Chapter 42: White Lotus Surprise

"Did you hear something?" Ania called out to Matsumoto as she stopped walking looking across to see the bushes rustle slightly while there was a tiny hint of reiatsu emanating from them. Moving slowly towards them she was about to peer in as multiple blurs burst forth from them as 13 White Lotus soldiers surrounded Matsumoto and the group smirking at their captured prey.

"I must comment you for hearing us in the bushes little girl that took some skill but unfortunately you were a little too slow to react" Yakra's voice said as he slowly lumbered out from the bushes. "What do we have here only a handful of men to contend with, I have to say this'll be easier than I thought" he said smiling wickedly as the soldiers all drew their swords and slowly closed in on the 10th squad.

"Draw your blades and stick close together!" Matsumoto yelled to everyone as they all stood back-to-back weapons raised waiting for the soldiers to engage with them. Ania clashed blades with two men as she looked to her right to find Matsumoto was in the exact same position as they slowly were forcing everyone even further back with sheer numbers. Pushing both men back one darted at her taking a swipe which Ania ducked underneath before shooting a red fire cannon into the 2nd attackers stomach sending him stumbling back.

Now one on one she easily parried away her first attackers swipe before plunging Kanzen Bi straight through his chest as he fell forward onto Ania's shoulder blood spewing out of his mouth a shocked expression on his face. Pulling her zanpakuto free she only had a second to process that she had killed her first man before the second attacker had regained his composure charging straight towards her with his blade held horizontally to the side of his body.

Swiping at her torso he only hit air as she completely vanished from his sights as her attacker paused glancing around trying to locate where she had shunpoed away to. His answer came as a gust of wind blew onto his back while he feigned ignorance gripping his blade tightly before swinging around only to again miss as Ania side stepped his swipe and brought Kanzen Bi across his neck slicing it cleanly open. A fountain of blood began to pour out as the White Lotus soldier feebly gripped at his neck trying to stop the bleeding before collapsing forward and drowning in a pool of his own blood.

"These girls aren't half bad at fighting, perhaps I may have to intervene" Yakra said as he sat back watching the two girls finish off their opponents before going to help the members of their squad fight the other remaining men. "Growl Haienko" Matsumoto placed a hand on the blade of her zanpakuto as it slowly dissolved into grey ash flying forth and surrounding two soldiers as multiple slash wounds erupted from their bodies. Turning around to attack more she witnessed two of her comrades get overwhelmed blades slashing across their necks as they fall backwards "NO!" both Ania and her yelled racing forward in attempt to help save them.

Ania grabbed one shunpoing away into the bushes as she propped the man up against a tree and placed a hand against his throat which was leaking blood rapidly as a green aura began to glow around the wound. "Don't worry I'll heal your wound" she said pouring all her reiatsu into patching the wound up but try as she might his life force was slowly draining away.

"Just give up he's practically dead so why keep trying" Yakra's voice came from above as Ania glared up to see him leaning on the tree staring down at them smiling just as she felt the man's reiatsu completely vanish and his body go limp. "See told you" "You bastard" jumping off the ground and unsheathing Kanzen Bi she swung down towards his head only for the burly commander to raise his arm up blocking her blow and push her away before shunpoing further into the forest his laughter echoing behind.

"Get back here coward!" Ania yelled darting off after him "Wait it's a trap!" Matsumoto cried out in vain as she went to follow behind but was stopped by the seven remaining White Lotus soldiers as they stepped in front of her zanpakuto's drawn. "This isn't good" she thought to herself as the remaining five men from the group leapt next to her "Vice-captain where is Ania-san?" one of them asked as she glanced past the White Lotus men into the forest "She's in there with their leader so we need to finish these guys off fast and help her out".

"Binding Art 30: Break-Stab Triple Beam" Tom chanted as three beaks raced towards a clone of Mitch pinning him up against the rock wall in the shape of a triangle. "Nicely done Tom, I think that's all you need to know about binding spells for now" Mitch appeared behind Tom as his clone disappeared from the rock. "So, are we heading off then?" "I think so you've got enough training to hold your own" Mitch turned to leave as Yoruichi shunpoed directly in front of him "I know what you're planning to do but just hear me out, how about you hang back and see how Ania handles her first challenge?"

Standing there for a few seconds pondering Yoruichi's proposition he eventually pushed past her "Fine I'll wait and see how she goes but I'm still going over there in case she can't handle the situation and ends up needing help" he shunpoed away leaving Tom to quickly gather Tamashii Seigei and attempt to catch up as he had never seen Mitch move so fast before.

"Don't die before I get there" Mitch muttered to himself racing through the North Gate of Seireitei before quickly darting out of the East Gate heading towards where he could locate Ania and Matsumoto's reiatsu.

"Sheesh Mitch must really be worried about Ania I haven't seen him move this fast ever" Tom said arriving at the North Gate a few moments after Mitch exited the East Gate pausing for a second to catch his breath. Closing his eyes he sensed out Ania's reiatsu as she was chasing someone else's immense reiatsu through the forest "This must be what has him worried" Tom thought opening his eyes and running through Seireitei towards the East Gate.

Arriving at the village Mitch raced straight through it barely paying any attention to the blood or the slaughtered bodies before arriving at the entrance to the forest. He stopped for a second feeling Ania's reiatsu rising rapidly and yet was fluctuating back and forth "So she's released her sword and engaged this guy" Mitch muttered to himself before diving into the forest hoping she'd be able to hold out before he arrived.

"Dear god what happened here…." Tom said as he arrived at the village and stopped immediately upon seeing the sheer horror of the blood-stained houses and corpses littering the streets. "So this is what war looks like" he muttered to himself slowly walking through the carnage seeing all the innocent lives taken and felt anger building inside of him as his fists balled together tightly "They slaughtered innocent people like barbarians".

Nearing the edge of the village Tom paused for a moment closing his eyes and regaining his composure letting all the anger flow out from inside "Don't let anger control you otherwise you're just as bad as them" Tamashii Seigei's voice echoed in Tom's mind. "Now where is Ania" he sensed her movements in the forest but realized Mitch had her covered and instead diverted his attention to Matsumoto's reiatsu and the 7 other unknown forces surrounding her and the 10th squad.