On Old Soil [Lilynette, Open for 2]

A full-scale invasion had broken out in the Soul Society. Arrancar and Hollow alike were running rampant with each passing second. There was no room to question it. There was simply one objective - remove the threat and drive back every invader from her home realm. As the vice-captain of the combat division and a proud member of the Shihoin, that was her duty. That was law. To go against it would be to go against what she stood for.

No thought beyond eliminating the enemy circled through her mind. The collective frustration of recent events. The lingering sense of defeat. The perceived thought that she had lost her touch - none of it mattered. Ideally, she would've preferred if she could employ her bankai here, but the timeframe was not to her advantage, for indeed only a month had passed since that battle in the wartorn plains of Africa.

No matter. The time for battle was near, and her opponent, far too obvious with her explosive offense, was now chosen. Several bursts of shunpo carried her forward as she whirled through the air, thrusting her zanpakuto toward the sky, uttering the blade's release phrase.

"Harden, Tetsumaru."

In an instant, four obsidian blades hovered at her back like a set of wings. Pulling at the chain of one of them, she manipulated its form until it turned into a blade akin to a large cleaver. Another second passed, and she was roaring toward Lilynette from above like a meteor that had chosen its intended target, aiming to strike first and strike true. There was no dialogue. Golden irises burned with murderous ferocity. She would defend her realm as the shield she embodied in body and spirit.

The large obsidian cleaver cut through thin air, colliding with the building as Rio landed against its remnants. A rudimentary technique merited lackluster results. Little surprise there. The oafish arrancar hardly struck her as an opponent who would fall prey to a simple sneak attack. Judging by the explosive firepower, however small a sample it was, allowing her even a moment's reprieve would be troublesome.

Civilian casualties were already high as it were, and she didn't wish to increase those numbers if possible. Spinning the obsidian cleaver around, Rio scoffed at the woman's obscene language, a fierce golden gaze ignited by immense pride. Came by herself? Come back later? What utter tripe. Laughable, even. Such a foolish thought would never cross her mind. There was nothing she despised more than being underestimated. It only provoked the more violent aspect of her soul.

"My realm is not your playground for target practice, scum. Likewise, that filthy prattle of yours is lost on me."

Little else was shared in the form of dialogue. Nothing needed to be said. If she wished for her to go away, then her objective was simple. Strike her down until she could move no longer. Rio was focused on nothing but eliminating or driving her target back.

Another shunpo burst and her body vanished and reappeared toward Lilynette. The three obsidian blades at her back morphed into long chains that sought to wrap and ensnare her while swinging her large blade forward yet again, intent on violently cutting through this woman's flesh.

"!?"

An unexpected beam of light threatened likewise to strike the Shihoin true, forcing her to transmute her cleaver into a large shield of obsidian. Even then, the immensity of the blow forced her to double back as parts of the shield shattered into shards of reiryoku. Where did that blast come from? Had one of their own betrayed them? No, that wasn't it.

Defending herself long enough to shunpo away from the blast's radius, Rio momentarily found herself lost in deducing the madness behind the current situation. The first spiritual pressure undoubtedly belonged to Hakuyou Shiba - the first man she ever loved, one whose determination she admired, for it equaled and surpassed her own. It didn't shock her that, he, too, would join this battlefield. Such an action seemed customary for a man of his standard. Yet, something felt decidedly off.

Even with her ironclad will, uneasiness suddenly settled in, like a heavy weight on her soul. The unmistakable spiritual pressure plummeted quickly like a bright star fading from existence. Second by second, it was fading out. Even more still, there was another spiritual pressure exploding in the distance. However, with so many others overwhelming her Reikaku, she couldn't quite discern who it was. According to Lilynette, one of them allegedly belonged to another Shinigami, but how did she know that? Was it another way of deceiving her?

"Hakuyou..."

Of all the times to be fighting against the other, why were they clashing blades? They were supposed to be fighting against the invaders. Whatever method she was trying to employ, Rio wasn't particularly keen on taking her at her word. Of course, the momentary lapse in hesitation caused her to neglect where Lilynette had appeared next.


In the blink of an eye, golden irises recognized the clones surrounding her, rifles poised in advance. How shameful. She let her guard down at the crucial moment. In truth, though part of her was bold enough to press the issue and fight on, experiencing any number of attacks right now would only work against her. After all, shameful as it was to admit, Rio's attention was focused squarely on the phenomenon unfolding in the distance.

The disgusting thought that she might tag along with the enemy, whose curiosity and motives she questioned to no end, agitated her to no small degree. And yet, part of her genuinely wanted Hakuyou to survive. If there was even the slightest chance she could save Hakuyou, was there merit in taking it? Better yet, did he even want to be saved? Exhaling softly, regaining her composure, she turned her head in Lilynette's direction, a hand raised to signal a temporary ceasefire, though that hardly meant she wanted to take her up on her offer just yet. In fact, without even giving the woman a second longer to speak, she wanted to run forward, regardless of what she was saying at the moment.

Somewhere deeper in her soul, amid that burning fury, there seemed to exist a sense of regret, unearthed in the turmoil. No... perish the thought. Those bygone days should have passed now. Why was the past racing back to her all at once, and now of all times?

"Dammit...!"

What a foolish misstep in judgment. An experienced veteran of the battlefield, and here she was, faltering where it mattered most. To commit a single error on the battlefield was the same as inviting death to one's doorstep. She knew that unwavering law as well as anyone, so why didn't she follow through?

Even if she hadn't defeated the woman, she could assuredly say she fought to a standard she took pride in. None of that would come to pass now. An explosion of severe magnitude flashed through the area, quicker than she could react to any meaningful degree. Before she could even turn around to move, the explosive light enveloped her in an instant. What a fool. Her inaction led to this. What weight did an invader's words even hold? Why should they have mattered? Did she even occupy Hakuyou's thoughts as much as she allowed him to occupy her own?

"Guh... Kuh... Ha... Ha..."

Emerging from the collapsed rubbled, body bruised and bloodied, but not unbowed, Rio stumbled forward as she glared daggers at Lilynette. The sheer force of the explosion had promptly overwhelmed her to a degree where her zanpakuto could no longer operate as it did moments prior. Rio's energy was compromised. There was no doubt about it. Movement felt painful, but she stubbornly remained upright. Needless to say, it wouldn't take much more to knock her out. Tch....

Pitiful.

"Bhhhrkgh...!"

Blood poured from her mouth as the oscuras round bore through her flesh. Of course, she was mindful enough to recognize, even in her bruised and bloodied state, that this was no fatal wound. After all, she was still conscious. What was this woman's motive? What was she playing at? There was every opportunity to kill her right now and be done with it.

At the very least, Rio felt she might be freed from the shame of her defeat, but as the defeated, she had no right to object. Without much to offer in physical movement, she was at this vulgar arrancar's mercy. Even as the immense blow struck true, through sheer force of will, she attempted to step forward, but to no avail. In terms of raw offensive firepower, even her iron frame would find issues remaining upright.

Falling to her knees, Rio continued to regard the woman with a scornful gaze. To be defeated was already shameful enough, being mocked only reminded her of her pitiful failure. There was nothing else she could do now. She posed a simple question in response.

"Why...?"