Disclaimer: This man does not own Bleach.
Quincy Craft
"...ove before...was ready..."
"...diot! Well...matter...got...Arran...Espa..."
He could hear a torrent of voices raging against his ear drums. He groaned loudly as pulled himself awake, alerting the others in the medical area of the Wandenreich's hidden Hueco Mundo base. The first person to enter his vision was Bambietta, who flicked his forehead and sent him back into his bed.
"You're an idiot, you know that? I can't believe you took the glove off before you were done training with it."
Ichigo chuckled sorely as he rubbed his forehead and said, "I didn't want to lose... My Maskieren didn't work against him... It looks like it didn't work after all..."
Instead of Bambietta answering, the Stern Ritter a few feet behind her corrected, "It did... You were unconscious when I arrived, but the Espada was too weak to resist... He's been imprisoned in the Wandenreich base."
He looked behind Bambietta to see a man with dark hair and a scar upon his right lip. Befoer Ichigo could ask, he said, "Cang Du, the 'I' of the Stern Ritter. I felt your incomplete Vollstandig and rushed over as soon as possible."
Ichigo nodded and fell back on the makeshift mattress. He frowned, feeling helpless and weak over the fact that it didn't feel like a victory... Actually, it wasn't.
"So what happens now...?"
Bambietta frowned and thumped him in the forehead, causing him to cry out, "What was that for!? That hurts, damnit!"
"What are you, stupid? The war is still going on! Just because you're injured doesn't mean everything's over! As a matter of fact, I have to get going now!"
She reached over the box next to her for her cloak and snapped it on as she left the area, leaving Cang-Du and the other random injured Quincies with Ichigo. He scowled as she walked off and turned to the Stern Ritter left behind.
"...So...what are you still doing here...?"
The man blinked and simply said, "You were stupid to remove your glove before you'd have mastered it. Your injuries mean nothing to His Majesty, as you are to still participate in this war. In the meantime, while you're injured, I'm going to help you achieve Vollstandig."
When his facial expression dropped in shock and anger, she smirked and revealed, "Your new transformation is powerful, but I'm sure Bazz-B didn't use his Vollstandig, did he?"
Even without looking at him, she knew his expression was blank, so she elaborated, "Vollstandig is the ultimate transformation of a Quincy... To help with your understanding, think of a Soul Reaper's Bankai... Until you defeat him in that form, you clearly aren't ready to stand against me."
"...So that was what that form was supposed to be?"
Cang Du blinked again and replied, "No."
As Ichigo deadpanned and scratched at his cheek, the man explained, "In order to master the Sanrei glove, you have to continuously and consistently use as much of your Reishi attacks as possible. You, however, did not train like that for a week... Therefore, when you removed your glove, all of the Vollstandig Reiatsu rebelled against you and burned your arm."
The younger Quincy nodded his understanding and looked down at his weakened body. At that time, the Stern Ritter turned on his heel and ordered, "When you are ready, meet me in the desert above these caves."
In the Fifth Tower of Las Noches, a large room contained a large opening in its wall, revealing the entirety of Las Noches and Hueco Mundo. A throne made of stone rested outside of it, overlooking the vast Hollow kingdom, and a tanned, blonde woman rested on it.
She wore a long-flowing, high-collared robe, open at the area on her chest and clasped together near her waist, and a pair of hakama similar to Grimmjow. Her gloved hands tightened on the sides of her chair as she listened to the opening and closing of a distant door.
"Lady Halibel! Lady Halibel!"
Three women hurried into the room, stopping behind her throne as they huffed in exhaustion. When the tanned woman stood to her feet, she looked over to the women, waiting for their explanations.
One woman with olive-green hair and pink eyes regained her composure and coughed into her hand, "Grimmjow... He was defeated and taken away...by the enemy..."
Tier Halibel, the former Tercera Espada and now Queen of Hueco Mundo, frowned and said, "I know... I felt his Reiatsu flash and burst during his battle, and how it faded away. It's too late for him right now..."
The shorter woman with dark-blue hair and heterochromic eyes sighed in frustration and complained, "Why the hell are these Quincy after us anyway!? What the hell have we ever done to them!?"
Halibel looked down at her feet and revealed, "If they are capturing us instead of outright killing us...its possible...that they are building an army of some sorts..."
The dark-skinned woman with dark-brown hair widened her eyes at that and said, "If someone in that army could defeat Grimmjow, then I don't see how we would help further their goals..."
"...The only reason they would need to capture us...is if the army they are contending with is twice as large as them..."
The olive-haired Arrancar scowled and looked down at her feet, mumbling, "The Soul Society..."
"...Exactly... I expect these Quincy want revenge against the Soul Reapers for that massacre two hundred years ago...and they are forcefully recruiting us for this effort."
The shorter woman growled, "Then we need to enter the fray immediately! Let these fuckers know that they aren't welcomed here!"
"No."
The three female Arrancars gasped slightly, and the short woman's eye twitched as she said, "Lady Halibel!? What the hell are you saying...!?"
"...The king is waiting for me to appear... If I appear, and he defeats me, then he lowers the morale of all of my subjects... I want you...to prepare an evacuation order for the residents here... And once the enemy breaches this sanctuary... I want you three to evacuate as well."
The dark-skinned Arrancar stared incredulously as her Queen and yelled, "You can't be serious! You have to reconsider-"
"I am, and I'm not. My order is final... I want you all to escape, and leave the last of them to me. It is likely...that this will be my final battle, but do not let the dream of Hueco Mundo escape your grasp...! You three...are the only ones capable of bringing the sunlight of Las Noches to the darkness of Hueco Mundo..."
When the women stood there in dumb silence, Halibel reiterated, "My order is absolute. Leave me be."
As the three woman filed out of the throne room, emptier and more worried than when they entered, Halibel sighed and fell back against her throne and waited... They would reach this room in a few days, so she had enough time to-
"...How noble of you, Halibel, to become the last stand of Hueco Mundo."
The Espada's eyes slowly opened and she whispered, "I didn't expect you to be back so soon... I thought you would have stayed behind in the Human World..."
The voiced echoed from the shadows of her throne room, "And leave my home? Impossible... I may not have appreciated Aizen, but these Arrancars and Hollows are just as much mine than they are yours."
Halibel hmph'ed before slumping her shoulders against her throne. She called out, "Will you stay behind and defend Las Noches as well...? You too should escape..."
"...Must I repeat myself? You wish for me to leave my home and surrender it to these Quincy? Not a chance, Halibel... The two of us should be enough to take that man down..."
Halibel frowned and said, "Their king? I doubt it... Somehow, I expect he's on the same level as Aizen and that old man..."
"Wasn't that what we were training for these past couple of years? In the case that Aizen breaks out from the Soul Society and come back, we would defeat him ourselves?"
The Queen of Hueco Mundo sighed tiredly and said, "But somehow... I fear he may be more than that... Regardless, I'm glad you decided to stay with me... If that man's son is truly part of this invasion...then I need you to hold him off..."
The shadowy figure bowed and said, " Then I shall..."
"This training is probably the simplest training you shall ever commit to... At least in theory, that is..."
When Ichigo raised an eyebrow, Cang Du elaborated, "You have continuously fire arrows and exhaust your Reiryoku before allowing it to build back up... Then rinse and repeat... Simple, but exhausting."
With that in mind, Ichigo shrugged and summoned his four-pronged Ginrei Kojaku and began firing it off into the distance as the Stern Ritter watched.
It wasn't until later that Cang Du, normally calm and composed, couldn't help but twitch an eye as Ichigo was still firing off arrows for five hours straight without passing out.
"I see you too have discovered the never-ending hole of energy that is Ichigo. Such a simple task of shooting arrows will have you all standing out here for hours."
Cang Du looked over his shoulder as Bambietta marched up to them, her cloak torn in several different places. He grunted and turned back, noticing that Ichigo had begun to show signs of exhaustion, though very little. He sighed and turned his head over his shoulder, calling out, "Man, this is boring... Isn't there some other way?"
At that, Bambietta's expression shifted to one of glee as she slyly suggested, "Well... Maybe it'll be better if I force you to exhaustion?"
Her smirk widened when a Heilig Pfeil flew by her face, lightly grazing her cheek and drawing blood. Cang Du's expression fell blank as he mumbled, "I don't think this is a good idea..."
Ichigo's eyes narrowed as the girl drew her Spirit Weapon and mumbled, "...You know what... I'll take you up on that offer, Bambietta... But you should know...that it won't end the same way as last time..."
"That's the whole point, Kurosaki...! If you didn't prosper from your any of your training whatsoever, then I would've killed you long ago!"
"...So how was he, Quilge? You too disobeyed the order to leave him be."
Quilge bowed in front of Yhwach and said, "Only in your interests, Your Majesty... But from witnessing his battle... I believe he shall be ready at the end of this invasion..."
Yhwach nodded and stood from his throne. He stepped closer to the communications section of the cave and stared at the screen depicting Ichigo's battle with the recently captured Espada.
"Keep an eye on him for now, Quilge... As soon as his training is done, I shall place my feet upon this soil of war and end this with my very own hands."
The Stern Ritter nodded and turned to leave the area. Yhwach watched him fade from his view before turning back to the screen. He rubbed at his chin as he noted Grimmjow's weakening form collapsing upon Cang Du's entrance.
"...You seem to surprise me more and more, Ichigo Kurosaki... With each passing moment, I'm becoming more impressed by your will to defy all odds... But your loyalties still lie else where... Tis' a shame..."
It had been a few days of fighting with Bambietta and Cang Du that the glove became only a minor hindrance to Ichigo's powers. By the end of the week, he felt that he continue the invasion.
At this moment, Ichigo was marching behind Yhwach alongside Askin Nakk le Vaar, whom he discovered to be the 'D' Stern Ritter. Back in the Fifth Tower once more, they, along with several other Soldat, was infiltrating the highest throne room where the Queen resided.
"...Tier Halibel's assistants, the Tres Bestias, are most likely in this room. While I finish the Queen, I want you both to take care of them. They were mere Fraccion, so they shouldn't cause too much of a problem for either of you."
Both nodded at Yhwach's orders and stopped as they arrived at the large opening. At the end of the long hallway sat the throne, overlooking the large opening. While Ichigo grimaced at its plain appearance, a deep, feminine voice echoed through the room.
"...You appear different from the other Quincies, invader... You must be the leader of this insolent army."
Yhwach stopped in his tracks and retorted, "That I am. I see that you'd rather watch your army's demise from this rather large opening than help them."
Again, the woman called out, "You're mistaken. I have sent my army away... The only Arrancar you fought were those willing to die for their kind. Those like me."
Ichigo watched as the blonde hair and tanned skin of the Queen emerged from the front of the throne. She turned towards their direction and revealed her face to them, though the bottom half was covered up. Her green eyes locked onto Ichigo's before she turned back to Yhwach and reached towards her throne.
He watched in odd fascination as her hand slipped through the throne as if it had no existence and pulled out a short, hollowed broadsword.
Her lips parted slightly as she whispered, "...Destr-"
She was interrupted by a large, war-like scream as a trio of shadowy figures crashed through the ceiling. Her right eye began twitching as she mumbled, "You've got to be kidding me... Apacci, Mila, Sung-Sun! I told you all to leave!"
The three figures landed in front of her, all of them poised and ready to battle. The dark-skinned woman turned towards the Queen and apologized, "I'm sorry, Lady Halibel... But this is our home, too! And as your loyal subjects, abandoning our Queen...would the ultimate shame!"
The shorter one with the heterochromic eyes and fragment helmet agreed, "What milk-tits said!"
The third one with the olive-green hair reached her left arm out and said, "Forgive us for what will happen to Las Noches..."
Next to Ichigo, Askin blanched as the three girls ripped off their left arms and asked, "What the hell are they doin'?"
"Quimera Parca!"
Ichigo too wondered the same thing until the arms glowed a bright right as they came together. With an expression of wonder and amazement, he watched as the light extended higher and higher towards the ceiling. The light finally stopped as it reached the top and formed a human-like shape beneath it.
When it finally cleared, it revealed a large beast with a white deer skull on its face. Its pale skin was covered in light-brown furs and his head was covered in a shaggy mane of dark-brown hair. A long, snake-like tail weaved back and forth as it stared down at the Quincy.
The short one known as Apacci hopped on the shoulders of the being and laughed as she said, "Fuck that Aizen-lookalike up!"
Ichigo had the certain urge to scream "Godzilla!", but held it back as he crouched over and prepared to fight. Reaching for the blade on the side of his waist, he moved to dash forward and attack before a shadow moved in front of him and grabbed his face.
"...Not so fast."
Yhwach and Askin quickly turned in surprise as the speeding figure grabbed Ichigo and push him up towards the ceiling. The King's eyes narrowed and he yelled, "Soldat! After him!"
The large explosions of the skirmish breaking out in the throne room began to fade as he found himself looking into the night sky of Hueco Mundo. The figure appeared in front of him again and punched him towards the ground.
Easily recovering, Ichigo flipped into a crouched stance as he slid away from the attacker. He rose to his feet as the other inched their way closer.
"So you are the one who defeated Grimmjow... Surprising... He was one of the few remaining Espada from that war such a short time ago..."
Ichigo dusted his cloak off and grumbled, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I didn't come here to hear your grandma tales... I'm guessing you're stronger than he was, right?"
As moonlight illuminated the female, revealing the greenish-blue hair and horned skull fragment on her head. She wore a long robe like the queen herself, though its sleeves were large and bell-like, similar to the Soul Reapers. Unlike them, her pants were form fitting.
Doing all he can to ignore the mounds below her chin, he stared at her face as she looked to the side and said, "Maybe."
"Tch, and what is that supposed to mean? Are you stronger than him or not...?"
She sighed and said, "Grimmjow, Lady Halibel, and myself are the only true Espada that remains, and the only ones who've kept our old ranks... The so-called Espada that you've all fought were simply powerful Arrancar, and were never ranked. Grimmjow held the title of Sexta... The sixth... And Halibel held the title of Tercera, the third."
"...And you? Who are you supposed to be?"
She turned and unclothed her robe. Ichigo wondered why she had turned her back to him until her sleeveless undershirt was revealed, which was backless. A giant, bold-inked '3' rested on her back, causing his own eyes to widened out.
"...I was unfairly attacked, and lost my rank... But I've regained it after that man was locked away... I am Neliel Tu Odelschwanck, the former Tercera and the most powerful being in Las Noches other than the Queen... To answer your question, Ichigo Kurosaki, I am far above Grimmjow..."
She turned back to him with darkened eyes, revealing, "I intended to keep that revelation hidden from you... I didn't want you lose hope before this fight even began..."
Notes:
-I definitely didn't intend for this chapter to take so long to come out, but my focuses have been elsewhere.
-This Arc has maybe five chapters left, maybe shorter. The ending might answer some questions about what has happened in the past prior to recent events and give light to where the story is going to end up.