Quincy Invasion Saga

This story, , is the direct follow-up of the Restoration arc and the third arc chronologically for Part III of Bleach (Kenji Hiroshi). Unlike previous arcs where the information was spread across various chapters, this arc will instead contain one core chapter followed by an epilogue.

Initial Stages
Oh what fools they are! They who fancy themselves gods over death... where about to be taught a lesson in that age-old act. Killing was easy and death just happened to serve their ends most strongly. The Shinigami would fall. It was only a matter of time and perseverance.

"You know what to do."

This speaker was none other than Kenji's double: Kenjiro Hiroshi. Today he sported slicked back black hair with a silver tint to it, a flowing black Shihakushō with a prominent V parting to show off his upper chest, complete with waraji and white tabi. In his rest hand was his Zanpakutō Rīchimei, the feared "Reaper of Life".

"We have the element of surprise; and thus we have the advantage." Kenjiro went on. "Remember why you do this; the force that drives you. Hold it close to your heart for it gives you strength." His audience was the assembled members of the Engelhaft Gewitter chosen for this assignment. "Now show these Shinigami what it means to rule over death!"

Kenjiro sunk his Zanpakutō into the air and twisted. A looming Senkaimon gate opened in the skies of the Seireitei and from it dropped the Sturm Kavallerist! They where Quincy trained especially for this type of work: they where the initial wave of the invasion effort. All of them wielded an elaborate flame-thrower-shaped Spirit Weapon that spewed the Heiliges Feuer -- the dreaded blue flames! All at once cries of pain and anguish rose from the streets as Shinigami and Nobility alike perished amongst the raging blue inferno that followed the arrival of the Sturm Kavallerist. Kenjiro watched from above with a wide grin as he took in he early destruction. He then turned to address a silver-haired Quincy who was quite the bit taller than even Kenjiro himself.

"How does it feel Erik? To see your plans take shape before you?" Asked Kenjiro.

Walking forward, a silver-haired man dressed in predominately white stopped near Kenjiro. He had his hair slicked to the left and his arms crossed as he gave a menacing glare down at the burning bodies belonging to the victims of the Sturm Kavallerist. "Feel? No feeling was needed. I already knew that my plans would come to fruition, none of my plans failed as I have calculated everything pefectly. However, the only thing not accounted for was you taking out both Captain of the 10th Division and the Captain of the new 14th Division, when the plan only calculated you taking down Captain Hitsugaya. You have done more than I have asked and now, you will have a front row seat to the mayhem that it set to begin."

Not breaking his demeanor, Erik looked around the vicinity in disgust. "Is this all the plebians can do? Fine. If the Captains do not want to take it seriously, then we shall give them a spectacular showing." Looking over his shoulder, Erik proceeded to address a grop of indviduals dressed in long white robes and metallic helmets, carrying flags bearing the Engelhaft Gewitter insignia. "Be ready. All of you. We will show these creatures how things truly work in the realm of spirits.  Do not fail me. Fan out, but be cautious. These creatures are not the idiotic fodder that you have faced many times during your training. They will strike you down if you give them the chance, although I will strike you down even harder if you dare attempt to retreat from or show mercy to these monsters. You all know your assignment--Complete erradication of the Gotei 13." With a simple hand motion forward, the various members of the Engelhaft Gewitter proceeded to make their way towards the different barracks and the streets in-between.

Kenjiro laughed! Though it wasn't scornful. Rather it was joyful. "Come on, Erik! You of all people are now underestimating me?" Kenjiro made a tutting noise as he shook his head. "They appeared so I dealt with them. I have one request though: leave the Captain-Commander to me? She's another link to Kenji Hiroshi."

As Kenjiro and Erik conversed, the Engelhaft Gewitter uncoiled from the Senkaimon! One of those members was an Arrancar though that did nothing to diminish his loyalty to Erik's cause. The man was Cervantes, the man Kenjiro had dubbed "The Zaraki of the Arrancar race", and he fell with a Zanpakutō and pistol brandished in either hand...

The stage was set. Now all that remained was the play itself and the Engelhaft Gewitter where the stars of the show!

Two Engelhaft Gewitter Members appeared from the Senkaimon in a short burst of light. Unlike the rest of their kin, they were not robed, nor did they were metallic helmets. One of the them was a short girl, while the other was a tall man. At a glance, they seemed harmless, but upon further inspection, something seemed relatively off about them. It was their eyes. They didn't have the average glare of a person. They were the eyes of natural-borne killers and sadists!

"Oh-Ho-Ho-Ho! Isn't it wonderful and delightful to be back in Soul Society again Darwin? Killing all the worthless Shinigami and hapless Souls like no tomorrow? This is well-deserved retribution! As divined by God himself." The Woman said with a ferocious smile, her dress billowing in the wind.

"Hehehe. I love the smell of dead Shinigami in the morning Delilah, as it should be all the time. Soul Society will know once again what fear is!" Darwin said aloud. "As the formal Executioners of the Quincy, don't think its time for us to be the judge, jury, and executioner?" Darwin asked with sadistic glee, licking his lips in utmost anticipation.

Delilah quickly nodded and smirked. "So...who shall we target? Anyone? Anything? Everyone? Hehehe."

The Quincy moved his head in disagreement. "Oh no, we can't do that my love. It's too early for that. We'll save that for later. I'm feeling quite lucky today actually. If I recall correctly, Seven is a lucky number. And you know what that means! Let's massacre the Seventh Division together Delilah! Maybe some of them will remember from last time!"

"Ooooo. You got a good point there Darwin! I'm excited to see the look on their faces when we torture them to death!" Looking at her partner with an approving look, they both disappeared.

7th Division Rises to the Occasion
"Stay together!" Shin roared through the barracks. "Stop running around like brainless chickens! You are seasoned Shinigami, not inexperienced students who need your hands held. Keep your heads, watch your backs and if you see someone in trouble do not hesitate to lend a hand. These aren't unintelligent Hollow we're dealing with. Tighten your belts, people! Our mission is to minimize the damages: leave the fighting to the Advanced Spear Unit and the healing to the Hayaiōtōtai.."

"But, sir...!"

"You heard the Captain!"

The speaker was Shin's niece Mariko. She was almost a woman grown now with short cut and neatly styled dark blue hair with purple highlights. She wore the normal black Shihakushō though instead of traditional hakama she sported a knee-length skirt, from which she secured her Zanpakutō. At the vicious reprimand the squad members of the 7th Division leapt to be about their job.

"What will you do?" She asked of Shin.

"Coordinate the defenses. We have to protect the citizens." He looked Mariko dead in the eye. "You are not to engage the enemy. Your Shikai gives us too much of an advantage to waste fighting. I want you to leave. Now. Get word to Horiwari and the Ryū Order. The help would be appreciated."

...Outside the 7th Division Barracks...

"Well now, remember me never to say 'this place is dull' again, right son? If I do you can kick me. Hard."

This mysterious man was Hiden Shinzui and his son was Eiji. Hiden sported greasy black hair slicked back while Eiji wore his hair trimmed into small spikes. Both wore the black of a Shinigami though Eiji accompanied his with a flowery haori over his shoulders.

"Can it, pops." Eiji's voice was deep and gravely.

"No need to be like that," Hiden replied.

Hiden leapt into the air and drew his Zanpakutō! By the time he landed again several of the Sturm Kavallerist had been bifurcated! Blood spewed from their wounds though another group where already upon them. Eiji shielded his father from the blue flames before rapdily increasing his reiatsu to disperse the flames around them. Taking his chance Hiden took hold of his son and flash stepped through the gap before the flames filled the opened gap.

"Eiji you fool! Are you all right?"

"Hey Darwin, why aren't we attacking the Shinigami? I'm sure you're itching to kill and maim them as much as me." Delilah whispered to the shaggy haired Quincy besides her.

Darwin grinned maliciously and licked his lips at Delilah's remark. "Don't worry my love, I just wanted to watch those two Shinigami rip our poor Sturm Kavallerist apart before doing anything. If you desire Delilah, you can attack them right now. Or do I have the honor to do so?" He replied with a short giggle, or a laugh.

She moved her head in disagreement. "No way! I'll take the honor and start the party! I've been waiting for this since the last time we invaded Soul Society!"

"Don't forget, I was there too. Don't you think I waited for this as well?"

"Hah! I don't care! We can both attack them if you like." Delilah spat back, a devilish smile etched onto her face.

Darwin rolled his eyes, seemingly annoyed. "You're lucky you're my friend, otherwise, I would've killed you. Hehe."

Delilah ignored Darwin's remark and raised her hand towards the unsuspecting Shinigami. "Time to die!" She said to herself, as spiritual energy started to gather. Darwin sighed and followed in suite.

Hiden turned his attention towards the two Quincy who where clearly above the others in the pecking order, content to leave the Sturm Kavallerist to his son. And as sure as sugar dissolved in water, Eiji did not fail to deliver. Hiden suppressed a slight smile and chuckled lowly as his son dispatched three of the Quincy without even drawing his Zanpakutō! The first went down to a single kick which snapped his neck, the second to a series of lightning-fast jabs to the torso, whilst the third was thrown into a get of blue flames from one of his compatriots.

"As you can see," Hiden said to Darwin and Delilah, "my son is quite the little terror on the battlefield. I'm so proud: he takes right after his mother, you know. It's such a shame he doesn't take after me, however, though I guess a family needs only one demon in it. Say your prayers, Quincy! I'm the Asura, and I'll be damned before I let you attack the 7th Division or Captain Nagakura."

"Old fool." Eiji sighed. "You've given too much away, pops. Now their boss will know who we are."

"Guess we'll just have to stop 'em from reporting then, won't we? You keep those flamers off me. I've got this!"

"Whatever. Just don't expect me to intervene again. You're so troublesome that it isn't even funny." With that Eiji turned his attention towards the Sturm Kavallerist.

"Oh ho ho ho! You think mere Shinigami can equal the great Quincy such as ourselves!? Absolute dribble I dare say! That fool of a Captain and the whole of the 7th Division be destroyed and tortured with my very hands!!" Delilah retorted with crossed arms, slightly amused at the Shinigami Defender's words. "Since we are beginning our introductions, then I'm the Florist! And this handsome gentleman besides me is the Ghoul. But you can call me Delilah if you wish. Even Sadistic Bitch if you're a bit peckish." The Quincy Woman finished, a wide devilish smile on her face.

Darwin rolled his eyes at Delilah's words. Ignoring her, he turned and looked on at the battlefield before him. He observed Eiji massacre the Sturm Kavallerist, well aware that their battle was long lost.

"The Sturm Kavallerist are weaklings, they pale in comparison to the likes of the true Quincy, the Engelhaft Gewitter. If it were up to me, I would beat them into something greater. But that damn fool wouldn't have it any other way." Darwin said with a blunt tone. And within mere seconds of his statement, Darwin aimed at Hiden and attacked, sending a hail of Heilig Pfeil his way.

Hiden adopted a ready stance. The movements that followed were fluid, transitioning from one step into the next with the grace of a dancer, with no wasted movement. He side-stepped the first two arrows, cut aside several more so they parted harmlessly to the side and followed with a long stride which had him finish by sheathing his sword in a near-crouch.

"These Shinigami are weaklings," Hiden began imitating, "They pale in comparison to the likes of the higher-ups, the Captain's and Lieutenants." If he was implying himself to be of that level was unsure. There was so little emotion in his tone.

"Zanshin," Eiji whispered. "A term used in Japanese martial arts that describe a state of relaxed, almost casual alertness to your surroundings."

"Alas, the Sturm Kavallerist everyone is in battle with are just Tier 1 of our forces, the cannon fodder you might say. But Tiers 2 and 3? They are a different story; they can match the loathsome Lieutenants and Captains you so happen to admire. And in due time, they shall be released...." Darwin replied with a large smirk. "But right now, you have to deal with us."

"I have no interest in hearing your senseless dribble Shinigami." Delilah remarked in a disrespectful tone, slowly clenching her fist in annoyance.

Eiji laughed outright until it seemed he might just wet himself!

It seemed that his father shared his sons' sense of humor for he was holding his own sides as well. "You say that as if I give a damn. Tier 2 and 3 rivaling a Lieutenant and Captain?"

Eiji's deep laughter faded to a mere chuckle.

"Tell me," Hiden went on, "what answer would your so-called Engelhaft Gewitter have for someone widely considered to be above that of a Captain? Like, say, a member of the Royal Guard? Let's pretend that I'm a member of that group: what would you do then?"

"And you think we give a damn as well?" Darwin shot back with a snively glance. "Royal Guard or not, you're all the same to us. And I'm afraid...I cannot fully answer your question Shinigami, only Erik can do that. But I assure you, he'll have something as dastardly up his sleeves to deal with your "Royal" Guard."

"I wouldn't give a rat's ass if you were a Royal Guard or the Soul King himself!" Delilah sneered, baring her teeth at the elderly Shinigami before her. "We all know the Royal Guard won't come unless Soul Society itself is threatened to be destroyed, as evidenced by the Quincy Blood War from years past. However, we don't plan to be so hasty as our forefathers. No, we are going to take our time, destroy your institutions bit by bit, watching everything burn as we slowly torture and execute you lowly Shinigami." She continued on, hinting at Soul Society's possible fate if things were to continue on.

"Thank you for that lovely piece of information!"

Hiden turned his attention towards the origin of this voice and merely shook his head as Shin Nagakura Shunpo'd towards the scene.

"So your leader is this Erik person, correct? I know you are no longer a member of the 7th Division, Hiden, but would you assist me in this?"

"I thought I was doing just that?" Hiden chuckled. "Very well." The older Shinigami looked skywards. It was obvious it was there from where these Quincy had originated. "Son! I'll leave you to watch Shin's back."

"Whatever, pops."

"Now!" Shin addressed the Quincy as he drew his Zanpakutō. "Now that Hiden's played his role, I guess it's my turn. So which one will it be? You... or you?"

"Ha! We have no love for the Leader, hence, you can do whatever you desire with him. Whether you fight to the death or take him out for a cup of tea. I don't care!" Delilah replied uncaringly, baring her teeth at Shin.

"Why not just the both of us? If you don't want that, it'll be me." Darwin sneered simply.

Shin merely grinned in response. Say what they wanted; it was when disaster struck that Shin Nagakura actually started acting like the man of prodigious ability many deemed him to be.

"Your funeral...!"

Shin seemed to momentarily shimmer before his final destination was ultimately concealed by the appearance of several after-images. Each bore that distinctive grin.

"You should be more careful."

Shin whipped one of his twin katana free of its sheath in an attempt to bisect the man with a single drawing slash, hoping he could then concentrate solely on the woman.

"And you shouldn't be quick to action." Darwin replied with a smirk, baring a somewhat elated grin at the Captain.

In what could be described as an instantaneous movement, the Quincy raised a finger and blocked the katana with seemingly no effort at all, all the while causing a shockwave to shake the ground underneath them. Although Darwin showed no signs of injury, the area behind him was utterly devastated, unable to cope with the ensuing force done by Shin's blow.

"Tsk tsk Captain. A bit hasty aren't we? I didn't think noble Shinigami as yourself would be the first on the offensive. Especially with a guest such as me." Darwin said in mock disappointment, with a hint of contained laughter.

"I certainly lead a rather modest existence," Shin answered, "but I would hardly call myself noble, or even one of the nobility. I'm way too fond of my drink to be associated with them, you know. I also enjoy my wine... which you Quincy seem to do a lot of lately."

Whether he registered surprise at his blow being stopped so casually was unknown: Shin's expression never changed.

"But tell me: which side here is more hasty? The Shinigami who fight to defend their home or you? The Quincy who know naught but destruction, who attack in secrecy because they know that their collective strength is so piss-poor that it wouldn't stand against the Gotei 13. Am I in the ballpark?"

"Wine you say? I do enjoy the sight of Blood Red Wine whenever chance permits." Darwin replied with a devious smile. "Hmmm, I believe the Quincy aren't the hasty ones here. I mean, we weren't the ones who ordered the genocide of an entire race here..." He let his words trail off, as if he were still thinking of an appropriate response.

"And for the record, I can hardly give a rat's ass about anything anymore. Whether that deals with the Quincy or the Shinigami. It doesn't matter. I'm more or less interested in death and destruction than deal with petty grievances. What's done is done; it's all in the past now. All that matters is the present and future. And if you'll oblige, I prefer the destruction of everyone's future. Hehe" Darwin said with a halfhearted grin. Delilah stood behind Darwin, nodded her head happily in agreement.

Shin finally registered emotion, though the way he did so was rather strange. Even Eiji was eying the Captain with a raised eyebrow. Shin was laughing! And he wasn't doing it quietly either.

"This is why history is doomed to repeat itself."

Shin then started pacing; as if he hadn't a care in the world. He was acting so differently than he did usually that he could barely be recognized as the same man. This was Shin the Captain after all -- not Shin the lazy vagabond who could barely muster the motivation to rouse himself from his bed in the morning.

"I admit that I wasn't there or that stuff with the Quincy wouldn't have went down the way it did, once upon a time." The Captain then exhaled. "All the Gotei 13 accomplished back then was the creation of a cycle of hatred and death that has inevitably come back to bite us in the backside too many times now. You kill us, we kill you. When does it end?"

"There is a simple answer to that question." A girly voice rang out. It wasn't Darwin who spoke. But it was his silent partner, Delilah, who had now decided to speak. "It'll end when one side had been completely exterminated. Shinigami. Or Quincy." She replied, with a glint in her eyes and a smile.

Strikeback! 8th Division Replies: March of the Hayaiōtōtai
Blue flames approached the Barracks of the 8th Division. Captain Erika Fujibayashi watched the approaching flames with wide eyes, caught completely unawares. At this rate...!

"Brother!"

Falkner Tori followed his younger brother's finger through the air and immediately gritted his teeth in irritation.

"Time to show our worth." Gawain whispered.

"Run away, Jakura!" Falkner whispered. "Give Wing, Nuedori." Altair intoned. "Scatter the Winds, Karasu." Gawain followed on.

In unison the three Falcon Brothers took to the skies of the Seireitei. Falkner swung Jakura and from its edge launched countless feathers which intercepted the blue flames of the Quincy. In tandem with Falkner, Gawain swung Karasu and surrounded the flames with his own specialized feathers, before Altair, with a mighty downward strike through the flames and feathers, dispersed the entire inferno above the Barracks of the 8th Division.

"We are the Falcon Brothers and never will we submit." The three said in unison before looking towards what could only be the enemy leaders...

"Hmph. Just a fancy display. No matter, we'll take those birds out of the sky. Won't we Adolf?" A snickering man, dressed as a biker, could be seen adjusting his sunglasses as he formed his Spirit Weapon in hand. Standing on a far off tower, he used the dead bodies of the tower guards as a footing, while placing his now massive bow on the edge as he took aim. "I do hope you're in position Adolf. Good." As a Shinigami of the 8th Division came into view, the man flashed a smile and launched a air-rending arrow, tearing through the shinigami's torso causing him to bleed out in seconds.

Looking at the individual on the ground, Adolf shook his head as he walked strumming what seemed to be a large guitar, followed by a an even larger group of Shinigami who had a captivated look upon their faces. "Looks like Nagito has made his move. Time to begin the operation. I don't see why we have to come here. I don't remember hearing of anyone of note residing in the 8th Division. Oh well, I suppose I should allow my choir to take the stage." Moving his hands forward, the horde of shinigami following Adolf stormed forward and into the perimeter of the 8th Division, attacking everyone and everything in view.

Falkner watched what he could only describe as chaos! Shinigami attacking Shinigami!? It was madness! And it needed to be stopped.

"Are they enemy agents?" Altair asked with a desperate tone.

"No... they are being controlled." Gawain concluded. "Altair, inform the Captain. Falkner, let's go."

Falkner grinned. He distinguished between the spiritual signatures below and when he found one not of Shinigami nature he outstretched his arms and began chanting aloud: "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Sword and Laughter, the beast is stirred, a massive maw, a golden arc, the bell rings as ye move swiftly forward! Hadō #32: Ōkasen!" A blast of yellow energy snaked its way towards the Quincy.

"Oh? What's that?" Adolf looked on as the Kido spell made its way through the crowd of controlled Shinigami. "No matter. Come my Choir!" Strumming his guitar, he directed a group of mind-controlled individuals to place themselves between him and the spell. Jumping back, Adolf seemingly strolled away as he whistled along, signaling Nagito to fire yet another shot.

Readying his bow, Nagito scoffed. "Alright already. I'm on it." Releasing an even larger arrow than before, the condensed reishi formed into a projectile roughly the size of a small vehicle, tearing through walls and buildings, leaving a shockwave in its wake. The arrow impacted a shinigami who was approaching Altair, causing him to explode in a cloud of body parts and blood. "Oopsie. Looks like I missed the target. I suppose that's what I get for yawning and shooting with my eyes closed." Taking aim once more, Nagito readied it to take down one of the Falcon brothers, although death was not his goal. Instead, he wanted to simply ground them and allows Adolf to take control of such agile opponents.

Falkner managed to avoid the arrow by performing what was perhaps the greatest Shunpo of his life. Gawain wasn't so lucky. The middle Tori brother was caught in the leg, said arrow carrying enough momentum to pin him to the wall of the 8th Division!

"Gawain!" Falkner began moving but he was moving too slowly. Adolf's "choir" was moving in for the kill and Gawain was out cold. "I'm not going to make it...! Shit! Gawain! WAKE UP!"

Falkner only seen the blur. The ground between Captain Erika Fujibayashi and the unconscious Gawain seemed to literally vanish. The woman appeared, twisted, and performed a single kick! The controlled Shinigami at the fore of the attacking party had her jaw broken before spinning through the air, long hair billowing, unconscious. She then turned on the others with precision footwork and kicks intended to incapacitate rather than kill.

"See to his wounds!" She ordered.

Altair hoisted his brother Gawain onto his shoulder as his Captain covered his retreat. Within the Barracks they where joined by Falkner.

"Forgive us, Captain."

"No, forgive me, Falkner. I grossly underestimated our enemies." She then drew her Zanpakutō. "Without your moment in the spotlight, I wouldn't have noticed. That Quincy you attacked with Ōkasen -- the blond-haired one. He uses music just like I do. Play Quickly, Fūhaki." A wooden guitar appeared in Erika's hands which she immediately began to play, hoping her own tunes would interfere with Adolf's.

"Oh how lovely. A maiden who is capable of playing a tune. I do wonder if it is as melodious as that of my own?" Strumming his own guitar, Adolf gained an unusual smirk upon his face as though sensing some sort of harmony between the two. "Shall we see whose music is more refined?"

Disengaging his weapon, Nagito jumped down from the tower and onto a nearby wall as he quickly began making his way towards the two musicians. "I need a better position. That Captain looks to be quite serious. Hmph. If Adolf isn't careful, she will put him down. Although, the same advice should be applied even more to the dame over there. Hmph. One wrong note and she will be singing her swan song."

"Falkner, Altair," Erika began instructing, "find Haruka Inori and organize the squad. Keep yourselves away from these two Quincy and focus on taking out those idiots with flamethrowers. Got it?"

"Yes, ma'am!" Falkner bowed his head quickly before he and Altair, minus Gawain whom they left in the care of a fellow squad-mate, went to be about their duties.

"Now," Erika turned towards her guitar-wielding foe. "I think it's high-time I pounded you into the floor!"

"So she's realized that there are two of us already? She's more perceptive than I thought. Most people are just confused by the two-pronged attack of me and Nagito." Adolf pondered to himself for a moment before looking back at Erika with a dazzled look in his eyes. "Pound me into the floor? With what? That wooden guitar of yours? Haha. Pathetic. Don't you know? Electric is the way of the future, its the only thing that's worth anyone's time these days. But, don't worry, the longer you want to drag this out, the better it is for me. You'll soon be a part of my choir anyway." Strumming his guitar, a few of the disabled shinigami stumbled up and began staggering towards Erika's position with their blades drawn.

Changing the tune on his guitar, Adolf smiled. "Now my sweet, join my lovely chorus and revel in the sweet music we shall make together." The sound-wave from his weapon tore through the ground, aiming to strike Erika's position. Yet another two-staged attack or was it simply a distraction from something else?

Falkner came to a stand-still in mid-air and turned to look at his Captain. "... Forgive me, Rika. But I cannot follow that order."

Altair was only now becoming aware of his brother's pause. "What is it?"

"Ensure her order's are carried out, brother." Falkner whispered. "But I cannot abandon her. My power can hold back reishi. It might just help tip the scales."

"Good luck, brother." Altair intoned before leaving via Shunpo.

Erika dodged by taking to the air and strummed her own guitar in an attempt to interfere with her opponent. But it wasn't that which surprised her. "Run Away, Jakura!" A small amount of feathers coated Erika's ears as well as those of Falkner as he and his Captain Shunpo'd to safety.

"Falkner...! What the hell are...!?"

"Admonish me later, Captain. For now... just focus on our enemy."

"You can't escape the pain of my music forever loves!" Adolf's personality had changed since the start of the battle, he seemed more crazed than mellow and was laughing hysterically as he strummed his guitar maddeningly causing the shambled bodies of the Shinigami under his control to wobble back to their feet and organize themselves in formation similar to that of a phalanx around him. "Its time to sing my choir! Let the songs of your agonized wails flow through the hearts of all those around you. Harmonize your pain into a beautiful symphony that you sing only for me."

Marching forward, Adolf could be seen smiling in the center of his living shield. "Come now, can you manage to kill all of those you consider friends in order to get to me? I wonder what is more important to you? Life or death of those you care for? If you don't kill them, they will simply keep coming back as my shields. Isn't it grand!?"

Erika growled though Falkner merely watched calmly. It was he who eventually broke the silence. "Captain... do you recall what Kensei said to us all, back in the ?"

She had to think a little. Falkner was going back a good number of years; years that had been mostly forgotten on her part. But she eventually recalled. "Sorry, but I'm not mature enough to show restraint when it comes to kids...!" She quoted. "Don't hesitate, Falkner. Knock seven-shades outta them! But you leave those Quincy to me!" She began playing her guitar as Falkner surged forward to deal with his possessed squad-mates.

"Are you forgetting something?" Adolf smirked as members of the Sturm Kavallerist came from atop the surrounding walls, pointing their weapons at both Erika and Falkner. Blue flames streaked across the area, burning everything that made contact with them. The flames spread at an alarming rate, aiming to take out everyone in the surrounding area, including Adolf himself. "If I can kill even one of you Gotei dogs, it will all be for the greater purpose of serving Lord Erik."

Falkner didn't forget. Nor could he stop it. But he could do one thing, at least. He turned to his Captain...

Erika watched the trap. "Damn it!" Was this all she could accomplish? All she could muster!? "I'm pathetic! My Squad are dying, I'm powerless to help them, and the Quincy keep coming!" Those blue flames neared...

Falkner grasped the back of Erika's outfit and heaving with all his strength sent her flying into the air, before the flames closed around them completely. She slowed in mid-air long enough to face her long-term subordinate. Falkner was smiling? No...!

"Your trap will not claim her. Not her...!" He built up spiritual power to fuel his intended action. "Hadō 96: Ittō Kasō!"

A single katana tip pierced the flames.

As the Kido ripped through the lower members of the Quincy army, Adolf sent a single shockwave from his guitar as the massive blast tore through the left side of his body, scorching him while he let out a hardy laugh, filled with both anguish and joy. Thumping into the ground, Adolf's body went limp before using the last of strength to mock both Falkner and Erika. "You see?! This is the Engelhaft Gewitter! We are here to rid the Spiritual Realms of trash like you. Look around, the remains of your comerades lay all around you and all that is left is the simple reminder of what I have done. Worry not, even though I have fallen, there will be another to rise up in my place and continue the fight against you. You have no hope, its all over for all you in this pathetic society!" Following the last of Adolf's words, his Spirit Weapon vanished into the air....

"Tch. Looks like Mr. Lullaby finally had his swan song played. Its kinda pathetic that he was done in by such a last ditch attack such as that. Making the rest of us look bad, sheesh. No need for me to remain here, I should probably report back to Erik and let him know of Adolf's fate." Nagito sighed as he adjusted his sunglasses and vanished from the nearby tower he was standing upon.

Erika watched with glistening eyes as Falkner -- her long-time companion -- tumbled forward in a charred heap. His body, scarred by flame, was wholly unrecognizable! If she hadn't seen Falkner before he done so she would not have been able to identify him.

"... You fool...!" She thumped the floor! "What am I going to tell your brothers? Your cousins who see you as their role model? What am I going to tell them!?"

"You tell our cousins the truth." It was Gawain who spoke. Altair and he flanked her on either side. "You tell them that our brother, the man they respected and looked up to the most, died protecting what he thought the most important thing in his life."

"Grieve for him but do not feel sorry for yourself." Altair went on. "Falkner would not have wanted that. Now please fall back. Haruka has been notified. Leave this area to us...!"

Assault on the 9th Division: Unanswerable Questions
Striding down the large pathways of the Seireitei was a young man, who didn't appear out of the ordinary at all. A simple mustard cap, black trenchcoat and an innocent facial expression his this man's truth. He walked, and as he did, soldiers ran in front of him.

Opening his eyes, the surrounding world to him was nothing but an endless source of questions and answers, answers he would get. He used a single step to reach the barracks of the 9th Division, and opened his assault with a question. "Do you believe...in your safety, or the safety of your comrades?"

As he did so, blue flames sprung out from the flamethrowers of the soldiers that surrounded the division, causing several of the structures and Shinigami to erupt into cascading flames that were near impossible to get rid of.

"We're under attack!!" An unnamed Shinigami screamed just seconds before the flames crippled and then completely covered him causing his yells to be smothered by his body's own embers.

Looking down from the tower of the barracks, Medaka Rosenkrantz sighed as she looked on at the carnage. "Ekatarina lets go. There's only one, but by the looks of things, those soldier are no slouches either. We shall dispatch all of them quite quickly. Do not let the Captain hear about this, no need to bother her young mind with this debacle."

"The Captain huh? Well, looks like that failed." Ekatarina laughed as she pointed down to the ground at the heap of Quincy Soldiers being slashed through by a woman clad in white. "I suppose we should ge down there as well."

Flash stepping without a word, Medaka appeared to the rear of her Captain slashing through the flamethrower weapon of one the soldiers, causing him to explode in a cloud of his own blue flames. "I see, you are as rash as always. So quick to rush out into battle, the sign of a young warrior. Eager, but I see potential in you yet." Slashing through yet another member of the Sturm Kavallerist, Medaka would catch a glimpse of who she could surmise to be the leader of the invasion of this area. However, she left him to his own machinations for the time being.

"So many have fallen, who can we help?" Ginchiyo cried out as the three woman were surrounded standing back to back. "I should be saying, who in the world could help us?"

As the explosions continued bombarding, one of the infantry spoke to the leading young man. "Sir Wylfred! There are three shinigami women who appear to be on a different level than the others. I request that you deal with them personally."

Wylfred responded with yet another question, "Do you have faith in your ability, Sturm Kavellerist?" But he dismissed the answer, and calmly strode to the battlefield. In an instant, he pointed his finger at an incoming Shinigami who attempted to bifurcate him. Though in that instant, a javelin of pure blue reishi appeared, stabbing at the shinigami's gut and leaving him on the ground, panting as he was about to die.

"Are you three the immediate threat here?" Wylfred questioned as the javelin he summoned earlier hovered around him in the midst of the chaos that ensued.

Striking down yet another of the flamethrower-weilding Quincy, Medaka sighed. "So what if we are? Do you think that these pip squeaks and you alone are enough to defeat the three of us? Hmph, I'll be glad to show you your place. Its time you invaders found out that you can't simply waltz in here and just do as you please." Nodding to Ekatarina, Medaka pulled her Zanpakuto in front of body and readied for battle. "You prepared to meet your maker kid?"

"What exactly do you mean by that?" Wylfred found this woman intriguing, and soon he realized that he would be indeed outmatched. Yet he kept his composure, and utilized his Spirit Javelin to hold off the incoming Shinigami that attempted to scratch him.

"Wylfred! Why aren't you drowning in pleasure!?" A woman's high voice rung through the battlefield, and several were cut down by her blade. "Rose?" Wylfred wondered as the woman made herself known. "Duude! I was supposed to introduce myself!" She exclaimed, and then directed herself towards Ekatarina and the others. "I am Rose Castella, E of the Engelhaft Gewitter, and here to make you drown!"

"Tch. Another?" Medaka back off her charge toward Wylfred as this new opponent made herself known. "Ekatarina. You handle her. Just make sure the Captain stays out of the fray."

Gaining a disgruntled look upon her face, Ginchiyo puffed up her cheeks. "Why are you saying that as though I'm not here? I can fend for myself you know. I don't need protection anymore, otherwise I wouldn't have made it as a Captain in the first place."

"That right there proves just how young you truly are." Medaka scoffed before continuing. "Its not the Captain's place to take down an enemy that we can simply remove ourselves. That's our roles as your guardian lieutenants. Don't get the wrong idea, its not as though we don't want you to ever fight. But, why waste energy here when you could be of use elsewhere?" Not even allowing Ginchiyo to respond, Medaka turned back to face Wylfred. "So, why are you here? Where is your leader? I'm sure that cutting him down will make the rest of you turn tail and run away."

Rose smirked as she saw Ekatarina approach her. "You look like quite the woman! Wanna drown with me? I'm sure it will be a whole lot of fun?" Rose drew her blade, and played with it as a toy, before "indirectly" slashing towards Ekatarina's head, attempting to split the head from the rest of her body.

All the while, Wylfred looked at Medaka, and responded, "You wish to see my leader? For what reason? A continued death? You have no purpose with our leader. And thus, I will exterminate you here."

Jumping back, Ekatarina looked up as she noticed a few locks of her hair being sliced off. "The hell!? She barely moved! How in the world did she strike so close to me?" Flicking her hair away from her face, Ekatarina smiled a bit. "Drown in your so called Ecstasy? Sounds entertaining. Let's just see if you can survive my blaze first though." Pulling out a pair of delicately carved daggers, Ekatarina readied herself for battle as the two weapons caught a tiny blaze around them

"Destroy me? Hmph. You're funny. I think I'll take the little garb of yours as a trophy after I tear you limb from limb, heh, literally..." Medaka smiled wryly as she charged toward Wylfred as Rose was distracted. "I want to confiscate your pinky!"

Wylfred looked at Medaka for a moment, and sighed. Simply pointing at her caused a javelin made entirely of spiritual power to form before him, and interrupt the two individuals. "Confiscate my pinky? May I ask why?" Wylfred questioned, as he caused Medaka to be pushed back slightly through the force of his javelin, before firing a number of Heilig Pfeil towards her torso.

Rose looked at Ekatarina's weapons for a brief moment. "Oho? Are your daggers so ecstatic that they are firing up? That's great!" Rose exclaimed, as she prepared for another round of combat, coating her blade in spiritual energy. "Let's see what that fire of yours can do, hm?"

Taken aback by the sudden question, Medaka was struck in her side by one of the arrows before pierced in her foot as well. "Shit. I let this little freak get to me. Heh. No time like the present to get serious and get down to business though." Forming a layer of spiritual energy around her blade, Medaka regained her calm composure before slashing toward Wylfred. " Hana Sh​ōgekiha!" With this, a large blast of reishi formed into a ring of intense flames that shot toward the Quincy at high speeds, incinerating anything in its path.

"I like you and your style girlie. I might have just have to go out of my way and keep you alive long enough so that I can have my fun with you later on." Ekatarina winked as she charged at Rose sending an X-shaped slash toward the Quincy woman. Not waiting for her opponent to block the attack, Ekatarina sent out two horizontal slashes of flame following the initial attack.

Wylfred's expression was dead-pan as usual. But from it came about a unique question. He held out his palm, as if he were attempting to stop the blast directly. But instead, the blast immediately pulled unto itself, twisting and turning before avoiding Wylfred, leaving him absolutely fine despite the intensity of the attack. "Was that attack of yours truly all you could muster? Is this the strength of a so-called lieutenant?" Wylfred asked these questions with a strange intent, almost as if he was searching, desperate for an answer.

In the meantime, Rose was attempting to evade multiple blasts of incinerating flame. She was put under pressure, and she then noted her only possible option. She entered a trance, an unorthodox spiritual pressure surrounded her in a light pink, before it exerted outward. Suddenly, Rose's appearance warped, becoming even more maniacal than before. Her eyes shone a bright pink, and her sword had an aura of a cleaver surrounding it. Immediately, she countered the projectiles with a powerful blast of radiant pink energy, though was slightly charred from the cinders that made contact with her. "Hahahahahaha! Fall, fall into Ecstasy!"

Medaka face remained stern and seemingly uncaring as she looked upon the Quincy dispelling her technique. "More questions? I see. You're more of the curious cat than the action bug."

"These guys mean business, but I think the term is acting bug." Ekatarina chimed in, landing next to her aunt as she avoided the pink blast of energy fired from Rose.

Shrugging Medaka readied her blade once more. "Does it really matter? All I know is that these guys need to be taken down so we can purge their darkness out of the Soul Society." Swinging her blade engulfed in the same energy as before toward Wyfred, Medaka called out..."Hana Shōgekiha   Toraidento!" In doing so, she created three medium-sized projectiles that she then launched in a triangular formation

"Tch. Whatever. Ecstasy huh? Fine. Let's see you dance in this little storm of mine." Throwing off small strips of paper around Rose's position, Ekatarina shot off a bit of her spiritual pressure causing each strip of paper to emit several small blasts of the Shakkahō spell. "I hope you enjoy this little meal."

Wylfred looked upon the three incoming tridents and was only slightly surprised. Flicking his finger twice, he caused two of his own spirit Javelins to appear and intercept two of the projectiles, while he altered the composition of the third, whilst posing the question, "What is your purpose? Or...did I already ask that?" His repetitive questioning would have gotten rather annoying. However, the fragments of the projectiles intercepted caused minor scratches to appear on Wylfred's skin. Likewise, Rose used her own blade to begin cutting through the Shakkahō spells, absorbing the ambient reishi while being mildly torched as she swiftly danced with her blade. She closed in on Ekatarina, hoping to take her out in a single blow.

Let the Lord of Chaos Rule! Cervantes challenges the 6th Division!
"Hahahaha!"

Laughter echoed through the barracks! Blood flowed, limbs flew and the floors ran a sticky red. At the heart of the slaughter stood but a single man: Cervantes. He was the fabled "Killer" of the Engelhaft Gewitter and wielded an archaic flintlock pistol and a serrated Zanpakutō with equal skill.

"You peons!" He roared. "Weaklings! You're nothing but particles of reishi. You aren't even worth the shit on my shoe!"

"We're under attack........!" An unknown shinigami screamed loudly as Cervantes' blade cleaved through his side, sending him to the ground. Grabbing onto the invader he laughed and with the last bit of his strength he conveyed a message. "Too bad for you that my lady Captain Naomasa could feel you coming from a mile away. You're the savage here. These men left here were simply to delay you, knowing full and well that you would kill us all. But you see, the Captain is no longer here. The barracks have been deserted in order to lock you and all of your evil in  here forever."

Reaching for his kimono, he revealed a sealing kido that held a level 89 Hado spell: Hyoga Senran. As his blood spilt down onto the seal, the massive ice kido erupted through the barracks encasing its entirety in a frozen prison, leaving the dying shinigami locked in an eternal smile.

Elsewhere...

Moving with the rest of the division, Captain Naomasa looked back to see the Kido taking action. "Shit! He got there faster than I even expected. We didn't even make it that far away and its not like that spell would even hold someone with the power level that I felt for too long. It would probably be best if we split the division."

Stopping on a nearby rooftop, Suzume sighed without opening her eyes and addressed the crowd of shinigami around her. "Miria, where are you?"

Meanwhile...

Ryan Kuchiki sat up in his bed. His entire stomach area, upper chest and right arm where dressed with bandages. Opposite him sat Miria Fujibayashi and Echo. Like he they where injured also but not to the same extent as Ryan himself.

"Good, you're awake." Echo whispered.

"We just received word from the Ryū Order through Kentaro Hiroshi. The Soul Society is under attack."

Ryan registered shock and frustration but it quickly melted away to be replaced with anger. He knew who was responsible: he, Miria and Echo had learned of the Engelhaft Gewitter during their time away and the threat they posed. It was just like the Vandenreich Invasion...! "No!" He wouldn't let that happen again.

"Come on." Ryan kicked off his blankets and secured his Zanpakutō to his ōbi. "It's time we got back anyway."

Soul Society.

"I want your Captain!"

It seemed the Kidō assault had posed little actual damage to Cervantes beyond freezing the top layer of his skin, which was quickly dealt with. The Arrancar merely laughed and attacked, knocking aside anyone who was foolish enough to stand against him.

"Bring the coward to me, or I'll kill everyone of you!"

He held aloft one of the younger squad-members. He constricted the young mans' head tighter and tighter, bringing forth screams of pained terror, whilst Cervantes grinned.

The young shinigami smiled, "You will never.....get the Captain." His last words, before losing his life in Cervantes' grasp.

Stopping and grabbing her at her chest, Suzume felt a surge of anger. "Monosuke.....tch." Biting her lip, she regained her composure before turning back to face the rest of her division. "No. This isn't right. We aren't running anymore. We will not be treated like dogs, forced to leave our home. Its time we stood up and fight!" Letting off a large amount of Spirtual Energy, Suzume used herself as a large baiting device. "Come and get me you monster."

Cervantes felt the power instantly. It was like a bell chiming in his head. He turned from the lifeless body and leapt into the air with sword flashing through anyone foolish -- or brave enough -- to challenge him. It was a massacre and Cervantes loved it.

Feeling more her comrades spiritual signatures vanish, Suzume grew in anger before realizing this would be what the opponent would want. As she stopped to gain her composure once more, she noticed a large explosion coming from the direction of the Eighth Division. "A new Quincy technique? No....that was Itto Kaso....Captain Erika!! Tch. She couldn't have been killed by an attack like that, no way." Scanning the area, she noticed that several of the other divisions were being attacked as well. "I see, we aren't the only ones under attack. Send out a notification to the Captain Commander, if she is unaware that we are under attack, then she should be quickly informed. I'll stay here to wait for help while I deal with this beast."

"I hunger for a challenge!"

Cervantes cut a bloody swath through anyone foolish enough to stand in his way. Shinigami or Quincy: it mattered little to this blood-crazed animal! He swung his Zanpakutō one-handed with extreme skill and fired his pistol Spirit Weapon with remarkable precision.

"Bring me your Captain's! You peons are nothing to me! NOTHING!"

CREAAAAAAK!!

A large door on the outside of the barracks was torn apart as Suzume broke it completely off of its position, tossing it aside as though it were nothing. Looking around, she spotted the pirate-esque Quincy tearing through the members of her division as though they were simple bugs. She couldn't help but smile to herself as she adjusted her gloves and brandished her knuckles.

"So. This is the beast that wanted my attention so badly? Fine then. Now you have my complete and undivided focus, I just hope you don't mind me completely tearing you open with my bare hands. No. Who am I kidding, why would a mangy mutt not enjoy its new master providing such tender care and consideration. Hmph. I'll make sure to take such nice care of you boy, you'll wish that you would never leave my grasp." A dark chuckle rose from deep within Suzume, before she made her way closer to Cervantes.

"Hmmm!?"

Cervantes spun in place and whipped te head from a nearby Shinigami as he did so. He then spun in place again, only this time he dispatched far more than one. An entire circle of Shinigami toppled, leaving he and the newly arrived woman alone for the most part.

"... So you finally got sick of watchin' these weaklin' shits get massacred? Good, good. Now bring me more of you. You're merely a peon with spunk."

"Peon? You worm bred in trash would refer to me as a peon? I'll show you your place and make you regret laying a hand on anyone under my tutelage." Lunging forward, Suzume suddenly shot upward and began running along a nearby pillar before jumping back down toward Cervantes, aiming to crush his head into the floor.

Cervantes moved his body in a full circle and struck out with one of his twin-swords! He meet the woman's attack with as much strength as she herself utilized, conjuring an explosion of spiritual power in the wake of their attacks that sent both skidding back.

"Is that it? I was mistaken. Peon was too kind a description for you. You're nothing but a doll. Allow me to show you how it's done!"

Cervantes' levelled his secondary blade at Suzume and the tip became enveloped in a brilliantly bright crimson-coloured sphere of spiritual power:. Without so much as a word he sent the beam hurtling towards his opponent without a care for the surroundings; the ground below was torn up in the beams wake, any surviving Shinigami and Quincy alike in the blast zone where wiped out, and all one heard from Cervantes was a deep laughter.

Suzume roared as she charged through the debris bleeding from her left side, with a fist raised and wings seemingly appearing from her back. "Hado #57! Daichi Tenyō!" As she finished chanting, the large amount of debris that Cervantes had created with his attack started to rise and floated about the area. With a movement of her hand, the debris encircled the Quincy before shooting towards him from all sides.

"That won't be enough to crush this worm who doesn't seem to know his place." Suzume grumbled before readying yet another Kido spell.

Striking the S.R.D.I
"Do not give them time to think."

The speaker directed his words at the assembled Sturm Kavallerist. He was of average height with neatly trimmed black hair, wide eyes and a lean build. He carried a solid bow with a quiver at his hip. He quickly nocked two arrows, sighted and fired! The arrows left his fingertips and impacted an unfortunate Shinigami in his Saketsu and Hakusui. If he didn't die he'd certainly never make it as a Shinigami again..

"I want to see this place reduced to a smoldering husk."

Nobu Sadao sat within the confines of his dimly lit office in the S.R.D.I. Multiple monitors were strewn throughout his room, with images of the Quincy Invasion being played out. It didn't bode well for the Gotei Thirteen, as dozens of Shinigami had already been killed off by the Sturm Kavallerist and Engelhaft Gewitter respectively.

"What to do, what to do." Nobu muttered to himself, his entire body covered in darkness. "At this rate, it'll be like the Quincy Blood War again." He noted with a sigh.

"Sir, reporting in, sir!"

Fernando regarded his personal messenger like one might a slave. He curled his lip up as though dissatisfied with how things where progressing. "Out with it."

"Sir, the resistance seems to be centered around Sakata, the 12th Division Lieutenant, sir!"

"So the Lieutenant is galvanizing the resistance?" But he had others to deal with; specifically the 12th's Captain. "Did you find the Captain?" It was asked in such a way that the one answering better hope they had the right answer.

"Sir, no, sir!"

He spoke no more after that. The messenger's headless body slumped to the floor in a heap as Fernando pointed to one of the many standing behind him, his Spirit Bow dissipating. "You are now my messenger. Don't repeat the mistakes of your former colleague."

Nobu fiddled with a microphone before bringing it up to his mouth, his glasses glistening in the light. "Oh Sakataaaaaaa. I need you for a minute if you have time to spare." He said, the message ringing throughout the building.

Was it strange that Sakata was completely at ease with his Captain's request? He merely looked at Kikaihen'i -- his Bakkōtō -- and nodded towards the door into the barracks. That look alone said everything Sakata needed: If anything come through that door then kill it.

A few moments later Sakata appeared at his Captain's side. "We appear to be losing."

"No need to state the obvious Sakata," Nobu said with a slight smirk. "The Quincy seem to be stronger than I originally imagined; they are indeed much more powerful than their, save for Juhabach.

Nobu walked over to the numerous Monitors and pointed to the various screens that depicted the battles taking place. "One of the Falcon Brothers had died, Falkner Tori." He noted, attempting to mask a part of his sadness. He then turned to Sakata, "Anything to report Sakata? Or do you have any ideas in how to deal with the Quincy in some way?"

"That obvious comment, sir, was my report." Sakata replied without expression. He then started pacing with his hand stroking his slight chin stubble. "It is a good thing Ryan is not here. If he heard of Falkner's death I fear he would be quite distraught."

Sakata then removed a small vial from one of his inside pockets. "But I do believe I can buy us some small advantage. You recall the drugs I've made? One, specifically the Spiritual Inhibiting Drug, can be applied in a gaseous form. The Quincy, thankfully, are mortal Humans. This drug suppresses the supply of reiryoku -- without their reiryoku the Quincy cannot fight, as to form their weaponry, they require both reishi and reiryoku. Kill one and you kill the other. The downside? It will also effect our own troops. The battles will become nothing more than brawls across the Seireitei, settled with sword, hand or foot. You say these Quincy are stronger than their predecessors? Would they be strong enough physically to kill a Shinigami if they cannot use their powers?"

Nobu nodded nonchalantly at Sakata's offhanded comment. "I see. Tell the rest of the Division and see if they'll agree to the ensuing brawl. Considering the circumstances, I doubt they'll reject the plan anyway. In hindsight, go ahead and also activate my mechanical Howaito-Enjerus. Hopefully, they'll provide enough assistance to the Shinigami that they won't get easily decimated. As for the comparison between the Engelhaft Gewitter and the, I do believe they are stronger, due to the fact that these Quincy had learned of their previous mistakes and that they also have the cajones to battle us once again. Whether that was a fool's errand, we'll let time decide."

"When we're on the subject of comparisons, I'll also disperse my own trackers. If we push back this attack it might do us good if we find our enemies base of operations. I recall we had some minor trouble locating the Vandenreich's castle." Wouldn't be much of a war without that. "Is that all Captain? Is so, I'll contact the other divisions."

"Go right ahead Sakata. Tarry not, or we'll lose valuable time. And resources."

"And bodies for study." Sakata slid in, only half joking. "I wonder if Ryan would object to me bisecting Falkner...? Purely for educational purposes of course."

The Lieutenant slipped from the room to be about his business. The way he was dallying would've led one to suspect he was deliberately taking his time, but that was merely because he couldn't afford to make a mistake. The calculations he had to figure out on the way weren't... wholly complete.

"Oh well," Sakata thought, "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Nobu made way to his chair and resumed his seat. He quietly tapped his fingers on the table before him, ''tap. tap. tap,'' it went with each passing second. "What to do, what to do." He said to himself as he spun his chair around. "Should I reveal that? No, it's much too soon."

The Captain continued to speak to himself, as videos of the carnage between Shinigami and Quincy raged on the monitors.

Stalking Through Despair, Assault on the Third Division
"We're here.." Ruhe spoke as she began cleaning her glasses. "Its about time at least."

Silene sighed as she made her way through the trees and to a clearing on a cliff. "Why are you telling me like I didn't know that already? What makes you think you were the one giving out the orders in this team?"

"Orders? You took us past the same boulder six times. We should have been here ages ago, but you told me to just listen quietly and follow al--" Before Ruhe could finish, Silene cut her off.

"Er...SHUT IT! That doesn't matter now. What does matter is that we got here in one piece. We'll wait here until we see the target, then we'll take care of him with no issues."

"Yes"

Firing off a small flare, Silene signaled a large group of the Sturm Kavallerist to begin assaulting the gates of the Third Division, causing the outside to erupt in flames.

---

Outside his Office Window, the Captain of the illustrious Third Division, Kei Yume, watched the Sturm Kavallerist attack the Barracks Gate. He neither flinched or stepped back as he witnessed the Quincy Soldiers completely envelop the Gate with their infamous Blue Fire. He merely looked on, hearing the cries of battle and death between Quincy and Shinigami, Humans and Souls.

Suddenly, there was a loud flutter of footsteps just outside his office. His Lieutenant, Ui Kōmoto, burst from the door behind him, sweat glistening from her brow. "Captain Kei!" She said, before taking a short breath. "The Quincy are literally knocking at our Doors! I don't know how much longer the Gate can hold!"

"I know." Kei replied, turning around to face her. He was unusually calm, despite the circumstances presented before him. "Is everyone ready for the inevitable battle?"

"Yes, they're out in the Courtyard, waiting for you command." Ui replied, walking slowly to her Captain's side.

"I see." The Captain nodded in acknowledgement, meeting Ui halfway. "Very well then, we're more or less prepared as I see it. Have everyone position themselves outside the Gate. Once the Quincy break through, have the entire Third Division cast Hadō #4. Byakurai and Hadō #31. Shakkahō. Hopefully our preemptive attack will catch them unaware."

Ui silently nodded her head in acknowledgement and immediately left his side to tell the others. Kei watched Ui scurry away and smiled to himself. "It's funny; I'm now a Tenshi and here I am defending the from destruction. Good fortune had decided to grace me so." Kei ironically thought to himself.

As he made his way to the Courtyard, there was a flutter and two Black Wings suddenly sprouted from Kei's Back.

Fearless Hunters Seek Peerless Prey: Striking the Eleventh Division
"Hahahaha" An ominous laugh shrieked out from a hulk of a man. "These puny Shinigami cannot satisfy me enough." Striking several of the members of the Eleventh Division with a blast of darkened lightning, Hans Koenig incinerated several of the attacking individuals. "Come on! Feed me your energy. I can't get enough." Turning around swiftly, Hans smiled as he crushed the head of a member of the Sturm Kavallerist into a nearby wall.

"Ah. That felt good. If you're weak, then don't come by me. Whether you're friend or foe, it matter not to me. I'll crush anyone who gets in my path. Hahaha." Hans laughed as he continued to slaughter both shinigami and fellow Quincy in front of him.

...Within the Barracks...

Tadashi Kori finished securing his Zanpakutō to his waist. He could feel it. The suffering. It was as if an army of locust had descended on the Seireitei, who wouldn't stop until the place was devoid of all life.

"Yet I've never been more excited."

Tadashi's hands where shaking! The anticipation of battle was coursing through his veins. He was a Kenpachi after all. He lived and breathed death and today he was going to deliver some of that to the Quincy.

"Let's go, Shirenya." Tadashi whispered, smiling. "You can't stand being sheathed any longer, eh, girl?"

...Outside the 11th Division

"Oh? Is that a powerful fighter hiding in there? Ah. Looks like I'll get the chance to rip them apart when I'm done here." Hans smiled as before he plowed both of his hands into a Shinigami, pulling them apart from the inside. As the blood splattered over his body, Hans let out a gleeful laugh as h continued on, plowing a female shinigami into a wall before tossing her to her allies.

"Tch. Women have no place on this battlefield."

The ally who happened to catch the woman was none other than the Captain of the 11th Division itself. He flash stepped through the barracks, moving like a blur! Tadashi landed like a cat before turning immediately to hand the girl off to one of his squad-mates.

"Get her to safety." He bid him before turning to the Quincy. "Maybe you'll find me a little more accommodating?"

He then drew Shirenya from her sheath, slowly, mockingly. He was enjoying this! The sound of battle echoed all around and Tadashi was caught in its sweet lull. Maybe he could finally have a rampage?

"HOHOHO Oh? You look powerful. Maybe you'll do for a decent warm up before I continue to eat my way through the rest of these weak willed shinigami." Hans smiled as bolts of electricity escaped his mouth as he chomped down on the dismembered arm of one of his victims. "Bring it pipsqueak"

Holding up his bare hand, Hans let fly several arrows at once towards Tadashi, hoping to skewer him before the Captain could even make a move.

The arrows at the forefront Tadashi allowed to sail harmlessly past him; the projectiles forgotten. But those towards the back he sliced apart with a smooth slashing attack, followed by him rubbing his Zanpakutō gently along the joint of his arm as if he where cleaning its blade of blood.

"Is that it?" Tadashi goaded. "I think the Vandenreich where stronger."

"Those weaklings? Ha! I like you. Confident and you seem strong. Unlike the weaklings that I have been chewing on. Heh! Bring it on!" Charging forward, Hans seemingly bolted toward Tadashi as lightning flared behind him with each step and he brought his fists above his body in an attempt to strike down the Captain in front of him.

"Poor."

Tadashi's respone was quite odd; he dropped into a near crouch with both knees bent and his right arm drawn back, with the left levelled at Hans. All the while he wound up his sword-arm in preperation for what would come next.

"Now! I hope Shin won't mind me borrowing his striking method for a bit."

Tadashi broke the stance with a fierce forward lunge! The sheer force of the manoeuvre, which became akin to a drill, tore through the very air itself as he aimed to hit the dead-centre of Hans' fist.

Hans smiled as his fist met blade, yet the blade had not pierced his skin and had not drawn blood. "You think your puny toothpick would be able to break my Blut Vene? I have one of thickest hides around. You're going to have to do a lot better than that."

As his fist was still connected to the Captain's blade, lightning surged through his body and out of his eyes, as though he were a raging god. "As though I would let you even try." Utilizing, the sword itself as a conduit for his power he released a pillar of black and gold lightning, whose power caused it to even shoot high into the sky before losing power and scattering

"Heh. You still alive punk?" Hans questioned as he waited for the dust to settle, lower his fists in equal parts amusement and dissapointment.

Part II: Shinigami Counter-offensive
Sakata finished his calculations as he glanced towards a screen in his office. The screen was split into various smaller screens showcasing the Quincy invasion in full and it was clear that, despit the spirited defence by the Shinigami, the only ones who actually seemed to be holding their own at all where the Captains and Lieutenants. The seated officers where being slaughtered like cattle!

"I'll have lots of work to do should we survive this. The amount of data I could gleam from the corpses all around would be too invaluable to pass up."

The 12th Divisions Lieutenant hit a single button on his keyboard and the roof of his office opened up, allowing streams of sunlight to pass inside the room, illuminating what he was working on. It appeared to be a missile of some kind with rounded tip which sparkled.

"This will either be our salvation... or our doom. So exciting!"

The missile blasted towards the heavens! When it reached the clouds it detonated in a vivid display, scattering an obscure dust-like powder throughout the Seireitei that fell like new snow. As it did so Sakata grinned to himself.

"Captain," he whispered into a wrist-mounted communicator, "the Spiritual Inhibiting Drug is away, sir. You are free to inform the Division's of what has taken place- Ugh!"

The point of an arrow protruded from Sakata's throat in that instance!

"Found you." Fernando declared, appearing beside the 12th Division Lieutenant. "You'll cause us no more trouble."

"... Fool...! I've already ensured... your demise...!"

As Sakata began to laugh Fernando, growing annoyed, struck him between the eyes with an additional arrow, bringing silence to the room. As blood flowed from the twin wounds Fernando looked to the heavens.

"What was he trying to do?"