The War of Four: Seeds of Revelation

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Breathe, A Tearful Reunion
"So cold."

Even though he had lost all sensation within his body as well as his life, Suna was still barely aware of himself. If he had a form, it would feel as if he was within a cold and dead weight, trapped and unable to move. Yet at the same time, he would feel himself floating aimlessly through what he presumed was a lifeless void. There was no sound within this state of limbo, with not even the whispering of the wind to keep him company. The touch of death had left him abandoned and without a soul, drifting in a sea of chilling blackness.

''I'm so damn cold. Haven't those big wigs up in the sky decided my fate yet? It's starting to get boring.''

The only thing that was entertaining him was his own semblance of thought, which produced weary and irritated complaints about his situation. A year could have gone by and he wouldn't have been aware of it. But did it really take this long for his ultimate fate to be decided and his judgement to be handed down to him? He had slaughtered innocents, destroyed the lives of too many and was unrepetent to the end. It should have been made clear to the Spirit King that his soul belonged in the hottest pits of Hell. So why wasn't he there, burning alive in the flames of Izanami's daughter? It seemed so much better than this empty abyss.

''I know what I am, and I know what I've done. I'm pretty sure you do to. Just end this farce and let me serve my sentence. I don't need to be stuck in this waiting room.''

In everything he was expecting to happen then, he didn't expect his own voice to answer back.

It is not yet your time, Tekketsu Suna.

If he had eyes, they sure would have opened wide at the sound.

W-what?!

Thanks to the actions of your fellow Horseman, your life is still your own. The voice - his voice - continued to speak to him. 'There are many lives who were ready to join the plains of eternal judgement. But because your ally gave his own life, all of you will be spared from the judge's fingers. You will not return to the dust, but to the world of the spirit from which you left.'

The hell do you mean--

All of a sudden, it hit him. The sensation of his form and mind returning to him made him stop his shocked questioning of the mysterious voice and focus his attention on himself as he began to "reboot". He could feel his heart beating within his chest again, his energy slowly flowing back into his system like water filling a glass.

'He has wished that you continue to fight against what is now your mutual enemy. To destroy the ones who betrayed you.'

He found his eyes slowly opening to a world of haze. Everything was a clouded blur, and he had to open and close his eyes a few times to get his vision back into gear. As that slowly came into focus, he could see the blackened skies that hovered over the Vandenreich fortress. He opened his mouth, letting out a weak groan as his nervous system turned on. Although he was severely groggy from his "nap", he could feel the energy exhausted in his fight with Shin'en burning within him once more. Thanks to Kyōaku's sacrifice, he was now alive and free.

'Fight on, Horseman of the apocalypse. Fight on...'

Slowly, he brought himself to a sitting position and looked over in what he knew would be his friend's direction.

"Seihai...?"

A tear-ridden Seihai would suddenly gasp, hearing Suna's voice. Her hands, splayed out in front of her in concentration on reinforcing the emerald lit barrier of Kidō that encased their proximity in a dome of sorts. Turning around, a relieved smile with tear-streaked cheeks turned to look at Suna gratefully, "Thank goodness. He was able to save your life as well..."

That was enough to confirm Suna's suspicions and the words spoken to him.

Kyōaku was dead. In a blaze of glory, he had resurrected the fallen soldiers of the Inner Circle and restored those lost numbers to a much more stable status. He could only guess as to how the majority of them would react upon seeing the war-torn fortress instead of the Rukongai and the Seireitei they had been patrolling. It was the most noble and humble thing to do for someone who had been parading himself around like a god, and that fact caused a slow, small grin to cross Suna's face. He lowered his head and slowly shook it, finding a grim humor at the irony.

"I think he just might have saved all of us..." He muttered, slowly pushing himself into position where he could rest his arms on his knees "I can't believe it. All this time, I kept telling myself that he'd never do it. But he just had to prove me wrong. A genius, a god, warrior and hero to the very end... what a show-off." Although his words possessed clear humor to them, there was the subtlest hints of mourning that only the ones close to him would've recognized.

"You don't need to be brave, Suna-san," Seihai softly replied back, keeping her gaze towards the barrier as tears poured down her cheeks anew, "he was a comrade of yours, Shikyo-san's, and Shūkurō-san's. He was a precious part of the organization and...and...he was precious to all of us...and...to me...!"

If there was one thing that Suna hated more in the world, it was the sound of a woman's grief... especially when it came from the likes of Seihai.

He raised his lowered head to look at her when he heard her voice crack. Seeing the tears run down her face suddenly made the most painful of sword wounds pale in comparison to the pain that shot through his heart right then. The scientist may have done a good thing for them when he gave his life up for theirs. But in doing so, he had to leave behind those that loved him the most. He may have given the Inner Circle a second chance to fight against their adversaries. But as a cost, he left those who carried him as a valuable with empty hands. That was displayed by Seihai herself as she broke in front of him. It almost made him want to shed tears alongside him.

But he still had his pride as a man. He still was aware of the fact that if he showed his sorrow, there wouldn't be any reassuring voice between them. If he wanted to ensure that she held hope and morale, he would have to become that voice for her if only for this moment. It was what allowed him to push aside Seihai's offer and move him to his feet. With a slow gait and a weary gaze, he approached her back. It didn't take long for him to get close to her, and when he did, he gently lowered himself down to a kneeling position. He took in a deep breath through his nose, mentally making sure that his chosen words would be the correct words.

Then, he raised his arms and embraced her, bringing him close to his form.

"If I ain't brave..." He whispered, his tone subdued but still holding a semblance of his casual self. "Who's going to tell you to be?" He closed his eyes for a moment, allowing himself to bask in her presence as he held her. "I'm not gonna lie to you, kid. I'm pretty sure nothing I say is going to make this situation any better. But I know that Kyōaku wouldn't have wanted you to sit here and crying over him. His sacrifice was made so that the rest of us could live on and carry out the fight. We'll have all the time in the world to mourn him after this is over and done with. But for now, we'll keep marching and personally make sure that Ywhach and Aizen pay for taking him. Are you with me?"

The warmth, the assuring strength, and his kind words didn't go unnoticed to Seihai. Tears slowly halted their heavy output, as she reached up and grasped Suna's hands. Raising his palms up, she comically used them to wipe away her dampened cheeks, sighing heavily into the calloused hands.

"I am. Just as he is...with me..."

As she spoke those words, something happened within Seihai. Eyes widened and her body seemed to spasm. Spiritual pressure exuded from her body in a steady rumble, rapidly increasing in intensity and output, causing the ground around her to crack as well as the barrier encased around her. An emerald pyre of light jettisoned from her body, as she found her form weightlessly levitated into the air, causing a cyclone of power to be unveiled before Suna but not thrust him back more than washing over his pores.

A violet hued dispersal of energy discharged from her linen, transforming it into an identical cloak that Kyōaku had donned as a Horseman. Lacking only the helm, her spiritual power seemed to transcend that of even her late beloved's, that much was clear. Gently, the cyclone vanished within her body as her now boot-covered feet landed upon the ground.

A crimson bird-shaped sign burned brightly upon her forehead, signifying the transfer of genetic and spiritual data that Kyōaku had stored within her. Looking at her gloved hands, she clenched them and opened them with a dazed look in her eyes, "I...I have...everything he had. Is this what he meant by me...continuing his legacy?"

It was needless to say, Suna did not see an event like this coming.

Even if the sudden release of energy didn't knock him back, the sheer existence of it and its abrupt appearance stunned him beyond belief. He took steps back in order to witness it with shocked eyes, his hair and cape billowing in the winds that had been generated. Although it wasn't affecting him, he knew. That kind of power was that even beyond what Kyōaku had been capable of. As he watched her transformation take place, thoughts were running through his head at a hundred and twenty miles per hour. "Incredible..." He thought to himself. "Something like this was waiting to come out at this moment? A power that leaps ahead of even the likes of us Horsemen? To think that Kyōaku had a wild card like this in his hands... I really am starting to think I underestimated his line of thinking..."

At her words, a grin slowly came across his face. "Apparently so, kid." He said, straightening himself up to look at her. "His memories, knowledge and all of his powers... they're yours to use. I guess he really did entrust you with the continuation of his legacy, to pick up where he had left off. Personally, I'd say it's a pretty darn reckless move. But hell, he always knew better than I did. With that being said..."

He took a few steps forward until they were standing mirror with each other, their cloaks billowing in the winds that blew. He wasn't just staring at a second-hand assistant, but an apprentice that claimed the throne of the master. Now they were standing before each other as equals, not as leader and subordinate. It was enough to send chills down Suna's spine. But all it did on the outside was widen his grin as he looked at her, finishing what would be a welcoming sentence.

"Welcome aboard... Third Horseman."

Death filled with Life.

That was the sensation that Hana felt. Looking around through the waves of liquid light that shimmered over her pores, like a mixture of a summer's warm rays and a bath in a sauna, without any dampness. It was beautiful and bittersweet to behold, but what was breathtaking was what came after the light disappeared. Hundreds, no, thousands of spiritual signatures rising to the surface. Gone was the maliciously blinding spiritual power of the Vandentei, only revealing the many unified and living entities that were raised back to life.

A smile graced her face. Despite the cut across her left cheek, she had managed to keep a good even-matched fight with Haschwalth. While she was content, she knew the Balance would be tipped soon, now that favor was falling upon her own side. She just hoped that she could do some lasting damage to the Quincy before that happened.

"Are you at a loss of words, Quincy?" Hana jeered, as she raised her ring blade in his direction.

Haschwalth stared out into the horizon, his once impassive gaze now one of disqust and frustration. In one simple motion, the Horsemen of the Inner Circle had nearly undone all of their plans, all of the Sternritter's hard work, and all of Yhwach's ambitions. He could feel his Majesty's power decrease, but steadily rise, and now he knew that they only had one option left.

"I am." he said plainly, looking back at Hana once more. "But not at this sudden change in the balance, rather, how quickly your Captain Commander fell at the hands of his Majesty." he continued as he glanced down at his Spirit Weapon. "And to think, he didn't even have to use his own power, but one that he stole..."

"W-What?" Hana choked out, as her sudden burst of resolve that rose within her chest stopped. The words, hauntingly off topic of what she spoke of, were regarding someone of the utmost importance in her life. Save for her beloved, it was the one man that held the Soul Society together for nearly four hundred years and beyond.

"The Head Captain has fallen? Impossible!" Hana refused to accept this, calling it a bluff as her eyes steeled with anger towards the Quincy.

"You're lying," She growled, her grip audibly tightened around the ring blade's inner bladeless frame.

"Don't be so childish." the Quincy responded calmly, staring at her in a blank manner. "I feel the balance at any point that it can turn. Your fortune briefly spiked, and now it is starting to fall once more; Your Commander's spiritual signature has completely vanished, as was anticipated. Not even he is capable of standing up to the power of His Majesty."

Hana couldn't deny his stoic words. If there was one thing that could attest to his claims, it was the fact she felt every signature of spiritual life within the Soul Society except for his. Even the Quincy King's, though dimmer than it was once before, she could feel and not the inferno that was Furuidenshō's spiritual power.

"N-No!" Hana felt her legs quiver, her eyes looking down as she realized with growing horror what just occurred. Falling to her knees, she felt her Zanpakutō clatter to her side. Tears began to form in her eyes as she felt the fire that kept her strong throughout this bloody war's skirmishes and tragedies.

"Y-You can't be dead. You can't be!" Hana shouted up into the air, not even registering Haschwalth's presence anymore. After sobbing for a few seconds, her cries turned into howls of agony, "HEAD CAPTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIN!!!!"

Jugram simply stared down at Hana impassively. In this grief and sorrow stricken state, she was all but vulnerable to a death blow, and his fight would be over just like that. However, he had a strange desire to let her wallow in her own pity for a few moments longer; death for a Shinigami in this state would be far too merciful, in his eyes at least. But at that same time, he was now faced with a new problem: Yhwach's power had decreased as well, and in order for him to regain that power, possibly more, the Sternritter would all have to resort to their endgame, something that only he could do, as the Sternritter leader.

"As Grandmaster of the Sternritter..." he began, his body beginning to radiate an intense azure fire like aura, raising his sword up to point it in the sky. "I hereby initiate the final selection..."

All of it would bring nothing but stunned silence from both the barrier-entrapped Shikyo and Michiko.

The news of Furuidenshō's death was enough ice-cold water Shikyo's head had been dumped into. But seeing the seemingly invincible and relentless successor of his position break down and crumble was an even worse shock for both of them. They watched with widened eyes and slightly agape mouths as the young woman screamed to the heavens for her now-deceased predecessor. In just a matter of seconds, they had been brought together by Kyōaku's sacrifice and then hit hard again. It made Shikyo wonder if the ressurection of their forces would make a difference.

Then...

"Mommy, he's glowing!" Michiko cried, pointing at Haschwalth as he ignited himself with the flames. "He's glowing!"

"What the hell is he doing?!" Shikyo thought to herself, her shocked gaze focusing on the challenger Quincy. Immediately, she pushed herself up from her sitting position on the ground and staggered to the wall of the barrier. Her hands pressed themselves against it as she watched the "final selection" take place. This couldn't have been some sort of finishing move for Hana. In her weakened state, all it would've taken was a single sword strike and his enemy would be down for the count. It had to be something else, something much bigger...

And then it clicked in her head. Her eyes gained a horrified edge to their gaze, and suddenly she found her own confidence wavering.

"No..."

"What in the--?!"

Suna suddenly found himself gazing into the sky as he felt a sudden disturbance within the atmosphere. In the area where he had detected Shikyo, he could feel a Quincy's spiritual pressure as it rose. At the same time, he could feel a multitude of other Quincy signatures dropping from his radar. "The Stern Ritters' spiritual energies are dropping?" He asked rhetorically, gritting his teeth and narrowing his eyes. "Oh, hell... I can't believe it. He's started it!" Like Shikyo, he had managed to figure out right away what was happening within the Vandenreich's ranks. Although the dwindling of their enemy's spiritual power would've normally been a good thing, only an idiot would've assumed such was the case here. But it took one who had a good idea of what Ywhach was to figure out what it really meant for all of them.

The conclusion was not a good thing.

He sharply turned his head towards Seihai, his expression showing urgency and alarm. "Seihai!" He barked. "Tenteikūra spell to all of their and our officers! The Stern Ritters are using their wild card!"

Seihai was in a daze of her own. The Captain that had spared and beaten the man who was closest to a father to her, the one she rushed to avenge his death against the Quincy who murdered and betrayed him in cold blood, was now dead. When she heard Suna shout her name, it was all she could do but follow orders.

"R-Right!" Clasping her hands, she immediately conjured the black writing along the length of her arms before pressing them out twards a blue cube that spread out black roots into the air, "Tenteikūra!"

The Light of God, All Things Come To An End!!
Haschwalth then closed his eyes, as his entire body began to corrode away in the flames that he generated. With a solemn, echoing voice, his final words would be heard from all in the Seireitei.

"The Mask of the Ruler falls... revealing the Father of all Quincy..."

Within that instant, Haschwalth and the flames around him exploded into a massive pillar of light, ending in a wandenreich emblem shaped cross that scraped the skies above, and thus cleared away the darkening clouds.

"Our time has come..." Cang Du calmly said to himself, seeing the pillar of light that Haschwalth had generated. He himself had endured quite a bit of punishment in his battle against the 2nd Division Captain, but his ability "The Iron" had made him virtually immune to most of her attacks, and it seemed that he would win this fight, but then he heard Haschwalth's words.

His body too became engulfed in blue flames, and he turned his head over to look at the beaten Sazuke impassively. "Your fate now lies in the hands of His Majesty. Pray that he will at least let your death be swift."

"What the Hell does that mean?!" Sazuke replied, her body bloodied and bruised from the severity of Cang Du's ferocious onslaught. For a moment, she swore he was going to reveal his Vollstandig, but now it appears he's committing some form of ritualistic suicide. It was all too eerie and the Stealth Force Commander was just as infuriated as she was confused, "why are you giving up?!"

"The entire reason we Sternritter fight is so that we may give His Majesty his true strength." he said as his body began to corrode away into the flames. "We are his loyal pawns, and in our death, he will guide our race to a future where Shinigami no longer thrive. He will rise... and you will fall."

And with that, he too exploded into a column of energy, its cross shaped end also scraping the sky.

"Sorry, Quincy," Tōshirō uttered lowly, his Zanpakutō in its Shikai state and held in a horizontal aloft manner. Snow fell from the air, signifying the localized freezing temperature, surrounding what seemed to be frozen solid As Nodt. Bound within the ice, his prison seemed to be shaped in the form of a star of sorts. "but I couldn't make it into a pentacle for your liking."

Had this been a different time, victory would be Tōshirō's. His fight with the Sternritter of Fear had gone rather smooth, as the latter could hardly touch the former Tenth Division Captain. But of course, this feeling of victory would not last.

Slowly, the ice began to melt away in a liquid state, and steam was beginning to radiate from the spot where As Nodt was. Within seconds, blue flames erupted from where he was, and therefore freed him from his frozen captivity. As he regained his senses and movement, he leapt down to the area in front of Tōshirō. He was covered in blue fire, and chuckling in a raspy voice. "Do... Do you think that... that after all he's done for me...."

He then brought his deranged face up to meet Tōshirō's gaze, and his black mask was now corroded away to reveal a decayed and almost rotten lower face, making him seem more like a zombie than a human. "...THAT I WOULD JUST LIE DOWN AND FORSAKE HIS MAJESTY?????!!!!!!!!"

"He lit his skin on fire in order to release himself?" Tōshirō thought, as his gaze regarded the deranged Quincy and his newfound stance. Due to the grotesque nature of his face, he averted his eyes from making straight eye contact. The haunting jaw had been enough to cause him to feel revulsion towards the being.

"Don't you know when to quit, Stern Ritter?" Tōshirō asked pointedly, raising his blade to point directly at him. Because of the high level of moisture that had been released from the water vapor of melted ice, he was able to at least produce one technique. With a luminous glow coalescing over his body, he made a swift turning motion, as pillars of ice seem to discharge from the earth and materialize around As Nodt's body.

"Sennen Hyōrō!" Tōshirō declared aloud, as the freezing columns of ice converged upon the recently freed Quincy, aiming to restrict his movements again so he could take further action against his durable opponent.

As Nodt then straightened his body out and spread his arms to the side, as the blue flames shot out all around him and melted the oncoming pillars away almost instantly. ''"A PITIFUL SHINIGAMI SUCH AS YOU IS NO MORE THAN A SPECK OF DUST, STRUGGLING AGAINST OCEAN CHURNING GALES BEFORE HIS MAJESTY'S WRATH!!!!" ''his shrill voice screamed as his body began to corrode itself away. "THE FEAR THAT WILL ENROACH UPON YOU WILL DWARF MY OWN, ONCE HE REGAINS HIS FULL STRENGTH!!!!"

Finally, his body erupted into the large column of energy, like the other Sternritter before him, leaving nothing of him in it's wake.

V-14's fight with BG9 had been nothing short of a stalemate, especially when his Vollständig had been released.

Every brigand that couldn't engage the Quincy in close-quarters had to take cover behind some sort of debris that had been created by the intensity of the fight. Even the heavy hitters had been thwarted by the machine's enigmatic nature and abilities, unable to have much of an effect on him. In contrast, BG9 could take a comfortable position in reigning down bullets and rockets upon its targets with mercilessness and cold precision. At that moment, it seemed like the Quincy would kill them all and be done with his mission.

But then, the most unexpected thing. Asuka, who had sparingly attacked BG9 during the fight, requested permission from Angelika to fight the thing alone. Naturally, it brought about shocked responses and exclamations from her colleagues, and it made the woman in charge almost question whether she was in her right state of mind. But when she saw the look in Asuka's eyes, she could see no wariness or fear that had stricken the rest of them. Instead, she saw anticipation, resolve and even some semblance of enlightenment. It bewildered Angelika to the point that saying no felt like the denial of letting something enlightening happen. So, out of curiosity, Angelika called back the rest of the V-14 and watched as Asuka challenged BG9 by herself.

And she wasn't just fighting it. She was beating it, Vollständig and all.

Whereas the rest of them had moved with tension and understandable wariness, Asuka moved against it like a bird on a natural flight course. Her blade defended against the barrage of rockets and bullets that had been launched her way, slicing through projectiles and deflecting others. Her body moved with elegance, yet her movements carried a ruthless aggression of her own that, in conjunction with her naturally fluid movements, was rather frightening to witness. She had never displayed that kind of style when fighting against her opponents - not even when she had went up against her own son.

Angelika could've only imagined what was going through BG9's right now as it tasted another vicious strike from Asuka's blade.

From the first slash, BG9 would experience what could only be described as terrifyingly psychedelic. The very first strike Asuka landed on it let her know that he had a soul, because her own had made a connection with it. Flashes of her memories would go through his head as if they were his own, and he would feel as if her soul was trying to invade his own. It would make for a very resolve-shattering and mind-breaking experience as far as he was concerned. Every strike would further attack him, hammering at his will like a sledgehammer against the foundation of a house. Her actions here would demonstrate just how devastating and terrifying the style that was Tamajutsu could really be when used against someone.

Such was the given situation in the present time.

"I can't believe she's beating it, when I barely slowed it down," Kenja spoke aloud. Resting on one knee with an aforementioned bout of exhaustion from his use of his newfound Shinsei powers. He had been grateful that Rika hadn't been harmed during the fight, and that he had largely gave the majority of his comrades time to fight in a cohesive manner. Even if it didn't work, it allowed for the last few minutes of actual conquest to take place, "she's incredible."

"She sure is," Shito smiled, having admired her stance and movements ever since she engaged the fierce automatonic being.

"I think someone has the hots for a certain swordsman," Mōka teased, winking at Shito as she grinned with delight.

Shito blushed fiercely, as he diverted his gaze from her, weakly refusing to admit it, "I don't know what you're t-talking about!"

"Wait," Hyōryū held up a hand, furrowing her brows with query, "isn't Asuka like Angelika's mother figure?"

"Powers of observation are truly gifted with this broad," Yajū jeered with a grin, despite the glare briefly sent his way by the gun girl.

"I'm just saying, wouldn't Angelika find it weird that you find Asuka hot cause, you know, she practically took her in?" Hyōryū queried with a perplexed, if not partially accusing stare at Shito.

"Isn't attraction and affection between two people not bound by the moral dilemmas and restrictions of normal society?" Shindō queried in a curious tone next to his partner, like a foreboding shadow she can't get rid of.

BG9 wasn't in a relaxed mood.

It's senses were clearly going haywire. Despite all of it's weaponry, tactics, and knowledge of the entire V-14 squadron, this one single female was decimating him in battle. He had withstood entire blasts from Kenja Kodai and continued to fight on, but here, Asuka was tearing through him as if his armored shell were nothing but thin paper. Even in his Vollstandig, he could do nothing against her.

''"Paramater-rs reconfi-fi-figured." ''he stuttered aloud, as his left, shining minigun picked itself up to fire at Asuka, but instead released it's entire salvo on a building just behind her. "T-Tar...get... elimina-nated...."

It was a threatening display aimed at the wrong thing.

Even as the hail of bullets was unleashed at an indirect target, its real target stood with an almost deathly still gait. Her sword was lowered to her side as she watched BG9 attempt to fire on her. But she never moved an inch, waiting patiently as he wasted his bullets. Even in the face of the thunderous gunfire, her voice would be heard loud and clear. "Can you still hear me, Quincy? I'm sure that even with all of what you're experiencing right now, I haven't yet scrambled that mind of yours. To tell the truth, it would be very easy to make you break down right here and now. Had I still believed that you were nothing but a machine, I would have done just that."

She began to take steps forward in a slow, soft and yet oh so menacing walk towards her enemy. Her eyes looked upon him with a relaxed stare, almost as if she was conversing with him over a casual subject rather than assaulting his mind. "But I'm sure that by now, it's become obvious. A machine is cold, calculating and precise up to the very end. A machine possesses no emotion, not even the desire or intent to kill even as it attempts to take the lives of its targets. A machine would certainly not be affected by the likes of a soul-cutting technique such as Tamajutsu." She continued to approach him until she was within a few inches of blade's reach again, stopping and staring him in the eye. "And a machine would most certainly not experience something as human as fear."

Slowly, she leveled her blade at him, the tip pointing directly at his face. "And I can feel so much fear inside of you right now. Tell me, BG9, for it is I who am the curious soul. How does it feel to have all of those plans within your machine-like head turn upside-down? How does it feel to know that the very one you saw as an easily killable target is the one that put you into a corner? What goes through your mind," Her blade slid closer, until the cutting edge was touching his neck - a perfect position for decapitation. "Knowing that this blade is going to be the one to destroy you?"

The machine Quincy stopped in his tracks, his weapons and his tendril like wings lowered down to his sides. His single red eye was looking directly at Asuka's blank stare, and it was trembling. It would move left, right, up, and down several times, as if desperately trying to find a way to answer her query. But one would also get the impression that he was afraid, very afraid of what was coming for him, all from just looking at his single, orb-like eye, concealed behind his helmet. He let out a few clicking and whirring sounds, presumably his internal systems, before uttering out a low reply.

"... no data... available."

"...I see."

That was when Asuka lowered her gaze a little bit. They wouldn't see her close her eyes because they would be overshadowed by her bangs. But they would see the tears that fell down each eye, the droplets falling on to the ground. She took in a deep breath, slowly lifting her sword until it was looming overhead. The cutting edge gleamed threateningly in preparation for what was to be the death blow. But the wielder of the blade would speak in a solemn and, shockingly enough, remorseful tone. "For what it's worth," She whispered. "I truly am sorry for this. Maybe one day you can forgive me. But until then.... goodbye...."

She brought her sword down.

"BG9."

''"Goodby-?" ''would be it's only response.

Just as her blade would come crashing down on his neck, his entire body was enraptured in blue flames, preventing the weapon from touching his hide. If BG9 was scared before, his eye movement now would indicate sheer terror, for he now knew what was coming for him. "N-No.... not possible... selection process was to be delayed... this unit was to have more.... more time... to gather... to move.... more time... please....give this unit... more time....."

"I've never seen Asuka fight this intensely before," Shinshin voiced aloud, as all eyes were now focused intently on the automaton's futile resistance against Asuka, "not since we crossed blades has she projected such a cold indifference. Truly, this is the pinnacle of Tamajutsu Mastery. I have a long way to go-"

Then, the cyborg seemed to erupt into flames.

"DAFUQ?!" Hyōryū shouted with wide-eyed exclamation, backing up to stand near Anton's side for desired protection against the searing heat that wafted the area, "is he killing himself?!"

"Not that I don't mind a guy axing himself, why is he begging for mercy when he's the one who pulled the trigger?!" Yajū inquired, holding up his scythe defensively as his eyes glared at the flames.

"He's not doing it," Shito spoke aloud in a solemn, horror-filled voice, "someone is triggering this. Look!"

As Shito pointed to the sky, similar columns of pentacle-shaped pyres of spirit energy all seemed to erupt into the sky. Much like how the Vollstandig and prior entry of the Stern Ritters themselves had done, this seemed to have an entirely different meaning. There was a nefarious air cast within the wind, a purpose that dictated the self destruction of all commanding officers of the Quincy forces, not to mention hundreds of smaller beams of light discharging into the sky. It looked like a grand sacrfice for something twisted and terrible.

Mōka herself felt her throat tighten, "He's using his own kin...to fuel his power! That bastard is growing stronger than even what I can handle!"

They weren't the only ones to react with such attitude.

As he watched the spectacle of Quincy-made stars, Anton wordlessly moved in front of Hyōryū when he saw her back up from the flames. The sight had left him as speechless as it had a good majority of the others. Normally, seeing the enemy destroy themselves would've been a good thing. But Mōka's deduction of what was happening cast any thoughts of positive feelings out the window. The Quincy King was using them as a means to increase his own power - something that was not only incredibly callous, but also very terrifying for the Alliance. For all purposes, this could be considered the Quincy's final attempt at destroying their enemies and making victory absolute.

But despite this, Yusuke and Shinji had not yet taken their eyes off of the two combatants in front of them... and with good reason.

As soon as she got over her surprise at the flames' appearance, Asuka thrust out one of her hands into the burning blaze. As if moving through water, her hands would push through the tongues and clasp against the center of BG9's chest. The heat did not sear her flesh. "No." She whispered. "I don't think you need any more time. You have fought long and hard, have you not? You have spilled the blood from many of His Majesty's enemies, have you not? There is no need to cry, no need for regret in the face of such accomplishments. You are a soldier, loyal and devoted to the cause up to the very end. There is no more that is needed to be done."

Slowly, she raised her head up. There was a bit of light shimmering within those blank eyes of hers, but also a genuinely encouraging smile on her face. "Your service has been honored, soldier. Now go back, and return to His Majesty's side where you belong."

When this happened, BG9's trembling eye managed to stop as it looked down at Asuka's hand, resting on his chestplate. It continued to stare down at it throughout her speech, though it was unlikely that he was not heeding her comforting words. It's body was slowly beginning to decay from the feet upwards, just as the other Sternritter had, but it was no longer shaking in what would be perceived as fear. Rather, it seemed very relaxed as Asuka finished her statement.

The decaying reaching up to his chest, he brought his eye to look back down at Asuka and managed to let out one more word:

"...Affirmative... "

Finally, the cyborg's body crumbled away and the flames that had consumed him leapt for the skies above. A single Quincy Cross was all that was left of him, lying flat on the ground in front of Asuka.

"Can't believe that I'd feel pity for an enemy like that, one I was nearly hellbent on destroying myself," Kenja murmured with disbelief, as he watched Asuka say the equivalent of a farewell to the passed away Stern Ritter.

Shinshin could only bow his head and utter in prayer, "May the Void bring solace to your soul, machine of war."

"Good riddance, I say," Yajū spat callously, not one to care for the passing of his enemies, let alone automatons such as BG9.

Shito rolled his eyes, but kept his senses alert for any further changes within the Vandentei's ambient pressure, in case the Quincy King decided to do anything immediate with his newfound power. He knew he could transport everyone away at a given notice, but he knew the concentration of his surroundings had to be perfect.

Hyōryū sighed with relief, as she saw the last of the azure embers vanish as the other pyres of blue flames had done. Even if it was bad in the long run, she felt unnerved to be so close to a pillar of raging fire, especially when it contained the life force of something so inhuman. Clenching her hands onto Anton's arm, she leaned against him as she closed her eyes, whispering to him, "Thanks for protecting me, big man..."

"Angie," Mōka spoke in a level tone, her eyes turning towards the leader of the mercenary organization that is V-14, "what's the plan now? Its obvious that this changes everything. What with the Quincy King being a physical god on par, if not stronger than even my own father, I doubt we can simply walk away from this battlefield and hope the Alliance comes through."

Hyōryū's actions caused a stunned Anton to avert his gaze from the sky. He swung his head towards her with surprise, but quickly relaxed once he realized what she was doing. He allowed his own eyes to close, his head leaning on the top of hers to return her affection. "No." He said softly. "Thank you for keeping yourself by my side throughout it all. Don't know if I could've kept myself together without you..."

However, he opened his eyes once he heard Angelika's chuckle towards Mōka's choice of words.

"I can't believe I'm hearing such idiotic words from the likes of you, Mōka." She said casually, looking over at her subordinate leader with a spark of amusement within her eyes. She reached into her coat pockets, pulling out a cigarette and a lighter. "Nor did I expect you to sound like such a defeatist. And in the face of your own subordinates, nonetheless? You could at least try and sound like you have at least a little spine."

In between it all, Hyōryū blushed, punching Anton's shoulder as she responded bashfully, "You're completely helpless without me, aren't you?"

The Russian merely huffed in response. "I do believe that was your fault..."

"The Captain Commander is dead," Mōka said plainly, her eyes looking seriously at Angelika's. One could tell there was a mixture of grief and sorrow lingering behind her crimson-hued eyes as she spoke as frankly as she could, "Yhwach Juhabach slayed him just moments before this deranged sacrifice ritual took place. Someone who could defeat the strongest of the Four Horsemen before that Quincy bastard's own power is not something we should rush blindly without a plan. I don't even think I can even subjugate him with my own power, not after what's just transpired!"

There was a moment of silence that lingered in the air. But only for a moment.

Angelika slowly turned herself around to face Mōka, catching the emotion within those crimson hues of hers. But instead of causing her own mood to waver, it only prompted her into cocking an eyebrow in slight incredulity. Her thumb flicked the wheel of her lighter, catching the end of her cigarette in its flame. She slid it between her lips and breathed in the smoke before taking it back out and blowing it from her nose. The new string of information was processed with a subtle dose of shock. After all, someone as seemingly indomitable as the Head Captain being slain in battle? She never thought it would've happened in a million years, let alone now.

But it wasn't going to pull her down, and it wasn't going to stop her from speaking her next words.

"You won't have to worry about subjugating him... because as of now, we won't be doing any more fighting."

A series of gasps were heard among the crowd of V-14 members. To them it was obvious, that this was the kind of war that they couldn't participate in any longer. All they'd do is get in the way, or put their necks out needlessly for a conflict they can't help improve or end as quickly as their allies.

Hyōryū bowed her head, not knowing if anything could persuade Angelika. Her mind sounded made up, and from a glance towards Shinshin, Shadō, and Shito, none of them looked intent on stopping her. They all looked devastated at the idea of one of the few advocates of allying and standing up for them, Furuidenshō Shin'nen himself, was dead. What reason was there to continue fighting?

"I guess that's it then," Kenja thought to himself, as he wearily leaned against the wall, looking at his fullbrought claymore with a downtrodden expression.

Then, the most unlikely person spoke up.

"Like Hell we aren't!" Yajū snarled out, his eyes glaring at his superior and Angelika equally.

"Yajū, this isn't something that we can-"

"Oh don't give me that kind of bullshit answer!" Yajū swung out his free hand, gripping his scythe handle tightly as bared his teeth with indignation at her, "long before I knew you were some otherworldly goddess, I looked up to you and followed your lead only for the sole purpose of fighting alongside you. That I'd bathe in the blood of my enemies while you told me where to go and whom to kill. What happened to your guts, Mōka?! Does a mere human scare you that bad?!"

"This has nothing to do with my fear, but with a cautious certainty!" Mōka raised her voice, almost sounding desperate as she raised a hand towards him for emphasis, "I don't want anyone to throw their life away needlessly! This isn't a battle we can participate in without casualties. Face him, and he'll not hesitate to cut you down-!"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I GIVE A DAMN?!" Yajū shouted at the top of his lungs, glaring wide-eyed at a dazed Hankami, "that Oracle said that I'd live to be a god among men, that I'd bathe in the masses of my victims for many years to come. If there is even a sliver of truth in what that weird-ass relative of yours said, I'm not going to become deified by cowering every time an enemy stronger than me!"

Turning around, he raised a clenched fist up at the rest of V-14's conglomerate, throwing it to the side to smash into the wall with enough force to cause the structure to collapse beside him, "All of you can go ahead and cower if you want, but if any of you have the balls or guts to try and do something daring, then come with me! The Alliance needs people to fight, and I intend to help give them a fight worth song and damned praise!"

"Do they?"

Although Yajū had earned slight glares from Alpha Team for his intent of disobeying Angelika's orders, he would get none such thing from the director herself. Although her smile had faded away for the time being, she still had that reserved look as she regarded the scythe-wielding warrior. "All of those fighters capable of destroying worlds with their power, all of those soldiers capable of wiping out armies by themselves, and you say that they need people to fight? I may not be a devotee to their cause, but I'm fully aware of how capable they are... especially in the face of certain doom."

She slid her hands back into her coat pockets. "And before you start accusing me of cowardice, let it be known that I'm not speaking out of fear." She spared a glance towards Mōka. "Nor am I speaking out of "cautious certainty." As a matter of fact, had it been any other circumstance, I would've gladly allowed for a charge against the remaining pieces of the enemy's army. Have you already forgotten that I risked our treaty with the Gotei 13 for the sake of rescuing one of your colleagues from Aether's clutches?"

At this, Oliver's eyes flickered for a brief moment.

"I'm not pulling us out of this fight because we might get in the way of someone else, or because of inability to bring a quicker end to it all. I'm doing it because getting involved would be essentially pointless in the long run. Why try going after a kill that was long ago marked by someone else?"

"What do you mean, boss lady?" Yusuke questioned, raising a curious eyebrow at the woman.

"Yhwach. Aizen. Both of them have been enemies of the Soul Society for who knows how many years. They were locked in their struggle against each other long before we even came into the picture. While they, the soldiers, fought against each other for dominance and control, we children played around on the sidelines without care. We were unwittingly neutral throughout it all, up until this point in time. What sense would there be in suddenly brandishing our swords against a particular enemy, as if they were the bane of our existences the whole time?"

That would be when another very unlikely voice spoke up to her.

"...you don't believe we're the ones meant to defeat Yhwach or Aizen... right?"

A good amount of eyes abruptly snapped to a stirring Rika, who was now lying on her stomach. Her hands were propped on either side of her, and she slowly pushed herself up to her hands and knees. Her head was lowered, with her long hair covering her expression. "Those two... and the Soul Society... have years worth of a grudge against each other..." She breathed. "Right now, all we are is the third wheel, an undesired variable in the equation. The closest thing to a personal enemy was the Inner Circle, and they are all but dismantled now. In addition, the death of the Captain Commander wouldn't affect the likes of us. But it would greatly affect them, further fueling the blood lust between the two sides... further pushing us out. Is that what you're getting at, Angelika-sama?"

A pleased grin swept across Angelika's face. "A very accurate guess of my thoughts, Nakamura." She commented with the slightest bit of intrigue, watching as the girl slowly pushed herself to sit on the ground. "And you're not even one of my closer subordinates. How'd you happen to come up with that?"

How Rika responded effectively sent a chill down Yusuke's spine and even made Shinji's eyes widen a little.

Her eyes would be hidden, but that mouth of hers would contort into a grin. But it wasn't the common grin of happiness or smile of pleasantry. It was the smile that would've been less frightening and more fitting on the face of a cold-blooded killer. It didn't help that she added a clearly amused chuckle before her actual response.

"Oh, nothing. Just a lucky guess?"

"You're a frighteningly tactful girl, aren't you?" Kenja mused out with an appraised grin towards her, smiling at her across the distance, "you remind me of a disciple I raised. She had the same outlook on most things, and could confidently analyze any given scenario with dispassion."

While Angelika's words, her demeanor, and the sheer professionalism on how she handled herself with the additional feedback by Rika, Yajū managed to calm himself. The blood boiled less in his veins, and his outstretched fist came to rest at his side. His glare softened into one of rejection, but understanding, as he kept his eyes on Angelika. He briefly cast his glance at a more passive set of superiors, realizing they had nothing more to say.

Looking back at Angelika, he responded lowly, "You think this battle is pointless? I don't remember ever signing on to get the benefits of being within the regime of the damned Yhwach or under that bastard Aizen's thumb. We walk away, and those sobs lose because we didn't bother raising a finger, then this will be all on our heads, not just yours. This battle has more meaning than our fight with the Inner Circle had. What's more, these guys HELPED the Inner Circle take down the Soul Society, our own home! Don't you care that they trashed our place, our livelihood, for the sake of conquest?!"

"Since when have you become sentimental, Yajū?" Shinshin inquired, coolly locking his gaze from afar, "here I thought you were nothing more than a bloodthirsty warrior. I didn't know you were so interested in reasons to fight."

"I won't become a F#$%ING god with Aizen and Yhwach standing in my way, will I?!" Yajū snarled out incredulously, as if it was a plain as day fact. Flourishing his scythe around to point at Angelika, he said with a heated glare of renewed vigor, "how am I going to better claim my deification than help cut up everything that makes Aizen and Yhwach gods themselves?! I'll shred their subordinates to pieces. I'll reap their dreams from their very hearts, before I crush them in my hands! I don't give a damn about how we have scores of personal worth against these bastards, just that we have the opportunity to keep our livelihood as killers for hire and that we can have some merit as being part of the grand scheme of cutting them down to size!"

"You're insane, you know that?" Shito asked rhetorically.

"Insanely badass!" Yajū admitted shamelessly.

"How is that a THING?!" Shito asked incredulously.

"I find it kinky!" Genesis called out.

"SHUT UP, JEAN!!!" The voices of Shou and Kaitlyn snapped at her.

"Killers for hire?"

Angelika repeated those words in incredulity, her furrowed eyes widening as they glared slightly at Yajū. Her smile faded into a slight scowl, and she spoke with a clearly scolding tone within that calm voice of hers. "Don't you get it yet? We gave up that title long ago when the pact between us and the Gotei 13 was first made, when the V-14 was legalized. We stopped being mercenaries when the decision about the bombs had been made." She raised a hand to gesture towards the rest of the V-14. "That was the moment when I realized that the majority of these people here today didn't want to be known as "killers for hire", people who made a living destroying the lives of others. They wanted to let go of the grudge we had against the Soul Society, to walk down the path that would mark them as heroes of this time. I know it's something that leaves a bad taste within the mouth. But if that's what the men and women under my banner wanted, then who am I to deny them? I am a leader, not a tyrant."

She closed her eyes for a moment. "But if you still want to claim yourself as a so-called god... if you still want to pave the way to your deification, then by all means you can part from this group and do what you want. There will be one catch if you do, though..."

This was where Asuka herself turned an eye from the cross and to the debate. "And what would that be...?" She asked with a soft yet curious tone.

She would get her answer when a brief pulse of sickening spiritual pressure erupted from Angelika's body and over the majority of the main group. Her coat and hair began to flare upwards a little as if blown by a constant wind, with a faint blackened aura starting to form around her body. Her calm expression began to slowly contort to a more manic degree, complete with a feral smile and a shrunken iris-pupil combination within those eyes of hers. When she spoke again, her voice held a heavy amount of distortion within. Her voice was an epitome of rage and murderous intent as she spoke that one finishing sentence out to Yajū.

"You're going to have to go through ME to DO IT!!"

All confidence was sapped immediately out of the grim reaper. Being the sole focus of the ire of Angelika, as she was now, ontop of the waves of overwhelming spiritual pressure that washed over his pores, he could feel himself turn three shades paler. As his eyes dilated with alarm and fright, he felt his scythe fall out of his hands, clattering to the ground as he felt himself fall to his knees in front of her.

"Unbelievable," Was all that Yajū murmured out, his throat going dry at seeing such a mangificently terrifying aura that wrapped and burned off of Asuka's persona.

"Such power reminds me of the essence of my own style of Tamajutsu," Shinshin remarked

Mōka's eyes herself widened, her own bod being the closest of the overwhelming darkness that porously ebbed off of Angelika. Unlike before, when she had been accidentally letting loose the tormenting entity from within herself, she had complete control. No, that wasn't accurate. More like complete synthesis between herself and her captor, as if the bonds of being a host to such a terrible entity no longer seemed like a detriment to her person.

"Was...Yashin's battle key to awakening this potential within her?" Mōka queried silently, as her eyes narrowed at the dark aura'd Angelika that glared threateningly at the now submissive Yajū.

Unbeknownst to all, a solitary figure stood atop the structure most of them were leaning against. He looked down with intrigue, as his coat flourished with wild abandon throughout the gusts of wind that the power surging below him. His right eye glistened with red-black darkness while his left eye shimmered with curious onyx light.

"What will you do, Angelika Hartmann, when you find that your only route of escape is broken?" Yashin asked aloud, his voice carrying down to the midst of V-14 once more. Not bothering to wait for a reply, he waved around in emphasis from his highest perch, "the Quincy King's army may have been sacrificed, but Aizen's army marches upon this Vandentei. The Alliance cannot deal with the mass of enemies and their leaders simultaneously. Knowing this, will you still be insistant on turning a pair of truly blind eyes away from this plight, or will you carve out destiny beyond the Alliance's survival?"

At first, everyone's gaze was quick to fall upon the hovering figure of Yashin when he spoke down to them. Naturally there was shock and surprise upon seeing him, with widened eyes and a few gasps earned from his sudden appearance. But although she too was surprised, Angelika kept herself silent and merely listened to his words of question. His note of Aizen's army was a new newspaper slipped into her mailbox; she had assumed that with the Stern Ritter's sacrifice, all but the bigger pieces of the enemy faction was destroyed. But Aizen still had minions of his own kicking through this place?

Then, she felt it, as well as everyone else would.

A new spiritual pressure, ominous and new to the senses, washed over the area like an ocean of cold water. To a good majority of the company present, it would put them in a state of high alert. Shou was the first one to speak up about it, standing up and allowing his eyes to search the area. Because of his nature as a Daitenshi, he didn't have much of a problem being under the influence of the aura. "Do you all feel that?" He questioned, cocking an eyebrow as he surveyed the area.

"I might as well be tasting it." Oliver responded back to him, with beads of sweat falling down his face as he looked up at the sky. "What the fuck is that?"

"Must be that army our beloved friend was talking about..." Anton muttered dryly, pulling himself up to his feet. After he lent a hand to Hyōryū to pull her on her own feet, he too began to survey his environment. "Can't believe that after all of this warfare, they managed to hide themselves up to this point. He was waiting for this moment, wasn't he?"

"With the Alliance forces recovering from their engagements with the Stern Ritter, they won't have time to anticipate this." Asuka said firmly, turning her gaze towards her leader. "We've got to--"

However, she stopped herself when she saw Angelika still looking up at the sky. No longer was her gaze directed at Yashin. But rather, it seemed very distant. When she looked closely, she could see that the woman's pupils had dilated to a considerable degree. It almost seemed as if she had fallen into a hypnotic trance.

"...Angelika?"

"She's asking herself what she and it wants to do," Mōka surmised aloud, her eyes looking to Asuka with stoic red eyes of her own, "there won't be any turning back for any of us at this point. Are we going to run and hide in sanctuaries by the Sect, or are we going to fight in a battle where not all of us could come back alive? That's our options here."

"The Spiritual Pressures are about as damning as Yashin's," Kenja growled, his eyes looking upwards with a glare. His personal avowed enemy seemed to be personally invested in this group he had joined. Why? What did he care? It seemed for as much time as he spent unconscious he had no idea how personal Yashin's connections had been made with Angelika or her team.

"If we fight that, there's no guaruntee that we'll be fighting with aid. The Alliance will be using most of its resources to annihilate Aizen himself and the Quincy King," Shinshin vocalized out his own beliefs.

"So if we do help them, there's nobody but us to pull our asses out of the flames," Shadō concurred, his eyes casting to and fro across the masses of comradic faces, sighing with depression, "then again, I don't like the sound of being a fugitive from Aizen and Juha, either."

"So what's the plan then?" Shito asked, his eyes casting over towards Angelika, Mōka, and Asuka's direction, "fight or hide?"

Although Mōka's guess of what Angelika was thinking was a rational one, it couldn't have been farther off from the truth.

The look in Angelika's eyes wasn't that of someone in the process of thinking or a woman in conflict with what seemed like a hard choice. It was the look of someone who had long made their choice before the question was even made - no - it was the look of someone who was reveling in that choice. It was the look of someone who saw an end of the apocalypse, laughing in its face. If that wasn't clear enough to anyone, then the smile that made its way across his face would surely do that. Those dilated eyes of hers slowly closed, and she took in a deep breath as a chill went down her spine. For everyone else, there were two choices. But for her, there was only one.

Destroy.

"Haven't your mouths gotten tired of speaking words of negativity?"

Her voice rang loud and clear as it addressed all of her subordinates, the smile fading soon before she spoke the words. As she lowered her head to look at them directly, the light of her eyes could be seen through the shadows of her face. "I'd never thought there would be a day when you all would be more concerned about their own self-preservation and how powerful the enemy is than anything else. You should be jumping at this chance, this opportunity presented to us. All this time, I had thought there to be no one but the individuals that are Aizen and Ywhach to deal with. But with this new predicament? There is a stage that has yet to be set, and the actors can't move to their places until that has been met."

She took a step forward, giving a cold yet resolved glare at each of them. The more she spoke up, the louder and stronger her voice got. "Will you really allow yourselves to even think of running away, just because you find the enemy to be truly strong? That has never stopped us before in the battles we've fought together. Time and time again we have been threatened, and yet every single time, we have survived. It might have been by a wide margin or by the skin of our teeth, but we are still alive and breathing! Our claws and teeth are still sharp, ready to rend and tear apart the flesh of our helpless victims! For men and women like us, there should be no other alternative but to crush our opposition, beat them until they are nothing but a puddle of blood and flesh under our feet! And yet, you have the audacity to think that running away is a choice?!" At this, her teeth bared in a manner not too different from an angry dog's snarl.

"This is not a decision that I can make on my own... it is yours, as well! I ask you: will you be the ones who sat by and did nothing to grasp the gold in front of them?!" Her voice was starting to reach its aggressive crescendo as she spoke her last sentences. "Will you be known as the fools who ran away, let these so-called gods step on them and their allies?! Or will you be known as the ones who burned a path straight to the heart of the devil, the ones who overthrew the forces of Lucifer and lived to tell about it?! Will you be known as cowards, or nightmares?!"

Everyone seemed in unison as they yelled back with confirmation. They'd all give it their damned best to try to give it their all, and prove their worth on this day. If it was by their hand that they held back the tide that would have wiped out the Alliance, then it will be because an overwhelming force of reckoning was there to stop them. The stakes being made and the inspirational speech was given, everyone seemed to be on the same page.

Well, almost everyone...

"HELL YEAH!" Karitori shouted out, her eyes opened and her sudden catnapping state was shaken out by the vigor of Angelika's tone.

"Wait, you fell asleep during Asuka's battle?!" Mōka inquired with perplexed incredulity.

"What...she done now?" Karitori looked around, dazed at the spiritual pressures washing over her senses. Scratching her partially bald head, she asked lamely, "uh...someone fill me in?"

"Quincies are dead, but Aizen's army is here. We need to go slaughter them," Shito said pointedly, cracking his knuckles with emphasis.

"Ha! That sounds fun!" Karitori spoke with a dark trace of excitement, both hands pluming with dark energy as her body lit up with violet-black tongues, "let's get moving!"

"Gun-ho, as always," Mōka rolled her eyes with a smile, as she reached for her blades sheathed on her back, unslinging them from their scabbards as she readied herself to move upon Angelika's command.

"Hold on...didn't I just say we should go fight...earlier?" Yajū asked in a dazed, confused tone, as his eyes swam around trying to figure out the whole point of her threatening him in the first place. What, was it so she could give an inspirational speech instead? He didn't make sense of things anymore!

All Things Must End, The Father of Quincy Rises!
Yhwach had managed to place himself on the ground, beneath the building that he had been previously thrown into. The great wound across his chest had gotten worse over the past few minutes, as blood was pouring down his uniform almost endlessly. Even in death, the Commander's of the Gotei 13 were still managing to do harm to him.

But this bitterness would be short lived.

He could feel it in the air, the falling signatures of his loyal Sternritter, and their bright blue columns of light soaring into the darkened clouds above him. They had triggered their last resort, his last resort, as a means of keeping him from the verge of death, and all of it was done without a single order from him. This spelled an endless level of commitment that they all held for him, and it almost made him want to feel emotional.

"No..." he said to himself with a light, bloodied grin. "I will not spit on your sacrifices by shedding tears.... rather..." he continued, as he looked up into the skies above. The Sternritter's energy columns were all forming a massive Wandenreich Star in the sky, and it's center was pointing directly down at Yhwach himself.

"I will honor your lives... by destroying theirs."

There was complete silence for a matter of seconds, and then, with a loud booming sound, the star in the sky fired down a single beam of light upon Yhwach, consuming his entire form. Just as soon as it made contact, a massive and visible shockwave was released from Yhwach's person, and it was quickly spreading all throughout Seireitei. No individuals seemed to be affected by the blast, but all of the buildings around them seemed to crumble away into sparkles of dust, leaving nothing but a large plain of solid ground.

And at the center was Yhwach's new form.

The light and the star cleared away, and the darkened clouds returned in place. There would be a single shining light in the center of the ground, for all of the allied forces to behold: Yhwach's hair was now a dim blue, but his beard remained a black color. His shirt was removed, revealing a very muscular figure with a star like marking covering the entirety of his torso, although he still wore his pants. On his back were two, glowing sets of wings, one large on his upper back, and two small on his lower back. His right arm was covered in Reishi, formed into his signature broadsword.

His shining white eyes opened, and his echoing voice spread throughout the now completely leveled Seireitei.

"The Father of Quincy... has come."

"JUHA!" A feminine voice snarled out, as a lithe form dropped down to the levelled ground that the Quincy had created. It was Hana Yūgure, acting Captain Commander of the Soul Society's Gotei 13, and leader of the Spiritual Realm's Allied Forces. Her white coat flourished about her black kosode and hakama drabbed being, spiritual pressure of an intense nature crackled around her person, and sealed Zanpakutō in her right hand.

Her eyes bore towards his with a livid expression of the utmost intense anger. Rage practically seethed within her pores and the once anguish held heart now burned for the yearning of total annihilation for this enemy. Her high-rised ponytail flowed within a gust of the wind, flapping along with her coat and black linen, as she focused upon her enemy.

"It's time we ended this war, and this senseless slaughter," She tersely spoke with certainty, her authoritative voice echoing across the empty terrace the two warriors stood upon.

The now angel like Yhwach simply turned his head over to glance upon the newly arrived Captain Commander, looking upon her with a gaze that conveyed nothing more than disinterest. "Indeed it is time..." he said, slowly holding out his hand towards her. "...to end your suffering once and for all."

For a brief moment, all sound would completely disappear, and the air in front of Hana would appear to compress in on itself to form a barely visible sphere. Just after that moment, however, Hana would be hit by a force unlike any she had experienced, as a high pitched, elecritic sound would boom out from the compressed air bubble and send her flying away from her spot. The ground in front of her would be turned into a small crater, followed by a large burst of dust and debris following the seemingly invisible blast.

Yhwach was through with talking; the time for action had come.

Thanks to Hana's awareness of spiritual energy, she was able to shield herself from the brunt of the blast. The shockwave carried her back, her body pinwheeling across the air like a rocket. With a pained grunt, she swung her wakizashi blade into the ground, cementing her in place to keep herself from flying back farther. Wiping the soot off her face from the transparent-fielded explosion, she glared evenly back at the christened Father of Quincy folk.

"Knowing him, any attempt of ordinary spirit energy or physical attack would be pretty much nullified. I left my Sekkiseki blades back at the base, but I still have an alternative," She thought to herself, as she righted into a solid stance. Closing her eyes, she swiftly delved into that place within her spirit. The core of divine, ultimate power that she rarely touched. Inhaling deeply, she softly exhaled, repeating the process several times.

Then, it was unlocked.

'''VMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!! '''

A crimson wave of unnaturally pure energy dispersed from her pores. It coalesced, like a dimly lit ember within the flames that burned deep within her center. Her hair became crimson and her eyes drowned in a sea of scarlet light, ebbing with tongues of light from her eye sockets. Her Haori coat flickered with her hair and black linent attire, showing the full extent of the power of her Philosophy.

"My suffering will not end with my death, but yours, Juhabach!" Hana snarled at the Quincy, vehemently glaring with inhumanly glowing eyes as her body created an ambient pressure of unnatural properties around her.

"Philosophy, is it now?" Yhwach responded with a piqued interest, slowly letting his hand come back down to his side. "I've heard a great deal of it's mighy power, but even with such strength, you alone are not capable of touching me in this state...."

He then slowly held his arm and sword arm apart, almost as if he were beckoning her to try and come to hit him. "Go ahead then. There is no need to hold back now, no need to restrain yourself, no need to risk your life by delaying your assault. Come and hit me with everything that you have, with all of your anger and rage welled up into one blow."

"Bankai!" Hana shouted out, without hesitation and without remorse. Her body quickly became enveloped within a pyre of crimson-white light, the pillar of Philosophy spearing into the sky, swirling the clouds above the terrace battlefield. When she dispersed the energy, a crimson-aura'd form of her starry lit Bankai coat was displayed before the Quincy. With the Philosophy firmly in place, even if the Quincy desired to, there'd be no feasible way for it to be ripped from her person.

Swinging her billowy-sleeved arms to either side, dozens of ring blades the size of her palm were thrown out, spinning around her like she was the center of gravity. Walking forward in a foreboding manner, each ring blade began to separate into many sections, revealing to be hundreds of razor rings, each of them glowing with a white light. They began rotating around her, expanding in mass and size, as the energy that woven around them suddenly created a violently rotating orb, like that of a moon itself.

The size of the rotating sphere was gargantuan, the wind currents from its high-speed rotation was enough to rival any element created twister, ripping up the flattened earth and tearing it apart by proximity alone. Directly at its epicenter, floating within its spacious mass, Hana clasped her hands in a symbolic gesture of prayer. Her eyes glowed and her voice echoed within the space, as she announced the name of her technique.

"Getsukachū!"

With blinding precision and thrusting momentum, the shredding mass of oscilating blades and pure energy flung itself directly into Juha's form. The destructive power was enough the produce a shockwave that shredded the upper terrace of the flattened Quincy Palace, sending a seismic tremor to shake the entire Vandentei of the clash it created against the powerful being she aimed turn into dust.

But before any hope of victory could be assured, Yhwach simply raised out his hand and stopped the onslaught of spiritual blades dead in their tracks. Sparks flew and the ground around him billowed in dust, but his stance did not flinch. With a folding of his hand, the blades all shattered like glass.

"Hm?" he pondered aloud without changing his expression or pose. "I said for you to hit me, or is your Spiritual Pressure so dim in comparison to mine that your attacks cannot even scratch me?" he continued as he lightly waved his left hand towards her without lifting it up. "How disappointing, be gone from my sight."

For a second, Hana's vision would distort and blur, almost as if an entire earthquake had focused itself just on her position, and before she would know it, a massive slash would cut across her torso. This would not only send her flying, but it would cause a massive burst of blood to shoot out from her body.

"This is it," Hana thought, as she saw her Bankai's ultimate attack fade into oblivion, her chest ripping out to produce a morbidly large geyser of blood to spurt out from her body, "I guess I couldn't do it. I'm sorry Braeburn...I'm sorry Daisuke...I'm sorry...Furui-otousan..."

As she fell, a sudden whooshing blur rushed up to catch her gently, before dropping to the ground a dozen meters away from the deified Juhabach, leaving a bloody trial to where they landed. The figure wore a black coat, made of DCO standard Spirit Energy concealment threads, but had a large battle fan strapped to his back, chained to his right hand while a ornamental katana was sheathed on his left hip. His head was wrapped and concealed by a white spiraling mask, symbolizing the Ocular Kidō of the Takuji Clan.

"S-Sōdai?" Hana gasped, her eyes looking up incredulously at her rescuer.

"Lie still," His deep voice emanated in an empathetic tone, laying her on the ground, his hands hovering over her wounds as they immediately projected a healing light, "we're going to need you before this fight is over."

"B-But...I failed," Hana whispered, her eyes guiltily looking to the side, seeing a cracked wakizashi in her hand to indicate the utter power that had broken hers.

"The Alliance still needs a leader. Aizen's army marches, and they need direction in order to defeat them," Sōdai spoke matter-of-factly, as his energies sewed her flesh back together and restored what energy she had lost.

"What about you? You don't think you can take him-" Hana began, silenced by a sudden handsigned motion, causing a spacial emerald light to envelop her, "-on?!"

KRAK-KOOM!

Within the sound of thunder, the light vanished and so had Hana. Teleported away from the battlefield, Sōdai knew that the army needed her more than she was needed at this battlefield.

Standing up to his feet, he turned around to glare impassively at the Quincy King. His bandana and attire flourished with a gust of wind, causing the chain of his fain to melodiously click within its waves of air. His Tamenkyōme eyes glowed within the dark eye holes of his war mask, emphasizing his words all more perfectly, "I see you've outdone yourself, Yhwach Juhabach."

"You should know, Sōdai Takuji..." Yhwach stated in a more enlightened voice, tilting his head slightly. The fact that he called Sōdai out by name indicated that he did hold some amount of respect for the Shinigami. "That in this life, the only one you should try to out do in any regard is yourself."

He turned to fully face Sōdai, still holding a calm and yet commanding demeanor about him. "It honors me that you have come to fight me here now, in your full strength, but you should already know how the odds aren't in your favor, or any of your allies' for that matter. I will do you a service and let you die in battle, as men of your stature should, but that is the best you will get out of this war."

"Oi Oi Oi!" A voice called out behind Juhabach, as a familiar and eerie-toned individual came walking slowly to halt a dozen meters behind him. Garbed in a white cloak with a kanji insignia for 'Shinsengumi' on the left face of his coat, while a symbol of a hectagon bordered Hollow skull was emblazoned in jet black. His cyan-hued sash was wrapped around his black Shikhakushō, giving him a traditional yet new look that hasn't been seen in a while.

"No one, save for the vacated and late Captain Commanders, are going to fight you alone," Gin Ichimaru stated in his tell-tale thin grin, his red eyes gleaming between the spaces of his slitted eyes, "that'd be freakin' suicide."

Yhwach only turned his head slightly to where his left eye would register Gin's sudden arrival, but even then, his tone didn't change. "Fighting me with an entire army at your side would be suicide, Ichimaru Gin." he said calmly, turning his head back towards Sodai. "I believe this would be more climactic if you were to challenge Sosuke Aizen, the one who put you near death, instead of me. Wouldn't you think so as well?"

"The level you are both at is relatively the same. It would make little difference which one of you we should fight. As for principle sake," Sōdai began to explain, he placed his left hand over his sword and his right hand to grasp the handle of his Kidō fan, "the reason we're fighting you is that someone else eager for more than simple revenge is facing Aizen. It's more poetic this way."

As Sōdai spoke, a number of blurring figures materialized in a complete circle around the Quincy King. Byakuya Kuchiki, Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Kenpachi Zaraki, and Yoruichi Shihōin all appeared in a perimeter around him. Kenpachi smiled with genuine delight, despite the fact a bloody stump that had been cauterized and bandaged up was all that remained of his left arm. Byakuya, after being healed himself, had appeared looking cold and impassive at Juha's flank. Tōshirō, relatively unscathed from his battle against As Nodt, looked on with his own indifference, tactfully analyzing the situation before him.

Their collective Spiritual Pressures, as a whole, were higher than any Captain or even the Captain Commander Furuidenshō's were capable of. They felt like entirely new beings, being reborn into new visages of incredible potential and strength.

"Juha," Gin began continuing, his eyes opening slightly as his lips curled into a more sinister scowl of serious nature as he finisehd, "trust me when I say this, the Captain Commander and his progeny replacement aren't small fries by any stretch of the imagination. But we're in an entirely league apart from the Gotei 13. Don't take us lightly, or you'll regret losing your army in exchange for deified strength."

For the first time in acquiring his God-like status, Yhwach allowed himself to smirk. "Come then. Show me just what kind of league you are in...". His sword was finally lifted and his feet came off of the ground, now hovering lightly a few inches off of the ground. "In the end, your efforts won't matter; you'll all become fuel for my fire. This has been nearly two-thousand years in the making, and it won't fail now because all of you decided to cease cowaring in the dark."

He then pointed his weapon directly at Ichimaru. "Your chance to stop us slipped by centuries ago; it's time for you to pay for that mistake."

Armageddon Incarnate, Arrancar Justice Is At Hand!
"So, you've made your move, Yhwach Juhabach?" Sōsuke inquired audibly to himself, his black attired form standing high above the devastated Vandentei, observing the battle with piqued interest at thousands of meters in the sky. Since his fight with Kyōaku ended, he merely watched his army encroach upon the Vandentei's borders like a tide of darkness. He didn't think any of the gathered forces of this Alliance could defeat them all, and soon leave this entire landscape a cemetary.

"Come to make your own move, Primera Casilda Selestino?" Sōsuke asked in a level, calm tone as he turned his head over his shoulder, looking towards his newfound arrival.

And indeed, there she was.

She had approached him with her arms folded across her chest and the coldest of glares bearing into his back. Although her spiritual pressure wasn't being activated, an aura just as frosty as her look could be felt venting from her person. In contrast, the blood coursing rapidly through her veins was so hot it might as well have been lava. Once again, the sight of her most hated enemy was stirring up that volcanic fury and the desire to cut him into a thousand pieces. But unlike the seething Hana who had confronted Ywhach, she kept herself restrained for the time being. The last thing she wanted was to lose her cool, especially in the face of someone who knew just how to push another's buttons.

"Yeah." She responded casually, her mouth turning upwards slightly in the semblance of a smug smile. "Did I keep you waiting for long?" She dropped her hands to her sides and continued to approach him, until they were at the traditional fighter's distance.

"Don't worry!" Lilynette's voice would ring out, as she appeared right next to Casilda, seething with rage in a more comical sense than the latter. "If you did wait for long, we'll make your ass-thrashing all the more satisfying for ya, you friggin' asshole!!"

Starrk himself would then appear, on Casilda's side where Lilynette was as well. Unlike the other two, he did not say anything, and instead gave Aizen a cold stare. He would be stupid to think that Starrk hadn't forgotten what Aizen had done to both his old Espada comrades and the Arrancar race as a whole, not to mention the other realms of existance outside of his own. It would be clear now that, despite whatever had come before this moment, Starrk wanted to kill Aizen just as much as Casilda did.

"Ho?" Sōsuke responded with an amused tone, turning around to fully face them, his hands pocketed within the confines of his black coat. His bi-colored eyes glistened with an analytical menace, his false smile entertained at the prospect of this given situation. As those thoughts crossed his mind, his words came out in an eloquent according manner, "isn't this a nostalgic sight. The Primera of this generation and the Primera of my White Army in the same place. Is this supposed to be a form of justice for my betrayal that I committed against your ilk? Or is it some form of instinct to come after me, as the only Soul Reaper to topple your natural way of life?"

"Think of it what you will." The current Primera said dismissively, refolding her arms across her chest. "But in all honesty? I don't think that should matter to you. The reasons for battle are always discarded when swords first clang against each other. After that, it's nothing but making sure your life is preserved while your enemy's does not. I figured with all of that talk about you being a god, you would realize that."

She took in a deep breath, closing her eyes for a brief moment. "But before we kick this off, I want to ask you a simple, curious question. I know it might be hard for your conceited head of yours to wrap around." Although there was condescension within her voice, its presence paled in comparison to the degree of seriousness. "But please, bear with me. I'm not asking you this as the Primera of the Espada Afilado. Hell, I'm not even asking you this as a Hollow. Consider this a simple query..."

She pressed a hand to her chest to motion to herself.

"From a woman..."

Then, she moved her hand to gesture towards Aizen.

"To a man."

One could swear her eyes flickered for the briefest of moments.

"Was it worth it?"

Long seconds past as Sōsuke genuinely pondered the question set before him. His eyes closed, his smile dimmed to an impassive expression, and his breathing almost seemed non-existant. It was the kind of question someone of only the utmost respect and authority can inquire of someone of Aizen's stature. After all, he and the Quincy were pretty much gods in their own rights, casting the Hankami to the wayside by merely existing in this state of being. Such a question was rightfully to be asked of a demigod such as Casilda Selestino.

After what seemed like an eternity, Sōsuke's words echoed out in a rhetorical introduction as his bi-colored eyes locked onto Casilda, "Let me answer your question, with a question, Primera Espada Afilado. Do you regret being gifted? Do you regret being born with incredible power and limitless potential? Those of us who are born with great power see the world through a clearer lense than that of the average entity. Worth is determined at a vastly astronomical level in comparison to that of the masses of spiritual and material worlds. It's because of this, that society of any kind will seem to deign us something greater than the simplicity they imprison themselves with. But that is only if we choose to use our potential to its fullest extent. If we lay idle in obscurity, become trapped by the complacency that the world wishes to hold down upon you, then you become nothing more than a hollow shell in comparison to the greatest you could have been.

"My worth I believe is much greater than yours, Casilda Selestino. My worth is in creating a true world order, where a true god is proactively present within the lives of his subjects, worshipers, and subordinates. The world now relies on mere puppets, symbols, and physical deities who have no true stake in our lives. The Spirit King never intervenes in the tainted lives of his subjects, the Hankami judge from afar and never truly understand their mortal victims. The fact that Hueco Mundo's equivalent to a god was a lethargic king who sat on a throne in the middle of a desert just showed how laughably broken the world's system really is.

"So, to answer your question of my worth over the course of my life being satisfying? I wouldn't have it any other way," Smiling darkly, he unpocketed his hands and raised his arms to both Primeras, "this war is of little consequence. It is merely a staged play to bring about my glory and crush the ants that dared to deny true change. Society will be broken and will be replaced with my Order. Kneel before me now and I will place you both among my side as this day ends in the setting of a bloody Sun. Challenge me and you will die."

"You sure about that?"

Despite his show of acceptance at the events that transpired under his hand, Casilda didn't seem ready to relent on verbatum just yet. "For years... thousands of years..." She spoke, her voice almost relaxed as she addressed her and Starrk's enemy. "I was at the top of the world. After your reign in Hueco Mundo was over, my hand came to pull the strings. My fingers rearranged our home, turned it from a barren wasteland into something that was worth living in and fighting for. Up to this point in time, not a single enemy that opposed me could touch me with even the tip of its teeth. I could look down on everyone... the Menos, the Adjuchas, the Vasto Lorde and even the Espada under my banner... and see them all from the safety that the top of the pyramid provided. For a long period of time, I could be considered just that - a god."

That was when her gaze turned a bit blank, the fire fading a little from her eyes. "But that was when I realized. After I carved out my path, had everything I wanted and took the place as the leader of my people... there was nothing more left. There was no more challenges to take, for my opponents fell like dominoes to my sword. There was no more obstacles to jump over, because my law and word had dug itself in to that civilization. Above all, there was no one who had the power or ability to stand with me at the pyramid top, no one to truly connect to. On top of that, there was the fact that so many good lives had to be claimed, so many of both Hollow and Shinigami that died in order for the show to go on. I may have been a god within that point. But I was a weary, lonely one at that. I cannot count just how many times I wondered. Would it have been better if I was nothing but one of them, collected and happy at the bottom of the pyramid? I don't regret the actions that kept Hollowity from fading out of existence. But I do regret being on this pedestal, if it means standing by yourself."

At this point, the light had seemed to fade from her eyes, providing a rather haunting look as she stared at Aizen. "I could see it in your eyes the first moment we fought, the excitement and enjoyment when you saw that I was someone capable of fighting you. Somewhere within the darkest depths of your mind, you wanted it too, didn't you? Someone you could connect to in terms of strength, intelligence, resolve and constitution... even if that someone happened to be your most hated enemy. That's why I asked you if the end justified the means. The outcome of this fight won't change anything about what's going to happen to you. We both know how your story ends... dear brother."

"Aizen." Starrk finally spoke to the figure in question, his expression not changing in the slightest, but his tone conveying a sense of honest curiosity, but seriousness at the same time. Lilynette's comically angry stance had reverted to a more neutral, but stern one as well. These two clearly wanted Aizen out of the picture, but they at least needed to know more about him first. "What does the word companion mean to you?"

"Some people are suited for solitude, Casilda Selestino. Coyote Starrk is a perfect example," Sōsuke responded coolly, his eyes redirecting towards Starrk's as he continued to explain, "friendship is an illusion to keep those of a insecure disposition. I never once promised you camaraderie or any of the Espada of your generation. I simply gave them purpose, direction, and an ultimate goal. The only form of true companionship that exists is that of an inseparable bond that is literally tied to your being. Just as you created little Lilynette Gingerback to stave off your gnawing ache of isolation, I created the Hōgyoku to become bonded with a likeminded force of insurmountable power. After years of bonding and understanding, the Hōgyoku is as much part of me as I am part of it. Thus, in a harmonious cohesive state, we are both part of the same deified body."

A sudden buzzing sound was heard behind Sōsuke, as a black leather coat bound entity with piercing slit eyes glaring back at him, a smile spread with feral amusement, "Artificial godliness doesn't equal godliness, bastard! If we're going to take a head count here, I'm about as much an Arrancar demigod as your Quincy pal is the Harbinger of Death!"

"The Bijōnaga has arrived," Sōsuke muttered lowly, looking over his shoulder briefly in his direction, "I guess Arrancars of all origins and forms are trying to gain recompense for my treachery."

"Tome?!"

Casilda's eyes widened when she lay eyes upon Tome's form, as she clearly hadn't expected him to make a sudden appearance here. Her stance faltered for a brief moment, the light snapping back to her pupils. However, when she fully realized his presence. A smile came across her face. "That's right. Of course you'd be here, wouldn't you?" She thought to herself. "After the first two attempts, you'd just come back for more if it meant killing this monster. Well, it's good to see you didn't get too shaken, after all..."

She took in a deep breath to steady herself, her eyes once again focusing a hawk-like glare on Aizen. After giving Starrk and Lilynette a hand gesture to stay put where they were, she proceeded to approach a parallel spot facing one of their enemy's flanks. "Not "try"." She said, reaching to grasp the hilts of her swords. She dragged them out of their sheathes and held them in a threatening position as she completed her walk. "This isn't a matter of simple revenge. "We will. I admit, I may have given you the chance of striking me down the last time when I turned my back to you. But this time, my eyes are wide open, my mind is fully alert and my body is filled with nothing but the desire to slay you. This.."

She swung one of her swords to point at the sky.

"...is where it ends!"

Then, their world erupted in a flash of light.

A massive pillar of spiritual energy, wide enough to swallow them in its maw and tall enough to pierce through the sky, would be released into the environment. The shockwaves produced from the release of energy would pulse through the empty landscape, racing through those unfortunate enough to get caught without adequate protection. Within that moment, the Primera had released a force of nature into the battlefield that wreaked destruction with its presence. Of course, none of it would affect the other combatants involved. But it was certainly a demonstration of how Casilda's power had ascended in comparison to the very first bout she had with Aizen.

Then, as quickly as it was summoned, that massive release of energy dissipated. Its source was left, with the angelic form that challenged "Ywhach" revealed to all. Silver eyes zeroed in on Aizen, and a pure white katana was leveled in his direction in place of the two scimitars she wielded before.

"Starrk..." Lilynette asked the Arrancar in question as the force from Casilda's own release caused their hair and clothing to billow behind them wildly. "Looks like it's finally time to go all out... Aizen isn't gonna give us a second shot at this..."

"..." Starrk could only stand in silence at both Casilda's released form and their current situation. All of the events in their life had come to this moment, the moment where they would betray the very man that gave them purpose. Is this truly what they wanted? After how much Aizen had helped them in the past...

No, he thought, sharpening his gaze. Aizen hadn't done anything except push them and their comrades to the furthest brink of despair. He had never seen them as anything more than just tools to use for his games, games that had brought about the deaths of thousands. It had to end here.

"... let's go." Starrk said, placing his hand on Lilynette's head. Although his lack of response to her statement did surprise her initially, she knew that Starrk was thinking the same thing that he was thinking, so there were no need for any words. Both of them began to radiate a light blue Spiritual Energy, and their hair began to billow upwards. "Lilynette."

They both closed their eyes. "Kick About...."

And then when their eyes opened, they would be bright white and flaring with energy. "Los Lobos!"

The two of them were then enraptured in a shell of freezing blue fire that seemed to corrode the very ground beneath them away into nothingness. As it began to clear away, it would move down towards the ground and swirl around them, forming into a moving pack of wolf-like silhouettes before finally revealing his true form.

"Aizen." The now fully released Starrk stated aloud, his two signature hand guns by his side. "Forget about all of your plans. You won't leave this place alive."

"I'm not about to have that show-off outdo me!" Tome thought with determination, reaching towards the wakizashi sealed at his left hip, "watch carefully, Cassie baby! This form is going to rock your world!"

"Shield," He uttered aloud, his body erupting in a pillar of magnificent crimson spiritual power, as his blade became fully unsheathed in a shockwave of pressurized airwaves. The air was almost like blood, his power expanding and shaking the air, sending out red-white tendrils of electricity to snake across the air from his slowly compressing orb of spirit energy. As it was revealed, a black-skinned entity was shown in its place, with a demonic bare-toothed visage with black-red eyes, "Objeto Fijo!"

"Such magnificent Spiritual Powers you all have," Sōsuke complimented in an even, pleased tone. His body turned sideways to regard each of the three powerful entities that came to fight him. Nodding, his silver eye glowed brightly as he declared with upraised palms, "yes. This will do nicely. A battle to keep my attention while the one that entertains me is fought by those feeble ants of the Alliance!"

It was at this moment that they would all notice the sky disappearing beneath their feet. Their soles would be placed squarely on a flat tiled surface made of alabaster hued steel, their entire battlefield becoming a large dome within the skyline above the Vandentei. A blood red atmosphere dawned within their christened battleground, as a artificial Sun glared down at them betwene dark clouds that rumbled ominously above them. Soon, soil began to roll over the tiles, sprouting up with grass and lakes, with plateaus in the distance. It was as if an entire world was materialized out of thin air, all done by Sōsuke Aizen.

"Do you approve of your new battlefield, Arrancars of the Highest Caliber?" Sōsuke inquired, waving one hand around his newfound creation, while his other materialized a identical blade to that of Kyōka Suigetsu in his right palm, grasping it as the light dissipated into thin air.

Tome himself was taken aback how their simplistic surroundings changed into an entirely new one. His enemy didn't even seemed phased by creating matter out of thin air. His sharp teeth widened with excitement at the prospect of fighting Aizen in a true contest of strength, rather than being deceived by that fake copy of his.

For a brief moment, Casilda was in awe.

First was Tome's release. Although she obviously wasn't going to be overwhelmed, she was taken back by the feeling that washed over her. It almost felt like she had been dunked in an ocean of warm blood; the air around her had gained an uncomfortably warm temperature rise, and taking it in through the nose brought the strong scent of iron to the senses. When she moved her free hand out in a testing gesture, it felt like her arm was moving through a liquid. It was only when the release of power faded away that the sensations stopped, allowing her to gaze upon Tome's form. It was fierce, it was intimidating, and to tell the truth, it scared her a little.

Then, the changing of the environment. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her head spun as her vision was doused in red. The closest she compared it to was a Western showdown between gunslingers, with only four participants instead of two. There wasn't a Western town, but a forested area that looked like it was pulled straight out of Eden's Garden. The contrast between sky and ground brought a bittersweet sense of welcome to the battle ahead, and she couldn't keep the shining canine grin off of her face. As she positioned herself accordingly, her eyes regarding her enemy with as much anticipation as they did with killing intent.

"Yeah." She whispered. "Perfect choice for your grave."

"I don't like standoffs all that much." Starrk said, not terribly surprised at Aizen's deliberate changing of the battlefield; his experience with the man, or abomination if he wanted to be more accurate, taught him that Aizen was truly capable of anything at this point in time. He and Yhwach truly were on even footing, and that wouldn't bode well for Starrk and his two comrades. "And I don't like sending the first blow either..."

Sōsuke just smiled, lowering his blade to have its edge touch the earth beneath his feet. His black garbs flourished within a gust of wind, carrying the scene of imminent carnage and destruction that will be wrought upon the materialized landscape. His eyes were intently focused, looking back and forth between both Primera's on his right, sword-wielding arm.

It was such an obvious gesture of muscle movement, that caused Tome to take advantage of in that instant of silence.

"If neither of you asswipes have what it takes," Tome's voice grated out in a dark, abysmally grating voice as his body moved forward within a blurring kick off the ground, one that caused the earth to be ruptured by the power of his lunge, "I'll rip this guy apart!!!"

When a black clawed hand swung out towards Sōsuke's left side, the black robed deity's hand sightlessly thrust towards the clawed digits' impending movement. As they struck, it was like two tearing fissures of kinetic force struck with equal power. The scream and roar of rapidly distorting space quickly turned into a volatile eruption within the very molecules that had sought to overpower each other, causing a pillar of infernal tongues to rip apart the ground within the midst of the warriors.

Sōsuke's form moved within a black blur, backflipping over a good distance away from the shockwave ridden landscape on top of a plateau's top, his sword held aloft and ready. He smiled as he saw Tome's form jettison high up into the air, raising out a clawed hand to form a black-red orb of volatile spirit energy within the base of the carbonized palm. As he did this, Sōsuke remained impassive even as Tome shouted out with rage.

"Sol Negro Cero!" Tome snarled out, as a black-red fissure of energy expanded to a gait of twenty meters, flowing outwards with the speed of a bullet train with a force of much higher.

"Such a dark Cero," Sōsuke whispered out, as his sword upwards, creating a blinding fissure of light to cut through the damning energy. Even as it carved swathes of instantaneously incinerated earth around the plateau's proximity, the slash of compressed and released energy of Sōsuke's sword swipe was enough to cut directly to the source, "I find your taste in aesthetic hues to your attacks most refreshing, Bijōnaga."

"Ngh!" Tome reared back his hand as the blaze of searing light struck his hand, thrusting the attack out in a different direction. This earned a hum of appreciative surprise from his opponent, seeing only slight scalding burns emante from his armored skin along with a gash across his palm.

"To think that your released state's Hierro would be strong enough to resist my attack...it pleases me greatly," Sōsuke said, his eyes able to percieve every detail of Tome's current stance and his frustrated visage.

Casilda had enough sense to ignore Tome's rather rude comment in favor of delivering her own attack.

She threw herself forward, her body vanishing with a Sonido and re-appearing at his back. With a single sword swipe backed with physical power, she carved a path of destruction that would spread for a mile-long radius. The tsunami of dirt and dust served as the visual marking for the power that ripped across the ground, tore trees out from their roots and sent them flying high into the air. The immense winds generated was enough to make her shut her eye upon its release, her white hair and clothing billowing violently. It was only physical power, but held the capability of shredding anything unfortunate enough to be hit directly down to the molecule. Compared to Tome's strike, it was simplistic at best. But it certainly would get its point across.

"Marvelous physical strength," Sōsuke spoke within the haze of rapidly dispersing dirt and steam, his body having turned directly to face Casilda's attack head-on. Not a touch of linen or hair on his head seemed to be ruffled from the exertion of destructive force that tore through the landscape. His upraised blade had cut a swathe through her own sword swing's attack flawlessly, and was held up as if to emphasize what he did to block her aggressive force, "you are truly my physical equal."

Through a subtle twitch of his sword hand's index finger, pointing towards Casilda would all the time she would be given to respond to what came next. A searing pillar of white lightning discharged from his finger's pores, expanding to magnanimous proportions, striking at a near instantaneous rate. It lit the earth behind and around her, shattering the plateau's foundation underneath their feet from what was left of her own attack, exploding violently in a plume of orange-golden flames at a mountain peak.

A powerful display by a powerful enemy, and only something with equal force could defend against it.

The twitch of that index finger was enough to tip off the combat veteran, prompting her to swing her free hand out against it. When the lightning hit, she found her world ignited in a flash of light. She shut her eyes and clenched her teeth as she heard the roar of the energy around her and the descending rocks as they crashed to the ground. When it was all over, she would find herself hovering above a ground enveloped in fire. But she would not pay direct heed to it, her gaze focused solely on her enemy. In Aizen's vision, he would see a malevolent glare and threatening form emphasized by the light of the flames. She was an angel, lost in the depths of Hell and yet untouched by the chaos around her.

He would see that angel let out the unholiest of screams as it threw itself at him, its scythe swinging forth to reap his life.

With one hand, she unloaded a flurry of strikes on him and his defenses. Her attacks were ferocious and aggressive, but flowed to one another as they were released on their target. Sword strikes that were particularly strong caused a flash of light to emit and a brief shockwave to erupt from their position, spreading the flames across the land. With each and every blow exchanged, the setting seemed to look less like a nurtured forest and more like the Punisher's domain. It was the emphasis of Casilda's wrath as she pushed forward, eager to destroy her loathsome enemy.

"Superb Swordsmanship!" Sōsuke complimented, as he parried and met each blow with equal force. The air erupted into deafening eliptical shockwaves, shattering the ground and splitting the earth upwards. Before Sōsuke's eyes, everything that he manifested was being crushed into pieces. Within the attacks, no quarter was given nor an opening for Sōsuke to make a counter with his own form of swordplay against the titan of death.

He then, initiated to create one, causing a brief glow to emanate from his white-black eye.

Within a countering parry, a geyser of magma discharged from the blade's edge, flowing outwards like a tsunami of molten flaming earth. It aimed to sear her skin and encompass her being within a fiery death. The manifestation also happened to be the perfect cover for Sōsuke's counterattack.

Leaping back in a blur, Sōsuke gestured with an upraised pair of forefingers, causing the earth underneath Casilda's feet to erupt within a titanic explosion. As if an atom bomb had been dropped within her vicinity, he aimed to tame her maddening rampage with the single strike he made that followed the flow of magma that he sent prior.

Tome descended once again, to take out the White General. Gesturelessly, and without twitching, three steel pillars jettisoned themselves from the earth, smashing into Tome's outstretched fists with equal force. As the tops of the beams opened up, a trio of blazing light discharged, sending Tome spiraling upwards within a merciless ascension upwards.

Even as the flames flickered and the soil was laid bare in fragments of their former glory, Sōsuke smiled with reveling, admiring his handiwork made towards his aggressive enemies. The blood red sunlight was truly worthy of such carnage and destruction.

At this moment, Starrk made his first move.

Something simple would have to suffice for now, as going all out too soon could give himself away to Aizen, and make this fight much shorter than it should. Using his own control over his Spiritual Energy, he created three clones of himself. They all then pointed their twin guns directly at Aizen, and therefore released eight large blue Cero beams directly upon the man, threatening to engulf him in a blaze of light.

It looked as if the large artillery cannons that he materialized seemed to turn their attention towards the eight beams of light careening towards him. With a loud roar, three enormous beams of electrically accelerated slugs were discharged three times, creating shockwaves that shook the torn landscape from mere discharge. The nine balls of explosive payload struck the mass of Ceros, detonating them within the middle of the air, creating an orange hued glare to be cast across the skyline underneath Starrk's feet and above Sōsuke's head.

The ninth, however, blazed through and rapidly approached the triad of released Starrks.

Mere meters before colliding, it ignited. An eliptical explosion of virulent azure light spread across the horizon, creating a contrasting cobalt hue to settle within the reddened rays of the Sun, coalescing into a dark and foreboding atmosphere. Sōsuke smiled upwards at the handiwork of his constructed weapons, watching them deliver a powerful attack to his ex-subordinate.

Seven of the Starrk Clones seemed to form a wall behind the 8th and presumably real Coyote Starrk, shielding him from the massive blast that would ensue as a result of Aizen's attack. This might have been a great opprotunity to land a surprise attack on Aizen, but judging by how easily the latter had just repelled his previous attack, perhaps that wouldn't be such a great option after all. The smoke and flames generated from this blast would give him a good time to prepare for an attack of some sort...

''"Starrk!!" ''the hollowed voice of Lilynette would call out to him from his twin guns, causing his attention to instead divert towards them. ''"Stop moaping around so damn much!!" This isn't your chance to sit around and wait for something to happen; we have to take action whenever we can!!"''

"Shut up." he said to her plainly, slightly tapping the two guns together and effectively silencing the girl.

Starrk may have not been so eager to strike.

But Casilda was.

In the face of both attacks, her Hierro had stood like an invincible wall in the face of a hurricane. The only true signs of damage would be the scratches on her clothing, with her physical form very much intact. As the smoke cleared from the explosion she had been consumed in, she would be seen on one knee and hand while glaring at her enemy. There was a reason for the pose she took; the flames nearest to her turned from their natural orange to the fearsome blue. The color spread at a rapid rate until nearly the entire landscape was dominated by blue flames, illuminating the environment with its beautiful color. Where she stood was the eye of a firestorm, with none of the fire nearing her even as she stood on the ground.

With her target in her sight, she thrust her free hand out towards him. Upon her unspoken command, a tunnel of flames rose up from the blazing ground and captured Aizen within a cylindrical prison. It was tall enough to pierce the sky when it stopped rising, its enclosed top falling back down to the ground in an inward collapse. As this process was taking place, several massive tendrils of flame extended and pierced through parts of the pillar where the enemy would be. Not only would Aizen be in the equivalent of a collapsing building, but he would also have to deal with ambush attacks from the outside. It was a clear sign that Casilda wasn't interested in playing around, if that message hadn't been sent sometime earlier.

"When will you learn?" Sōsuke muttered, unphased by the column of cycloning flames swirling around his person. Raising his blade upwards, he simply swung down towards the vicinity he sensed Casilda to be, and everything fell into place. More specifically, the pillar of sky-piercing flames was eradicated as a gleaming azure light ripped forth across the remnants of flames, sending an invisible tear of cutting power directly towards her.

If she stayed still she would surely be sheared into many pieces, having it contained Sōsuke's full physical power within that one cutting swing.

A single strike could plow through the flames like Moses parting the waves of an ocean. It was nothing but a physical swing that released the destruction, with not a single trace of spiritual energy backing it up. With only a single swing of his arm, Aizen gave birth to chaos widespread enough to annihilate an entire army. But as Casila stood under the approaching death, she only narrowed her eyes and curled her lip. Her heightened senses could pick up the words spoken by the mutual adversary, his apathetic demeanor keeping the fire within her alive.

But she didn't let herself get swayed by passion. Dorado had attempted to undermine her in their fight, and she refused to let Aizen do the same. If he really believed that this would be enough to do her in, he would be sorely disappointed. She responded not with a sword swing, but a Hollow's ability. Within the timespan of a lightning strike, a Garganta portal opened up in front of her to swallow the attack whole. It seemed to serve as only a clever means to defend herself from the attack, possibly to attract his attention long enough for her allies to strike.

But that notion would be wiped away when a second Garganta opened up right behind Aizen - an "exit" portal to the "entrance" Casilda had created and the final touch to a spacial "tunnel". His own attack would be unleashed against him. To complete her assault, Casilda performed a sword swing of her own and summoned an additional release of physical energy to trap and hit him from his unprotected his side. "I'm just never going to be good enough for you, am I?" She questioning rhetorically, a sneering tone to her voice as she glared at the collision point.

It was the one, minute ability that Sōsuke didn't anticipate. It was an ability he had been reported by his subordinate, Rey Dorado, having been used against him in tandem against his own Zanpakutō power. The fact it transpired within a space of time he never considered allowed the opening of the rupturing currents of cutting power to hit from behind.

So when the searing pain of his back being shredded, the top part of his shoulder spurting out a geyser of blood, did his expression show one of shock. Looking over his shoulder, he briefly lost focus, seeing the giant black gate behind him where the familiar currents had been jettisoned towards him.

Seeing her attack from his non-sword wielding side, he turned around to swing his blade...

YANK!

...but felt a sudden whoosh of movement, his arm grappled by the midnight hued, demonic form of Tome. Gripping his sword arm, Tome impaled his left hand into his side, causing a sickening splurch of shredding meat and shredding linen. As the following sword motion struck the brunt of Sōsuke's left side, shredding his left arm into chunky bits and ripping apart his attire, Tome felt himself flown back by the velocity of the sword swipe of Casilda's.

"STARRK!" Tome shouted aloud to the heavens, even as he tumbled head over heels across the devastated landscape, "SHOOT HIM NOW!"

Starrk wouldn't hesitate for a moment.

The black hole that occupied his left eye shined with a bright yellow light as he aimed his left gun directly at the now exposed Aizen. The tip of the barrell initially let out a black orb of energy that was quickly given a light blue outline. His voice seemed to hollow, and he uttered out his next command.

"Cero Oscuras."

A black Cero was unleashed from the pistol, screaming like a demon from hell as it roared towards Aizen and would result in an an unbelievably powerful explosion.

Now, they were pressing the attack.

Hoping Tome wouldn't hold it against her for him getting caught up in the aftermath of her attack, Casilda made her own move. She thrust her blade in Aizen's direction with a flourishing motion, calling upon her own attack. A collection of minuscule energy spheres materialize near the blade before moving towards the metal, drawn to it like a moth to a light. They were assimilated into the blade, giving it a brilliant glow. She swiftly pulled the blade back before making a slinging motion of a swing.

What her swing would give birth to was something she had never displayed before.

Within the timespan of a millisecond, a wide missile-like projectile was launched from the blade and towards Aizen's direction. It was shot out with such speed that one would've thought it was a Bala. When it hit, it would generate enough force to wipe out half of a city. The visage of the resulting explosion would be one of pure light, a miniature supernova that would wreak further havoc on the environment. It was not one of her bloodline traits, but her personal Resurrecion ability that she gained. Its name would be fitting to the shape and effect, and Casilda would call it out as it was unleashed upon its target.

"Cero Cometa!"

Seeing the coalescing Ceros heading towards Aizen's person, Tome righted himself within his airborne movement. As his teeth parted, tongues of white flames exuded from his demonic maw, all the while his mind drifted to a singular individual, "Sorry, Bishie-Bastard. Gonna have to use that fire technique of yours..."

Rearing back his head, a spherical generation of pure white flames and a singular small black dot at its center. Just as the midnight hued Cero was about to collide into Aizen's wounded frame, Casilda's wave of blade swung crimson Cero light, he let loose a damning roar as the enormous orb of volatile energy was let loose from Tome's mouth launching like a cannon ball of epic proportions.

"Ocaso Fuego Cero!"

As all three techniques collided into Aizen's frame, an enormous contortion within the visual fabric of the space they all occupied rippled. As if matter was distorted by the sheer destruction condensation of the triple launched attacks, it would take mere seconds for the contrasting spirit energies to coalesce and envelop into a singular pyre of explosive fire. A dark red tree, the size of a metropolitan city, was manifested from the force of their energies imbuing into one singular state of destruction.

The force was enough for Tome to be driven back even further into the distant horizon, crashing through several plateaus before skidding to a halt a great distance away. Unaffected by the impacts, Tome glared at the virulent manifestation of all their attacks, flowing and brimming with chaotic power. Crimson-black bolts of lightning ruptured from the corrupted atmosphere of the blood red sky, further emphasizing the bleakness of their battle's state.

"Was that enough?" Tome thought, his body still tense and ready for anything. What he saw, however, wasn't something comforting in the slightest.

The construct of their culminated attacks, Árbol de la Muerte, began to dissipate and warp downwards. As if being sucked into an abysmal void, with Sōsuke's frame at the center of what appeared to be a black hole. His body, bloodied and burnt, didn't look half as damaged as they would all have liked to see, and was quickly erasing any traces of damage through a white light that enraptured his being. His hair flourished in a divine manner as the black space began to vanish around, leaving a small patch of earth under his feet untouched by the ashen scorched area that had all but distended the landscape kilometers deep and wide.

"Truly magnificent," Sōsuke smiled with delight, his bi-colored eyes turning to each Espada with applauding recognition, "you forced me to envelop my being in a pocket dimension a mere second after that delightful attack collided into my being. Had that continued to oppress my body, I think I would be in a lot more pain and unsavory state then I would have desired."

When he turned towards Casilda, he would be met with a cold, dead-eye stare.

She had not expected the battle to end so quickly, especially considering that once again their enemy seemed to prefer sitting back and watching. It wasn't the attitude of someone truly willing to kill, but someone wanting to play. That alone told her he had enough power to consider them no different than rats in a maze. They had the ability to severely hurt him, but as long as he had the reserves to recover from each attack, then it wouldn't get them anywhere. It wasn't a surprise as to why the Soul Society had so much trouble slaying this monster.

That led her thoughts back to the one thing Aizen had used as a primary instrument of his plans - the Hōgyoku. It was an artificial wishing well, capable of fulfilling the user's desire so long as they had the will and strength to. It wasn't a matter of advanced regeneration or the ability to distort the fabric of space that saved him. It was the simple desire to live and continue on that kept him from death's door. If what he was saying was correct, then as long as he wished to continue living, he would never die. For the briefest of moments, she felt apprehension coursing through her.

How exactly would they slay him in that situation? Was it even possible?

''"Shit." ''Starrk thought to himself, his exposed eye twitching in frustration at what had transpired. ''"I had a feeling that wasn't going to be as easy as it looked...". ''Aizen had the capability to undo anything that the trio could possibly dish out upon him. Even with their combined might, arguably the strongest of any other team in the Alliance, they wouldn't be able to even scratch his hide...

''"Starrk..." ''Lilynette's voice uttered in his mind, sounding more solemn than she normally did before. "You know now that the only way to kill Aizen is to utterly destroy him at once, completely... and we've only got one thing that can do that."

''"Not even a chance." ''Starrk almost snapped back aloud. "We've already went over this; I am never going to use that thing, no matter how bad things get for us here. It'll cause more havoc than anything our enemies could conjur."

Tome, unlike the others, wasn't going to take it lying down or staring with his jaw slacked. Raising his hands up into the air, the Bijōnaga let out a guttural growl escape his throat, building up into a terrifyingly hallowed shout that shook the air with dense spiritual pressure. Rended asunder earth shook, the crimson sky darkened and transformed into a cobalt hue. Towering fissures of lightning began to dance across the landscape, each bolt snaking its way towards the carbonized dermal surface of Tome's body.

"RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!" Tome growled out, his eyes ebbing with tongues of electrical currents, the energy fusing with his body and conducting around his metallic like skin. The earth cracked at a diameter of a single kilometer, causing the earth near his allies and Aizen alike. Spiraling coiles of monstrous azure light spewed upwards like geysers of semi-sentient energy, indicating the sheer amount of power Tome was forcing to the surface.

"I'M GOING TO RIP YOU APART TILL YOU GET SICK OF PUTTING YOURSELF BACK TOGETHER!!!" Tome declared out loud in a high volumed, murderous voice. His body looked as if it was transparent and solid, a pure conductor of spirit and natural energy, fused with electricity and his own magnified spiritual power. He truly looked like an avarice of unstoppable force of nature and science alike.

As before, Sōsuke could only look on with fascination and amusement in equal amount, "An interesting hypotheses, Arrancar. Do you think it holds any weight, against a being such as myself?"

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" Tome roared out, releasing a deafening shockwave that rocked the landscape and quaked the very air, distorting it with equal force and instability. The force was great enough to cause Sōsuke's eyes to wince to half mast, raising an arm to block the forcefully blistering winds hurtling in his direction, vaguely feeling the curtails of the electrified spiritual pressure within the wind itself.

Then, he felt Tome's presence breach his proximity, causing his eyes to look down underneath his raised left arm. Tome was on his haunches when he materialized in a illuminated streak of blurred movement, his glowing eyes staring up with as much intensity as the lightning-birthed aura that danced around him at a blinding rate. It was all he could do to swing his sword in a downwards slashing arc, in an attempt to send him back from his personal space.

This would prove folly.

Tome would thrust his hand three times before the sword would reach halfway down towards his low-stanced body, each fist creating a clear indentation upon his black cloaked torso, before giving way to a blinding flash of thunderously clapping shockwaves upon his person. Saliva and blood would flow out of his sockets, nostrils, ears, and lips with equal measure, his feet skidding across the ground before lifting off into the air with a fourth devastating punch pivoting across his sternum.

For anyone that could sense or know anything about the gangster leader Arrancar, they would know that he was lost in the heat of his own rage. With nothing but his target on his mind and the focus being solely his destruction, the ability to reason with him would be pointless.

Would they aid or watch, was the real question?

If that was indeed supposed to be a "real question", it was most certainly an unnecessary one.

To assume that Casilda, of all people, would stand by and let Tome attack Aizen was a careless and foolish notion. She had to stop for a moment, out of the twinge in her chest spawned when she laid eyes on the scene. It hurt her to see the normally laid-back and cocky man throw his mind away in order to destroy their mutual foe. Although he seemed to be making progress, he was sacrificing a part of himself for it. But she knew that once he was in this state, there was no stopping him - at least, no way without force. He was pushing himself to stop the enemy, no matter what the cost.

Sadly, she knew she couldn't waste time worrying about it. With Aizen being pushed on the defensive, this was a good opportunity to catch him by surprise.

She closed her eyes, allowing her telepathic powers to reach the minds of her other comrades. "Starrk. Lilynette." She spoke to them, her body beginning to move itself in a slow and fluid dance. Her sword moved like a paintbrush as it was pulled and thrust through the air. Directed by these motions, the signs of an intricate shape design began to form underneath her feet "I'm gonna need your help on this one. I need you to assist Tome, keep him busy while I set up this next attack. It probably won't be much, but it's better than nothing. But if he sees what I'm doing and interrupts me, I'll have to start the process all over again. Can you handle it?"

Her voice managed to snap both Starrk and Lilynette out of their discussion. ''"Yeah." ''Starrk mentally replied, glancing down at both of his guns. The weapons began to radiate a blue fire-like aura and then vanished entirely. In just a manner of seconds, his signature pack of wolves, numbering in around twenty or so, began to appear around him. Their fur radiated blue fire, and their eyes were as crimson as blood, all locked on their one target in this conflict.

"I think we can handle it."

In that instant, half of the wolves all charged upon Aizen, biting and clawing towards him, with the ever-present threat of implosion known to all of the combatants.

Seconds would pass by as Tome's enraged, whited out eyes would be focused solely and dragging Sōsuke's stunned and mangled body across the landscape. Electricity would be ever-flowing through the constantly re-knitting body of the White General, just as constant beatings and earth-gouging pressure he was placing on his artificial environment.. Then, the wolves began to bite down upon Sōsuke's scorched and bloodied frame, causing straining eyes to widen with fear behind his bi-colored eyes.

Placing both hands over Sōsuke's face, a familiar white tongued silhouette began to pool over his head, even as the spirit familiars of Starrk began to whine audibly with apparent critical charge. A hissing laugh escaped between Tome's teeth, causing steam to exude between the fanged spaces, as he crowed out finality, "LET'S SEE YOU SMILE AFTER THIS! OCASO FUEGO CERO!"

In that instant, a explosion that seemed to rival the Árbol de la Muerte's blast expanded and dug deep into the artificial soil. What seemed like thunder shattered atoms around the blast's vicinity, was overshadowed by the cyan-white hued flames that erected itself into the sky, slicing apart the dark atmosphere. A blue-hued overcast of luminous rays cast over the land, changing the color of the setting Sun itself, just as fissures of eruptive force spread across the land for dozens of kilometers.

It seemed to be working.

But did it really have to be so visually obscure?

As Casilda looked at the demonstration of apocalyptic destruction, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of irritation. Her technique was meant to restrain its target prior to an actual offensive - specifically the limbs and spiritual energy. But thanks to the explosion, the Primera was now unable to visually sight Aizen out. Although there was no problem picking him out still yet, she was somewhat displeased to have to adjust so suddenly. Damn the demon for being so strong.

She closed her eyes, activated her spiritual senses and detected him. There was still enough left of him that she could appropriately use her attack on. If they were in good fortune, this would be the critical blow they needed to gain an advantage against him. That encouraged her to lift up her sword, pointing it towards the spot where he was located. Underneath her feet, a rune consisting of multiple and complex shapes glowed a brilliant blue. Two more copies of that rune appeared over the sky and on the ground, respectively over and under the target. After this, her eyes opened up once more and her lips parted to let the words escape her throat.

"Crucifixión."

Aizen would suddenly find his arms outstretched to his sides and his feet together, with nail-like shapes of spiritual energy impaled into his hands and feet. A "pillar" of an aura formed between the overshadowing runes, highlighting the area within a dim blue. They acted as vents, blowing a gentle air at the top of his head and the soles of his feet. That air would slowly and steadily grow in intensity, foreshadowing what was to come to him. As the winds gained more strength, the sensation of suffocation grew to extreme measures. It was the build-up and the foreplay to the ultimate climax.

Then, annihilation.

A loud howl, alien and ear-busting, marked the light that consumed the innards of the pillar. It was a light of purification and total destruction, a cataclysmic orgasm of Casilda's power. The winds that had been restrained to the innards of the pillar escaped their confines, hitting the landscape with relentless force. But they didn't break Casilda's stance, nor did it avert her scrutinizing glare as she watched it all fall down. Although strongly tempted to, she didn't dare allow herself to believe that it was all over just yet. The results had yet to be seen, after all.

Come on, just poke your face out here one more time, I dare you--

"EEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!" A deafening roar, filled with pain and indignation erupted from the point of which the implosion of annihilating pressure and energy. It tore apart the pyre as if it was made of glass, ebbing dark and vile currents of energy that leaked a damning presence through every pore of the remaining combatants on the field.

In the wake of this, a very burnt and bleeding Tome seemed to have been ejected from his own blast a minute before Casilda's own finisher. While his barely conscious body tumbled head over heel like a ragdoll from the blast, the pressure seemed to flatten him onto the ground. Like intensified gravity kept him from moving, he could barely muster up the power to even send a telepathic warning to Casilda, "Cassie, his spiritual pressure has just skyrocketed! Watch yourself!"

In that instant, the pyre of destruction shattered, releasing a torrent of black ichor and electric currents. Causing the whole atmosphere to darken as well as the battlefield to morph into one desolate location. It appeared as if they all had landed upon the Living World's moon, with the visage of the Earth now above them, with a certain weightlessness in their environment. While it would have been disturbing to some, the spiritual beings would have no trouble adapting to the vacuum of space let alone the atmosphere of the moon.

It was during that moment, through the last trickles of raining blood, that Sōsuke appeared, and not in the state he formerly was. Gone was the handsome, mullet-touting man with black tresses endowing his figure. Now stood being with black carbonized hands, elongated nails on both sets of his digits from hands to feet. His body had turned into a stark white backdrop with black veins wiring around and pulsing, all stemming from the singular pulsing Hōgyoku implanted upon his chest. His hair having extended and turned into a pure mass of black shadows, while his eyes had turned into red irises upon black, with a distinctive third eye split open in a vertical manner across his forehead. His teeth had sharpened and turned into a row of symmetrically aligned fangs,

He truly looked like a Demon out of nightmares.

"Casssssssssssilllllllldaaaaaaaaaaa!!!~" Sōsuke hissed and roared out accordingly, releasing enough force from his lungs to shake the entirety of the lunar body they stood and floated accordingly. The ground cracked and debris floated upwards in a vertical incline. Black and white currents of energy shattered nearby dips and craters, a mere aesthetic display of the immense power that was now unleashed within a single spiritually ascended body.

The scream was the first sign that things had gone down a downward spiral.

It wasn't just a scream of fury, raw and pulled straight from the rotten core that was his heart. It wasn't just a scream of pain delved from the torture they had inflicted on him. It was a scream of completely alien proportions, some hellish fuck-noise that sounded like it wasn't fit even for the depths of Hell. It tore through her ears, body and even hammered at the semblance of her soul. Her pupils shrank, the cold fury giving way to apprehensive surprise. Their attack had hurt him, all right. But instead of weakening him, it pushed his rage to its extremes. What could've come out from the destruction couldn't have been good for any of them.

And she was horrifically right, with Tome's last conscious transmission to her confirming just how deep this hole went.

When she laid eyes on the monstrocity that was once the deceptively handsome Sōsuke Aizen, she could've sworn she was staring at the face of Cthulu. The spiritual pressure he was exerting from his body set off several warning signs in her head, all of them telling her that she as well as they were in danger. The temperature had suddenly grown colder, with her skin growing numb and every blood vessel active with crimson traffic. When the beast screamed her name, she swore that for a moment, her body's temperature had gone down below zero. She had rarely felt this feeling before, and the only prominent time she could remember experiencing it was at the time of the Schism so long ago. There was only one word to sum up the feeling that she had right now.

Fear.

''"Oh hell..." ''Starrk thought to himself, with beads of sweat now rolling down from his hair to his face. He knew Aizen had always been a monster, one in elegant clothing, but to see him in such a literal form, screaming in pure rage and anger at all of them, caused Starrk's own form to be completely unnerved.

Their fight had taken a true turn for the worse.

''"Starrk..." ''Lilynette spoke in his mind, snapping him back to his senses. "You know we don't have a choice now. We'll never stop him in our current states..."

''"Lilynette.... we don't know what will happen when we do use it." ''Starrk responded, realizing that his young partner was becoming more and more right with each passing second. "Just look at Ulquiorra."

''"You can't concern yourself over that. We joined this army so that we could make allies, to stop being alone all the time. If we want to gain something, we have to lose something." ''she continued, her voice becoming more and more low with each word.

"The only way to beat Aizen at this rate... is Segunda Etapa."

Sōsuke wasted no time in following up his hellish howl of menace.

Kicking off the ground, it seemed that a kilometer wide crater was formed just from his jettisoning movement, causing the air to scream nightmarishly in his wake. When he would materialize before Casilda, a left set of talons would slash out across her chest, aiming to eviscerate her torso without remorse. Secondly he would ball up his right hand, swinging it with titanic force to punch her in the sternum, with enough power to ignite the air and defuse it within an imploding shockwave of kinetic energy that was employed. To finish, he would let out a howl that would spontaneously combust spiritual energy out of his maw, releasing a damning midnight hued wave of disintegrative light to strike her with absolution.

The lunar landscape would be crushed, shattered, and quaked from the mere three attacks he unleashed. Even after he had instigated these attacks, his right hand would stretch out and open widely to his right. White and black flames would spew out from his palm, swirling forth to create a crystaline glimmering katana, with a pearly grip and silky tassles threaded through its pommel. Energy thrummed from the blade's edge with an intensified and focused fury, aiming to be the weapon of annihilation in Sōsuke's hands.

"Return from the dussssssst from whencccccce you came, Cassssssssiiiillllldaaaaaaa!!!~" A hissing, voluminous snarl would be let loose from Sōsuke's tooth-filled mouth. To follow-up his statement, he would raise the blade over his head before slashing it downwards, unleashing a pyre of nuclear fire. As if a star had released its most potent flames in a singular focused direction, the orange-red-white-black-blue tongues of energy flew towards Casilda without hesitation in devouring her in a guarunteed executive move.

Fear was the anchor tying her down just enough to be costly.

Pain was her punishment.

She couldn't get her sword to a defensive position before those eldritch claws moved through her form with violent phantasm. They tore trenches into her flesh, with the liquid red dirt being blown away by the collateral force. Her stance was broken, and she found her standing position thrown off with an abrupt swing of the body. With clenched teeth and narrowed eyes expressing the sharpness of the pain, she swung herself back to face her foe. But all she would get out of that was her sternum recieving that ferocious follow-up punch, which sent her off-her feet. Despite the stopping power put behind the strike, she managed to gain enough control of her body so that she was flying backwards, her front facing her foe with her arms and legs bent to protect it

The maw-born light hit her full-force.

She felt the skin and muscle of her forearms and forelegs rip apart and dissolve under the attack, and she couldn't help the scream of agony that ripped through her throat as pain overcame her. When her back crashed into the ground and her body skidded to a stop, she was left thrashing in the wake of the torturous sensations. It was all she could do to keep a hold of her sword, the make of her arms literally rendered to their bare foundations. In three simple moves, Aizen had brought her down beside Tome and shook the moon's face in the process. Three simple moves, and she was already on the ground with the toughness of an out-of-water fish.

No...

She could do nothing but lay there and listen as the beast screamed that infernal order to her, watch as death was launched towards her in the form of a nuclear tsunami.

It can't end like this...

Her face was one of pleading to no one, tears falling down her eyes even when she shut them tightly.

OhgodpleasenoI'msorryIcouldn'tdoitpleasedon'tletitendlikethisohgodohgod--

All would fall silent, but for a brief moment.

"Resurrección..."

A bright blue flash shined in between the oncoming attack and Casilda's position. Time itself seemed to have slowed down as it appeared, at least from the perception of those who were still concious. From the Spiritual Pressure that was radiated and the voice that came with it, it could be quickly deduced that this was indeed the combined form of Coyote Starrk and Lilynette Gingerbuck.

All of the wolves he had conjured previously, minus the ones that had been dispatched by Aizen, were all gone, presumably transferred into raw energy that was currently melding with his form. The shape that the light possessed began to take a larger form, much larger than the human-sized Starrk was previously. Four outstretched limbs appeared, each crashing onto the earth's surface with a mighty quake, and two massive wing-like limbs slowly grew from the being's back. The light was now shaped like a giant, winged wolf, of which was nearly eight times of Coyote Starrk's previous body.

Slowly, the blue light began to dissipate into bluish-tinted smoke, and from within said smoke was a glowing red eye, an eye that conveyed pure anger and fury towards the hideous being that had once been called 'Aizen'. With a mighty thomp, it's first paw emerged, slamming onto the earth with yet another massive quake. In just a few seconds, it's entire body emerged in full view, revealing itself to be a giant wolf, easily thirteen times the size of one of the other wolves Starrk had summoned, with a glowing red eye, two massive wings, and light blue energy covering bits and pieces of fur that covered his form.

Time reverted back to it's normal self, as the newly transformed Starrk bared his teeth and snarled, and then unleashed a terrible roar that would shake and distort the views of all who were present. It was a bellow that lasted for nearly fifteen seconds, something that could easily cause even the most durable of warriors to lose their senses. The tremendous amount of Spiritual Energy that this new being exerted in harmony with the roar managed to quickly cause Aizen's oncoming attack to collapse on itself and do no such harm to the beaten Casilda.

As the roar finished, they would hear only the voice of Coyote Starrk, and no Lilynette Gingerbuck.

"SEGUNDA ETAPA!!!!!!!"

Sōsuke paused, for the first time, sense he transformed into his hellish state that they all beheld. Having dispatched the Primera with ease, seeing the former Primera of his own Esapada stand before him, bathed in a power and state of being he barely recognized was enough to halt his charge. Narroing all three of his dark eyes, a fog of mist would escape between his teeth as he growled in a manner that radiated the air around him.

"SSSSSSSSSSSTAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRK!!!~" He bellowed aloud, once again quaking the ground and atmosphere around him to convey a zero gravity blaze of energy and debris around him. With pyres of spiritually endowed energy spiraling up and down from the lunar bedrock, the sword wielding fiend pointed his blade in the direction of the bestial form that Starrk assumed and roared out in unrivaled fury, "you dare ssssssssssssssstand againssssssssssssst me?! Wretched creature! I'll tear you apart for thisssssssssss!!!~"

Kicking off the ground, Sōsuke would rush through the air like a wraith, leaving a trail of shadows stemming from his hair in his wake. Raising his blade overhead, he would bring it down with enough force to shatter half of the lunar body they stood upon, creating seismic shockwaves that radiated with electric discharges, a testament to how much power and force was being produced from the Spiritually Ascended Being.

As the blade came down however, it would never touch Starrk's new form.

Just between the two of them, a single, quarter sized ball of black and blue energy would appear, crackling with electricity and raw power. As Aizen's blade came down, it cut right into the sphere, but the motion would find itself all but stopped in it's tracks and the sphere would briefly disappear. But this wouldn't last.

A small whistling sound would shriek out from the spot where the sphere once was, and before they knew it, Aizen was engulfed in a horrifically large black and blue Cero Oscuras, discharged without a hint of effort or even movement from the now Second Released Coyote Starrk. At face-first range, this attack all but consumed the area beyond Starrk's viewpoint, blackening Aizen's form from sight.

Sōsuke emerged with another ear-shrieking howl, distilling the flames and fumes created from the explosion of volatile energy. The entire surface of his pale body looked charred, ripped, and oozing pus mingled with dark ichor resembling boiling blood. Even his eyes seemed to tear up the liquid, glaring hatefully, still standing but a handful feet from the released Starrk. But even faster than anyone could recall, his body morphed with a wave of repairing flesh, dissipating the essence covering his body and restoring it back to full glory.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!~" Sōsuke shouted out, causing the ground and the heavens to shake with seismic intensity. Matter broke apart upon the lunar landscape, shattering it and rendering it asunder. Even as electric discharges flowed across the rocky earth and spiraling upwards like geysers of energy.

Then, he attacked in earnest.

Swinging his crystaline, flaming sword with unprecedented speed, the air seemed to contort and fold in on itself as it traveled towards Starrk's titanic sized chest. Just hairs before it would reach its target, a line of electric energy dispersed from the edge, generating a wave of high voltage light to strike any defenses and the body of its prey without a shred of mercy. By the time the blade would connect, another nuclear wave of destructive fire would flow forth, intent on disassembling his enemy with concussive and incinerative power all in one strike.

As the blade would make contact with Starrk's body, however, it would seem to cut through, but only as a knife would to foam. The giant, wolf like Arrancar's skin would slowly vanish as the blade travelled further through, almost as if he were cutting into an illusion.

Sadly for him, this was a similar case. A transparent trail of energy shot out from Starrk's body, causing it to deteriorate at a much faster pace, and it flew around to Aizen's backside. As it reached it's finishing point, the energy trail formed into the giant, winged wolf that Starrk had become earlier. It smashed it's right paw down on the top of Aizen's head, snarling all the while, and then twisting around before slinging the demonic being across the air.

Aizen's troubles wouldn't end there, however. Just ahead of his sailing form was another black and blue orb of energy, charging itself as if it were in wait for it's oncoming target. And just as Aizen's face would align with it, the Cero Oscuras orb would unleash itself, face first once again and driving him straight into the ground and releasing a massive asure plume of fire, consuming Starrk's old master once again.

''"I hope you understand now Aizen..." ''the giant wolf-like Starrk spoke telepathically, staring down his opponent from afar. "As long as I'm in this form, you're in my domain now."

Throughout it all, Casilda would be looking on with a face of shell-shocked awe.

From the very first roar, the Primera had been thrown from the position of a combatant to one of a paralyzed observer. It wasn't out of weakness, of course - her considerable power would've still been enough to contend with the abomination that Aizen had turned into. It had been her fear that allowed him to deliver those accursed blows to her and leave her lying on the ground like this. It had been mental paralysis that kicked her out, not a difference in power and strength. Had it not been for the release of Starrk's newfound power, she certainly would have jumped in a lot sooner.

But now, just staring at her predecessor's beastly form made her feel so... insignificant. With all of her strength and all of her intellect, she felt like an ant staring at the form of a titan. The way he fought off Sōsuke with such effortlessness, threw him aside like a leaf in the winds of a tornado and wrangled the monstrosity made this conflict of the most surreal visions she could've ever bore witness to. She never would've thought she'd see the day where that man masquerading as God would be treated with as much respect as a chew toy for one of their kind. Not only did it bring a sense of grim and sadist satisfaction, it also reinforced the great respect she had for the former Primera.

In addition, the very first roar Starrk had emitted upon first entering the form made her wonder. From that point on to the attacks that he used against Aizen, it was clear that rage was a component of his assault. That rage certainly wasn't present prior to her being ousted from the fight, even when he swore to their mutual enemy that death was the only option. But now, he seemed to be putting forth everything in crushing the beast. It brought about one singular question to mind.

Was it her?