Bleach: Precipice World[IC]

yoshua171

The Loremaster
Original poster
FOLKLORE MEMBER
Invitation Status
Genres
Fantasy, Naruto, Bleach, and anything else that catches my attention
Gotei 13 Forces

A figure moved and continued onward, looking up at the setting moon as he continued his way towards the Sereitei. One was the only symbol seen on his clothing. Behind him, the green glow of kido illuminated the front lines where the shinigami held off the hollows. The figure was lost in thought, going far too fast for any to catch his conversation to himself.

"One day... A day when the reincarnation cycle is uninterrupted. From life to death to death to life. Hollows won't interupt it, neither the quincy. A few might die for me to get to this dream, but everyone else will thank me for doing a little evil. Yggdrasil, you are doing better than I could have ever imagined, drawing all these hollows out to the slaughter. I do wonder what is keeping that human Kirako though. He's a keypin to the world of the living. He's too strong for mere hollows to have done anything to him."

As he passed from district to district, he looked at the scared faces of the few people watching for hollows. It stopped the thoughts beforehand as a profound sadness settled on him.

"Forgive me for the little bit of pain, people of the Soul Society.... I swear it will all be worth it."

*******
In the middle of a darkened room, a shinigami stood with a column of light on him only. He stood steadfastly infront of the 46 panels infront of him. His posture conveyed powerful presence. The panel spoke to him.

"Captain Commander Daiki Sakaki, what is it we hear of hollows still in the Rukongai? Shouldn't they have been put down by now?"

"Hollows have appeared in swelling numbers in the Rukongai, we can't handle them as per normal patrols. I have already deployed several divisions to engage them. Several districts have been completely devoured. Casualties are high on both sides. We have identified that they are being led by Arrancar, which is how they are so well organized and have resisted our attacks. We are holding them off at District 51. I have visited these districts myself, things are grave."

"And why have they made it to the 51st district!? Your performance is being questioned at this point, Captain Commander. This is the single biggest loss of souls the Soul Society has seen in a millenium!"

"I recognize the tragedy. As noted, there are Arrancar, some of which have rivaled our captains. Captain of squad 8, Musashi Oda, and several others have fallen. I believe that they might be able, at least in terms of raw strength, rival the Gotei 13. To be honest, I don't think there are many hollows left in Hueco Mundo, I believe we are looking at the full force of the hollows."

"Rival the Gotei 13? Preposterous! If things are that grave, what of the reports of you refusing to slay a single hollow?"

"Greatly exaggerated, I have slain four so far."

"You could slay thousands more, why are you not personally pressing the battle?"

"As I said, these Arrancar are a threat. If they have several arrancar able to match our captains, what do you suppose would lead them? And if I reveal my strength to them, that's a weakness. What would happen if you show weakness to a beast?"

"Tch. Are you suggesting these mere hollows have something able to match the Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 forces?"

"Are you suggesting that they have pushed the Gotei 13 forces so easily without a force like that?"

"If that is true, the Gotei 13 is in danger, and us as well! Still, I find it hard to believe they have a force like that. Why do you suppose every single hollow is attacking us?"

"They move like a wounded beast. My guess is that something has wounded them, displaced them. If that is the case, we may be able to eliminate them completely. That's why I am waiting."

"Something? Captain Commander, we do not deal in the vague. We need every detail, give us a reason of what."

Sakaki bit his lip, the first bit of hesitation he had shown. "I do not know. I just know how the wounded beast moves. Only guess I could have is whatever is blocking up the Dangai could have something to do with this as well. I believe if I let them show their strength a little more, without showing mine beforehand, we'll be able to push them back and regain the Rukongai."

"And.... What if you're wrong?"

"Then we eliminate them here and keep on pushing. I grow weary of hollows. Don't you see it! Every.Single. Hollow. Do you know what that means if we win!? We could have a final solution. A tommorrow without hollows! Imagine the hollows gone, then think of the world without the quincy! Not a single interruption to the reincarnation cycle! We wouldn't even be needed!"

Discussion rang throughout central 46 at the thought. It was new, and some almost thought it heresy.

"Captain Commander Sakaki, keep your ideals to yourself, that is not the purpose of your station, your purpose is merely to enforce the balance of souls. How are we on that front? Must we change the balance? What does division 12 say on the matter."

"You know they are without a captain, he was lost in the beginning of the Dangai danger, he's the reason we decided to temporarily withdraw from the human world. What we can tell, the balance is not yet thrown off, though I worry if we don't finish off the hollows soon, it will be."

"Very well. You are dismissed."

"I have one request. The majority of the Gotei 13 shall be deployed against the hollows.

"Then you would leave the Sereitei completely unprotected?"

"I'll leave a few here. But I need to see the shinigami's efforts with my own eyes, and they need to see the captains united. I can't fight personally, I haven't seen their full strength. I refuse to show them ours, but morale will falter without us showing being truly united. The quickest way to end this is for us to kill their leaders. Unless you prefer the hollows to destroy the Rukongai completely, we should go. A commander belongs with his men."

Central 46 was silent for a moment, before some discussion started again, a decision being reached.

"Very well. But Central 46 will not convene until your return, until we feel it is safe."

The light dimmed, and Sakaki quietly departed.


Human World Coalition

Why has it come to this? Are human beings always doomed to be swallowed by greed and power, the want to achieve such through any means? This and many other questions rose in the mind of a particular Quincy in what looked to be an underground facility. The white-haired woman showed great discomfort in what was being done, but she alone sought to see the place shut down.

The Quincy in question was one they called Reikuhara, a woman part of a special two-man cell that the very leader of the Coalition had direct command over. One of two that held great skill to become such in the first place, and now she was here, in what looked to be an underground facility walking through corridors and along catwalks with unconcious bodies scattered around.

While her purpose there looked unclear at first, what is known is that this facility was one of two hidden away from 'public' knowledge and run by those in the Coalition. Here however, Reiku had been on a path to shut the very place down, being the reason why so many laid out cold.

"Why would the Commander do such a thing. This isn't right. Experiments like this.. It's so inhumane, so wrong...."

The woman spoke to herself as she gripped a bow in hand, continuing to walk along as she looked around. Her task was finished here, having dealt with those that had conspired such dreadful acts as well as free those that had been subjected to these experiments.

"Are humans not supposed to be more morally inclined than that of the hollows or the shinigami?.. Where is our dignity in this? Our actual humanity? In the namesake of power?.. This is not why we've formed this Coalition.. Kirako, what were you thinking..?"

Further questioning monologue continued as the woman pressed onward, taking her leave of the place as she eases her grip some on her bow, sliding the physical object into place across her back as she sighed, seeing no more need for it.

As she stopped in place in a building above ground, she slightly looked up as in thought, "Elam...what will you do?"

* * * *

Some time had passed since then as Reikuhara now walked through areas of the Coalition's base of operations. Amidst all that was happening, it left the woman on a sour note having to deal with something such as this when they already have so many other problems to deal with, namely the hollows. A short smile did creep up on her lips as she shook her head,

"I'm sure my sister is having fun atleast.. Oh that woman.."

She sighed as she continued on, giving nods and small waves to others nearby, listening to anything they had to report or say while remaining brisk in her walk. Where she was going, the number of people were dwindling more and more until she came up on a meeting room, remaining infront of the doors as she stood still. Elam was keeping Kirako busy so that his attention was diverted away from what Reikuhara was up to, as well making sure word didn't get out either way.

Reiku was not sure what was to come from all this but a confrontation of the issue was something that needed to be done. As she stepped through the doors, she was not entirely prepared to see what had occured inside, "Elam??... What did..... Did you-?.." The woman spoke curiously as she looked over the scene, a bit dismayed at seeing the outcome.

* * * *

FROM ANOTHER POINT OF VIEW

Knock. Knock.

"Yes?... Come right in.." A man with an old but grunty voice, from inside the meeting room spoke up, addressing whoever it was that knocked on the door.

The door was slowly opened, when a figure entered the room. "Ah.. Elam, it's you.. How are things going?.." Elam was quiet for a few seconds as he approached the table. Standing there with a serious expression on his face. The man with the grunty voice was confused as to why a response from one of his trusted men was not received. "Something wrong..?" He tried to assure.

Another few seconds passed before the eye-patched Quincy spoke up. "Kirako-san.." He finished, referring to Kirako Daihetai, the Commander of the Human World Coalition, and a Fullbringer at that. There was something he had to figure out, and in order to achieve that, asking the right person would be for the best. Elam's blue eyes showed resolve and conviction. What came next would change things around in the World of the Living.

"There is something I need to clarify, or rather, know.." The Quincy expressed with determination, the glimmer of almost disgust could be seen in his eye. Kirako was seated on a chair. The big meeting room also had an office in it, where the Commander usually was. The expression on Kirako's face was becoming serious, wondering what was bothering Elam's mind. "And.. What is it that you want to know?..." Kirako firmly posed a question.

"Were you a part of it as well?.. Knowingly?.. The facilities.. The experiments!?.... All of it?..." He coldly gazed at Kirako, wondering if all the questions he asked would receive the harsh answers he expected.

Kirako's demeanor was much more serious now. He stood up from his chair, standing there for a few seconds. He knew full well how smart Elam was, and whatever he said, it would've taken him quite the convincing if necessary. ".. So you know..." Kirako sighed, sounding disappointed.

The words that came out of Elam's Commander were the bitter truth, or rather, the words he needed to know. Everything was true. Their Commander was experimenting on the humans that were effected by the collapse of Hueco Mundo, and even the pluses who were roaming around in Karakura Town. "I'm sorry that it had to come to this... Boy..." The Commander moved away from the chair, approaching Elam. A blade materialized in Kirako's hand.

Elam stood there silently, not moving an inch, His gaze locked onto their Commander's eyes."What I'm doing is for our own benefit.. To receive more power. In order to destroy those damn Hollows, in order to protect the Humans... It is all for the greater good... My son..." Despite the words that escaped Kirako's lips, despite the way he tried to justify the end for what he was behind, it was all horrendous.

Kirako stood before Elam, not using his blade right away. "I should have known someone of your caliber would've figured it out sooner or later... And I bet Reiku has too... Right?.. You two were always a notch above the rest." He asked, not getting any answers out of the Quincy. A smirk was plastered on their Commander's face. It was as if what he was doing would have no repercussions in the future.

"You know it better than anyone.. If the news about this is spread around our coalition, I will lose the trust I need in order to get this done.. Things will be in shambles. It cannot happen.. And thats why... I must--" Kirako was abruptly interrupted by Elam.

"Kill you..." The Quincy finished Kirako's sentence, though noticed how the latter lunged with the blade towards him, trying to take him down with a surprise. "Don't get cocky... ELAM!!" The Commander raised his voice.

In that very moment, the Quincy was literally gone from the Commander's sight, not giving him a single chance to react. Kirako's eyes widened, as he looked around the room, confused. A grin was plastered on his face, knowing quite well where Elam was. Turning around drastically, moving his blade and its sharp end towards the direction he felt the latter's presence was, he felt the sudden pain in his chest. Not fully knowing what had just happened.

Another simple blade was plunged into his chest, giving the Commander a fatal injury. Standing there for a second, blood gushed out from his mouth as he slowly moved his eyes towards Elam, who was right below him, at point blank, with one hand gripping the hilt of the blade that would eventually take the man's life. "... Yo...Yo--- You'll.. Regret thi--"

"No... I won't.... Kirako..." Elam coldly stated, before he pushed the blade deeper in and used the force behind it to throw Kirako against the wall on the other end of the entrance. The life was slowly seeping out of the Commander. His face covered in blood from the mouth down. The blade still plunged into him. The Quincy stood there with a demeanor unfazed. A few seconds later he approached the now dead Kirako Daihetai, and the now dying former leader of the Human World Coalition.

Standing before him, he gripped the hilt of the blade which was covered in blood and pulled it out from the body. Not a single scratch on him. "It's a shame Kirako.. That I couldn't tell you that your facilities... Will no longer exist... And the fact that.. Reiku probably has taken care of one already. You old fool..." The door into the meeting room opened again.

A familiar female voice ushered from behind. With his back turned against Reiku, he tilted his head to the side, gazing at her from the corner of his ice cold eye. The event before the female Quincy was probably something she did not expect. They were a two-man cell that worked directly under Kirako, and probably equally as strong if not stronger. The question that escaped Reiku was definetely not unexpected. If anything, she was more fond of the Commander unlike Elam, and couldn't believe that he was behind everything. Though the facility she visited surely gave her the answers she herself seeked in all of this.

"It was necessary." Elam harshly stated, before his gaze turned back down at the body against the wall.

"Is it done?.." He asked, referring to the facility she was to destroy. After a few seconds he walked away from the body, which would allow Reiku to see the condition of Kirako. On his way to the very chair the Commander usually sits on, he casually dropped the bloody blade.

"You and I will be taking over..." He finished, before he sat down. "As equals.." His entire demeanor was abundantly cold and unfazed.

Before she answered, Reiku shut her eyes and quietly sighed, "Yeah.. I've gathered a small group reliable enough to clear the rest of it out, gathering those guilty I've left unconscious and evacuating any stragglers that remained hidden. We'll find out what to do with them later for their actions, but the facility will never be functional again. But to see that it had to lead to death like this.... I guess I can only be disappointed in all this, moreso by the Commander."

Crossing her arms calmly across her chest, Reikuhara stepped away from the door and towards a desk, standing near it as she looked upon Kirako before turning her gaze upon Elam, "It looks as though he would have discarded us given the chance. To think with all this conflict, humans still hold onto their greed.. I wonder, if he had perished by other means, his desires might have eventually made him an enemy to his own cause."

Shifting her attention on the matters elsewhere, she shut her eyes again before her tone shifted, having now addressed Elam's earlier comment about taking over, "Explaining this to the others won't be easy, and I am certain there will be resentment towards it. Still, I guess this was unavoidable in any case. But now it looks we have other matters to tend to. There's still one facility left and the hollows are also still giving us trouble on the surface. Have you gotten any word from the others about that? My sister maybe?"

Elam's demeanor was becoming calmer than it had been a few seconds ago. Listening to Reiku regarding her thoughts about the Commander and his little unruly business, he glanced at the body before diverting his attention towards his fellow Quincy. "His intention was to take care of the both of us once he found out that I knew about his plans..." There wasn't really much to tell, even Reiku had figured it out.

"Before all this..." The Quincy referred to the little event in the meeting room. "I had already gotten the reports regarding the Hollows.. and the Shinigami.. .. But first.. There are a few groups of Fullbringers and Quincies out there pushing the Hollows coming from Hueco Mundo back..." The situation was quite dire in the World of the Living, and it was all thanks to the Shinigami and the Hollows. If anything Elam had a personal issue against Seireitei.

"But these.. Abominations.. They are coming in groups from Hueco Mundo... And quite fast... I don't know why.. There's not much information I've received regarding that. We'll have to find out.. In order to stop this..."

"We've already severed our connection with Seireitei and the Shinigami. That's why the coalition exists.. We can handle this on our own... And as for your sister..." Elam thoroughly explained the situation, before he stood up from the chair, walking towards the wide table with the necessary information about the structure of Karakura Town, and the many strategies, forces, and the location of where the Hollows were possibly coming from plus their own bases away from the coalition's headquarters.

"Knowing her.. She's probably out getting rid of the Hollows." Despite his own personal issue with the Shinigami in general, he had come to terms with how the coalition was to work. With how mixed they were. With Quincies, Fullbringers, Enhanced Humans, and even Shinigami who accepted their cause and had abandoned Seireitei. Even if there weren't many of that, one exception would be Reiku's half-sister. Kairi Veritahl, a substitute Shinigami.

Looking at the wide table before him and Reiku, he decided to bring something familiar up. "Since you took care of one of the two facilities. The remaining one has to be taken care of as well... Also.. The death of Kirako will surely spread like a wild fire around the coalition. It is inevitable." Elam actually had a plan regarding that, and he knew full well the reaction some may get once its out. But if anything, it was for the better.

"Reiku..." He uttered, before continuing. "We will tell the people of the coalition about the reason behind the Commander's death, but only when we have rallied a group in order to prevent any more experiments from happening. It is also for their own benefit. So they can witness it by themselves and see what you saw... And... We will get the coalition back on track to face the real threat. the Hollows, and maybe even Seireitei, if they meddle in our business and the World of the Living. Like we've told them not to do."

"It won't be easy to find the support we might need at first, but you're right...our leadership won't come easy but there are not many others aside from us that can reliably take that position. As much as I'd like to say there were. I will personally see to it that Kairi will not be involved in the other facility, we'll need her on the offensive more than anything. I know you prefer it have nothing to do with shinigami but she is needed to keep pressure on the hollows just as any others fighting out there. Because she's capable of what shinigami can do as well..."

Reikuhara then looked over the table with her hands planted firmly on it as she leaned over, "I suggest we contact Lecor and give her the go ahead to make a push. Once we have our numbers on casualties and those who are still ready, I think we should be able to drive the hollows back enough to flush out their chain of command. When we are ready and have dealt with what's needed about the facility, I will go and join my sister on the defense."

Lifting herself up from the table, she then moved towards the doorway and stopped again, turning to face Elam, "I am not saying this of doubt, but of reassurance. We've fought alongside one another for a long while, Elam. I do not doubt you, nor of the actions you have done. It was inevitable that Kirako would have met his end, but I will say this much. I know you are different, but to remain strong and truly just in our cause, if I see you falter onto similar paths as he, know that you may share a fate similar someday. Truthful to say I trust you far more than I did Kirako, but that is just what I wish to tell you as we take on such responsibilities for the consequences we shall face in the future."

"I never doubted the fact that your sister would be capable as a Shinigami. I've come to accept it as it is. Because it's neccessary." Standing across from Reiku, his concentration shifted towards the map of Karakura Town laid out before them. There was much to do about the coalition and the enemies they are facing, and how dangerous things could get. "And as you say. Your sister is probably more useful out there on the front. I wouldn't have it any other way."

If anyone, Reiku was perhaps the only one who knew how Elam really felt about the Shinigami, but now, with the both of them taking command over the Human World Coalition, more would eventually know by the time if it ever did come to that. The Quincy was hoping for nothing of the sort, if anything, creating a rift inside the coalition would definitely end badly for them all, and especially leave the Humans unprotected. "I will personally invite Lecor and notify her about the facility and have her take care of it. I'm sure if anything, she is capable of that, by taking a few others with her."

He turned away from the table and moved across it, nodding towards Reiku regarding Kairi and helping her strengthen their defense. His gaze was locked onto his fellow Quincy when she addressed something quite interesting. Elam had a cold sharpness to his aura as his gaze was focused on what escaped her lips. "You are probably the only one who can say that and get away with it. But if I do follow the same path as Kirako. I'd have it no other way than to have you cut me down."

A couple of seconds passed as the eerie silence swirled around the room between the both of them. Eventually, Reiku left without saying a word, but Elam knew that what she said was out of concern and that she cared, hoping it would never come to the same thing. Alone in the room again, or rather, with the dead corpse of Kirako in the meeting room, he slightly lifted his hand up, before reishi started to appear above his palm and materialized into a sky blue, but transparent sparrow. Manipulating the reishi further, it eventually turned into a black one, and semed like it was filled with life, nor was it transparent anymore. A small note was rolled up in Elam's vacant hand, before he gave it to his sparrow, who eventually grabbed it with his talons.

Once it flew away from the room, the reishi made sparrow eventually dissolved itself along with the note before it reached the wall. It was not gone, and would appear again outside, making its way to the Fullbringer, a General, Casana G. Lecor. The note notified her about a meeting requested by Elam in the very same meeting room. She would be the first one who would know about the demise of Kirako Daihetai. Or so they would believe.


El Miedo

Before her was a diagram, set on a table entirely constructed of bones, she hated the thing. Her gaze practically boring through the diagram laid out on the smooth surface. Her eyes trailed over it with purpose, each movement noting a different nuance. The diagram itself was composed primarily of reiryoku with a small amount of reishi used to bind it in place temporarily.

After several minutes of pursuing the nuances of the diagram she lifted her eyes and hands from the table. The moment her hands ceased contact the reiryoku condensed into thin lines of reishi, which then folded into a two foot long rod, which she snatched up, collapsed down into a 6 inch rod, and hid in her clothes all in one swift movement.

It had been a diagram showing the status of the war. Noting the location of her troops in both the World of the Living and Soul Society.

Currently she was focusing the bulk of her forces in the Rukongai and Karakura town. However, it wasn't all she had, though she had certainly led the other two factions to believe it was.

Sighing as she looked around the war room in which she held meetings with the Presagio, and every so often her Argén, she shook her head, a slightly sad look in her eyes. She hated this.

If only there hadn't been disturbances in the Dangai. If only Hueco Mundo had not began to collapse, she'd be there, merely watching over her kin...rather than leading them to be slaughtered, and slaughter, the other races. It was disgusting.

Unable to remain in one place for long, lest the idea of this war overwhelm her, Armonia strode forth, exiting the chamber that was but a grim reminder of her position, and out into a garganta. As she entered the Dangai she had to make a decision. Would she personally lead the assault against the humans, or the shinigami?

She closed her eyes, remembering the positions of all the pieces on the board. She had committed it to memory, but it was easier to adjust by using the diagram, which was why she had it at all.

Suddenly she felt a presence approaching, her eyes snapped open, her reiatsu flared, and her expression changed to one of mild anger.

An arrancar appeared, entering the Dangai through a garganta. "Matriarca," the arrancar driveled, bowing to one knee before her. Armonia made no response. After a moment the arrancar began to speak, not bothering to rise, likely out of fear. "The Humans seem to be rallying. It appears their general has fallen to two of their own. It seems to be a coup. They're heading to a nearby factory, something about human and soul experimentation from their former leader," the arrancar's tone was level, despite the fact that she could feel fear and hunger emanating from his form.

She began walking past him, reopening his garganta even as she gently laid her hand on his head, patting it. "Thank you Ascarta, you have done well...this time. You will be rewarded later. For now, pass the message on to the Presagio and Argén in the Rukongai. Tell them to pull back their central forces, and circle others around the side." Ascarta managed to sneak a glance at her face as she spoke, she was smiling, it was a dark look.

"I want them to think they're winning. Make it convincing. If they do, tell them it will be well worth their time. Oh, and remind them what I do to those who don't listen to orders," she met the arrancar's eyes, looking down at him, a cruel smile on her lips, before she turned away and walked through the garganta, the tear in space closing behind her.

Ascarta shivered and rose, "The woman is terrifying..." he muttered to himself, before he took a few breaths, regaining his composure, and then departed. It was time to get moving.
Arriving in the human world, Armonia had already suppressed her reiatsu down to absolute zero, making it impossible to detect her. She turned and then vanished, continuously using sonido to get to her destination.

When she got to her base of operations she would give the order. Call upon the hollows, contact two of the Argén, and ready themselves within garganta, poised to attack. The key was to have the humans begin their assault on the factory, then blow it up, swarming hollows into the rubble just afterwards.

That ought to send a message, and deal the most damage. Then again, perhaps she ought to protect the facility, gather information on the experiments that had been conducted therein, use it to her advantage. It would also make her more unpredictable. If the enemy's leaders couldn't figure her out, they'd never be able to predict her properly.

Which was more valuable? A show of sheer force to intimidate, or information and unpredictability. She chose the latter.

This was going to get bloody.

She steeled herself for the result of her decision, even if it was an hour or so away. She really did hate war.
 
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Kibe Sofu
North Rukongai District 68. The Hollows were pushing farther into the Rukongai, aiming to make it to the Seireitei in due time, to fight and kill the Shinigami and end their miserable lives. He held no love for the other Races, only for the Hollows and Arrancar. Though he wouldn't call it love, more of an understanding and compassion towards them to save them. Kibe stood atop of a building, dead souls inside, Hollows creeping around on the ground. Cries, screams, and roars of power in the distance reached his ears. His eyes closed, a small smile creeping to his face as the dead Souls and Shinigami are lain about the ground. Kibe has not been involved with any fight with the Shinigami currently, his power was being reserved in case the forces of the Gotei 13 decide to actually come out and fight. So far they met little resistance, like the Gotei 13 were trying to hide in the Seireitei, allowing the souls do die instead of saving them like they were suppose to. Maybe he was just on the wrong front of this War, and maybe battles were going on in different locations.

Kibe dropped down from the building, landing on his feet not so gracefully. Once on the ground Kibe pushed his arms over his head, stretching his body as several pops snapped from him. Once he finished popping, he opened his eyes and glanced around, a snake-like hollow slithered up beside Kibe. He reached down, touching the head of the weaker Hollow and gave it a pat, his mind wandering for a moment as he mindlessly patted/petted the Hollow like it was a pet to him. "Maybe I should head back to Hueco Mundo...maybe the Matriarca has some orders to give." Kibe hasn't had a new order since he led the Vanguard into the Rukongai. Turning sharply on his heel, he headed to a clear open space in the middle of the street.

He raised a hand, aiming his finger straight in front of him before swiping it. Black cracks appeared before him before cracking open, almost like he was cracking thin air. The descorrer was was easily made and Kibe entered the black void as it closed around him. In Hueco Mundo the same black crack appeared a moment after it closed in the Rukongai and opened in Hueco Mundo. He stepped out of the void, taking in the awful scenery of their world. At least the Shinigami and Humans had worlds with variety. All he ever saw in Hueco Mundo was a blistering sun and blinding desert sand. However, he didn't feel her presence in Hueco Mundo. Unless she was hiding it, but he knew she wouldn't be hiding her Reiatsu within Hueco Mundo, meaning she was no longer here. He gave one final glance to the desert before re-opening his Descorrer. He planned on heading back to the Rukongai, and if the Matriarca had any orders for him. She would likely send someone to him.

His Descorrer opened up in the sky of the Rukongai district 68 North once more. His eyes seeming to burn as he wanted to attack the Shinigami but he was given no orders to do so. He needed more Hollows and Arrancar to perform an assault on the Seireitei anyways. If he decided to attack without orders or reinforcements, and survived, he was certain that he would be scolded or punished for his insubordination. His teeth gritted now, outstretching his hand once more. He aimed his index finger at an empty building, allowing a cero to build up at his index finger. The purple hue of his reiatsu in a sphere before firing in the Cero, a large purple beam crashing into the building, an explosion following after. He had to let some sort of steam out.

Now he just had to wait for his orders.
Isiro Sanida
Isiro sat on a lone hilltop in the middle of the woods, a few hundred feet away from the Coalitions HQ. Where Kirako was just killed, but Isiro was not bothered by the presence of their leader disappearing or the fact he felt Elam's and Reiku's pressure within the same area that Kirako was in. He focused on himself, sitting still as he began to meditate. His eyes drooped before closing, entering his Inner World while he had the time. Clouds, floating pillars and platforms, and a permanent sun always setting, giving off the perfect orange hue at the right intensity so he wasn't blinded. He stood on the main platform, looking around and sure enough Nana and the Hollow showed up. "I was wondering where you two may be." Isiro spoke in a light, friendly tone but Nana just made a 'hmph' sound at him. She folded her arms and stuck her chin out and gave a pout. "Forget about her, you don't even need her Isiro. You have me, and I can give you more power than she could ever hope to give you." The Hollow slunk over to Isiro, wrapping an arm around his shoulder. The Hollow was an exact copy of himself, well...except the odd colors of his skin, hair, and eyes. Oh, and clothing. Isiro shook his head and slipped out of the Hollow's grip. "Nanari, you know that I'm not picking him over you. I'm trying to learn more about the Hollows...and well. He is a Hollow Spirit, or something like that. I might be able to find a way to help the Hollows." Hollows were created when they didn't pass on to the Rukongai, their chain slowly deteriorated and turned them into the creatures they were.

"They seem to eat Human Souls out of spite or possibly revenge. It might be possible that we could pass a Hollow onto the next world, and they may be reborn like a Human Soul. If that is even possible, then we could save all this fighting and pass these poor souls on." It was a dream that he could hope to achieve. If he could pass a Hollow successfully to the Soul Society and they are reborn into a Shinigami, then they could stop it all. Stop all the pointless bloodshed. "Sounds stupid to me." Nana huffed and kept her arms folded. Isiro let out a sigh, Nana was jealous and getting spiteful towards Isiro. In a flash, Nana changed into Isiro perfectly, even mimicing his voice. "Oh. I have the ideals that everyone should live peacefully together and the Hollows are misunderstood. Blah blah blah." Nana waved her arms in the air, and now it just seemed weird. Their was three Isiro's in his Inner World now, and the real on began to frown. "Nanari, you are being childish. You know I'm not ignoring you, but I can't get any answers from you about Hollows..." Isiro folded his own arms, and then the Hollow did. Isiro couldn't deal with these shenanigans at the moment. Breaking his concentration by force, he left his Inner World.

Once he exited his Inner World, his eyes opened up to the scenery of a gentle breeze blowing through the trees. Birds chirping in the distance. It was so calm and peaceful in this area, but their was a war going on. He wished he could stay here and focus on his Inner World, trying to get the answers. In truth, he didn't know what answers he was searching for, but he needed to find something about the Hollows or else he spent all that time for no reason. "...I better go back, see what is going on." Isiro slowly stood up, dusting himself off. His gray jacket hung around his shoulders, strapped to him through his robes. In an instant, he used Shunpo, heading towards the building. Arriving at the building, the hallways seemed clear and Isiro gave a simple shrug. He didn't feel Reiku's reiatsu anymore, maybe she left while he was still in his Inner World. Opening the meeting room door, he casually walked in, only glancing at the dead body of Kirako. Maybe Elam and Reiku planned on killing Kirako when no one was around, so no questions would be asked.

Isiro didn't really care for the dead man. "So. What now?" Isiro didn't know that he wasn't suppose to be here. That he wasn't suppose to know about the dead Commander yet, but he really didn't care and his face stayed neutral.
 
Leon De la Méno
The human world - the realm which served as his home once upon a time. One would think that he'd have more sympathy or any sort of feelings for the landscape. It is not a secret that most Arrancars don't remember a lot of their life prior to the transformation, but he did. After all the years, he was still unable to decide whether he'd like to forget or not. Maybe not. His past only fueled his present desire. To protect his kin. One of the reason why he was in the world of the living in the first place. His queen's wish was for him to wait further orders here. Little knowledge did he have of his upcoming orders, but he was able to stand on the battlefield along with his own. A wonderful opportunity. As wonderful as it may come in this life that he was granted.

An abandoned building site served as his current location. No one from the Human Coalition, nor the Seireitei, paid him a visit since he came emerged out of Hueco Mundo. Although a war was raging on, he wasn't surprised that little heed was paid to him. Almost no reiatsu was seeping out of his body, as he found no need for it. He was able to see his surroundings even without it. Besides, the less power he showed, the better in the long run.

Somewhere in the room, water was constantly dripping, the only source of sound from within it. No - that was no water. He turned his head towards the source of the sound, spiritual pressure tracing an outline of a spirit bound to the site. His time as a spirit was almost over, two thirds of his chain eaten away. Tears were falling down his face, the commotion of its spiritual pressure causing the sound that had caught Leon's attention. "Do not worry," Leon slowly approached the outline. The spirit was far from hostile, most of his will broken. "The pain won't last long." He stopped inches away from the spirit of a worker, attracting his attention. "Y-you can see me?" The spirit stuttered, barely composing himself enough to speak. "What is it that bothers you? Family you've left behind? A loved one?"

"My... daughter. And wife. I can't even think about what might be happening to them now that I'm gone." His eyes teared up again, the sound of tears colliding with the floor persistent in its existence. "I see. Do you want me to help you?" Leon asked, his tone not changing throughout the exchange, but extending his hand forward. He was able to see him nod.

"The pain is a normal part of the process. Once it subsides, you shall see your new family awaiting you; needing you." Leon gripped the end of the chain, his hand only slightly warming up. It took a few seconds before it broke off, leaving a hole where the spirit's heart once was. "There will be no more pain, my child." Leon watched as the transformation unfolded right in front of his eyes, a small burst of reiatsu making its way out of the building, before the fresh hollow rushed out of it as well. The slender chances of someone dropping by were even smaller as of now. Whoever noticed the outburst would easily trace it's pattern to a hollow that roamed outside. And this way the spirit wouldn't attract a wandering hollow, which subsequently may attract an enemy. Still having to wait for his orders, it was not recommended to attract any unwanted attention.

He did wonder where the other Argén, Kurono, was. Hopefully not in trouble, again.

Agaki Hope
As another Hollow disappeared from his sight, Hope lowered the amount of reiatsu he was releasing. He was alone, patrolling the scenery of the town and fighting the occasional Hollow he had encountered - not engaging them only if they were in massive groups, but marking the position of the sight on the map of the town he had with him. If anything, maybe they would be able to deduce the areas from which they were seeping in from the most. That was an important bit of strategy, if they were to continue fighting the hollow forces. Interestingly, he had no idea where his superiors were, nor the rookies that were supposed to be on the shift. Indeed, he was said not to question the actions of his superiors, but who was to blame him - something had been happening within the Coalition and he had no way to know what. Which was not all that fair considering that he was doing his best to patrol and map the town. On his own.

Sure, it was not the right time to complain, considering the constant emergence of hollow forces - but it would sure be nice if at least one of the rookies was here. Moving to a roof of the nearby building, Hope sat down on the edge, noticing another pack of hollows. Taking his time, he laid the map down, marking the spot on it - as well as the direction from which they supposedly came. As they left, Hope made sure to note the street they went down so not to go down it himself later on; especially if he had to move quickly to another area.

After they were no longer in sight, Hope took out his cellphone, skimming through the contact list before finding his target - a rookie that was supposed to be on the patrol with him. Why she hadn't showed up was a complete mystery to him, but he was not the person to make rash decisions. At least not in this kind of a situation. Dialing the number, Hope let his eyes gaze over the scenery, quite peaceful if one was to forget what transpired throughout it. Hope would sure appreciate if he was able to just let go and enjoy it for a second, but after he learned the true state of things - it was hard to just ignore it. "Yo, Tara - it's Hope. Have a good reason for not being here... you know... patrolling with me?" He already had the entire conversation mapped out in his head; that is, if only she cared to pick up the phone.
 
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Tara groaned as her phone rang, instantly knowing who it was and what for before she so much as looked to see the caller ID. She hadn't intentionally been skipping out on work per say. Oh wait. Chores. People actually got paid for work but not quincy chores. Saving people and running out on patrols was both a thankless and inconvenient job. War this, war that. Coalition this, coalition that. Did it really matter who was in charge of what? The shinigami just wanted control but they were concerned about dead people. Hollows were also mostly concerned about dead people but the shinigami would keep them in check because people who went into hollow stomachs didn't add to their forces. If anyone had no reason to fight, it was them. Just so long as the brutes of the afterlife kept their business mostly out of the business of the living. Yet here they were, getting into others' business and not even on a volunteer basis. They had fairly unwilling people, her included, doing patrols. Didn't they realize that people had lives?

"I swear, not all of us like jumping around like heroes from some cartoon in all our waking hours," she sighed, setting her pencil down and picked up the phone. Picking up, she took on a machine-like tone of voice and mimicked her quincy number answering machine.

"I'm sorry. The number you have dialed belongs to someone who has a life and homework. Please direct yourself to the front desk where actual volunteers play super-hero."
 
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Mika Satomi
Karakura Town
Fear

Panting in an alley, Mika hid, pressing herself as close against the building as she could. In the distance a frustrated hollow roared from its prey eluding it. Mika was perfect to it, helpless, and having an abnormally high reiatsu for a whole. All the danger she had been in had boosted her Reiatsu again, and again. At first, Mika had trouble moving or breathing, now she was more athletic than she had remembered being before the whole scary monsters attacking her.

The roaring quieted down, and Mika allowed herself to collapse, sitting against the building. The roars became less frequent and disappeared.

Mika was tired and stressed. She touched the chain attached to her body, almost lost.

"What's going on? There was a fire, it hurt, then it didn't, then this chain thingy appeared, then these creatures keep attacking me. I tried telling Dad the fire was my fault, but he couldn't hear me.... then more monsters... Argh!"

Mika put her head into her lap, and finally let herself feel the emotions she had. A tear or two came onto her knees before she stopped herself.

"I-I can't just stop now. I haven't talked to my Dad yet. There has to be a way. Let's review what I know. I... I think I died. That's why no one can see or hear me. Those monsters attacks people like me.... I guess there's someway we move on I don't know about.... I can't move on though. I have to talk to Dad! Those creatures have white masks, and a hole where there heart is suppose to be."

Mika sighed again.

"Can't someone tell me what's going on? Ghost-whisperers, I'm sorry I ever thought you were frauds. At least that thing is gone."

As she finished that statement, a hiss came from behind her. Mika realized too late there was another one of those beasts right behind her.

Mika turned, only to have it wrap it's body around her, squeezing hard. She screamed, and pounded on the mask with her fists. A crack was left in the hollow's mask, which deepened with each blow, and it weakened it's grip in surprise. Mika broke free, and turned to punch it one last time, which shocked it even more. Mika turned, and started running again. She swore she wasn't going to just get killed by these things!

The surprise gave her a few seconds head start on the snake hollow, and Mika made it all the way down to the next corner before it set off after her. As she turned the corner, she ran straight into a massive rock.

After getting back up, she realized it wasn't a rock, as it moved, turning back towards her. In it's mouth was blood and a chain.... a chain exactly alike to the one Mika had attached to her. Mika's pupils shrank as she saw it. Had it- had it killed somebody like her?

It roared, and Mika nearly was sick as she saw a piece of clothing on one of it's teeth.

Behind her a couple blocks, a the snake hollow followed.

Mika knew she wasn't going to be able to run from this. She didn't know what she could do, and it took her a minute to realize her fists were up. She didn't know what she could do, but she knew one thing. She wasn't going to die before she got to explain things to her father.

An image of his bagged eyes following the fire flashed before her. She just couldn't.
 
Human World
As the hollows approaching Mika grew closer and closer to the poor girl, things looked more and more bleak for her fate. The giant hollow currently in front of her opened its maw ready to devour her as guttural growls escaped him, the only sound she could hear as it reached closer and closer. Another noise began to grow in the distance, a yelling of sorts and it was getting closer. It wasn't one of fear or anger, but it was getting closer and more vivid. Enough so that it caught the hollow's attention as it stopped, raising itself up straight to locate the source. As it stood at its peak, it was already too late to look around as the pounding crash of a foot collided against its face, sending it reeling back into a fall,

"Gruahh!--.." The hollow sputtered out, crashing to the ground with a pained growl. Someone had appeared to help the girl out of nowhere? All the girl had likely saw was a flash of black and white, mixed with some blue before the figure settled themselves up above on a light post. They were wielding a rather long katana and had quite the womanly figure as they revealed themself as a woman. Likely before the girl could say anything in response, another figure in more basic, casual clothing one would normally see a person wear appeared that looked just like the woman that had just saved Mika. "No time to explain.. Come with me, miss." Before Mika knew it, the woman lifted her up into her arms into a bridal carry and jumped away from the ensuing battle.

As she leaped away however, the snake hollow from before came out in a sneak attack to try and catch them off guard, only to find itself getting knocked away with what looked to be the light-post part of the pole the other woman had stood on, now shattered and mangled upon contact with the snake-like hollow.

The woman in the black outfit laughed heartily as she looked to be enjoying herself, the back of her blade resting on her shoulder as she looked between the two hollows, "Well then.. I see we've got a couple more trying to get a snack in through all the fighting.. Well then, if that was to be your appetizer, why not try a three course dish standing right here? Well? Come on, show me what you bastards got before I get bored!"

Her taunt was rather effective against the two as they riled up their growls, looking ready to pounce her any moment. Bearing her teeth in a grin, the woman 'vanished' as only two words echoed amongst the two hollows, clearly having toyed with them the entire time, "Too slow~..."

Appearing behind them a moment later, she took a step forward as she brandished her blade forward, slaking off the blood she had spilled from their bodies. Before they knew it, deep wounds opened up on the hollows as they shrieked in agony before abruptly cutting off in gurgles, their masks splitting inward violently. As that happened, the deaths of the hollows were undoubtedly noticed in the nearby area, their bodies dissipating away as the woman sheathed her blade, "Go and rest easy now as your troubles will soon vanish.. May one day I will find a challenge suitable to my strength.."

"You know.. You can always just do it the more basic way without all the flair, you know that right, Kairi?..." "Phah.. Shut it Keito, you like it just as much.. Probably as much as you like taking care of my body, no?" "And there you go again with that.. Honestly it'd have been easier if you were a male or I a female at this rate. I have my own dignity you know." "Calm down, I get it.. How's the girl? We'll need to clear this area up to set a perimeter. There's plenty more hollows like those two trying to feed now that all this has happened."

Not much was known on what the hell was going on, surely enough was the case with Mika. Nearby, there was likely more fighting similar to this, and many other cases of people being chased and eaten, alive or 'whole' on the matter..
 
Agaki Hope

He was a calm man, Hope had to remind himself of the fact. Yes, a calm and polite man. "You won't have a life when I'm through with you!" he pinched the bridge of his nose as he hissed into the phone. Exhaling, he relaxed, taking on a completely different, more cunning tone. "C'mon, you're in freaking high school - what kind of homework is more important than keeping your superior company? It's not like I ever throw much work your way anyways." Somewhere deep down he hoped that was her actual answering machine and that one of the leaders would get the same message, and finally teach her a lesson. Then again - one was never able to know for certain with that girl, even that might not faze her.

Clenching his fist, Hope noticed a lone Hollow on the street below him, an infuriated one. Crashing itself into street lamps and signs. "I'll buy you ice-cream~" In the end, he resorted to the most useful trick up his sleeve. He wouldn't bankrupt from one ice-cream. The way he talked into the phone assured that he saw through her pity little answering machine trick, although he spoke without waiting for an answer between his lines - just in case he really was, by some strange coincidence, redirected to a genuine answering machine. He was never completely sure with them Quincies.

Jumping down, he waited for the Hollow to turn his way. The figure of a cockroach rushed towards him at the moment's notice, but he did not flinch - although the appearance was not pleasant to the eye one bit. Instead, he calmly waited for the insect to draw near, before generating a small barrier of Reiatsu in front of him, bringing his opponent to a halt. Whilst circling around it, Hope activated his Fullbring, the claw shining brightly in place of his right hand. In an instant, it impaled the Hollow, but before Hope was able to bring certain demise upon it, the Hollow managed to wiggle out by jumping to the side and sticking onto the wall of the building. It screeched in his direction, although Hope wasn't exactly sure that was how cockroaches should sound.

"So, what do you say?" he brought the phone back to his ear, watching as the Hollow grew even angrier, trying to strike Hope down as soon as the opportunity showed its face. This time, however, the insect dropped to the ground before even reaching the halfway point towards Hope. It twitched violently as its skin begun cracking. As if it never existed, the sounds faded and Hope was left alone on the street - only the unpleasant scent of P.R. lingering on, before returning to Hope. "Good riddance."
 
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Human World
Kairi Veritahl & Mika Satomi
Saved



Mika looked dumbfounded from her place between the gigai's arms. She had no idea what was going on. Someone had saved her? Wait, someone had seen her? How had she killed those... Those... Hollows? They called them hollows. Mika guessed that made sense with the hollow holes over their heart.

Mika looked at the soul reaper, before making her up her mind what she wanted to ask.

"Can you teach me to fight those things? Those... hollows?"

Mika had never been in a fight before, but she knew this, if she didn't learn fast, she wasn't going to escape so luckily next time.

Kairi looked at the girl as she spoke up, blinking as she grinned, "Well, you don't mess around, do you?" She looked at her gigai and nodded, who then let Mika down onto her feet. "It's a pretty dangerous line of work, kid.. Hollows find your type of existance a delicacy. You must already realize you're dead. For that, I apologize for whatever you had gone through to get this way.. I do commend you for the way I saw you resist them. It looks like you naturally pack a good punch.."

The woman's double - or in this case the gigai had crossed their arms and spoke up, [glow=red]"Are you sure that's wise, Kairi? Shouldn't she be allowed to pass over to avoid this mess?"[/glow]

"No... I know that look in her eyes, she has much to do before she'd ever accept that. Surely you do too, Keito."

'Keito' quietly grunted as 'she' gently looked away, displeased but understanding, [glow=red]"Well.. This isn't a good place for it. We're still on the defense and need to push them out of this area. It's a high concentration area of pluses and normal people alike only waiting to lure more hollows to come. We need to limit the casualties here."[/glow]

Mika was still a bit confused by it all, but from the small disagreement, she guessed one of them was for saying yes. The confirmation of her being dead did sting. she had guessed as much, but now she knew it was true. She thought back to the fire in the lab, to the pain, and then the peace. She guessed that lab fire must have done it. So... She didn't only cause the fire, she had died in it as well. She nodded at the woman who had said she had too much to do to pass over. She had, she still HAD to find a way to tell her father. Knowing she was dead now made it much more important.

"I can't move on. I don't know what's on the other side, but there are things I have to do here first. I can't give up, or let those things.... Those hollows you called them? I can't let them stop me either. Where are we going then if this is a bad place, and how can I help?"

"That all depends if you're serious on fighting.. Otherwise you can follow Keito here back to our outpost.. If you still wish to fight - and learn on the fly, then stay with me.. Just know they'll likely target you more easily than me. To them, you're filet mignon where I'm just a good steak medium-rare." Kairi smirked, laughing gently, "Get the picture? I'm just as much a target, but they take your 'kind' much more keenly. Call yourself a spirit, a whole, a plus, whatever you like.. You may be dead now but you can still do something about it as you've seen in your struggle... Before you ask though.. I'm not dead.. I do not want to garner anything negative for telling you that, but there are those that are alive that can fight as well. For all I know, you might have been able to see them alive considering your budding strength now."

Mika took a second thinking about it. Going now would be dangerous. She had barely escaped before, and never tried fighting them.... But she had seen this woman fight them. It could be done. If she didn't learn now how to, she would never be able to. She had to be crazy for even trying this.

"Well, I'm already dead, what's to lose. I've got to learn how to, or else I can't see my Dad again. I'm Mika Satomi. What's your name?"

"Kairi.. Kairi Veritahl. This one here is also me, but 'Keito' is my swords' spirit in my real body. You'll see plenty others that look like me clothing wise with swords in other places.. They are what's called a Shinigami. I'm one too, but more or less a 'substitute' if that makes sense.. See, Shinigami originate in a different 'world' where I'm still from here. Get the picture, sorta?.. Anyways, giving you the simple details, there are many others like me, well.. Spiritually-aware people, not shinigami, that are fighting these hollows. We're a part of something we like to call the Human World Coalition. I'm one of the high-ranks that help lead it."

Kairi then looked on ahead as she gestured a hand over, "Well, follow me, I'll have to explain as we go. The others will be here soon to secure this block. We're going to try and prevent as many casualties as possible... By the way.. You've noticed your chain, yes?.."

Sword's spirit, shinigami, different world, spiritually aware..... What on earth was going on? Mika had so many questions, but had the feeling now wasn't the time. Mika blinked and nodded her head blankly as she followed. The chain part did get her attention, and Mika touched it instinctively, lifting it up.

"Yeah, I've had no clue what this thing is. It won't come off, and it hurt when I tried. Any advice for.... running into those hollow-things?"

Mika almost gulped at the words. She made up her mind she was going to learn whatever she needed, but the concept still scared her. She had no idea what she was doing, and running back to these things seemed like the worst thing to do.

"Rule one... Do not break that chain. The shorter it gets, the less time you will have before bad things will happen.. That is your lifeline for now.. Eventually you will see a change in those chains.. Do not let it scare you, as intimidating as it may look when it does.. All I can say is if you allow that chain to disappear completely before moving on... You will become a Hollow... They're spirits who've strayed from their path, created by a multitude of unfortunate reasons. There are ways to prevent all that, but those methods we will need to discuss with the rest of our little command circle... I do not mean to frighten you if it does, but those are facts you must know."

Kairi looked at Mika as they moved along, "Your time here won't be forever, and when the time comes you will need to pass on over to the Soul Society. That is the world the Shinigami come from. There is a largely strained relation with them and us right now, but honestly, the cycle of reincarnation is necessary to keep a balance. A balance even they are straining greatly right now..."


"Hollows used to be people like me!?"

That one fact shocked Mika. Those things were people too once?

Mika looked down at the chain. So that was her time here, it was limited. Still. She had to do what she had to do. If she only had so much time, she had to be more determined about it. It meant she definitely had to go now. If she stayed back bobbing away from those Hollows, she'd just become one of them anyways. If they weren't chasing her all the time, she could find someway to talk to her dad.

"Alright. I'll do what I can in that time I have then. I definitely can't back down now."
 
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"Fine, fine..." Tara groaned, abruptly hanging up the phone. Things were so much simpler for the normal people who didn't have to deal with the chore of cleaning up messes every two seconds. She for one refused to be one of those people who made fools of themselves with constant excuses to go to the nurse's office. They had school. The city wouldn't implode if they sat back and left it to the portion of the quincys that were unemployed adults. Come on, that's what they were for. Convenience. If they wanted to, it was stupid but by all means let them play hero. There was no need to go run off at a moment's notice constantly if it wasn't going to cause some huge calamity.

"I swear. Its work this, pride that. Duty this, chores that," Tara grumbled, putting her things away. All the same, she took her sweet time grabbing her things and took a leisurely stroll out her door and down the street. And no, she wouldn't have been going if it weren't for the fact that she'd just realized that she'd needed to go out to get some new pens anyway. The ones on her desk were starting to run low, leaving her scribbling to try to squeeze more ink out of them. Besides, the hollows would be long dealt with before she got there. This was just a matter of putting on airs and acting like she was going on patrol which she would assert once more was the stupidest thing since guarding against global warming. She continued her leisurely pace the whole way down to where Hope was, even making a small detour to pick up the supplies that she had come out here to get on the way over. Yet another wonderful reason for her to never train more with hirenkyaku. If she had more proficiency in it, they'd expect her to be there within minutes. As things stood, they'd have to be stupid to though the quincys were infamous for toeing that line.

"Hi," she greeted in a deadpanned tone, holding up a hand as she showed up more than a half hour after having left the house.
 
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Human World
Elsewhere...
???




Somewhere within a business-heavy district, there looked to be plenty of hollow activity centered within a single mall. It was relatively empty of humans and something seemed to have actually kept the 'normal' humans away from the place, all those oblivious to all this fighting in the first place.

"Get your asses moving, dogs. Make this convincing. Don't get lazy, be lucky you're not dealing with the Matriarca herself or the other Presagio! Not like I'll be any less lenient to you mongrels."

That hotheaded voice belonged to the one and only Kurono Akitachi, one of the Argén left in control over the hollows in the Human World, or more specifically Karakura Town. The pink-haired arrancar was annoyed that this was taking too long. There should have been scouts by now, if not some vanguards to arrive and attempt to quell them. Kurono wanted the enemy to do something, she was itching for a fight. She found no amusement in slaughtering the defenseless unlike most of her 'brethren' hollows.

A thought crossed her mind which made her laugh with a dirty sneer across her face, "I wonder how the Presagio are doing at the Soul Socieity... If any of them are doing anything similar as I, I can only imagine Kibe's boredom... Hnhn, I pity the fool who ends up crossing his path when he's bored... Then again, maybe I'd be a fool just to get some fun in.."

She paused for a moment, only to look up at a glass-window roofing, "When the hell am I going to get some orders.. I don't want to sit around and babysit these underlings all day.. Half are too stupid or hungry to listen anyways."
 
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Leon De la Méno
The solitude of the area played much to Leon's enjoyment. His body was as if frozen in place, his mind as blank as probably most of his hollow children. Yet, that was due to his own wish. Since he found no traces of any orders, Leon decided to meditate the time away; he found time to be a mere concept, easily bypassed in one's mind. Sometimes days felt like minutes, while seconds felt like years. Nothing about time was established as a fact. It meant nothing to someone like him.

Then he felt it. It was not a sign of an order coming his way, but rather a familiar scent. It took him quite a while to actually feel her presence, making him wonder whether she was trying to be logical and conceal herself. Although that did not fit well with her personality. Unlike Leon, the other Argén was not that patient. She was surely fuming by now. Maybe he ought to pay Kurono a visit, now that he knew where she was situated. No orders were forbidding him from being in the same place as her.

Slowly, he made his way out of the building. He had no reason to rush, but instead moved down the street in a calm fashion. The only sound emanating from him was his cane tapping against the concrete street. Hollow forces were certainly not resting today, as they rushed past him in all directions. He did not even had to say anything to them, their blind rage and hunger was doing all the work for him.

It definitely took him a while to reach the mall, the supposed location of his fellow Argén. Locating her exact location proved relatively easy, due to his sharp senses. Besides, it was hard not to notice her growling orders. Instead of approaching her, Leon positioned himself near a wall, facing Kurono's back. He refused to say anything, but continued to tap his cane against the wall.​

Agaki Hope
"You're definitely the fastest member we have," Hope greeted her with a grin. "Good to see you have all the time in the world. Which means you can keep me company." He was about to brief her on the situation and explain how he was taking care of all the lone Hollow, while she was doing her silly homework, but thought better of it. He knew she didn't care about that. He went the other direction instead, "I almost died waiting for you, you know? And I don't mean of boredom." It was obvious he wasn't exactly telling the truth, as no injuries were visible. He walked towards her, pulling out the rolled up map. In half an hour it took Tara to get here, he was able to get even more information on the Hollow current activity. It all seemed too erratic and illogical - although he didn't really count on Hollow forces to be logical. Either way, Hope did not like the situation one bit.

He acted out as if he was about to show her what progress he had made, before sharply lowering the map onto her head, resulting in a small bump. "Cheer up. It's not like I am that eager to be out here myself. And I'm hungry as hell. Got any snacks on you?" He sighed before looking around him. He thought he heard tapping sounds for a few brief moments, but whatever it was - it faded into obscurity. Fortunately, it was not some Hollow trying to sneak up on them.

He wasn't exactly keen on fighting anymore. Not for today, at least. His stomach growled, definitely complying with the thought that he had done more than enough fighting for one day, although his so-called shift was not yet done.
 
Daiki Sakaki
Rukongai


The Captain Commanderi made it to the Rukongai just as the dawn was breaking.... likely meant before the next big battle. He was tired, but had no time for rest. He had to know what the status was firsthand.

The entire district glowed with kido, as barriers were set up, and shinigami were being healed. The Shinigami who had skill in kido were in high demand, especially skill in Bakudo.

Sakaki landed by one such shinigami.

"Status update?"

"Captain Commander! Well, the hollows are lessening, we believe we're pushing them back, but still, the odd hollow is picking off shinigami after shingami."

Sakaki sighed. It was a good sign they were being pushed back, but so many being picked off, it wasn't natural. The hollows were too well organized.

"Well then. We're going to have to push back harder, so they don't have time to find a space in our defenses."

As he talked, a roar was heard next to him, and a hollow jumped through a wall, attacking the shinigami who he'd asked for a status update from. He screamed flailing his arms infront of him as the hollow teeth bit at him. The hollow however was met with a barrier. Sakaki stood by the man's side, erecting a kido barrier infront of the hollow. He pushed the man back as the hollow chewed at the barrier.

"I see why all the shinigami are on edge.. Silence beast."

The barrier then shattered like glass infront of the hollow, who thought it had broken it. The hollow lunged at Sakaki, before shards of the shattered barrier flew towards it, slicing the hollow to ribbons before it could touch either shinigami.

"Five. I hope no hollow noticed that, I'm not suppose to be fighting, I've got to refrain from doing that again. But, you're safe."

Sakaki shook his head, before looking for a captain. They were going to leave District 51 behind, and charge the hollows, he was now sure. The hollows kept attacking their defences, so time to see how they liked their offenses.

As he passed a group of shinigami, he ordered them.

"They are hollows within the kido barriers, end them."

In the area, three roars were heard, one sounding like one a behemoth, likely a adjucant, one sounding like an insect hissing, normal hollow, and one sounding like a lion.
 
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"I'm sure you were fine. And if you're hungry, you can always buy something with that money that you get from being a super hero," Tara replied, pushing the map off her head, as about as enthusiastic to come do quincy chores as she'd been when she left. Not at all. Nothing was really going to happen that Hope couldn't do himself so her being here at all was more for appearances than out of any necessity. Not like she was even good at killing hollows. They just had a few issues killing her. She knew that she was late and purposely... but frankly, she didn't care either. It was strange enough in itself that Hope bothered to care to try to drag her over if her help wasn't necessary. And of course it never was. The quincys ought to just leave her alone and let the interested parties do things rather than draft their family members. It was like an army enlistment with a rigged roulette. If you were born into a quincy family, you had no life. Or they kept trying to take it from you.

"That is of course only if you actually get paid to do this. You might just graduate and find yourself with all these powers but with an empty wallet and a plate with no food. Maybe that's why you're hungry."