Bleach: Shihai no Tsumi: Pride on the Blade

Illusion Shatter
Suki was now drawing her blade.

"Bloom. Mizuhana." Her blade began to change from it's ordinary katana shape to a blue-bladed broadsword, with a blue hilt and an electric-blue guard.

"Sachi Oní-san, it seems it's just us up here now." She said, gripping her blade.

For a moment, Sachi was silent in response to the statement, her back turned towards the younger sibling. She was concentrated on nothing but her foe, but she had indeed acknowledged what her sister said. But it was the fact that the girl had spoken that had caught her attention. "You're drawing your sword at this particular time of the fight." She remarked. "Why?"

"Everyone else seems to be pre-occupied, and I'm not letting you go at this guy alone." Suki replied. "So, I'm stepping in to help."

"....you should know better."

Even with her calm composure, there was a bit of an ice-cold tone within. "Waiting until your allies' numbers are diminished before stepping in will only hurt you in the long run, especially against a powerful foe such as Takahashi. Be thankful he didn't decide to use your foolish inactivity to gain the advantage on you." She gripped her sword with both hands, readying herself. "If you know what's good for you, Suki...."

Then, she boosted herself towards her enemy to begin the offensive.

"....then stay out of my way!"

"Now now, Oní-chan." Suki said in a slightly mocking tone, launching herself towards Takahashi as well, her blade at the ready. "That's no way to talk to me!"

The Takahashi chuckled, despite both oncoming women aiming to attack him, he did not move from his spot. It seemed rather insane to laugh in the face of oncoming death, but each women soon found out why. Literally fading into being, were two large, golem-like beings, standing at Takahashi's sides, their hands raised to block both oncoming blades.

Sachi narrowed her eyes, clearly not happy about the interference. Once again, her attack on Takahashi had been stopped by interference. Clearly, the man was only toying around with them, pecking at them. She lifted her sword to balance the back of her blade on her shoulder, studying the golem carefully. Her free hand was placed on her hip. Slowly, she floated back in order to gain some distance between herself and her personal enemy.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Anton raised his hand in a signal to stop. "Relax...." He ordered in a glib tone. "I'm not going to attack you anymore, especially when you're clearly not in a state to fight." He raised both hands, steadily walking towards Rukia to show that he was non-hostile. There was no reason for him to fight to the death in such a situation. As far as he was concerned, the only order Takahashi had given him was to slaughter the civilians. Fighting Rukia was only a side "mission". Therefore, it was optional if he wanted to continue it or not, but not detrimental to his cause.

At first Rukia felt relief, but then she felt suspicion. He said he wasn't going to attack because she was in no shape to fight him. She frowned. He wasn't attacking her, he didn't look like he was attacking the civilians (granted, she could tell almost all of them were dead by now), and Aoi was doing a good job of keeping Oliver occupied. She could turn her attention to Takahashi now. Still, she had to recover herself for a moment. That spell, especially that combo, was not one she'd try again soon.

"What is this thing?" Suki asked as the golem caught her blade. It didn't seem interested in holding on to her, as it quickly threw her back, blade and all.

"Consider it a fragment of my mind." Takahashi replied calmly. "This ability allows me to insert my imagination into another's mind, which is the simplest way to create an illusion. But these illusions aren't like others you may have experienced. You will find that the damage they can inflict is very real."

"Be advised...." Anton warned, folding his arms across his chest. "If you use this recovery time to attempt to fight Takahashi, you'll end up fighting me again. Besides...." He lifted a thumb to point behind him where Takahashi was standing. "Do you really think you'll make that much of a difference? You're better off staying here."

After shaking her head disdainfully at Suki, Sachi turned her eyes towards the golem once more. "It's an illusion that can hurt us.... but that's just it. It's nothing but an illusion...." She thought to herself. "Destroying it by normal means is out of the question because it doesn't exist outside of our heads. There has to be a way to dispel it.... but how?" She readied her sword again, attempting to figure out the solution to this puzzle.

"So, if I want to help them fight, it seems I have no choice but to go through you." Rukia said, raising her blade. Her Bankai would be too stressful. She still hadn't mastered in yet. However, she had one more option, one that would serve as a power-up and help her regain her power.

"Initiate." She murmured, as black reiatsu with a dark purple outline began to erupt and surround her. "Sode no Shirayuki." The reiatsu surrounded her completely, and her power began to rise. As the reiatsu that covered her died down, she was revealed, dressed in a tattered, casual white kimono, with a long red-collar cape on her back. Her eyes had become cat-like and lavender, as well as her hair, and her skin as now pale. She was now barefoot and has a golden sash around her waist. Her weapon also changed from a pure-white katana to a now double-edged red scythe taller than herself.

Anton watched silently, taking in the increase in power. The wind rippled through his hair, blowing off his shredded hat. He closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for her transformation to continue. She insisted on fighting, even though she would be completely outmatched by Takahashi. Even now, he was simply playing with his opponents. By the time this fight ended, she would be too far gone in order to face the big boss himself. She would die like an animal. He took in a deep breath, inhaling through his nose....

....and opened his eyes in surprise.

"What's this....?"

He stared in surprise, looking from side to side, particularly at the corpses. Then, his gaze drifted off in one particular direction for a moment. "That smell...." He thought to himself. "It....it just isn't right.... where is it....?" He jerked his gaze back to his opponent, a frown coming across his face. As he settled into a barefisted stance, he pondered what was going on. "There's dead all around me, unburied, unearthed, and freshly decaying.... and yet.... it's not there....."

He felt a bit of worry seep through him.

"Where is the smell of blood? The smell of rotting flesh?"

Rukia raised her scythe, and boosted herself towards Anton, closing the distance between them in seconds. As she neared him, she swung her scythe, which quickly opened a purple rift that unleashed a powerful blast of dark energy at Anton from close range.

The dance began.

In order to accomodate for the lack of a blade, two Kiriken were summoned in each of Anton's hands. Avoiding the first few strikes, he began to exchange sword attacks with her. His defensive blocks were swift, reflexive, and accurate to his enemy's swings. In exchange, he delivered swift and rapid counter-attacks. There was no holes in his defenses, no let-downs on his guard. Sparks flew between them as their respective weapons clashed against each other for dominance.

Anyone who had a poetic mind could've said it was quite a beautiful sight to see.

In the sky, Sachi placed a free hand to her forehead and closed her eyes. "Mere illusions won't stop us from killing you, Takahashi...." She said. "Just how longer do you intend to delay your defeat?"

"Defeat?" Takahashi repeated. "You make me laugh. Not one of you here has the power to defeat me." He snapped his fingers and the golems each moved in to attack their targets, both golems however, were invisible to the onlookers and it would seem like they were about to cut into thin air.

"No one here has the power to defeat you?" A voice sounded through the area a small pillar of flame appeared next to Megami, and the wounded Miharu and Kibō. The flames died down, revealing the same young man who had just came from the grave. "Care to test that theory against me?"

Ahatake was back.

Takahashi looked down at him. "Welcome. Kurosaki Ahatake..." He murmured.

Angelika looked off to the side, an expression similar to "¬_¬" onto her face. It was noticeably comical. "Oh, great...." She muttered, giving a roll of her eyes. "And the big hero comes to save the day. Someone has been reading too much comic books...."

"....Ahatake....?!"

Both Kibō and Megami stared at him with what looked like disbelief. It wasn't the fact that he had simply showed up that caught them off guard. It was the aura that now blanketed him.... invisible.... and yet exuded a power that demanded respect and fear. The way he seemed to stand seemed far different than when he had first looked Takahashi in the eye. Despite the obvious defeat, there was no fear, no anger within his eyes. Whatever Kisuke did to him.... clearly, it worked.

Sachi didn't get that luxury to take her eyes off of her opponent to see Ahatake.

Indeed, she had sensed his presence. But she was too far busy putting her next plan into action.

A jolt to the brain. Using partial energy from a Hakurai spell, she would send a jolt of electricity through her own skull and to her nervous system. Normally, it would be a risk maneuver. But she was a master of Kidō, and thoroughly knew what she was doing. The bolt would shut down her nervous system temporarily, but it would also restart it without consequence. It would force out Takahashi's influence and destroy the illusion once more. It had to be the right amount.... otherwise, she would end up killing herself.

"Hadō 9: Hakurai!"'

ZZZZT!!!

For a millisecond.... all she saw was blackness. Her body felt numb, and she thought she had successfully ended her own life.

Then.... it came back to her.

When she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but Takahashi in front of her. Looking to her right, she saw Suki ready her sword against nothing. But the older sibling knew now that she was under the illusion still. A ghost of a smile came across her face at the small victory against his power. With his control removed, she floated over towards her sister in order to help her.

Rukia actually turned to see who was the source of the spiritual pressure she was feeling. This mistake cost her however, as one of Anton's Kiriken made a gash on her face. She managed to block his next strike with her scythe however, and their exchange of blows continued.

Ahatake stooped down to Megami's level, and took a look at Miharu, who was still knocked out and but she was being healed from the damage Sachi had done to her. "What happened to Miharu?" He asked quietly.

"She was hypnotized by Takahashi's Zanpakutō into attacking us." Megami explained immediately. "Sachi had to knock her out in order to break the illusion. She'll be fine once these wounds heal completely...."

"I see." Ahatake stood up, and vanished from the spot in that instant. He didn't teleport, this was his speed. He closed in on Takahashi, and slammed the back of his hand into the man's face causing him to stumble back. The best part?

Takahashi hadn't seen it coming. He was speechless.

ZZZT!

As Sachi performed the same technique onto her sister, the smile became more prominent. Her eyes had followed Takahashi's expression. Now, the earlier words he had spoken to were effectively nullified, and he now was facing a threat. Not that she would've easily fallen prey to his blade.... however, she knew that even though she had a chance to fight Takahashi, she didn't have the power to completely destroy him. Her Zanpakutō was not built for such things. But this newcomer was showing great promise....

"Huh.....?"

The sound of the backhand blow that Ahatake gave Takahashi immediately caused Anton to stop his head, his head turning to look at the event and his swords lowering themselves for a moment.

Rukia immediately took this chance, swinging down her scythe at him, once again opening the rift and releasing a powerful blast of dark energy at him.

Ahatake turned to look at his wife.

"Megami! Wake Miharu up!" He ordered. "Tell her to go find Seireitou Kawahiru! If I can't win this, I want him to train her so she can do it in my stead. If I do win... at least she'll get some decent training out of it!"

"But--"

However, another voice, completely foreign to Ahatake but known to Rukia, made itself clear.

"Forces of the wicked, and of the purest! Unite! Return to One! Never forget the origin of your pitiful existence! Tears of the befallen, use as your power, as all infidels fall prey to your ultimate wrath! Hadō 94: Idomu Īwatasu!"

The spiritual pressure in the area was already taken over by the two powers of Ahatake and Takahashi.

However, this third presence that made itself known would only add to that growing aura making itself known little-by-little.

From the newcomer's hand, a massive blast of spiritual energy erupted and raced straight for Takahashi. It would not be halted by a spiritual defense, or would it be halted by an attack of equal power. If the man didn't avoid it, even he would be destroyed instantly by the sheer power put behind the attack. It was a Kidō that took extreme skill to use.... but it had seemingly been used so naturally and with ease. There was only one person in the Seireitei who could do so.

And he stood on one of the rooftops, an unreadable expression on his face as he watched the attack commence. Beside him stood Shien, the latter of which with his arms folded across his chest.

The Captain-commander had made his appearance.

"Oh, damn--"

Anton barely had time to move out of the way. However, his arm was caught. He shut his eyes and let out a hiss as he felt his nerves tear, and the rest of his body jerked out of the way. However, the arm that was hit hung at his side helplessly. He panted heavily, sweat mixing in with the blood on his face. "It...doesn't matter...." He gasped out. "There's no need..... for you.... to help now...."

Rukia's eyes widened at this. The Captain-commander, who had so casually dismissed their request for help, was here now.

Takahashi was quick to act, moving out of the way of the spell quickly, landing at a safe distance. "And so the Captain-Commander makes his appearance." He said, not shaken by the spell, or disturbed by the boy's appearance.

"Captain-Commander?" Ahatake murmured, looking over at the boy.

Mikami didn't answer immediately.

WOOSH!

Instead, he re-appeared right beside Ahatake, his Shunpo acting like a teleportation. There was no shimmer, no after-effect in his wake. He simply appeared right beside the male Kurosaki without out any trace of disappearance or re-appearance. His stare was on Takahashi, but his mouth was directed towards the one he stood beside. "Ahatake, was it? He spoke. "Can I trust you.... to take on this threat by yourself?"

Ahatake was mildly-surprised. He was fast. "Of course." He said. His eyes were showing the truth behind his words. "That's the reason I came here."

Mikami gave an acknowledging nod, his own way of giving Ahatake the go-ahead. "Then I shall leave his death in your hands....." He commented, turning to look at Takahashi once more for a moment. "But, before this fight begins...." His voice called a little louder. "Takahashi! I want you to take a good look below you, at what you have assaulted. What do you see.... old friend?"

Takahashi surveyed the Seireitei, and saw a destroyed landscape, buildings in ruins, bodies throughout the area, some of the area scorched. He looked up at Mikami. "I see destruction." Takahashi answered simply. "I see my plans coming to fruition."

Once again, Mikami nodded. "You see death and destruction everywhere, the Seireitei fallen completely. Your eyes take in everything and realize what you see is the result of your own actions. Now.... take in a deep breath.... and tell me what your eyes didn't tell you...."

Takahashi breathed in through his nose... and what he smelled genuinely surprised him. He could smell nothing. Aside from the scent of the dust from the rubble, he couldn't smell the dead. No scent of decaying bodies, or blood.

"I see." He closed his eyes for a moment. "And what did you do?"

A small smile came across Mikami's face. "It is not what I did.... rather.... it is what we did. And we never could've done it thanks to you..." He answered simply, closing his eyes and concentrating. His arms folded themselves across his chest, and his body began to glow with a pale green aura.

The reaction was slow... but clear.

Anton was the first to notice. His eyes widened as he caught sight of a body lifting itself into the air and slowly ascending towards Mikami. A second joined it, followed by another. Pretty soon, every corpse in the Seireitei that had once been a civilian was floating towards Mikami. However, as they came towards him, they began to glow, and then materialize into a pale green energy-like substance once they came close. He took in a deep breath as they entered through his chest, like a black hole sucking in light from a star. It only took seconds for the process to finish. Once it did, Mikami opened his eyes and directed his gaze towards Takahashi again.

"The moment you stepped foot on these grounds, you sensed that the Gotei 13 was barely alert and unaware of your presence. However, you should've thought less about the future, and back to the past. I remember what you said clear as day: Shinigami define evil by many terms, the most prominent being "Hollow". But I define it as ignorance of possibilities. You Shinigami will see how wrong your views are. Shinigami kill Hollows out of fear. And your fear is very much justified, for Shinigami are weak. A mere amount of ten Vast Lordes Hollows could decimate us all. You fear Shinigami with Hollow powers because you're afraid they'll turn on you. Your fear in this is jutsified as well, for it is what I am about to do. I will prove to you the superiority of Shinigami with Hollow powers by becoming one. I will become complete, and I will be back to destroy the Gotei 13 as it is. I will come back and methodically slaughter each and every one of you. Those simple words were your most fatal mistake.... and our greatest advantage."

He spread his arms out.

"I evacuated the citizens of this place half an hour before you ever showed your face for the second time here. It took some work, having to keep both my allies and my enemies in the dark in order to prevent any leakage from coming out.... but, in the end, I can see that everything has fallen into place like a puzzle. You haven't killed one innocent soul on this violent pilgrimage, Takahashi.... and you haven't destroyed one single thing...."

He shut his eyes once more, raising his hands.

This time, the effect was immediate.

Pieces of rubble that had been lying on the ground.... concrete that had been uprooted.... what was once destroyed structures.... they all were flying to their respective pieces like a puzzle. Cracks were repairing, buildings were reforming, and the ground itself seemed to be healing from the damage. Whatever damage that had been inflicted by Takahashi and the Shriekers was being reversed....

An act of God was taking place.

Takahashi was looking at this with a look of complete apathy on his face. The sight had not deterred him in the slightest. "Needless to say, I am surprised, Captain-Commander." He said, turning towards the boy. "And I have to ask, how did you manage to do this?"