Thanks to Hanataro leading the way through the underground water tunnel system that rested beneath the Seireitei, where none of the other Shinigami would find them unless they came down here and investigated the area themselves, Ichigo, Sombra, and Ganju easily found their way to one of the entrances they used to get down there. Of course Hanataro had to stop them when they went to use an entrance that wouldn't take them to the stairs that happened to rest in front of the path that would take them to the Shrine of Penitence, but eventually Sombra understood what they needed to do and got his friend and their companion to follow suit. As such they continued their trek through the area that they were in, each of them keeping an ear open in case their enemies found their way down here, but as the minutes ticked by, and they continued on the path that they were following, they became convinced that no one was going to find them and that they were going to continue in peace. At the same time Sombra found that, due to the fact that they were currently underneath where their enemies were located, neither Ichigo or Ganju felt like talking and Hanataro, having told them everything he could about what Rukia had told him, remained silent as well, to which Sombra followed suit and said nothing as they neared the entrance that Hanataro was taking them to.
When they finally reached the entrance that was clearly their destination, and were sure that there were no enemies above them, Ichigo and Ganju removed the tile that was above them, allowing them to find that the area of the Seireitei they had come to was like a large courtyard... and, as they studied the area around them, they found that a mist had developed in the area, which meant that they had to be careful in case enemies were nearby.
"It's okay." Hanataro said, taking a moment to survey the area with them, as he knew what to look for and could spot the signs of other Shinigami that could have been in the area or would be approaching the area, but so far, based on what was around them, it appeared that they were in the clear, "Please come on up. This is the exit closest to the tower."
"I feel like it's been forever since I breathed fresh air!" Ganju exclaimed, making a big deal about the amount of time they spent in the area below them, something that both Ichigo and Sombra weren't bothered by at all, but at the same time the three of them pulled themselves up to where Hanataro was standing.
"It was a nice way for us to get through the Seireitei without our enemies finding us," Sombra commented, though at the same time he sensed some reiatsu that was going to complicate things, as it appeared that someone was standing nearby and he guessed that they were going to have to beat whoever was in front of them before they moved forward, and it appeared that he was the only one that knew that they weren't alone at the moment.
"Look, that's the Shrine of Penitence." Hanataro continued, pointing at the white tower that Ikkaku had told them about, which meant that the area that he had been bringing them to was close at hand, though at the same time they exited the passage they used to climb up here and readied themselves.
"We really have come pretty close," Ganju stated, where he stared up at the tower in question for a few moments, as he was interested in what they were staring at, because Ichigo and Hanataro were staring at it as well, but for some reason it appeared that Sombra wasn't interested in the Shrine of Penitence at the moment, "but, man, that's amazing. it looks like, from here on out, it's going to be even tougher than what we just went through."
"The fog's clearing." Ichigo spoke up, to which all four of them watched as the fog started to break apart and reveal the rest of the area that they were in, but as that happened he noticed that Sombra had his hand on his Zanpakuto, which caused him to do the same thing, as he trusted his friend to know when enemies were nearby.
As the fog cleared out both Ichigo and Sombra found Renji, sporting a new headpiece to replace the one that had been broken in the World of the Living, standing on the stairs that they needed to climb up, though his stance told Sombra that he was standing there to prevent them from going any further.
"Long time no see," Renji said, though at the same time he raised his hand and lifted the headpiece that he was wearing sat the moment, allowing him to stare at them as he frowned at them, indicating that the news of someone invading Soul Society, breaking into the Seireitei, and taking on a large number of Shinigami from the Eleventh Division must have reached him at some point, "You remember my face?"
"Honestly, I'd forget it if I could," Ichigo replied, though it was at this point that he was glad that Sombra had placed his hand on Shokyo's handle, and had prompted him to do the same thing, because this was going to break out into a fight and it was going to slow them down quite a bit, "but there's a mountain of stuff I have to return to you, Renji Abarai."
"I wasn't expecting that," Renji commented, to which he started to walk down the stairs that he had been standing on since he escaped from the hall that the Lieutenants had been gathered in, which was when he learned that an entire Division had been taken out, save for their Captain, "You even remembered my name. That's pretty good."
"Who is that guy?" Ganju asked, revealing that he knew nothing about the Shinigami that was currently standing in front of them at the moment, but at the same time he stood back with Hanataro, as he knew that they would only get in the way if a fight broke out, "The reiatsu that I'm sensing from him is on a completely different scale than the ones that attacked us when we landed earlier."
"That... That man is... Renji Abarai." Hanataro replied, though his tone revealed that he was going to tell all of them who he was, as if two of them hadn't met him back in the World of the Living, when he and his Captain captured Rukia and brought her here to die, "The Lieutenant of the Sixth Division."
"I'm honestly surprised. I was sure that the two of you had died from the wounds that Captain Byakuya had inflicted on your bodies... especially the Arrancar." Renji said, showing that he had some understanding of how his Captain's Zanpakuto worked and knew how dangerous the shikai form had been, "And yet here the two of you are, standing before me. Honestly, I'm not sure how either of you managed to survive that night, not with the deadly wounds you were left with, but I will say that I am impressed. However, that doesn't change the fact that this ends now. I told you both that I was going to kill the bastard that took Rukia's powers, that being you, Ichigo Kurosaki, and I'm going to kill you as well, Sombra, to restore order to Soul Society. I won't let either of you leave here alive.. nor will I allow you to interfere!"
"The hell are you talking about? You brought Rukia back here to kill her!" Ichigo replied, though at the same time both he and Sombra drew their Zanpakutos as Renji did the same, showing that he was ready for battle as well, "You're going to let us pass through here!"
"Just try it!" Renji stated, to which he prepared himself and raised his Zanpakuto into the air, though at the same time Sombra and Ichigo charged forward so they could do battle with him, since it was now clear that they would need to beat him before they were allow to go any further, "If you can beat me first!"
In the following moment Ichigo and Renji clashed as their Zanpakutos collided in the air between them, to which two of them remained in that state for a few seconds before Renji forced Ichigo back, though that was what Sombra had been waiting for as he came between the two of them and parried the next attack that was coming. Renji seemed surprised, as if he wasn't expecting the two of them to fight together like this, but thanks to their training with Kisuke they could either fight on their own or together, though it all depended on the number of enemies they were facing at a given moment and how strong some of them were. While all of this was going on, however, Ganju told them that they wouldn't be able to defeat Renji since he was a Lieutenant, as that meant that he was stronger than Ikkaku and Yumichika, but while Sombra knew this, from his own training, Ichigo didn't know that information and still attacked him, as they needed to take him out so they could move forward. Hanataro, on the other hand, believed that Ganu's statement was incorrect, as Ichigo, who was the one that was currently fighting Renji at the moment, happened to be holding his own against Renji, until he pushed him back until he had his back pressed against the rocks that were near the stairs that they needed to climb, but he was focused on taking Renji out to clear the path they had to take.
Ichigo kept Renji pinned to the wall for a few seconds, showing him just how much he had changed since he and his Captain came to his world and took Rukia, while at the same time Sombra stood nearby and waited to see what the two of them did, as he knew that Renji wouldn't go out like this, not when Zabimaru was still in it's sealed state and he hadn't called out the Release Call yet.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, Sombra, I have a question." Renji spoke up, causing the duo to raise their eyebrows for a moment, as they were both curious as to what he could have to say at a time like this, but instead of waiting for one of them to ask what sort of question he had, like a normal person would, he said it anyway, "How are you two going to save Rukia? Even if you managed to beat me, there are still eleven more Lieutenants running around the Seireitei."
"Shouldn't that be twelve more Lieutenants?" Sombra inquired, because if Renji really meant that there were only eleven more like him than that meant that one of them must have died at some point before their group arrived, though he stood his ground and waited to see what happened next.
"Thanks to your buddy here, the Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division is going to be executed for her actions." Renji replied, not faulting the Arrancar for not knowing that piece of information, as Rukia was the type of person that didn't brag about her accomplishments, save for the fact that she teased him when he reached the same rank in her brother's Division, though he was pleased to see that they were both surprised by this information, "On top of the eleven remaining Lieutenants, that's not counting myself and Rukia, there are thirteen Captains above them, who are all stronger than their underlings. Other than beating all of them, there's no way to save Rukia. Are you saying that the two of you can accomplish all of that?"
"Yeah, we can." Ichigo stated, though while he was surprised to find out that Rukia was actually a Lieutenant, making him understand the severity of her 'crime' a little better, he knew that both he and Sombra could make their way to where she was being held and rescue her, "Renji, I'm sure I don't need to remind you that my friend here cut your Captain's body when they fought in the World of the Living, and he lightly wounded a second one when we were outside the gate, so I think it's safe to say that we've got this in the bag."
"What the hell is wrong with you? What sort of basis is that for your confidence?" Renji inquired, as he couldn't believe that Ichigo was boasting that he and Sombra could cut their way through the Seireitei, beat all the Lieutenants that stood in their path, and then defeat the thirteen Captains, the strongest Shinigami in the entirety of Soul Society, "How the hell can you be so full of yourself to believe that you two can beat the strongest Shinigami that watch over Soul Society. Your Zanpakuto might have changed shape, and your pal doesn't seem that different from when I last saw him, so are you telling me that your overconfident that your weapon changing and you getting stronger is the reason you'll win?"
Not even a few seconds after the last word left his mouth Renji shifted his Zanpakuto and cast the light into Ichigo's eyes, playing dirty in the process, and managed to knock Ichigo backwards once more, and he quickly called out Zabimaru's Release Call, allowing his sword to change form, before swinging the blade and hitting Ichigo in the chest where Zangetsu was resting, knocking him into a building in the process. Sombra, on the other hand, stood there for a moment as he sighed, as he couldn't believe what he was seeing, but at the same time it appeared that Renji as going to ignore him for the next few seconds, which was fine since it allowed him to see what as going on.
"Apparently, just because we fought once, you think you know my real power." Renji commented, allowing Sabimaru to retract into it's transformed state, where it would wait until he swung it again and let it extend once more, "Let me tell you something that you'll find interesting. When Shinigami of Lieutenant rank or higher head out into the World of the Living, like my Captain and I did when we were tracking down Rukia, we get our power extremely limited in order to not cause any unnecessary influence there. My power now is five times what it was then! No matter how much stronger the two of you have gotten, since the last time we fought, neither of you have a one in a million chance of beating me... much less taking out my Captain."
"So you're telling me that your last attack was your real power?" Ichigo asked, to which he emerged from the ruined building he had slammed into during Renji's last attack, where part of the right side of his face was covered in blood, as the attack undid the ointment he had placed on it earlier, and stared at Renji once more as he held onto Zangetsu, "Thanks for the display, because now that I've seen your full power I'm pretty sure the two of us can beat eleven Shinigami that are just like you. Besides, there's something else that you need to see, as it will make you reevaluate that one in a million chance of us beating all the Lieutenants and taking out all of your Captains... isn't that right, Sombra?"
"If you say so," Sombra said, to which he held Shokyo out as Renji turned and looked at him, clearly not catching onto what Ichigo had been saying, despite the fact that his friend didn't actually reveal anything about what he was doing right now, before his reiatsu flared and he prepared himself, "Shimmer, Shokyo."
Renji's eyes widened as he watched Sombra's blade transform into a broadsword with a crystalline like blade, though as he stood there he stared at the blade, because from what his Captain had told him an Arrancar was a Hollow that had gained Shinigami like powers by removing their mask, but this was different than what he was expecting.
"What in the world is this?" Renji asked, as he couldn't stop staring at the strange blade that the Arrancar was holding, because the word that Sombra had said before the blade's name sounded like a Release Call, something that didn't seem possible when he thought about it, "How did you get that Zanpakuto? Who did you steal it from?"
"I didn't steal her from anyone," Sombra replied, though at the same time he couldn't fault Renji for acting in such a manner, as the last few Shinigami that had seen him transform his blade into a broadsword had been caught off guard as well, but he readied himself accordingly, since the battle would resume soon enough, "Back when we first met all I was using was an Asauchi, but after our defeat Ichigo and I spent some time training so we could eventually save Rukia from facing certain death, and, in the process, I delved into my inner world and found Shokyo waiting for me. Since that day she and I have been working together, training with each other in the same inner world I found her in and practicing with Ichigo and his own Zanpakuto."
"I guess I was right, you're both bastards in your own way." Renji said, though as he said that he grinned, because hearing that both of his opponents were now wielding their own Zanpakuto, just like he was wielding Zabimaru, meant that this was going to be interesting.
Sombra glanced over at Ichigo as Renji prepared himself for battle, as he could tell, from his own experiences with Kisuke, that Ichigo was starting to lose focus and that his blood was definitely dripping onto the ground beneath his feet, meaning that the last attack he took had done a lot more damage than they had thought it did. Even Ganju and Hanataro, who were currently watching the battle between the three of them, knew that Ichigo was wounded and that he needed to stop fighting before he seriously hurt himself, but, as Sombra expected, Ichigo waved them off and focused on Renji, to which he sighed as he did the same thing. It was in the following moment that Renji attacked first, as he rushed towards Ichigo, jumped into the air, and swung Zabimaru down towards his chosen target, forcing Ichigo to dodge the attack as it came down and destroyed the building that Ichigo had been forced into a few minutes ago. In the next instant Renji swung his weapon twice as Sombra attacked from behind, though the second swing was to stop Ichigo's incoming attack at the same time, but as he knocked the two of them away from him he continued to target Ichigo, where he continued to say that it was his fault that Rukia was in this situation and that it would have been better if he didn't exist.
As Ichigo moved around the area, and Renji continued to attack him a couple more times, Sombra had to wonder why Renji was so enraged over Rukia's predicament and why he seemed to hate Ichigo with a passion, especially when he was one of the Shinigami that had captured Rukia and brought her back here. It was like the two of them had been friends at one point in time, signed up for different Divisions so they wouldn't have to compete with each other, and now, when they were both Lieutenants, Renji was faced with a terrible decision and he had made his choice, but even then it seemed like the one thing he wanted was for her to be free, and right now he couldn't have that. After thinking about it for a moment or two, where Ichigo continued to do his best to parry Renji's attacks and deal some damage, Sombra sighed and flashed over to the area that they were currently battling in, where he parried the incoming attack and let Ichigo move to the side so he could continue the assault. As all of this happened, and Sombra joined the battle entirely, he began to notice that, when Renji swung at them, he would dodge the incoming attacks and Ichigo, on the other hand, would take the attacks by blocking them with Zangetsu, but Sombra, having had more training than his friend, knew that Ichigo was studying Renji and was looking for an opening that he could use to gain the upper hand.
Thanks to Ichigo's insistence that he learn what Kisuke wanted him to learn, while he was in the middle of a battle with Renji, Sombra found that he could either parry attacks and prolong the battle more than he already had, and it was starting to get late since the sun was starting to go down, or let Ichigo do his thing... and, since it appeared that Renji was ignoring him at the same time, he simply sighed and jumped off to the side so he could let them fight it out. What made the entire thing painful to watch was that Renji, who must have been at this for decades before they came along, was already expanding too much energy in his attempts to kill Ichigo, because while he continued to swing Zabimaru around he could tell that Renji had to pause every now and then when Ichigo didn't move from where he was standing.
"You're such a stubborn bastard." Renji growled, as it annoyed him that Ichigo was still standing, especially after all the attacks that he sent at him, but at the same time it appeared that his attacks were wearing him out and soon he would fall to the ground in defeat, so he could turn his attention to killing Sombra, "You want to save Rukia that badly?"
"I don't want to save her, we're going to save her," Ichigo replied, showing that, despite Renji's attempts to take him down, Ichigo wasn't going to back down from his chosen mission and he knew that Sombra was thinking the same time, which was why he said what he did.
"That's a load of bull!" Renji snapped, though his next attack was one that Ichigo didn't even have a chance to parry, as it cut into his right shoulder with Zabimaru's extended blade, but the look on Renji's face told him that he was right in some of his thoughts, he and Rukia had been friends and seeing this happen to her was like a dagger to the chest, "Rukia's crime got more serious because you FREAKING stole her powers! Don't you get it?! It's your fault this is happening! It's your fault that Rukia's going to be killed!"
"I know that!" Ichigo replied, though while he was forced to take the second attack that happened to be coming in his direction, and hurt his right shoulder even more, he raised Zangetsu and blocked the third attack, knocking the blade of Zabimaru back and forced it to retract in the process, "That's why we're going to save her!"
Sombra raised an eyebrow as he noticed a thoughtful look appear on Ichigo's face, as he must have been studying how Renji swung his Zanpakuto around and the number of attacks that could be performed before it was forced to return to where Renji was standing. Sombra was a little impressed that Ichigo was actually remembering one of Kisuke's lessons from the couple of days they spent training together with him, even though he, too, was studying Zabimaru's attack pattern so he could predict it and plan ahead, if he needed to step in and finish things up should Ichigo be beaten. Renji, who must have been trained by the some of the same Shinigami that Kisuke must have learned from, as Sombra was convinced that the shopkeeper was a former Shinigami, and that fact had some truth based on Ikkaku's reaction to when Ichigo gave him the answer to who his 'master' was, either didn't seem to notice Ichigo's plan or didn't care. When he finished thinking about what was happening in front of him, however, Ichigo started to move forward and Renji attacked him again, though this time around he jumped to the side a little and dodged the first attack, to which he continued his advance towards Renji's location and dodge the second attack that was coming his way. Not even a few second later Renji used a third attack and Ichigo swung Zangetsu at the attack, knocking it to the side and opening Renji's defenses, to which he charged forward in an attempt to end this fight.
Unfortunately, however, Sombra could see what was coming before it happened, as the moment Ichigo brought his Zanpakuto down on where Renji was standing, and declared that the battle was going to be over, Renji dodged the attack and shocked Ichigo in the process... opening himself up to the incoming attack that dug into his left shoulder and cut what was a terrible gash down a portion of Ichigo's chest.
"I told you that you don't stand a one in a million chance of beating me." Renji stated, though at the same time he noticed the look that appeared on Ichigo's face as he fell to the ground, to which he decided to explain something before he finished him off, "The look on your face tells me that you have no idea how I dodged your attack. Going for the gap between continuous attacks is a good idea, and your timing was perfect as well, but the reason you can't beat me is because you're slower than me. The unbridgeable gap in power between you and me, it's that... plain and simple."
"And, by your own definition, you're slower than me." Sombra replied, flashing into the area that was to Renji's left, though as the Shinigami turned toward him he frowned for a moment, as he was a little annoyed that this happened because Ichigo insisted on beating Renji alone, "Come on, attack me and see what happens."
Renji stared at him for a moment, clearly debating whether or not he should take him up on his challenge, before a familiar smile appeared on Renji's face as he readied himself, though at the same time Sombra just stood there and waited for him to attack while Ichigo recovered from what happened to him. Renji swung Zabimaru and it extended like it was supposed to, though instead of parrying the attack Sombra moved out of the way and let it pass right by him, which prompted his opponent to move his arm and perform the second swing in the set, just like he did with Ichigo. It was in a moment like this that Sombra wondered how much of his training that Renji had missed, as once the number of swings he had until he was defenseless was revealed, thanks to him studying the battle, the first thing Renji should have done was start using different numbers of swings to throw off his opponent, but, as it turned out, he was incapable of doing that since he was still in the middle of repeating the same trio of attacks. As Sombra expected the second attack came a few seconds later, which he dodged as well while he stared at his opponent for a moment or two, though when the third attack came he twisted his arm and knocked Zabimaru away from him... opening Renji's defenses in the process, which allowed him to use his superior speed to flash through the air and appear some distance behind Renji, who now possessed a light diagonal gash, identical to Ichigo's, on his body, and a look of surprise on his face.
"You see surprised." Sombra commented, to which he turned towards the Shinigami for a few seconds, though at the same time Ichigo seemed to be stirring a little, which was good since he knew that his friend was going to insist that he finish the fight with Renji, "You should have known that, if I was able to wound your Captain in the World of the Living, I would have been able to keep up with you and do the same thing to you, but it seems that, by fighting Ichigo for some time, you forgot what I was able to do before I was beaten. Trust me on this, Ichigo wasn't bluffing when he said that we were going to beat as many Lieutenants and Captains as necessary to save Rukia, so get out of our way before we're forced to take drastic measures."
Renji growled for a moment, as he couldn't believe what Sombra had been saying, before he decided that it was time for him to finish the fight with one of his foes entirely, as he turned towards Ichigo once more and charged at him so he could bring Zabimaru down and end him, but in the following moments the tide of the battle changed as Ichigo swung Zangetsu and parried the attack, knocking Renji backwards a little while he huffed for a couple of seconds.
"Sombra, let me finish this on my own," Ichigo said, though as he said that he focused on Renji, who seemed surprised that he didn't want his friend to aid him in a battle that he was clearly loosing, but, at the same time, Renji wasn't about to say anything about his opponent's idiotic choices.
Sombra stood there for a few seconds, studying the two of them, before sighing as he flashed over to a good distance where he could see the two of them, as he was still pretty close to where they were standing, while at the same time being out of range of their attacks. At the same time he recognized the look in Ichigo's eyes, as he was thinking about to the time they had been training with Kisuke, a time where Sombra recalled that sometimes Kisuke focused his efforts purely on Ichigo to get his skills up to where his own were, though at the same time it appeared that Renji wasn't in a hurry to attack just yet. Sombra remembered the training sessions that he wasn't involved in, allowing him to either practice with Shokyo in his inner world or stand and watch the pair as they trained, and he knew that Kisuke had been trying to get Ichigo to channel the power he had used to carve open the ground when he woke Zangetsu, so he could fire it at anytime on his own, a technique that he had yet to master. From what he could tell, from the few times that Ichigo was able to pull off what Kisuke wanted, the attack in question seemed to pull in pieces of his reiatsu and fired them in a concentrated swing, but, like he thought earlier, Ichigo was still having a problem mastering the technique... even though he and Shokyo were able to do something of that nature and hadn't helped Ichigo learn his technique, since Kisuke wanted Ichigo to learn this all on his own, so he wouldn't rely on Sombra all the time in the future.
He also remembered the time that Ichigo was able to actually pull off the technique that Kisuke wanted him to learn, as the two of them blew apart a good portion of the ground that they had been practicing on, and he knew that Ichigo had to be mentally repeating the three things that Kisuke told him. The statements in question were 'if you dodge, I won't let them cut me', 'if you protect someone, I won't let them die', and 'if you attack, I will cut them', and the reason he said all that to Ichigo was because he had been very fearful during their training, along with the fact that this allowed him to cut through all that unnecessary fear to call upon his true power. His thoughts were interrupted when Ichigo stopped huffing and stared at Renji for a moment, surprising him with the look in his eyes, before he raised Zangetsu and rested the back of the blade against his shoulders, showing that he was ready to continue fighting.
"Sorry for the wait, Renji." Ichigo said, to which he focused his attention on his opponent, who had been patiently standing there as he planned out how he was going to finish him off so he could focus on Sombra, before a light blue aura of sorts appeared in Ichigo's eyes, "Here's my resolve. This time, I will cut you!"
A surprised look appeared on Renji's face as he prepared himself, as Ichigo's reiatsu had increased rather suddenly and was pushing him back a little, just like what happened back in the World of the Living when he and Captain Byakuya came to take Rukia back, which also caused Renji to sweat a little. In the split second Renji had been thinking about the differences between this fight and their last fight they had, where before Ichigo had no control over his reiatsu and now he had some control over it, Ichigo took advantage of his state and jumped into the air, quickly crossing the gap between them in an instant, before Renji looked up and noticed him coming down towards where he was standing. As such Renji swung Zabimaru and let it extend as it raced towards where Ichigo was standing, who rolled a little and dodged the attack while he was in midair, before he landed near where Renji was standing and used his Zanpakuto to block the incoming second attack that was headed his way, all while mentally repeating the three things that Kisuke had told him so he could banish his fear and call upon his power. A few seconds later he knocked Zabimaru away from him and raised Zangetsu into the air, where Renji sweated for a moment as his reiatsu gathered around the blade for a few seconds, but when the third attack came, as it always did, Ichigo really surprised Renji with what happened next.
As Renji swung at Ichigo, to cut him down, Ichigo swung Zangetsu and shattered Zabimaru into a number of pieces in the process, while at the same time releasing the power that he had been gathering as he cut into the same gash that Sombra had cut into Renji's body, blowing a gash into the ground in the process, and knocked Renji through the air before he collided with a section of the ground that had been ripped up during the start of their battle. Sombra nodded his head as he reverted Shokyo back to her katana form and sheathed her, as it appeared that he wasn't truly needed for this fight, while noticing that Renji was surprised by what happened and he was bleeding quite a bit, where the headband that had been keeping his hair tied up had come undone in the process. Renji stood there for a few moments, staring off into the distance as he remembered something that was important to him, before falling to his knees and rested his hand against the ground, where Sombra noticed that he was rethinking something that he had thought in the past.
"Geez... the stray dog in me has been dyed into my bones..." Renji commented, though at the same time he coughed for a moment, spilling more blood in the process, while also confusing both Ichigo and Sombra, as they had no idea what he was even talking about, while at the same time he forced himself to stand once more, "I'm getting sick of it... all I ever do is howl at the stars... I ain't got the guts to jump at them."
Sombra raised an arm as Renji started to make his way across the gap that rested between him and Ichigo, but as he did so Ichigo shook his head and he lowered his arm, because that meant that Ichigo wanted to finish this fight before they moved onto whoever was standing in their way next... which was followed by Renji stopping when he reached Ichigo and grabbed onto the clothing that rested below his neck for a few seconds.
"It's your fault that Rukia got put in the Shrine of Penitence!" Renji said, repeating some of his earlier comments on why he wanted to kill them, but this time around both Ichigo and Sombra sensed that there was something different in how the Shinigami was speaking, "When I thought of that, my insides began to boil. But... that's not it. It's because I didn't stop her. Back then, I... I didn't tell her to go to the Kuchiki Clan so she could become a death row prisoner. I thought she could be happy there. I believed that! I... wanted to surpass Captain Kuchiki. Ever since that day I trained every single day like a possessed man to catch up to him... but I... still haven't beat him once. He's too powerful. Taking Rukia back by force... was beyond my ability. Ichigo Kurosaki, Sombra, I know this is shameful, but I'm begging you... Save Rukia!"
"Renji... you got it." Ichigo replied, as he was honestly surprised that Renji felt this way, showing that there was more to him than what he originally thought, and at the same time Sombra nodded as well, showing that they were here to do just that and no one was going to stop them.
A light smile appeared on Renji's face for a moment, as if he believed them this time around, before he closed his eyes and collapsed on the ground, beside Ichigo's feet, though that was followed by Ichigo huffing for a few seconds as he started to do the same thing, but before he hit the ground Sombra flashed over to him and caught his friend, while also making sure to grab Zangetsu before it hit the ground as well.
"Ichigo!" Ganju and Hanataro exclaimed, as they were surprised by what happened to him, causing the two of them to run over to where Sombra was standing, but at the same time Sombra gave them a light smile as he turned towards the two of them for a few seconds.
"It's okay, he's not dead." Sombra said, though as he turned towards them, and noticed Hanataro staring at the defeated form of Renji, he focused on the number of individual reiatsus that were approaching the area that they were currently in, "We had best retreat for now and tend to Ichigo's wounds, and maybe get some rest while we're at it since the sun is going down."
Sombra knew that he could pretty much defeat the incoming Shinigami on his own, as he only sensed one Lieutenant coming towards them, but even though it would be four on one he also sensed even more coming from other directions as well, maybe enough to the point where he wouldn't be able to defeat their foes and protect both Ganju and Hanataro should a fight break out. That was why he was calling for a temporary retreat for the moment, so they could make sure Ichigo was healed and ready to go, while at the same time ensuring that the Shinigami were preoccupied with tending to all of the defeated officers that they had beaten on the way to this area. The duo looked at him for a moment before they headed toward a different entrance into the underground water tunnel system, as the one that was close to where they were standing would be the wrong choice to make considering that enemies were coming their way, and Hanataro quickly located the tile in question and allowed them to slip back down into the area that they had been walking through before they came to the area that Renji had been guarding. It didn't take them long to get back into the tunnel they had been in earlier and Hanataro lead the way to a small room of sorts that happened to be far enough away from the entrance they used, meaning that their enemies wouldn't be able to track them due to them being busy with all the wounded Shinigami that they were tending to.
Once they reached the area that Hanataro brought them to, and he stopped moving, Sombra knew what was coming and gently placed Ichigo on the floor near him, while at the same time laying Zangetsu nearby, as Ichigo wasn't going to need his Zanpakuto for some time.
"So, how are we going to heal Ichigo?" Ganju asked, showing that he must have forgotten what the Fourth Division was known for, something that Sombra remembered quite well since this was his idea, which was why he was looking at Hanataro as he prepared himself.
"I'm going to use the healing ability that all members of the Fourth Division learn." Hanataro replied, though at the same time he checked the items that rested in his medical bag, as he had quite a few supplies stored inside the pack, and pulled a few of them out.
"Healing ability?" Sombra inquired, as while he had some knowledge of the Shinigami and their Divisions, thanks to the information that he was able to gleam from his time with Kisuke and the others, he was also unfamiliar with the specific techniques that Hanataro was talking about, "You mean you don't use ointment and other healing items?"
"No, it's different for members of the Fourth Division." Hanataro answered, knowing that Sombra had some idea of the various Divisions and what they did, but at the same time it seemed like he didn't know the specifics and was curious as to what he was talking about, "As you have seen, the other Shinigami mostly use their reiatsu for combat purposes, but for those of us in the Fourth Division, we gain a healing ability that comes with our reiatsu."
"Interesting." Sombra said, because based on what Hanataro said he could guess that the Shinigami of the Fourth Division could use their reiatsu to heal people, though this was purely a guess and nothing else, before he looked down at his wounded friend, while at the same time Ganju stood at the doorway to keep an eye out for enemies, "So, how does Ichigo's condition look to an expert like you?"
"Honestly, it's terrible." Hanataro replied, looking at the bleeding cuts that were on Ichigo's body, though he was amazed that he was still alive after the battle that he had been in earlier, "He took several direct hits from a Lieutenant-class Zanpakuto, so that's to be expected... and honestly, if he was a normal Shinigami he would have died instantly. Your friend as an incredible will to live. I will heal him. Just give me some time. I'll have him healed in one night."
Sombra nodded and let Hanataro get to work on healing Ichigo so he could move again, and hopefully back to what he had been at before this point in time, before he sat down against one of the walls and stared at Ichigo, hoping that he was able to make a full recovery from his fight with Renji, and, hopefully, learned not to be stubborn and accept help when it was offered to him. At the same time, however, he knew that the other Shinigami that had discovered Renji's body will end up reporting this incident to their superiors, meaning that it might be time for the Captains to join the battle, which was going to complicate things, but they would cross that bridge when they reached it.
Some time had passed since Renji had been discovered and transported to a place where he could get some rest, as well as some healing for his wounds, but Captain Byakuya, hearing that his Lieutenant had been beaten by a Ryoka, had ordered him locked in a cell and forgotten. At the same time news of his defeat was already spreading through those that had seen him while he was being transported to the area that Byakuya had found him in, with two Lieutenants standing over him as they stated it was time to tell their superiors about the battle. In addition to that the Captain-Commander was calling an emergency meeting among the Captains, the twelve that were still able to move since the Captain of the Thirteenth Division was still sick, and this time around all eleven of the remaining Captains walked into the room that they held their meetings in with their Zanpakuto attached to their belts. The Captain-Commander turned towards them a little as they walked into the room, but he said nothing as they lined up in front of him, this time in no particular order since time was of great importance, more so than the previous meeting, and stared at the Captains as they came to a stop and faced him with their own serious expressions on their faces.
"The situation was urgent." Yamamoto stated, tapping his staff on the floor in front of him, to which the Captains nodded their heads in agreement, as they had heard what happened to Renji Abarai when he confronted one of the invading Ryoka earlier, "It has finally came to the point where we are short one Lieutenant of the Gotei 13. This is no longer a matter we can leave to the lower ranked Division members. Therefore, in accordance to this situation, I will ignore Gin's earlier independent actions."
"Thank you kindly." Gin said, wearing his usual smile like he always did, no doubt pissing off some of the other Captains in the process, even though they wouldn't show that on their faces, as right now they were more focused on the situation that they were in and not on what Gin had done.
"Furthermore," Yamamoto continued, deciding that now wasn't the time to bother with dealing with Gin at the moment, as they needed to gain control of the situation before something else happened, "I hereby permit the continuous carrying and wartime release of Zanpakuto for senior officers, including Lieutenants, inside the Seireitei."
"Constant carrying of Zanpakuto, eh..." Tosen commented, though the thought of the powerful weapons being constantly out in the open, and some of them being used against the Ryoka, disturbed him a little, but that fact wasn't picked up by his fellow Captains.
"Wartime general release," Zaraki repeated, though the grin on his face widened a little when he repeated what they had just heard, as this meant that his fun wasn't going to be broken anytime soon, especially if one of the other Captains got in his way later on, "I couldn't be happier."
"If someone hadn't let the Ryoka escape in the first place, we wouldn't be in this situation." Mayuri stated, to which he glanced over at Gin for a moment, as they all knew that he was at fault for letting this happen, including the fact that he had been proven wrong about an Arrancar being created in the last few months.
"Certainly you aren't referring to me." Gin said, once more acting like he was innocent and that none of this was actually his fault, even though many of the Captains were already thinking of blaming him for allowing the Ryoka to invade the Seireitei in the first place.
"That's right." Zaraki replied, to which he glanced at Gin for a moment, who wasn't even paying that much attention to him, before he turned his focus to the wall in front of him and thought about the battle to come, "As of right now the Arrancar is my meat... you can have the scraps."
"Men." Yamamoto said, though at the same time, as the Captains faced him once more, he opened his eyes and showed them that he was serious about the situation that they were currently in, causing a few of them to gulp in the process, as they knew his strength and knew that when he was serious things happened, "Let us take this to all-out war."
Byakuya stared at the wall for a second, not showing his surprise that they were declaring all-out war on the invading Ryoka, because he remembered his brief battle with the Arrancar known as Sombra and knew that he had to be even stronger than he was the first time they fought, especially if Renji was beaten. He had a feeling that he knew why they were here, even if none of the Shinigami that had confronted the Ryoka could say why they were here, and knew that only one of the thirteen Captains would be able to stop them, should they get far enough to require such a thing. They all knew that there was the possibility of Zaraki finding and finishing the Ryoka off before anyone else got involved, which would be the best case scenario, but something told him that it wasn't going to be easy to do such a thing, not with the powerful Arrancar leading the pack. As the Captains left the meeting room, and went to their own respective Division quarters, Byakuya did something that many would consider out of character for him, he started walking towards the Shrine of Penitence... because if his hunch was correct he'd find and stop the invaders before they freed Rukia, and then he'd kill all of them with his own Zanpakuto.