The minute Erich landed and set the young Shinigami down, he felt Ishida begin to move about behind his head. “Do you want down?” Erich asked, knowing exactly how uncomfortable dragon-back could be when a person wasn’t accustomed to it.

“U-uhm. If it won’t trouble you..?”

Erich hummed and crouched down, bringing his head closer to the ground so that Ishida didn’t have far to descend. “Guarding one or two hatchlings on the ground is no different.” He held still while Ishida freed himself and slid down the side of Erich’s neck, landing with a faint thump.

“A-are you okay?” the young woman asked shakily.

“I’m fine,” Ishida answered.

He straightened up and brought his tail around to act as a visible barrier between those he was protecting and the few Shinigami who continued to linger around the edges of the hilltop. Those who remained didn’t seem like they were interested in attacking, but a physical reminder never hurt.

A touch of mana and he expanded his instinctive Barrier Spell outward, the air rippling with golden light before the color once more faded from sight. Defenses made, Erich cocked his head and examined the young Shinigami who Kurosaki Ichigo had done so much to defend.

There was both relief and worry in her posture, as she stood next to Ishida and stared in the direction Kurosaki Ichigo had disappeared with another Shinigami. But he couldn’t read anything from her spiritual presence because there was something wrong about it, some odd, twisting strangeness that put his hackles up and made him want to burn something.

Whatever the Shinigami had done to her before the execution, he didn’t like it.

She twitched under his regard and turned to stare up at him, visibly gathering herself in the process. “I am Kuchiki Rukia and I thank you for coming to my aid.”

Erich inclined his head in acknowledgment. “A pleasure to meet you, Kuchiki Rukia. I am Rerugen.” Movement caught his attention and he straightened up once more, lips curling back as he warily watched one of the remaining Captains draw her blade.

“I need to see to their injuries,” she announced, gesturing towards the wounded and unconscious Shinigami to one side. “I swear to you that I will not attack you, Great One.”

“Please, Rerugen-san, Unohana-taicho leads the division of healers,” Kuchiki Rukia added. “She’s not lying.”

He observed Unohana a moment longer, then nodded his head and relaxed his stance. Unohana immediately set to work, calling up a strange manta ray creature and gathering the wounded together for transport down the cliff. Her motions were quick and practiced, and she was gone from sight not long after she’d begun.

(Truly a skilled and practiced healer.)

Threat gone from view, Erich scanned the hilltop once more and then, satisfied with the lack of any present threat, cast his senses out to take stock of the various fights going on elsewhere. Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to be enjoying his battle and doing fine, but Ukitake and his companion…

They were struggling. The elder Shinigami’s spiritual pressure was impressive even at a distance, and Erich knew neither of the two could truly stand against the man if he went all out.

(He would struggle if he fought the man in a fair fight.)

(If it came down to it, he would not give the man a chance.)

Erich settled in to wait the fighting out. It wasn’t his place to get involved; his place was to guard the two entrusted to him. It bothered him to allow Kurosaki to fight unaided, but he’d seen that sort of focus and determination before and knew he had no place in the middle of it.

(He’d intervene if Kurosaki began to struggle but not before.)

No, the other combat between Ukitake and the elder Captain was more concerning. If Ukitake lost, Erich needed to strike the elder down before he had a chance to attack.

Plan in mind, Erich prepared a suppressed sniping spell, holding it in reserve. He could always unravel it later if he didn’t need it but… better to be prepared than not.

A Reaper with dark skin appeared in a swirl of power. Swung to face him. Lunged…

“Begone! These souls are mine!” Erich roared. Swept his tail out and around—

The Reaper ducked. Slipped beneath his strike and moved in—

Only to slam face-first into Erich’s protective shell.

Erich crouched low over Kuchiki and Ishida. Slammed a paw down on the stunned Reaper. Flexed his digits to dig his claws deep into the ground around the man. Pinned him so he could not reach his blade. “You will not win against me, Shinigami,” he growled. “Stand down or die.”

“And you won’t win against all of us,” the Reaper spat in response, power gathering in his hands. “Justice will see us prevail against violent beasts like yourself!”

“Don’t speak to me of justice!” Erich spat, infuriated by the sheer gall of the man. He reached out towards the gathered power. Ripped it from the Reaper’s grasp. Concentrated his mana and spiritual power into a pinpoint weight. Pressed down-down-down until the Reaper gasped and struggled and finally went limp, driven into unconsciousness.

(It wasn’t kind. It wasn’t clean.)

(But unless he unraveled his sniping spell, his only other option was to kill the man.)

More Reapers appeared in a swirl of power and Erich could feel the way Kuchiki’s twisted power went hazy with shock.

“My my my, I never thought I’d get to see a Dragon in my lifetime,” the Reaper with glasses and brown hair mused as he scanned Erich. “You’re quite a bit larger than I expected.”

“I suggest both of you back away. These souls are mine, and until I am assured their safety I will not move,” Erich announced, muzzle swaying back and forth to keep both of them in clear view. His field of vision was large, but most of it was peripheral: good for sudden or large movements but terrible for precision.

(He needed precision when Reapers could do such damage with tiny gestures.)

The brown-haired Reaper shook his head and smiled in a way that set Erich’s instincts off. “Come now, there’s no need for that. Give me Kuchiki and we can work together to topple Seireitei. Surely you wish for revenge against the Shinigami after everything that’s been done to your people?”

Erich scoffed. Let flames slip between his teeth with every exhale. “Nothing good comes of revenge,” he informed the Reaper darkly. “I escaped that fool’s gambit in life and I will not fall for it here.” He hunkered down further over Kuchiki and Ishida and mantled his wings. “Go, before I see you as a threat to be disposed of.”

Before the Reaper could speak again, something snapped into place in Erich’s mind. Some external power linked with his own, connecting him to someone else—

::Captains, Lieutenants, and temporary Lieutenants of the Gotei 13 and… ryoka. This is Lieutenant Kotetsu Isane of the 4th Division speaking,:: a voice announced in his head.

Erich cocked his head and swept his gaze over the hilltop, seeing no one in sight who matched the feel of the power connected to his own.

(How fascinating. Long distance communication from a Reaper spell.)

::Can everyone hear me? An emergency situation has occurred. This emergency transmission is under the authority of Captain Unohana Retsu of the 4th Division and myself, Kotetsu Isane. Please listen carefully. Everything I am about to say… is all true.::

“Oh? Is something happening then?” the brown-haired Reaper asked. “You suddenly seem distracted, Quincy-san.”

Erich ignored the Reaper and listened to Kotetsu’s words, to the story she was painting of treachery and murder. He stared at the two Reapers before them, then glanced down at the unconscious one still pinned by his paw. “Kuchiki-san,” he rumbled, “would you happen to know who these Shinigami are?”

“I… I do. Th-the one under your paw is… is Tousen-taicho, Ichimaru-taicho is th-the one with silver hair, a-and… Aizen-taicho is the third,” she answered softly.

“Very well. Thank you. I suggest you and Ishida-kun both turn away.” Erich folded his wings around to further block their view just in case. He would not allow such a threat to exist.

Aizen’s brow furrowed. He opened his mouth—

Erich released his spell.