Der Ansturm

Previous Chapter: The Exile 2

Seireitei.

Gotei 13 was in the midst of battle. The elite forces of the Vandenreich, the dreadful Sternritter, cut a bloody swath through the rapidly diminishing ranks of the Shinigami. The Soul Reapers struggled and fought to the death, dying one by one, in dozens, hundreds. Most Captains and their Lieutenants were hopelessly locked in combat, and their Divisions remained leaderless and confused - an easy prey for the well-organised enemy.

In the fresh ruins of buildings nearby to the 5th Division barracks, two Shinigami hid behind a felled pillar. They were surrounded with rubble, smoke and the dead bodies of their late subordinates.

"What should we do?", asked desperately Kana Enodoriko, the 4th Seat Officer of the Fifth Division.

She was a young, petite woman with long, light brown hair and blue eyes.

"Don't ask me, I've got no bloody idea", replied Fudo Shōdo, the 3rd Seat of the same unit.

He was a muscular, if slightly overweight dark-skinned man with a crew cut.

"Where is Captain Hirako?", asked Enodoriko, cautiously looking out from their temporary hiding place.

"He's probably fightin' one of those monsters right now", guessed Shōdo.

Then, a bedazzling orb of blue light emerged from amongst the buildings some distance away, rising rapidly to the sky. Suddenly, it exploded with a lound, firework-like sound.

"Take cover!"

A shower of spiritual energy rained upon the area, resulting in a series of plentiful small explosions. Previously demolished buildings almost turned into ashes, leaving little still standing within a considerable radius.

"Damn it, he's here!", exclaimed Kana.

"You're damn right", responded Fudo, walking from beyond the pillar.

Enodoriko was frightened, but followed him shortly. She felt insecure and exposed, but she knew that there was no way to hide from a Sternritter.

"So, you finally decide to face me", a distant, very deep voice said.

A remarkably tall and broad-shouldered figure approached them unhurriedly. The man stopped about 10 metres from them, examining them closely with a solemn expression on his face.

The man was clad in white, monkish clothing with elaborate epaulettes and light-blue ornaments. He was bald, but had a prominent, dark brown beard and moustache and bushy eyebrows. His eyes were pale blue and delivered an unsettling, piercing gaze.

On his right hand there was a large, ornate bracelet. An unusually shaped little cross was chained to it and dangled freely whilst the man moved his hand.

"Are you ready to receive the divine punishment and to pay for the sins of your ancestors?", asked the Sternritter.

"Spare us this bullshit", replied Shōdo. "You call this massacre "divine punishment"? You're murderers", he added with growing fury.

"Fools! Don't contempt what you don't comprehend."

"Contempt this!", responded Fudo before the Sternritter could continue. "Flare up, Nenshō Kanetsu-ro!"

He gripped his nodachi-like Zanpakutō two-handed and made a sudden, vertical slash. Both the sword and its wielder glowed with red energy. Then, the Zanpakutō promptly transformed into a large battle hammer, with a furnace-like head outfitted with an exhaust pipe on its back. Flames erupted from it with a loud roar.

"Bakuhatsu!", shouted the 3rd Seat Officer, slamming his Zanpakutō on the ground.

The granite tiles exploded. A single shining, scarlet crack bursting with energy rushed toward the motionless Quincy. When it reached him, he was suddenly engulfed in a big, fiery explosion.

"Did you get him?", asked Enodoriko with hesitation.

"Don't be silly", responded Shōdo, his face stiff with a grimace.

As the smoke cleared off, the Sternritter emerged unharmed. Despite its flashiness, the attack did not even singe him.

"My, my, you are all the same. Fierce, stubborn, narrow-minded", declared the Quincy with condescending pity. "You are a stain on the God's creation, and as such I shall erase you at once."

"Enodoriko-san, I need your help. Distract him with your Shikai and I'll get him with a melee attack", whispered Fudo to his companion, completely ignoring the opponent's lofty words.

"Got it", she replied, gathering the strength to fight.

She lifted her katana over her head and started rotating it with one hand, so fast its blade became a blur.

"Spin around, Kamisori Bōshi!", she exclaimed.

The Zanpakutō shone briefly and widened significantly, changing its shape into a big, six-bladed shuriken with a hole in its centre, where the handle was now located.

"Shi no Senkai-ha!"

She threw the Zanpakutō with incredible speed. It rushed toward the Sternritter who remained completely unfazed. It unexpectedly omitted him almost in the last second, flew toward the sky and started to circle around him.

Kana raised her hands outstretched. Then, she quickly lowered one of them, and her Zanpakutō followed the movement, rapidly speeding at the Quincy.

Just as it was about to hit him, he calmly raised his right hand, effortlessly deflecting it with his ornate bracelet. Not discouraged by that display, Enodoriko continued her assault, attempting to confuse her enemy with her Zanpakutō's remarkable velocity and attacking him from different directions repeatedly, striking sparks on each impact.

All of a sudden, Fudo appeared right next to the almost motionless Sternritter, with his hammer raised high.

"Ryūsei!", he screamed.

The exhaust pipe erupted with a powerful flame, emitting a loud roar, and the head's grill-like surface glowed with red, heat-like spiritual energy. The 3rd Seat stroke down, hitting the defensively positioned bracelet of his opponent with great force.

Flames burst forth on the impact, and the subsequent shockwave raised a cloud of smoke.

"Truly pitiful", commented the Sternritter.

Almost stunned with surprise, Shōdo reacted with delay. However, no counter-attack followed. He used Shunpo to retreat and stopped nearby the equally shocked Enodoriko.

"Behold, the power given me by the almighty Juhabach-sama, the Emperor of the Vandenreich!", declared the Sternritter with exaltation. "I am Anders Schäfer, and I shall be your executioner!"

He outstretched his right hand, and the sunrays glittered on the bracelet's silver surface. Suddenly, spiritual energy started gathering on it, slowly forming in the shape of a weapon.

"Hadō #33, Sōkatsui!", exclaimed a disembodied voice.

A blast of blue energy shot from behind the Seated Officers and flew further, hitting the Quincy and engulfing him in a large explosion.