{Please keep in mind that I write "god" in lowercase. This practice was instilled in me as a child, as I was taught that anyone who is not Christ should be referred to in lowercase. I'm also trying to avoid offending anyone; I hope you understand.}
The more Rukia clashed with Harribel, the more she became aware of the limitations of her body.
Granted, she should have reached her limits about five minutes ago, yet she was still fighting. The way Sora had fixed her Saketsu chain seemed to be helping her... somehow. She was still a Shinigami, yet there seemed to be a small Quincy element to it.
No bother. Taking out her blade, she clashed with Harribel once more. For a woman covered in ice from head to toe, she sure was... hella nimble.
She aimed at Harribel's stomach.
Harribel had to jump.
With a final surge of power, Rukia channeled every last ounce of her strength into one attack.
Hueco Mundo... for just a second... turned white as Rukia unleashed a tidal wave of cold energy that froze anything in its path.
As Harribel was in the air, something felt odd. She twisted her body around just in time to see Nemu, who was in the middle of throwing a punch.
Harribel raised her blade in the air.
BAM
The ground shook beneath them, a shockwave rippling through the air as Nemu was sent flying into the cold, hard Hueco Mundo ground.
Taking a deep breath, Rukia used her Bankai to move... how, you may ask? By using gusts of cold wind as a propeller to push herself forward.
Worked wonders when her legs were practically frozen. She could do this. She ignored the pain on her skin, rushing at the enemy like her life depended on it.
Harribel fired a Cero, and Rukia met the attack with—
"Hyōga Seiran!"
The second— and I do mean, the second— the water left her hand, she immediately added Byakurai's effect into it and used her Bankai to make the water cold.
Cold, freezing, and electrifying water.
The Cero stood no chance. Harribel simply BZZZT—BOOM! Sonido'd out of the way.
BAM
"Predictable," were the words that left the future Queen of Hueco Mundo's mouth as she caught Nemu's hand.
Harribel then proceeded... to slam Nemu into the floor before kicking her hard into a nearby dune.
Nemu gasped for air... her lungs, her bones— she felt like her back had been blown out... No, literally. She had a hole in her back.
Harribel had quite literally blown her back out.
Nemu began to black out...
...The world felt cold.
"NEMU!" Rukia shouted. Her teammate was down.
BZZZT—BOOM!
Behind Rukia, Harribel appeared, and with a swift movement...
Clang
Harribel's eyes widened. She had aimed to slash Rukia in the back to end this quickly, yet what seemed to be a Reishi shield appeared behind her.
"Danku."
Yes, Rukia was using Danku to block the attack. She didn't focus on Harribel and instead rushed toward Nemu, trying to freeze over the wound to slow down her demise. Orihime could heal her back up to 100% in no time.
"Nemu... hold on," Rukia whispered as she began to freeze over the wounds, her hands already shaking from the cold. Her control over her Bankai was slipping, her body slowly freezing over... Yet, she felt warm. She felt as if she were in Sora's embrace, as if he were holding her and telling her everything would be fine.
"It seems like in this fight, the one who will be sacrificed is your ally," Harribel said calmly, shaking the blood off her blade.
Then, she pointed it at Rukia.
"Going into battle means being mentally ready to be sacrificed or to sacrifice your allies... Now tell me, Soul Reaper... which life is more important to you?"
A crack could be seen forming on Rukia's skin... then another... then another... and then another... and another.
Rukia's body was beginning to break down under the might of her Bankai... She was going to become a frozen statue in the middle of nowhere.
She closed her eyes... So this was her end... huh.
Harribel raised her blade. It was time to end this farce.
Rukia felt herself being moved by something...
Opening her eyes, she saw her elder brother. Byakuya could be seen holding her close as if she were a treasure.
"Brother...?"
Byakuya held her close, his expression as unreadable as ever, but his hold was gentle.
"Do not speak," he ordered, his tone firm but laced with the barest hint of concern. "Slowly restore your body temperature. Leave the rest to me."
Rukia's frozen fingers clutched his sleeve.
"B-But Sora...!"
Byakuya looked toward Sora's body on the floor. He saw a twitch... then another... then—
POV Change
Royal Palace.
The soul king could be seen, while the monk and Squad Zero were currently getting their asses handed to them... He knew. He was getting front-row seats. For just a split second, he took away Ichibe's ability just as Aizen knocked him out.
And for just that split second, while the monk was not connected to that power...
A surge of energy seemed to leave the soul king's body.
Back to Hueco Mundo.
A portal appeared above Hueco Mundo, and from it, what seemed to be Nagasaki came down.
"Everyone, move!"
Uryu grabbed a handful of sand and threw it far before using his Schrift to teleport them all away.
The Espada Sonido'd away.
The burst of energy fell into Sora's body.
KABOOM
...
Hueco Mundo shook.
As the dust from the explosion settled, Sora could be seen with a hand in his pocket. His silver hair seemed to glisten, and his eyes... they had changed, now a silvery hue.
His golden yellow eyes... were now silver.
His presence felt...
As Byakuya, alongside everyone else, could say...
It felt... divine.
A/N woke up hella late