18Chapter 11
As a black hole ripped open in the sky of the spirit world, numerous Menos Grandes clawed their way out with destructive intent. The former Visored, now reformed Soul Reapers, Rose, Kensei, and Moshiro, flash stepped into the air to meet the giant ghastly terrors. Each with their hollowfied mask equipped, rushed towards the monsters to quickly destroy them before the Menos Grande could get far from the rift into Hueco Mundo.
Rose quickly released the shinkai of his Zanpakuto, the release state of the weapon was a long golden whip. He began spinning the whip rapidly in the air, as he moved, he begun the incantation for a powerful fire kido spell. Rose closed his eyes as he chanted, concentrating very hard on the energy that was flowing into his Zanpakuto. When the musician opened his eyes, his entire whip became red with flame energy. He spun it around himself striking down three Menos Grandes and destroying them in several swift slashes.
Kensei yelled in rage as he flew high into the air towards a group of Menos standing in a line moving away from the fight. The soul reaper focused massive power into his left arm and clenched his fist. Appearing in front of the Menos Grande leading the pack, Kensei punched it square in its massive nose. As he socked him, Kensei also released a powerful Cero energy beam that gushed through the first Menos and also struck the next three. In a flash of dark blue energy, more Menos fell to the powerful Visored.
Using her powerful feet, Moshiro leapt from Menos to Menos kicking them in the fact smashing their masks and eliminating each hollow in one blow. The green haired girl squealed with joy as she would hit each hollow, it had been quite some time since she'd had this much fun. Even as the weakest soul reaper of the three and the only who was not a captain, thanks to her hollowfication, these hollows were no match for Moshiro.
Not far from the Menos slaying, Shinji and Cedric begun their battle. As Shinji released his Zanpakuto, Cedric quickly noticed that everything was not as it should be. He looked up to see the ground, and as he peered down, he saw the sky. It also did not take him long to release if he consciously moved his head up and to the right, it would actually move down and to the left. Every one of his body motions moved in the opposite of what he commanded it to do.
"Welcome to the inverted world." Shinji said with a wry and confident smile. "I think you'll find yourself at a huge disadvantage fighting me once my Zanpakuto is released. With all your senses in reverse, what hope could you possibly have of victory?"
"All of you are so confident…" Cedric spoke, as he tried to get used to the inverse controls of his body. "I know I've been out of touch with the soul society for centuries now, but wasn't Ichigo Kurosaki your strongest? You should know, I easily defeated him back in the world of the living. If he's your strongest, then none of you stand a chance against me."
"That overconfidence will be your downfall, you know." Shinji said softly and seriously. "Let me tell you a little secret about Ichigo Kurosaki. After his spirit energy was restored to him, the Soul Society placed barriers on his spiritual pressure much like they do for the captains or lieutenants when they enter the world of the living."
"What are you trying to say?" Cedric asked, annoyed at this man now and no longer fascinated by his hollowfication. Despite his abilities, it was clear to Ares that this man was way more of a soul reaper then a hollow, which was disappointed to the rogue shingami.
"I'm saying that Ichigo was fighting at you with a 5th of his actual power at best." Shinji said, "It's a good thing I'm going to kill you now, because things would be awfully uncomfortable for you now if he found you here in the spirit world."
"You're full of nothing but hot air and lies!" Cedric sneered as he rose his blade, "Going to kill me, are you? Now who's the overconfident one, friend? Let's finish this up, I have things to do, like killing that fat friend of yours!"
Shinji chuckled as he leapt forward to slash his enemy. Cedric saw the leader of the visored rush forward and instinctively parried to the left. He knew he needed to move to the right however in Shinji's inverted world, and quickly did the correct motion. Unfortunately for Cedric, he was a moment to slow and his arm get cut by Shinji's blade. The wielder of Osafu cussed as blood gushed from his shoulder.
"That's the beauty of Sakanede!" Shinji spoke with pride about his weapon, "The more of a seasoned warrior you are, the better tuned your instincts and battle senses are, which means the harder it is for you to move the correct way in my inverted world. I hate to say it, Mr. Hueco Mundo, but you'd have a better chance against me if this was your first fight ever! As it is, you're a very skilled warrior. Obviously your time being exiled in Hueco Mundo has given you plenty of time to become very powerful. Unfortunately for you, that means you have no chance against me…When you have to think twice about each attack, you're just to slow!"
Shinji readied himself for the killing blow, but became distracted as Cedric Ares began to chuckle first quietly to himself, then visibly out loud. Shinji, once again annoyed at his enemy demanded, "What's so funny?"
"To slow?" Cedric asked his eyes now showing a bit of crazed rage as he looked back at Shinji, "What could you possibly know about speed? Let me show you real speed, and then you'll see how ironic it is that you call me to slow!"
Cedric raised his blade and Shinji watched as wind began to form around the warrior. His eye pupils slowly faded away as power surrounded the assassin. As the wind picked up and started swirl around Cedric in a powerful gust that completely hid him, Shinji heard a word that caused him a small amount of surprised "Bankai."
"Tempest Fury" Cedric spoke as he flew past Shinji so fast that the captain couldn't follow his movements. Unknown to Shinji, Osafu's bankai Tempest Fury would create a very strong gust of wind that would completely cover Cedric and his blade. While in this mystical gust, Cedric is able to move as quickly as the wind at speeds that are so fast that aside from air blowing past one's face, no man can ever detect his movements. It is Cedric's bankai that kept him alive as a skilled thief and assassin for centuries in Hueco Mundo.
Shinji stood in shock and confusion as wind blew past his face, and Cedric was nowhere to be seen. He frantically looked around the sky, realizing that he could no longer feel Cedric's spiritual pressure. Unknown to Shinji, this was a benefit of being surrounded by the Tempest Fury.
Cedric had moved so far away from Shinji that he had escaped the area that his Zanpakuto's aroma could impact. Within a blink, Cedric realized that his world had once again become right side up. The killer sighed gently with relief. Cedric knew that this captain may have been able to best him if it wasn't for his Bankai that allows him to move faster then perhaps anything in existence. Also, with his spirit pressure being completely masked, Cedric knew he could administer the killing blow whenever he wanted. His eyes quickly moved a little to the left as he realized that Shinji's friends were finishing up the last of the hollows summoned with the Menos Flute. He needed to wrap things up quickly, and get that Blood Chalice.
"What the hell just happened?" Shinji wondered as he searched his surroundings trying to sense a trace of Cedric's spiritual pressure. "His Bankai let him just...turn invisible maybe? No, he's not here, otherwise I could sense it. There was a mighty gust of wind, and then Cedric wasn't here anymore…So he can move away really quickly, which means he is going to be mounting an attack very soon. I have to be on my guard!"
"Hado 13, Spirit Wall" Hachi yelled from the forest floor below where Shinji and Cedric were fighting. A wide orange barrier appeared around Shinji. "Shinji please excuse my intrusion, but now when your enemy strikes you will be able to see which direction he comes from."
"Smart move, Hachi." Shinji commeted, grateful he had a friend looking out for him. Then Shinji was terrified with reality, as he remembered it was after Hachi this man was after. Without missing a beat, Shinji looked down and yelled at his friend. "No Hachi, make a forcefield around yourself NOW!"
"Oh…" Hachi realized his error in judgment, "Hado 113 Spi…"
"To late!"
Cedric blurred in with a gust of wind and cut Hachi's hand. Shinji flash stepped to the ground and readied to strike his enemy, but Cedric moved past him, let his bandana fly off his face. As the bandana left the mouth of the rogue soul reaper it turned into one of his secret trick weapons, a long sling that he used to wrap up Shinji and throw him into a nearby tree. Cedric's speed as he was able to wrap up Shinji, he moved towards him, allowed him to create a very forceful throw as he let go of one end of the mystical bandana and released Shinji into a tree. The soul reaper's body hit the tree hard and he fell to the ground severely weakened, as the bandana returned to its normal form and Cedric returned it to his face.
"What a dirty trick!" Hachi scalded Cedric as he tried to move his only good hand which now was bleeding. It was unable to be used to command Kido but that didn't stop the former vice leader of the Kido corps. "If you think I need my hands to cast incantations, you are about to be very disappointed!"
"No matter," Cedric replied as his bankai deactivated, "I have you exactly where I want you, tubby!"
The assassin raised his left hand wearing the Hell Gauntlet and it began to glow red. Suddenly Hachi fell to the ground clenching his chest, feeling as if his heart was being pulled out of his own body. In about five very painful seconds, Hachi spent his last moments of life watching as a bloody black chalice was ripped from his body. Cedric grabbed the relic as Hachi's lifeless body hit the ground.
"You bastard!" Kensei spoke as he Rose, and Moshiro flashstepped into the scene surrounding Cedric. "We're going to kill you for that!"
"Now you've just pissed me off even more." Shinji slowly spoke, as he struggled to raise his body up. The impact was so great it had completely destroyed the tree he had hit, and from the feel of it, most of Shinji's bones were broken as well.
"It doesn't matter anymore…" Cedric coolly replied, "I have what I need to go to Hell now!"
"Oh you're going to Hell…" Kensei grumbled as he moved forward with murderous intent.
Cedric pulled the hell stone out of his pocket with his gloved hand and dropped it into the chalice. Within half a second, a dark red and black portal opened up behind him as the stone dissolved into the chalice. Cedric closed his eyes peacefully as the force of the portal sucked him in as well as many nearby trees and stumps. As Cedric retreated into Hell, Shinji and the others were left with their fallen friend, feeling defeated and knowing that this was only the terrible start of events that were about to get way worse.
Tatsuki journeyed far across the spirit world, making her way into the Rukon District in hopes of finding anyone who could help her find the right way to go. As she entered the city, she saw a poor area full of hurting and hungry folk. It pained Tatsuki to think that this is what the afterlife was like. Her introspective moment was very quickly interrupted by the sound of growls and roars from incoming hollows that had entered from a Hueco Mundo rift. She quickly rushed and jumped in between a large hollow serpent with six arms and a couple of small children who were about to be devoured.
Tatsuki quickly reached to her back to unseat her Zanpakuto and felt very strange. She did not feel its power with her. She glared at the Hollow and yelled the phrase she had discovered unlocked her sword's spirit pressure "Return to Me, Simba!"
Several dozen times back home in the past two days when the hollows attacked, Tatsuki had been able to say this phrase and borrow Simba's power. But in this moment it seemed very clear to the young new soul reaper. Her Zanpakuto was ignoring her. Tatsuki readied herself for a fight as the serpent hollow moved in closer.
A/N : Thanks so much for reading folks. I didn't feel this chapter was ready yet, but I went through about three different turn of events and finally settled on this one just for the sake of keeping the story progressing. I hope you enjoy it and as always thanks for reading! I still don't own Bleach...