God Yet Lives

Noctis thought for a second, "I don't know. I'm sure it isn't THAT bad. I mean, for me, there is only one thing that I don't think I could forgive, but its not something anyone would do anyway. Everything else can be forgiven, at least, that is what I think." Noct said, "So, I'd probably just be honest about what is going on. Like I said, it couldn't be THAT bad."

--

Mortal bubbles over with anger at the sight of the woman, and instantly releases her resurrección. She cocked back her arm and launched a dragon punch at the woman. "I'm going to pay you back for this scar!" She said, ignoring the searing pain in her abdomen.

*Kite leaps over him.*

Kite: <Hado #54, Haien!>

*His wheel darts towards Gevurah's back, shooting off more fire vines to restrain the enemy.*

*Keter sidesteps the punch & appears beside Mortal. Soon afterwards, a bunch of blue pillars jam into Mortal's arms & legs, anchoring her in place. Keter brushes the side of her face with her hand.*

K<There's no need to be upset. What's a little scar, in exchange for the beautiful form of an Arrancar? Though...not too beautiful....>

*Her thumb brushes Mortal's scar.*

K<That I made sure of.>

*She jerks a little as Senthose rushes in & stabs her in the back of the neck with a two-handed thrust.*

"...That didn't hurt you at all, did it?"

K<You, however, I am significantly less fond of.>

"My only regret is that I didn't hate you more."

*Six rods of light slam into Keter's midsection & are soon accompanied by several black holes & a chain of light. Unohana holds a palm out.*

U<Please move, Mr. Rasheverek, Mrs. Dulce. "Seeping crest of turbidity. Arrogant vessel of lunacy! Boil forth and deny! Grow numb and flicker! Disrupt sleep! Crawling queen of iron! Eternally self-destructing doll of mud! Unite! Repulse! Fill with soil and know your own powerlessness!" Hado 90, Black Coffin!>

*Black lightning begins to gather at Unohana's outstretched palm, the rest of her being surrounded by a purple aura.*
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"Eh-heh...and what would that one thing be?"
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"How the Hell should I know? I don't get involved with this Court Guard Squad business. Oh, and by the way, I live here!"
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*He bats the Kido out of the way. Glancing briefly at the vines, he becomes engulfed in flames & tears out of them.*
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*...There isn't one.*

"I suppose I should give you the benefit of the doubt... after you helped me kill him," Atsuko sighed and sat down with her back against a tree. "What did you say your name was?"

"Where the hell are all the Hell Butterflies?" Kira growled before sitting down next to Noah. "I would have liked to get a message to my barracks..."

"Well, guess its time to get down to business then. Enchain, Bestia Escarlata" red energy swirls around Yue in the form of hundreds of crimson red chains which shatter revealing his released form. Though the form has suffered some damage from the tsunami of blades in the form of a few gashes and scars that serve only to make the former look more dignified somehow.

Yue cracks his tail blades and waits to see what unfolds.

Noctis wasn't expecting to be asked that, and didn't truly want to give Euryale an honest answer. Gosh, saying I hate my mother so much that any interaction with her literally makes me seethe with anger sounds a bit immature considering her parental situation. Noctis was only left with one option, to completely avoid the question and change the subject, "Why, is it me that you're worried you've upset?" She asked, "I can assure you that there is a one in a million chance that you've stumbled onto the one thing I don't like, and if you did... well, I'm just sure you didn't."

--

Mortal gritted her teeth as she was impaled multiple times. Once Keter was distracted Mortal used a cero to blast the ground beneath her, leaving nothing for the poles to embed themselves into. When Unohana asked that she vacate the area, Sab jumped in and teleported Mortal and Senthose away from the powerful kido.

When they reappeared Mortal used scales to snap, and expel the rods from her limbs, which began the quick process of healing the holes left behind. Mortal couldn't help but rub her cheek with the back of her sleeve, hating Keter's touch, then a thought hit her, "Wait, did she suggest that I became an arrancar due to her?"

Atae was speechless after seeing Keter effortlessly avoid, then tank an attack from two arrancar, the same two arrancar that had between them wiped out about half of the former captains. What also stunned her was that she was sure she saw the woman use a level 62 bakudo, but she had done so not only without incantation, but without saying a damn word. Who the hell was this woman?

Kite: <I don't suppose there's a point in asking you what exactly it is you want?>

*Kite catches the wheel midair and tosses it down, slamming it into the ground. He then puts his palms together, landing beside the wheel, and steps back. A tree of flames springs from the spot the wheel is half buried and grows thick and tall, towering over Gevurah. Kite then drives his right hand into the trunk and all of the tree's flaming leaves dettach themselves from the branches and shoot towards Gevurah, enveloping him in a storm of flames.*

*The chains around Keter snap apart & she begins pulling out the rods. Shortly after this, the black box of the Black Coffin closes up over her. Just before the swords impale it, a crack appears, a katana's tip poking out of it. It then slices he ground, causing the Hado to completely break apart like a jigsaw puzzle. Lilith took this moment to run up & slash down, turning the rest of the Kido into a column of pink energy. In spite of the quick transformation, Keter somehow not only easily sidestepped it, she also pushed Yggdrasil down lightly with her own Zanpakuto & slashed upward at Lilith's neck, Senthose appearing behind her to grab the blade. Somewhere amidst all of this nonsense, Aroma hobbles up to Mortal & asks her if she's alright.*

L"Th-thanks."

S"Don't be too appreciative. If she wanted to, she could have swung at least twice as quickly. I was concerned this might be the case when I heard she fought your previous Head Captain."

<You mean Genryusai Yamamoto? Don't draw such vulgar comparisons. I admit, I was careless back then, but I am now so powerful that it wouldn't make a difference even if he was still alive & in his prime.>
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<I wanted absolute control of the worlds, but it appears that will be the destiny of another now.>

*A small amount of bright orange flames & a subsequent burst of wind blows the fire away from him. He stomps on the ground, turning the entire plaza floor into flames instantly.*
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<Venezuela Guvera.>
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*Noah rolls over, like a boss.*
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"Well, uh, before we left the Soul Society, I asked if they had any records on our, umm, families. They didn't have anything on me I didn't already know, but...it was supposed to be a surprise, but maybe I shouldn't have...."

*Kite's other wheel darts under his feet and hovers upwards to keep him above the flaming floor. Still with his hand in the fire tree's trunk, he orders the branches to jab at Gevurah.*

Kite: <So you decide to randomly come and try to kill me. That's so sweet.>

Yue listens to the goings on.

At the mention of families Noct's face became serious, her back became rigid, and her shoulders stiffened, No... she wouldn't have. I mean, what are the odds? Though... maybe... Noct felt a pit in her stomach, and a rush of adrenaline that began to course through her body so rapidly, and tremendously she began to shake; with anger, or anxiousness she could not tell. Noctis ran a quivering hand through her hair and let out a sigh, trying to calm herself in vain, "Euryale, I love you, and I want you to be honest with me... what have you done?" She asked, deathly serious, "My... mother? What have you done with regards to my mother?"

--

During all the hub-bub, Mortal charged her Gran Lagarto Cero, and fired it off at Keter. In full honestly, and especially after what she just witnessed, she wasn't expecting to land it, or for it to do much should it land, but just looking at Keter made Mortal burn, and she wasn't going to miss any opportunity to attack. When Aroma came up Mortal said, "I'm fine, but stay back, she is extremely dangerous." With that Mortal focused on Keter, with Sab closer than usual ready to teleport anywhere that wasn't Sog. hill should the need arise.

*Gevurah sidesteps or bats away all of the branches, approaching the trunk.*

<Instructions were to kill or disable as many Captains as possible. And I've spent far too long on you. I will not be outshone by that bitter, unambitious Arrancar.>
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S"I know where this is going & it's somehow Noctis's fault."

<Noted.>

*She spins, throwing Senthose into the path of the Cero. While he's busy being legless behind her, Unohana charges up & slashes downward with a two-handed stroke. She does this multiple times as Lilith puts her Mask on & flies around her to fire a Cero, which she literaly bats away with one hand, causing it to fly towards Yue.*
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"I killed her."

*Euryale sits up, looking like she just got caught in headlights.*

"Well...it was supposed to be both of your parents, but I couldn't find your dad. I-I tried a few times to invite her over, but she didn't seem to want to. I just figured, after all of this time, if she just talked to you, she'd realize how wrong she'd been!"

Yue narrowly avoids the cero and can feel the heat from the thing as he eats the ground and rolls before standing back up and launching a cero of his own at the evil bitch Keter.

"Well, Venezuala, I am Atsuko Chiryō-shi- 4th Seat of the 9th Division," Atsuko explained, before softening her voice, "and I have a request... Could you please help me get to either the 4th Division barracks or the 1st? With this broken leg it would take quite a lot of effort for me alone..."

"Noah?" Kira looked down at his fellow captain with some relief, "How are you feeling?"

Noctis let out a long, long sigh. It was hard to be mad at Euryale for simply wanting to mend Noct's relationship, but it wasn't impossible, as Noctis quickly found out. "Dammit, Euryale... Didn't you think there were reasons I didn't talk about her, or reasons she wasn't invited anywhere, or reasons I've been living on my own since I was goddamned 14 years old?!" She questioned, livid. "So now she knows where I live, who I live with... I can only imagine how she took the news; I probably have something else I can never live down now." Noctis forcibly unclenched her fists when she started to notice her knuckles hurting. "Why?! I didn't want any family help, at least not in concerns to my mother... I thought the two of us were about as picture perfect of a family as we could get, but..." Noctis ran both hands through her hair and leaned forward a bit, "I'm mad Euryale, but mostly I'm just disappointed. You should have talked to me before you did something like this, instead of going behind my back."

*Euryale hangs her head in shame.*

"I don't even know what to say. 'I'm sorry' feels so cheap.... How could I have been so stupid?"
==========================================
*Keter tosses Unohana off & slashes away the Cero before blocking another strike from her. She doesn't even bother to block Lilith's attack, which does nothing but make flower petals. Senthose crawls towards Mortal & Friends as he regenerates.*

S"I can't believe you hit me with a Cero. No one hits anything with those, especially you, & the one time you do, you hit me."

A<It's not her fault. Besides, you're fine now, aren't you?>

S"Someone's looking to have the most important job in my next plan. It's called being bait."
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<I guess...if nothing else, I can still smell where everything is...climb on.>
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*He answers by snoring.*

Atsuko smiled and hopped onto Venezuela's back, "Thank you very much!"

Kira poked Noah in the ribs, slightly annoyed at him still being asleep.

Yue stares at Senthose like, fuck no she isn't.

Kite: <So confident.>

*Kite flashsteps backwards, clenching his fists and causing the trunk and what little branches it still has to explode.*

Noctis was mad, and in her adrenaline she wanted to stay angry, but it was already hard to be mad at Euryale. Seeing her in shame, and obviously sorry, made the feat impossible. Noct let out a held breath and said, "Its... its fine. You didn't know how I would react, and that is my fault really." She shook her head, "I'm sorry I yelled, I shouldn't have yelled at you; you're not a child."

--

Mortal simply shrugged, "It was only your legs, quit complaining." She said, "So, what is this plan of yours?"

"If you need bait, then why not use me? I can get out of harms way easier than most." Sab said.

"No, I should have known. What did I think this was, some kind of Christmas special? That a little optimism would have fixed everything, consequences be damned? You have every right to yell at me, I acted like I knew what was best for you."
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S"The Bait Position is a place of honor. I don't give it to just anyone. Unrelated--how did my pants grow back?"

A"They do that? I guess? I don't know, I've never made clothes for anyone else before."

S"Alright! I think I have something! The redhead has another level of Hollowfication!"

L"But I haven't used that since Faerie tried to eat you, I don't even know if I can control it!"

*Keter deflects a blow of Unohana's upward. She blocks the counterattack with a Severing Void & releases her Shikai, which flies around to ram Keter from behind. She stops it with one hand & blows it apart with a Sokatsui. As she forces forward, the Kido Barrier visibly cracks.*

S"Look, we're pretty much out of options, here."
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*He appears beside him, an arm burned.*

<And why shouldn't I be? I am far more powerful than that fool Senthose ever was. You couldn't defeat him, how could you possibly end me?>

*He holds his non-burned arm out & creates a sword. Out of fire.*
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N"Ow! God damn it! What do you want?!"
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*She drops to all fours & crawls along, sniffing the ground.*

"I don't think we should keep going this way. I smell something unusual."

Kite: <This is different!>

*He leaps upwards and summons his second wheel to his right hand, slashing downwards at Gevurah's head whilst the wheel he was standing on darts into Gevurah's torso.*

"That may be, but at least you wanted what was best for me in the first place. I love you Euryale, your optimism included. We kind of need it, I'm a bit of a downer I think..." Noctis replied.

--

Sab shrugged, she wasn't going to fight for a dangerous job, it seemed like a dumb thing to do.

"Alright, so we get her pissed, and point her in the direction of that bitch. Question is, how do we get her inner hollow out?" Mortal asked.

*He grabs the wheel at his head & flares up the fire to deflect the other one.*

<ARE YOU SUGGESTING I AM INFERIOR TO THAT PATHETIC HALF-BREED?! I'LL KILL YOU FOR SUCH INSOLENCE!>

*Ignoring the flaming sword in his hand, he aims a punch at Kite's face.*
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"I prefer the term...'pragmatist.'"

*She looks up with a weak smile.*
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L"Stop talking about using me, I'm right here."

S"That won't be necessary. What I know of Hollowfication suggests that if it hasn't taken over, she can most likely release it at will. Listen, I know you're afraid, but would you prefer that SHE kills you?"

L"...I have a better idea. BanKAI!"

*Once the forest springs up atop Sokyoku Hill, Lilith runs deeper inside of it.*

S"Wow, okay, not the response I was hoping for, but I suppose completely disregarding what I had to say was A way of handling the situation...did she really have to put so much emphasis on that last syllable?"

*Keter flash steps behind all of them.*

K<Why so furious?>

"Oh shit!"