Bleach Okunote: Chapter 9. Ophiuchus

The enormous hollow came on slithering out of the large Garganta, seemingly growing longer and longer, until it counted up to thirty segments on its body. And each of its segments was already three meter long, counting four blades and armor. And at the end of its tail it had a four meter blade. And with a mask that was two meter long and wide, it was 96 meter long. And Ace could sense that, compared to all the zodiac hollows they had faced up till now, this monster was far beyond any of them in power. Even the four hollows they had faced today, Leo, Aquarius, Pisces and Gemini, had those four hollows combined their powers, even than would they not stand a chance against this monstrosity.

Ace drew his Zanpaktou again, taking a stance in front of Anna and Nora. As Anna wanted to step forward he held her back with his left arm, ‘Anna, please stay back. I’ll take on Ophiuchus!’ Anna shook her head, ‘you can’t! you can’t honestly think that you stand a chance against him on your own!’ Ace shook his head, ‘of course I don’t. I’m not that arrogant. But I can keep it busy long enough for you to call on some back-up!’

Ophiuchus chuckled, ‘it’s actually rather cute, how you seem to think that the three of you will still be here by the time that back-up will arrive!’ Ace grinned and took hold of his Zanpaktou with both hands, ‘I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. But this is something we’ve both been waiting for, isn’t that right? You’ve been after me for the last two months now! And ever since you killed my parents I’ve been wanting to rip you to shreds!’

Anna wanted to step forward again, but this time Nora stopped her. Anna looked at her, ‘why are you stopping me. the stealth force is in town. They will have reported Ace’s actions, drawing in hollows, as well as the zodiac. And now that something as powerful as Ophiuchus is here, they will have reported that right away.’ Nora nodded, ‘I know that. but this battle is something you have to stay out of. Ace has a personal score to settle with this hollow. So, unless he asks for our help, we should stay out of it.’ Anna sighed, but drew her Zanpaktou either way, ready to step in the moment Ace asked her for help.

Ophiuchus curled up, before launching himself forward at Ace, who struck back with a kendo slash. Even so, as he struck the hollow at full force, Ace was pushed backwards, over the water before being flung backwards. Ace stopped himself, before releasing his Zanpaktou for the second time today, ‘shuffle; Kirifuda!’ as his Zanpaktou took on its Shikai form, Ace drew power from it and send his own power into it. as he doubled his power, he flash stepped forward and unleashed a slash against Ophiuchus.

the hollow took the hit, not sustaining any damage, before sending a waving motion through its body, bashing it against Ace. But Ace blocked this attack as well. and this time he stood his ground better, swung his blade up, pushing the snake’s body up, before stabbing its belly, drawing blood. however, the hollow tightened its muscles around Ace’s sword, before sending its own tail blade toward him. Ace noticed he couldn’t pull out his sword and letting go wasn’t an option. He still barely had any idea of how to use his Shikai, but he did know how to fight.

Ace spun around the incoming blade, held onto his own, used his full strength to pull his blade out and flash stepped a good distance away. however, as he arrived here, he was hit by large bullets of spirit energy. Ophiuchus had watched the boy’s battle with its segment and tail blade. And as he had gotten free, the hollow blasted him.

Ace dropped a few meter, before taking a stance again while the blasts had left some bruises and burns on him. he still heard the whispering of the voice he heard before in his head. This voice had told him the name of his Zanpaktou. Ace wished he knew how to draw out his blade’s full potential. Ace flash stepped forward and the snake slithered through the sky. Ace dodged Ophiuchus biting him, but was bashed aside by its body several times in the spiral form Ophiuchus held its body in. As Ace reached the end, his right shoulder was cut open by the blade at the end and Ophiuchus launched a hail of spirit bullets once more.

Ace was hit twice, before he flash stepped away. Ace took a deep breath, not focusing on the pain in his right shoulder and instead focusing on what was important, defeating his opponent. Or at least keeping it here as long as possible while staying alive, waiting for back-up to arrive. As she watched the fight, Anna called the soul society, asking her captain if back-up had been send. Shunsui replied, ‘it has. But the trip there is half an hour. You’ll have to hold out another twenty five minutes.’ Anna nodded, ‘understood.’ And she just hoped they could last that long.

Ace continued to fend of Ophiuchus’ attacks, only to find out at how much of a disadvantage he really was. even though he could use flash step and draw on the power of his Shikai which doubled his power, even with that he was weaker and slower than that enormous snake. Each time he managed to block his opponent, the snake would hit him with something else. The small stab wound Ace had scored was the only injury Ophiuchus had gotten. And it had already healed.

Ace took a step back, inhaled, exhaled, inhaled again and flash stepped toward Ophiuchus’ face, taking a swing at full force. Ophiuchus dodged by moving backwards a meter, before opening its mouth and blowing out a thick purple fog. Ace jumped backwards, only than noticing Ophichus had put its body in a circle around him. and each segment of its body blew out the same purple fog. As it enveloped Ace, the boy noticed he couldn’t see his opponent at all. The next moment his back was slashed from behind. As he turned around, flash stepped forward and swinging his blade, he was shot from behind by spirit bullets. Ace flash stepped away again, only to be slashed by twelve of the small swords, meaning three segments had launched all their blades.

Ace looked around, unable to see his opponent at all. He flash stepped up, out of the fog, looking down, than hearing that voice in his head again. it told him another name. and as he thought it, an image came to his mind. that could be useful! As Ophiuchus came out of his fog and slithered upward, Ace swung his blade horizontally downward, ‘Teki ketsugō bun'ya!’ his blade launched a wave of spirit energy downward. And as Ophiuchus hit it, the spirit energy started to blood into binding plants and vines, constricting his body. Ophiuchus struggled, than noticing Ace had flash stepped down. The enormous hollow moved its mask out of the way, but Ace still slashed at its body four times.

Ophiuchus curled up, before stretched with full strength, breaking the vines. Ace was about to use his technique again, but this time Ophiuchus had a trick of its own. the thirty segments of its body came apart from each other and floated through the air, free from the head, that also floated there.

the enormous skull chuckled, before shooting a barrage of spiritual bullets at Ace. The latter flash stepped aside, only to be hit by other spiritual bullets. As he looked where those had come from, the segments had all turned toward him and were all shooting spiritual bullets at him. Ace flash stepped several time, only to notice these segments were also shooting out their blades. After just one minute of this, his arms, legs and body were cut, bleeding, bruised and slightly burned.

Ace stood there, panting in the sky, still holding up his sword. But he didn’t have much strength left. Anna saw the beating Ace was taking and wanted to jump in to help him. but she didn’t want to hurt his pride. Unless he asked her to step in,… or unless he was about to die, she wouldn’t step in.

Ace flash stepped backward, ten meter, toward Anna and Nora. The head and the segments floated around, as if they were just toying with Ace. Ace sunk to a knee and asked, ‘Anna, having watched Ophiuchus fight, how long do you think you’ll last against him in battle?’ Anna shrugged, ‘I’m not sure. five minutes at most.’ Ace nodded, ‘Nora, how much can you heal me in four minutes?’ Nora stepped up to him, ‘about half of all your injuries.’ Ace nodded, ‘good enough. good luck Anna.’

Anna nodded, stepped forward and stated, ‘eat your fill; Shokuhinheiki!’ she took he Zanpaktou in hand, flash stepped forward, but did not know which segment to attack first. Nora released her Zanpaktou Me Chiyu and channeled her healing kido into the blades, the needles and the chains, binding, piercing and shallowly cutting Ace, sending his spirit energy into him, healing him from the out and inside. And the needles paralyzing effect was lowered to the point where it numbed his pain. She needed to do all she could to get him back his strength in four minutes.

Anna focused on Ophiuchus’ head and ran toward it, readying her weapon. As she had thought, during her run, all the segments started firing their spiritual bullets at her. having waited for this, she flash stepped up and down, left and right, out of the way of the incoming assault. However, as she reached the head, it spit smoke into her face. and as she backed off, she was blasted in the back.

she dropped about ten meter before stopping herself and flash stepping backwards. She swung her weapon around to block more incoming bullets before flash stepping up and taking a wide swing with the knife of her weapon; ‘Bunkatsu!’ a cutting wave of spirit energy blocked several bullets and hit one of the segments, cutting it. Anna followed up by aiming the fork of her weapon at Ophiuchus’ mask, ‘Kantsū suru!’ she thrust her weapon forward and send out a piercing blast. However, four segments gathered together, forming a square shield, blocking her attack, before each of them launched their four blades at her.

all of those sixteen blades cut her, slashing her arms, legs, sides, her shoulders and both her cheeks. She jumped back, only to be slashed by Ophiuchus’ tail blade from behind. She turned around and slashed at it with her knife, pushing it back. Than Anna noticed she was completely surrounded by those segments and Ophiuchus’ mask. And all were ready to open fire on her. she started spinning around and swung her weapon around wildly; ‘Itadakimasu!’ her fork and knife shot out cutting and piercing blasts with each swing she made with her weapon.

she managed to inflict some damage on her opponent, but Ophiuchus damaged her more than the other way around. It kept on shooting those spirit energy bullets from all its segments and its own mouth. And when there was a clear opening; one or more of those segments would shoot their four blades at her.

after three minutes of fighting, she was more damaged than she had ever been. But she couldn’t give up. She had to give Ace one more minute to recover, give Nora one more minute to heal him! she grinned, ‘is that all you’ve got Ophiuchus?! I thought you were powerful, more powerful than your zodiac hollows! And yet you are unable to defeat an unseated officer like me!’ Ophiuchus chuckled, ‘yeah, well, I like to play with my food. I like my soul reapers nice and tender!’ Anna nodded, ‘of course. Than what about your boast at the start of this fight; “it’s actually rather cute, how you seem to think that the three of you will still be here by the time that back-up will arrive.” If this playing with your food continues, you’ll be in big trouble when our backup comes!’

Ophiuchus nodded, ‘that’s true. I was having such a blast I had forgotten about that. as you wish girly! I’ll start eating now! You’ll be a good appetizer!’ the mask shot forward and as it did, all the thirty segments reattached to the head, forming the long snake body again. Anna braised herself. As injured as she was, she knew she couldn’t evade this next attack!

a wave of spirit energy went over her head and hit the snake, suddenly binding it in spirit vines. Anna looked back and saw Ace standing there, as good as new, though still somewhat injured. Anna nodded, looked at Ophiuchus again, spun her weapon at it and unleashed her strongest attack once more; ‘Itadakimasu!’ piercing and slashing attacks were now fired only at the snake, instead of wildly as scattered segments.

Ophiuchus took some hits and some cuts, before ripping free of the binding vines. It roared in anger, detached its segments again and each segment started to glow, building up spirit energy. Nora joined Anna and Ace, each standing ready to fight, even though Anna was injured. Ophiuchus roared, building up its own spirit energy, before, segment by segment, spirit energy started to shoot over, going from one segment to the other, increasing in power with the spirit energy build up in each segment before it reached Ophiuchus’ mask. The enormous hollow opened its mouth and unleashed a charged up beam of spirit energy. Ace saw how big it was and sensed how powerful it was. in a quick reflex, he pushed Anna and Nora aside, just in time.

the girls were surprised to be pushed away, but were shocked to see Ace was hit by the blast. As it passed by, Ace’s body was smoking and burned and he had a hole in his belly. The next moment, Ace dropped out of the sky. Both Anna and Nora flash stepped over to him, to catch him. as they did and landed on the ground, Ophiuchus and its segments floated toward them, ‘I could have done that from the start! Now that you’ve pissed me off, I’m going to devour you, slowly, piece by piece. And I’ll make you watch as I eat the other two!’

the next moment, a segment of Ophiuchus’ body exploded. The snake looked at it, only to find another segment exploding. But he saw it happen after a purple disk of spirit energy had hit it. the enormous snake quickly reassembled itself, quickly dodging a third disk. He then saw a lieutenant standing there, having its Shikai released. And he sensed another one was coming. The enormous hollow growled, opened a Garganta and quickly slithered back home.

Tenshi nodded, sealed his Zanpaktou and landed in front of Ace. Nora had bound him in the chains of her Zanpaktou, injected him with her needles numbing and healing and was using the blades to gently cut away the burns while healing the skin underneath. Tenshi sighed, ‘I’m glad I decided to hurry.’ Anna nodded, ‘thanks for coming sir. But only fifteen minutes have passed, not half an hour. How did you get here so quickly?’ Tenshi nodded, ‘I used flash step all the way through the dangai precipice world. I’m glad I did.’

a minute later, another lieutenant arrived. She was a tall woman with silver hair; the lieutenant of squad 4. Nora faced in her direction, ‘lieutenant Kotetsu. Thanks for coming.’ Isane Kotetsu nodded, kneeled down next to Ace and assisted in healing him, closing the wound in his belly, ‘when I heard that Ophiuchus was involved, I was sure healing was required. So when Tenshi offered to go, I offered to go as well.’ Tenshi nodded, ‘I’m glad she did.’ Kotetsu looked up at Tenshi, ‘but next time you’re going to flash step all the way there, give me a warning next time. I couldn’t keep up with you at all.’

Tenshi nodded, ‘I know. Sorry about that. but thanks to that, we did get here in time before they were killed.’ Kotetsu nodded and continued focusing on her healing of Ace. Anna sat by Ace’s head, having it rest on her lap, while she used the little healing kido she knew. It had been a difficult battle. But they had survived. Even though Ophiuchus had gotten away and Ace had been seriously injured, they had all survived.