Chapter 40: Chapter 40
Power ebbed and swelled with the thunder of a heavy storm, coalescing upon a single being. The power surrounding him was immense, such that it was almost entirely overwhelming.
Ichigo could feel it, the slow loss of his reasoning, but he held fast.
Initially, he had no idea what it was that he wanted to do by participating in such a large conflict, but the answer was always in front of him. He had just had to stray true to himself.
It didn't matter which side he stood on, so long as he was protecting those that he wished to protect!
That was the whole meaning of his name, and if strength was the only way he could achieve that goal, then so be it, he would take it and call it his own.
Zangetsu clinked lightly within his hand, the butcher-like blade had morphed into a sleeker form, light and agile. The horns protruding from atop his masked visage had become more pronounced than before, almost menacing in the way it gathered swaths of red and black spiritual energy.
His mouth gradually opened to release a cloud of vapour before a howl ripped across the battlefield. "!"
Madness, fury, rage, it was a maelstrom of corrupt energy that was undoubtably Hollow.
Vasto Lorde.
The greatest form of grand Hollows following Adjuchas.
It was domineering.
Without care for those around it, the power pressured the entire area. Air itself seemed to distort, creating fine lines that immediately pressed Hollow and Shinigami alike onto the ground. Veins popped up over their necks and faces, but no amount of struggling allowed them to get back up.
The greatest strength of a hollow was not in fine technique or uniqueness of skill, but something primal.
Nel taught him that.
Give direction.
Give Motive.
And let Instinct take over.
This time he was ready.
This time he understood.
In a single breath, he released the last vestiges of the Shinigami power within him resisting the transformation, storing it away instead for later use. The change was swift.
I will trust you.
He was looking at the white image of himself within his inner world.
All he got in return was a light grin.
Very well.
And then his body was moving.
The aura surrounding him only intensified, drawing the attention of Hollow and Shinigami alike.
With a step, only the buzzing noise of a Hollow's Sonido was left in the wind.
Nel's eyes widened in the next instant, even the Arrancar and enemies around her were no different.
He stood in between all of them, creating a stark divide that couldn't be ignored.
Nel was panting in exhaustion, blood pouring profusely from her injuries, and yet she showed no signs of faltering in her convictions. It was only after he had created a temporary respite to the battle that he noticed that she was wobbling due to all her wounds.
While he still had his rationality, he appeared beside her and used an arm to support her.
She was looking at him vacantly, as if she couldn't believe that it was actually him. Afterwards, she looked at the other individual that he was carrying in his other arm. It was the injured Arrancar from earlier.
"I-Ichigo, you-"
He cut her off by turning his head. He didn't have much time left of his rationality so he didn't wish to waste his time on any explanations. Moreover,
He angled his sword behind his back, and a clang resounded as he blocked the descent of a massive blade held by a giant.
"Another one!" The voice came from Captain Sajin Komamura. The man was frowning heavily, his expression set into a grimace. Sajin Komomara did not possess the face of a man, but instead one of a brown wolf. When his lips parted upwards, it revealed a sharp set of canines.
Sajin was already having trouble with Nel alone, and the fact that Ichigo suddenly arrived without warning and with such potent spiritual energy, left dread within Sajin's chest. Worse, he turned towards Karin, Ishida, Chad, Rukia, and Orihime who had been helping him against Nel. Upon Ichigo's arrival, all of them had ceased their attacks.
The situation was not looking good from Sajin's perspective. Another Vasto Lorde-class Arrancar had arrived, and his squad of Shinigami were already struggling with the lower leveled Arrancar before them. Without aid, the situation would not end well.
No.
If he could defeat the new arrival swiftly, then the tides of battle could still be changed.
Sajin clutched onto his sword, the burden known as 'responsibility' weighing down on his shoulders. Everywhere that he looked, he could see blood and death. It was only in his area alone that the violence was coming to a halt due to the pressure Ichigo was releasing.
Sajin could not permit this. He had to hurry and defeat his enemies so that he could come to the aid of his allies. More importantly, his gaze shifted towards the dome of fire in the air.
Kaname.
Why, Old friend?
Why did you betray the Seireitei?
The grip Sajin had over his sword tightened.
He was done waiting.
"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō," Divine Retribution, Black Ropes of Ruination.
The giant formed above Sajin began to move. It was a giant that resembled the form of a Samurai's armour. Whatever movements Sajin completed the giant reflected both in speed, power, and durability.
Seeing that his initial strike had proved ineffective, Sajin pulled his weapon back and went in for another blow.
"Wait Captain Sajin, stop!" Rukia called out.
"Bastard stop, that's my brother!"
"Ichigo move!"
Sajin ignored the shouting.
He could feel the desperation within Rukia and the others tones, but none of them had truly understood the nature that was war. No matter how Sajin felt about taking the life of his enemies, they would not show the same form of hesitance. Doubt itself had no place in the battlefield, and even though he could infer that Karin and the others knew Ichigo as a person, all Sajin could see right now was a hollow that needed to be put down.
Rukia and the others could ignore all else and rely on their emotions, but Sajin could not ignore the Shinigami under him crumpling to the ground from the sheer brutality of Ichigo's current spiritual pressure. Moreover, if Ichigo truly was an ally, then why did he appear on the side of the enemy in support?
No matter. Sajin had people whose lives were depending on him. He could not afford to hesitate despite the inklings of uncertainty in his mind.
Sajin's second attack came swiftly and gave little room for any breather, and yet once again, it was blocked in the same nonchalant manner. Was the enemy looking down on him?
The thought caused Sajin to put even more effort into his strikes, but for his part, Ichigo was more concerned with sorting everything out before his reasoning eroded away.
Ichigo pushed Nel safely away from him as he parried Sajin's strikes, following which he turned towards Orihime.
He could remember the type of power Orihime possessed, and it was one that could heal even the worst of injuries assuming that the individual himself was not dead. It was exactly what he needed.
"Orihime," he called out. His voice was deep, tinged with a dark rasp. He could not mutter too many words or even sentences at all as he devoted his attention on keeping himself rational.
Without even speaking, he gently pushed the injured Arrancar in his hands towards Orihime. His intentions were clear, and Orihime and mostly Karin understood what he wanted in an instant.
"Is that really you, Ichigo?" Orihime called out softly, as if to verify.
He merely nodded as he batted away another of Sajin's strikes. They were becoming far more numerous now and were hailing down on him with the force to sever mountains. Still, he remained unperturbed. The spectacle was shocking to all.
Nel was powerful and she could probably replicate a similar feat but, right now it was clear that Ichigo's power was on another level. To Nel, it almost felt like she was staring at Shirou when the man was serious.
It was a similar impression, and if that was truly the case, then what would come next was simply unavoidable.
Nel watched as a bright orange barrier emerged before Orihime's hands and enveloped the injured Arrancar. Moments later, the wounds that would have had proved life threatening were no where to be seen. The Arrancar himself was simply still in an unconscious state.
The enmity had been dealt with.
Ichigo's eyes seemed to be saying so towards Nel as he turned to stare at her.
Fine then.
Nel eased her grip on her lance, allowing herself to lose the tension forming over her body. She staggered.
"Lady Nel!" The Arrancars nearest to her moved to help her, but she quickly waved them off.
She wanted to see what answer Ichigo had arrived at.
Even if he was successful in healing the Arrancar that had been injured, it didn't change the fact that they were currently at war. The Shinigami would not so easily accede and lay down their arms. It was the whole reason that Shirou was fighting.
From one protector to another, what differences did they make in their decisions.
Human's were selfish. To save was in short, an action born from the selfishness of one's self to impose upon others.
In the end, the concept of protection meant that one had to have the means and capabilities to cherish what they held dear. It was the most basic form of instinct, like a mother protecting their young, and Ichigo took it to the next level.
His rationality gradually fading from him, the only thing left in his mind was to 'protect.'
He would protect them.
At the same time Sajin struck another blow, the area itself began to bend and distort from an outward explosion of spiritual energy. Rather than block the sword of Sajin's giant, a hand grabbed outwards and stopped the massive edge of metal in its tracks.
"Impossible," Sajin muttered out before his vision blackened. A palm had appeared directly in front of his face, grabbing onto Sajin and flinging him outwards.
Sajin tumbled in the air, but he was an experienced Captain and quickly reoriented himself fast enough to see a bright red sphere pointed directly at his Bankai.
Cero.
The Doom Blast known to be only usable by Hollows, and it was massive.
The tendrils of black and red forming around the sphere resembled sparks of electricity that charred the ground and everything around. The might of the attack was such that it drew the attention of all present fighting across the Fake Karakura Town.
It was a dazzling crimson echoed by the furious roar of a Vasto Lorde.
The Hollows turned Arrancar cheered, while the expressions of all the other Shinigami paled. It wasn't enough that Ichigo's aura alone was overbearing, but his current strength too was nothing to scoff at.
The attack was launched, and swelled in size in an instant, completely ingulfing the massive giant that was Sajin's Bankai.
Blood erupted from around Sajin as he fell to the ground in a heap. Sturdy as Sajin's Bankai was, there was weakness to it. Any and all injuries inflicted upon the armoured giant would be directly transmitted back to Sajin himself.
The power of Ichigo's one cero, annihilated the giant's left arm, leaving behind only an empty appendage.
Unable to fight anymore, the giant crumbled as Sajin breathed heavily to conserve his remaining spiritual energy.
Karin, Orihime, Chad, Ishida, and the others didn't dare approach Ichigo lightly right now. All of them, including Nel and the other Arrancar she led were behind Ichigo's back.
Rather than continue his assault, Ichigo merely stood there as the remnants of the cero he fired began to vanish.
The Arrancars around Nel turned to her to ask for directions, but Nel herself only shook her head. She had a feeling that if she gave the signal to continue fighting, then Ichigo would move to stop her.
He'd already made his stance clear. He did not wish for anyone to fight anymore. Hollow or Shinigami, none were truly too different from one another, simply the reflections of white and black.
Ichigo would not move.
He would not bend, nor break in his decision.
Friend or enemy, the last thoughts he had before succumbing to his base instincts were to protect those he wished to protect.
Nothing else mattered, and if anyone dared approach the area he was at lightly, then he would stop them.
All those who would see his back, were the ones he would protect. He was giving a sign for all Shinigami and Arrancar fighting in the Fake Karamura town, that there was another option available.
He didn't want to choose between one side or another.
Instead, like the ideals of a certain fool, he wished to walk the path of saving everyone.
LINE BREAK
Ah, another one's shown up.
Shunsui tipped the top of his hat over his head, shadows forming over his bangs and obscuring his facial expression while he glanced at Sajin's direction. At the very least, Sajin wasn't dead yet, and reinforcements could still be sent. Captain Soifon was on the way, assuming that she could deal with the Arrancar Ggio Vega fast enough, but something was telling Shunsui that Sajin's location was perhaps the safest in the current predicament.
That was one hell of a blast.
Shunsui could still recall the vividness of it. A feeling of power that could rival even the Head-Captain's. Of course, it was only on intuition alone, but the fact itself that another Hollow with such power existed was hard to stomach when Old Man Yama was already preoccupied with Aizen and the Vasto of White.
Morale was already at an all time low.
The Shinigami were experiencing set back after set back, and it all boiled down to the fact that their information about Hueco Mundo's power was inadequate. Many of the unseated officers had already perished in the line of duty and despite it not showing on his face, he was infuriated. The enemies that they were facing were far more powerful than what the reports could have had ever described, and he was dealing with the one that was possibly the strongest.
The Primera.
Barragan Luisenbarn.
Ah, what a pain. Shunsui sighed regretfully. Did it really have to come to this?
He was of the opinion that the Hollows could be reasoned with solely because of a single fact. The Vasto of White had invaded the Seireitei just to save the life of a comrade. That right there meant that hollows weren't just the emotionless killing machines that the Academy textbook made them out to be. Still, no matter how he saw things, it wouldn't change anything.
He brushed back a lock of brown hair that fell passed his eyes.
It was time to get serious.
He simply could not just leave Old Man Yama alone to deal with everything. Shunsui could already imagine the type of pressure that the Head Commander was facing at the moment.
He needed to do his part as the student of the Captain of the First Division.
"Oi oi, your opponent is supposed to be me," He called out absently, shifting his feet in the direction Barragan was intending on going.
Baraggan was entrusted to lead the army of Arrancar. As much as he wished to settle the conflict with Shunsui, Barragan still had a strategic mind. His power was better spent against larger groups of individuals rather than a single fool. Besides, the more chaos he sowed, the more enemies he would garner anyway.
"You wish to block me, your impudence knows no bounds," Baraggan didn't put Shunsui in his eyes.
A sword came near Baraggan, but as if the world itself was bending, the speed of Shunsui's strike slowed to a crawl.
This was the concept of time.
Time that ages.
Time that alters and withers.
Age and death.
"Is that all?" Baraggan's tone was dry.
In the same way a human would not care for the crawling of an ant, Baraggan placed no importance on the enemy attacking him, rather he enjoyed the concept of toying with his opponents. He'd see them run, to hide, and then still discover that their actions were utterly meaningless before him.
This aspect of himself had not changed, and was something that Shirou often exploited in their duels. Alternatively, Baraggan had learned not to underestimate his opponents, but that fact only held true for those he deemed worthy of his attention.
"You, are not worthy." He extended a hand outward to grasp at Shunsui, but as quick as Shunsui came, he left with a small grin.
Baraggan was perplexed, but his expression shifted into one of confusion when he noticed a peculiarity. Shunsui had come close to him to strike, but the thing was, in his released form, Baraggan's Respira covered him entirely in a thick cloud of death.
Without coming into contact with his Respira, Shunsui should not have had been able to strike him.
Sure enough, when Baraggan scrutinized Shunsui, he noticed lingering mists of his Respira over the pink Kimono Shunsui wore.
"You, you do not rot?" The question escaped Baraggan in his momentary confusion.
"Well, I suppose it's true that all things rot including myself, but this mist is cheating according to the rules of the game," Shunsui pulled off his pink Kimono and left it on the side.
"Game?" Baraggan recalled Shunsui's earlier comment at the start of the confrontation.
"Yes, a game," Shunsui smiled lightly. "Children's games to be more exact, but it all depends on Katen Kyōkotsu's mood."
Baraggan unleashed his Respira all around him, the buildings and streets nearest to him touched by the miasma instantly aged and crumbled into dust. "Do you take me for a fool?"
Shunsui shook his head nonchalantly. "No, you're a troublesome walking disaster."
Shunsui could not allow Baraggan to enter a populated location of Shinigami. Baraggan's power was like a flame. Should one get burned, the one burned possessed the risk of spreading the fire. In an already crowded world with hundreds of combatants, Baraggan could not be allowed to fight and use his power freely.
Shunsui understood this concept thoroughly. This was why even in confronting Baraggan, he had to do so in a way that restricted Baraggan into following him into locations devoid of allies.
As it was now, Baraggan had charged in alone deep into Shinigami ranks. Starting a fight where they were now would only lead to more casualties.
Baraggan considered Shunsui's remark, but scoffed in the next second. He did not understand nor did he wish to. He'd never met any Shinigami that could force his hand either.
Without another thought, Baraggan ignored Shunsui despite his curiosity at how Shunsui had disabled his Respira.
He used a burst of Sonido to appear in another location, but suddenly felt a chill travel down his back.
!
He bristled, looking at the small cut that appeared over his left arm just above the gold bangled jewels that he adorned over it.
He turned back to stare at Shunsui, but the man hadn't even moved from his original location.
What was going on?
Baraggan frowned for the first time. Despite how small a cut had manifested on his arm, the fact that it broke through his Hierro or Steel Skin proved that he could not take the situation lightly.
It was almost as if there was a reaper hanging over him.
The feeling made him uneasy.
"What did you do?" His voice travelled directly back towards Shunsui.
Of course, Shunsui did not answer and instead shot off in a different direction.
Baraggan tried to make nothing of it, but he soon came to realize a stunning fact. The farther away Shunsui was, the more damage Baraggan would randomly sustain. Worse, Baraggan could not identify what exactly was attacking him even after coating himself entirely in a cloud of Respira.
The small cut that had formed on the bone of his arm, had now become more pronounced.
Baraggan was no fool, and he immediately took chase after Shunsui, the damage he sustained reducing with the distance. The entire situation appeared to be a game of cat and mouse, but in its simplest form, it was a child's game.
"Enough with this!" Having grown fed up, Baraggan rapidly shot out a mist of Respira. Seemingly unafraid of the attack, Shunsui was bathed in it.
Having followed after Shunsui at full speed, the gap between the two was no longer substantial, roughly ten feet away from each other. There was no room to miss. No room to doubt, and yet the impossible once again appeared under Baraggan's eyes.
"I didn't think that would smell so bad," Shunsui commented lightly with a hand over his nose. "Still, like I said. That's cheating so it doesn't count."
Baraggan was stunned. Cheating?
He could no longer ignore the fool in front of him.
Baraggan began to think. A child's game?
The very concept of a game was an activity to be played for one's entertainment whether with others or with one's self. Rules for certain games were of course obvious. The seeker in Hide-and-Seek could not peak while counting, and similarly, a game of tag required the direct touching of one individual to another. Projectiles did not count.
If Baraggan considered this notion properly than he could somewhat understand what was happening. It wasn't that his Respira wasn't working, but that it was being invalidated due to something changing the laws of the world to bend to the whims of a children's game.
He glared at Shunsui after the realization. "You dare to play such trickery on a God?!"
Shunsui didn't answer, but the fact that he ran faster was enough of an indication.
In Katen Kyōkotsu's variation of Tag, it was more akin to chasing animals. Only the slowest would be met with the attack of the predator. Both participants in the game were considered players. From the very moment Shunsui initiated his first attack, he had labeled Baraggan as 'it.'
The two were running from a phantom beast, and the one designated 'it' was considered the slower runner directly within reach of the monster.
It was a game of life and death.
You win you live. You lose you die.
It was a notion born from the fickle nature of Katen Kyōkotsu.
Baraggan had to directly strike Shunsui to designate Shunsui as 'it.' Only then would his attacks have any effect.
The realization frustrated Baraggan to no end, and Shunsui was entirely content to spend the entire time luring Baraggan away from the battlefield.
Shunsui readjusted the hat over his head.
No matter how Shunsui reasoned with it, the fact that he had to devote his time to keep Baraggan away was the same as putting himself out of commission for the battle. And yet this was war. Shunsui understood that his impact against an army would never be able to rival Baraggan's so the trade off was good enough to undertake. Besides, he wouldn't always run. As soon as he found a suitable area, the game itself may take a change. Until then,
It's up to you now, Ukitake.
"Cursed Shinigami! Fight me like the worm you are!"
He lowered his head and sped off in a burst of flash step.
LINE BREAK
The sight of Baraggan's mad chase after Shunsui across the battlefield was only temporary, and it wasn't something that Shirou could distract himself with for long.
His current battle at the highest point of the Fake Karakura Town against Yamamoto was a careful dance of power and technique. He could neither draw too much on his spiritual energy, nor could he unleash it to pressure his opponent.
The same could be said for Yamamoto.
Should they unleash the true extent of their spiritual power, then they would kill almost all of the combatants currently present within the dimension.
"Give up," Shirou blocked a sword strike with Kanshou, while shifting his weight to the side and retaliating with Bakuya. "Our battle will only cause more death."
Yamamoto did not respond. He'd been mute since the start of the fight itself.
There was no reasoning with the man, and Yamamoto would simply not hear any of it.
It irked Shirou to face someone so unreasonable.
He backed away slowly, hardly any damage on his person. Meanwhile, Yamamoto's haori had long since been cut apart into pieces to reveal his muscled chest.
Yamamoto did not attack immediately, almost as if the man had no intention of taking the initiative. What exactly was Yamamoto waiting for?
Without even having to think too deeply on the matter, Shirou could tell that Harribal, Nel, Starrk, Baraggan, and the others had more than enough power to destroy the towers set up in the fake dimension. As such, why was Yamamoto so calm?
A slight unease was beginning to form within him. Shirou was strong given his current abilities, but something he'd learned to trust more than his capabilities was his intuition. Something wasn't quite right and it was bothering him.
He was far weaker than he had been in the past, and that was solely because of the actions of his past self. His reality was no longer within him, but projected as a world of its own entirely in Hueco Mundo.
Outside of Hueco Mundo he was the most vulnerable, and this was why he was cautious.
Yamamoto would not speak to him, but over the course of their numerous exchanges, Shirou had come to a realization. Yamamoto was buying time. For what, Shirou didn't know, but he wasn't inclined to find out.
"Trace, On."
Swords formed around him in circles that each pointed a blade in Yamamoto's direction.
The man stiffened at the sight and tried to summon forth a wall of his own flame, but Ryujin Jakka seemed reluctant to comply. In truth, Yamamoto could not understand the hesitance found in his sword and it was severely limiting him.
Zanpakuto's were extensions of a Shinigami's soul, and the fact that his own sword refused to comply with him meant that in some part of Yamamoto's being, he did not view Shirou as an enemy. Rather, there were traces of admiration to be felt for the corrupted soul before him.
If Shirou could be purified, and his soul reincarnated into the Seireitei, then it would surely be the birth of an unparalleled Shinigami. Yamamoto had no doubts. Truly a pity that Shirou ended up a hollow.
Considering his current strength, Yamamoto didn't place much hope in defeating Shirou by himself. It was almost time now anyway.
He stared grimly at the swords pointed in his direction and fearlessly charged ahead.
Shirou did not wait to be attacked. The swords above him shot forth like rain, and despite Ryujin Jakka's reluctance to comply with Yamamoto, Yamamoto was skilled enough with his sword to deflect everything.
They exchanged blow after blow, neither getting the advantage over the other, but it was becoming increasingly clear that Shirou was getting the upper hand. He had been conserving his strength from the start, keeping half of his attention down on Baraggan and the rest while still keeping Yamamoto at bay.
He had his duty and his will not to see anyone he cherished come to harm.
He would protect them, just as he could see Ichigo doing down bellow.
Ichigo's area was the only area devoid of fighting and it wasn't because the combatants there were willing to put aside their differences. Instead, the sheer power and presence Ichigo exuded forced compliance. None dared to attack him, and none dared attack each other lest they provoke Ichigo into action.
Ichigo himself was the neutral party in the entire war, and Shirou couldn't help but see a part of his personality reflected in the youth.
They were both people who protected others.
It was commendable, and something that Shirou praised.
Still, he couldn't allow the stalemate to last forever.
Yamamoto was panting. No matter how strong of a Shinigami he was, right now, Shirou was undoubtably stronger. In terms of endurance, and attack power, Shirou was on top and he found it hard to believe that Yamamoto could still be pushing himself under such a hopeless situation.
It was time to end it.
He gathered magical power in his palm and infused it with his spiritual energy as a Vasto Lorde.
I am the Bone of my Sword.
Immediately, the aura around him shifted. Yamamoto had threatened to endanger his allies by releasing his power over the area, but what if he could defeat Yamamoto before the man was able to do such a thing. What he needed was something unique.
A strike that would come immediatly, leaving no room to dodge.
A red Spear.
A Cursed Spear.
He knew its name. He knew its power.
To reverse cause and effect, making it so that that concept of 'a man thrusts his spear,' shifts into 'the enemy was stabbed, therefore the spear must have struck.'
Death would come at an instant. It aims at the heart.
The spear in mind would not expend much energy nor would it release a pressure to overbearing.
He'd given Yamamoto a chance, but the man simply refused to take it.
A red thorn. The barbed spear, he called for it within his mind, and it responded.
Wave upon wave of bloodlust exuded off of him as he willed the spear to form.
Yamamoto instantly grew weary, the hands holding onto the hilt of his sword growing clammy. His shoulders tensed up, and his breathing evened in preparation. The remains of his haori billowed in the sudden wind that Shirou produced.
At the instant that Shirou resolved himself, a distinct pattern of the Winter Daphne formed above the sky, seemingly tearing a rift.
Yamamoto's complexion brightened immediately as the sounds of multiple instruments playing began to resound in the dimension.
They were coming.
Four? Five? Shirou could feel the arrival of powerful individuals through the fluctuations in the air.
His expression darkened at the realization that they would not be easy to deal with. Just one of them alone seemed capable of contending against him in his weakened state without his Reality Marble to rely on.
His gaze turned sharply to the forming symbols in the air.
One on one he had confidence in dealing with them, but against so many at the same time, it would be risky.
He had to stop it. They had not yet arrived.
Moreover, if he were defeated, what would happen to all those that had followed him?
They would die. That realization was all he needed to take action.
He was a sword, the strongest of all. Cold, unfeeling, blood born from fire.
The greatest ability of a sword was not in its form or in its make, but in how it was used. Each sword served a different purpose, each sword able to carve its own path in the world, and he was a sword that wished to save all.
"BARAGGAN!" The name echoed through the air unimpeded.
They'd fought with each other numerous times, exchanging blows while simultaneously deepening their understanding of one another.
If Shirou could feel the strength of the five approaching, then Baraggan with his capabilities as a God King could as well.
They would work together, no longer as enemies, but as rivals.
Down below in the midst of fighting, Baraggan halted in his pursuit of Shunsui and stared up into the air. He knew what it was that was being asked of him, and that was all that mattered.
"TRACE, ON!" Power swelled around Shirou as his magic circuits flared to life. A combination of spirit, soul, and magic, melded into one.
What was it that made up a legend? A Myth? An Epic?
It was the various feats attributed to the Heroes of Old.
Weapons that could slay monsters.
Weapons that could shatter mountains.
He had them all stored within himself.
In a single thought, he unleashed them upon the world, pointed up towards the forming rift created by the emergence of the Winter Daphne.
The strength of crystalized legends hailed entirely from the myths of their descent. The greater the feat, the stronger the weapon, and yet there was one more factor that could not be ignored.
Time.
"The Breath of Death, Respira!" From his position down below, Baraggan unleashed a dense cloud towards the numerous weapons Shirou had produced.
With age came Legend. Weapons that were timeless only grew stronger with the passing of the years, never growing brittle or old.
This was the truest sense of what was known as a Noble Phantasm.
With time, even the most common of Noble Phantasms could become strong.
As soon as the purple clouds made contact with the Noble Phantasms above, a reaction like none had ever seen occurred.
It was the light of a night sky.
Amidst the black, amidst the shadows of Respira, light shone from within, growing in radiance with each passing second like the birth of new stars. Along with it came numerous auras.
Holy.
Demonic.
Merciful.
The legends attributed to the weapons above grew in magnitude to the point that even the most trivial of them could not be ignored.
This was the strength of the Vasto of White. The Shinigami stared up in shock while the Arrancar watched in fascination as the two Rulers of Hueco Mundo revealed the power of their abilities combined.
One of creation, and one of death.
Shirou opened and closed his palm, willing the swords forward.
The stars shone brightly, dazzling all in their splendor.
It was only after Yamamoto and the other Captains noticed the target of Shirou's attack that panic swelled within them for the first time since the battle began.
Every single Noble Phantasm that had formed was pointed directly at the emerging gate created by the Winer Daphne.
If the Members of the Royal Guard could not descend, then there was truly no one else that the Shinigami could rely on.
"Stop him!" The shout resounded in the minds of all.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone