God Yet Lives

"That seems unwise. What if Hell is rich in seki seki and we plummet down?" Mortal said.

S"Now you see why I demanded that modification."

E"I'm sure we would be fine. Noct can teleport, Arrancar can use Ceros to slow their descent, Lilith has wings, & I literally control the ground."

S"Don't encourage him."

Urahara<Should I open the gate now? Remember, you won't be able to get back so easily.>

"...How exactly did we plan on getting back?" Astarte asked, narrowing her eyes. "Keter's technology?"

"Too late to back out now," Mortal said, "Lets get in there and blitzkrieg these hell assholes."

Sab pointed to Astate, "Actually, she raises a good point. I'm not sure how gargantas work down there, or if we could tear one open ourselves."

S"Once we know where we are & where we are going, a Garganta is easy enough to make. Keter used one to come here from Hell. It is possible that she could jam entrance to and from Hell. So, if all else fails--"

L"I have a Kido that will take us out of Hell. It can only be used once, but it works using the Gates of Hell themselves. It is impossible for Keter to disable it."

"I doubt we'll need it. Like I said, blitzkrieg. Go in, kill everyone that needs killing, go home, kadiddle some fadiddles."

"I think you're hanging around Senthose too much," Sab said.

Astarte was encouraged by Mortal's enthusiasm but still felt her fear poised in the back of her mind.
"Where did you get a Kido like that?" She asked, turning to Lilith and raising an eye brow. "Did you invent it or were you taught it for this occasion?"

Mortal let out a long sigh, "I almost feel dumb for not realizing this before, but if Kira turned against us he is going to be making a bee line straight for me..."

"Worried?" Noct asked, "He seemed--"

"Powerful? Please. No, I'm just annoyed. I have to kill a man I've killed multiple times already, and finally kill a man I've already beat up multiple times already. Not that I envy fighting someone new, but I feel like I'm just going to be going through the motions..."

S"Quit your whining. Also, it's 'kiddle.' You kiddle a fadiddle. Kadiddling it is just disgusting."

L"The Kido is a Forbidden Kido that is kept secret until such time that a Soul Reaper team is called to investigate a disturbance in Hell. This almost never happens, & so we have very little direct information about it. Certainly, this is the first time it's happened to this extent. Usually, a disturbance originating in Hell is merely a disruption in the balance of souls, caused by a powerful Menos suddenly leaving the spirit world for Hell."

"Interesting..." Astarte was content with this answer and was made happier to know that there was a sure means of escape. "So... are we going to get going?"

Kira wakes up and gets up to his feet, kind of surprised that he isn't dead.

"So... how am I supposed to get to hell?"

"Yea, I'm ready to get this over with," Noct said.

Urahara<Good. Now, you'll have to hurry through, because I can't keep this open for very long.>

*Urahara presses the button & a red Garganta slowly gapes open, like a bloody maw. True to his word, after they pass through it, it immediately snaps shut behind them. They find themselves standing on a long, floating white rock. Like a corridor with no walls or ceiling. Looking out around them, they see several of these floating in various locations. All lay sideways, form right angles, & hang horizontally. Very rarely do they touch. The sky around them consists of bloodred clouds.*

E"So this is Hell. It's not as bad as I would have thought. I guess it's kind of ugly, & a little stuffy, but still."

S"Had you ever visited Hueco Mundo, you might have come to a similar conclusion. Just before I emerged from the sand & devoured you whole."

L"Should we go deeper?"

S"No. Keter has made it abundantly clear that she is the de facto ruler of Hell. This is our golden opportunity to learn more about the enemy before we have to engage them."
===================================================
*A red Garganta opens up behind Kira, out of which steps Netzach.*

<It's Go Time, Pretty Boy.>

"I don't know..." Noct looked around, "I kind of enjoy the scenery... I feel like that has unfortunate implications though."

Mortal ignored that and replied to Senthose, "How do you suppose we do that? Ask the locals?"

E"It looks like dirt. I mean, I like dirt, but I don't like dirty things. You know?"

S"Yes. I'm a face you can trust...I agree. The decor here causes me emotional distress."

*No sooner do they round the corner than they find a frazzled-looking man & woman in black robes. They are kneeling in front of a portrait of Keter with some kind of incense tray burning away at the base of it. The pair turn to face them, revealing that their cheek bones are prominently visible, & their eye sockets sunken. In spite of that, their skin & teeth are clean. Senthose raises an eyebrow.*

Woman<Who'zat?>

Man<Iunno. Never seen 'em 'round 'fore.>

"Great." Kira stretches his arms and walks straight through.

"Don't stare at the locals, they might ask for something. If they do tell them no," Mortal said. Sab nodded as if taking the advice seriously.

"Perhaps we should just ask them what is going on," Noctis suggested.

S"What are you, retarded? They are obviously worshipping Keter."

*The man breaks out into a wide smile, standing up.*

<I see...so, you've already heard of the Goddess of Hell? Did you know that she is the one who brings light to the darkness, and grants salvation to all of the sinners?>

E"He's not going to give me a little comic book about how lusting after other women is bad, is he?"

*The man doesn't hear her, awaiting response from Senthose or Mortal. The woman looks at her in a confused fashion.*
========================================
*They emerge on a white platform that is partially covered by red fog. The Garganta closes.*

Netzach<They are up above. We're sending a few others to make first contact. The hope is to weaken them by separation, maybe knock one or two off from the get-go. Did you get a black cloak from me earlier?>

"Yes..." Kira nods and looks around to take in the scenery, "Tell me, do you have plans for who engages who? Or are you just going to send a random attack group?"

Noct was tempted to use shadow powers and say something along the lines of 'Keter is a false god, I am the harbinger of darkness!' but refrained, though she couldn't help but smirk at the thought.

"Do you know where Keter is?" Mortal asked.

Man<Of course. All prayers are given in the direction of her Tower of Light.>

*Senthose points to the sky above the portrait & fires a large Cero. The purple beam stirs up the clouds, momentarily revealing an enormous column of blue-white light. At its apex is a Celtic Cross.*

Man<How dare you atta-->

*Senthose fires a Bala with his other hand. As the man falls off of the platform, anyone who looks over will notice that he's been split in half horizontally. The woman looks oddly serene.*

Woman<Threatening us is meaningless. Once in Hell, you are constantly reborn. Then there are those of us whom the goddess has granted Salvation. We are free from both death & suffering.>

S"Actually, I'm pretty sure being cut in half hurts."

*She smiles.*

Woman<Not nearly as much as She is going to hurt you.>
==================================
Netzach<I would put it on now.>

*An enormous skull, sans lower jaw, emerges from the clouds behind Netzach. It is easily large enough to chomp down on a whole room of people. Glowing yellow orbs float in its eye sockets, instead of eyes. After it comes a huge, purple arm, reaching out for Kira. It is proportional in size to the skull...by the standards of a gorilla.*

Netzach<No rush.>

Kira pulls on the cloak and uses shunpo to move further away from it, "A Hell Guardian? Shit."

Mortal cracked her knuckles, "Yea? Well, we'll see about that now won't we."

*Senthose picks the woman up by her collar & casually throws her over the edge.*

E"What is WRONG with you?"

S"What? This place is full of half-witted tools we can extort information out of. We didn't need her, & we certainly didn't need her blabbing everything to her patron saints, or whatever. If it helps, recall that everyone down here was a murderer in life."

E"You mean like you?"

S"In the sense that a finger painter is the same as Van Gogh, I suppose."
===================================
*The Hell Guardian abruptly stops reaching toward him. It looks around for a while before jumping several stories into the air. It lands lightly on a platform & keeps jumping like this until it's out of sight.*

Netzach<Ugly-ass monsters, aren't they? Just don't try to attack them. The backlash from your own Reitsu bouncing off of them will probably kill you. Or cut off your arm. Or something.>

Astarte drew her Zanpakuto and looked around, spooked by something. She had achieved a mild calm since entering Hell and finding a lack of fire and lava, but it was soon fading.
"There will be more of them, won't there?" She asked, narrowing her eyes. "Do you think they would also attack us?"