael out of her state of mind. She did her best to give him an annoyed glare. "Oh, shut up, Zero."

Our Next Strategy
Although he too was taken aback by how the legendary former Stealth Force Captain had such a caring exterior, Asumu was more surprised by Armisael's previous outcry. He had judged the Archangel based on her speech that she'd made earlier about the pride of the Quincy, taking her for a cold and ruthless rogue that only held her own pleasure above that of other desires. But just now she'd demonstrated that she was highly damaged on the inside, and was in fact still a human being, just like himself. Still, this didn't deter him from knowing that what she and her comrades had done was unforgivable, and they needed to face justice.

Seconds would pass before the fleet of gunships would exit the portal and emerge into the plane of existence that held the DCO headquarters. As the ships landed and their side doors slid open, the soldiers under Asumu's command unceremoniously tossed the paralyzed members of the SKM out and onto the hard ground that made up the DCO's landing area. Seemingly disregarding the Shinigami that had boarded along with them, the troopers that exited the crafts all brought their prisoners towards Asumu before hoisting them up by their backs to where all of them were on their knees. As he looked down at all of them, he tilted his head up briefly as a signal to his troopers to raise their weapons to the back of the prisoner's heads, the cold barrels pressing into the back of their skulls and ready to kill them at a moment's notice.

Of course, no shots were fired just yet, as Asumu knew that Hana Yugure no doubt was approaching him, and so he and a couple of his own troopers stood between her, her fellows, and the now immobilized SKM leaders. He was prepared to say, or do, anything that would occur as a result of their confrontation.

"Asumu Godai," Hana called out, having quickly walked with Elizabeth, Jushin and Aesa in tow. The Captain Commander of the Seiretei's forces came up front, noticing Yoruichi and the other Stealth Force involved chiefs take a background observance to the proceedings. With her sight aligned to the lined up SKM numbering just above two dozen including their superior officers, she kept a cool gaze to the man responsible for their escape. "On behalf of the Alliance, I thank you for pulling out our forces as efficiently and quickly as you did. If we had remained, we most likely would have perished in the clash between the Punisher and Izanagi. But now, I'm afraid we'll need your assistance if at all possible in order to help avert another apocalypse that may be even worse than Ultharon's escape may have triggered."

"The one you all call the Creator," Elizabeth took over, the Aether born Commander looking up at the taller Quincy with an upraised brow. "Pardon my ignorance but I know very little of this entity other than that he's very powerful. Is he some relative of the Quincy or Hankami in some way?"

"I doubt he's a Quincy. His spirit came from the sword impaled in Ultharon's back," Aesa noted aloud, having been one of the few who could see it from a long distance. "He's possessing the beast's body and reining in his power along with an undoubtedly large host. You could taste Hollow Reiatsu in the air with how ripe he seemed to be of it. Not even a Hankami's Shinsei has felt so cold and malevolent."

"Believe it or not, that was a Hankami - or, at the very least, something related to a Hankami." Jushin said grimly, folding his arms within his sleeves. "It was a big problem back at Yuurei, the cultists who followed the path of Red Sun. Information about the movement might as well have been common knowledge. Izanagi was the technical father of all Hankami. The scrolls say that after his escape from Limbo and his consumed wife's clutches, he committed suicide with his own blade." He closed his eyes and chuckled humorlessly. "Apparently, he didn't do a good job of that. Now, I'm not sure just what his goals are as of this moment..."

His smile faded, and he looked up at the sky thoughtfully. "But from the way he was speaking earlier, it has something to do with exterminating the remaining Hankami. And just why would he be hunting his own kids?"

Nodding at Hana's appreciation for his efforts, he initially stood back and let the others talk about the impending threat. However, upon hearing Jushin's comment gave Asumu the urge to give them all his own two cents. He may not have liked any of these individuals, and they most certainly didn't like him, but in a time like this, he had to put such differences aside. "Unless they aren't his kids after all." he started, stepping forward somewhat to help the conversation. "I remember having to scout and study the Red Sun and their teachings a few years back. In some of their records, they mention that the Hankami are just the things that are left of Izanami's previously hell-bound corpse. Furthermore, they most likely decimated a large portion of Izanagi's kingdom in the aftermath." he continued. "I'd say that has something to do with it.