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?"

"The 12th Division was of great use." Mikami said, prompting Shien to smirk. "They allowed for construction of a normality restoration device - something that would be used in case the Seireitei and Rukongai was to ever face destruction. It could "reset" like a program, forcing a basic restart and reversing any damage created. However, it required a being of magnificent power to serve as both a conduit and its "jumpstart"." His eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke the next words. "You came here thinking that you could exact revenge, to deliver judgment on those who had supposedly wronged you. But in reality, your target was the very afterlife itself. No matter how much power you gain... no matter how many lives you end or sacrifice for your own personal cause.... the afterlife deems you unworthy and will reject your so-called retribution. You can never destroy us."

As he was speaking, there were several figures that appeared on other rooftops. Two of which were the Yamamura parents, Mitsuki and Tora. The rest were the majority of the Gotei 13 Lieutenants and Captains, all of them having some sort of battle damage inflicted onto them. "As for your Shrieker army...." Megami continued, taking a glance down at the audience. "They have been destroyed. Your creatures may have been able to give my Captains a rough time.... but there are the few that possess power beyond that.... and proved those Hollows to be nothing more than ants."

"Looks like someone's been doing their homework...." The German mercenary thought, surprise clearly etched across her face.

"I see." Takahashi looked over at the boy. "You have certainly surprised me. But this is not the end for me yet." He turned towards Ahatake. "Allow me to show you something, Kurosaki Ahatake." He placed his hand over his face, moving it smoothly over it, donning his Hollow Mask.

"Hollowfication!?" Ahatake was shocked. This man was a Visored?

MASKED
Mikami closed his eyes, floating back and away. "Remember this, Ahatake...." He reminded calmly. "If you fall.... then we will simply kill him in your stead. You told me you could handle this threat on your own, and we came to see this murderous traitor die. Don't disappoint me."

"I don't appreciate being made into a show." Ahatake said back. Then he turned to face Megami. "Megami, wake Miharu already and send her to find Seireitō!" He sounded insistent on this one. Then he turned to face Takahashi, taking off his cape and throwing it to the ground. He reached to his side, pulling up his katana, sheath and all, before removing it. Then he gripped both the blade and sheath. Then...

They started. Ahatake made the first move, launching himself towards Takahashi, swinging his sword in quickly from the side. To Ahatake's surprise however, Takahashi caught the blade in his bare hand, and swung his own blade at Ahatake, who quickly blocked with his sheath. They were in a stalemate, all of their hands occupied. Ahatake was the first to act, slamming his head into Takahashi's stunning him and sending him flying back. He ran at great speeds through the air in pursuit.

Megami winced, attempting to open up her mouth to retort. But now, Ahatake was already fighting it out against Takahashi. What in the world was she supposed to say? "Hey Mi-chan, you're going to have to go find this Seireitō guy, despite the fact that you probably don't know what I'm talking about!" However, she knew that if Ahatake fell, then it would be one less step for the tyrant to take in order to destroy Soul Society. "Dang it...." She muttered softly, placing a hand onto Miharu's shoulder. Gently, she shook the girl. "Mi-chan.... c'mon, get up. I've finished healing your wounds, and there's been enough time passed...."

Miharu's eyes blinked open, and she sat up groggily. "W-where am I?" She muttered, looking around.

"Oh, thank God!" Immediately, Megami grasped her in a tight hug, though not enough to suffocate her. She had been through enough! "We're still in the Seireitei, dear. Don't worry about what happened.... all that matters is you're fine now...."

Miharu chuckled weakly, hugging her mother back, but then looked around, surprised. "Wait! Kā-chan, wasn't all of this destroyed the last time I saw?"

"Like I said...." Megami whispered, gently pulling Miharu away and holding her by the shoulders. "Don't worry about it. But.... your father is in trouble, and he's asked something of you that I hope you and he know about. Do you know...." She paused for a moment. "....who Seireitō is?"

"Um..." Miharu sat there for a moment. "Sort of.." She said, thinking back. "He used to tell me about his training when I was a kid. Seireitō's supposed a super-strong Shinigami, but I don't know anything other than that."

This caused Megami to let out a helpless groan. "And here he was acting like you knew him...!" She complained, slight irritation in her voice. "Listen, I don't know what your father's thinking right now. But he told me to tell you that you need to find this Seireitō Kawahiru person and train under him..... in the case that Ahatake falls, he wants you to defeat Takahashi in his place." She had a rather helpless expression on her face. "I'm sorry, dear.... but.... he didn't even give me a hint as to where this person would be at...."

Miharu groaned. "Great, now I gotta go on some hunt for a teacher. But, if he's as strong as Tō-san says he is, I should be able to sense a power like that from a mile away." She stood up. "In that case, I guess I gotta go find 'im."

However, Megami stood up with her, once again embracing her in a tight hug. A tear streamed down each cheek. "You be careful out there, you understand....?" She whispered, her voice cracked. But she didn't bother to hide it. She wasn't going to hide the fact that she was going to miss the child's company, even if it was going to be for a short time. "I know you can handle yourself out there, but.... I'm going to worry about you. So please, promise me that you'll make your father and I proud, all right....?"

Miharu hugged her mother as tight as she could. "Don't worry Kā-chan." She said, smiling. "I'll make it back alive and stronger than you can imagine!"

"I know you will...." After a kiss onto the forehead, Megami reluctantly let go and stood onto her feet. "Now go...." She whispered. "Time's wasting..."

"Yeah!" With that, Miharu took off, heading towards one of the gates. She knew she couldn't get out through the sky, the SekiSeki barrier would stop her. As she reached a Gate, she didn't know which one, or care, she knocked. As soon as she saw it open, she snuck through it, the Guardian missing her completely. With that, she drew her blade.

"Improvise, Kyūmu!" From it, she created a large feather. Jumping on it, she took off, flying off into the sky in search of Seireitō.

"Takahasi, explain something to me." Ahatake said, skidding back from a sword clash with him. "Besides completely annihilating the Gotei 13, what is your goal?"

"My goal?" Takahashi repeated. '''"I want to obtain as much Hollow power as I possibly can, while still retaining this body." He placed both hands on his chest for a moment. "The first one to mix blue and yellow called the new color "green". I want to do something similar to that. If blue is Hollow, then yellow is Shinigami, and green is the end result... Only one who understands the value Hollows can have for Shinigami and effectively harness their powers can be called the Ultimate Being."'''

Ahatake was disturbed by this. What Takahashi had said was exactly what he had wanted to do after first harnessing his Hollow powers. This man was like him, in a way. He breathed in, his feet beginning to glow slightly. And he launched himself forward, his blade poised to strike. Without warning, a red blast of energy came hurtling his way.

"Shit, a Cero!" Ahatake immediately moved, dodging the red beam of energy. "Why wasn't I expecting that?"

Tora looked at the spectacle silently, arms folded across his chest as observed every movement made between the two fighters. It was literally watching their future being decided right in front of their eyes. If Ahatake died.... then the blonde Yamamura himself would be the first one to put the finishing blade in Takahashi's neck. There was no way he could allow Takahashi to claim victory after this carefully put plan. This had to work! It aggravated him, but.... he was putting complete faith in the one that he criticized for being so headstrong.

Angelika looked on silently, a rather solemn look of her own crossing her face. Her trenchcoat billowed into the winds. "So far.... it looks like they're even...." She commented to herself. "But I wonder how long that will last....? Especially considering that they haven't revealed their full strength to each other yet. Quite a tense atmosphere building...."

"You dodged." Takahasi noted. "I congratulate you."

Ahatake didn't even take note of this. His feet began to glow slightly as he accelerated towards Takahashi.

"That's right. Charge in." Takahashi waited as Ahatake neared him, and then unleashed another Cero without warning, from the center of his mask.

"Not this time." Ahatake swung his blade, cutting clean through the Cero and charging right in, surprising Takahashi. Ahatake swung his blade down on the man, who immediately used his to block. They were once again in a stalemate. This time, Ahatake broke it, by kicking Takahashi down from the air. The man flew threw a building before crashing into the ground, leaving a small, but apparent crater.

There was silence.

"You can get up." Ahatake said coldly, descending. "I know you're not hurt. Not from an attack like that."

"What men...."

Even as her client was kicked ruthlessly into the ground by her enemy's immense strength, Angelika was unfazed. "Having to force each other to the ground before they deal a final blow...." She remarked, staring in what was slight annoyance. "Just get it over with and kill the other, already...."

Takahashi got back up, building rubble falling off him. He dusted himself off, and vanished on the spot, appearing behind Ahatake, his blade at the ready. Ahatake sensed his power and turned.

"Senka." He thought to himself, recognizing the form. His blade clashed against Takahashi's, blocking both strikes, blades sparking. Then, Ahatake started his offensive, swinging his blade at Takahashi. Takahashi used his own to block, but Ahatake was pushing him back, their blades letting sparks loose as they clashed.

"I find this to be a bit....funny."

Anton had turned his gaze towards Rukia, arms folded across his chest as he watched the two fight it out. Well.... as best as he could anyway, considering the woman had rendered one of them useless. His voice was slightly pained, yet still held a glib tone. "Despite that your friend can fight on even grounds with Takahashi.... our client just seems to anticipate every move he makes. Truthfully.... I don't think that revenger will last much longer, do you?"

Rukia had returned to her normal form, her fight with Anton was basically over. Since he had no civilians to kill, and Ahatake was more than handling Takahashi, she had no reason to continue fighting. "I'm not sure." Rukia replied slowly. "Just like Takahashi is anticipating Ahatake's moves, Ahatake seems to be doing the same. I barely saw that Senka strike Takahashi had performed, yet Ahatake not only deflected it, but is now on the offensive. Our side may just have a chance."

"Quite the faith you have...." Anton remarked, smiling a little. He looked over his shoulder at her. "I suppose that's the way how a noble's mind works." He shrugged his shoulders. "Oh, well. The only thing that's closer to that faith is that Takahashi can't pay us if he's dead...."

"Hm?" Rukia looked surprised. "Pay you? Aren't you loyal to him, like the Shinigami woman?"

This prompted Anton to turn towards her, his expression slightly incredulous. "You mean you never noticed it?" He answered back. "Surely, two things should've given that away. The first thing is that I'm not addressing him with your Japanese suffix "-sama" as the rest of his minions would. Secondly, if we were loyal to him, he would've had a lot more soldiers with Kidō weaponry instead of those Shrieker creatures. We may work with him to help his cause.... but loyalty? Hah.... we have no such thing towards him."

"I see." Rukia slowly turned her head back towards the battle. This surprised her. Takahashi ventured into the Soul Society with the intention of destroying it, with only one soldier loyal to him? Even with all his power, such an action should be considered suicidal. And even if he won the battle against Ahatake, he'd still have to deal with the Captains. If the soldiers were only with him for the money, they could easily shrug him off and go find a new client willing to pay double, they could leave Takahashi to fight these Captains on his own. She wondered if Takahashi had a counter-measure to that.

Ahatake used his sheath to block on oncoming strike from Takahashi, and swung his leg upward, aiming for Takahashi's mask. Takahashi blocked it with his arm, and then gripped Ahatake by the ankle, throwing him down into a building, destroying more of the Seireitei that the Twelfth Division had so recently mended.

Ahatake got up, his clothing slightly damaged from the fall. Lights began to flicker around his feet, and he launched himself towards Takahashi. The moment Ahatake was close to him, he sank his blade right into Takahashi's chest, where his heart was.

"!!!!"

There were gasps of surprise and even slight cheers from what appeared to be a killing blow to Takahashi. The only ones who remained silent were the Yamamura family and the Captain-commander, all of whom had silent and solemn looks onto their faces. The blow made was certainly from an obvious motion that Takahashi was sure to have seen coming. So why hadn't he avoided death? Unless, of course.... it wasn't a fatal attack....

Angelika looked skeptical, but remained silent as she watched the stop in the fighting. However, she was beginning to feel a bit of disappointment. If she had come all the way only to see her client die, then she might as well make the V-14 depart from the area. However, something compelled her to stay.... after all, even she knew that it was an obvious blow made by Ahatake. Her eyes searched the Gotei 13 crowd out of boredom, preparing to scan over the two fighters if they started agai--

"Wait a minute."

Her eyes caught something, moving quickly through the buildings and over the dead Shrieker bodies. At the moment, the figure was far away from the battle and main group itself, but was quickly closing the distance"That's funny...." She thought to herself. "I could've sworn that all of the survivors had been killed in the attack. That doesn't look like Gotei 13 personnel down there...."

Takahashi was motionless, his body limply hanging on Ahatake's blade. Ahatake wasn't smiling, but he truly believed he had won.

"It's-" Ahatake began to speak but was cut off by Takahashi's blade cutting into his chest.

"-Over?" Takahashi finished his sentence, pulling Ahatake's blade from his chest. There was no blood on it at all. He let Ahatake's blade go, and Ahatake himself stumbled back, bleeding.

"You're wondering, I'm sure, how I managed to survive have my chest impaled." Takahashi calmly flicked Ahatake's blood from his blade. He opened his shirt enough to reveal a Hollow hole where his heart should have been. "You see, I'm not a Visored, as I'm sure you initially thought. I am a Toreru."

"Boooooooo, you suck!!!!!"

In the midst of the silent Gotei 13 crowd, one angry yell was met by slightly annoyed glares towards its colleagues. The person who said it immediately shut up.

"A...Toreru?" Ahatake repeated. "And just what is that?"

"Earlier, I told you my goal was to become as Hollow-like as possible without losing my human form. After multiple experiments, I came to this result. Toreru are Vizard who have sealed away thier Hollow powers in the form of another Zanpakutō and gain the powers of an Arrancar. I've gained access to Hierro, Garganta, Cero, Negación, all abilities of Hollows and Arrancar. This is as close as I can possibly go, but my evolution is not yet finished. Toreru Inner Hollows can go through a process similar to Menos Evolution, by using the Zanpakutō they are sealed in to kill other Hollows, absorbing their power. In my current state, my Inner Hollow is of the Adjuchas-class." He was speaking loud enough for it to be heard by everyone, not just Ahatake.

"Damn." Ahatake thought to himself. "I should have aimed somewhere different. It looks like I'll have to bring that out after all."

It was here that Angelika spotted the figure hiding behind one of the buildings.... where Rukia and Anton had their backs turned. "Whoever it is.... I wonder whose side are they on...." She thought to herself.

Ahatake stood up, ripping part of his shirt off, and doing his best to wrap it around his wound. He sheathed his blade and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small hunting knife. "Takahashi, allow me to show you why I was gone for so long, and why you are going to lose, right here." He raised the hunting knife, and swung it down, releasing from it a blast of purple colored, blob like matter that sped across the ground. Unlike a Cero or other energy blasts, it was eating away at the ground. It collided with a building and went right through it, eating away at the building as well.

Takahashi had turned his head to follow it, and turned back around. One could only assume he was surprised, since his face wasn't visible through his mask. "And just what was that?"

"Giji Riyū." Ahatake replied, holding the hunting knife at his side. "A substance that mimics riyū to an extent. A creation of my mothers."

Down below, it could be seen that the figure was a girl. Short, black hair tinted with red highlights covered her head. She had crimson eyes, as well as skin bruised, battered, and bloody. Obviously, it could be assumed that she had been through a hellish struggle, though some of the markings on her were from past attacks. She carried a katana within one of her hands, its blade also stained with crimson. She was looking at the backs of Rukia and Anton as they watched the two superpowers fight it out. They didn't notice her.

Perfect.

Making sure to keep herself quiet, she snuck up behind Rukia, her footsteps like a ghost's. Every step closer brought her adrenaline ever higher. She kept herself contained as she approached her target, using the stealth of a 2nd Division member in order to achieve her goal. Then, she stopped right behind her to pause for a moment. A rather sinister smile came across her face as she raised her blade into position. Her free arm was also raised, her hand balled into a fist.

Then, with speed that could only be covered in milliseconds, she wrapped that free arm around Rukia's neck.

The moment Rukia felt it, she began to struggle, her hands reaching up at the arm that was around her neck, trying to pull it away.

Cold steel came into view a second later.

"Ah, ah, ah...." A soft voice cooed, a hidden venom seeped within. "Keep it up, and I'll have to put this through your head sooner than I would've liked." Anton wouldn't recognize it; the look on his face before surprise upon seeing the second woman was none other than confusion. However, from that time ago, Rukia would clearly remember who it was.

"Aku!" She gasped. "How're you-! Weren't you arrested a century ago?" She ceased struggling, having no interesting in being speared by a blade anytime soon.

A malicious chuckle escaped the woman's lips. "Thanks to that last-minute move you made on me, I was." Slowly, she released the Kuchiki, raising the blade away from her neck. "They may have taken away my powers for now... but during my stay, they were kind enough to teach me so many things on how to inflict pain and agony on someone.... they taught me firsthand...." If Rukia had turned around, she would see the burn marks on her legs, partially covered by a slightly too-long hoodie coat. She would also see bruises and lesser burns on the rest of her body.

"Since you're not in prison, you've obviously escaped." Rukia said, not a trace of fear in her voice, the shock of the woman returning finally subsiding. "So, why didn't you take this chance to escape? You want to take revenge on me?"

Aku lifted her blade in order to point it at Rukia's face, almost as if ready to combat the woman again. "Oh, you always were a perceptive one, Kuchiki-san...." She remarked, tilting her head to the side. "But, I think we both know that this isn't the time to be worrying about each other. Or rather, you to be worrying about me. Once that man kills Ahatake, you will be the next to be his target. If you survive the Seireitei's destruction afterwards.... well, that will be only a signal for me to return again in the future, isn't it?"

"What do you mean "once that man kills Ahatake"?" Rukia asked sharply. "Ahatake still has a winning chance." She used her arm to gesture at the destruction the blast of his Giji Riyū had caused.

The criminal woman lowered her blade, her free hand placed onto her hip. The statement only caused her to smile in amusement. "As I was fighting for my life against those monstrous creatures.... I saw some of the fight that was going on. From what your friend told me before I was apprehended by Ukitake.... I gathered him to be nothing more than a leaderless soldier, a stubborn brute only focused on killing his enemy. There was no forethought, no intelligence, no logic. Maybe if he still held that nature.... he would've held a fighting chance against his demise. However, I also heard him order his wife to send Megami off to train under some unknown teacher in the case that he falls."

She stepped a bit closer to Rukia.

"Don't you get it? He himself is acknowledging his own death, and that's why he sent his daughter to prepare to fight in his stead. With a mind like Takahashi's....a mind who only knows what the gods themselves know.... a mere soldier has no chance of winning. Ahatake will die, and the corruption of the Gotei 13 will finally be destroyed...."

"We'll have to see then. I'm trusting in Ahatake to win this." She replied, focusing on observing the match. "He must have a way to win. That knife is definitely his secret weapon."

"Now Takahashi. This is my new power." He gripped the knife at his side and it began to glow purple, losing it's solid shape and turning into a floating blob of Giji Riyū, similar in appearance to what makes up the Kōryū and the Kōtotsu of the Dangai Precipice World.

"And this is?"

"My Fullbring, The Ties that Bind." Ahatake explained. "It allows me to transform my knife into this blob of Giji Riyū. But I won't explain further than that. I'll just show you." He placed both hands over the blob of Giji Riyū, the blob not harming him as the blast had eaten away at it's surroundings. He immediately brought his hands apart, and the blob lengthened into an energy lance. "I'm coming for you, Takahashi."

"Fullbring. A power unique to humans that allows them to draw on the souls of objects." Takahashi murmured. "That explains so many things. His sudden surge in spiritual power, why he hasn't released his Shikai or donned his Mask. He's given them up in exchange for this power."

Angelika now had her hands propping up her cheek, "sitting" in the air in what looked like clear exasperation. "Can't they just continue this fight already instead of talking....?" She thought to herself. "I'm getting wrinkles on my skin just waiting for one of them to make a move!" Nevertheless, she sat and waited for one to continue the fight.

Ahatake's feetr once again began to flicker with Bringer Lights, and he appeared before Takahashi, swiping the lance down on the man's neck. Takahashi dodge however, and his arm was cut instead. The arm began to bubble and dissolve, similar to what had happened to the ground and building, his arm being eaten away.

Takahashi looked down at his arm, and, in once swift motion, hacked it off. The arm fell, and hit the ground, disintegrating from the effects of Ahatake's Fullbring.

"Didn't want to go the same way as your arm, eh?" Ahatake said, a small grin crossing his face. "Hacking it off was smart, but, soon the rest of you is going to end up just like that severed limb. You can't hack all your limbs off, Takahashi. My Fullbring is going to eat you alive."

"You seem so sure of yourself." Takahashi replied, and there was a slightly cracking noise as his arm began to regenerate, Takahashi fully regaining the limb in under 5 seconds. "I told you." He said, vanishing and appearing behind Ahatake. "I have become as Hollow-like as I possible can. For someone who used to have these powers, you aren't thinking straight." He rammed his elbow into Ahatake's face, sending him shooting into a nearby building. This time however, instead of toying around him him, Takahashi pursued him. As he neared him, he fired a barrage of Cero blasts. However, Ahatake had been prepared, using the Giji Riyū to form a durable Riyū shield that destroyed the Ceros the moment they came in contact. Ahatake stood up, recalling the Giji Riyū to him, and it resumed it's lance form.

At this point, Aku balanced the blade over her shoulder and let out a slight sigh. "Well.... as much as this fight entertains me.... I must be off." With that, she turned onto her heel and walked off, ignoring Anton's incredulous stare at her back. "Make sure not to die on me, Kuchiki...." Then, she broke into a run, disappearing from sight as quickly as she had come to ambush the ambassador.

Rukia was puzzled. Aku came here, successfully captured her, but then left. She frowned. Her words did imply that she'd be back however. Best to end this now. She broke into a Flash Step, pursuing the woman, drawing her blade.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki." She turned her Zanpakutō in a circle counter-clockwise, releasing it with a rush of cold air. She was sure Aku was bound to feel that, so she acted as quickly as she could.

"Daigo no mai, Shirawana." She stabbed the ground with her sword, sending her spiritual energy to tunnel into the ground. Before she was aware of it, geysers of energy shot up around Aku, spiraling around her and effectively impeding her movement. They began to solidify, and merged at the top, sealing off the top, and from the sides, formed pillars with very then gaps, forming a cage of durable ice.