I'm back with another chapter for you guys and I'm kinda disappointed with how people weren't really paying attention last chapter, I said to pay attention and so things would've made a little sense. A couple more surprises here, pretty predictable if you read carefully from previous chapters since Nelliel's appearance. shout out to Black cross0 for getting it on the first try, i'm sure that most put it together as well but Black cross0 typed it out for me to read. Anyway here's the chapter and the answer to why Jellal was stronger.

Hollow Zangetsu Old Man Zangetsu Regular

Chapter 49 Friend or Foe?

Ichigo, Natsu, Wendy, Hibiki, Happy and Carla watched as a pillar of black light shot out from within deep the forest. "I'm guessing that Nirvana's been unsealed." Lucy said with a look of terror and worry.

"The energy coming of that black light is like nothing we've sensed before in our world or in this world." Zangetsu said from within Ichigo's inner mind. "Ichigo the energy coming from Nirvana is messing with our senses coating everything in it's power." Old Man Zangetsu told Ichigo.

"That's...Nirvana?!" Hibiki Said with a shocked expression. "The Oracion Seis beat us to it?" Lucy said looking at the black beam. "That light...Jellal's there!" Natsu said lighting himself on fire then ran into the forest. "Jellal's here!" Lucy said watching Natsu run into the forest. Wendy started shaking and tearing up apologizing.

"Erza's vanished!" Carla said as everyone turned around to see Erza was gone. 'What! I didn't even sense her leave!' Ichigo thought to himself. "Hey king it seems that this Nirvana's blocking our senses more than we thought." Zangetsu said.

Ichigo sensed the same from the black light coming off of Wendy then Hibiki shot a small blast of energy at Wendy knocking her out and Ichigo pinned Hibiki into a tree. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Ichigo said restraining himself from grabbing Zangetsu to slice Hibiki in half.

"Calm down I have a perfectly good reason for that." Hibiki said as Ichigo started to release some spiritual pressure on top of Hibiki. "I had to do it so that Wendy wouldn't fall under Nirvana's spell." Hibiki said as Ichigo was sealing his spiritual pressure and stopped pinning him. Ichigo backed up a bit but held his scowl and was glaring at Hibiki.

"What do you mean so she wouldn't fall under Nirvana's spell?" Lucy said looking at Hibiki was trying to stand up. "I'm not meant to tell anyone this but I know what Nirvana does." Hibiki said looking at everyone. Everyone was surprised by this revelations. Ichigo scowl was replaced with surprise on his face before he changed it back to a scowl.

Somewhere at the edge of the forest moments earlier

On top of a cliff looking down into the forest holding Nirvana was a tall man standing in white clothing. He had a long sleeve white jacket outlined in black with three vertically thick black lines going down his left side, a black sash around his waist holding a green sheath on his left side with a circular guard, the hilt was a matching green color. The lower half consisted of a shihakusho, and the standard black boots. The man had spiky black hair pointing in every direction, dark green eyes with split pupils, dark tan skin and a hollow mask remnant covering his lower jaw. The remnant looked like the smaller version of a crocodiles lower jaw.

The man than heard a buzzing noise behind him and out of thin air a woman appeared before him. The woman got on one knee and bowed before him and spoke. "I have done what you asked of me, my master. Jellal Fernandes has been healed and is now powerful enough to take on Ichigo Kurosaki if needed." The woman said as she looked up and saw the man gesture for her to stand.

The woman had short bright straight red hair that reached her shoulders, a light tan skin, brown eyes, and was fairly tall, though shorter than the man. Her mask remnant was the top part of a bird's beak covering the top of her head. She wore a modified arrancar clothing. The woman's upper half consisted of a pure white skin tight sleeveless jacket that acted as a shirt, the top part of her jacket was opened revealing her hollow hole in her chest and exposed some of her modestly sized breast and a pair of simple white gloves. She had a red sash around her waist that held her grey sheath on her left side, the sword's hilt was red with a triangular guard with a spike on each corner pointing downward. Her lower half was a white shihakusho and the standard black arrancar boots.

"You have done well, thanks to your ability to take energy from any source and give that energy to anything you desire you have done well. If you don't mind me asking, from what source did you take the energy that you gave Jellal Fernandes?" The man asked the female arrancar. The man was interested in the female arrancar's power since he first met her back in Las Noches.

"I used the energy from the air, unlike the human world back in our dimension, in this world every little thing has energy in it." The female arrancar said bringing up her hand and gathering the magic energy from the air covering her hand in a blue light than dispersing the energy back into the air to prove her point.

It was hard to tell with the hollow remnant covering his mouth but the man was smiling. "This world is definitely enriched in energy, probably as much as Hueco Mundo. NO maybe even more than Hueco Mundo. This world well be mine to rule once I get rid of Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. I'm strong but with those two wondering around it'd be trouble it's a good thing that I managed to find that Vasto Lorde." The man said shocking the woman next to him.

"You managed to find and convince him? Even Aizen couldn't do that. What did you say that Aizen didn't already try?" The female arrancar said with shock on her face and in her voice. The man turned to look at her. "I merely told him that if he worked for me I would see to it that he'd be left alone unless he's needed, all he wants is to be left alone." The man said smiling again than saw the black light of Nirvana shoot into the sky.

"The power from this so called Nirvana is breathtaking. It's power like nothing I've ever felt." The man said holding out his left palm as if he were receiving a gift. "This power is incredible but not something that'll last long. After this battle it'll be destroyed. What a shame." The man said walking away from the cliff. The female arrancar was confused by his statement.

"Master what do you mean it'll destroyed after this battle?" She asked her master who didn't stop walking away. "I mean that since Ichigo Kurosaki is here, it'll more than likely be destroyed, I'm just on my way to get a front row sit." The man said before vanishing via sonido. The woman looked confused than looked at the black light and used sonido to catch up with her master.

With Ichigo present time

Ichigo was jumping from tree branch to tree branch. He was following a trail of defeated enemies from the dark guilds that worked under the Oracion Seis. He was by himself following Erza's trail while Lucy, Happy, Carla, Hibiki who was carrying an unconscious Wendy were after Natsu. He didn't want to use flash step since he couldn't sense Erza thanks to the release of Nirvana and he didn't want to speed past her if she wasn't that far ahead.

'Hey King what do you think of Nirvana's power? Honestly I think it's complete bullshit. I don't buy that this thing could switch someone from good to bad like that.' Zangetsu said from within Ichigo's inner world taking the whole thing with Nirvana as nothing but a joke. 'You may believe that it's nothing but a joke but remember we're in a world where magic exist and many things are possible because of it.' Old Man Zangetsu said watching the other half of Ichigo's powers relax like nothing's wrong.

"I don't know if Nirvana can actually change someone from being good to being evil and I don't want to personally find out. But Old Man Zangetsu's right, we're in a world where magic exist and anything could be possible. Right now we have a mission to stop Nirvana from activating at all costs." Ichigo said out loud before stopping on a tree branch.

"You sensed that too right King?" Zangetsu said with a dead serious tone. 'Yeah I sensed it for a second but it vanished faster than I could sense it.' Ichigo said mentally as to not give his position away if he wasn't sensed from what he sensed. "Nirvana's energy is blocking all energy signatures we won't be able to sense anything unless it's within close proximity." Old Man Zangetsu told Ichigo who unsheathed the huge cleaver on his back.

Before Ichigo could react he felt something slice his back drawing blood. Then he felt another slice on his arm and another on leg and several across his chest. Ichigo released his spiritual pressure to the max for a brief second allowing him to see a small part of a sword and reaction time to block the attack aimed at his head.

For a fraction of a second he was able to see a woman holding the sword. Then in the second she disappeared regeneration kicked in and he flash stepped away to get some breathing room on a nearby branch. 'What the hell?! whoever that woman was able to cut me before I could get Blut Vene active.' Ichigo said getting into his fighting stance and activating Blut Vene.

"Not only that but that bitch was able to cut through my hierro like butter. King don't fuck us over just because she's a girl, I'll increase the strength in the hierro so now she'll need a stronger swing then before to cut you." Zangetsu said smiling at himself with Ichigo's mind. "Ichigo remember Blut Vene can only be used when you're on the defensive." Old Man Zangetsu remind Ichigo of this critical information.

Ichigo jumped off the branch when he saw the swing. The woman cut the branch clean off the tree. "I can see you this time around." Ichigo said as he made a platform under his feet and jumped at the woman. The two started swinging at each other trying to see who could cut who first. Every swing the woman made cut Ichigo's shihakusho but not his skin.

The swings Ichigo delivered on the woman contacted but were shallow cuts. Ichigo was going to speed up his attacks when a voice called out. "That's enough Erika, I've seen enough of his skill." The voice said as the now revealed Erika sonidoed away from Ichigo and next to the voice. Ichigo watched but activated Blut Vene just in case.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, what a pleasure to finally meet you." The voice revealed themselves to Ichigo who was shocked to see another arrancar. "You don't know who I am but you." The man started chuckling a bit while mocking pointing a finger at Ichigo. "You my friend have quite a reputation." the man said in a mocking tone.

Ichigo gripped Zangetsu's hilt tightly. "I'm not your friend, hell I don't even know you." Ichigo said before his grip loosen and he turned around to head back in Erza's direction. "I don't have time for this crap." Ichigo said as he was about to jump onto a tree branch but had to block a sword swing from Erika with his hierro/Blut Vene enforced forearm then flash stepped away from the two arrancar.

"I'm afraid I can't let leave just yet Ichigo we have plenty to talk about." The man said looking at Ichigo with nothing but seriousness. "I told you I have nothing to talk to you about." Ichigo said holding Zangetsu on his shoulder. "I see then, this is unfortunate I didn't want to resort to this." The man as he grabbed the green hilt of his sword.

Ichigo couldn't sense either of the arrancars spirit energy but he could feel the spiritual pressure coming off the male one. Then the man shot forward at Ichigo at the two started their fight. While all this was going on Nirvana was getting closer to being released from it's prison.

AN: That's the chapter, what did you guys think? The Oracion Seis arc should be over in the next chapter if not then the chapter after. Anyway what are your ideas on the two arrancars in this chapter? Now you guys know who the traitor is, maybe not by name but here's the traitor. The answer to why Jellal was strong enough to take on Ichigo was also in this chapter with the reveal of another arrancar. The female arrancar, Erika, her powers are pretty interesting, I have plenty of things planned for her in the future, can't wait to use them. Tell what you guys think of everything that's going on with these arrancar.

How's Ichigo going to deal with the two arrancar? What's going to happen when Nirvana's released? Well Jellal be able to help the alliance? Stick around and support the story to find out.

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