The Call of the Cardinal [Pg-13, NDE]

In the outskirts of the Rokongai, amidst the heaps of wood and trash that was the remainder district, a team of ten Shinigami combed through the area. The district was abandoned, whether recently or a long time ago, it was hard to tell. Up above, the clouds were an ash gray, like if it was about to rain, dimming the broken landscape before the team. They had been on the move for hours already, having set off in the morning after being briefed of the disappearances. They moved at a slow pace, making sure to leave no stone unturned as they did so. They looked for bodies, weapons, reiatsu signatures, and anything else that could help them find out what had happened to the two lost Shinigami patrols and the people of this district. So far, they had found little but broken houses and overgrown plantation. Typical, when one considered that they were in the far fringes of the Rokongai where Hollows were known to attack, pillage, and kill.


The team was largely composed of combat personal from Squads Ten and Eleven; maybe about six men and women from these two alone. There were some from other Squads as well, like Three, Four, and Thirteen, but they were few and mainly there for support and/or as reserves. Accompanying the team were two reiatsu specialists from Squad Five, in order to help look for any traces of reiatsu left in the air. They even had one person from the Kido Corps with them as well. All and all, there were ten Shinigami in total. Amidst the group was a head shorter than all the rest; barely standing at a height of 4’ 7”. Wearing a uniform that barely fit him, with his hair styled back in a comb over, and with his zanpakuto strapped to his back, he looked a bit out of place. The Shinigami looked to be about 14 or 15 in age, although he was a few times older than that realistically; Shinigami aged at a far slower rate than humans did after all. Still, the boy was quite a sight to see in a Shinigami uniform, looking so young.


What made this boy stand out even more was the piece of wood he wore tied to his shoulder with a white cloth; it was a Vice-Captains’ Badge with the number Nine stamped in bold ink on the face of it. A look around would tell anyone watching that he was the highest ranked Shinigami among the group, although he looked to be the youngest, smallest, and quite frankly, the weakest of the bunch. Some of the Shinigami in the group, of course, would glance at the child who had been leading them through the district all morning with eyes of uncertainty. Which made sense considering the boy, Kazuko Shiba, didn’t look like much when compared to some of the Squad Ten and Members, for example. They were larger, brawny, and looked dependable, while he had a thin physique and came across as inexperienced. But they kept their opinions to themselves, and their mouths shut; anyone who had a rank as high as Vice-Captain, even if they were a kid, was still someone not to disregard so lightly.


Given the lack of manpower after the Vandenreich invasion, the unit could not be formed entirely from one squad; every Squad could only spare so many personal as it was. For that reason, the squad Kazuko was leading was diverse in people and in skill sets. However, the diversity in members also meant that many of them did not know how to properly work together as a team. This was something that the boy had taken note of early on, and would take into account if they encountered any hostility later on. Through their foray, the boy had barely said anything to his charges; the only time the unit had heard him speak was during their mission briefing, when he presented himself to them with details of their assignment. After that, he offered very little in the way of conversation. He was reserved to himself, it would seem. Kazuko was still recovering from the tragedies that occurred during the invasion. The boy still could not forgive himself for what he had done. It was understandable that Kazuko did not want to get close to any of his subordinates after that.


It was early in the afternoon when they saw it. A massive, ornate, and obviously out of place, cathedral made of ice. It spanned high into the air, easily dwarfing the trees and shacks all around. While many of the Shinigami did not know what it was, Kazuko, regrettably, did know. During the invasion, he had the misfortune of finding himself within those frigid halls. Just the very image of the castle brought forth a wave of memories that almost made his stomach bleed. He was shaking a bit at the thoughts that swam through his head… at the atrocities he committed in that castle. However, he was on a mission, and he needed to keep his head level for what was to come. While many of the members in the unit were talking amongst themselves about what the massive object could be, Kazuko made his way to the front of the group, quickly. Once there, he motioned for their attention and took a deep breath. At first his voice cracked when he tried to speak, but he cleared his throat, and said to the group, “I know many of you are new recruits and probably do not know what that structure behind me is, since you were not present for the Quincy invasion, but I was.”


He paused, collecting his thoughts, before continuing, “It’s a Vandenreich Castle; a structure that typically serves as headquarters for only one person. A General.” There were a few gasps and curses among the group of Shinigami as he told them this. Kazuko had learned from his past experience that only Generals were authorized to have castles such as these built. The fact that he had encountered a General himself didn’t hurt to know either. However, the men and women before him did not need to know how the Vice-Captain came across this information, only that it was reliable. Kazuko waited a few more seconds and continued, “We cannot hope to match an individual like a General by ourselves. Most of you are unseated officers, while some, on the other hand, have seated positions. Like myself. Be that as it may, even together we are no match for whatever is inside that castle. That is the cold reality of the situation. This is a fact.” Everyone was quiet; whether from shock or disbelief, he was not quite sure.


“We know now that the disappearances were probably attributed to the Vandenreich, so our mission is over. However, are duties as Shinigami are not. We need to push these Quincy out of Soul Society, no matter the cost. For that reason, we need to call in reinforcements. We’ll dispatch Hell Butterflies to alert the Gotei of the situation, so that a proper response force, led by a Captain, is launched. With the call for reinforcements away, I’m leaving eight of you here. You all will form a perimeter, a kilometer away from the castle, and make sure that no Quincy gets by you. You’ll be spread thin, of course, in groups of two, but it’s the best we can do with our current numbers. I, on the other hand, will make my way to the castle and try to get an estimate of their forces and figure out what exactly is going on here. However, I cannot do it alone. I’ll need someone to survey the situation with me, in the case that I am apprehended and cannot escape. This person will be in charge of getting out of there alive while I try to buy them time.” The Vice-Captain’s voice was grim as he said these things. He had encountered a General before, and thus knew that his chances of survival were slim at best if he were discovered. However, given their situation, it was all he could do.


“Be warned, I cannot guarantee your safety if things go wrong while surveying the castle, so you must be prepared to fight for your own sake if I fall. I’m not asking for heroes, I’m asking for discipline and level thinking in the face of mortal danger. I know I have not made much of an attempt to get to know any of you personally, but I am not without my reasons.” He paused. “Despite knowing this, is there anyone here that will accompany me?” Whoever volunteered would obviously be putting their lives at risk, so would need to think carefully about what they decided. When Kazuko got his volunteer, he would order the group to pair up and move to their designated locations. Which left him alone with the volunteer. Kazuko would approach them and inform them, "It's best that we move out now before we waste anymore time. However, just so you have an idea of my combat capabilities, my zanpakuto's release deals with the manipulation of earth. I can bend any earthen material to form and shape what I want. Keep that in mind if we run into any trouble. If we are discovered, its best that you release your weapon off the bat, if you have a release, of course. There's no use holding back when our enemies already have the advantage over us. Got it?" If his volunteer chose to, they could tell him what their release dealt with as well so that they at least had a grasp of what they could both offer. It was up to him/her, of course, whether they wished to divulge such information.


Either way, response or not, they would move out from there, Kazuko opting to make a zig-zag path around any possible Quincy patrols. After a few hours of slow progress, they would arrive near the entrance of the castle, using a few frozen trees as cover, thus beginning their survey. It was at about this time that the choir sounds stopped and Kazuko would notice the Shinigami were screaming from their torture from the ramparts. His first move was to rescue them, but he held back, they needed to get a grip of what was happening first if they attempted to move in. It would soon become obvious, however, what was happening very soon as the air grew noticeably heavier... but from what?"

There was silence, the wailing of the tortured would be drowned by the howling winds, they grew violent as the temperatures around them began to grow colder and colder, soon they were surrounded. The fastest came there first, with only three Quincys showing up, with Six appearing behind them and at their sides, bows notched. These were the first responders, they were responsible for searching the perimeters, their energy sensory allowed them to sense the reiatsu strength of a Vice Captain, which led to the discovery of the third seat that had gone with him. Blue, Red, and White reiatsu were used for their bows and arrows, soon the few slow ones would appear seconds later, a total of five slow ones appeared, their bows also notched. They were surrounded, by Seven Quincy, the shinigami could of fought, they could of attacked the quincies. But they would of been shot, they would of been struck down, and even if they defeated the patrols the would become surrounded by more and more. They were approached by the tallest of the nine stepped forward, based on the few decorations he would be considered a Lieutenant by Vandenreich, he also wore a soldiers cap over his head, when he spoke, it would be clear that he was of German decent.

"Shinigami! You are surrounded by His Holy Angels. We have orders to exterminate you, but it seems that your presence has been demanded. You will come with us, we will not hesitate to strike you down." if they complied they were forced to the center of the Quincy, the Quincy that followed behind them had their bows notched and aimed toward important organs, the ones to their side held Seele Schneider and were getting ready to cut them had the moment struck occurred. The lieutenant stood in front of them, he lead them towards the entrance of the Cathedral, walking past the crucified shinigami. Because of their inability to see but their ability to hear, they begged. They begged to be let down, the Quincy merely ignored them and this forced the shinigami to ignore them as well. When they made it to the entrance the first thing they saw a massive glass painting held at the center would be a message to them. That they were leaving what the Shinigami considered their turf and would enter a place that many Quincy of the Vandenreich considered a Holy Place. The Cathedral of Der Kaiser. The moment they entered the massive building they would already see how massive it was, the various statues and paintings of Der Kaiser were neatly placed in a museum like display.

Moments Before Their Discovery

Caesar knelt by a large statue of Der Kaiser, his hands placed in a prayer, "Our God, you have watched over us and you have brought us a reason to live. You have picked us up from the ashes and like a Phoenix we were reborn. Our God, the true God. Please give us guidance, for you are our light." He continued to pray to Der Kaiser, like every one in the Cathedral, praying was mandatory, for they gave thanks for many things. While he prayed a captain approached him, he stood there as Caesar continued to pray. When Caesar was done, the Captain continued to remain silent, staring at the man who knelt before their God. After awhile Caesar stood up and that point the Captain began to speak, he wore a decorated white outfit and saluted Caesar. "We have sensed free shinigami energies outside of the Cathedral. How do you wish to proceed?" Caesar stood there, observing the Quincy, standing there for a few seconds before walking away. With some hesitance he followed, side by side they walked towards one of the many halls in the Cathedral, after a few seconds of walking Caesar spoke. "What are their expected strengths?" "A Vice Captain and a third seat." "Capture them and make sure that they comply, it would be rude to keep them waiting. Bring them to "The Stage" and then he was gone, Caesar would enter a room and disappear behind it. The Captain gathered the men that were responsible for capturing them and sat out.

Now

The Museum display stretched for a good distance before feeding into the center of the large building, and at that center, where it truly show its heights, at the the center of the it all was a large structure made of ice. This structure appeared like a large stage with a pike on the top of it. Surrounding the large structure were row upon row of seats. There were literally hundreds, of rows of seats with a center going to the structure. There were no visible stairs to get up there but at the top of the structure there was a throne, with velvet red coverings and a golden trimming. But the throne was empty and the seats were empty, many Quincy walked by them, ignoring the Shinigami that were captured by patrols. Inside the Quincies tended to their business, most of them knelt before an artifact praising Der Kaiser. In knelt before a book with a black cover, its design was a beauty, with white lettering and gold trimmings this book was held in high regards in the Vandenreich. This book was known to many Vandenreich as a Holy Book, but its general existence would be unknown to the Shinigami. More Quincy knelt before a large statue of a cloaked man.

At the base of the large statue, which would be around the height of Ten to Twelve feet high would be gold letterings saying the exact thing "Our God, Der Kaiser will lead us into the promised lands. Tales of power, of truth, of a pure world has been told. For Der Kaiser, who brings Life into the hopeless, who brings Hope to the black world, who brings Justice to the broken world." There were many artifacts, and many pathways and hall ways, the huge Cathedral contained many rooms, libraries, prayer rooms, and housing to mane Quincy. There were no guards, nor were there any one attempting to make sure that were the Shinigami attempt to break free and defeat their captors would ensure that they did not make it far. Deeper and deeper they traversed through the many halls of the Cathedral. And inside there were many portraits of a single man, whose very face was shrouded. Only his arms were visible, spread towards a group of Quincy, the frame was pure gold and at the base of every picture had four words. written in white gold "Our God Der Kaiser." The floors were decorated with a long velvet carpet anything else in the hall was plane. With every twist and turn there were massive doors.

Many Quincy entered and left through them, some were double doors while others were single doors, there were stairs or pathways without stairs, the Quincies proved their ability to manipulate reishi by forming stairs or ladders and climbing upwards, the escorts continued to walk them through the massive hallways. After ten minutes of constant walking they would come up to double doors, the very color of it was pure white On the sides were torches, burning bright, but it did not melt the ice. They knocked and there was no response, they knocked once more and a voice would speak, it was muffled through the doors of the room but it came out rather clear "You may come in." and then opened, from their point of view it was completely dark, there were no bright lights inside, the lieutenant stepped aside and they were shoved inside. Inside they heard the roaring flames of fires, various torches were placed with a massive window positioned at the right angle that the light shone through it would reflect onto the ground, there were no seats, only a large stair that lead up towards flat stage, on top of the stage there stood a tall figure. His mere height alone made him appear six foot six. His body was shrouded by the light.

The window that had reflected an image on the floor was the very image that they saw at the front of the Cathedral. They had walked a good distance and it seemed that they had walked in a large circle. But that room was placed differently, there were different rooms that one had to remember. There were no directions or guides they either relied on each other or had to rely on themselves when it came to going around the Cathedral. But that was not the beginning of their problems, the man that stood at the top of the stage held a large book, and spoke, while they were a good distance away from him, they would hear his voice as if he was standing next to them, whispering it in their ear. "The Lord and Savior Der Kaier would come to this flawed world. He breathed life into what was imperfect and made it perfect." He bowed and placed the book within his clothing before turning around. The light was still shrouding the mans face in darkness, but he had allowed his pressure to surge everywhere. They would not feel a sense of death, nor a sense of hopelessness. They were given a sense of awe, a sense of order, a sense of power. This power is not meant to overpower and flood them. Rather make them aware that someone of great power has walked into the room. The mans voice was calm, it did not rise above anger, nor did it show any signs of comfort.

"You must of been the Shinigami that had tried to break into a holy Cathedral. Yes, I could feel you, I could sense you." He stepped down from the stage, slowly but surely he was able to make it down, the moment he was standing in front of them, they would see that their height difference was massive, for Kazuko the difference between the two were a literal two feet, and for Yuki, whose height was 5'7 would still be dwarfed by mans height, but the question was who was he? He had not said his name nor had he said much to them that would designate a rank. He was silent for a bit, he allowed his aura to wash over them, to give them a sense of awe and order. He stared at the female and then the male and gauged their power. He raised a quick eyebrow as he observed their power, he had assumed that the tall one was the Vice Captain but he was wrong. Their close up of the male would reveal that he appeared very old, at least in his early sixties and late fifties. His white hair and blue eyes would be the only things they would see of his face as the lower half was replaced by what appeared to be an orators mask.

His attire would also stand out to them, what they would see was a large flowing cloak. At the point because they were at stand still his cloak was not fluttering. The brown cloak was draped over his body, they could not tell what kind of body structure he had. He stood there and stared at them, and after a few seconds he spoke again. "It would be nice to have the names of the representors of the False God who tried to sneak their way into a Holy Place." He stared at both of them, his eyes never left their eyes, and what they would see the moment their eyes made long contact was that his eyes were full of feelings yet on the outside he appeared emotionless. Inside they would see a sense of anger, a sense of happiness, they would see a bundle of emotions kept in the darkest parts of his mind. When they gave their names he walked back towards the stairs and stared at them, expecting them to know that he wanted them to follow him up the stairs. When they got to the top, the sight they were given was amazing. At the center of where they stand they saw many glass painting praising Der Kaiser. He stared at them and expected them to say something, "Tell me, False Shepherds. Why do you feel like you have the right to attempt to Defile that is of a True God?" He expected a calm reaction, he expected them to speak calmly, and when the replied he would continue speaking. "This is a Holy Place. And you choose to defile it, You are False Shepherds, and while we could of executed you for your defiance and ignorance. I give you a chance for redemption." His voice was calm, it was not angry. It did not raise in tone, yet it did not give of a threatening vibe.

He turned around "I offer you, a chance of redemption. To look into the Holy Light of Der Kaiser!" He raised his arms and spread them wide, at this moment his voice came to life, it spoke loud, and with so much love it would be obvious that he loved speaking of Der Kaiser. "Afange 2:1 Intelligence was given by Der Kaiser’s Will. Out of His hand stretched forth the spark of sentience granting Man true understanding. Out of his Bow came Truth, restoring the broken Man to the Glorious Light of Der Kaiser." He spoke, he turned and stared at them. "You see, your False God has given you a False Life. You have no purpose, your life will be replaced by the True Angels." He extended his hands "You will be given a second chance, I will give you the ability to become a True angel. We will first train you, and you will be able to spread the word of Der Kaiser." His voice went back to being calm, and without too much life. He had his hands extended to both of them, and his eyes were penetrating their eyes. He spoke again, if he was not interrupted "You are given a second chance, you are given a second life. Do not be foolish and throw it away, do not become the crucified." He spoke, "This is not an extension of good will. Do not mistake this as a form of Kindness. But take it as a message, The False Shepherds and all that they have built, will burn around. And the True Angels will create the paradise, as they were watched over By a True God." and then he grew silent, he expected them to say something.

Moving swiftly but silently through the woody terrain, the two shinigami approached the massive and imposing cathedral structure and began surveying the immediate vacinity. Hoping to avoid any quincy patrols that may have been deployed in the area, the young but capable officers did not approach the castle by the most direct route, but had instead taken a more indirect, zig-zagging pattern through the forest. Crouching low, the two shinigami slowed their approach and began circling the structure from several hundred metres distant, while remaining concealed within the undergrowth and folliage of the shadowy woodland. After what seemed like perhaps an hour, Kazuko withdrew a Hell Butterfly from within his sleeve and, after swiftly conveying his findings, released the messenger spirit on its journey back to the Sereitei to report of the numbers and movements of all quincy in the observable area.

Shortly thereafter, Kazuko motioned for Yuki to prepare herself as several high-level reiatsu signatures moved swiftly in their direction. Mere moments after his initial warning, Yuki herself sensed the presence of five....no seven distinct reiatsu signatures hastening toward them, before separating into two separate groups and moving to encircle the two shinigami alerted to their presence. "Prepare yourself! As soon as they fire their arrows, use the opening they make as they notce more to make your break for it," instructed Kazuko, although such advice was merely a formality, as the hasty plans forming in Yuki's mind were of a similar nature.

"Isn't this exciting Yuki! I've never seen a quincy before. I surely hope that their bows are as magnificent and wonderous as they claim! Oh Yuki, lets see how well they......."Hush Gitai![/i] interrupted Yuki. Now is not the time for distraction. We must remain vigilant, and act acording to the situation at hand. Thinking us unaware of their presence, the enemy seeks to flank and encircle our position. Be ready. Should they launch a "surprise" attack, we must act swiftly to counter their attack and take the element of surprise ourselves.

No sooner had Yuki finished conversing with her Zanpakutou did the two largest reiatsu signatures materialize in front of the seemingly oblivious shinigami. Reacting in mock surprise, Yuki sensed the remaining quincy quickly encircle the two shinigami and ready their weapons. Once in position, the obvious leader, so recognised by the military decorations apon his breast and officers cap resting comfortably on his brow made his initial demands of the two shinigami he believed himself to have captured unawares. "Shinigami! You are surrounded by his Holy Angels. We have orders to exterminate you, but it seems that your presence has been demanded. You will come with us, we will not hesitate to strike you down." Looking down at the commanding officer of the Quincy glared in disgust at the shinigami "child" whom dared to bare steel in their holy presence. Skilled in the arts of reiatsu and in particular, the subtle variations between individuals, Yuki carefully but inconspicuously judged the strength and measure of each quincy's reiatsu, and quickly determined that, while capable in their own right, the shinigami could overpower these quincy should they choose, but not without considerable risk and injury.

Interrupting her assessement of their enemy, her acting superior Kazuko called out to the quincy officer and, surprising Yuki, asked for them to take the two of them to their superior. What is Kazuko thinking? wondered the shocked third seat. I thought he was going to give the order to retreat, not parley with their "leader". I certainly hope he knows what he's doing.......[/color]"Hurry up and take us to him.... Now!"

As the two shinigami were herded toward the center of the quincy patrol, and sheparded at a brisk pace toward the castle, Kazuko moved close to the magenta-haired officer and whispered under his breath "Forgive me for taking you along with me. But if my suspicions are correct, then we can end this little excursion of the Quincy by killing a certain individual" Pausing momentarily as he glanced warily toward their "captors", Kazuko continued "I plan to make a way for you to escape once things heat up.... when the opportunity comes up, make sure you don't hesitate." Nodding silently in response to her acting superior, Yuki wasn't as convinced that such an opportunity would arise, nor was she as confident that Kazuko could succeed in this suicidal objective. I sincerely hope you know what you're doing, as I'm not convinced this course of action is wise....... sighed Yuki inwardly, as the "triumphant" Quincy paraded their captives past their fellow comrades, and the crucified shinigami whom lined the walk to the cathedral entrance in painful but sightless vigil.

Taking careful and observant note of her surroundings, Yuki silently endevoured to mentally map the labryntine path taken by her captors through the massive ice palace, convinced that such a path was chosen specifically to confuse and disoriente their captives and make them feel helplessly lost. Having traversed hall after hall of crystalline beauty, and having doubled back on the same junction on three separate ocassions, the smug and arrogant Quincy eventually lead the captive shinigami toward a pair of massive sculpted doors. Thankful that Gitai had remained dutifully silent during this time, the Quincy formed a hemicircle behind them, and awaited the command to enter. After an uncomfortable 10 minute wait, a quiet yet firm voice echoed through the frozen doors. "You may come in"

No sooner had the massive crystalline doors cracked open did Yuki find herself shoved forcefully into the adjoining room by one of the Quincy. Blinking her eye, Yuki quickly critiqued the massive yet sparcely decorated room, seeking out recesses and dark corners with her energy sensory for any unseen enemies which may yet ambush them, before turning her gaze toward the grand staircase which ascended to a raised, yet simple platform. Atop the platform, an elderly giant of a man awaited them, draped in a simple brown cloak which framed his imposing physique yet cast shadow upon his face. After a few moments, the calm, yet firm timbre of his voice began to vibrate across the room as the priestly figure began his monologue. "The Lord and Savior Der Kaiser would come to this flawed world. He breathed life into what was imperfect and made it perfect". Momentarily stunned by the sheer power of the mans reiatsu as it poured across Yuki, the young officer struggled to resist the energy as it crushed over her. Despite its strength, Yuki was well aware that this was a simple display of power on his part. Had he meant to kill them, that wave of pressure could have easily stopped her heart and caused her to suffer a cerebral hemorrhage that would leave her thrashing on the floor like a landed fish. "You must of been the Shinigami that had tried to break into a holy Cathedral. Yes. I could feel you. I could sense you......."

Regaining her composure in the face of his awesome display of raw power, Yuki was silent for long moments as the elderly Vandenreich General asked his captives for their names. Still reeling, Yuki was stunned into shocked silence as Kazuko first gave his name and rank to the enemy commander, and then begin laughing hysterically when presented with an offer to join their prestigious ranks.

Seeming to regain his senses, Kazuko then stared up at the imposing Quincy whom towered more than two feet above his slight, childish form before stating definantly: "You bastards killed my squad, crushed my Captain, and made a mockery of our honor! And you think we'd be willing to join you? Is this a joke to you! I'd rather die a hundred times over than join your petty Vandenreich!"Idiot! Moron![/i] Thought Yuki incredilously. You are going to get us both killed. This man is a monster whom would swat us like flies and you have the audacity to slap him in the face with your words!.... Think Yuki, Think. I need to come up with a clever solution before this idiot gets us both killed in vain.[/i]

Smiling in sudden understanding, Yuki turned to face the Quincy general and, mustering as much confidence and bravado as she could manage, attempted to play on the generals sense of pride, and arrogance by making him an irresistable offer.

"I, Yuki Kaname; Third Seat of the Kidou Corps find the offer of joining your esteemed organization tempting, but I fear I must decline for, I am but a worm in the face of your awesome might and my presence would only bring shame upon you in my ineptitude."

Pausing momentarily for effect, Yuki then continued.
"All is not lost however, for I have a solution that would allow you to save face, not only with your subordinates, but also with your lord and savior Der Kaiser. I offer you this wager. Allow both of us to battle you, and.... should we survive three minutes of your fury, you allow us free passage to return to the Sereitei as your messengers, and spread your word to the entirety of the Gotei 13. Should we fail to survive 3 minutes of your unbridled fury, it would prove that we were unworthy to accept your most generous offer, and as such would allow you to maintain face rather than suffer the shame of having recruited such unworthy scum into your ranks. What say you oh grand and glorious general of the Vandenreich?"

I sincerely hope Kazuko catches on to my ploy and doesn't screw this up. Please, please let this work.......[/i]

There was no time to react in the moment General crossed the room and clamped down on the boy’s throat. Kazuko had not seen the extent of the General’s capabilities yet, so he did not expect such an old man to be so fast. The General easily hoisted Kazuko up by his throat, his strong hand clamping down on his windpipe; his fingers dug deep into the soft skin and muscle of his neck. While still holding onto his zanpakuto, the boy tried to pry at the hand tightening around his throat with his other hand, but to no avail. Even in this dire situation, Kazuko was not so foolish as to attempt to cut the man without releasing his zanpakuto; the difference in their spiritual pressure was too extreme for that. However, that reality only made the panic rise further in the boy. He couldn’t escape the old man’s grip. He was going to die.


His body, as it dangled, scrambled in every direction trying to free itself. He tried kicking but that didn’t work, and his free hand couldn’t stop the man either. It was hopeless. With the lack of oxygen and panic seizing his body, Kazuko could not think properly either. His thoughts were scrambled and disorientated. Maybe, if he wasn’t panicking, he could figure something out, but that was not possible here. A cool sensation had already spread throughout his mind and body. It was paralyzing, mind numbing, and crippling; it was fear. The Vice-Captain was going to die there and there was nothing he could do about it. He felt like crying; the tears felt as if they were already building, but they wouldn’t come out. Maybe they were too afraid as well. The Vice-Captain never thought his life would end in such a manner as this.


"I, Yuki Kaname; Third Seat of the Kidou Corps find the offer of joining your esteemed organization tempting, but I fear I must decline for, I am but a worm in the face of your awesome might and my presence would only bring shame upon you in my ineptitude." Noticeably, the General’s grip loosened, allowing Kazuko a quick breath; her words had distracted him. With the breath of air came an added clarity to his thoughts. The Vice-Captain could not die there; he was a Shinigami who had to uphold the tenants of Soul Society in life and in death. So, even as the General was rejecting Yuki’s offer, Kazuko was trying to form some sort of plan; a way out of his situation, but was failing. "You have not been given my name. You will not be given your three minutes. You will not be given a chance to speak. You will have the option. Join, spare yourself that is Holy Extermination. Or suffer along with the rest of the False Shepherds."


Immediately, the air in the room grew heavier and colder with power. Crows, black as death and with fiery red eyes stormed the room that they were in. Hundreds of crows flew toward both them; Kazuko, unable to move sufficiently, was harassed by a magnitude of these monsters. They pecked at his flash, attempting to eat their way into his body and kill him from within. The boy convulsed with fear and sweat, he was being eaten alive! However, to his surprise, there was no pain from these birds, only an ominous and dreadful feeling of apprehension. Was this man’s Spiritual Pressure so high that it could spawn creatures such as these! The boy’s body was a few times heavier; the strength of this general was crushing him. "My name. The name you will remember, the name that you will hear. The name that will be forever scarred into your mind." he calmly spoke "Is Caesar. Caesar, C, The Cardinal"


By this point, the boy’s body was shaking uncontrollably with pure fear. He felt like vomiting and crying, but he couldn’t, the pressure was to great to do that. There was only fear. His mind was a jumble of thoughts that he could not discern through all this power. There was no chance that he could form anything complex in his current state, not with his mind and body so forgone with hopelessness and fear. Therefore, he needed to eliminate his fear. If he lost his mind there with all this emotions, then both of the Shinigami were doomed to die pointlessly. As a last ditch effort to regain order, Kazuko sent a tendril of reiatsu into his brain, sealing off several nerves; the results were immediate. The sensation of fear was blocked off, and his expression, once filled fright, turned to stern like stone. He had a plan now. It wasn’t too complex, but it would have to be enough. The Vice-Captain could only handle so much with his oxygen supply so low and his body under so much physical strain.


With the small gulp of air he had taken previously, Kazuko intended to make the most of it. His voice came out as a rasp, barely discernable by anyone who was in the room; it was all he could manage with his windpipe so obstructed. Even so, there was only one word. “Surasorutoiera!” With a flick of his free hand, the General would find himself forced back with a wave of force similar to that of Sho. It was all encompassing, and at that range, unavoidable. While his Blut meant that he did not receive damage from inferior reiatsu, it did not, however, nullify the effect of a spell like Surasorutoiera. The General would find himself thrust backward, as if he were hit with a Sho, at a Stat Speed of 700; the force of the spell would cause the old man to be slammed against the exterior of the stage. At the same time the General went backward, Kazuko went upward by the same force; both these actions would break the General's grip and send him flying at the same time.


Immediately, Kazuko his voice still a raspy sound, incited, “Sekienton!” The spell brought forth a massive cloud of red smoke; since Kazuko was already high into the air with his previous spell, the smoke fell downward, blocking off all sight in the room; a perfect diversion. The Vice-Captain then disappeared with a Shunpo, avoiding any immediate counter from the General, and appeared next to the Third Seat below. The boy, having already learned her position prior to using the spell, would grab her forearm through the smoke and use Shunpo once again. He dragged her along with his Shunpo, bringing them both toward the wall of the room with the massive glass window. His zanpakuto was in front of his body, index finger extended, and he whispered, “Sho.” The whole of the window shattered under the force of the spell, allowing them to be carried forward from their momentum of their step. As they flew out of the window, a dozen or so crows followed suit, escaping into the sky before disappearing completely.


They were a few stories up in the air, high above the outer walls of the castle. Still, they had to move, by now; the General would be realizing what was happening. For that reason, Kazuko and Yuki would blast higher into the air, a few more stories. Meaning, it would be difficult to follow them through the air as both of them eventually progressed in an arc over the outer wall of the castle. There was a trail of reiatsu underneath both of Kazuko’s feet; he had used Advanced Air-Ground and had created air-ground for himself and was using it to hoist Yuki up with him. As soon as they touched down on the ground, well away from the room of the General, Kazuko shoved Yuki forward, in the direction of the frozen forest. “Run!” He rasped. “Fulfill your mission and get out of here, alive!” With the order given, Kazuko spun around on his heel and yelled, “Crash and Crumble, Chikyu Gagoiru!”


With the release phrase came a burst of gray reiatsu that enveloped the small frame of the Vice-Captain. Immediately, the blade of his zanpakuto became double-edged while the tip broadened out into an arc. From the hilt, a five-foot chain materialized with a six-inch spike on the end; the chain would wrap around his right arm, creating a sort of armor their. It was a good thing Kazuko had blocked off all the fear in his mind, since he would be frightened otherwise. His chances of surviving long enough for reinforcements to arrive were slim to none. The boy would have to pay the ultimate price and give his life for the Gotei; something he would not hesitate to do. By this point, the General would have found someway of bridging the massive distance Kazuko had already covered over the wall. There was little doubt he would be any friendlier.


Remaining Reiatsu: 1550/2500 (-100 for Gigei Mikon: Douzen Heisei, -300 for Resisting Spiritual Pressure, -150 for Surasorutoiera, -50 for Sekienton, -100 for 2x Shunpo, -25 for Sho, -25 for Advanced Air-Ground, -200 for Shikai)

Shikai Posts: 1/10

Gigei Mikon Posts before Trauma: 1/5

Kazuko's New Instinct: 263

Lack of Fear: 1

[OOC]I am sorry for the delay. I have been sick for the past few days.

[IC]

[spoiler=Play This][/spoiler]

"Sura-" in that instance the word would be interrupted, before he could finish uttering it he would be stopped. Crushing his windpipe with such ferocity and malicious intent it would seem like he wanted to snap his neck. But he stopped before the bone cracked and destroyed his central nervous system. "No.... you will not use that." Caesar in turn activated Blut Veine, this protected him from whatever harm they could do. The situation was growing bleak for them already. He gazed at Yuki, who in return gazed at him with such intense hatred it would of made him smile. But there was no smile, he continued to crush them with Gravitational pressure, but his eyes spoke calmly, his eyes were without emotion, like a sea of blue all she could see was the endless depths of his soul. For he had hidden his emotion, only Der Kaiser could see it. He was angry at them, he despised them, they defiled Der Kaiser's name with in the place of worship. For that split second when their eyes met, he would see that she had aimed her palm at him. He chuckled softly and stared at Kazuko before quickly throwing him.

He threw Kazuko at Yuki, because of the size difference, Caesar was able to throw him a good distance, and because the close proximity and the sudden throw Yuki would have to catch her commanding officer. But this was not the end of their problems, at his base speed, Caesar was already superior to them. He as able to get behind Yuki the instant he threw Kazuko. She was placed between a rock and a hard place, if she ignored Kazuko and attempted to retaliate, then Kazuko could hit her and this would put her into deep trouble. But if she chose to ignore Caesar then she was at risk at being shot with arrows. The pressure would slowly but surely build up, he drew his side bow and took aim, because he had the senses and instincts to line a shot with great speed the only thing that took a few seconds was the time he needed to draw the arrows. During so his mask and cross began to glow bright white as it began to take in more reiatsu. The moment he had an arrow drawn he aimed directly at Yuki's kneecaps, drawing it back he fired once.

Drawing another arrow he launched another at Yuki, aiming for the other kneecap. Had she been struck with the previous arrow it would penetrate the leg and go through the kneecap, potentially shattering it and hindering her movement speed, if this arrow struck it would do the same, severely hindering her movement and speed, if not making it impossible to move. Even with a heightened processing speed her senses and instincts were still below that of an athlete, it was preoccupied with having to react to two situations at once. Risk harming an ally or catching the ally at the risk of her being harmed. But he was not done, Caesar was superior to them, he was superior in ever way. He opened his mouth and spoke, he was not worried about being caught off guard because he had the instincts that allowed him to react at high speeds, the senses to track them, and the Battle analysts to have the capability to know where they would land to dodge the attack. "You will learn what it is like to learn under God." he calmly spoke, "You will know what punishment is like. For Heresy, for blasphemy, for sheer ignorance."

The words would express sheer annoyance but his voice would only have the tone of a calm, strict lecturer. A preacher giving his sermons to children, children who shouted and screamed during church. He spread his arms and began to preach more words of Der Kaiser. His voice again coming to life, praising everything that is Der Kaiser. "Afange 2:7 His Song, His wondrous Song of great peace and great joy, that makes the villain to weep and the hero to bow. Across the four corners of the world, let it be heard. Let all Rejoice and give praise!." After that he went silent before he spoke again, he continued to pressure them with Gravitational pressure. Resisting it would be a costly thing. "Afange 2:8 His Name, His powerful Name of great fear and great power, that makes the king to tremble and the mountains to fall, the skies to shake and the stars to pay homage. Let all Rejoice and give praise." he reached his hands forward and spoke with a loud tone. The voice speaking with in their ear was no longer a whisper, but it was a talk, it was a shout, it was power.

He used his immense speed and immediately went onto the the stage, looking down upon them. "Tell me, False Shepherds. Kazuko Shiba, Vice Captain of Squad Nine. Yuki Kaname, Third Seat of the Kido Corp. Do you see it? do you see impending death? Do you see that it is useless to go against that of a True God. It is useless to fight against it. You will all die, you will all become the empty shells as the Vandenreich crush your spirit, your desire to live, your loved ones. We will strip you of everything that you own. And the biggest thing you will be left with, is the sense of failure." His voice was beginning to rise, it was not getting angrier but the very level of it was rising. "Afange 3:4 The sword of Der Kaiser is the Might of his Army, in number and in perfection do they overtake the whole of known existence. What stands before the Holy Extermination shall fall to the perfect purge." He calmly spoke. "Your feeble attempts to fight a true God is useless. You will gain no fruit from your labor. Only tears, blood, and sadness. Empty Sorrow, despair."

4,700/1,870
-70 for 2 Class 1 Arrows, halved due to small bow.
-300 for Blut Veine.
+1,600 for quincy cross and mask.[/color]

With her right palm raised toward her opponent, Yuki's mind; enhanced by the effect of her zanpakutou went through the list of her available options. Determining to strike at her opponent with a simple modified version of the spell Tama, Yuki's forehead perspired as she looked for an opportunity to strike.

Still feeling the effects of his awesome presence, Yuki was momentarily confused as the Stern Ritter's calm steely voice carried across the short distance between them. "No..... you will not use that." For a moment, Yuki thought that he was talking to her, but following his gaze, she gathered that he was speaking to the Squad 9 vice captain instead. What? How did he read my actions so quickly – wait; he's looking at Kazuko. Perhaps he tried to retaliate in some fashion?[/i] Seeing the pink draining rapidly from Kazuko's face to be replaced with an unhealthy hypoxic color, Yuki knew that Kazuko only had moments before unconsciousness would overwhelm him. At the same time, Yuki sensed a flare of reiatsu energy from the General as he activated his defensive Blut Vein, although before she could do more than take note of it, Caesar smiled and with a sligth chuckle, threw his near-helpless victim casually toward her.

Reacting on pure instinct, Yuki sidestepped the "attack" with the aide of Shunpo. With his exceptional Instinct and sensory perception, Caesar followed her movements effortlessly as she dodged to the left and ended her movement several meters from her previous postion. Clutched tightly in her left hand, Yuki had reversed the grip on her zanpakutou, and now held it aloft in front of her body like a shield, the copper-edged blade extending from her arm like a three-foot bladed wing. Having disrupted Yuki's planned course of action, Yuki's right hand was no longer pointed toward her opponent, but was rather held close to her chest, her index and middle finger extended across her left clavical, while the rest of her fingers curled back toward her palm in a loose "fist.

Not seconds after Yuki's instinctive reaction, Kazuko thrust his zanpakutou deep into the frozen ground, breaking his headlong and uncontrolled flight toward the location Yuki had occupied not seconds previous. Keeping her gaze fixed on her opponent, Yuki barely noticed as Kazuko clutched his zanpakutou for dear life, although she was dimmly aware that she failed to hear him "crash" into the hard ground as was expected. No, rather Yuki's gaze was fixed on Caesar himself and the crushing spectral crows that flocked about him and striking them with their sharp ethereal beaks and blue-black claws that pierced her will, and sapped her strength. It was therefore with some surprise that Caesar seemed to flow rapidly toward her in a blur of movement. Shit this guy is fast. That was no step technique! While only 1/3 the speed of Yuki's 3000 speed Shunpo, Caesars raw movement speed was ungodly fast and within seconds he had maneuvered behind the third seat and notching an arrow to his bow, aimed at the side of Yuki's exposed knee.

While barely able to follow the path of his movement, Yuki was keenly aware of his overwhelming presence behind her and, expecting him to make a surprise attack from behind, spun on her heel to face her opponent while slashing at her opponent with her reversed zanpakutou. While nowhere near as fast as her opponent, Yuki's quick thinking allowed her to turn just enough to notice the bow aimed in her direction, while her zanpakutou's wide swinging arc would come between herself and her opponent. At this moment Caesar would release his arrow which would hurtle toward the shinigami while she was still mid-turn. Fortunately for her, the arc of her zanpakutou would deflect the arrows trajectory somewhat, causing it to skip off the blade, and graze along the top of her left tricep leaving a three inch long shallow gash that was already welling with blood while the arrow itself was deflected in a shallow upward direction toward the opposite wall.

No sooner had he launched the first arrow that Caesar notched a second to his bow and aimed at Yuki. Finishing her turn, Yuki immediately noticed that she had misjudged the distance between herself and her opponent. Originally believing him to be directly behind her, and hoping that her sword strike would cut flesh, Yuki realized that Caesar was over a meter further away than she had anticipated, no doubt to give him room to aim correctly with his bow. Seeing the second arrow already notched in his bow, Yuki reacted instinctively, and launched herself into the air with a shunpo assisted jump that caused blood to run down her upper arm, and splash on the ground beneath her. While incredibly astute, the timing of Yuki's second shunpo would be such that Caesar would not be able to adjust the aim of his bow in time to hit her. With the arrow already released from his bow by the time he could react, it would strike the ground where Yuki was crouching less than a second or two after her feet had left the ground, and her lightning fast leap had shot her several meters into the air. As a result, his arrow would strike the ground harmlessly where just moments before, the magenta-haired officer had been crouching.

Sailing through the air upwards and slightly to the left, Yuki had little time to consider her next action before gravity would pull her to the ground. Curling her body into a ball and rolling forward the moment she landed, Yuki minimized the shock that sent stabbing pain through her legs as her feet landed on the hard, frozen ground by rolling with the impact, and somersaulting back to her feet. Ignoring the sudden stabbing pain that shot through her legs at the moment of impact, as well as the sharp stining pain on her upper arm, Yuki turned to face her enemy, raising her zanpakutou defensively before her. While Yuki was prepared for Caesar to continue his assault, she was unprepared for his next choice of action. Having easily followed Yuki's movements, Caesar was already facing her and calmly opened his mouth to speak. "You will learn what it is like to learn under God. You will know what punishment is like. For Heresy, for blasphemy, for sheer ignorance......"

Throughout this course of events, Kazuko would have found himself still reeling from his near death experience, and would have found himself coughing and gasping for breath while gripping tightly to the hilt of his zanpakutou. So quickly did this course of events transpire, that Kazuko was only just now starting to regain his breath. With his zanpakutou still burried several inches in the ice, Kazuko stepped toward the exterior of the stage, his zanpakutou carving a deep gouge in the ice as it trailed along behind him. Moments later, in a half-strangled voice too quiet for Yuki to hear, Kazuko would then release his zanpakutou, causing the already fractured ice to shatter down to the soil below.

At the same time as Kazuko was performing these actions, the Stern Ritter – having chosen to ignore the temporarily crippled Vice Captain, had chosen to raise his arms and, in a calm steady voice, pronounced the words that would begin his sermon. "Afrange 2:7 His Song, His wondrous Song of great peace and great joy.........Let all Rejoice and Give Praise. Ignoring the sharp cracking and splintering sound of ice that shattered and fractured as a result of Kazuko's actions, Yuki focused her attention exclusively on her opponent, listening to him as he began his proclamation to his "God", and watching him for any signs that he might be attempting to distract her and launch another sneak attack.

With her weapon still raised defensively before her, Yuki steeled herself against the crushing pressure that came from her enemy, and the shadowy flock that still swarmed in the room. Struggling to resist the awesome majesty of his gravitational pressure through strength of will alone, Yuki's shoulders were hunched in defiance, while beads of sweat tricked down her furrowed forehead. At least he's a windbag.[/i] Thought Yuki. Gives me a chance to catch my breath and let the pain in my aching legs subside.[/i] "Afange 2:8 His name, His powerful name............Rejoice and give praise."

At this moment, Kazuko would launch his bear trap attack, with the intention of encasing the Stern Ritter's legs in the vice-grip of earthen jaws. Distracted as Caesar would likely be with the sudden assault from below, Kazuko's actions would give Yuki plenty of time to formulate a strategy with the intention of launching her own offensive toward her enemy, but for the moment – Yuki would use Caesar's "sermon" as an opportunity to recover from her legs having been jarred by her three-meter high jump, the pain already having faded considerably thanks largely to her pain tolerance.

Remaining Reiatsu: 2100 /3000 [1850 + 650 for undocked actions, -100 for 2x Shunpo, -300 for resisting gravitational pressure]

Shikai Posts:[/b] 2/10[/color]