To My Death I Fight (Kill la Kill / Bleach)

Shemhazat · Jun 1, 2015

Ugh...again? I'm lazy when it comes to updating on Sufficient Velocity and I have NO idea why. I mean, I post at least once a day on SB and yet I can't time out of my day to do the same here? My apologies to anyone that thought this story was dead. In the interim between my last post and...well...this one I posted several chapters (I'm up to Chapter 45) so please click on the link below to be taken to Chapter 41 (I recommend reading up to 45 in order to understand what's going on below):

Chapter 41 - Something About England

I'm going to say this right now that this arc is quite essential for the long term plans of this story. By that I mean everything that occurs after Ragyo Kiryuin's eventual defeat. Given that you have someone like Yhwach in the background, content to allow Ichigo and his allies to defeat the CEO of Revocs, it stands to reason he's not going to just go away simply by ignoring him. Yamamoto did that for 1,000 years and look how that turned out for the former Captain Commander of the Gotei 13.

One last thing to make my apology official - Fanart! I have some fanart for all of you drawn by that-booky-chick15 over on deviantart. So after you look at the various drawings/artwork below you should go visit her page. All the artwork is in spoiler tags for size consideration and they are ALL SFW.

I will also be answering any questions you might have so please feel free to ask. As long as your questions do not require spoiling the rest of the story I'll answer them. I'm going to start off with the latest update on the story - the beginning of the Chapter 46. I hope you enjoy it!

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Chapter 46 – London's Burning

The storms that had plagued London for nearly a week, covering the island in a torrential downpour of rain and misery, began to abate directly following Ragyo Kiryuin's murderous appearance at Westminster Palace. As he stood in the middle of the nearly empty tarmac at London Heathrow Airport, all civilian traffic cancelled in the aftermath of the previous day's events, Yuu Akiyama pulled the green cap further over his eyes and listened to the revving engines of the private jet pulling out of the hangar. Owned by one of the Revocs Conglomerate's many subsidiary companies, the connection buried under so much red tape and bureaucracy that it would take even Houka Inumuta more than a day to piece everything together, it was the only way he could leave Great Britain after the aircraft Ragyo's clone arrived on was confiscated by the Hellsing Organization.

"Where do ye think yer going?"

Yuu stiffened when he felt a sharpened metal blade perched threateningly against his neck, the thick Irish accented voice betraying who was standing behind him. The bayonet held in his gloved right hand barely trembling as he held it against the Xcution member's neck Alexander Anderson's voice came out as little more than a growl, "Move and I'll sever yer head clean off yer body."

For several seconds a mildly surprised expression spread across Yuu's face, the youth shocked by Anderson's arrival, before his lips twisted into a smug grin, "Heh…it looks like you finally caught me, Father Anderson."

Anderson's green eyes narrowed behind his glasses at the sarcastic reference to his former occupation, the light rain causing the lenses to grow opaque. As he stood on the tarmac behind Yuu, his cassock growing slick with moisture, the former priest tightened his grip on the bayonet and sneered, "It wasn't hard. I just had to wait until ye weren't wearing yer unholy uniform."

"I only wear my raiment for special occasions," Yuu replied in a nonplussed tone, uncaring of the deadly blade pressed against his skin, and folded his hands in his pockets, "Speaking of which…I'm surprised you managed to find me. I spread enough false clues and information that MI:6 thinks I'm currently fleeing to Ireland. How did you know I was here?"

"It wasn't difficult…tracking ye, I mean. Yer traps were brilliant. Anyone else would have fallen for yer deviousness hook, line and sinker."

A sharp crackle of thunder reverberated throughout the atmosphere in the middle of Anderson's answer, the cold wind momentarily picking up and causing the former priest's cassock to flutter chaotically around his body. Keeping the bayonet pressed firmly against Yuu's exposed neck as he slowly circled around the Xcution member, his boots softly stomping in the recently formed puddles of water, Anderson let out a wistful sigh while his expression grew pensive, "But I raised ye from an infant left on my doorstep, watched ye grow into an intelligent and gifted child. It's a damn shame it came to this, Yuu."

"I suppose I'm just full of surprises," Yuu shrugged as Anderson came to a halt in front of him, one hand adjusting the brim of his cap. Cocking his head to the side, a mirthful grin on his face, the Xcution member chuckled and motioned with his hands, "It's all part of being a coward. You never do what anyone expects."

"Is that so?"

Anderson's fist smashed into the youth's face before he had a chance to even blink, blood and spittle flying through the air as he crashed bodily onto the tarmac. A grunt of pain leaving his lips when his head bounced off the ground, trails of crimson oozing from his nose and coppery taste permeating his mouth, Yuu attempted to sit up only to find a bayonet pointed directly between his eyes. Standing above him with rain dripping from his cropped blonde hair, the freshly created scar on his left cheek standing out in the rain, the former priest gnashed his teeth and snarled, "Than why on Earth did ye pledge yer soul to that abomination of a woman?"

The silence that followed Anderson's question was deafening and for nearly a minute the falling rain was the only sound that could be heard. Eventually pushing himself back onto his knees, blue eyes never leaving the blade hovering in front of his face, Yuu spit out mixture of blood and saliva as he fixed the collar of his jacket. A gloved hand running through his brown hair, Anderson's punch having knocked off his cap, the member of Xcution smirked before contending, "That's quite ironic coming from you, Father Anderson. I mean…you murdered hundreds of sentient creatures in the name of God. And let's not get started on what you did thirteen years ago…"

"I destroyed unholy fiends on Earth!" Anderson snarled, one hand gripping the front of Yuu's jacket before hauling the youth back onto his feet. As lightning arced across the overcast skies, an expression of utmost rage visible on his face, the nudist commander's glasses gleamed malevolently as he continued, "Creatures that devoured and consumed the souls of humans, trapping them in an endless sea of torment and agony. I hunted dark and foul beasts, corrupted and blackened souls determined to spread their vile plague throughout Europe! And thirteen years ago I killed men, colleagues I've known for years, to prevent yer unholy mistress from getting a foothold in the Vatican!"

"True…" Yuu graciously admitted with a sly grin stretching across his face, a gloved hand curling around the bayonet in front of his face, "But you only delayed Ragyo for two years. She still managed to get what she wanted only you weren't there to stop her. Ah, I see you understand. If you had been a bit less fanatical in your approach you could have actually done something useful."

Anderson's grip on Yuu's jacket momentarily slackened as the former priest contemplated the youth's words, the anger and annoyance slowly leaving his face, before it quickly returned in full force. Sneering as he slammed the hilt of his bayonet into Yuu's stomach, the teenager breathlessly falling back to the ground, Anderson's presence seemed to double as he spat, "I've made mistakes in my fifty five years on Earth…mistakes that I will have to face once my time has come. Ye, on the other hand, are but a coward…too scared and spineless to stand against that monster working to destroy every living creature on this planet!"

Coughing harshly as he struggled to breath, the nudist commander's attack hurting more than he expected, Yuu wiped the blood trailing from his nose onto a sleeve and smirked, "Let me tell you a story. When I was eleven and living in Harobaro House in Rome one of my sisters, no relation, misplaced several of her toys but the director at the time wouldn't buy her new ones. You see…he was a bit of an ass when it came to money. Despite the generous donation by Masaki Kurosaki, which could have easily paid for new toys, he wouldn't spend a single centesimo on what he called 'trivial things.' He was convinced she merely hid her dolls so he would get her new ones."

The former priest remained completely silent while Yuu spoke, his shoulders hunched forward, before scoffing, "Is there a point to yer tale?"

"Don't worry, it gets better," Yuu held a hand against his stomach as he stood up, a slight wince escaping from between his lips, "Anyway, the next day I found her toys. She left them outside in the rain and they were all but ruined. So I borrowed one of the knives from the kitchen and destroyed them. When the director found out…well, he was understandably upset. I was sent to my room, confined there for a week, but my sister got brand new dolls."

A faint clap of thunder, signifying the finale of the storm, reverberated in the distance as Anderson stoically stared at the Xcution member with an unreadable expression. Swinging his arm through the air after several tense seconds, his bayonet leaving a faint blue trail of light in its wake, the former priest's footsteps were heavy as he growled, "Leave, Yuu, and hope by the grace of God that we never meet again. For if I see ye on the field of battle I will not hesitate to gut ye like a fish. Every action must have consequences…even yers."

"Heh," Yuu quietly chuckled as he slowly walked towards the private jet, its engines immediately revving up to full power. Pausing as he stepped into the plane, one hand holding onto the door as a contemplative look entered his eyes, the Xcution member reached into his jacket as he turned around and shouted, "Father Anderson!"

Hesitating momentarily before looking over his shoulder as Yuu called his name, the jet's engines nearly drowning out the sound, Anderson instinctively reached up and caught the small object descending through the air. One eyebrow quirking as he opened his fingers, green eyes narrowing at the significance of what he held, the former priest strained his ears as the nineteen year old mockingly saluted him, "It's been nice catching up with you! Give my regards to Ryuko!"

As the private jet taxied down the runway and vanished into the cloudy skies, the intense wind causing Anderson's cassock to flap violently around his body, the sound of metal and plastic crackling could be heard. Relaxing his fingers while turning around and walking away, the crushed remote detonator falling in scraps to the ground, the former priest scoffed derisively as his footsteps echoing heavily against the asphalt. A weary sigh leaving his mouth as he stared into the heavens, rain falling lightly onto his face, Anderson shook his head and scowled, "That stupid cowardly bastard…"

Shemhazat · Jun 2, 2015

Here is the next section of Chapter 46. As I wrote this section (which is based of the similar conversation in OVA IV) I couldn't help but think of what Batou, who is both an experienced soldier and commander, would suggest in the same situation. It just felt...well...odd that Integra would send Alucard into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean without suggestion a way of getting him back. Anyway I hope you enjoy it!

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Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing harshly bit down on the end of her cigar as she marched through the artificially illuminated corridor, the thick concrete and steel walls making the underground bunker impervious to all but the most dedicated airstrikes. The situation surrounding the HMS Eagle was bad enough on its own but Ragyo Kiryuin's actions the previous day, which indirectly led to hundreds dying, could not be ignored. A small puff of smoke escaping her lips alongside an annoyed sigh upon noticing the man standing just down the corridor, his expression saying all that needed to be said, Integra removed the cigar from her mouth and sarcastically asked, "I suppose you people already know the identity of the Quincy currently commandeering the Eagle?"

"Maybe…"

Batou's grey eyes narrowed as he thought back to the Great Culture and Sports Festival, "The four Quincy that fought tooth and nail at Honnouji Academy called themselves Sternritter. From what little information we could gather each Sternritter has an epitaph that describes their particular power. One of them, a man by the name of Lille Barro, carried a long-range rifle and had the title of 'The X-Axis.'"

"I see…" The shadows of the corridor appeared to lengthen as Integra placed the cigar back in her mouth, "You think this Lille Barro is the Quincy on board the ship?"

Folding his arms across his chest while leaning against the wall, his face pulled into a grimace, the nudist commander shook his head and answered, "Unlikely…Ragyo Kiryuin personally killed him. Obliterated his body with some sort of rainbow energy blast. Whoever's on board the Eagle is probably his replacement."

"A replacement?"

Walter's voice trailed off as he stared at the floor, a gloved hand perched against the underside of his chin while he attempted to piece together the enigma that was Millennium. Quickly brought back to reality when Integra turned around, her blue eyes narrowing at the aged butler's sudden silence, Walter explained, "It's deeply concerning to think people as strong as these Sternritter could be replaced at such an astonishing rate. But more importantly it raises the dreadful question of what these Quincy are truly planning. They claim to be in opposition to Ragyo Kiryuin yet their Major seems determined to wage war against Great Britain. Quite frankly, Ma'am, none of this makes any sense."

Integra couldn't help but scoff derisively at the thought of attempting to understand a man as insane as the Major. Clamping her teeth down upon the cigar as she turned back to Batou, the nudist's expression unreadable, she replied, "No matter the circumstances we cannot afford to have our attention divided. Ragyo Kiryuin's little stunt yesterday resulted in over four hundred casualties before Alucard managed to destroy her clone…not to mention the fact she could send another clone whenever she damn well feels like it. Dealing with her is much more urgent than whatever these Quincy have planned."

"And yet we cannot afford to ignore these Quincy," Walter gently chided while walking around the leader of the Hellsing Organization, stopping only when he stood directly between her and Batou, "The uniqueness of the situation all but speaks for itself. Since taking control of the ship Millennium has only responded defensively, shooting down our forces while not launching any attacks of their own. It's a textbook case, Ma'am. They're luring us to attack."

"The Eagle's an Invincible-class VTOL aircraft carrier." Pushing off the wall and turning towards Integra, the dim artificial lighting causing shadows to rapidly shift across his face, Batou narrowed his eyes before continuing, "I knew a guy who served on the Ark Royale a couple of decades ago. Attempting anything against a ship that well armed would be suicidal. You'll get blown clean out of the water."

A perturbed expression crossed Integra's face as she pondered the nudist commander's answer, his extensive military record helping to give validity to his suggestion. Taking a large drag from the cigar in her mouth, an annoyed scowl firmly planted on her face, she cocked her head to the side and scoffed, "I don't suppose it's possible to just ignore the damn thing. Moving vampires across large bodies of water is troublesome at the best of times but the real issue is the Quincy. Their only known weakness is Life Fibers and I don't see Ragyo Kiryuin giving us access to the damn threads. So what do we do with our vampires? Would sending them on a battleship work?"

Walter gave a curt shake of his head before speaking, "No. Between the preparation and the voyage it would take nearly a day to reach the Eagle's current location…and that's providing they stay put. And sending a faster vessel wouldn't work. That ship is stocked with high-caliber anti-aircraft armaments capable of piercing through any unarmored vessel. What about an aerial drop? Sending an aircraft with a lot of decoy chaff might fool the Eagle's defenses."

Integra's eyes narrowed as she removed the cigar from her mouth, a thin layer of ash coating her fingers, "It still wouldn't fool that damn Quincy. He managed to take out both helicopters at a range of nearly four kilometers. It stands to reason he wouldn't be encumbered or fooled by the decoys."

A resigned look adorned the nudist commander's face as the lights in the corridor briefly flickered, the incandescent bulbs dimming to a faint orange. Something about this whole mess just didn't feel right yet they had a point – leaving that ship in the hands of Millennium was an international incident waiting to happen. Running a hand through his grey hair Batou turned to Walter and shrugged his shoulders, "If you're determined to get on that ship you need to find a way to neutralize that Quincy's line of sight. It wouldn't be surprising if his range extended all the way to the horizon. You could try approaching underwater…but then you need to worry about the depth charges and anti-submarine missiles."

"That is a problem," Walter stoically agreed, "Perhaps a two-staged assault would prove successful? Blind the Quincy visually before launching the attack."

Reverberating laughter filled the nearly empty corridor as soon as Walter finished speaking, a cold chill permeating the air while the lights in the distance flickered once more before going out entirely. The psychotic chuckling continuing as Integra's shadow immediately stretched away from her body, uncountable number of blood red eyes blinking into aware in the writhing mass of darkness, Batou took an instinctive step backwards and reached for his weapon when two white gloved emerged from the chaotic mass. As the rest of Alucard's body spun into existence, the shadows peeling off his overcoat and arms, the vampire looked between the three humans and spoke, "What you're saying is…against their stockpiles of missiles and arrows your only hope is to find a way to get me on the flight deck. Isn't that right?"

The young leader of the Hellsing Organization didn't bat an eye at the vampire's entrance, "Considering the Quincy's range it may not be possible."

"Wait a second…" A knowing smirk tugged at the corners of Walter's mouth as the aged butler leaned forward, "I know an aircraft that could get you on board that ship. There's only one left in existence but it should do the trick – the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird."

As Alucard's lips twisted into an unholy mockery of a smile, crimson eyes glowing at the prospect of the upcoming slaughter, Batou stared at Walter and frowned, "Please tell me you have a plan to get him back. The SR-71 might get him there, providing the Quincy doesn't shoot it out of the sky first, but there's no way it'll fly afterwards. So unless your vampire knows how to steer a twenty thousand ton ship he's going to be stranded in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean."

"How troublesome," Integra admitted while scratching her chin in thought.

"Hold on…that's ingenious!" Walter's tone was ecstatic as he turned towards Integra, "This Quincy seems to have the ability to hit anything he can see…why not use that against him? We could send a transport craft after Alucard, keeping it at least twenty-five kilometers from the ship. That would put it well beyond the horizon…"

Integra's lips curled into a replica of the smug expression on Walter's face, "…but still close enough to retrieve him. However given all we know about the Quincy we cannot assume he'll stay put. It's more than likely whoever is on board that ship will flee the moment Alucard gets within range. Batou, is it possible to send Ichigo or Ryuko with Alucard?"

"No," Batou's tone was blunt as he addressed the young woman, his gaze hardening upon noticing Alucard's black hair beginning to writhe chaotically. Absentmindedly scratching at the stubble coating his chin while doing his best to ignore the sensation crawling down his spine, the vampire's subtle presence something he hoped never to get used to, Batou folded his arms and explained, "Our orders just came through from headquarters. The moment your vampire gets back we're pulling out of Great Britain. Olivier doesn't like having half of all the known Kamui outside of Japan any longer than necessary, especially after what Ragyo pulled yesterday."

"Why the delay?" Integra curiously asked, her coat fluttering lightly around her shoulders while turning her attention from Alucard to the older nudist, "You've already accomplished your stated objective – the embargo against Revocs remains firmly in place. The Hellsing Organization is more than capable of dealing with a few errant Quincy."

"Because it smells like a damn trap."

Batou grumbled while rubbing his exhausted eyes, the end result of staying awake for nearly a full day, as he leaned his head back and sighed, "If I learned anything after seventeen years of fighting Revocs it is how to spot an obvious trap. Think about it – two hours after Ragyo Kiryuin tries to kill everyone in Parliament the Quincy somehow manage to commandeer one of the most heavily fortified ships in the royal navy. In order to deal with that you want to send one of the most powerful supernatural creatures known to mankind into the only environment perfect for containing him. Call me paranoid but what do you think will happen once Alucard is gone?

"I suppose you have a point. The Major might be far more cunning than I initially gave credit," Integra conceded with a pensive expression crossing her face. Biting down on her cigar, the paper and tobacco crumpling slightly under the pressure, she paused for a few seconds and narrowed her eyes, "But we cannot allow the Eagle to remain in enemy hands. Her Majesty has made it abundantly clear these Quincy are to be hunted down and executed to the last man."

The sound of a phone going off, the ringtone one of the more popular songs of the eighties, pulled everyone's attention onto Batou. His brow furrowing as he recognized who was calling, one hand deftly reaching into his pocket, the nudist commander stared at the short message on the screen for several seconds before stating, "Well at least there's some good news. Anderson just sent me a message concerning that Xcution member you fought yesterday, Walter. Apparently the guy managed to flee the country ten minutes ago."

"I'm surprised you let him go, Walter," Alucard's footsteps echoed in the corridor as the vampire moved closer to the aged butler, his crimson eyes glowing with veiled amusement, "Don't tell me you're getting rusty after all these years."

"We can't all be centuries-old vampires," Walter sarcastically answered, one hand adjusting the sleeve of his dress shirt, "But to my defense Yuu Akiyama's skill in the art of ayatori caught me completely by surprise. It's not every day you encounter a teenager nearly as skilled as you are in such an obscure form of combat, after all."

Integra's frown deepened as her mind focused on other matters, the conversation between Walter and Alucard lost in the background. With the last of Ragyo Kiryuin's forces out of the country, barring the woman deciding to send another COVERS clone, they could concentrate their full attention on Millennium. Stepping closer to Batou, small flecks of ash falling from her cigar, her tone was brisk as she spoke, "If you're not leaving until Alucard returns I have a suggestion – send Alexander Anderson to the manor. His experience dealing with a dedicated force of supernatural creatures could prove useful in countering anything Millennium tries. Thoughts, Walter?"

"The idea is sound in theory, Ma'am," the butler responded stoically, "In the best case scenario nothing happens and Alucard returns to Great Britain safe and sound. However if Batou is indeed correct, and the Eagle is one large trap for Alucard, we'll at least be prepared for anything that might happen. In this worse case scenario Miss Victoria, as well as Ryuko Matoi and Ichigo Kurosaki, should prove capable of dealing with a few of these so-called Sternritter until Alucard's return."

"Then it's settled," Integra's tone shifted dangerously as she turned to the smiling Alucard. Pulling the cigar out of her mouth, gloved fingers breaking it in two, she let out a deep sigh before raising her voice, "Alucard…after you have accomplished your mission I will be sending you to Japan. Once there your sole objective will be the complete and utter destruction of Ragyo Kiryuin and all of her forces through any means necessary. Is that understood?"

Alucard bowed his head while swinging an arm across his body, the psychotic grin never leaving his face, "As you wish, my Master."

Batou couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief wash over his body at the thought of Alucard heading to Japan. Remaining silent as the vampire vanished into the shadows, his form dissipating into the darkness suddenly permeating the corridor, the nudist commander pursed his lips and mentally shrugged, "Well…I suppose having two people capable of killing Ragyo Kiryuin is better than one."

Skeith · Jun 2, 2015

Yeah you really need to update more here...probably the only reason I'm here is on the off chance you post something here you didn't post SB

Shemhazat · Jun 2, 2015

Skeith said:
Yeah you really need to update more here...probably the only reason I'm here is on the off chance you post something here you didn't post SB

Yeah, I plan to always make sure to update simultaneously on SB and SV. It's not that much work (a simple copy and paste) so I don't know why I usually refuse to do it.

Shemhazat · Jun 5, 2015

Here's the beginning portion of the next part of the chapter. I'm a firm believer of changing things up a bit (as you'll see below) but some things...well...it's a rather bad idea to tempt fate. Enjoy!

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Lounging lazily in a chair on the flight deck with a look of pure boredom etched on her face, splatters of dried blood and visceral coating the ground, Rip Van Winkle couldn't help but sigh miserably. Blue eyes half-lidded as she tilted her head backwards, the moonlit horizon completely empty ever since she destroyed that squadron of fighter jets, the newly risen Sternritter looked at the pink alarm clock on the deck next to her and groaned. Blowing a strand of hair away from her eyes while a tired yawn left her throat Rip was caught completely off guard when an incredibly dark and nightmarish spiritual energy enveloped the ship.

"Oh no…it's him."

Even at his current distance, separated from her by dozens of kilometers, the Sternritter instinctively knew Alucard was approaching. The coldness and vileness of the spiritual pressure, that infinite darkness that put any hollow or arrancar to shame, could never be replicated. Hands tightly gripping her musket as she spotted a pinprick of light in the distance, the faintest sounds of maniac laughter echoing in the deepest recesses of her mind, Rip's glasses fell down the bridge of her nose as she spun around and shouted, "He's coming!"

Stationed in the bridge of the Eagle, the illumination from the monitors reflecting off his black goggles, one of the vampirized soldiers ignored the nervousness permeating his undead body as he leaned forward and announced, "Hold on…there's something on the radar. It's…wait. This isn't possible! He's approaching at a velocity of over mach two point five at an altitude of eighty three thousand feet!"

While none of the soldiers were as tuned to sensing spiritual energies as the Sternritter they could all easily feel the growing presence over the horizon. Another soldier, beads of sweat cascading downwards from underneath his beret, swallowed the nervous lump in his throat while pressing a finger against the receiver hidden in his ear, "He must be coming on the SR-71 Blackbird. According to the Daten it's the only aircraft capable of such maneuvers. Ma'am, what are your orders?"

Rip Van Winkle remained silent as she stomped a foot against the flight deck, her dark blue hair waving slowly in the air when an aura of spiritual energy enveloped her body. Slowly raising her musket into the sky, the muzzle pointed directly at Alucard, she gnashed her teeth and declared, "Alucard's coming! Just as His Majesty predicted! He has come for me but I shall not go quietly into the night!"

When alarms suddenly blared throughout the bridge, the various sensors and monitors bursting into life, one of the vampirized soldiers looked out the window at the contrails expanding in the sky. His red eyes widening in a mixture of stunned disbelief and surprise upon noticing the abrupt shift in their direction, a light gasp leaving his mouth as the true scope of Alucard's plan became apparent, he spun around and shouted, "He's trying to ram us! Evasive maneuvers! Get us the hell out of here and fire the damn guns! Alucard must not reach this ship!"

As the reverberations of the anti-aircraft armaments echoed across the open water, grayish smoke accompanying the bursts of light from the tracing shells, Rip Van Winkle stood unflinching on the deck of the Eagle. She could feel Alucard's crimson gaze focused exclusive on her, his bared teeth glistening with insanity in her mind. Slowly running a hand soothingly down the barrel of her musket, the feel of the familiar weapon helping to calm her erratic nerves, the Sternritter took a deep breath before narrowing her eyes. She would not allow her trepidation to ruin the Schatten Ausrufung, not when the success of His Majesty's plan was within reach.

Collapsing softly onto her back, the impact with the flight deck cushioned by her spiritual energy, Rip Van Winkle slowly and methodically raised her musket upwards until it was pointed nearly vertically into the sky. A sadistic grin spreading along her face as she propped one foot against the end of her weapon for support, the intricate carvings along the barrel glowing the same shade of blue as her spiritual energy, the Sternritter's voice was perfectly audible over the roaring of the artillery as she spoke, "Einer…zwei…drei…vier…fünf. I see one target. Tinker tailor soldier sailor…my arrows always pierce the heart."

An ephemeral flash of blue light shone from the end of Rip Van Winkle's musket as the true power of the 'X-Axis' made itself known. As anti-aircraft munitions continued peppering the rapidly descending SR-71 Blackbird, pieces of metal and electronics falling away from the increasingly damaged aircraft, there was a secondary explosion when five circular holes instantaneously perforated the fuselage. Sitting inside the nearly destroyed aircraft, the manic grin on his face widening despite most of his head and torso were nearly disintegrated into nothingness by the power of the Sternritter's specialized arrows, Alucard chuckled at the fear emanating from the Eagle.

"Cromwell restrictions…" The vampire's single remaining crimson eye stared at the darkened form of Rip Van Winkle through the SR-71's shattered canopy as his body was enveloped by a sickly red aura, "Three…two…one…released!"

The wave of dark spiritual energy that accompanied the release of Alucard's nearly unrestricted power harshly cut off the elated cheers from the vampirized soldiers in the bridge, their red eyes collectively widening in terror at the monster they could all now feel descending towards them. As the SR-71 was bathed in the same sickly red glow as the vampire, wisps of darkness and shadows flickering around the nearly broken form, Alucard's chuckling slowly shifted into fully psychotic laughter. His fully regenerated upper body oozing from the wrecked fuselage, dozens of shadowy phantasmal clawed arms writhing through the air while holding the aircraft together, the vampire's form was illuminated by the pale moonlight as he locked gazes with the frightened Rip Van Winkle.

"No! I won't let you!"

Rip Van Winkle's voice cracked in fear, beads of nervous sweat dripping down her face, as she felt the vampire's spiritual energy growing larger and fouler. Aiming her musket at the falling aircraft once more, her body glowing with a deep blue light from the spiritual energy concentrated in her weapon, the Quincy narrowed her blue eyes and shouted, "I won't let you get anywhere near me!"

Bracing her body against the cold steel of the flight deck as she squeezed the musket's trigger, teeth clenched together while ignoring the rapid beating of her heart, almost every window on the bridge of the Eagle either cracked or shattered when a massive Heilig Pfeil conformed into the shape of a rifle bullet erupted from the spiritual weapon. A tired pant leaving her throat as her arms fell limply to the ground, blue eyes tracking the rapidly ascending arrow, Rip Van Winkle's lips pulled into a satisfied grin when a massive explosion detonated mere feet from the falling Alucard. Biting her lip as the SR-71 Blackbird began to spiral, the percussive blast changing its vertical trajectory, she sighed in relief when the aircraft crashed into ocean just a few hundred feet from the Eagle.

"That was too close for comfort…"

A light grunt leaving her lips as she stood back on her feet, one finger adjusting her round glasses, Rip Van Winkle forcibly ignored the jubilant cheers from the vampirized soldiers on the bridge and walked towards the edge of the flight deck. Pressing a hand against her forehead as her long blue hair waved in the cool ocean breeze, the pale light from the moon causing her glasses to gleam opaquely, the Sternritter's expression slowly shifted into a frown. It was slightly troubling that the wreckage of the SR-71 Blackbird hadn't yet sunk, the entire fuselage and both wings still visible above the surface of the water, but she wasn't too worried. As long as Alucard remained surrounded by at least a hundred feet of water he was effectively trapped until the Hellsing Organization or their allies could mount a rescue.

"But we can't allow that to happen just yet," Rip Van Winkle chuckled at her answer while twirling her musket through the air, a faint trace of blue light following the end of the muzzle. Quickly firing five normal Heilig Pfeil into the air with supernatural accuracy, the arrows ascending hundreds of feet before abruptly coming to a stop, her face was cast in a pale blue glow when a massive Quincy Zeichen appeared in the air. The smirk gracing her face widening as a translucent pentagonal barrier flared into existence, the spell enveloping everything within a kilometer of the ship, the Sternritter clapped her hands together and announced, "You lose, Alucard. Kirchenlied: Heilig Königs Palisade."

Shemhazat · Jun 7, 2015

Here is the next part of the section and...yeah...I posted the accompanying background OST to show just how f**ked Rip Van Winkle is:

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To My Death I Fight
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Bracing her body against the cold steel of the flight deck as she squeezed the musket's trigger, teeth clenched together while ignoring the rapid beating of her heart, almost every window on the bridge of the Eagle either cracked or shattered when a massive Heilig Pfeil conformed into the shape of a rifle bullet erupted from the spiritual weapon. A tired pant leaving her throat as her arms fell limply to the ground, blue eyes tracking the rapidly ascending arrow, Rip Van Winkle's lips pulled into a satisfied grin when a massive explosion detonated mere feet from the falling Alucard. Biting her lip as the SR-71 Blackbird began to spiral, the percussive blast changing its vertical trajectory, she sighed in relief when the aircraft crashed into ocean just a few hundred feet from the Eagle.

"That was too close for comfort…"

A light grunt leaving her lips as she stood back on her feet, one finger adjusting her round glasses, Rip Van Winkle forcibly ignored the jubilant cheers from the vampirized soldiers on the bridge and walked towards the edge of the flight deck. Pressing a hand against her forehead as her long blue hair waved in the cool ocean breeze, the pale light from the moon causing her glasses to gleam opaquely, the Sternritter's expression slowly shifted into a frown. It was slightly troubling that the wreckage of the SR-71 Blackbird hadn't yet sunk, the entire fuselage and both wings still visible above the surface of the water, but she wasn't too worried. As long as Alucard remained surrounded by at least a hundred feet of water he was effectively trapped until the Hellsing Organization or their allies could mount a rescue.

"But we can't allow that to happen just yet," Rip Van Winkle chuckled at her answer while twirling her musket around, a faint trace of blue light following the end of the muzzle. Quickly firing five normal Heilig Pfeil into the air with supernatural accuracy, the arrows ascending hundreds of feet before abruptly coming to a stop, her face was cast in a pale blue glow when a massive Quincy Zeichen appeared in the air. The smirk gracing her face widening as a translucent pentagonal barrier flared into existence, the spell enveloping everything within a kilometer of the ship, the Sternritter clapped her hands together and announced, "You lose, Alucard. Kirchenlied: Heilig Königs Palisade."

Round glasses shining ominously as she propped her musket against the nape of her neck, the pale moonlight penetrating the Quincy technique transmuted into a faint blue, Rip Van Winkle visibly perked up when the receiver in her ear flared to life and the Major's perfectly audible voice came across the connection, Ah, Rip Van Winkle. I assume your mission was a resounding success?"

"But of course!" The Sternritter replied cheerfully while spinning away from the edge of the flight deck, her previous nervousness and trepidation already forgotten. Nearly skipping as she walked across the spacious deck, her shoes echoing lightly against the exposed metal, she leaned her head back and stared at the moon before continuing, "You can inform His Majesty that the Schatten Ausrufung is ready to move to the next stage."

The corners of the Major's mouth twisted into a facsimile of a smile at the wonderful news, his yellow eyes gleaming with barely concealed anticipation. Standing on the bridge of the Deus Ex Machina while staring at the dozens of screens lining the wall in front of him, carefully installed cameras giving a crystal clear image of the Eagle's flight deck, he clapped his hands together and replied, "Excellent work, Rip Van Winkle. Casting Heilig Königs Palisade in such a tumultuous environment is no small feat even for the best of His Majesty's Sternritter. It's safe to say your recent ascension to our ranks was well deserved. I hope there weren't any complications dealing with Alucard."

Rip Van Winkle snorted as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, "Nothing beside the vampire attempting to crash the SR-71 Blackbird into the ship."

"I can't help but feel a little…what's the word…disappointed in how easily Alucard took the bait." Turning away from the screen and sitting down, his legs folded over each other, the Major sighed in discontentment before continuing, "A creature of such darkness and terror that even the illustrious Ragyo Kiryuin would be wary of directly confronting him…and he so easily fell into our trap? That's no fun but I must digress. As long as Alucard remains exactly where he is for the foreseeable future I am more than content to wait until the moment is right."

The pale blue-tinted moonlight illuminated Rip Van Winkle's face as she strolled across the flight deck of the Eagle, her smirk widening with every step. Tilting her head to the side while stabbing her musket against the ground, a loud rapport echoing through the nearly silent atmosphere, she narrowed her eyes derisively and cheerfully answered, "And thanks to this remarkable palisade we don't have to worry about the Hellsing Organization or Nudist Beach mounting a rescue. For the next three hours Alucard and this ship are completely separated from the rest of the world! Nobody will be able to see him even if they were standing right on the other side of the barrier!"

A strange sensation pulled at the corners of the Sternritter's mind the moment she finished speaking, a dark and twisted spiritual energy emanating from the destroyed fuselage of the SR-71 Blackbird. The ambient sounds of the Eagle muted as she turned around, the light from the moon disappearing behind a cloud, a bead of sweat trickled down Rip Van Winkle's face while the increasing jovial voice of the Major came across the connection, "Before I bid you a fond auf weidersehen, Rip Van Winkle, I have a message from His Majesty. He is pleased by your success this night and laments that your tenure amongst the Sternritter must be cut tragically short for the sake of peace. You can rest assured that your heroic sacrifice shall not be in vain."

"Sacrifice?" Rip Van Winkle's gaze remained focused on the floating wreckage in the distance, wisps of darkness still clinging to the frame, as she asked, "What the hell are you talking about? My orders were to simply contain Alucard!"

"Ah, but you did contain him!"

Her blue eyes staring at the shattered SR-71 Blackbird as an oozing darkness slowly emerged from the fallen aircraft, the nightmarish spiritual energy permeating the atmosphere growing darker by the second, Rip Van Winkle could barely hear the Major's voice as her arms fell numbly to her side, "The Heilig Königs Palisade will make sure Alucard cannot escape until every last piece is in place. The Wandenreich thanks you, Rip Van Winkle, but I do believe there are more important things you should focus on at the moment – such as surviving against the primordial force of nature that is Alucard. I wish you viel glück!"

Pulling the receiver out of her ear as the Major's voice vanished in a faint burst of static, small pieces of plastic and metal crumpling in her grip, Rip Van Winkle nearly lost her balance when the spiritual energy pulsing from the wreckage instantly quadrupled. Her breath temporarily forced from her lungs under the increased pressure, beads of nervous sweat freely dripping down her face, Rip Van Winkle gritted her teeth as a blue-white aura surrounded her body. Even after being betrayed by His Majesty, left to die at the hands of an undead monstrosity, she was not about to go down without a fight. Twisting around to face Alucard, fingers tightly gripping her musket as spiritual energy accumulated in the barrel, she felt her gathered will slowly drain away upon witnessing the darkness oozing forth from the SR-71 Blackbird's fuselage.

"W-What is this?" Rip's voice was barely above a whisper, the klaxons of the Eagle falling upon deaf ears, as her trembling blue eyes stared at the familiar figure slowly and methodically walking across the surface of the ocean directly towards her.

As she stood utterly alone on the flight deck the Sternritter fearfully continued to watch the darkness oozing from the crashed aircraft. Limply collapsing to her knees when the shadows reached the edge of the Heilig Königs Palisade only to flow directly up the interior surface, waves of the black substance coalescing upon the translucent barrier while absorbing the ambient light, Rip Van Winkle remained completely ignorant of the marching feet echoing from deeper within the ship as she stared at the moon. The once pale white object, which had been dyed an artificial blue by her barrier, was slowly transforming into a deep red as the darkness finished encasing the Eagle. Reluctantly turning her trembling eyes once more to Alucard as the ship was bathed in a deep red glow, the crimson moon appearing to pierce directly into her soul, the once proud Quincy's voice nearly broke as she shouted, "T-This is impossible! You're a vampire! You can't walk on water!"

Skeith · Jun 7, 2015

And so It Begins

Shemhazat · Jun 9, 2015

Here is the finale of the Rip Van Winkle portion. The next section will be back to Ichigo and Ryuko so huzzah!

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To My Death I Fight
---------------------------

"W-What is this?" Rip's voice was barely above a whisper, the klaxons of the Eagle falling upon deaf ears, as her trembling blue eyes stared at the familiar figure methodically walking across the surface of the ocean.

As she stood alone on the flight deck of the ship, her blue hair swaying around her face, the Sternritter fearfully tore her eyes away from the silhouetted when the darkness oozing from the crashed aircraft surged forth. Limply collapsing to her knees as the imperceptible substance reached the edge of the Heilig Königs Palisade and began flowing directly up the vertical surface, waves of black shadows coalescing upon the translucent pentagonal barrier while absorbing the ambient light, Rip Van Winkle remained woefully ignorant of the dozens of marching feet echoing below as she turned her gaze up towards the moon. The once pale white object, which had been dyed an artificial blue by her barrier, was slowly transforming into a deep red as the darkness finished encasing the Eagle. Reluctantly turning her trembling eyes once more to Alucard as the ship was bathed in a deep red glow, the crimson moon appearing to pierce directly into her soul, the once proud Quincy's voice nearly broke as she shouted, "T-This is impossible! You're a vampire! You can't walk on water!"

"You said this technique prevents anyone from seeing us…is that correct?"

Alucard's amused chuckling reverberated throughout the Sternritter's mind as he approached the ship, the darkness oozing from his body roiling against the surface of the ocean while dozens of ephemeral arms emerged from the infinite depths. Holding a single hand in front of his face, shadows flickering like flames from the white glove, Alucard's crimson eyes shone with a deep and disturbing light as his body was enveloped in a blood-red aura, "How truly wonderful…"

The intricate seal on the back of Alucard's glove shone brightly as hundreds of unblinking eyes rippled outwards along the shadows permeating the interior of the barrier. For just a brief moment of time, as the water sloshing beneath the vampire's boots was consumed by the encroaching darkness, Rip Van Winkle thought she saw something shift in Alucard's appearance. It was barely perceptible due to her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose, causing everything beyond twenty feet or so to twist into a faded grayish blur, but before she could fix her glasses and take a second look the Sternritter leapt backwards when several clawed arms burst forth from the puddles of dried blood on the flight deck.

Forced to use liberal applications of Hirenkyaku to dodge the surprising nimble appendages, the amorphous claws leaving several small tears in her white suit, Rip Van Winkle harshly bit her lower lip while raising her musket. Almost instantly the sensation of pain, as well as the taste of copper in her mouth, helped to drive away most of the terror permeating every cell of her body. Knees slightly bent before she vanished in a burst of speed, the half a dozen limbs tracking her movements converging back into the shadows, the Sternritter compressed the trigger of her musket as she reappeared moments later floating in midair.

"How is this happening?"

Rip Van Winkle's body was illuminated by the blood-red moon, her white uniform glowing with a sickening red outline as dozens of vampirized soldiers marched through the hatches leading to the flight deck. As the undead soldiers briefly gained the advantage, their modified spiritual weapons causing Alucard's shadows to dissolve into nothingness, she continued to hit the vampire with her 'X-Axis' while screaming, "You're supposed to be a vampire so how are you doing this?!"

"It's been far too long…not since those shinigami centuries ago…" Alucard's tone devolved into guttural growls as one crimson eye pierced through the red veil of the night, the darkness bubbling beneath his feet surging over the water and slamming against the hull of the ship. Momentarily staggering as holes continuously perforated his body, shadows and blood oozing from the circular wounds, the vampire held his arms out and chuckled while his wounds regenerated, "So tell me, Miss Van Winkle, how long do you think a Quincy such as yourself will last before I catch you?"

The vampire's question was answered when several rockets, courtesy of the vampirized soldiers on the flight deck, streaked through the crimson-tinted atmosphere and slammed against his body. Heavy and purposeful footsteps raced across the ship as the soldiers dropped the launchers from their shoulders, the encroaching darkness retreating back over the sides, and pulled out their normal weapons. As bullets rained down onto the roaring inferno surrounding Alucard, the incendiary substance contained within the rockets preventing the flames from going out, one of the shoulders pulled off his gas mask and shouted to the petrified Rip Van Winkle hovering above, "Ma'am! You need to use your Vollstandig! It's the only thing that can stand against –"

Thick gurgling replaced the soldier's declaration when one of the writhing claws completely pierced his throat, his weak blut tearing like paper against the unholy strength of the abomination continuing to make his way towards the ship. Red eyes widening in an expression of pain and terror before his head was crushed by the same appendage, blood and visceral spraying through the air and coating nearby vampirized soldiers, his body hadn't even begun to collapse to the ground before it was torn apart and scattered across the flight deck. Fumbling for the black Sanrei glove on her right hand while squeezing her eyes shut in a futile attempt to drown out the maddening screams from the soldiers Rip Van Winkle's heart was nearly in her throat as she hysterically exclaimed, "Vollstandig: Zieliel!"

A cacophony of energy roared through the enclosed space as a column of energy suddenly jutted upwards, the blue-white light radiating harshly over the ship fiercely clashing for dominance against the encompassing darkness permeating the barrier. Wings constructed purely from spiritual energy erupting from her shoulders, the phantasmal appendages given an experimental flap, the sickening glow of the crimson moon returned as the pillar surrounding Rip Van Winkle violently shattered like glass. Breathing deeply from the exhaustion of activating Vollstandig, the strain of the artificial technique immediately making itself, she suppressed the urge to wince upon noticing the bemused expression adorning Alucard's half-destroyed face.

Swallowing the heavy lump in her throat when the mocking smile on the vampire's bullet-torn visage grew, the dark abyss surrounding the unholy creature nearly at the ship threatening to devour her very soul, Rip Van Winkle's trembling fingers quickly raised her musket and took aim before a single shot rang out in the night. Almost instantaneously after firing Alucard's body was nearly disintegrated into nothingness, dozens of perfectly circular holes perforating every inch of his body.

"T-There…" Rip Van Winkle muttered while subconsciously fixing her glasses, blue smoke rising from the muzzle of her musket as what remained of Alucard's corpse sunk into the inky depths of the ocean. Unlike the boring and dull Lille Barro, who always claimed one shot from the 'X-Axis' would be enough to kill anyone, she actually possessed an imagination. Using Vollstandig might rapidly drain her stamina with each passing second but her enhanced schrift allowed her attacks to not only pierce the heart but every single vital organ, ligament and muscle of her opponent's body simultaneously.

Her face illuminated in a deep blue glow, courtesy of the Quincy Zeichen hovering inches above her long blue hair, she tensely lowered her musket and sighed, "Hopefully that should buy us some time to –"

"That form…"

Alucard's voice resonated with an unholy symphony inside the confines of her mind as his corpse dissolved into a mixture of darkness and blood, gaping maws reaching up through the surface of the water towards the Quincy far out of reach. Barely having time for her eyes to widen in terror when the spiritual energy permeating the enclosed space suddenly increased, the moon's crimson light turning an even deeper red, Rip was torn back to reality when the vampirized soldiers onboard the Eagle opened fire. Tendrils of shadows writhing around his body as he slowly walked across the flight deck, bullets penetrating his flesh while grenades coated the entire ship in a sea of flames and smoke, Alucard's laughter devolved into something completely inhuman when dozens of familiar clawed appendages burst forth from the ground and immediately attacked the beleaguered soldiers.

As the gunfire and screaming tampered off one at a time, the soldiers torn to pieces while their blood ran across the surface of the ship, Alucard stepped over the undead corpses and slowly turned his attention to Rip Van Winkle, "That Deathdealer possessed a similar ability. Vollstandig, was it? It's quite the interesting technique, all your strange attacks felt much more powerful after you used it. But I think it's time we ended this little dance, Miss Van Winkle."

"Go to hell, you monster!"

Screaming until her voice was hoarse as she pushed the 'X-Axis' to its absolute limit, the desire to destroy Alucard overriding any conscious thought, Rip Van Winkle didn't stop firing until the entire flight deck was enveloped in flames and smoke. Her breath coming out in ragged and deep pants as the exertion of using Vollstandig continued growing worse, a metallic groan echoing throughout the area as the perforated Eagle slowly began sinking, she didn't dare blink as she scanned the ship for any sign of the vampire.

"That couldn't have finished him!" Her thoughts becoming increasing desperate when she couldn't find Alucard, the smoke on the flight deck clearing enough for her to see the corpses of her soldiers, "I can still feel his spiritual energy. So where did he –"

"That was quite the impressive display," Rip Van Winkle gasped when Alucard's deep voice spoke from right behind her, his gloved hand firmly clenching her right shoulder. Barely able to muster the courage to look at the vampire, his eyes glowing an unholy crimson, the Sternritter's expression froze in terror as he continued, "Something like that would kill most people. Good try though."

She never even saw Alucard move before his fist impacted her face with enough force to shatter the Quincy Zeichen hovering over her head. Time seeming to slow to a crawl as blood and spittle burst from her lips, blue eyes wide in a mixture of pain and confusion, the Sternritter's mind was still attempting to understand what happened when she was sent violently crashing onto the Eagle's flight deck. Even as her body painfully tore through several reinforced walls, explosions erupting all around her, Rip Van Winkle couldn't understand why her Blut Vene had failed. It should have negated at least some of Alucard's punch yet it had collapsed the moment he made contact, the sheer strength behind the blow destroying His Majesty bestowed protection.

Raising a trembling hand as she finally came to a miraculous stop, her body covered in cuts and wounds, Rip Van Winkle spit out a wad of blood as she tightly gripped the bow of the ship and pulled herself off the deck. Cracked glasses perched delicately upon the bridge of her nose, the left lens missing and causing her vision to blur, she coughed harshly and covered her white uniform in splotches of crimson as she looked over her shoulder at the silhouette walking through the roaring flames, "O-Oh god…"

Unblinking eyes spun outwards into existence as Alucard continued his relentless march towards the heavily injured Quincy. Auburn flames licking his body while he stomped to a halt several meters away from Rip Van Winkle, shadows oozing forth from his overcoat while faint eldritch screams pierced through the deafening silence, the vampire's sadistic grin widened as he spoke, "You wanted to trap me so tell me, Miss Van Winkle. Is this everything you expected?"

Hands fumbling against the deck for her musket, the spiritual weapon heavy damaged by her landing but still operational, Rip Van Winkle didn't even bother aiming as she used the last of her Vollstandig against Alucard. She didn't care about the impossibility of killing the vampire. All that mattered was preventing the unholy creature from getting any closer. But when she depressed the trigger of her musket, the characteristic spiritual energy rapidly building up inside the muzzle, there was a sound akin to glass shattering as the wings granted to her by Vollstandig abruptly vanished.

A faint gasp leaving her throat as she stumbled backwards, her knees weakened from the sudden loss of energy, Rip Van Winkle took one look at the inhuman mockery of a smile on Alucard's face before turning to flee. But before she could take a single step, her every thought revolving around survival, the Sternritter violently choked when the vampire teleported the short distance between them and clasped his hand tightly around throat. Easily holding her in the air, trails of blood oozing from the corners of her mouth, Alucard chuckled as he pulled the musket from her fingers.

"Look what I just caught." Fanged maws emerged from the shadows while he painfully pressed the musket against Rip Van Winkle's chest, eyes forming in the darkness composing his body, Alucard's tone turned nightmarish as he opened his mouth, "I just caught you…Rip…Van…Winkle…"

Shemhazat · Jun 13, 2015

So we're back to Ryuko and Ichigo and the main part of the arc. I hope you enjoy everything that's below. Feel free to comment.

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To My Death I Fight
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Ryuko yawned loudly as she reclined on the only couch in the Nudist Beach safe house. Her black hair disheveled from a lack of sleep, blue eyes dropping with exhaustion, she propped her feet on the coffee table and listened to the rhythmic sounds of Senketsu's subdued snoring. It hadn't been that long ago, four or five hours at the most, since the Kamui dozed off into a deep slumber despite the ample supply of her blood and Ryuko couldn't help but wonder why the hell she was still up. Folding her arms across the navy-blue sailor uniform, Senketsu's entire form gently ruffling in time with his snoring, she tilted her head and yawned again while absentmindedly watching Ichigo help Batou move several metal boxes across the room.

"Be careful with that," Batou cautiously chided when he noticed Ichigo nearly trip and drop the crate in his hands, "Those spool grenades pack enough of a punch to destroy this building and everything around it."

Sighing tiredly as he carefully placed his own crate on top of the growing stack near the front of the house, Ichigo's scowl and subsequent eye roll not lost to the nudist, Batou rubbed a hand against his neck when his aging muscles and joints began complaining. As he crouched next to the stack of boxes, grey eyes carefully reading the label carefully stenciled on the sides, the nudist commander checked off another item on his mental checklist. Lips pursing when he looked at his watch, the hour hand sitting just past the twelve, he pointed over his shoulder and addressed Ichigo, "You and Ryuko can go get some shuteye once we're finished moving these boxes. Don't worry, I'll wake you two up the moment Alucard gets back."

"I've been meaning to ask you…"

Ichigo trailed off when two nudists emerged from the back room of the safe house, a large piece of complicated and highly expensive machinery held in their straining arms. With complete silence descending upon the room four sets of eyes watched the soldiers checked over the piece of equipment for any issues, the plastic wrapping all but hiding the forest green paint, before giving their commanding officer a respectful salute and leaving. His attention firmly locked for several seconds on the apparatus on the ground, something about it reminding him of Honnouji Academy, Ichigo turned back to Batou and continued without missing a beat, "Where's Anderson?"

"He's at the Hellsing Manor."

The wooden floorboards creaked in protest as Batou walked out of the room in the same direction as the two nudists. When the nudist continued speaking a moment later from the adjacent corridor, his voice muffled by the walls, an annoyed curse echoed throughout the safe out as he accidentally dropped a crate on his foot, "Anyway…Millennium's planning something so Anderson's coordinating with the Hellsing Organization until their vampire gets back. Hopefully we can leave without getting into a fight…or Iscariot discovering he's still in the country."

An irritated scowl appeared on Ryuko's face at the nudist's mentioning of Iscariot, the resulting spike in her blood pressure causing Senketsu to briefly grumble before falling back asleep. She really hated the fact that ever since leaving Karakura Town everyone seemed to already know about her. It didn't make any goddamn sense – she never even met any of these people. While Anderson's stupid claim about raising her in an orphanage came to the forefront of her mind, which was frankly complete bullshit, what really confused Ryuko were those two people from the Vatican. It had only been for a moment but when she walked into the room, and just before noticing Alucard, she had seen the looks of recognition on their faces.

Huffing as she raised her arms above her head and stretched, a loud and tired yawn tearing its way out of her throat, Ryuko scratched her hair before shouting out the door, "And how often does nothing happen to us?"

Instead of immediately answering the question upon reentering the room, a heavy crate held firmly in his hands, Batou frowned and dropped the box on the table next to the teenager's feet. As Ryuko's entire body flinched from the loud impact, the short burst of adrenaline bringing her back to full awareness, the nudist commander easily ignored the resulting string of curses and began walking away, "There's a first time for everything. Now get off your lazy ass and help Ichigo."

The series of nearly inaudible curses spewing from Ryuko's mouth continued as she glared at the departing nudist, stopping only after Batou completely left the room. Leaning her head back against the couch once the target of her frustration was gone, an exasperated sigh causing her crimson bang of hair to flutter, she loudly groaned before pulling her feet off the table and stomping them against the floor. Blue eyes narrowing suspiciously as she stared at the large box sitting innocently on the table, hands propped on her legs as she sat forward, Ryuko shook her head and began to get up only to stop when Ichigo collapsed onto the couch next to her.

"You look exhausted, Ichigo," Ryuko playfully quipped as she watched Ichigo rub the bridge of his nose. As Senketsu began rustling around her body, the Kamui's multicolored eye blearily looking around the room, her smug grin slowly disappeared when she noticed the look on Ichigo's face, "Hey, what's wrong?"

Ichigo ran a hand down his face as he stared at the ceiling, "Something about this doesn't make any sense."

"Oh really?" Ryuko rolled her eyes at the obvious statement before nudging Ichigo in the ribs, "Is it those insane Quincy trying to kill everyone or finding out Nui Harime is my damn sister?"

"At Honnouji Academy they seemed almost desperate to stop Ragyo. Two of them even died fighting Xcution," Ichigo momentarily paused as he tried to piece together everything he knew about Millennium and Revocs, which was admittedly not that much, "They have to know Ragyo's getting closer their plans. So why would they go out of their way to declare war on England. It doesn't make any sense."

"The answer is obvious – they're fucking insane," Ryuko stated in annoyance before jumping off the couch. Groaning as she took a moment to stretch her stiff back, the muscles quickly popping back into place, she stalked around to the other side of the table before folding her arms over Senketsu and scoffing, "So if they show up and try to start anything we'll use Senketsu and Mugetsu to kick their asses!"

A few seconds passed after Ryuko finished speaking before a loud yawn filled the room, courtesy of Mugetsu desperately trying to stay awake. Her entire uniform shivering as multicolored eyes blinked tiredly she looked up at her wearer and stated, "All this talk about Quincy is making my fibers twitch strangely. Ichigo, I want you to iron me."

Ichigo couldn't suppress the exasperated sigh welling up in his throat at his Kamui's incessant demand, Mugetsu's confused priorities already giving him a slight headache. Running a hand through his orange hair while locking gazes with an increasing annoyed Mugetsu, her multihued eyes betrayed exactly how she felt about his stalling, his characteristic scowl returned upon noticing the smug smirk appearing on the corner of Ryuko's mouth, "Fine, I'll iron you…but only after we leave London."

"What?!" Mugetsu's shocked tone pierced through the air when she heard the supposed treachery of her wearer. Rustling indignantly as she tried to lift her sleeve and show Ichigo the faintest smudge of dirt on her cuff, only to visibly deflate upon realizing his arm prevented her from moving, the Kamui growled and narrowed her eyes, "I can feel dirt and grime in my threads and it's only a matter of time before they're impossible to get out! You haven't washed me since yesterday so what are you waiting for?"

"Because I know everything will go to hell the moment I start washing you."

It took Ichigo quite a bit of mental effort to ignore the subsequent growl from Mugetsu, the Kamui obviously finding his answer to her question unsatisfactory. As he leaned back against the couch, exhaustion beginning to set in his muscles, Ichigo frowned when he suddenly remembered something that had been bugging him for some time. Turning to Ryuko, who seemed to be on the verge of chuckling, he scowled and asked, "So what was in that folder?"

For a few seconds after he asked the question Ryuko simply stared at Ichigo before realization hit her. Loudly sitting down on the coffee table, the wood creaking under the combined weight from the heavy crate and teenager, she crossed her legs and snorted as she remembered the weird silver-haired camera man from the embargo vote, "Just some stuff about that guy from Xcution, which would have been a lot more useful if that asshole hadn't shown up literally seconds later! I didn't even get a chance to look inside the folder before I was flying through the sky with a bomb in my hands!"

Senketsu's neckerchief gently shifted in an unfelt breeze as he looked up at Ryuko and asked, "Ryuko…your blood pressure is increasing. Are you thinking about that man from Xcution again?"

Ryuko huffed as she angrily folded her arms under her bosom, the simply mention of the smug asshole causing her heart rate to increase. Leaning back slightly on the table while her fingers gripped Senketsu's sleeves, the Kamui tightening around her body in an attempt to comfort her, Ryuko's voice was strained as she shook her head, "It may sound completely crazy but for some reason I can't help but think I actually know that bastard."

"He did seem to know you," Ichigo paused while he carefully thought about while little he knew of Yuu Akiyama, "Could he have gone to one of your old boarding schools?"

"If he did than I don't remember him. I didn't have any friends until I met you and Mako," Ryuko's voice was little more than a pained whisper as she looked away from Ichigo, a crestfallen expression on her face. Her childhood wasn't the best and Ichigo know about it, more or less, but that didn't making remembering the loneliness and isolation any less painful. As the minutes passed in silence between the two teenagers, the only sounds in the safe house coming from the nudists in the other rooms, Ryuko's saddened expression slowly vanished. The corners of her lips curling into a faint smile, she turned back to Ichigo and mumbled, "You know, Ichigo, I just want to say…um…I –"

"What the hell do you mean we can't contact Osaka?!"

Shemhazat · Jun 17, 2015

Here's the next part of the story. It ends on a cliffhanger but the next part of this section is nearly finished. I just need to do a few more things first. Enjoy!

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To My Death I Fight
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Ryuko huffed as she angrily folded her arms under her bosom, the simply mention of the smug asshole causing her heart rate to increase. Leaning back slightly on the table while her fingers gripped Senketsu's sleeves, the Kamui tightening around her body in an attempt to comfort her, Ryuko's voice was strained as she shook her head, "It may sound completely crazy but for some reason I can't help but think I actually know that bastard."

"He did seem to know you," Ichigo paused while he carefully thought about while little he knew of Yuu Akiyama, "Could he have gone to one of your old boarding schools?"

"If he did than I don't remember him. I didn't have any friends until I met you and Mako," Ryuko's voice was little more than a pained whisper as she looked away from Ichigo, a crestfallen expression on her face. Her childhood wasn't the best and Ichigo know about it, more or less, but that didn't making remembering the loneliness and isolation any less painful. As the minutes passed in silence between the two teenagers, the only sounds in the safe house coming from the nudists in the other rooms, Ryuko's saddened expression slowly vanished. The corners of her lips curling into a faint smile, she turned back to Ichigo and mumbled, "You know, Ichigo, I just want to say…um…I –"

"What the hell do you mean we can't contact Osaka?!"

Her left eye twitching in barely suppressed annoyance when Batou stormed back into the room alongside Richards, the nudist commander's angry shouting prematurely cutting off what she wanted to tell Ichigo. The Seki Tekko crackling as she clenched her hand into a fist and spun around, a few choice words about being interrupted already on the tip of her tongue, Ryuko paused with her mouth half open when she noticed the tense looks adorning the two men's faces. Turned towards his commanding officer, and thus completely ignorant of the rapidly shifting emotions passing through Ryuko's head, the nudist cleared his throat before answering, "Sir, five minutes ago we lost contact with both Osaka and the field offices. Attempting to reroute the signal through public, private and military lines achieved similar results."

Batou's eyes narrowed as he tried to assess the situation, a prospect made increasingly more difficult due to the scant information. Unlike what a lot of people thought, usually those with no military experience, a full information blackout was exceedingly difficult to sustain. There was usually a time frame of thirty minutes, maybe an hour if they were really good, before communications were restored, which raised the question of motivation. Whoever was behind the blackout had an ulterior motive and the list of possible and acceptable targets, in London and across the country, could be counted a single hand.

"This doesn't make any sense," the nudist commander grumbled as he leaned against the wall, arms folded across his chest, "Even if someone possessed the necessary resources and equipment to pull off a stunt like this, our systems are completely isolated from London's. They shouldn't have been able to hack our network. Not after Houka Inumuta bolstered our firewalls and encryptions. Damn it…do we at least know if it's Ragyo Kiryuin?"

Keenly aware that both Ichigo and Ryuko were carefully listening to their conversation, the mere mention of the Kiryuin matriarch gaining their full and undivided attention, Richards coughed and cleared his throat before answering, "We won't know until we manually reboot the system and isolate the cause. It will take some time, sir."

A weary sigh echoed across the room as Batou rubbed a hand against his face, his exhaustion giving way to annoyance and trepidation. This was not the good news he needed to hear. Every military bone in his body, honed from years of service across the world, was screaming that he was missing something extremely vital. Grimacing when he pulled a cell phone out from his jacket's pocket, the military-styled device hardened against both tampering and electromagnetic pulses, and saw he didn't have a signal the nudist commander frowned as his mind cycled through several scenarios, "Alright, even if Ragyo Kiryuin isn't behind this we still need to restore contact with headquarters. Wait…you said only communications going into or out of London are down. Does that mean we can still contact Anderson?"

"Yes, sir," Richards hesitantly answered, "We were able to reach Commander Anderson's phone. However…he's refusing to pick up."

"Of course he is…" Batou muttered while running a hand through his grey hair. Anderson might be an overly zealous crusader against Life Fibers but the former priest respected the chain of command, at least to the extent of following Olivier's orders to the letter, "If Anderson's not responding than it's likely Integra Hellsing's people already know about the situation. Contact Echo November One and tell them to stay on high alert. The shit is about to hit the fan."

As Richards snapped off a salute and quickly left the room, the noise from the back of the safe house increasing rapidly as several voices echoed through the enclosed space, Ichigo stood up and asked, "Millennium?"

"Probably," Batou grumbled, his footsteps creaking as he stalked towards the door and stared out the small windows. Reaching for the M-15 Anti-Life Fiber Assault Rifle propped against the wall, his other hand grabbing the full clip of sewing needles on the nearby crate, the nudist commander pursed his lips, "I know how Ragyo usually works. She always does things with a bit of flair of drama. She's never been this subtle."

Ryuko quirked an eyebrow as her anger from being interrupted dissipated. Arms folded over Senketsu, the Kamui humming thoughtfully in her mind, she cocked her head to the side and sarcastically asked, "How do you know that?"

"I've been around the block, working for both Ragyo and as an army ranger. Let's just say I'm speaking from experience," Batou answered vaguely, his eyes drifting towards the weapon in his hands as he turned away from the window. Skilled fingers expertly checking over every facet of the Anti-Life Fiber weapon, the needle clip not snapping into place until the end, the nudist frowned as he mulled over old memories, "For the last seventeen years Ragyo's conducted business one of two ways. Her first and favorite method is using extremely subtle Mental Refitting to take control of a company's board of directors. Your dad spent years in his lab trying to devise a counter to her Marionette Threads."

Ichigo, quickly noticing Ryuko tensing at the mention of her father, stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder before turning to Batou, "And the second?"

Batou groaned as he sat down on a crate, the M-15 propped carefully against his leg, "She sends either the Grand Couturier or a member of Xcution to do a little 'tough negotiating.'"

A tense silence momentarily filled the room at the nudist's answer before Ryuko took a deep breath and smashed her foot against the coffee table. The piece of furniture visibly straining under the forceful impact, the constant abuse over the last few minutes causing several minute cracks to spread along its surface, the teenager glared daggers at the older man as her irritation at the situation was replaced with mild annoyance, "If these Quincy are planning something, why the hell are we just standing here waiting?"

"Taking down Millennium won't be as simple as you think."

Shaking his head when Ryuko's piercing glare didn't abate in the slightest Batou sighed deeply and grimly added, "Unlike Ragyo Kiryuin what we know about Millennium basically amounts to shit. They're an organization capable of instantly fielding Quincy strong enough to fight against Xcution. For all we know, sending you two could be –"

The nudist commander abruptly paused when he heard a series of dull thumps in the distance, the walls of the safe house shaking with each impact. As dozens of V2 rockets slammed into London, most of the famous landmarks obliterating in only a few seconds, Batou barely had time to cover his eyes before the windows shattered into thousands of deadly projectiles. Violently knocked off his feet when a shockwave exploded through the room, the force from the rocket impacting just over a block away tearing the reinforced door off its hinges, Batou briefly lost consciousness as his head made contact with the wall.

"Ugh…I'm going to feel that in the morning."

A pained groan left Batou's mouth as he slowly stood up, wincing when his fingers touched the growing lump on the back of his head. Ignoring the familiar sensation of blood oozing down from his forehead, one hand propped against the wall for support, he stared at the flames in the street before asking, "Hey, are you two alright?"

Her body littered with minute cuts from the flying shrapnel, the wounds existing for only a few seconds before regenerating, Ryuko scowled before reaching into the pouch on her waist. Pulling out the miniaturized red Scissor Blade, the weapon snapping back to full size with a simple flick of her wrist, a relieved expression crossed her face when she saw Ichigo was all right. When she heard a second series of explosions in the distance Ryuko gritted her teeth and angrily asked, "What the hell's going on?"

Grunting as he picked up the fallen M-15, the roaring flames casting the entire room in disturbing shades of yellow and orange, Batou quickly checked over the weapon before focusing his attention on the inferno mere meters away. It was hard to believe how fucked the situation became in less than ten minutes. Holding up a hand before Ichigo could speak, Richards and the other nudists marching into the room, Batou spit on the ground and answered, "Aerial bombing meant to take out any heavily fortified positions around the city…I think it's safe to say Millennium's here."

Shemhazat · Jun 19, 2015

And...here is the rest of the section. I hope you enjoy it!

----------------------------
To My Death I Fight
---------------------------

Grunting as he picked up the fallen M-15, the roaring flames casting the entire room in disturbing shades of yellow and orange, Batou quickly checked over the weapon before focusing his attention on the inferno mere meters away. It was hard to believe how fucked the situation became in less than ten minutes. Holding up a hand before Ichigo could speak, Richards and the other nudists marching into the room, Batou spit on the ground and answered, "Aerial bombing meant to take out any heavily fortified positions around the city…I think it's safe to say Millennium's here."

There was a sharp glint of blue light as Ichigo removed Tournesol from its scabbard, the sapphire Life Fiber blade shining darkly in contrast to the flames just outside the safe house. His orange hair waving alongside Ryuko's in the wind kicked up by the intense heat, his brown eyes narrowed into a furious scowl as penetrating screams of pain and terror reached his ears, Ichigo raced towards the front door only for Batou to hold out his arm.

"I know you want to help, Ichigo…" Batou gruffly began, his face pulled into a tense scowl. Haphazardly pulling off his jacket when one of the nudists handed him a ballistic vest, the Anti-Life Fiber technology woven into the armor powerful enough to tank a few hits from a Three-Star Goku Uniform, the commander motioned with his head towards Richards before finishing, "…trust me, I want to kill these Nazi bastards myself. But this isn't the time to rush headfirst into battle."

"People are dying!" Ichigo retorted loudly, one hand clenching Batou's shirt, "And you want us to do nothing?"

"Isshin told us all about your little trip to the Soul Society." A flash of surprise crossed Ichigo's face at the revelation, his grip slackening enough for the nudist commander to pull himself free. One hand fixing his shirt while the other slung the M-15 over his shoulder, the crackling flames causing shadows to dance around the room, Batou finished putting on the rest of his armor before continuing, "These aren't some shinigami you managed to catch off guard. We're facing an organization with unknown resources and manpower. Going out there without a plan won't help anyone."

A tense silence filled the room as Ichigo mulled over Batou's answer, the only sounds for several seconds coming from the flames crackling outside. Even though he hated to admit it the nudist had a good point. He couldn't afford to just charge headfirst against the Quincy and hope to emerge victorious, not when they were so willing to callously murder millions of people for no good reason. Softly clenching his right hand into a fist, a look of determination evident in his eyes, Ichigo scowled at the nudist before admitting, "You're right…but we can't just stand around talking."

"Exactly…"

Batou didn't flinch as two nudists brought a metal table in from the adjoining room, the accompanying high-pitched screech causing Ryuko to cover her ears in pain. Shouldering his weapon as Richards unfurled a large map of the city, the nudist tacking down the edges before stepping away, Batou scratched his chin before pointing towards a particular spot, "We need to leave the city and meet up with Anderson and the Wild Geese at the Hellsing Manor. Last I heard Pip wired the entire property with anti-vampire traps, so it should still be safe. The only problem is Millennium."

"We can handle those bastards," Ryuko replied confidently. Readjusting her grip on the red Scissor Blade, the weapon resting lazily on her shoulder, the crimson highlight in her hair brightened momentarily as she turned to Ichigo and smirked, "These Quincy are weak against Life Fibers, right? That means Senketsu should be able to kick their ass!"

The nudist commander grumbled before shaking his head, an idea already coming to mind. Although Quincy possessed a weakness to Life Fibers, their best attacks having little to no effect against raiment and hybrids, he didn't think they would be stupid enough to willingly fight either teenager. That fat bastard of a Major wouldn't send his best fighters to the front lines only to die, which meant dealing with the Sternritter would be exponentially more difficult. Tensing when an explosion roared through the city, the main gas line several blocks away catching fire, he trailed his finger down the map before gruffly speculating, "That only leaves the vampires. We don't know how strong they are but I doubt they're anything like –"

"Sir!" One of the nudists stationed near the door, his body propped behind several heavy crates, turned around and shouted, "Several of our remaining sensors detected multiple combatants heading towards this location. ETA sixty seconds!"

"Damn it, that was faster than I thought," Batou's footsteps echoed heavily on the floor as he took position next to Richards, his fellow nudist tightly gripping a heavily modified ML-77 Missile Launcher. Carefully removing several pincushion grenades from his belt, the Anti-Life Fiber explosives clacking dangerously in his hand, the nudist commander spat on the ground before finishing, "Alright, you two go out there and activate your Kamui at the same time. The resulting light show should draw any unwanted attention away from us. Try and keep Millennium distracted for at least ten minutes, fifteen if you feel like pushing it, but meet up at the Hellsing Manor when you're done. Got it?"

As she took a few steps forwards, the Scissor Blade clenched tightly in her right hand, Ryuko shared a glance with Ichigo and asked, "What if we run into a Quincy?"

"Then you're free to kick their sanctimonious asses all the way to hell," Batou replied, his tone rapidly shifting midsentence when several figures became apparent in the distance. The M-15 in his hands immediately snapping upwards, grey eyes narrowing upon recognizing the white uniforms visible through the flames, he looked over his shoulder at Ichigo and shouted, "What the hell you waiting for? Go!"

Ryuko was already halfway out the door by the time Batou raised his voice, her body a blue blur to the nudists crouched behind their makeshift barricades. Leaping out into the ruined streets with the Scissor Blade held firmly in her grasp the first thing she noticed were the bodies. Men and women, their mangled faces forever frozen in agony, covered the burning city as far as she could see. Forcibly doing her best to not breath in the stench permeating the air, a constant sense of nausea lingering on the edges of her senses, Ryuko's face shifted into an expression of pure rage as she sensed dozens of vampires rapidly running towards her.

"So these undead fuckers think they can get away with this, huh?"

As the red highlight permanently visible in her hair shone brilliantly, a sign of the anger coursing through her veins, Ryuko took a step forward but paused when Senketsu's worried voice echoed through her mind. Relieved slightly when instead of chastising her emotional outburst the Kamui instead wholeheartedly supported her decision, albeit with a cautionary word or two about controlling her anger, she pointed the Scissor Blade down the street and passionately shouted, "You undead bastards think you're so tough? How about you fight someone that can actually kick your ass!"

Grinning maliciously when the vampirized soldiers slid to a simultaneous halt, their hidden red eyes widening upon recognizing the teenager from the collected Daten, Ryuko chuckled when she heard Ichigo land to her right. His brown eyes narrowed in tranquil fury as he beheld the death and destruction permeating London, the multitude of corpses piled in the streets causing his face to contort into a scowl, he held a hand over the pauldron strapped to his left shoulder and cautioned, "Try not to get separated, Ryuko."

"What?" Ryuko exclaimed while turning towards Ichigo with an incredulous look etched on her face, the seriousness of the situation momentarily forgotten, "You think these bastards stand a chance against us?"

"No," Ichigo responded while rolling his eyes, uncaring that the vampires were able to hear his answer. Raising Tournesol in his left hand when dozens of blue spiritual energy blades shimmered into existence alongside modern weaponry, Mugetsu humming in response to the sudden increase in spiritual energy, Ichigo shook his head and finished, "It's just that you have no idea how to get to the Hellsing Manor."

Ryuko opened her mouth to argue before quickly realizing that Ichigo was right – she didn't have the slightest idea of how to get there. Hanging her head forward while sighing in resignation and annoyance, the light from her red highlight fading once more, she took a deep breath before punching Ichigo in his arm. A pleased smirk reappearing on her face when the orange haired teenager complained about the unprovoked attack Ryuko's expression hardened as she brought up her left hand. Fingers tightly gripping the Seki Tekko's pin, her sneakers sliding along the ground as she shifted her stance, Ryuko narrowed her eyes and declared, "Fine…but this doesn't change anything, got it? Now let's show these undead freaks what happens when they piss us off!"

"Life Fiber Synchronization: Kamui Senketsu!"

"Life Fiber Initial Release: Kamui Mugetsu!"

Shemhazat · Jun 25, 2015

More story for you. It's the first part of the last part of Chapter 46. I hope you enjoy it!

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To My Death I Fight
--------------------------

"Damn it…"

As he hovered effortlessly in the glowing skies over London, the constant propulsion from Mugetsu Gufū easily allowing him to counterbalance the pull of gravity, Ichigo looked around the burning landscape for any sign of Ryuko. Barely a second after activating their Kamui she had rushed towards the horde of undead soldiers with the red Scissor blade held proudly in her hands, which was a stark contrast to the way the vampires had attempted to flee upon witnessing her display of power. His brow creasing into an annoyed frowned when a burst of ruby light erupted in the distance, the familiar spiritual energy of Ryuko and Senketsu washing over him, Ichigo couldn't help but wonder why they would use Senketsu Senkou. It wasn't as if the vampirized soldiers in the streets were strong. On the contrary they were roughly the same strength as a tenth seat shinigami. Ryuko was more than capable of defeating them without even using the Scissor blade, which could only mean one thing.

"She's going out all from the start," Ichigo muttered, more to himself than anyone else, before glaring at the unconscious vampire hanging limply from his left hand, "But I really can't blame her."

The half-dead vampire, blood spewing from his nose and mouth, was one of the many reasons he was finding it increasingly difficult to blame Ryuko for wanting to use Senketsu's full power to defeat Millennium. Before Ichigo appeared in front of the soldier and caught the Seele Schneider in his bare hand, the rapidly rotating spiritual particles failing to scratch Mugetsu's armor, the vampire had been preparing to murder an entire family. Several longs had passed before the vampirized soldier finally noticed something was wrong but by then it was too late. As he tried to free his blade from the teen's supernatural grip, red eyes widening in recognition, Ichigo had simply punched the vampire's face with enough force to shatter both his nose and goggles.

Briefly looking around before landing on a nearby roof, a small shower of blue stars accompanying Mugetsu's rapid transition back to her base configuration, Ichigo didn't spare the unconscious vampire a second glance before allowing the soldier to collapse onto the surface. As he focused upon where he last sensed Ryuko, the Life Fibers in his body locking onto the familiar sensation of Senketsu's power, Ichigo paused and looked upwards in surprise when two large zeppelins slowly emerged from the smoke and ash enveloping the city.

"Are those…blimps?"

Mugetsu couldn't hide the sarcastic tone in her voice as she stared in disbelief at the two aircraft floating lazily over the city. A feminine growl echoing through Ichigo's mind when her multicolored eyes shifted towards the ruby light in the distance, the Kamui appreciative of Senketsu constantly showing off his power, she hummed thoughtfully and looked up at her wearer when something came to mind, "Do you think Millennium would be stupid enough to be waiting on those things?"

"Yeah…" Ichigo muttered absentmindedly while staring at the larger of the two zeppelins, the black and red checkerboard-pattern standing out more than anything else. His face twisting into a scowl as he expanded his senses outwards, the heavily concealed spiritual energy similar to Uryu's, Ichigo tightened his grip around Tournesol and added, "There are several Quincy on that ship and I'm willing to bet the Major is one of them. We need to stop him!"

Silence fell across the rooftop once Ichigo finished, Mugetsu continuing to give her wearer a long look before turning her attention towards the aircraft floating innocently in the sky. Multicolored eyes narrowing in deep thought as she pondered what to do, several ideas passing through her mind in quick succession before being summarily discarded, her entire form rippled angrily when she finally replied, "You're right. Millennium needs to be stopped but we should meet up with Ryuko and Senketsu first. It frays my Life Fibers even thinking about asking that smug Kamui for help but this isn't an enemy where my power will be enough. We're going to need – "

The sound of nearby gunfire and screaming cut the Kamui off midsentence, her wearer quickly rushing across the rooftop and leaping into the air despite her calls for him to take a moment to think. His brown eyes narrowing when he found the source of the fighting, several vampires rapidly overtaking and massacring dozens of surviving citizens, Ichigo tightened his grip on Tournesol while blue energy continuously erupted from the vent on the back of Mugetsu's armor. As he smashed into the ground with enough force to buckle the pavement, the previously ecstatic vampires sliding to a halt upon sensing the spiritual energy emanating from the Life Fibers in his body, Ichigo didn't have a moment to rest before the undead soldiers raised their weapons and quickly opened fire.

"Sorry…" Ichigo's voice was steady while Tournesol blurred into motion, the sapphire hardened Life Fiber blade easily deflecting the projectiles with laughable ease. Chancing a look backwards even as the gunfire doubled in intensity, a sense of relief washing over his features upon seeing everyone was still safe, the orange haired teenager's eyes were cast in shadow as a blue aura surrounded his body, "But I can't waste any time. Mugetsu Zangetsu."

An ephemeral black and white blur was the most any of the vampirized soldiers noticed before they were cut down with impunity, crimson blood arcing through the air as several large gashes appeared across their formerly white uniforms. When he reappeared a moment later standing behind the fallen soldiers, Tournesol held out to the side, Ichigo looked over his shoulder at the fleeing civilians before focusing his full attention on Ryuko's distinctive energy signature. Ignoring Mugetsu's grumbling about nearly being hit by bullets, her eyes staring guiltily up at him, Ichigo let out a tired sigh and frowned, "Come on, Mugetsu. We should get moving – "

"Burner Finger One."

Ichigo instinctively leaned out of the way moments before a thin column of superheated flames tore through the air, the elemental attack barely missing his shoulder by only a few inches before slamming into a building. As the concussive force from the subsequent explosion of power buffeted his body, Mugetsu muttering threats under her breath at whoever dared attempting to singe her Life Fibers, the familiar spiritual energy of the attack caused the orange haired teenager to frown. His expression twisting into a scowl when a shadowy figure emerged from the writing flames, licks of fire harmlessly clinging to his white uniform, Ichigo tightened his grip on Tournesol and growled, "Bazz-B…"

The aforementioned Sternritter slowly lowered his smoking index finger as he fully emerged from the flames, his eyes narrowed upon noticing Mugetsu's altered appearance. Stomping to a halt down the street from the former substitute shinigami, left hand folded in the pocket of his pants, Bazz-B leaned backwards before scoffing "That's a fancy new uniform you got there, Ichigo. It must be pretty fast for you to dodge my Burner Finger One without even looking."

Shemhazat · Jun 27, 2015

The chapter is up and posted. I hope you enjoy reading it!

To My Death I Fight
Chapter 46 - London's Burning

To My Death I Fight (Kill la Kill / Bleach)

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