[BITPR2] [IC] This is how it ends.

[Kuroimaken]

[From the desk of IntSec Hishikawa Setsurou]

A strange, locked journal has somehow happened upon your hands. It was secured in an obscure location filled with all manners of traps and unlikely contraptions. The diary itself is locked in such a way that trying to force through its Kidou combination would incinerate it. Even past all these considerations, it is written in a cypher that likely required both regular decryption as well as several levels of Kidou to break through.

It is generally known that this used to belong to one Hishikawa Setsurou. He was generally a very private person. Most entries regard his state of mind at various points in his life. None are as telling as the last entry, however.

"The likelihood of this journal being recovered is remote. I know of only two or three people, myself included, that would have the skill needed to obtain it. And only I possess the passwords to safely read this. If you are not one of those for whom this was intended, I must first applaud your ingenuity.

I do not fancy myself a chronicler. I have written much in my life, but a good portion of it has been fiction. As I put these thoughts to paper, one might realize that some of what is told in these pages contradicts official records. Not all of it is intentional - I do so only months after the events described herein, and while I may aspire to perfection in every artform, the memory refuses to be captured so easily.

Where else would I start but the final battle? Yes, final and definitive. After we had finally sorted out what basically amounted to a small-scale revolt against the Royal Guard (I do not envy those who had to bring back the Red Pheasant), we took some time to prepare for our assault on the Ghost King of All Hollows.
During that time, we were also party to the recovery and further training of our mortal allies. As soon as they were ready, they were sent back to their home in the city of Ikari.

They had their work cut out for them.

It seems sometime during his captivity at the hands of Felicia, one of the Kuzunoha masters, a man by the name of Toki, had been infected by the Ghost King in such a devious way that even the Sanctuary's rather strict control failed to notice it. Von Geister's 'children' spread like wildfire - one final parting gift before he would seek to bring them all to his 'ideal world'.

Our response was immediate and swift. With the help of Takenaka Chouko, my wife Momoka Tsuyoi (if you expect a count of our nuptials, you ought to be both ashamed and sorely disappointed), and the Kuzunoha leader, we managed to immunize our troops to the vast majority of Von Geister's horrific zombifying plagues. It was a risky plan, taking advantage of the Commander-General's unique Zanpakutou properties.

It is no secret by now that his abilities were amplified by the trust placed in him by each of his subordinates. That trust had been severely amplified through the latest chain of events as his actions were vindicated by the Royal Guard - after a public display of his punishment. Ishinomori Koutarou had surmised that there was a chance we would face numbers far greater and deadlier than our own. Thus, he asked for his Zanpakutou to be modified so he could reflect the extra power granted unto him by each and every last Shinigami on the battlefield.

This allowed our troops to resist infection by La Plaga Blanca and a number of other horrendous attempts of Von Geister's to corrupt our bodies and turn them against our own comrades. The sheer concentration of spiritual force everywhere had been so intense that even spiritually weak mortals could get a glimpse of the battle.

Kuzunoha Shiki led his friends and his youkai army into battle. The sheer numbers involved boggle the mind. By some counts, we faced as many as a third of the city's population that had been Hollowified while still alive - in a city of five million. 'Outnumbering' was a pretty euphemism for what we were. It wasn't unlike facing a sheer mass of Von Geister's spite and hatred in the form of Hollow soldiers. Our force multipliers were considerable - including but not limited to Hasunaga Heiaki's giant spiritual construct and the Bankai of every Captain present - and yet there seemed to be no end to them. Unable to utilize his full power, the Commander-General engaged Von Geister in a personal duel. It wasn't very long before he was pushed back - how could he not, facing such a monster? He could not afford the strength it would take to support us in battle. Von Geister's personal Knights and his wife were a match for our str ongest, mortal and Shinigami alike.

Of these, perhaps the one who most surprised me was one of the mortals, Katsuo. It turns out he was the incarnation of the Commander's sister in another life - and somehow their bond survived the Cycle. His strength and ferocity were unfettered, and his powers grew even as the battle raged on. Eventually, his Fullbringing... evolved. Where once there were only gauntlets, he had evolved a complete suit of armor with insect-like characteristics. He actually went toe to toe with one of the Knights in single combat for a good while. With the Captains busy supporting and commanding the troops, he wasn't about to get any support for a while. In an attempt to set up a distraction, Von Geister actually tried to infect the boy with one of his Ceros.

It didn't take him long to regret that decision.

Katsuo had already taken out his own Hollow self. There was nothing to form out of such corruption, and he would not be chained by his own dark side twice. The time it took for this tactic to reach its end gave him the breather he needed to push through to his own victory.

Things were not as favorable as we would hope for, however. Von Geister replenished his ranks almost as quickly as we took them down, and it wasn't long before we were taking heavy casualties. The MedLog rearguard was beginning to show signs of exhaustion. In a battle of attrition, it seemed the Ghost-King was fated to be the victor.

To be continued...

[Razade]

The scene fades away slowly revealing a room. Sat at a large table are the leaders of the Gotei Six, save one. The one is standing before a large projector which has, up until now, displayed the course of the game as a movie. All the events, all the pain and suffering, all the love and joy, every action, simply moving pictures on a screen.

"As you can see" the Captain of the SSI explains patiently. "This is just one of many models my Division has run. The Hollow Threat it grave but I assure you if we make peace with them the world as we know it will come to an end. Fools and zealots will take over Soul Society and plunge us into madness. The very fate of the mortal world, even Hueco Mundo, hinges on us obliterating this threat where it stands. The SSI have been working on what we term a "Spiriton Restution Bomb. If we were to smuggle it into Hueco Mundo and set it off it would fundamental change the spirit particles of the plane. We have gathered all of our Artifical Souls for this task. As we've been delaying you, let me turn your attention towards screen number two."

Another screen hovers into the room. Here, a protracted battle against the Espada and Arrancar can be seen. Many Artificial Souls litter the white sands around Las Noches and then with a blinding light the screen is impossible to view. So bright the room darkens for a moment. When the white light recedes no other Artificial Souls remain. To be sure nothing of Las Noches remains. No Arrancar. No Espada. The very sky of Hueco Mundo, draped in perpetual night, is cracked and beyond the gorgeous blue morning. More cracks form across the sky as far as the recording device can show and then a crash.

The sky parts in a vast circle around what was once Las Noches and rain pours from the heavens. The sands drink deep the rains and fertile land springs forth. A crystal blue sky above and fields of endless green below hedged in by the black night and white sand. The SSI Captain turns once more to the assembled team. "As of now, that location has the exact properties of Soul Society. We can begin moving Shinigami and Pluses to its location and have a permanent beachhead against the Hollows if they ever dare to rise up against us once more. I believe we have work to do."

The pages turn and here we are at the end of the story.

[Kuroimaken]

Spoiler: OOC

Show

{Scrubbed}

The journal continues in spite of any attempts to cover its truth.

"To say we were facing massive morale loss at the time is again a sign of severe understatement, and yet I must insist upon such artifice once more. Even the Commander-General was at his limit, in spite of the reinforcements from his spiritual brother. In many ways, he faced what would have been the last true battle of any Shinigami.

It seemed like a poorly constructed fantasy, for this was a glorious story deserving of a much better end, and penned by a number of hands much better than mine. I continue this only out of a sense of duty to my friends, fallen and otherwise.

Masaru, if this ever reaches your hands, know that you were the most steadfast of us all and I'm proud to have called you comrade and friend, however briefly. And in this you will also know why I've left.

With the onslaught of Hollows upon us, we were all ready for our final goodbyes. Even if we came out swinging.

I'm not exactly sure what happened next. The battlefield was engulfed in a beautiful blue light. It appeared as if time stood still. Those who had apparently fallen begun to rise again. Among us, pale blue specters of Shinigami of the past began to line our numbers. We never knew them. Couldn't have. They shared with us the passion for defending that which we were, and yet their own stories had been cut tragically short.

Some names were identical to companions we were already familiar with. Yamamoto Sayuri, for one. Others held a gravitas of their own, such as Amagatsu Kazuma, and tragedy, such as Nagamichi Soushi. Still others were related to these such as another incarnation of Masaru, this one apparently bred for nobility of purpose since birth.

With these specters beside us, we were able to push back with tenfold the force. Masaru was even able to briefly join the Commander-General's side along with Katsuo in a gleaming newfound incarnation of their bond. The essence of every single Shinigami on the battlefield engulfed Ishinomori Koutarou and in one massive stroke of light, the Ghost-King was no more.

We would only much later learn this was almost at the cost of the Kuzunoha leader's life. There is much yet we have been unable to record from that battle, and such records seem fated never to appear again.

But that was not the end of it.

In the stead of the Ghost-King, only a staff of gnarled wood remained. My wife made use of the forbidden Kidou Jikanteishi so she could seize it. She knew all along the true nature of the Ghost-King - that he was the corrupted weapon of the King of Hell. That the world would remain inbalanced for as long as no one took that responsibility. And always so eager to take on a burden no single person should bear, Momoka Tsuyoi-Hishikawa leapt upon it. The only reason I was able to witness this was due to some forbidden tampering of my own. By using my Bankai and the accumulated spiritual energy of nearly 300 years, I was able to step into this world of stopped time to try to convince her one last time. I was ready to take on the staff myself.

I let her go, in the end.

And now I leave for my own journey, to reach the depths of Hell itself to be beside her, even if it kills me.

It suits me just fine. I was never meant to be a Shinigami anyway.

To all the friends I've made in this journey, and to all the love gained and lost. I bequeath upon the one who was finally able to bring this journal to life the truth of all such events.

I've heard the Red Pheasant has recently been executed by Soukyoku. As such, there is none remaining who can take possession of this by force. If and when this is ultimately discovered, it is up to the Royal Guardsmen, or their descendants, to glean the contents of these pages.

I only manage to conclude this by remembering that through my every step in this journey I've made the best choices with what was given to me at the time. And I remain convinced they were just. "

Eventually, the existence of this journal, although not all of its details, was disclosed to the remainder of Seireitei. The original remains in Masamune's possession to this day.

Revisionists have tried to dispute it several times. Some argue that the final battle never happened. They were all naturally wrong, and will remain so forevermore.

Because the truth is always not just stranger than fiction. It is also significantly more persistent. No matter how pedantic the historian.

THE END.