Chapter 1: Kurosaki's fury! The battle with Ulquiorra begins!
Ichigo is running at full speed, but each step feels like an eternity. Finally, he reaches a large, vast room: the throne room of Las Noches. His enemy sits in his rightful place at the throne, for he is currently the most powerful arrancar in Heuco Mundo. "Ulquiorra!" Ichigo shouts. The name of the fourth Espada echoes through the room before he acknowledges Ichigo's presence.
Ulquiorra, hands in his pockets, gives little regard for the fury in Ichigo's eyes. "Took you long enough to get here. Have you slowed down since our last meeting? Or, having rescued the woman once already, you feel less urgency the second time?"
Ichigo shifts his focus to the reason he has risked his life, Orihime Inoue. The fear in her eyes lifts as she looks at Ichigo. "Kurosaki-kun."
Ichigo cannot help but smile at her. "Inoue, I want you to protect yourself. No matter what happens to me, just stay safe."
Ulquiorra steps down from the throne and addresses the shinigami. "You should worry about your own safety, Kurosaki. You are the one who shall be fighting."
"I will defeat you, Ulquiorra Schiffer, just as I defeated Grimmjow," Ichigo shouts with a small hint of pride.
"His power level was nowhere close to mine," Ulquiorra answers emotionlessly. "You barely have the reiatsu to survive a sustained fight, let alone defeat me."
A smirk falls on Ichigo's face as he dons his mask. "Let's find out," he says, charging towards his opponent. Kurosaki gives a mighty overhead swing. Ulquiorra blocks the attack with his left hand as his right forms a fist aimed at the shinigami. But Ichigo isn't there. He dodges the punch with a spin while thrusting Tensa Zangetsu behind his head and using his momentum to force a kick. Both attacks are ineffective. Ulquiorra grabs Ichigo's foot in one hand and his zanpakuto in the other. Ichigo is completely disabled. Ulquiorra throws him, launching his foe across the room. Ichigo bounces off the floor a few times before skidding to a stop.
Ichigo gets to his feet. "I suppose it wouldn't be so easy," he mutters under his breath as he holds his sword down as his side. "Getsuga Tensho!"
Black reiatsu pours from his blade as he swings Tensa Zangetsu upwards across his body. The force of the attack rips the ground apart, heading straight for Ulquiorra. He jumps away just as the blow reaches him, but he must still block the brunt of the attack. Ulquiorra floats from the scene barely scratched. "Did you really think such an obvious attack would have any effect on one such as myself?"
"Of course not," a dark voice from behind Ulquiorra replies. "But this might." From the corner of his eye, a flash of darkened steel appears.
The surprise strike shoots Ulquiorra to the ground. The crash shakes the room, forming a small crater and flinging up mounds of dust. Ichigo stands in the air and searches the crater, waiting for a counterattack. As the dust settles, an outline of his enemy forms, seemingly uninjured. How did that attack not hurt him at all? Ichigo worries. Ulquiorra looks right back at Ichigo with an expression that screams Is that it?
A drop of crimson red falls to the floor, its every movement slowed by the eyes following it. The splatter as the drop hits the ground carries across the room. Ulquiorra stares at the dash of blood on his right forearm in disgust.
Ichigo is relieved at seeing his enemy bleed, if only a small amount. "If I can cut you, then I can beat you."
"You'll have to hit me first," Ulquiorra coolly replies.
Ichigo swoops down, Tensa Zangetsu pointed squarely at his foe. Ulquiorra steps aside at the last second. Ichigo tries to follow the arrancar's motion with his attacks. Each one contains great strength; each one misses by inches. In desperation Ichigo swings Tensa Zangetsu around his body while spinning, becoming a cyclone of power and speed. Ulquiorra dodges the wild attack effortlessly.
"Coward! Fight me!"
"No."
Ichigo rushes the Espada, seeking to land a blow. Ulquiorra moves away, and the shinigami follows. They fly around the chamber as if in a dance of death, the man in white leading his partner to doom. Ichigo will not follow the steps. His attacks become erratic. No form, no reasoning, no thought can describe the onslaught for it has none of the three. One goal drives him, drowning out all other thoughts in Kurosaki's head. He will hit his opponent. Regardless of the risk.
"When the enemy is on the defensive, it is often a good sign. It means they have lost the will to fight. Victory is assured."
The sound of Ulquiorra's voice merely increased Ichigo's fury. He dares to give me a lecture during battle, the anger in Ichigo's heart rages. He translates his emotion by pressing his rash surge onward.
"At this point, the most advisable strategy is to commit fully to the offensive. Strike with the killing blow before your enemy has a chance to recover."
Ichigo continues his wild blitz, ignoring the arrancar's words. Tensa Zangetsu, hungry for blood, tastes only air. Ichigo slashes left and right. He stabs at the blur that is Ulquiorra. Nothing hits. Using all of his strength, Ichigo swings a mighty overhead assault.
"However, if the enemy is merely feinting weakness, one is highly susceptible to counterattacks."
Ichigo's strike missed wide. As his sword falls, he notices the shortness in his breath, the strain in his arms, the stiffness in his legs. He feels weak. Ichigo senses a forceful reiatsu appear behind him. He tries to turn and block the incoming attack, but he is too slow. The fist pounds into the side of his body, cracking ribs. Pain flares and all others thoughts are forgotten. Ichigo sails through the air, lost in the pain. He crashes into the base of the throne. He flies through it. The throne collapses, chunks of stone falling on the limb body. The shockwave causes Ulquiorra's robes to ruffle in the wind as he looks at the rubble.
An explosion of energy clears the rubble aside. Ichigo is hunched down, leaning on his sword gasping for air. Slowly he rises, his dark eyes staring at Ulquiorra. "Cheap tricks won't get you far," Ichigo smirks.
"You speak as though the outcome of this fight isn't already decided," the Espada says with sharp indifference.
"As long as I can raise my zanpakuto," Ichigo shouts as he points Tensa Zangetsu at his nemesis, "no fight shall ever be over. Getsuga Tensho!"
The attack blasts out of Ichigo sword, a cannonball of destructive spiritual power. Using his immense speed, Ichigo flashsteps around the missile to storm Ulquiorra from his flank. Both attacks reach Ulquiorra at the same time; he blocks Getsuga Tensho with his left hand while grabbing Tensa Zangetsu in his right. Ulquiorra draws all of his power to stop the salvo from the shinigami, a glowing green light against the spreading black darkness. The skin on his left hand burns from the energy of the blast. The sword pushes against the skin on his right, drawing blood down his arm. Ulquiorra stares into the eyes behind the mask, the fierce combination of the hollow's bloodlust and the shinigami's resolve. Just a little bit longer.
Getsuga Tensho fades away. Both combatants are breathing heavily. Ulquiorra grabs Ichigo's robes with his charred left hand and pulls him close. Face to face, Ulquiorra gives his dire warning, "You are finished."
"I doubt that."
"If you think that I am boasting," Ulquiorra explains, "or making a prediction, you are mistaken. I am stating a fact. Your reiatsu has been crushed from the attrition from your battles. I imagine you could not raise it to even half its potential. You cannot beat me is such a state. You will lose; it is inevitable."
Suddenly Ulquiorra spins and lifts Ichigo over his head, throwing him across the room. Ichigo skids along the air until he comes to a stop. He instantly pushes forward, lunging towards Ulquiorra with Tensa Zangetsu aimed at the Espada's head. Ulquiorra parries the stab and counters with a vicious punch. Ichigo lurches over, coughing up blood. Down on one knee, he curses the weakness. He wills himself up despite the pain coursing through his body.
Ichigo builds up all of his remaining power into one final attack. The air surrounding him spirals and glows black from the release of reiatsu. Shouting, he flies across the room like a screaming bullet, moving so fast that he creates a sonic boom. Ulquiorra focuses on the final strike, building up his energy to match Ichigo's. Reiatsu collides and explodes in a blinding flash. In a corner of the room, Orihime covers her eyes while peeking through, anxious to see the victor. The light fades and the lone spectator watches the still display.
Tensa Zangetsu lies mere inches from Ulquiorra's face. Ichigo tries to thrust his sword forward, but it won't budge. Ulquiorra's grip on it is too strong. Ichigo feels drained of all energy; no matter how much he wills himself to move, to fight, it is no use. He floats nearby his opponent, unable to gain any ground. A fist jabs forward. Kurosaki's mask shatters into pieces.
"Pitiful."
Ulquiorra throws Ichigo up into the air. He slowly soars, rotating lazily. Orihime looks at her friend in disbelief. "Kurosaki... lost?" she mutters under her breath. Ichigo looks back at her with a face that speaks both sadness and apology. I cannot lose his mind yells, but his body is deaf to the screams. In the edge of his vision, Ichigo sees a concentration of spiritual energy, his glowing green doom. The cero hits him square in the back. The force of the explosion propels Ichigo through the ceiling of the throne room.
Ulquiorra walks away from the battle scene unfazed. "Excuse me for a moment," he mutters under his breath. "I have to prepare for our remaining guests."
Ulquiorra pulls out a small grey cube from his pocket. "Caja Discurso (speaking box)," he explains to the frightened girl in the corner of the room, her face glowing from the light of the improvised sunroof. "Aizen created the Caja Discurso to allow the Espada to communicate to all of Las Noches."
Ulquiorra activates the device, causing it to expand several metal circles around a central microphone. He clears his voice as he brings the amplifier to his mouth. "This is Ulquiorra Schiffer, 4th Espada, with an order to all arrancar."
Ulquiorra's voice echoes in the throne room and booms across Las Noches. Its presence is dominating. All of the palace's inhabitants pause their actions to listen to the captivating voice. "The invaders have breached the throne complex. Proceed to the throne room."
Ulquiorra's speech is interrupted by a resounding crash. Gravity has finally brought Ichigo's limp body back to earth. He lies motionless as the crushed stone from the ceiling showers over his head. An orange shield appears over his head. Orihime rushes to Ichigo, ready to heal him. Ulquiorra analyses the scene without emotion.
"Kill them all."
In several remote locations among Las Noches, the groups of the invaders pause to listen to Ulquiorra's chilling threat. They focus in on the fading, familiar reiatsu of Ichigo Kurosaki. The groups change their direction and head towards the throne room. Together they shall stand.
In a large, spacious cavern, a lone arrancar stands among broken pillars of stone that he has punched to rubble. He grins when he hears the announcement of his ally. Finally, a fight worthy of my power, Yammy thinks. He exits the cave in a flash.
In darkness, four companions debate their response. Some believe that it is their duty as hollows to destroy the shinigami; the others question that they should aid those who forced them into exile. After a moment of silence, a consensus is reached: the Privaron Espada have one more battle to finish.
In the graveyard of Las Noches, a burial is interrupted by the Espada's message. The leader of the group holds up his hand, ordering the rest of them to stop.
"Prepare to move out," he commands.
"And the body, sir?"
The leader of the Exequias faces the squad. "We'll bury it along with the others once this is all over," he replies. "Let's go!"
Back in the throne room, Ulquiorra slowly walks towards the motionless shinigami. "Time to die, Ichigo Kurosaki," he proclaims to the empty hall.
"Santen Kesshun, I reject!"
Ulquiorra is blocked by Orihime's technique. He regards the barrier as a mere annoyance. "You think you have the power to stop me?" Ulquiorra asks while staring into her eyes. Orihime's resolve wavers. Ulquiorra uses sonido to move towards the girl before she can notice. In an instant, his hand is around her throat and he lifts her into the air.
"I shall explain one thing to you before I kill Kurosaki," Ulquiorra tells the scared Orihime. "You will never be a fighter. It is not for a lack of talent, far from it. Your abilities are godly and still serve a purpose for Lord Aizen. What you lack is vital for any fight, a state your friend contains greatly: courageous idiocy. The ability to fight while your body, mind and soul cry defeat. Without it, you will never act. With too much, you will face the final curtain."
Ulquiorra tosses her aside; Orihime crashes into a wall. Ulquiorra takes the final few steps towards Ichigo's body and flips him over onto his back. Ichigo, barely conscious, does not resist. Ulquiorra writes a eulogy for his fallen enemy. You squandered your potential and became the weak shell that lies before me. It is hard to believe you were once the savior of Soul Society. Where's your messiah now, shinigami? Farewell, unworthy foe.
An explosion of reiatsu prevents Ulquiorra from landing the killing strike. He turns to face the source of spiritual pressure and is surprised to find it originating from a single source. "Impossible..." is all that he can muster from his lips.
"You said you were the fourth Espada," the voice from the tall figure booms. "You're stronger than the last one I faced, so I suppose I won't need this."
The eyepatch of Kenpachi Zaraki floats to the ground as he charges Ulquiorra, his unnamed zanpakuto raised high into the air.