Make sure to check my Patre.on out if you want to support me and want to read advanced chapters: Patre.on.com/VQuintessence
[30 Chapters in Advance on Patre.on]
...........
Chapter 39: Cthulhu, Come Forth II
...........
He dropped his left hand, no longer covering his icy face, his expression void of any emotions.
"Fine... Fine." He whispered, "Let there be darkness, born from the darkest of dreams..."
The leader raised a hand. No signal was given.
And yet, they moved.
All at once.
The sound of metal shifting echoed in the alleyway between broken rooftops and chimneys, the night around Akashi folding in on itself like a curtain of ink.
The six surrounded him now, spreading out in a formation that screamed experience; three in the front, three staggered behind.
Their movements were coordinated like wolves.
Shunpo.
Akashi appeared before the noble to the far left, unsheathing his blade and swinging instantly... Only to meet the opponent's blade, the latter scoffing at Akashi's meaningless struggle.
Kurayami quivered, and in the blink of an eye, it disintegrated into ink, leaving only the hilt and the orb within.
Then, it reorganized into an elegant rapier that slipped by the shinigami's blade, heading right to his heart.
Akashi leaped ahead, pushing forward as the noble leaped back, not only to make sure his sword found its way to the enemy's heart but also to avoid the slash coming from behind.
Akashi couldn't afford to miss the opportunity while the enemy was unaware of how his Zanpakuto functions.
This wasn't like last time where he only had to face one individual. This time, it was one against six, a hopeless battle.
Even though Akashi took him by surprise, the noble still responded quickly, flashing far away.
Akashi's plan didn't work out too well; for in the end, not only did the noble manage to move sideways enough for the rapier to avoid his heart, but Akashi also couldn't fully avoid the slash from behind.
At least, he left a deep wound in the noble's chest, not enough to severely impair him, however.
Shinigami don't die so easily. What may be fatal to humans may not be much to them.
It's at times like these that Akashi finds himself thankful for being who he is, for having worked so hard, tirelessly training his Shunpo.
Shunpo.
He flashed away although not unscathed as another slash found itself on his back, making him groan in pain.
"Be careful. His Zanpakuto is strange." The commander warned, his expression still calm.
'Ah, I see. They're observing me, trying to dig up my secrets?' Akashi narrowed his eyes as he leaped back further, 'My secrets... Let's show them my 'secrets'.'
Akashi never hoped to hide his Shikai. It doesn't matter if they know. What considers to be a secret are his knowledge of the future and the First Eldritch.
The First Eldritch is Akashi's first darkness born from an ocean of Ink, formed by his ideas and desires.
It's special, yet no one knows how special it is simply because Akashi used it merely as a clone.
Everything else, including Cthulhu and Akashi's future shadows, he didn't plan to hide them.
The ones to be most feared like Urahara and Aizen will most certainly realize most of his abilities on their own, simply by taking a look at his stories.
Akashi's stories are somewhat of a weakness. He needs them to harvest darkness and ideas on a large scale, but they also give out knowledge in regard to his current/future shadows.
However, it's a weakness that only someone like Urahara could exploit, and it should in theory become less of a weakness as he accumulates more and more shadows.
Akashi smiled, his eyes distant as he muttered, "Then let me show you my secrets."
Kurayami pulsed once; subtly if only for a moment; like a heart embedded in the hilt.
The long blade shimmered for a moment, then disintegrated into shadows, flowing like liquid around Akashi's fingers.
All that remained was the orb nestled in the hilt, swirling with darkness thicker than night. The true Kurayami.
He whispered, "Kurayami."
The orb pulsed again in response, resonating with words and thoughts, reshaping itself not as a blade, but as a staff; sleek, obsidian-black with inky nebulas orbiting it, twisting and coiling like serpents.
This form felt natural in Akashi's hand, a conduit. It's Kurayami's most special form so far.
"Hado #11.Tsuzuri Raiden," He whispered.
Electricity surged through the staff's length in the blink of an eye. But as it passed through Kurayami, it changed; darkened.
The lightning sizzled, turned violet, and cracked jaggedly like thorned branches. He spun the staff once, then flashed.
His Shunpo cracked the stone beneath his feet as he closed the distance toward the leftmost man in the front.
The noble's eyes widened as he eyed Akashi swinging his staff upon him, a staff illuminated with violet lightning, realizing the latter's goal.
Still, it was something difficult to guard against as the noble sought to flash away only for Akashi to follow with another swing.
This one, however, he had no way to avoid. He could only lift his blade to block with it.
The noble's worst fear came to be as the moment the staff came in contact with his sword, the spell was activated, the dark lightning exploding on impact with a roar.
The noble's body spasmed violently, his limbs contorting from the jolt, and he was flung backward like a ragdoll, smashing into a rooftop with a thunderous crack.
Akashi didn't even have time to breathe as the other five didn't hesitate.
The world around him moved.
The second noble, older, built like a brick wall, appeared directly above Akashi mid-air, blade raised high.
His swing was brutal, barbaric. Akashi barely moved aside as if he had eyes on his back, the sword grazing his shoulder and cutting clean through his uniform.
Blood sprayed out, but he didn't wince. He landed on the edge of a drainpipe, twisted, and invoked:
"Hado #31.Shakkaho!"
The crimson fireball surged forward, but again; darker, black-red, devouring the light around it.
The second attack narrowly avoided it, though it still exploded near his feet, throwing up debris and bursting into a cloud of pitch-black mist.
These weren't amateurs. So Akashi knew better than to think that would be enough.
A blade came for his flank.
He shifted forms.
In an instant, Kurayami dissolved again and reformed as a curved shield strapped to his forearm; deep violet and black, bearing a spiraling pattern like an eye staring back at the world.
Clang!
The third noble's blade struck the shield and skidded across it, but not before momentum forced Akashi to slide back, boots dragging through tile.
Akashi felt his arms numb, his hands quivering the impact, but he collected himself quickly enough.
He used the momentum to leap backward, the shield reforming into a staff yet again, "Hadō #54. Haien!!"
"Damn it!" The noble's expression changed, unable to escape, he could only take the blast of dark purple energy head-on.
"Tch…" Akashi cursed under his breath. It was an opportunity to continue to attack, but unfortunately, the others wouldn't allow him so much freedom.
It pained him to let such a good opportunity go, but he really had no choice.
The fourth and fifth nobles moved as one, twin-blade and saber users with perfect synchronicity.
They didn't give him space to think, slashing at different angles in an overwhelming pattern; high, low, feint, stab.
Their spiritual pressure erupted with every swing, and Akashi quickly realized: that this wasn't fighting… it was drowning.
He ducked under a high slash and attempted to Shunpo between them; but the sixth noble anticipated it and appeared in his path mid-step, slamming a palm into Akashi's chest.
"Bakudo #63—Sajo Sabaku."
The chains of light erupted from the noble's hand, but they never finished forming.
Kurayami shifted in an instant, taking back its shield form, giving Akashi just enough time to flash away, although at the cost of a slash from the other noble.
He was overwhelmed. For every confrontation that occurs, Akashi experiences pain, never unscathed, leaving him in a sorry state.
Yet Akashi couldn't find it in himself to frown... In fact, a smile was threatening to emerge on his face.
'Am I having fun?' Akashi had to wonder, 'When did I start to enjoy fighting? Ah, I don't know how I got here, but whoever or whatever did, I thank you for giving me a second chance. I will make full use of it.'
----------------------------------------------
[ 500 Power Stones For An Extra Chapter!]
----------------------------------------------