chapter 305
Chapter 305:
– Layla –
“What was up with those brats attacking me out of nowhere?” I asked as Yoruichi, still in her cat form, led me into the shop.
The place looked way bigger inside than it had any right to be from the outside. I could see an endless hallway with dozens of rooms.
Her tail swished back and forth as she answered. “Sorry about all that. Ichigo has been extremely protective of his friends ever since a man named Aizen almost killed them all a year back. I imagine you spreading out your spiritual senses like that gave him a flashback or something to that time. Your power hit us all like a tidal wave, and thanks to Ichigo, his friends are all spiritually aware enough to have probably sensed you. I imagine it wasn't pleasant for them.” Yoruichi explained to me.
“Hmmm, I think he did mention something about that…” At least now I knew why he attacked me out of the blue. “I hope his friends are ok.”
The cat continued. “I'm sure they'll be fine with Orihime there. Just be more aware of it on your end. A lot of people in this town are at least a little spiritually aware and you have so much power that even the weakest of them will probably be able to see you crystal clear, Angel.”
“Everyone can already see me,” I pointed out.
That made her stop and turn to look at me. “Huh…? What do you mean everyone can see you?”
“We Angels are actually alive,” I said. “Everyone can see us...”
“T-That’s certainly… interesting,” Yoruichi said, clearly trying to process that. She didn’t press the subject further and instead padded ahead, leading me through another set of doors..The room inside was mostly empty, save for a giant ladder descending into a dark hole in the floor. Yoruichi hopped down, not even touching the ladder. I followed, landing lightly on the hard ground below.
It was a fall that would’ve flattened any normal human, but for me, it was nothing.
We were in an artificial, barren landscape. It was the same place I recognized from the anime, where Urahara had trained Ichigo before the hot-headed kid decided to storm the Soul Society with his friends.
I think I could even see the gouges in the ground from they're training nearby.
I couldn’t help but spread my senses out, trying to see how truly vast this place was. It felt like it was even larger than the entire town above.
Yoruichi’s fur puffed up, and she hissed at me! “Can you please not do that? It freaks all of us out!”
“Oh… sorry,” I said, pulling my senses back in. The people in this Universe were very sensitive…
“Hoh hoh! That’s quite a lot of power you’re packing there, my lady,” a cheerful voice called out.
I turned to see Urahara Kisuke approaching with his signature fan already in hand and that ridiculous striped hat on his head. He stopped a few feet away, looking me up and down.
– Yoruichi –
Yoruichi rolled her eyes. Her friend Kisuke was always so dramatic, but he should have known when to hold back on his theatrics. Especially now, when they were standing in front of someone with more power than she had ever felt before. Yoruichi was pretty sure even a dozen Sōsuke Aizens wouldn’t have been a threat to this Angel.
A very beautiful and slightly perverted Angel…
Wait… beautiful?
Why was she suddenly thinking that?
Kisuke’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “How come you’re back in your cat form, Yoruichi?” he asked, tilting his hat slightly as he studied her.
She rolled her eyes and pointed a perfectly manicured paw at the Angel. “Because she wouldn’t stop ogling my naked body. It was embarrassing!”
The Angel merely shrugged, obviously unapologetic. “Guilty as charged. I have a thing for super sexy and fit women,” she said.
“Nice!” Kisuke said with a thumbs up.
If cats could blush, Yoruichi felt like she would have been. She shook her head a few times. Normally, she never cared about being seen naked. And yet, something about the Angel seeing her like that had her immediately reverting to her cat form to hide her embarrassment.
Kisuke chuckled. “Why don’t you introduce our guest properly, Yoruichi?”
Yoruichi froze, realizing she hadn’t even asked the Angel’s name yet. “Err…” she trailed off, feeling a rare moment of embarrassment.
The angel giggled and placed a hand over her chest. “Hello, Urahara Kisuke-san. My name is Layla of the Fallen, and I came to Karakura Town looking for a way into the Soul Society. I promise I’m not going to destroy it… probably.”
“Oi! What do you mean ‘probably’?!” Yoruichi sputtered, her fur puffing up slightly.
Layla scratched her cheek, looking sheepish. “Sometimes crazy events happen around me, and things tend to escalate out of control. I would like to say those events are not in any way, shape, or form my fault and are merely coincidences...”
That sounded almost rehearsed…
Kisuke smirked while fanning himself casually. “Ah, another magnet for chaos I see. That’s not as rare as you’d think around these parts!”
“I've learned to live with it,” Layla said.
“You are quite fascinating, Miss Layla. An actual Angel standing right in front of me after all this time. I’ve spent years wondering if Heaven existed. With Hell being real , it only seemed logical there might be a counterpart hidden somewhere.” Kisuke got that look he always got when he discovered a new mystery.
Layla tilted her head slightly. “Maybe it does exist, maybe it doesn't,” she said coyly, not giving him a direct answer.
“Oh? A true mystery! I love those!” Kisuke exclaimed, giggling in that unsettling way of his.
Yoruichi sighed, recognizing the look in his eyes. She knew he was already mentally drafting plans to figure out Heaven’s location, adding it to his ever-growing list of obsessions, right next to that bizarre Quincy prophecy he’d been stressing over lately.
Once the awkward introductions were out of the way, Kisuke folded his fan and leaned forward slightly. “So, Layla-san, what brings you to Karakura Town?” he asked her.
Layla recounted the same explanation she had given Yoruichi earlier, about wanting to visit the Soul Society to fix her Asauchi.
“Hmmm… So you wish to visit the Soul Society huh?” Kisuke said. His smile suddenly twisted into something more calculating. “...And what if I decide not to help you? What if I think letting you wander around unchecked is far too risky for everyone involved…?”
“What!?” Yoruichi shot him a glare! What was he doing provoking someone so clearly out of their league!?
The smart move would have been to send Layla on her way, preferably somewhere far from here. Let someone else deal with the OP Angel in their place.
Although a tiny part of Yoruichi could admit that she was maybe hoping that Layla could stick around for a bit so she–they could get to know her better…
Layla smiled slightly but didn’t seem offended. “I’d be disappointed, but I’m sure I’d find my own way there,” she said. She glanced at him, her expression turning thoughtful. “You mentioned Hell, right? Maybe I’ll stop by there and see if there’s a backdoor to the Soul Society from below.”
Yoruichi’s stomach turned. “What kind of being just casually mentions taking a stroll through Hell like it’s no big deal?” she muttered.
Kisuke’s grin faltered for a moment, but then he laughed nervously. “That… might not be the best idea,” he said.
Yoruichi frowned, her tail flicking in agitation. Hell was a realm she knew little about, and even Kisuke—as resourceful as he was—barely had any knowledge of it. The place predated the Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, rumored to hold ancient horrors in its eternal prison. The last thing anyone needed was for someone to start poking around for secret passages between Hell and anywhere else!
The thought alone of some ancient horror of Hell sneaking out after Layla was enough to make Yoruichi’s fur stand on end!
Yoruichi let out a sigh of relief when Kisuke finally agreed to send Layla to the Soul Society himself. She figured it was better to give the powerful Angel what she wanted—at least for now. It would buy them time to come up with a proper strategy in case they ever had to deal with her as a threat.
Kisuke led them further into his vast, artificial training ground. The air grew heavy with spiritual energy as they walked, eventually stopping in front of his custom-made, very illegal gateway to the Soul Society. Not that anyone in the Soul Society had complained about it lately—not after Kisuke’s actions had sealed Aizen away and saved them all.
With a few precise movements, Kisuke powered the gateway up. The air shimmered, and the portal manifested.
Layla smiled at both of them. “Thanks for the help. I’ll be seeing you around, Yoruichi,” she said, giving her a wink before hopping through the gateway and vanishing from the world of the living.
Kisuke snickered as Yoruichi shifted back into her human form in a puff of smoke. She crossed her arms and tried to cover her chest, glaring at him. “What’s so funny?”
Kisuke grinned. “I don’t think we’ve ever dealt with a potential enemy we could use seduction on if we had to. Your tits might just save the world if that Angel turns against us!”
Yoruichi stomped her foot so hard that the ground in a fifty-meter radius cracked. “Hmph! I’m sure we can come up with a better plan than resorting to that. Either way, she was powerful… terrifying, really. But she didn’t strike me as malicious. She only gave Ichigo and his dumb friends a small beating when they attacked her out of nowhere. Plenty of beings wouldn’t have been so merciful...”
“I noticed that as well,” Kisuke said. “That’s why I tried provoking her a bit, by suggesting I wouldn’t help.”
“Which was very stupid,” Yoruichi pointed out. “I doubt even your Bankai could stitch you back together if you were nothing but a bloody smear.”
He chuckled. “What kind of researcher would I be if I didn’t take risks—”
CREAK… CRASH!
Kisuke was cut off as the artificial gate suddenly groaned and collapsed to the ground before the wood and metal shattered and broke apart…
It was perfectly fine a second ago and now was completely ruined.
Yoruichi stared at the mess in bewilderment. “Err… was that supposed to happen?”
“No…?” Kisuke said, staring at the wreckage with a mixture of curiosity and concern. “Unless the Dangai was heavily damaged for some reason,” he muttered. “Oh, I think today was a cleaner day.”
“Dammit, Kisuke!”
– Layla –
The second I stepped through the portal and arrived in the Dangai—the space connecting the World of the Living to the Soul Society—I was immediately set upon by some weird, alien-looking train thing. I vaguely remembered it being called the Cleaner, the same thing that almost killed Ichigo’s group when they stormed the Soul Society.
Whatever it was, it clearly didn’t like me being there. It charged at me, trying to run me over or whatever sentient trains do when they’re trying to kill someone!
“Oh, come on!” I shouted. I wasn’t about to let some dumb train have its way with me. I conjured a purple light spear and hurled it at the crazy locomotive.
What I wasn’t expecting was the reaction when my light energy met whatever energy it was that powered the cleaner. The second the spear struck the thing, there was a blinding flash of light and a powerful reaction!
I barely had time to throw my arms up in front of my face before a massive explosion rocked the Dangai. The entire dimension seemed to destabilize, and I was sucked out a random hole that appeared underneath my feet.
The next thing I knew, I was blasting out of the Dangai, falling… somewhere. It definitely looked like the Soul Society. Ancient Japanese-style buildings stretched as far as I could see.
With a sigh, I summoned my wings, letting them catch the air as I slowly descended.
Alarms were ringing everywhere. Below me, people I guessed were Shinigami ran back and forth, yelling about a ryoka infiltrating the Soul Society!
“Great...” I rolled my eyes.
As I landed gracefully on the ground, the crowd of Shinigami turned to look at me. Their eyes widened in shock, and some immediately reached for their swords.
The foolish soldiers surrounded me, shouting over each other in a chaotic mess that was impossible to follow.
One of them yelled about “capturing me for the glory of Squad One,” and the others echoed similar nonsense.
“Don't let her get away!”
“How dare another ryoka try to break in!”
I sighed. “Are you all done yelling yet?”
A tall guy with a shaved head stepped forward, pointing his zanpakutō at me. “Surrender now, winged ryoka, or we’ll take you down by force!”
“You'll certainly try,” I said, letting a smirk slip onto my face.
Five of them charged at me at once, their zanpakutō raised to strike.
“What happened to capturing me?!” I shouted, ducking under the first swing.
“We know where to cut you so you won’t bleed out, ryoka!” one of them yelled back. “We were all personally trained in kendo by the Head Captain himself!”
“Well, that’s disappointing,” I said, sidestepping another attack. Their swings were fast, but not fast enough. I caught one blade mid-swing and shoved it aside, sending its wielder stumbling backward. Another came at me from behind. I spun around and smacked his sword away with my bare hand. .
The Shinigami froze, staring at me with wide eyes. “She’s not even using a weapon!” one of them shouted.
“It has to be some kind of trick, I'm sure she's bleeding!” another shouted, clearly panicking.
“Nope,” I said, swatting another blade out of the way. “I’m not. None of you have what it takes to make me bleed.”
It wasn’t that these guys were weak. Honestly, they weren’t bad. Each of them felt like they could probably hold their own against someone like Captain America before his Campione upgrade. But compared to me? They didn’t stand a chance.
“Alright, this is boring,” I said.
The guy with the shaved head snarled and charged again, swinging his zanpakutō in a wide arc. I ducked under it, grabbed his wrist, and twisted it just enough to make him drop the blade. With a quick jab to his stomach, he crumpled to the ground.
“Who’s next?” I asked, glancing at the others.
They hesitated, clearly shaken, but two of them tried to rush me together. I stepped between them, grabbed their collars, and slammed their heads together!
[Ooof! They'll be feeling that one!]
They dropped instantly.
The rest tried to regroup, but it was pointless. I mowed through them easily, knocking each one out with minimal effort. A punch here, a kick there. It wasn’t a fight—it was cleanup duty. When the last one hit the ground, I dusted off my hands and looked around at the pile of unconscious Shinigami.
“Well, that was a waste of time,” I muttered.
[Heads up!]
I jumped back just in time to dodge a wave of hot red flames that scorched the ground where I had been standing. “That was rude,” I said, staring at the old man who strode toward me with authority practically radiating off him.
“I am Genryūsai Yamamoto, the Head Captain of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads,” he said. His piercing gaze swept over his unconscious subordinates before landing squarely on me. “What are you doing here, ryoka?”
[Not the best first impression with the head honcho…]
“I’m here to meet the guy who makes zanpakutōs,” I told him, standing my ground. “Mine’s broken, and I need him to fix it.”
“Foolish,” Yamamoto declared as flames burst around him. “A single ryoka would never be allowed to meet them!”
Instead of being upset, I felt my interest spike. “So, you know who I’m looking for?” I asked him. “Can you please tell me how to meet him? Or her?”
“It is a man,” he said flatly. “And no.”
“Right on. So why can’t you tell me?”
“Because it is my duty,” he said bluntly. The staff in his hand dissolved, and a sheathed katana appeared in its place. He gripped it tightly with his only hand. “Surrender, ryoka! Now that I stand before you, you will not escape justice!”
“Yeah… how about no?” I told him. “Counter offer! If I beat you in a fight, you let me meet the guy so he can fix my asauchi!” I declared.
Yamamoto paused, his eyes narrowing as he considered my challenge. To my surprise, he actually agreed. “Very well! It has been a long while since I have engaged in a proper duel. We shall face each other in single combat.”
A second later, he vanished with a flash step, but my special eyes were easily able to keep up with him. I flapped my wings, and flew after the old man.
Even though I was suppressing my power because of how sensitive people were in this Universe, I had no doubts he could sense something.
The old man had some serious stones to accept my challenge head-on like that!
We arrived on top of a large mountain, one that looked strangely familiar. It took me a second to place it, but when I did, my grin widened. This was the same mountain where Ichigo and Byakuya Kuchiki had their epic duel. That fight had been one of my favorite moments in the entire anime!
Before our own fight could begin, I held up my hand.
“Wait a second,” I said. “I’m not fighting a cripple.”
His brows furrowed. “What are you talking about, ryoka?”
I didn’t answer right away. Instead, I called upon my Sacred Gear, the Purge of Darkness, and held my hands toward him. A soft purple light emanated from my palms, and his eyes widened as he realized what I was doing. My healing power flowed into him, and before he could protest, his missing arm was completely restored!
He flexed his newly healed arm, a mix of shock and cautious gratitude flashing across his face. “Why would you do this?”
“I want to see you go all out,” I told him. I didn't want to bully the old man too badly. At least this way he would have a…well, not really a chance, but he might be able to give me a couple scratches.
Yamamoto’s grip on his sword tightened. I saw a faint smile tug at the corner of his lips. “Very well,” he said. “I will show you my full power in return for restoring my arm. BANKAI!”
XXX