Ch 128: Die by the hand of the one you killed.

Nell fell to a knee and spat blood after her stomach ruptured. As an Arrancar, that wound would heal in half an hour, but it was still very painful, and would further impair her ability to fight. Her left arm had already been broken before.

"Nell-sama!" gasped Pesshe, trying to lift himself from the ground. Donchakka was laying face down. They were both in a worse shape than she was.

"Nell, I am going to offer you a last chance." said Szayel. "Surrender and beg Aizen-sama for forgiveness."

Nell shook her head as she got on her feet with some difficulty.

Of course, the fight hadn't be completely one-sided. Even if the Espada rankings had changed since her departure as stronger Arrancars joined Aizen's side, the number 3 tattooed on her back was there for a reason, and Szayel had taken a few serious injuries. He had been forced to convert two of his Fraccion into some kind of fruits and eat them to regenerate the wounds Nell gave him.

But since Szayel used his Resurreccion, things had taken a turn for the worse. After using his appendages to collect samples from Nell, Pesshe and Donchakka, Szayel created three hollow dolls without limbs, each of them vaguely shaped like Nell and her Fraccion.

Opening those dolls, all Szayel had to do was take some of the irregularly shaped pellets inside them, each having the name of an organ or major bone written on them, and crush them between his fingers to cause corresponding injuries to his opponents.

Donchakka and Pesshe had dealt with the rest of Szayel's Fraccion, but they weren’t in shape to keep fighting. Realizing that she was now just another broken arm away from complete defeat, Nell held her Zanpakuto in front of her, keeping the blade horizontal, and placed her left hand on the back of the blade.

"Declare, Gamuza (Chamois)."

The blade shone brightly with a bright white light, and a wave of energy burst from it, extending a few meters before coming back to its source. When it stopped, Nell was in her Resurreccion form. The horns of her mask were longer and less curvy, and white armor covered she shoulders, elbows and hands. But the biggest change was her lower body. She was like a goat version of a centaur, with four hooved legs covered by a thick light gray fur.

Her sword, too, had changed shape and now looked like a long double-ended cavalry spear.

Szayel looked in alarm as Nell lifted her spear in a throw position. He quickly put a few fingers inside Nell's doll, randomly seizing a half-dozen pellet, and before she could throw the spear, crushed them.

Nell shuddered as several sounds seemed to come from inside her body, and she collapsed, spitting another mouthful of blood.

She understood that she was going to die. The damage was too extensive this time. She stared at Szayel, but the Arrancar wasn't even looking at her anymore, staring at something behind her.

"Pesshe… Donchakka… I'm…sorry." she said, feeling intense regret at having brought this calamity on her companions.

She already could feel the pain lessening. Surely this was a very bad thing, her body shutting down.

"No, I'm the one who's sorry, Nell." softly said someone behind her, and her eyes widened.

She turned her head with some effort, and saw Ranger Black crouching behind her, extending his hand toward her body.

She suddenly understood that the decreasing pain was due to her injuries quickly healing!

"You did great, Nell, Pesshe, Donchakka. As soon as I'm done healing you, I'll take over."

"Ranger Black, can you just heal me, please? I want to fight him myself."

"Ok. But you'll only have one minute or so, before I join in. I'll soon be needed elsewhere."

"That is plenty." smiled Nell as she got back on her four feet, her spear still in her hand.

"Mass Purge." muttered Noah.

Szayel was about to speak, when all three of the dolls in his hands and the few more pellets between his fingers suddenly turned into powder.

"Ah, wait in instant, Nell. I have something to do first." urged Noah, before stepping slightly to the side. With gritted teeth, he made his kung-fu poses and crouch.

"I am Kitsune Ranger Black! I'd add something witty, but nothing comes to mind right now."

Then he straightened himself and looked at Nell.

"Your minute starts now, Nell."

Szayel, suddenly worried by the disappearance of the dolls, pointed both hands toward Nell, and a bright pink light coalesced in front of them. When the light formed a volley-ball sized mass, Szayel threw it forward at the speed of a crossbow bolt.

Nell opened her mouth wide and inhaled sharply, and the Cero ball stopped in front of her face, deforming into a stream that entered her mouth.

When the whole Cero was swallowed, Nell opened her mouth again and spit if back toward Szayel, adding her own for good measure.

"Damn it!" cursed Szayel as he crossed his arms in front of him to protect his face. He was angry at himself for forgetting about Nell's Cero Doble ability.

He grunted in pain as both Ceros burned his exposed flesh and ruined the appendages sprouting from his back. When it stopped, Szayel decided to retreat. His greatest trump card was somehow neutralized, and he could feel that the seeds he had left inside Nell and his Fraccion had been destroyed as well, depriving him from the possibility of recreating his body. With his appendages damaged, he couldn't try to create clones of his opponents, either.

Szayel started cancelling his Resurreccion to regain his usual mobility and use Sonido, but Nell didn't intend to give him time. Determined to get back at him for the suffering he had caused her and her friends, Nell sprinted toward him, her hooves destroying the stone ground behind her, her cavalry spear ready to be thrown.

When she got to only five meters from him, Nell executed her special move.

"Lanzador Verde (Green Lance)!" she called out, imbuing the spear with spiritual energy and throwing it.

The spear instantly rotated at a high speed as it flew and shattered without difficulty Szayel's Zanpakuto as he desperately tried to block it. The spear hit Szayel in the sternum, blowing a large hole through him as is kept going and lost itself in the distance. A hole so big that Szayel's head was only attached to his body by a few strips of flesh and skin.

He collapsed, unable to speak.

Noah appeared near Nell and gave her another round of Purge, just in case the tricky mad scientist would have left another surprise.

"You were right, one minute was plenty." grinned Noah.

Nell turned to him and saw Pesshe and Donchakka getting back to their feet, their visible injuries gone.

She hugged him with a happy smile.

"Thank you, Kitsune Ranger Black!"

"You're welcome, Nell. I appreciate enormously that you're willing to help us." smiled Noah as he returned the hug. "When we're done, how about you three come spend some time to my place to play?

"We shouldn't go to the human world." frowned Pesshe. "The Shinigami will hunt us."

"My home is in a separate dimension the Shinigami can't reach without my permission. And I'll talk to them. They owe me a few favors, and after I tell them how you helped against Aizen, they won't be so ungrateful that they'll try to harm you guys. And we can talk about this later, Rukia is about to reach Aaroniero. Everyone, quickly grab my body, I'll teleport us."

Noah was still hugging Nell with his right arm, and extended his left hand to Pesshe and Donchakka, who quickly grabbed him. The cavalry spear flew back into Nell's right hand, and they teleported.

…

Rukia emerged to the surface in close proximity to a large white building, and fell a strong aura coming from inside. And aura that reminded her of, him. She unsheathed her Zanpakuto and tried to calm her nerves by focusing on her breathing.

This fight, she knew, was going to be the hardest of her life. Aaroniero was going to do his best to exploit her trauma, and just seeing take the shape of Kaien-dono was going to be intensely painful. But it also offered her a chance to kill the Hollow responsible for his death.

She made a step toward the building's entrance and froze as several people abruptly appeared in front of her. She was so tense that she had almost slashed out by reflex before she recognized them.

"Ranger Black, and Nell?" she blinked, seeing the Arrancar in her resurreccion form for the first time.

"Yes." smiled Nell. "Szayel is dead. Ranger Black saved us."

"Tosen, Zommari and Ulquiorra are also dead." nodded Noah, satisfaction evident in his voice. "Ichigo and Renji have just beaten up Grimmjow. He's still alive, but out of the fight, and he's just laying down. Luppi is now resting in pieces. Fub… I mean, Kitsune Ranger Blue and Yoruichi are about to reach Kitsune Pink, and they'll bring her to us soon. The only strong opponent left in Las Noches is this one."

"That's great." nodded Rukia. With a nod, she walked toward the building, Ranger Black and the others following behind. Their support felt reassuring.

When she got closer to the building, the massive double-door opened on its own. Without hesitation, Rukia entered. Inside was a very large room, with rows of cylindrical stone pillars against its walls. The lighting was dim, and it took a moment for her eyes to adjust. The doors started to close, but Ranger Black and the others still had time to enter. They simply stood to the side, watching. But Rukia's attention was on the figure standing on top of one of the stone pillars.

"Welcome, Rukia Kuchiki. I am Aaroniero Arruruerie." said the Arrancar with two voices, one rumbling deep, the other very high pitched.

Like every member of the Espada, he was dressed in a pure white outfit. A white robe covering his entire body, and a frilly coat over it. He removed his elongated mask, revealing the face of a youth with short black hairs. His face reminded Noah of both Kuukaku Shiba, Kaien's sister, and Ichigo.

"And I am Kitsune Ranger black! Don't mind me, I'm only interrupting because of a stupid lost wager." said Noah from the side, making his poses.

"I am Pesshe!" said the Fraccion, making another pose.

"Donchakka!"

"Nell!"

The Arrancar glanced at them for a few seconds before shrugging.

"That's some strange company you keep, Rukia. But whatever. It's been a while." he smiled.

Rukia stared at him, apparently lost in thought. Seeing Rukia's expression, 'Kaien' snorted and pointed at himself with a thumb.

"What's with that face? I understand you might be surprised, but you surely recognize me, right? Aren't you glad that your beloved Kaien Shiba is alive and well?"

He smiled as he jumped down the pillar, landing gracefully on the ground.

"Well, I guess some explanations are in order. The Hollow that killed me was special, you see? It was one of Aizen's creations. After being destroyed, it returned to Hueco Mundo to regenerate itself. After the regeneration process was completed, it came back with my physical form. But maybe because of that, or maybe because my soul is too strong, I wound up being the one in control of the body."

"How great am I?" Boasted 'Kaien'. "They never saw anyone like me before!" shouted the Arrancar.

"…Is such a thing, possible?" asked Rukia, with slight doubt in her voice as she glanced at Ranger Black. She was aware that the Arrancar was likely lying, but part of her wanted to believe it.

"Anyway, that's the story. I've infiltrated the Espada ranks while waiting for a chance to get revenge on Aizen. And I have a plan. Would you be willing to lend me your help, Rukia?"

Slowly, 'Kaien' came closer to Rukia. Until he suddenly accelerated, drawing his Zanpakuto, thrusting at Rukia's head.

She reacted quickly, ducking under the sword while using her ice manipulation ability to propel herself away, one hand and her two feet sliding on a layer of ice.

"Well, well, you've improved a lot more than I thought, Rukia. As your sempai, your growth makes me happy."

"What's the meaning of this? How much of what you told me is true?" angrily asked Rukia.

"All of it, of course. Why are you surprised? Did you forget that you are the one who took my life, Rukia?  I still remember vividly the pain of your blade piercing my heart. You need to atone for your crime, Rukia. Are you prepared to die by the hand of the man that you murdered?"

Rukia didn't say anything, but closed her eyes for a moment. 'Kaien' took it as acknowledgement. Then he grinned.

"Hey, relax, Rukia. I was just joking. You deserve to die, for killing me, but I wouldn't do something as silly as killing you for my personal revenge. Instead, if you really want to make up for the terrible thing you did to me, there's a thing I want you to do for me, Rukia." said 'Kaien' with a soft voice.

"I want you to bring me the heads of your four friends." he grinned. "If you do this for me, we'll wipe the slates clean!"

The request was enough to jolt Rukia out of her doubts, and only anger remained. A deep, deep anger at the Arrancar daring to deface Kaien's face with those words.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki (sleeves of white snow)!" called out Rukia, unleashing her shikai.

Her katana changed form, becoming pure white, and a long white ribbon extended from its hilt.

"First dance, Tsukishiro (moon white)!" she said as he used Shunpo to appear near Aaroniero, performing a horizontal slash before moving away. A large white circle appeared where she had slashed, and a pillar of ice erupted from the ground. But the Espada had no trouble evading.

Rukia stabbed the ground four times, each stab producing small stream of ice.

"Second dance, Hakuren (white ripple)!"

Rukia thrust her sword toward Aaroniero, a thick stream of ice shooting from it, but again, Aaroniero evaded with a grin.

"Who do you think helped you train those moves, Rukia? You'll never hit me with those!"

Rukia and the Espada started exchanging blows furiously, going back and forth, instantly switching from offense to defense. The air inside the room was quickly turning into a fog, between Rukia using ice attacks and Kaien using water-based ones. When it became thick enough, Aaroniero started using it to his advantage, disappearing in the fog only to attack an instant later from a completely different direction. His weapon had changed during the fight, from a sword to a trident.

The doors of the room were forced open, and Chad and Kitsune Ranger Green entered. Noah waved to them and they came closer.

"What's happening?" asked Asuna.

"Rukia's fighting the Hollow who killed her mentor. And possibly first love, I'm not sure about that. It's a very personal matter, so we're just watching for now."

"I understand."

"Ah, yes. Ranger Green, Chad, this is Nell, Pesshe, and Donchakka. They're good guys."

"Nice to meet you." smiled Nell.

"Likewise." nodded Asuna, echoed by Chad.

"Tsk." frowned Aaroniero. He was getting irritated. Rukia managed to fend off every single one of his attacks. More enemies were gathering, and they acted like they were watching a show. He suddenly got an idea, and used Sonido to appear near the fool who called himself Ranger Black. He wanted to deliver a psychological blow to Rukia by harming her companions.

Noah seized the shaft of the trident before it reached his head, pulling on it to break Aaroniero's balance, and punched his face, hard.

Harder than he intended, really, as he heard the sound of glass breaking.

"Arghh!" screamed Aaroniero as he was propelled backward and hit a wall. His human face melted, revealing behind it a glass container filled with a translucent red fluid, and with two round hollow heads floating inside. Noah's punch had fractured the container, and the fluid was leaking from the cracks. The Arrancar was in a panic, trying to stop the leaks with his hands.

"Sorry, Rukia!" shrugged Noah.

"It's fine!" replied Rukia, using the opportunity to appear behind the Espada using Shunpo and give him a good upward slash, from the base of his spine to the glass container. She created a bigger breach in it, and the fluid escaped in mere seconds.

"Why is this happening!" screamed one of the two heads with a high pitch, as their body collapsed on the floor.

"We can't die like this!" protested the second one.

Rukia, being an experienced warrior, quickly stabbed the two heads in turn through the glass, putting an end to the Arrancar. To be sure, she also used Tsukishiro to encase the body in a pillar of ice.

She walked back to Ranger Black and the others, keeping a wary eye on the ice pillar.

"His aura is gone, I think this Hollow is truly dead, Rukia. Good job." smiled Noah.

Rukia looked at him and smiled sadly.

"Thank you. Kaien-dono can rest in peace, now."

Noah smiled back, thinking that he might just give Rukia the opportunity to resurrect him, using the same conditions he did for Alice, Claire, Rui and Hisui. She would surely accept. And then, she would be his.

But that could wait until later.

Three people teleported near Noah. Ranger Blue, Yoruichi, and Orihime, dressed in a pure white outfit.

"Orihime! Are you okay?" called out Rukia, quickly walking to her and squeezing her shoulder.

"Rukia! You also came to save me!" happily replied Orihime,

"We've found Kitsune Ranger Pink." said Ranger Blue.

"Great job, Blue, Yoruichi."

"It was easy. Are there other Espada?" shrugged Fubuki.

"Not in Las Noches. Can you fetch Ichigo and Renji? I'll do the same with Red and Uryuu. Then we can leave Hueco Mundo."

"On it." nodded Blue before disappearing. Noah teleported as well and found Ren and Uryuu walking down a hallway.

"Kitsune Ranger Pink has been rescued, and all strong enemies have been dealt with." said Noah.

"Great. I can get out of that costume at last." sighed Ren.

"We're regrouping. But before you teleport, Red, Uryuu, I need to warn you. There's a trio of Arrancars who helped us, so don't attack them."

"Women?" immediately asked Ren.

"The strongest of them, yes. A former member of the Espada. You may actually have heard of her, because Kyouka and Himari mentioned seeing her when we talked about Vasto Lordes. The other two are her Fraccion."

"I see. I'd like to talk to her, to learn more about what Aizen has been doing here. Let's go, I want out of that costume asap."

"Yes." nodded Noah, putting a hand on Uryuu's shoulder. He teleported with him to the rest of his group, and Ren followed a second later. Fubuki was already back with Ichigo and Renji. Nell had concealed her Resurreccion and returned to her normal appearance.

"Okay, everyone. We'll teleport to Urahara-san's basement, so that everyone who doesn't feel up to fighting Aizen himself and the top three Espada can return home. After we change our outfits, myself, and those who wish to fight strong opponents, will join the higher ups of Soul Society. I'll deal with Barragan, but if you wish to fight Starrk and Tier, as well as their Fraccion, kindly avoid killing them. They aren't bad guys. And don't fight Gin."

They nodded, and Noah, Ren, Fubuki and Asuna teleported, bringing with them those who couldn't.

As soon as they got into Urahara's basement, Noah took from his inventory several gym bags and gave them to Ren, Asuna and Fubuki.

He then removed his helmet, and smiled at Rukia, Orihime, and all the others, who stared at him with wide eyes.

"There's no need for me to hide my identity any further, since my home isn't vulnerable to attack anymore. I am Noah Enfield, Champion of the Goddess Lilith. Please call me Noah, or Kuro if you prefer." said Noah, as he started getting out of his Sentai Ranger costume. The others were doing the same. They all wore a black leather bodysuit under the costume, acting as a protective layer, so modesty wasn't a concern, and the girls opened their bags. Asuna took from it her Shinigami trainee uniform, while Noah, Fubuki and Ren had their ADC uniforms waiting for them.

"I feel so much better now." smiled Ren as she adjusted the vest of her uniform and bound the sheath of her sword to her belt.

"so am I." grinned Noah.

He took his smartphone and called Urahara.

"Urahara-san?"

"Yes? Kuro-kun?"

"We have rescued Orihime and killed a bunch of Espada. Kaname Tosen, too. no loss on our side. We're all back in your basement. How is the situation?"

"Already? That's great. Most of the captains are facing Aizen, and I'm observing from afar. Aizen brought with him Gin and four Espada, as well as their subordinates. For now, the subordinates are fighting the Lieutenants to stop them from destroying the anchor points of the fake Kurakura Town we created to serve as the battlefield."

Noah nodded to himself. He didn't remember for what reason a fake city had been created in the original fiction, and the matter didn't really interest him even now.

"Wait, four?" blinked Noah, surprised. He expected Starrk, Tier Harribel and Barragan, but a fourth… Yammy!

Noah had completely forgotten about him. In the original fiction, he stayed in Hueco Mundo and was eventually killed by the Captains sent as reinforcement. But when Noah had scanned Las Noches repeatedly, he had only sensed him in the first few scans.

"Kuro-kun, have you met with the three Captains we sent to help you?"

"No. It seems they came too late to the party. Who did you send?"

"Byakuya Kuchiki, Kenpachi and Mayuri Kurotsuchi."

"I see."

Noah looked at Asuna.

"Asuna, would you be willing to find Captain Kuchiki and Kenpachi and teleport them to Urahara-san's position?"

"I'm on it." smiled Asuna, teleporting away.

"I'm coming, Urahara-san, along with a few others." said Noah.

"Any help would be appreciated, thank you."

Noah ended the call, and looked at everyone.

"So, who is coming along?"

Ren, Fubuki and Yoruichi immediately made a step forward.

"I'm not missing out on this opportunity to fight strong opponents." confidently said Ren. Fubuki nodded, her eyes eager.

"I'm coming, too." said Ichigo. "Some of my friends are going to fight Aizen."

"I'm also coming." said Rukia. "I'm a Lieutenant, so I should join that fight."

Renji stepped forward. He, too, was a Lieutenant.

"Then grab my hands, we're going."

Between the fighting and all the teleporting, Noah estimated that his energy reserve was only about half-way up. He hoped it would be enough.