Bleached

Chapter 21: War part 3

Disclaimer: pretend there is one.

Without further ado...

§Central 46, a couple of days before the invasion§

Ichigo fought hard not to sigh in frustration. As expected the Central Idiots had began running like headless chicken at the first mention that, for all intents and purposes, they were at war. Of course, it wasn't as bad as it could've been without Ichigo's influence, but still. Ichigo didn't want to deal with cowards who were only looking out for their own hide. Finally getting tired of the sulking and scared old farts, the orange haired captain let loose a bit of his reiatsu, which brought the now quiet room's attention to himself. Ichigo took a deep breath.

"Are you done panicking? No? Well, guess what, it doesn't matter. Get over it. The Gotei already have a plan which will, ah, allow you to sit this one out. You'll be transported to Hueco Mundo along with the rest of the civilians. Don't worry, there will be shinigami soldiers there to protect your miserable behinds. The Gotei will deal with the Quincies and clen your mess, as we always do." the insults seemed to have no impact, as they were used to it, but the old farts did calm down considerably, although they didn't look totally placated.

"Why haven't you called the Royal Guard? Are you that sure that you'll be able to stop them?" one of the few women asked. Ichigo stared at her.

"The Royal Guard is there to guard the King, if you've indeed forgotten, Lady Miko. And we've been training for this for the past 150 years. We'll be just fine." as he said this, Ichigo could still feel some doubt. He braced himself.

"What exactly is the battle plan, Captain Shiba? We know from what you've told that the Quincy King gains power from the death of his...children. How exactly do you plan to deal with that?" Ichigo sent an appraising look towards the Head of Council for the actually competent question.

"Juuhabach, as we know is barely hanging on to sanity. In the previous timeline, we noticed that the more powerful he became, the more reckless his actions became, until he was completely gone. He was the most powerful man in the Universes, yes, but he couldn't control that power. And the fact that he didn't realize how insane he was allowed us to take him down. So the plan is to kill the Vandendreich and the Sternritter except Haschwalth, and drive Juuhabach insane with the power boost. Trust me, a powerful but insane Quincy King is far less dangerous than a sane and slightly less powerful one. Of course, it won't be easy, as he will be the strongest man in the Universes, but it's our best bet." The Head of Council looked troubled by the answer, but seemed to accept it readily. A curious look overtook his wrinkly features.

"Why spare Haschwalth?" the old man asked, causing Ichigo to smirk slightly.

"Killing Haschwalth would give some semblance of sanity back to Juuhabach, as he is a genius several times over. We can't have that. Also, Haschwalth is already questioning his choice to follow Juuhabach. " the old man didn't seem satisfied.

"And after that?" Ichigo shrugged carelessly.

"We kill him. Or imprison him."

§Seiretei, battleground, where we left off §

They were standing near Soukyouko Hill, and Ichigo thought that Fate's sense of irony was shining through- after all, this was where it all started in many was for Ichigo, and today, it would end. Ichigo regarded Juuhabach with a calmness he didn't actually feel. The orange haired man was wary, and he knew that with the recent death of the Vandendreich, Juuhabach would be as strong, if not stronger than him. But he was determined to fight, to protect every one of his friends ,until the last of his breath. The fact that Juuhabach obviously knew something about him didn't matter to Ichigo. The past rarely mattered when you were trying to save the universe. But it did pique his interest for how much the Quincy King knew. Regardless, there were other things that needed to be taken care of. With that thought in mind, the orange haired man shunpoed towards the clique of Captains and Vice-Captains that were standing on the Hill. Nodding in greeting, he explained what they needed to do.

"You guys must distract Haschwalth until I've killed Juuhabach. Don't kill him, 'cause it will make things worse. Distract him, imprison him. But. Don't. Kill. Him. Not until the black haired Mustachio is dead." the orange haired man impressed upon his peers, ignoring the various snorts that escaped them when they heard the designated nickname of Soul Society's worst enemy since Central 46. Ichigo swore he heard Yhwach grumbling about that comment as Shiro moment of humor was broken by said Mustachio clearing his throat.

"I am hurt, my dear friends. I return after so long, and you won't even notice me. Speaking of old friends, where is Shigekuni? I thought he would be leading his soldier from the front, like a good General." The Quincy King called out in a mocking tone. Several of the Captains, especially the old ones hissed. Ichigo narrowed his one disrespected Yama-jii except him. And maybe Kyouraku, but that was beside the point, as the eccentric captain looked as enraged as Ichigo, though he hid it behind a sharp smile. The tension increased tenfold. Ichigo took that as a sign. Giving a lasting look to his peers, he smiled one last time before he shunpoed in the air so he could meet his nemesis. Juuhabach raised an eyebrow in mocking askance, though he seemed to be scanning Ichigo calculatingly. Ichigo took a deep breath, and smirked.

"The soutaicho is...occupied with something. I'm sure if he deemed you...dangerous enough, he'd come along. So it seems like you're stuck with me as your opponent." Juuhabach eyes narrowed marginally, and his mocking smile became sharp. The Quincy King's reiatsu flared dangerously, with enough force to send several lieutenants down. Even the captains were struggling. Except Shunsui that is.

"You have quite the mouth on you, shinigami, or is it quincy? You are a hybrid after all. And like all mutts, you bark more than you bite. Very well, I will indulge you in a fight. " Haschwalth's eyes widened. He needed to get out of there, lest he be killed in the crossfire. The blond Quincy hirenkyakued away. Seeing this, the captains made to follow him. Ichigo, who had been waiting for them to leave, heaved a sigh of relief, before finally turning his attention back to the Quincy King. The orange haired man hadn't wanted his friends to become so affected of the reiatsu that they be crushed. So he'd waited for them to make good distance between them and the two titans of power. Ichigo let his tight hold on his reiatsu loose. It seemed like a dam had been broken, such was the force, before it finally settled down. Somewhere else, Shunsui whistled, impressed. He knew Ichigo was unreleased, but he could probably have taken Yamamoto down in bankai with that power. Byakuya sighed, exasperated with his friend's need for theatrics.

Meanwhile, Juuhabach had lost the smile in his face. The power hungry Mustachio was aware of the fact that the orange haired pretty boy was powerful. But this exceeded his expectations a little too much for his liking. The Quincy King had been looking forward to a good fight, one he knew he would win, but this was gearing towards a bloody, brutal, battle. Ichigo smirked once again.

"Surprised? As you said, I am a hybrid. The hybrid, if you will. The perfect blend of quincy, shinigami and hollow. But I thought you already knew that?" Ichigo said, casually mocking the would be Emperor. He knew that Juuhabach wasn't completely insane yet. So pushing his buttons to speed up the process was his tactic. And if he was enjoying it a little too much, it wouldn't hurt anybody. Juuhabach, on the other hand, was grinding his teeth. The impudent brat! Using his own words against him to make him look stupid! But something the brat said caught his attention.

"A hollow-quincy-shinigami-hybrid? Then you're a truly sad individual, falling so far as to incorporate hollow powers into your own. And what good will it be, when I win and you lose?" Juuhabach said in a similar mocking tone. In response, Ichigo just raised an eyebrow. It seemed like Juuhabach didn't know that much about Ichigo after all. And it was a testament to his insanity that he let it slip so easily. Ichigo fell into a stance.

"It's truly sad that you don't even realize what you're facing. Let's get this party started. " With that, the hybrid flared his reiatsu, and unleashed his full shikai.

"Tear the Heavens Asunder...Zangetsu!" Immediately, black reiatsu unleashed itself on the whole of Seiretei. The sunlight seemed to dim, and an oppressive reiatsu weighed down on the few shinigamis still in the city, almost choking them to death, before it suddenly seemed to vanish. Juuhabach's eyes widened, surprised to see such an exhibition of power from the young captain.

Elsewhere, the captains heaved a relieved sigh and trepidation, realizing that Ichigo had just entered transcendent levels of powers. They hadn't had much trouble subduing Haschwalth, as he was already worn out from his fight with Ukitake, and the combined forces of the captains hadn't had to do much. And now they had a blond ponce secured in bakudo of level 100, thanks to Kisuke Urahara. The quincy wouldn't be able to escape even if he tried. Besides, it seemed like Haschwalth was more interested in the fight between Mustachio and Strawberry than anything else.

Meanwhile, the two fighters in question still hadn't made a move. Juuhabach knew that his opponent wan't to be taken lightly, and from the release right now, it seemed like he hadn't even released his bankai yet. Juuhabach released a put upon sigh.

"If you insist." With that, the quincy King released fully released his reiatsu, easily matching Ichigo. The city was flooded with light from Juuhabach's reiatsu, and where Ichigos reiatsu had dimmed the sky, the Quincy King's brightened it up. From the captain's vantage point, they could see that where Ichigo stood, he seemed to be darkness, and from where Juuhabach stood, he radiated an unholy light. The light and dark seemed to clash at a point in the middle of the two pseudo-gods, and created a truly spectacular sight. The Quincy King drew his Scheele Sneider, transforming it to a sword.

For a while all stood still.

And then, simultaneously, the two beacons of power attacked, meeting each other midway.

The moment their swords crossed, a shock-wave of energy went through the whole of Soul Society. The remaining city of Seiretei was completely destroyed as a result, and the remaining shinigami fled before they could be canon fodder. A flash of annoyance flitted across Juuhabach's face as he saw that the Strawberry had blocked him with his trench knife, and somehow managed to break Juuhabach's impromptu sword. Before the young captain could capitalize on it, the Quincy flash stepped away. Ichigo smirked mockingly, and Juuhabach could see something hollow-like in his expression.

"Close combat too difficult for you, Mustache Man?" Juuhabach almost gaped before he pulled himself together. Now the kid had done it. Smiling sharply, he readied himself for the next attack. Manifesting his largest bow, he let loose a barrage of arrows, before using an ancient technique he'd created specifically to fight shinigamis.

"Sankt Bogen." The enormous arrows were travelling at lightening speeds towards the shinigami, who'd been casually dodging every arrow of Juuhabach's until now. The orange haired man's eyes widened, before he flash stepped, evading almost every one of the arrows.

Almost.

One arrow which had been significantly faster than the rest, caught Ichigo unaware and struck him in the middle of his stomach, and pinning him to a mountain wall, which was miles away. Juuhabach smiled a cruel smile. Grabbing one of the arrows of the Bogen, he turned it to a broadsword, fit to fight a shinigami. Not that he was sure that this particular brat had more fight in him. The Quincy King flash stepped towards the mountain, reaching it in seconds. The cruel smile had never left his face as he took in the state of enemy. Kurosaki was gasping in pain, understandably, as his arrow had made a big hole through his stomach. Juuhabach was surprised that his torso was still clinging to the rest of his body. Or the fact that he hadn't passed out because of blood loss.

"Was that all? I must say I am disappointed-" Juuhabach cut himself off as he saw what the shinigami was doing.

The imbecile was pulling out his arrow, almost easily. Then, as soon as the arrow was out, the see trough hole almost immediately knitted itself back. It was as if he had never been injured in the first place! Juuhabach sensed for a drop in reiatsu, and sensed none. Ichigo cracked his neck.

"You were saying something?" Juuhabach blinked owlishly, before falling into stance.

"Bloody hybrids." he muttered. And then they were off again, belting out blows that would have killed an average captain many times over. Ichigo jumped into the air.

"Getsuga Tensho!" the black wave of energy traveled towards Juuhabach, who dodged by leaping into the air. But he once again underestimated Ichigo, as he was suddenly attacked from behind. Not being able to react in time, he took a full force of a Getsuga in his face. Ichigo didn't wait for him to recover, as he flipped and used his sword in a straight cut to his head, which Juuhabach blocked. And retaliated with a cut to Ichigo's ribs, which the shinigami barely evaded.

Juuhabach jumped back to catch his breath. He had to end this. They were both equally matched, and both were still holding back. Apparently the Strawberry had the same idea, as his reiatsu, which only Juuhabach was able to sense, skyrocketed.

"Tensa Zangetsu!" Another rush of black reiatsu encompassed the sky, and when the orange haired man reappeared, he was holding to large khyber knives. His hair was flying around him, and he had two horns growing from his head. With a slightly deranged smile, Juuhabach powered up as well. Unlike his children, he didn't have a Vollstanding, as such a thing was beneath him, but he did have a power up. A light encompassed the whole of Seiretei once again, as the Quincy King powered up.

And he knew no more.

Because he was finished, he looked very much the same, if you overlooked the enourmous bow, and the slighlty younger appearance. The quincy King sent out his reiatsu, which destroyed everything in it's path, before finally opening his eyes. The were totally iris-less, and by the expression he was wearing, the ploy to drive him insane with power had worked. Ichigo's own eyes, which were gold scanned the man before him. He'd have to finish this soon. The man before him was a loose cannon. And Ichigo had to mute it. He began charging up for a final attack.

Sensing an enemy, the berserk King turned towards Ichigo. Letting loose a roar of rage, he charged up for an attack. Ichigo's eyes widened when he sensed the power if the attack. A sad smile of acceptance overcame his features.

"Sorry, Kaien... I...don't think I'll be able to make it. " With a deep breath, he charged his attack with all he had...

And the two gods let loose their final attacks.

A black wave of power headed at sonic speed towards the Quincy King. An enormous arrow made its way towards Ichigo.

They both struck their marks, and a huge explosion encompassed the whole of Soul Society.

Kaien was waiting anxiously for the air to clear.

And once it did his eyes widened in horror.

"No!"

Because in front of him, the Quincy Emperor's corpse laid.

And on the other side, his brother's bloody, lifeless body laid.

-Killing me won't bring back Ichigo

-iamAdisco