Chapter 25: Uncontrollable! Ichigo's Forbidden Hollow!
Luffy started to throw punches at Ulquiorra at a high speed. "Gum-Gum…" Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Luffy and fired a cero. The cero came into contact with Luffy's attack and dispersed.
"What?!" Ulquiorra said with widen eyes as the cero disappeared.
"…Jet…" The fists all hit Ulquiorra at once; it looked like about twenty fists hit the espada at the time. "…Gatling!" Ulquiorra was now getting beat down by Luffy's fist with no mercy, skidding back towards a wall of one of the pillars until he was against the wall. Luffy continued to pound on him, finally breaking the wall and sending Ulquiorra crashing through it. Ulquiorra fell to the floor with blood flying out of his mouth. Luffy stopped and fell to the ground, his second gear wore off.
"Luffy!" Orihime ran towards the straw hat captain.
"He did it." Uryu said in disbelief. "He won."
"It's finally over." Luffy said, breathing heavily and lying on his back.
"Is that so?" a voice said, surprising Luffy, Orihime, and Uryu. "Well then, think again." Luffy looked at where the voice and Ulquiorra standing up, his body showing the effects of Luffy's attack.
"What?!" Uryu said shocked.
"No way…" Orihime said, falling to her knees. Ulquiorra slowly walked towards Luffy but still feeling the effects of Luffy's attack. Luffy tried to move his body but couldn't.
"Luffy, got out of there!" Uryu shouted at the straw hat boy.
"I can't…" Luffy said as Ulquiorra got closer to him. "I can't move my body." Uryu and Orihime widen their eyes in shock, knowing what that means. Ulquiorra wrapped his tail tightly around Luffy's neck and lifted him off the ground.
"I'll tell you this again." Ulquiorra said. "Just give up. Even with your best attack, you weren't able to keep me down."
"No way, I'll ever give up." Luffy said. "Even if my body can't move, I will still find a way to win. I won't give up, even if it kills me." Ulquiorra tightened his grip around his neck, choking the life out of him.
'Luffy, no…' Orihime thought as Luffy was thrown towards her and Uryu and slowly walked towards them. Orihime quickly used Shun-Shun Rikka to create a shield but it was easily destroyed. 'Ichigo please, get up. Please!' "Ichigo, please help! Please!"
Images of Uryu and Luffy battling Ulquiorra ran through Ichigo. Then images of Orihime looking in horror as the two were being defeated as she cries for Ichigo to get up and help.
'Orihime, she's calling me.' Ichigo thought. 'She's in trouble. I gotta get up. Get up. I have to get up! I promised that I will protect her!"
Then a large amount of spiritual pressure erupted, stopping all of the action that taking place and caused everyone to look towards Ichigo.
"Is that Ichigo?" Uryu asked.
"This can't be." Ulquiorra said, turning around to Ichigo. "You can't be alive. What is that form? Who are you?"
Ichigo opened his fists and his zanpakuto flew into his hand. Ichigo grabbed it and with one swing, cracked and lifted the floor behind him, blowing Orihime and Luffy away.
"Orihime!" Uryu appeared behind her and catches her with his good arm. Luffy skidded on the ground next to them.
"Did you not hear me?" Ulquiorra asked angrily. "I've asked you to identify yourself."
The ground began to shake as if it was an earthquake as Ichigo let out a loud roar, raising his spirit energy to the max.
"It appears to me that you can't understand what I'm asking." Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Ichigo and charged up a cero. Ichigo's horns came forwards and a red cero was appearing. Ulquiorra's eyes widen as the two ceros clashed, causing a huge explosion. Uryu covered Orihime's body away the shockwaves of the explosion. Luffy's body was pushed back even farther.
"Whoa, what happened to Ichigo?" Luffy asked, confused on what just happened.
Ulquiorra flew out of the inferno, looking at the tower of flames. 'That was undoubtedly a blast from a cero.' He thought. 'And it was powerful enough to counter my Cero Oscuras. He may resemble a hollow but he can't have the powers. There's no way that a human can discharge a cero.'
Ichigo appeared behind Ulquiorra and charged up another cero. "That's enough!" Ulquiorra shouted as he charged up his own cero. The two blasts collided again, increasing the flames.
Ulquiorra appeared out of the explosion in disbelief. 'He defused my Cero Oscuras for a second time.' Then Ichigo appeared behind the espada, grabbing his wrist and cut his arm. Ulquiorra widen his eyes as he fell to the ground below.
Luffy, Orihime, and Uryu looked at what transpired in shock and awe. "I don't believe it." Orihime said. "He's so powerful! Is that…really Ichigo?!"
Ulquiorra was breathing heavily as blood was poured down from where his left arm used to be. He glared at the hollowified Ichigo as his arm grew back as if nothing happened. Luffy, Orihime, and Uryu looked at the espada widen eyes.
"My greatest strength is within my attacks, it's my ability to regenerate." Ulquiorra explained. "In exchange for immense strength, most arrancars lose their ability to regenerate at ultra high speeds. I, alone, am able to regenerate of my body at ultra high speeds, expect for two areas. Those are my brain and internal organs." Then he looked at Ichigo. "I don't know how you took on that form but be enough of an advantage. You saw what happened when you tore off my arm. I was able to regenerate it quite easily. And as the Straw Hat boy figured out, defeating me will be impossible. As you're about to discover…" Ulquiorra made a circle with his hand as his finger connect and stretched his hands to the side, causing a lance made of a green light appeared. "Lanza del Relampago!"
Ulquiorra grabbed the weapon and aimed it towards Ichigo. "Don't move. Stay right where you are. If possible, I prefer not to release this in close range." He threw the lance towards Ichigo, who dodged it by moving his head to the side. The lance crashed miles, causing a giant explosion and extinguished the flames that were made earlier as well as destroying the pillars. "I'll try again. It's always been very difficult to control." Then another lance appeared in Ulquiorra's hand.
"Are you kidding?!" Uryu said shocked. "He can fire a technique like that multiple times?!"
Ulquiorra kept his eyes on Ichigo but Ichigo disappeared and reappeared behind Ulquiorra in an instant. 'What?!' Ulquiorra thought as he looked behind him with widen eyes. 'He slipped completely pass my pesquisa. And that wasn't the Flash Step he just did now. That was a sonido.' Ichigo swung his sword at Ulquiorra and pushed, destroying the bottom of the last pillar that was left standing. Ulquiorra looked up and spotted Ichigo on the top of the pillar. He quickly rebounded and flew upwards. Then Ichigo appeared behind Ulquiorra and grabbed him, tracing it up the top. Ulquiorra appeared on the other side of the pillar, looking for Ichigo. In a flash, Ichigo appeared and charged towards him. Ulquiorra prepared to block but was knocked to his ground.
Uryu looked at what is happening along with Luffy and Orihime with widen eyes. "I can't believe how fast he's moving." Uryu said. "I can't follow with my eyes."
"Ichigo…" Orihime said worried.
The two continued to clash weapons with Ichigo getting the better of the exchange, pushing Ulquiorra back. Ichigo then picked up a boulder with one hand and threw it at Ulquiorra. "Am I supposed to be intimidated because you can throw something at me? Nice try." Ulquiorra said as he destroyed the boulder with his lance. Then Ichigo appeared, trying to cut with his sword but the espada jumped back to dodge. Ulquiorra tried to throw the lance again but Ichigo appeared in front of him and grabbed the weapon with his hand. 'Impossible! ...With his bare hand?!'
Ichigo destroyed the weapon, causing a huge explosion. As the smoke cleared, Ulquiorra's eyes widen as Ichigo swung his sword and cut him down.
Luffy, Uryu, and Orhime looked on shocked as Ulquiorra fell to the ground. "Is it over?" Uryu asked.
Ulquiorra glared up at Ichigo. "Damn it all." He cursed. "I never thought it was possible. First being pushed to the limit by a pirate and now to be defeated by a hollowified human, it's completely ludicrous." Then Ichigo forcefully put his foot on Ulquiorra's head and charged up a cero. "I should've that there will be no mercy. It's so typical of a hollow. Go ahead. After all, I've lost to you. My life no longer has any meaning. Do it." The cero was fired, engulfing Ulquiorra and Ichigo in the blast.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: A Rift Opens Up! Luffy vs. Ichigo!