Chapter 5: DESPAIR WHISPERS

Alright, who's next?!

That would be me, sir.

*pant* *pant*

The victor is decided. Lower your weapons.

Okay...

With your permission, sir... I request another round.

?!

You already fought ten matches in a row. A stiff breeze could knock you over.

Even when bloodied and ragged...I will be a warrior...who shall not fall.

Oh?

My goal is to inherit the title of the strongest Soul Reaper, the name "Kenpachi".

...Meaning...

You're gonna take down Captain Zaraki?

......Yes.

I like the sound of that!

Huh?!

What are you waiting for, rookie? Now's your chance. Try to cut me down!

Captain Zaraki!

N-Now?

Right now. Succeed, and you'll be the strongest Soul Reaper.

Are you sure, sir?

Hoshimura, you moron, do you ever think before opening your mouth?

Captain, we were just talking about future goals here, she didn't mean,

If she wants to be the next Kenpachi, there's no time like the present. Right, girl?

Yes, sir!

Come at me, then. Do your worst.

You think that's enough to kill me?!

Not yet... I can still fight!

Raaaaaagh!

Ha.

Aha!

Hup.

Hrk...

Hah!

.........

Hey girl... What's your name?

Kuon... Kuon Hoshimura...sir...

That so?

Remember...it...

Hey, you lot! Come and patch Hoshimura up.

Y-Yes, sir!

C'mon Yumichika, let's get her to Squad 4.

Good grief, this rookie's already proving to be quite the handful.

E-Excuse me... I've come to deliver these medical supplies...

Oh, Yamada! Perfect timing.

...Aaah! What on earth happened?! Those are some serious injuries!

Could you treat her right now?

Y-Yes! Lay her down just over there, please!

Urgh...

Dammit... He got away...

Is everyone alright?

Lieutenant Kuchiki...?

N-Never been better!

Who did this to you?

It was Ichigo Kurosaki.

Ichigo?! Tell me everything. What on earth happened here?

Well...we don't exactly know for sure ourselves...

But he said Head Captain Kyoraku ordered him to retrieve something from here.

And when I said I wanted to check in with the higher-ups, he refused. Next thing we know we've all got our swords out...

I see... Indeed, when dealing with matters of such secrecy, drawing too much attention to oneself could be a risk to the mission. And Ichigo isn't exactly suited for subterfuge.

He likely felt he had no choice but to use force.

I wonder if the Head Captain really sent him down here on a top-secret mission in the first place.

Do not waste your time. Not even I can predict what the Head Captain is thinking.

However, I can still sense Ichigo's Spiritual Pressure leading back to the Squad 1 Barracks. It's not impossible for a secret agreement to exist between the two.

Even if what he retrieved turned out to be the Hogyoku?

The Hogyoku?! How on earth do you know about that?

I've only heard that it's a forbidden item.

Very much so. But there should only be one in existence. I find it hard to believe that we had another one just lying around in the vault.

You can leave this matter to me. Tell no one what you saw here today.

[<gender But Lieutenant Kuchiki...!/But Lieutenant Kuchiki...!>]

I said leave it to me. Return to your duties. Am I clear?

......Yes.

!

Ahh, what a letdown.

Nothing we can do about it now. Us rookies are at the bottom of the totem pole around here.

Oh?

Hey, did you feel that?

Feel what?

A Corpseshade?!

Another small fry. Let's make this quick!

, Yeah!, Aye aye!

Damn, even with all four of us, that guy was no joke...

That Corpseshade was so much stronger than the one we dealt with in the waterway. It was a different color, too.

...We really need to get more intel on those things.

Real battles sure aren't like the textbooks.

Alrighty everybody, show me your injuries. I'll fix you right up!

So, what do we do next?

I have...no idea.

We're off to a great start...

I trust this matter is of the utmost urgency if it warrants the interruption of my research.

A concerning Spiritual Pressure has been observed within the Seireitei.

It's only a category 3 on the Sutra Scale, but if this data is accurate, the numbers belie the severity of the situation.

This...

...bears a very close resemblance to Yhwach's Spiritual Pressure.

This feeling...it's not over yet!

Huh? You guys felt somethin'?

I didn't...

Nor did I...

!!!

The Sutra Scale! It's rising from a category 3 to category 4! What the hell is going on?!

What are those things?!

I believe they were called... "Corpseshades".

Tch, such a crass name.

Well, uh, that's what Lieutenant Hisagi called them in the Seireitei Bulletin...

No matter. The observational data alone should grant us some insight on the fundamental structure of these so-called "Corpseshades".

It seems like the remnants of Yhwach's power scattered throughout the Seireitei...

...have wormed their way into the corpses of Quincy and Soul Reaper alike, giving birth to these Corpseshades.

Relay a message to all squads immediately. Tell them to beware the wandering corpses.

They contain Yhwach's Spiritual Pressure and are to be considered extremely dangerous.

Yes, sir!

The remnants of Yhwach's power...? What in the world is going on?

What is that?! Is this what you were sensing, <param=player_first_name>?

......

...Hm? I got an alert on my Soul Phone...

"Corpseshades are dangerous entities that contain remnants of Yhwach's power. Should you encounter one, exercise extreme caution and refrain from direct contact."

!

What should we do, guys? There sure are a lot of them...

We need to do something about these Corpseshades...

I understand how you feel, but didn't you hear the warning just now? Our best option is to run.

And on that note...

We should go after Kurosaki. I got a bad feeling about that Hogyoku thing...

Right. If he's really workin' for the Head Captain, you think he'd be creepin' around the waterways like that? Something stinks here.

Indeed. Since we're in agreement, I say...

We should follow orders and go back. Lieutenant Kuchiki gave us strict instructions.

Right, that's exactly what we should be doing.

Let's fall back! Which just so happens to be where Kurosaki and Lieutenant Kuchiki went!

You're damn right we are!

Wh-Huh? We're not going back to our own squads? Isn't that, like, dereliction of duty?

We ARE goin' back. But y'know, with all these Corpseshades roamin' around, and us havin' strict orders to avoid them, we might just end up runnin' into Lieutenant Kuchiki.

I can't take it! I just have to know what's going on!

But that would mean we're like...totally disobeying a direct order, right?

I agree that we shouldn't disobey orders. But I have to see what's happening for myself.

Don't worry about it, Jurinna. You go back to your squad. We should all be makin' our own calls here.

...I'm going too! I'm all about disobeying orders!

Ugh... Urgh...

I'm going to treat you now, just hang in there for me!

Captain! They need more assistance up ahead. We just received a report listing heavy casualties.

You go on ahead. I'll follow as soon as I've finished treating this patient.

Yes, ma'am!

(...Just when we were finally starting to rebuild and move on...)

At this rate, we're never gonna catch up with Lieutenant Kuchiki.

There's no end to these Corpseshades.

I'm so exhausted... The Flash Step really takes it out of you...

The reishi and Spiritual Pressure throughout the entire Seireitei has been completely distorted...

Ichigo, where could you be?

...! There's that Spiritual Pressure again.

Grrrrr...

!

Ngh!

Raaagh!

Skreeeee, !

Hado Number 4: Byakurai!

Ha!

Skreeeuurghhh...

Lieutenant Kuchiki! Are you alright?

What are you all doing here?

Well, we were retreatin' as ordered, but those Corpseshades kept poppin' up and it looks like we got ourselves turned around. Y'know how it is...

That's the best excuse you could come up with?

I-It's not an excuse! ...Right, guys?

For goodness' sake.

...!

I'll leave the reprimands for later. First we need to deal with this lot.

[<gender We'll fight too./We'll fight too.>]

...Stay sharp. These foes aren't to be taken lightly. If things go south, fall back immediately.

Yes, ma'am!

...That's all of them.

*pant* ...*pant*...

It was pretty dicey for a moment there...

We'd probably be pushing daisies if it was just the four of us.

Makes you realize how much further we have to go...

(I'm worried about what's going on with Ichigo, but I can't leave the new recruits alone like this.)

You four, I'm temporarily placing you under my direct command.

Follow me.

Yes, ma'am!

Skreeeee!

Let's do this!

S-Skreughhh...

Damn it, you cut one Corpseshade down and two more take its place!

There's no end to them. From now on, we shall avoid all needless combat and push onwards.

Yes, ma'am!

*pant* *pant*...

Skreeeee!

Eeeeeek!

[<gender Jurinna/Naru>]!

Skreeeee!

S-Stay back!

Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!

Sk,

[<gender Jurinna, are you alright?/Naru, are you alright?>]

It's just a scratch, no biggie!

...Ow!

Yes biggie. Now is not the time to be putting on a brave face, especially with an injury like that.

As much as I'd like you to rest up here while we continue onwards, I cannot leave you to fend for yourself...

Is something wrong?

Lieutenant Hinamori, this girl is injured. Requesting treatment.

Roger.

She was in front of me and yet I failed to protect her. Her wounds are the result of my inaction.

No no, it's my fault for not being strong enough to handle that Corpseshade when it lunged at me.

You can decide whose fault it is later. For now, let's focus on getting you fixed up.

Th-Thank you...

We shall go on ahead.

Okay, leave Jurinna to me.

I'll catch up to you all when I'm back on my feet.

Fool. You are a member of Squad 4. Your duty is to treat the wounded.

Oh...right! Yes, ma'am!

I'll heal a whole mountain of injured folks!

Let's instead hope there ISN'T a whole mountain of injured folks that need treatment.

Aha, sorry.

You be careful out there, guys.

You too, [<gender Jurinna/Naru>].

Of course! I'll hold down the fort!

Let's get moving.

Yes, ma'am!

.........

[<gender I wonder if Jurinna will be okay./I wonder if Naru will be okay.>]

Course she will. She's got Lieutenant Hinamori watchin' out for her.

She was acting as though she was fine, but her hands...they were shaking.

So what? Ya gonna follow her around 'cause you're worried? Gonna keep her outta combat 'cause she might get hurt?

That's not what I'm saying...

You think Jurinna's weak, don't cha? That she ain't cut out for combat.

.........

Man, it sure would piss me off if my allies pitied me like that.

.........

We ain't trainees anymore. We're proper Squad members now.

Which means we gotta think for ourselves. What it is we wanna do, and how we're gonna make it happen.

.........

[<gender You're right. Thanks, Hando. Jurinna doesn't need me coddling her like that./You're right. Thanks, Giro. Naru doesn't need me coddling her like that.>]

...'Sides, we're not exactly tough enough to worry about what's on someone else's plate. I'm barely hangin' in there myself.

[<gender Yeah, same here./Yeah, same here.>]

[<gender Ditto./Ditto.>]

.........

Skreeeaaahh!

Another one!

What's going on...?

Skrraawwwwr!

Stand back, Jurinna.

.........

Snap, Tobiume.

Whew.

(Lieutenant Hinamori is...really strong...)

Are you alright, Jurinna?

Yep, and it's all thanks to you and your Kaido, Lieutenant Hinamori!

Aaugghh!

Eeeeek!

!

Then let's help those people next.

Yes, ma'am!

.........

Are you alright?! Stay with me!

Jurinna, stay calm and let's begin treatment.

Y-Yes, ma'am.

Slow and steady. Can you manage it?

I...I can.

Here they come again!

Skrr...Skreee!

Wha, !

W-What the hell are you guys lookin' at?

Skr...Skree...

Agh...!

[<gender Hando/Giro>]!

Leave them to me!

Ha!

Dammit, that hurts!

...Can't believe I let my guard down...

Let me see your wounds!

It's just a scratch. No big deal...

Sorry, Lieutenant Kuchiki... Forget about me and go on ahead.

Fool. Do you take me for someone who abandons her comrades?

...!

Whoa whoa whoa! Hold on a sec!

Is that...Yuki...?

Lieutenant Kuchiki! Oh, and Hando!

Forgive me, but can I leave Hando in your care?

O-Of course! But would you mind telling me what exactly is going on here?

I'll leave the explanations to Hando. We must keep moving.

Y-Yes, ma'am!

Hando. You are to remain with Yuki until you've been fully treated. That's an order.

Ugh, you got it, Lieutenant...

...Almost there.

Looks like this thing's waking up, too...

Tch...I don't have time to play around with you guys. I'll wipe you all out at once.

...I didn't expect the remnants of Yhwach to still have this much power...

But I guess if they didn't, they wouldn't be of much use to our plan...

It's about time... Let's begin.

That Spiritual Pressure... It's Ichigo!

, Above us!, Above?!

Follow me!

Yes, ma'am!

Ichigo, what are you up to...?

Hold it right there.

...!

Who are you?!

It's me!

A Stern Ritter?!

Meninas McAllon, "The Power", at your service.

Is this your attempt at starting another war?!

Hehe.

Nice to meet you.

!

Aaaaugh!

Aaaaaahhh!

...!

Hup.

Ha!

Bakudo Number 4: Hainawa!

Hyah.

Ruler, the mask of blood and flesh, all things of the universe fly, that which names all!

Truth and temperance, slight claw at the dream wall which brooks no sin,

Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!

Are you two alright?!

Y-Yeah...I'm fine.

As am I, somehow...

Never mind us, that Spiritual Pressure from above is what we should be worrying about. I've got a really bad feeling about it.

We'll investigate. Can you keep up?

Yes, ma'am!

Not so fast. I literally just told you to hold it right there.

Lieutenant of Squad 13 of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, Rukia Kuchiki.

Hm?

I do not know why you are here.

However, if you intend to stand in my way, then I will pay back what I owe you from our last encounter. I stake my pride on it.

Huh? Last encounter? When was that? I dunno what you're talking about, but you probably shouldn't bite off more than you can chew.

Dance, Sode no Shirayuki.

What's goin' on out there?!

...I think this is a Quincy's Spiritual Pressure.

A Quincy? What the hell are they doing back in the Seireitei?!

Wait! I may have treated you, but your wounds haven't fully healed yet. You still need more time. What do you think you can accomplish in this state?

...I know that, but...!

Listen, I understand how you feel...

But we already lost so many people in the last war...

<param=player_family_name> and the others are fightin' out there...

[<gender What? <param=player_family_name> and the others?!/What? <param=player_family_name> and the others?!>]

Yuki...sir, I HAVE to go.

Hando...

Even if I can't do jack... <param=player_family_name> n' them, we're in this together.

W-Wait a sec.

......I'll go with you.

.........

I can't just let a new recruit charge into danger on his own.

Th-Though, I fear it may already be too late...for us to help...

You'll make it.

...?

I know a shortcut.

I guess you Lieutenants really are all that. If you're this strong, how'd you lose last time?

.........

Got distracted or something?

A mistake I shall not repeat.

I have a feeling things are gonna end up the same this time around, too.

......

I'm gonna get serious, 'kay?♥

Guh...

...I'm not done yet...

I beg to differ.

Augh!

As I said, I shall not repeat my past mistake.

Time to finish this.

It's so bright.

...!

!

Night has fallen and yet...there is no darkness here.

Identify yourself!

This world is alive.

So many possible futures. Therefore, there must exist a future where this person lives.

Make some sense, already!

I cannot allow her to perish just yet.

!

Tch, they got away!

...!

This spike in Spiritual Pressure... I've got a bad feeling about this.

Ichigo...

Now raise them! Silver emblems. Ashen meadows. Circular path buried in light.

Eye of agate. Tongue of gold and skull cup. Coffin of Adnyeus. The object we raise is your heart.

Argh!

No, it can't be...!

......Auswählen.

Eeeeeeek!

Raaaaaagh!

Ichigo! Why are you, ?!

We...have to stop Kurosaki!

Aaaaaahhh!

Ngh...!

Aaaaugh!

Raaaaaagh!

Ichigo! Why are you, ?!

We...have to stop Kurosaki!

Aaaaaahhh!

Ngh...!

Aaaaugh!