Hey guys, apologies for the wait. Job searching and prepping for college zapped my time, and I didn't have a chance to work on Born a Shinigami for all of last month.

ImSeriousBro: Gin is pretty damn epic. I'm trying to do him justice (as I try with all of the characters), but I'm worried I'm not pulling it off right.

Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Holy review spam, Batman! xD I'm glad you like it!

Darkdoombringer: Maybe. Maybe not. You'll just have to wait and find out! :P

I'm glad you guys seem to be enjoying the story. Hopefully I can continue to entertain!

Disclaimer: Still don't own Bleach. Might be a good thing at this point - at least Kubo (usually) gives weekly updates!

Chapter 15: Beginning of the End

'Let my enemies cry, and my allies tremble;'

The Kido Corps stood above Seireitei's wall, arms held high in the air in front of them, with palms outstretched towards the heavens. The purple, flame-like aura had only continued to expand in size and strength, being channeled by the Kido experts to cover even the Senzaikyū and Sōkyoku Hill. Kido Commander Kanbe and his Vice-Commander especially advanced the activation of the barrier, pushing more Reiatsu into it than anyone else.

Within the flame, a thin, black, shell-like substance had begun to grow directly above the Senzaikyū, and had steadily increased in size to stretch over Seireitei. This was the true Rei Hiteisū Shōheki [Spirit Negation Barrier], an ancient Kido that had been in use before the Gotei 13 was founded, though to a much smaller extent. Back then, it was a personal shield of sorts, rather than one designed to protect a city. Over the years, the Kido Corps had managed to change that, and now it served to protect Seireitei from large-scale threats.

Of course, the spell took quite a while to cast, not to mention a great deal of effort. A single Shinigami couldn't hope to accomplish it on his own, and neither could several. Indeed, the entire Kido Corps had gathered along the wall, and yet the spell's strength was increasing painfully slowly. The Hollow continued to attack, their instincts telling them to stop the group at all cost - but the giant Gatekeepers continued fighting back at full force.

'Let the elders disdain, and the children flee;'

Kaiwan at the east gate, Shōryūmon. With savage fury he swung his trident, shining gold against even the smoky sky. The triple blades carved through the Hollow, ending their rampage before it could begin. The weapon was covered in gleaming gold from the back of the rod to the tips of its tri-bladed end. A painted blue serpent curled around it, its tail starting at the base of the weapon's handle and its nose ending at the very tip of the middle blade.

The eastern giant matched the dragon's fierce appearance. With his jagged teeth and fierce glare, he almost seemed like a dragon-turned-man. His temperament, also, agreed with that image. He growled as he arced the trident horizontally, forcing it into the ground - neither Hollow nor earth standing up to his strength. He twisted it to its side, and dragged it across the ground with speed to the right, sending yet more debris and Hollow into the air with nothing more than a dust cloud left in its wake. With a single hand, he lifted it off the ground and casually repeated the process in the opposite direction.

In this way he defended his gate, the Blue Stream Gate. By constantly using the same combination of devastating attacks, he was able to keep all of his enemies away - without hardly moving a step. The much smaller Hollow couldn't even get close enough to fight back, instead being annihilated at a distance. It was a continuous routine, but it changed when five Menos, who had gradually been closing the distance, finally came into range.

Their presence made Kaiwan pause - the strategy he had been utilizing until now would not work against the similarly sized Gillian. Not only that, but their Ceros were something Kaiwan would rather not be hit by. He used his trident as a support as he dragged himself to his feet, having been in a sitting position earlier. Still hunched over, as all the Gatekeepers were, he glared at the Menos, although they continued on undaunted.

It was then that he raised his weapon into the air, spinning it above his head. He waited like that until the Menos got closer, and then he brought the blunt end of the shaft down unto the ground. The impact cracked the hard rock, but it was not only the earth that recoiled from the strike. Highly pressurized water shot up out of the ground, engulfing Kaiwan and also blasting out towards the Menos. It didn't take long before the fast-paced stream of water blasted the Hollow, obliterating them outright.

Kaiwan emerged, water dripping from his large body, as the wave subsided. He grinned, pleased with the result of his attack. Yes, the little remnants of Rukongai nearby that hadn't yet been destroyed were now thoroughly thrashed, but the Hollow were, for the most part, gone. The giant let his bum slam against the ground, as he rested the trident over his shoulder. An incoherent grumble escaped his lip (shocking, for his size), as Hollow freed themselves from the rubble they had once been trapped under.

So, with a snort, he swung his weapon down into the ground again, once more continuing with his previous strategy. It worked, at any rate. Maybe not as efficient as a Captain, but Kaiwan got the job done. Just like anyone who was, or was previously, a member of the Eleventh Squad.

Maybe it wasn't pretty, but the end result was all that really mattered. However, the giant was thoroughly surprised when he heard a faint voice yell from below.

"Damn it! You got me all wet, you overgrown freak-show!"

'The angels will wail, the demons will dance;'

Danzōmaru of the North Gate, Kokuryōmon. Here, a gale like no other whipped around the area, forcing Hollow to grab hold of the rock beneath them as they struggled to push forward. The wind was strong, stronger than even a hurricane, and in fact by its very force pressured the ground enough to crack it. Such was its velocity, that electricity jolted through by the friction in the gale, though it was weak in strength.

And the source of this super-gust? The Northern Giant himself. He twirled his spear around himself at high speeds, his incredible strength being all the power he needed to change the course of the wind itself. The staff had a brown shaft, two golden handgrips, and a silver dagger for a tip - itself connected directly to the rod. However, none of its features were visible as he swung it around and around and around all over again. Just a blur, a nearly perfect circle of a fan - though far, far more deadly.

The gale stopped suddenly when Danzōmaru ceased spinning his staff. With one last move he slammed it into the ground, finishing off the rest of the Hollow with a quick blast of wind. He inhaled a deep breath of air, sighing as he let his arms rest. He was strong, but even he could not continue spinning the giant spear all day. His rest was cut short when four Gillain approached, howling at the giant while trudging closer and closer.

"Fools." Danzōmaru grumbled, barely even acknowledging the Hollows with his head lowered, facing the ground. "Don't they know such aggression can only cost them their lives?"

Admittedly, his query was based solely on the fact that Danzōmaru really didn't want to fight. He was the pacifist of the giants, preferring instead to talk with any visitors he would receive or sit around reading... giant books. However, he learned from experience that what he wanted didn't always happen. For example, when he was transferred from the Eighth Division to being the Northern Gatekeeper. Above all, that was not something he wanted. Still, as one of the four largest Shinigami in Soul Society, he couldn't really fit in the barracks anymore.

From what his old Captain, Shunsui, told him, their current Vice-Captain wouldn't appreciate the giant's presence much, anyways.

The Hollow pressed on, and Danzōmaru knew that he "had to do, what he had to do". He hefted his spear up, so that it was held vertically at his side with the pointy tip extended out to aim at the Menos - while he held it at the shaft's center. Then, with speed absolutely shocking for a being of his size, he charged the Gillian, reaching the lead Menos in under a second. His weapon skewered through the Hollow's mask, and the giant leaped off the ground, using both feet to push his opponent into the dirt.

Standing atop the fallen Menos' decaying body, he then span the spear above his head, and stabbed it into the Hollow directly next to him. At the same time, he was delivering a fierce kick at the third. Both Gillian collapsed backwards, leaving Danzōmaru to face the sole remaining Menos. It was out of range of his spear - and he barely had time to react when it gathered a crimson orb in front of its mask.

The Gatekeeper brought his weapon in front of him, spinning it rapidly so that it once again became only a blur against the surroundings. The Cero blasted forward, forcing Danzōmaru back as it slammed against the spear - the rod acting now as a shield more so than a weapon. The energy splashed off like water against concrete, but it maintained its pressure as the giant's feet crushed the earth behind him. Finally, the ground gave way, and Danzōmaru slid back and slammed against the North Gate.

He grimaced, the pain shooting through his back not being above what he could handle, but still unwanted. If it weren't for the air currents destabilizing the Cero, created from his staff, the condensed energy would have exploded by now - and that would not be good for the giant. That shield wouldn't last forever, either. Even with his strength, his arms had already begun to sting from keeping the Cero at bay.

Lucky for him, Danzōmaru didn't have to hold it for long. Suddenly the Cero stopped, the remaining Reiatsu bouncing off his spinning spear and dissipating into the air. He looked, and realized that the Menos now had an elongated sword puncturing through its mask. Slowly, it reduced back down to its source, removing itself from the Hollow's oversized mug. The purification process had already begun as it fell forward, and before the Gillian could his the ground it evaporated with a blast of spiritual energy.

"Wow! Everyone's needin' me fo' somethin'!" Gin exclaimed, as he walked through where the Hollow would have been. When the Vice-Captain's feet reached the tip of the mini-canyon - created when Danzōmaru was forced back by the Cero - he gave a mock-impressed whistle, smiling up at the surprised giant. "Ya' really made a mess, ain't ya'?"

"Ichimaru." The giant greeted simply, his face betraying no emotion - though he was annoyed at Gin's nonchalance. Danzōmaru glanced around the battlefield, and after seeing no more enemies he rested the spear against the wall. "You wish to enter?"

"I'd be mighty grateful!" Gin replied, before throwing a thumb over his shoulder. As the giant glanced towards the distance, he saw a small group of Shinigami navigating the ruins of nearby Rukongai. And, by "navigating", they were running for their sweet lives from a group of more-than-angry Hollow.

Danzōmaru got the message, loud and clear. With a firm nod, he turned around - his steps causing tremors, even though he didn't intend to. He bent over, and grasped underneath the heavy gate, and grunted as he attempted to lift it. Within a few seconds, his veins were bulging, and sweat dripped down his forehead - but finally, he yanked the gate upwards, holding it above his head.

'Lords of pain, kings of sorrow;'

"How much farther?!" a man shouted between gasps, as he ran alongside at least twenty other Shinigami. No one answered, each silently wondering the very same question. Ichigo and a few others, however, were more focused on getting there safely, instead of how long it would take. The Hollow were right on their heels, laughing insanely as they pounced after the group.

Ichigo was forced to a stop when a, thankfully, normal sized Hollow literally crushed the Shinigami directly ahead of him - the very same that had shouted just seconds ago. The beast did so by leaping into the air and landing right on top of him, the impact collapsing the rock below it and sending the Shinigami next to and in front of it sprawling. Ichigo reacted quickly, forcing his blade through the Hollow's abdomen horizontally, separating its body from its legs - and causing its head to face-plant while its legs ran around like a chicken, before both sections dispersed.

When he landed, Ichigo chanced a look back, and saw a Hollow send five Shinigami flying with a single strike from its jagged claw. They were catching up, closer and closer - soon, there would be nothing between the entire collection of Hollow and the small group of Shinigami. On the bright side, Ichigo looked forward and saw the gate not too far away. If they could just make it a little farther, they would be home free.

The giant already had the gate held open, and a very long Zanpakuto swung around from an unidentified figure - though Ichigo knew full well who it was. Gin was busy keeping all hostiles away from the gate, giving the giant cover until the rest of the army could make it through. It could not be said that the Vice-Captain was having a hard time - rather, he was just smiling creepily, like he always did, as he casually dispatched four more Hollow with a single swipe of his blade.

Suddenly, Ichigo realized that there was a presence above him. He would have thanked his Reiatsu training, but didn't have the time as he was forced to leap away, landing with a roll across the ground, as a Hollow 'crater'd' the space he had previously been standing. He sprang back to his feet, intending to twirl around and counter-attack, but before he could make a move a Zanpakuto shot past his skull and pierced the Hollow's "neck" - leaving Ichigo wide-eyed and sweating profusely.

"Wh-what the hell... I hate that guy." was all Ichigo could really say, as the Zanpakuto shrunk back to its owner. Really, it wasn't hard to believe that the Vice-Captain was somewhat on the "less-than-sane" side. That, or he found some insane pleasure in absolutely terrifying those under his command - and those who weren't. It wasn't only Squad Five that dealt with his "cheery" persona, after all. But, no matter what could be said about his personality, one thing remained true. He could hold his own against a Captain, and that wasn't something you just overlooked.

Perhaps it was due to Gin's skill and power that the group's pace increased dramatically. Almost as soon as the platoon was within range of his Shinsō, their speed almost doubled. Whether that was because Gin was keeping the Hollow off of their back, or because all the Shinigami feared getting in Gin's way, Ichigo couldn't say. All he knew was that he was getting the hell out of Rukongai, and back into Seireitei! Not that he was a coward, because he wasn't. Still, they weren't winning any points outside Seireitei - the Hollow just kept coming.

Within minutes, the first of the Shinigami passed under the gate. Gin swung his blade left and right, still smiling away with squinted eyes, as the flock passed him by, rushing past Danzōmaru as he struggled to keep the gate open. Ichigo, caught in the middle, never had the chance to see what Gin was doing - although if given the chance, he probably would have kept running.

"I think that's all of 'em!" Gin exclaimed jokingly, when the last of the Shinigami had made it through. With a broadened grin, he swung his Zanpakuto around in a wide, horizontal arc, destroying the few Hollow that remained. It seemed yet another wave had ended. Sheathing the blade, the Vice-Captain walked through the gate as well. "Appreciate'n all the work ya' put inta' keepin' it open!"

With a quiet nod, Danzōmaru let the massive door drop as Gin turned away. He walked a few steps, but stopped, glancing over his shoulder back out into Rukongai. With an open eye, he saw in the distance a single shadow making its way towards the wall. As the gate finally slammed into the ground, Gin continued to stare, the image burned into his mind.

And for the first time since this invasion began, his perpetual grin had turned into a frown.

'Swords ironed, spears hefted, arrows volleyed;'

A burst of flame erupted from the tip of Higonyūdō's fiery torch. For this giant, steel was not part of the weapon. Rather, he relied solely on his scorching flames, generated via a constant stream of Reiryoku so as to never be doused. With a single breath, the blaze expanded into a wide swath of area, and blasted upwards before dissipating into the horizon. Naturally random patches of burnt earth dotted the area, as well as still-active flames that refused to die out.

This was the southern giant, Higonyūdō - guardian of Shuwaimon. For more than a millennia, the flame upon Higonyūdō's torch had remained burning strong. The lantern was a brown oaken wooden handle, with a solid steel band clasped to the tip. Wrapped around the band was a sort of wool, and it burned bright yellows, reds, and oranges. The wool was specially customized to continuously absorb Higonyūdō's Reiryoku, and channel it into an active flame. For that reason, the Beacon of the Red Hollow Gate had never been extinguished.

And it would not today, either.

Another breath, and the blaze burst outwards, burning Hollows to nothing more than charcoal over the ground. Of course, this method did not downright eliminate the beasts altogether. There was still enough left of them to be purified, and thus maintain the balance. But even so, most of the Hollow didn't even have time to react to the barrage of blazing fire.

It was this wall of blazing embers that prevented the gate from ever being breached in the past. A powerful force, not to be so easily trifled with. Only one last small group of Hollow remained to charge the giant, and with a simple blow onto the flame, he incinerated the beasts without a passing thought. When the smoke and flame cleared, joining the clouds in the sky, the Hollows were completely gone. Instead, in their place, was a lone, small, insignificant man, who stood in between two patches of smoky flame.

"Oh?" Higonyūdō murmured, smiling down at the unidentified individual. "Who might you be?"

'Calvary charging, O' destructive beasts;'

The ground shook and rubble flew, a barrage like that of a chain-gun blasting large debris into Hollow, destroying the demonic beings in droves. With a single swing from his mighty axe, Jidanbō brutally slaughtered the few beasts that remained. The continuous routine had lasted almost as long as the invasion. Not a single Hollow had yet to even reach the giant. Strangely, with each swing, he displayed an amazing amount of accuracy - not a single building in Rukongai was damaged by flying debris.

He guarded Hakutōmon, the West Gate - and he was renowned as the strongest and greatest of the four Gatekeepers. In all his years, not a single person had ever breached his gate. In fact, only one had ever survived his first blow, and he went on to become a Captain. Of course, that man also ended up slaughtering the previous Captain of that division, an act Jidanbō didn't wholly approve of, but that was a different story, for a different time.

One last swing of his axe eliminated a group of Menos approaching from the distance, more rocks and stones blasting through them like bullets through wood. Dust hovered over the ruined ground for minutes, not a sound coming from below. It seemed, for a time, like that was all of them, like another assault had ended. In a way, it had. But they were wrong.

So terribly wrong.

Suddenly the smoke and dust split in two, right down the middle, like a blade cutting through butter. Like a gale, a blast of fierce wind, an arcing blade of silver energy blasted into the giant, sending the hulking Shinigami spiraling into the gate. The firm construct held, not buckling in the slightest under the Gatekeeper's weight. Jidanbō never even registered the hit. One second he was defending Seireitei from the invaders, and the next thing he knew he was flying through the air. Despite the pain that blasted through his back upon contact with the gate, he remained on his feet. But, the attack effected him psychologically.

He blinked, scanning the field with wide-eyed surprise. Could someone have possibly survived the onslaught of debris? Was that truly what happened? No, it couldn't be. No one could survive an attack like that! Whoever it was must have been hiding, waiting for the moment when Jidanbō was distracted, so that they could strike. What a cowardly and impolite move! Obviously, they merely startled him with their sudden appearance, and he had tripped up and backed into the gate. Of course!

"Who dares disobey the rules of the Soul Society?!" he roared with enraged fury, before his eyes finally rested upon a man standing below, a good distance from him. "Fights are to be one on one, and you interrupted!"

"This is war, Gatekeeper." The man replied simply, though shouting so the giant could hear him. "Rules only apply when both sides agree to the terms."

With wavy, black hair hanging down to his upper neck, chocolate brown eyes that shined with amusement, and what could only be considered a kind smile, the man was dressed in a dark cloak buttoned around his neck with a white chain wrapping around his right shoulder - coming from the center of his back and ending at the center of his chest. His skin was a light tan, and he held a sword in his right hand that gleamed against the sunlight. His other arm was tucked away within his cloak, but his visible limb revealed a snow-white sweat shirt was worn under the cloak.

Jidanbō growled down at the intruder, considering him nothing but an insignificant ant. "I see, you're from the country. Then I will educate you on the rules of the city! Rule Nu-"

"That's quite alright!" the man interrupted with a broadened smile, his stare not wavering at the giants mighty form. "I am well acquainted with the rules. If you wish to fight one on one, I am more than happy to comply!"

Mentally, he was deadpanning. He was the only enemy still there. Was this giant that stupid?

For his part, the Gatekeeper burst into a fit of ferocious laughter. Was this upstart, this country bumpkin, really stupid enough to think he could defeat the mighty Jidanbō, guardian of the West Gate?! That was foolishness by its very definition! The man hardly acknowledged the giant's outburst, even while the rims of his coat floated with the blasts of wind Jidanbō's laughter created.

"V-very well!" Jidanbō managed between gasps. "If you insist!"

It didn't take long for the giant to rear his axe up high, and with a loud roar he swiftly brought it down upon the singular individual. The impact caused the ground to crack and a shockwave to blast out from the impact zone. His strength itself was enough to create a crater in the ground. Jidanbō smiled happily to himself, fully convinced the battle was over. It always had ended at this point, except on that one other occasion. However, his smile turned to a frown when he realized something quite surprising.

He couldn't move his axe!

"Amazing! I can see why the Soul Society trusts a being such as you with the keeping of the gate. You certainly are strong!" a voice, the very same that had been said by the man earlier, called from below. Jidanbō's eyes widened in shock once again, and he realized that no matter the strength with which he pulled, his weapon was stuck in place.

"Impossible!" he declared, veins throbbing in his arms and forehead as he tried in vain to remove his axe. "No one has ever survived my attack, but one!"

"Is that so?" he replied, just as Jidanbō felt the weapon being moved to the side. To the giant's shock, he saw that his axe had been impaled on the man's sword. The blade was stuck firmly inside the axe's surface, the giant weapon's steel cracked around the pierce-point, and nothing Jidanbō did could force the weapon free from his enemy's grip. What's worse, was that this small, tiny invader was still only using a single hand. "But then, I survived too. Perhaps it's not so impossible as you had thought?"

Jidanbō snarled, baring his second axe upon the man. However, before the giant could move further, his opponent swung his sword in a tossing motion, sending Jidanbō and both of his axes flying against the gate. Again.

"Now, now, isn't that unfair? You said this would be one on one, but now you're using two weapons, not one." the man said, still smiling happily as he approached the fallen giant.

Jidanbō slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, his back resting against the wall. His head felt like one of the other giants had just landed on it, aching and throbbing as he tenderly rubbed a forming bruise. The first thing to make contact with the hard surface of the wall had been his poor, thick head - and that was enough to daze even Jidanbō to the point that the world was spinning!

The man chuckled at the Gatekeeper's state, casually making his way over. "Looks like you're out of it. I'm sorry, but you've lost."

'O' demonic warriors, heed our call;'

Kaiwan wasn't happy. He thought he had won, but next thing he knew some upstart was just staring up at him. It startled him for a moment, he hadn't even noticed the kid approach. That's what he was, too. Just a boy, a little lad who appeared barely on the verge of his tweens. The water was up to his knee caps, and it wasn't even that deep! Although, he was soaking wet, which was pretty humorous.

His dark-red hair barely came down to the middle of his forehead, spiking three times - once in the middle, and once over each of his thin eyebrows. He had brown eyes that had an eerie shade of red closer to the middle, with a round head that still held a touch of baby-chubbiness around his cheeks - only further amusing the giant with his angry glare. He wore a basic, dark-brown t-shirt with a pink arrow-head symbol on the front, and blue, knee length jean shorts. His bare feet were hidden well beneath the water.

On his back was a bow and quiver, proportionated to the child's size.

The giant smiled, holding back a snort at the sight. This boy was wandering out in the middle of the warzone. What, did he think he could actually help? The poor kid was probably disillusioned by heroic tales of the Shinigami and their battles against the Hollow. Heaving a sigh, Kaiwan kneeled down to the lad.

"You lost, son?" he asked, trying to give the nicest voice he could - failing horribly; he was a giant, after all. That, and his fierce expression wasn't exactly comforting - in any sense of the word. What Kaiwan wasn't expecting was for the kid to grab his bow, and force an arrow down the string, aiming right at the giant. Without a word, the child let the sharp arrow loose, and it flew towards Kaiwan at a speed greater than should normally be possible. The giant had enough time to sigh, believing the small, insignificant projectile to be of no threat to his well being.

He yelped when there was an explosion - a very large boom. An orange blaze erupted from the giant's chest, sending Kaiwan skipping across the ground roughly. He stopped himself, slamming the dull end of his trident into the ground, before he was able to go far. He growled at the kid. He tried to be nice. He didn't know what the hell that brat laced his arrows with, but they stung like hell. Now, Kaiwan was going to play rough.

His weapon still shoved into the ground, Kaiwan let go with his hand, and flicked the golden trident with his index finger. For a moment, nothing happened, except a sharp ringing echoing from the trident. However, just as before, a thick stream of water blasted out of the ground, and rampaged towards the young boy. The giant frowned sadly, as he didn't really want to hurt a little kid. There wasn't any honor in that. Unless you counted the Eleventh Squad's current vice-captain. That girl was downright scary!

Much to his surprise, the boy didn't react like he thought he would. Kaiwan suspected that as soon as the wave rushed the boy, he would become panicked and run for dear life. However, the child didn't move, as he just glared at the incoming water, glared at Kaiwan, glared at Seireitei.

Hell, he may as well have been glaring at life.

Kaiwan looked on with widened eyes, when the kid simply hooked another arrow through his fingers, and took aim at the incoming water. Sure, his arrows had some powerful explosives on them, but did he really think he could take on the entire wave? It was impossible! It had to be!

And yet, the child let his grip loose, flinging the arrow towards the oncoming water. The arrow hit the stream, and for a second nothing happened. Then, the explosion occurred. Unlike before, however, where the blast resonated over a larger area, the flame erupted away from the boy entirely, shooting towards Kaiwan. It was drilling, rather than expanding. The explosion forced the water apart, and it harmlessly rushed past the kid. Kaiwan couldn't believe what he was seeing. This brat... This kid was good. Too good.

"You're not from around here, are you?" the giant questioned with a scowl, glaring down at the boy who had yet to even move from his spot.

The kid seemed to consider it for a second, but then shrugged, lowering the bow slightly. "Mother doesn't want me to talk to strangers."

Kaiwan chuckled at the answer. "You're talking to one now, aren't you?"

The child blinked, and seemed to be deep in thought. His eyes scanned the pooling water below him, as if looking for his feet beneath the rushing stream. Then, he looked back up to Kaiwan, frowning at him. "You're right. Mother would be displeased."

Kaiwan blinked, and that was all he had time to do. He never even saw the kid fire the arrow, and yet he saw one flying directly to his face. There was no time to move, he couldn't even jump out of the way. This would hurt. A lot. With another boom, it was all over. Smoke wafted around the area, the result of the child's bombs. Through the thick cloud, he could see Kaiwan's giant, unmoving body, lying still on the concrete - a large amount of blood seeping out of his mouth. He wasn't dead, but he'd be knocked out for a while.

Two down.

'Free our souls, save thou's wrath;'

"Who might you be?" Higonyūdō had asked, yet no answer came. The flame giant frowned down at the man, glaring at him with a fiery hate almost matching the heat from his torch. He didn't like it when punks ignored him. It just really made him mad. Of course, anyone who knew the giant personally also knew that that was a big mistake. He had a ferocious temper, which was probably fitting considering his obsession with flames. This newbie wouldn't know what hit him.

He wasn't anything special, at least as far as Higonyūdō was concerned. He wore an unassuming white jacket, zipped to the top with its hood hung over his head, and equally white sweatpants. Long black hair hung down past his right eye, and his left - dark brown in color - looked half-open at the giant. His hands were in their respective jacket pockets, and he carried an overall bored look to him. Match his expression with his pale skin, and he almost looked sickly.

"Hey, bastard, I asked you who you are!" the giant bellowed, the flames of his torch wavering under his breath - his stinky, horrid breath. Still, there wasn't a reply. Higonyūdō was sick of being ignored. With a snarl, he harshly exhaled into the flame, sending the fiery embers at the man in a horizontal arc. The heat was tremendous, scorching the ground without even touching it, and it blasted into the intruder with explosive force.

The flames burned for only a few moments, and began to die out as more and more smoke filled the sky. Then, to the giant's surprise, the flame's intensified, and began circling around and around and around - like a blazing tornado. The wind began to turn with it, expanding upwards with the blaze at it enveloped into a fiery cyclone! It rotated for only a short while, the spinning flames shooting up even higher than the wall of Seireitei before it dissipated into the air. Then, with a gust of wind, it vanished altogether, once again merely leaving the giant and the man in a deadly staring contest.

What frustrated the giant so much, was that the man wasn't even singed. His jacket was in perfect condition, there wasn't an ounce of scorched land around him, and not a single drop of sweat was on his forehead. What was different, was that his eye, once dark brown, now shone a sharp red - almost glowing, even.

Then, without even a mutter, the man gave a breath of his own. Much like a flamethrower, a stream of pure flames rushed out of his mouth, expanding and drastically increasing in size as it approached the giant. Higonyūdō flinched with surprise, and in response launched another blast of his own with a growl. Blaze battled blaze for but a brief few seconds, before the man's attack overpowered the giant's. With an explosion that rocked the southern gate, Higonyūdō was sent flying back, and by the time his body had come to a stop just a few inches away from the wall, he was already unconscious.

After all that, the man with the white jacket had yet to make a single move.

'Purify, unholy souls!'

The gate slammed with a ferocious tremor, and Danzōmaru breathed a sigh. Even for a being of his size and strength, the four gates were incredibly heavy. A smaller soul hadn't a chance of opening it themselves. The giant wiped a droplet of sweat from his left temple, huffed, and then turned around. He was hoping to catch a rest before the next wave came, whenever that was. Unfortunately, it was interrupted when he noticed the man standing below him. Who he saw gave Danzōmaru pause. "You're..."

With neatly kempt brown hair and tanned skin, he wasn't even looking up at the giant with his brown eyes. His mouth was shut in a grim line, he had dark bags under his eyes, and his face was cracked with wrinkles. At his waist was a katana, the design of the red hilt indicating it was a Zanpakuto, and his arms hung loosely at the side of his black kimono.

"You're Lakatsu!" Danzōmaru exclaimed, his eyes widening with surprise. "They said you went missing! We all thought you were dead!"

Lakatsu didn't reply. His eyes slowly drifted up to the giant's face when Danzōmaru said his name, but his body didn't move. They stood like that for a while, neither showing a single motion. Everything became horribly quiet, even the distant sounds of battle became farther away - nothing more than an echo. Not even the Hollow's dreadful screams broke the silence. Danzōmaru realized that he was clearly hearing his own heartbeat - not that great a feat, considering how big it was.

After a few seconds, he did notice one faint sound, coming from somewhere in Rukongai. He couldn't quiet make it out, so he couldn't tell what it was, but he knew it was there - whatever it was. It soon became apparent that the noise was getting louder, like a gust of wind shooting through a mountainous valley. The noise was amplified suddenly ten fold, the giant finally knowing what the sound was - but no more closer to understanding it. It seemed as if a thousand voices were all wailing and moaning and once, like a pool of ghouls.

They overwhelmed him, the frequency and harshness of the shrieks so loud that Danzōmaru found he was no longer able to think straight. Everything was blurry, a daze. He couldn't concentrate. That's when Lakatsu's mouth opened into an 'o', and his eyes snapped open. Danzōmaru was hit by a long, black spear that had shot out of the Shinigami's chest, sending the giant sliding back until he was pinned against the wall. The projectile that hit him was made completely of energy, a corrupt and tainted one Danzōmaru had never seen before.

Through his wince and after grunting from the pain, the giant managed to ask "What are you doing, Lakatsu?! What is this power? This is not your Zanpakuto!"

It was not, however, Lakatsu's voice that answered the giant. Instead, a voice echoed over the area, and Danzōmaru felt severe dread creep over his neck. It chuckled a dark, sinister laugh, and Lakatsu grunted and screamed in pain. "Don't be so quick to point fingers, Danzōmaru!" the voice stated behind a hardly veiled laugh.

"Who are you? What have you done to Lakatsu?!" Danzōmaru demanded, despite being unable to free himself from the spear's hold. He realized in the back of his mind that the weapon had penetrated the wall.

The demonic voice laughed again, drowning out Lakatsu's screams of agony. "That's hardly your concern. Death waits for no one. Fear not, you will not be awake to witness the end of the world!"

That was when the black spear erupted. Without warning, the shell shattered, and a wave of black energy engulfed Danzōmaru from head to toe. It covered him in a thick layer, remained there for only a few seconds, before it began to melt off of him at a slow pace. Visibly pale with his eyes rolled back, he fell first to his knees, then the rest of the way with a big thud. The energy pooled together like a stream, before melting through the ground.

And with him, all the giants fell.

Kido Commander Kanbe felt a lump build in his throat at what he was seeing. While the Kido Corps was hard at work preparing the Kido, unidentified beings had appeared and, within seconds, wiped out the four Gatekeepers. This had never happened in the last 10,000 years of Soul Society's existence! Whoever they were, they were all very powerful. But, he smiled. The Gatekeepers had held off long enough, and most of the Shinigami had managed to get back into Seireitei.

These outsiders were too late.

'Unholy dome, hide our sins;

"Rei Hiteisū Shōheki! [Spirit Negation Barrier!]"

A bright, golden light engulfed Seireitei, originating from the top of the Senzaikyū. It replaced the darker Reiatsu the Corps had been generating, forming a dome around the entirety of Seireitei, following the borders created by the Shakonmaku. The four warriors who defeated the giants blinked from their spots, disappearing as if they had used Shunpo, so that they were out of range of the circular shield, nice and safe in the ruins of Rukongai - a fact that made Kanbe frustrated, but as long as they were out of Seireitei itself, he would take the small amounts of luck they were given.

The shining glow, originally an intangible globe, increased in Reiatsu density until it became a solid shell. Nobody would be passing through in a while, unless they were capable of producing power similar to the level of Yamamoto - yet anyone could still see through it, as if they were looking through a light screen of fog.

The Kido Corps was a wreck after channeling Kido for so long, and even Kanbe was panting lightly. With a deep sigh, he motioned for his Vice-Commander to follow. They had to report what they saw to the Head-Captain immediately. Anyone who could defeat one of the Gatekeepers was a big deal - and they were looking at four. It seemed this invasion was more than a simple Hollow raid. It was all out war, and they didn't even know who was declaring war on them.

Captain Soifon would have her work cut out for her.

The four men had gathered at the north gate, just outside the newly created dome. Danzōmaru still lay comatose just in front of the gate, though some color had returned to his skin and his breathing had steadied. They studied the barrier in silence, watching as the Kido Corps disbanded from their posts at the walls. Suddenly, the one in the white jacket, who had fought Higonyūdō, stepped forward - lifting a hand out of his jacket to touch the barrier.

"Stop, Ji." warned the man who brought down Jidanbō, his smile having dropped to a cautious frown. "Even you don't want to touch this."

As if to prove his point, a group of Hollows charged the dome - only for them to be blasted by Reiatsu and destroy instantly. Sensing this, the remaining legions of Hollows formed a circular parameter around Seireitei. Despite their loses, the demonic beings' numbers were still easily in the hundred thousands. The war was far from over.

At the sight of the Hollow's destruction, Ji calmly stepped away, shoving his hands back into his jacket pockets. The boy who had defeated Kaiwan stepped up from behind Lakatsu's body, his bow hooked under a strap crossed against his chest.

"With this here, we won't be able to reach the target." the child noted, glaring towards the north gate. "Mother will be displeased."

Lakatsu grunted in pain, but still made no movements, when the same dark voice that Danzōmaru heard replied. "Well, we can't have that, can we?" it said with a laugh. "Heath, what do you think?"

Heath smiled, waving a hand towards the barrier from outside his cloak. "What, this? I can certainly tell why Central 46 outlawed its use unless in extreme cases of emergency. It's almost as vile as you, if I dare say so."

The voice giggled again, a strange occurrence with its demonic and deep tone. "Perfect! The Head-Captain is playing right into my hand." Lakatsu's body shuddered, and his dead eyes rolled back in his head as he underwent a vicious seizure. Eight black spikes shot out of his chest, piercing the ground below him faster than a human eye could track. The earth began to crack and rise - the vile energy expanded through the stone like the roots of a tree. They were all on a straight path under the barrier.

The shadows left him, and Lakatsu collapsed to his knees before looking back up at the group. Life had returned to his eyes, yet there was a glint to them that wasn't normal. A faint crimson light in the back of his eye, with an even darker shade beneath that. He smiled, and stood to his feet - wobbling slightly before regaining orientation.

"How do you feel, Lakatsu?" Heath asked, smiling at the Shinigami with a humored tone.

Lakatsu breathed in, then out - a deep sigh as he closed his eyes for but a moment. Then they snapped open, and he smirked as his hand moved to his Zanpakuto. "Like I've been born anew."

Heath nodded, and looked to the side towards the gate. "That's good! Shall we purify your fellow Shinigami as well?"

With a nod, Lakatsu grinned and walked towards the barrier - drawing his sword as he did so. It glistened against the light reflecting off the surface of the shield, a bright yellow against the silver steel.

"Let's begin."

Well, there it is, the next chapter - and thus far the longest! Kind of felt weird towards the end, though, like I was missing something. Maybe I was just getting lazy, I don't know. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the read, and I'll get another chapter up as soon as life lets me!

Please leave a review with your comments, questions, or any advice you can offer. I love seeing your responses!