A/N Here is Chapter 53, next one will be posted on Friday and it's going to be like 12k words… with that, here you go!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 53
Las Noches: Outside the Gates
Each of the remaining members of the Espada that were called to fight, in addition to Yoruichi and Risha, stood or sat outside the gates to the large white fortress, awaiting the arrival of their assumed leader.
"Grimmjow, you were with Aizen before he sent out his orders, right?" Ichigo asked, breaking the rather boring silence that kept the group at bay.
"Yeah, what of it?" Grimmjow said lazily.
"Why is this taking so long then? If Barragan has something like the Hogyoku, and he knows this, why would we waste any time?" Ichigo wondered aloud.
"While I will not question Lord Aizen's motives for delaying our departure, recent events have made it abundantly clear that Barragan has recruited several Espada-class arrancar to join in his pointless rebellion, and this makes him a threat, with or without the Hogyoku. Therefore I do believe it best for us to be expedient as well." Ulquiorra commented.
"There is no need to lose your patience my dear Espada…" A smooth-sounding voice called out as it approached.
'Finally…' Ichigo thought upon seeing the three former captains finally grace the group with their presence.
"As to why I was delayed, it was necessary to confirm my suspicions as to where our former comrades have fled. It would seem that they have headed to a remote section of Hueco Mundo, specifically the Dead Forest." Aizen continued.
Many seemed surprised at this, but predictably, both Ichigo and Yoruichi hadn't the slightest idea of what that place was or its significance. Before either could ask a question, however, a certain blind Soul Reaper opted to explain.
"The Dead Forest is an anomaly in Hueco Mundo, specifically because while the trees from the Menos Forest do not grow above ground out here in the desert, there is one area where the trees are able to thrive, making it the only thing resembling a forest above ground." Tosen explained.
"Explanations aside, I believe it necessary for us to begin with our mission." Ulquiorra stated in a serious tone of voice.
"I will lead the way." Tosen volunteered.
"Yes Kaname, that would be preferable… but it would seem that we have some added guests." Aizen commented, referring to both Risha and Yoruichi. He looked at the Primera, giving him a look that seemed to delicately request an explanation.
"They're coming too." Ichigo simply stated.
Aizen just nodded his head, not even bothering to ask him to explain why. They were short on time as it was, and any delays would only service to hold them back even more so.
The group vanished a moment later, leaving the palace in the hands of Szayel and the Privaron Espada. Whatever was to happen, however, it was certain it wasn't going to happen in Las Noches.
Hueco Mundo: Entrance to the Dead Forest
"It would seem we have arrived, Lord Aizen." Tosen stated, coming to a halt and stopping before a large array of dead-looking foliage.
What seemed incredibly odd was that a pathway was cleared towards the center. It was as if someone had recently gone to the trouble of chopping down large amounts of the trees.
'If Barragan was the one who did this, then that means what he wants us to do is obvious…' Ichigo thought. If he was skeptical before, now it was confirmed that they were walking into some kind of trap.
"It would appear that we were expected." Aizen commented.
Several people were about to ask what he had meant, but before they could ask, everyone took notice. In the air hovering at the center of the passage created by cleared trees, Barragan took his position, eyeing them with cold-lifeless eyes.
His appearance was rather different from before, and drastically so. His skin had completely vanished and was replaced by bare bones. His body was bathed in a purple cloak with a pitch-black tattered fur collar around his neck and the edges of his said cloak. Golden chains now dangled out of his armbands, a crown of the same color was placed on his head, and a pendant with a red gem at its center adorned his chest.
'This must be his Resurrección. Kind of fits him in a way.' Ichigo thought.
"Greetings my adversaries and welcome to your deaths." Barragan said cockily.
Ichigo, along with most others, scowled at the skeletal figure before them. Several made to grab their zanpakuto, but any aggressive action against the former Espada was halted when their leader chose to speak.
"Why Barragan, you seem to have taken the words right out of my mouth." Aizen replied emotionlessly.
"Hahahaha… it is not I, but you who will die here today Sosuke Aizen. You have stepped on the pride of all hollows by claiming to be their master, and those who follow you are not worthy of calling themselves arrancar, much less Espada. When you die, and after your hapless servitors follow, I will take the mantle of Hueco Mundo's king once again and cast away all who stand against me." Barragan proclaimed.
"My, my, that's quite the claim… tell me, do you really believe you are capable of stopping me, let alone all of the remaining Espada?" Aizen questioned, though his inquiry didn't seem to rattle the bone-skinned man in the slightest.
"You most likely believe that the level of strength my minions possess is what it was when they were subjugated by you… but you are incorrect, for I have liberated them and given them power greater than your pathetic Espada." Barragan stated, taking out a small blue sphere and showing it to his adversaries for emphasis.
Aizen's eyes narrowed as he saw the Hogyoku within the hands of such an inferior creature. Despite the fact he knew the small object was not fully awakened, it seemed that the arrogant hollow had found a way to use its power for his own ends.
"But I am a fair ruler, and I wish to prove a point." Barragan began.
As soon as these words left his mouth, a bright light flashed forth from the Hogyoku, so bright in fact that it momentarily blinded any who were looking. The light was gone no sooner then it came, but it was clear that something was done.
"I have taken from you the last bit of dignity you remaining Espada had. The symbol of your heritage is gone, vanished along with your ability to call yourselves hollows. You are now just as the false Primera, and while you have gained power with it, the power I have granted my subjects is far greater still. With these words, I leave you to your ultimate fate." Barragan stated before he vanished in the static buzz of sonido.
The implications of his words were far from lost to the group of arrancar. It now seemed that the powers Barragan had given to his coconspirators were that of a pure hollow. How strong a hollow the Hogyoku was capable of creating remained to be seen, but it was safe to assume they would be stronger than their former selves. At the same time, however, it seemed he had done something to the remaining Espada as well.
One by one, each of the remaining Espada checked the location of their hollow holes, each finding that it was no longer present. Many had wide eyes at what just occurred, but no one was really of the mind to examine just what this implied. The general belief was that it somehow made them more closely related to Soul Reapers in some way then to pure-hollows given what Barragan had said.
That in mind, the parting words their new adversary chose to use, and the last action he took before leaving, greatly unnerved those present.
'What the hell just happened?' Several wondered.
"Lord Aizen, I'm pretty damn sure this is a trap." Starrk stated, not at all liking their position.
He was by no means a coward, nor weak in nature. That said, when the enemy expected you, cleared a path for you, and seemed to directly challenge you upon arrival, there was good reason to be cautious.
"This is not a trap Starrk, merely a display of arrogance. Barragan was only kept in check by his hatred for me, and while I am aware that this is a miscalculation on my part, the end result will not change. He has neither the will nor the power to access the full potential of the Hogyoku, and as a result, it is entirely likely that he has vastly overestimated the powers he gave to those who follow him." Aizen began.
He began to walk forward, followed by both Gin and Tosen. Shortly thereafter, Ichigo followed, and with him came the rest, each walking down the cleared area of trees.
Towards the end of the long passageway, there came a fork in the path. There were a total of four different routes, each with a singular tree placed in front of them that had been left uncut. On each of these trees, however, there was a number carved into the bark. One had the number 8, one had the number 6, one had the number 4, and one had the numbers 1, 2, and 3.
'Well, at least I know which way he will be…' Ichigo thought, glaring slightly at the sight of the three numbers carved onto the singular tree.
"It would seem he has designated a path for each of the remaining Espada. Perhaps he predicted Szayel would not be accompanying us." Risha mused.
"It wouldn't be all that hard to do. One Espada must always remain in Las Noches, and with the rest being clear choices to fight someone of Barragan's strength, Szayel would be the obvious choice to stay. That said it doesn't look like anyone other than the Espada have been asked to take a specific path." Gin said.
"It would seem he wishes to prove that a hollow will always be superior to beings of mixed powers… that is a mistake on his part." Tosen commented.
Aizen turned to face the group of his technical subordinates, a serious expression present on his face before he spoke.
"We will end this quickly and without mercy. Your orders are as follows, kill any and all of those that you find down these passageways. Walk down the path that contains your numbers and face your opponents." Aizen stated.
"Isn't that a little bit… I don't know, stupid? I mean, he clearly has something planned so shouldn't we not do what he wants?" Lilynette mused.
"To hell with that, if Barragan wants a fight, I'll give him one." Grimmjow said confidently.
"Actually, you just made me think of something Grimmjow… what if all of these paths eventually lead to the same place? It would seem like if any of his subordinates lost, Barragan would want to deal with the winner personally." Ichigo though aloud.
"If that's the case perhaps it would be best to simply spring his little trap and thrust him into a corner." Gin mused.
"Yes, but all the same you will not be going through these passages alone. Should you need the assistance, others will accompany you. I shall go with Ulquiorra, Gin with Nelliel, and Kaname with Grimmjow. However, our two guests will have the distinguished honor of choosing their own paths." Aizen explained.
"I will go with Nel." Yoruichi said instantly.
"And I with Grimmjow." Risha stated, earning a raised brow from her technical master.
While confused as to why she would do such a thing, it was entirely possible that Risha wished to prove to him that she could handle herself. He, of course, knew she could, but at the same time he wouldn't object to something so trivial.
Aizen nodded, after which he gave the signal to move out with just a simple motion of his hand, effectively sending his subordinates off on their respective paths.
First Path: With Nelliel, Yoruichi, and Gin
"Stay close, there's no telling who or what is waiting for us down here." Tosen stated, getting a nod from both of the females he walked with.
They eyed the pathway cautiously, though nothing about it seemed to be off. It was as if this was a clear cut as it appeared in the form of a simple arranged fight.
'Is he really that committed to proving how much better hollows are?' Yoruichi wondered. Tactically, it made no sense whatsoever, and the risk to his plans failing with something like this was rather high it turned out that this was intentional.
They stopped at a clearing, a large bowl-shaped area where the trees made up the edges. It appeared as if it was an arena, and at its end was the opponent, or rather, the opponents.
The eyes of both Nel and Yoruichi widened as their eyes came to the form of the two creatures at the end.
"Nnotiora… Tesra?!" Nel exclaimed, as if not believing this was the very person she had the displeasure of knowing as well as his fraccion.
The former Espada appeared to have six arms, each holding what appeared to be a scythe. She had seen this form before, but the weapons seemed to have changed. Where the metal of the blades met the handles of the weapons, a pure white skull made itself present, the blades of which now exuding from the mouth. On top of this, his eye had become pitch black, and the sclera a dirty gold. The white substance that covered where his left eye should be was also more prominent, and the marking on it was now black instead of yellow.
The man to his right appeared shorter than the tall, lanky arrancar, but his appearance was significantly different. His body was covered in a white substance that made it seem like a thick lair of armor, and a boar-like mask with two tusks now covered his face. A sword made itself present in his hand, appearing to be a simple rapier with a chakram embedded into the blade just above the hilt. His eyes, however, were unable to be seen, unlike those of his master.
"I've been waiting for you Nelliel." Nnoitora said, a bloodthirsty grin forming on his face as he readied his weapons.
The green-haired woman narrowed her eyes and allowed a bead of sweat to fall down her face. She could feel the dark and twisted nature of her opponent's spiritual pressure, and it sickened her.
"So should I just assume that you have fallen even further and finally become the mindless beast I know you to be?" Nel asked emotionlessly, her glare still holding strong on the black-haired man.
"Hahahahahah! I simply embraced the powers that make us hollows, nothing more and nothing less. The strength and raw power our instincts and spiritual energy gives us allows us to be superior to you and those like you, and we will devour you before we take back what is rightfully ours." Nnoitora replied confidently. His words, however, caused the Sexta to narrow her eyes more so.
"I expect this kind of reckless idiocy from the likes of you, but to bring your fraccion into this… how could you even think to do so?" Nel questioned, her tone now clearly showing venom and contempt.
"Tesra is sworn to follow me, just as those idiot fraccions of your follow you. Don't try to reason with him though, he didn't respond to the transformation all too well." Nnoitora stated.
"What did you do?!" Nel demanded to know, her threatening tone causing the former Espada to chuckle from across the battlefield.
"Me? I didn't do a thing. Barragan merely gave him power, but in terms of intellectual thought, that crap you are so proud of, he isn't capable of it anymore. He is, as you would put it, just a mindless beast. Well, maybe not mindless, but a loyal beast if ever there was one." Nnoitora explained.
From her position next to Yoruichi, Nel gripped her zanpakuto firmly, calming herself since her anger at the man's point of view would make it very difficult to focus in the heat of battle. Her glare was still fixed on the six-armed man, but her eyes were now burning with determination.
"I like that look in your eyes… I can tell this will be it. Whoever wins this fight lives, and whoever loses dies, just the way it should be!" Nnoitora exclaimed joyfully.
"Tesra, make sure we are not interrupted, understood?" Nnoitora questioned, not even looking at the boar-like arrancar to his right.
The creature didn't seem to acknowledge the command in words, rather he let actions speak for himself. It disappeared in the static buzz of sonido, appearing in front of Yoruichi with his zanpakuto raised in the air and poised to slam down on her like a ton of bricks.
It, predictably, missed and did little more than succeed in shattering the ground and displacing the goddess of the flash, but just the same it gave the clear message of who was fighting who.
The two moved to a remote section of the arena-like battlefield in a blur of crashing rocks and missed attacks, subsequently giving the other two room to breathe, as it were.
"This brings back memories, doesn't it?" Nnoitora asked with fake nostalgia present in his voice.
"Yes, but this time is different. This time I cannot allow you to live, because if I do, then I will have a shadow over my head for as long as I live. I take comfort in the fact, however, that the last semblance of your moral reasoning has vanished, and I will kill you knowing that I am doing you a favor." Nel stated.
Before her opponent could even respond to this with a snide comment or a meaningless taunt, she held her zanpakuto out horizontally, an indication of what was to come.
"Declare…"
Second Path: With Grimmjow, Risha, and Tosen
"How much further until we find something I can fight?" Grimmjow complained.
"I sense we are quickly approaching a spiritual presence, therefore it should not be long now." Tosen calmly replied.
The group came into a wide open area where the tree's had been cleared out, forming some kind of arena. At the very end where the next path seemed to reveal itself, a tiny figure stood, but it didn't appear human.
"Well, well, how lovely of you to come and visit me." A voice called out.
Grimmjow released a sigh at the sound of the voice, knowing full well who it was. The short man approached a moment later, a grin etched onto his face as he eyed the group.
The man had seven tentacles coming out of his back, and a white modified Espada uniform as his clothing. His eyes, however, were clearly different from before. The sclera had become pitch black, and the irises had turned a bright pink. On top of this, an intricate pink tattoo, the same shad as that of his two irises, now made itself present around his left eye.
'Great, this clown…' Grimmjow thought.
"What's wrong Grimmjow, you don't look happy to see me for some reason… its funny really, I should be the one who is unhappy since, after all, you were the one who brought a few guests." Luppi said overdramatically.
"Tch, as if I care. If you wanted to fight me, I'll give you a fight." Grimmjow proclaimed, unsheathing his zanpakuto.
He was stopped from charging, however, upon a hand being placed on his shoulder. Turning with a surprised look, the Octava saw that it was none other than Risha who had stopped him. Surprise turned to annoyance a second later as he yanked his shoulder out of her grasp, a scowl present on his face as he looked at her.
"What the hell are you doing?" Grimmjow asked in an agitated tone.
"I merely wish to discuss a battle strategy for a moment." Risha answered, though this clearly wasn't important to the blue-haired Espada as evident by his scowl deepening.
"I've got one. I call it 'Plan A' and it's to kill him." Grimmjow stated. He made to turn away once more, but a hand on his shoulder quickly stopped him.
When he turned this time, however, the look in her eyes gave him pause. The cold look he was giving him literally made him want to shiver, but that aside, he know felt the sudden urge to listen to what she was about to say.
"I strongly advise that you listen to what I have to say." Risha "suggested", earning a slow nod from the blue-haired Espada.
"Good… it's quite simple really. I sense his power is significant and dense in nature, therefore I believe it best to take him down quickly. Create a single opening on his person, and I will end it in an instant." Risha stated.
'She seems rather confident.' Tosen thought, not choosing to say anything.
At her words, however, the current Octava grinned madly and turned his sights back to his opponent. Now wanting to waste any time in the fight, he placed his hand across the flat end of his zanpakuto, raising his spiritual pressure as he did so.
"Grind…"
Third Path: With Ulquiorra and Aizen
The two walked in predictable silence down the pathway, simply wishing to get to the end of it all and see this crisis over and done with as soon as was possible.
Two distinct differences in their thoughts were present, however. Ulquiorra was curious as to whom his opponent was going to be. That wasn't to say he was in any way worried, but curious nonetheless. If anything it was likely just to take his mind off of the fact that his hollow hole was no longer present. He wasn't quite sure how to feel or think about that just yet, and he would rather not be distracted in the face of battle.
Aizen was preoccupied with his own thoughts of how this could possibly play out. Weather things would go according to plan, however, remained to be seen.
This little event, however odd as it may seem, provided a golden opportunity for him. He would get to see, firsthand, which was stronger, the hybrids created with greater hollow powers, or the hybrids that were more closely associated with Soul Reapers.
He knew full well that there were only a handful of people that were aware of what Barragan had done, and even then he wasn't entirely sure if he was correct in his assumptions of who those individuals were.
'At the very least, this battle should show interesting results.' Aizen thought.
The two came into what appeared to be an arena, the trees cut down intentionally to form a large bowl-like area. Ulquiorra looked around the area to observe the surroundings, but the former captain merely chuckled at the bland appearance of the fighting area. It merely seemed so bland and straightforward, one of many reasons that he thought Barragan to be such an inferior being.
'But what do we have here?' Aizen wondered. He and the Cuarto simultaneously took notice of the being that was at the end of the arena-like area. Who it was would be unmistakable.
"Yammy… so am I to assume you wished to fight me?" Ulquiorra asked emotionlessly.
The figure chuckled before it walked forwards, his form now being brought into the light and allowing both of the other individuals to see. He was the same as before in size, but as far as appearances go, he was drastically different.
The hollow mask that covered his jaw was still present, but two large purplish-gray head coverings now covered his skull ridges. Red markings stemmed across his face from the sides of his eyes, and his eyes themselves now possessed black sclera with a dark purple iris. His entire body, as opposed to being covered in his usual uniform, was now covered by a white plate armor-like substance. The most curious thing about him, however, was the fact that he didn't have a zanpakuto.
"What was yer first clue Ulquiorra?" Yammy asked rhetorically.
The Cuarto narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at his former comrade. Of all the people he expected to fight, Yammy wasn't one of them. The arrancar had always followed him since the beginning, and to think he wanted to fight him was ludicrous. That in mind, nothing could or would stand in his way.
"Lord Aizen, you wish for me to end this quickly, yes?" Ulquiorra asked, ignoring his opponent's mocking question.
The stoic captain merely nodded his head in confirmation, after which the Cuarto charged at his opponent, zanpakuto at his sides and prepared to slice at him at a moment's notice.
Yammy merely smirked at this, rather eager to fight this specific opponent for some reason. This battle had started, and it would prove once and for all who was superior and who was not.
Fourth Path: With Ichigo, Starrk, Halibel, and Lilynette
The group stopped upon coming into contact with a specific section of trees that had not been cleared. It was thick, dense, and seemed to have been purposefully left alone.
This, in turn, confused everyone in the group, who just looked at it strangely before looking at one another. It made no sense for the sections of trees to be cleared for them only to have one measly section blocking their path, especially since it would take very little effort to destroy the trees in the first place.
"Why the hell would this be here?" Starrk wondered aloud, not understanding the purpose.
"Beats the hell out of me, but it isn't like we can't clear out these trees easily." Ichigo reasoned.
"Yes, but I believe we should…" Halibel said before being cut off.
The trees began to dissolve before their very eyes, a black substance eating away at them as if decaying them in some manner.
Before any of them could even move, the substance had encircled them, effectively blocking their path on all sides but leaving the group of arrancar unharmed.
"What the hell is this?" Ichigo asked as he walked up to the wall of black spiritual energy. He eyed it for a minute and intended to touch it, but a hand quickly grabbed his own and stopped him from doing so.
He turned to see that it was Halibel, who was glaring at him as if she had stopped him from doing something incredibly stupid. Before he could even ask why she had done so, however, she chose to speak.
"This energy surrounding us is a technique known as Respira. It decomposes whatever touches it and causes it to age and die. Even with your regenerative capabilities, I doubt it would be long before it consumed you completely, even after a single touch." Halibel explained.
"Also, if you do something that stupid again, or even make an attempt, there will be consequences." Halibel warned, her expression giving off her mood all too well.
'Okay… in situations like this, what would Yoruichi do?' Ichigo wondered. It always seemed like she knew how to diffuse people's anger, and in a situation where he was practically trapped in a box with her he needed a way to do so. He did, however, have an idea of how to do it.
"How can I be afraid of something so beautiful?" Ichigo asked in an honest voice, attempting to change the subject since she appeared angry. The Segunda just looked at his friend in disbelief. Even he knew what he was trying to do, which meant to someone like Halibel it had to be extremely obvious.
'There no way that would wor…' Starrk thought, only to be proven wrong.
"W-well, I wouldn't say you should be afraid, just aware." Halibel said, feeling slightly bashful upon hearing his words.
"Knowing I worried you is punishment enough." Ichigo added, only adding to the bond's embarrassment.
"Ichigo… t-this is hardly the time or the place for such words." Halibel said, avoiding eye contact with the Primera.
'I don't believe it… no, I really, really don't believe it…' Starrk thought.
"Anyway… so is there a way out of this?" Ichigo asked, speaking to no one in particular.
The looks the other three were giving him serviced at his answer, and that made him scowl. It was now rather apparent that they had been lead into a trap, and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
'He must've assumed we'd go in head first, calling his bluff. That aside, I can sense the others fighting… which means…' Ichigo thought. His eyes widened in anger a moment later and his hands balled into fists, shaking slightly at the implications of their current situation.
"Dammit!" Ichigo exclaimed, realizing his strategic misstep. In their current situation, they weren't able to interfere with the others' fights, be that for better or for worse.
Starrk looked at him strangely at the outburst, as did Lilynette, but the Tercera placed a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him down. She knew very well what was going through his head as it was the same thing that was going through hers, the only difference being that she wasn't quite as emotionally connected to those in danger.
"Ichigo, you need to have faith in them. I have no doubt they will prevail, and even without the three of us in battle, they are more than capable of defeating Barragan's forces." Halibel said calmly, trying her best to keep him from doing anything stupid.
The man she had addressed gave off a heavy sigh before sitting down on the forest floor, shutting his eyes in an attempt to calm himself. The others did much the same thing, whether out of boredom or simply to reflect on their current situation. One thing was certain, though, and that was the cold hard fact that they would have to stand by and rely on their comrades to win.
First Path: Nelliel vs Nnoitora
"Declare, Gamuza!" Nel exclaimed.
An explosion of spiritual pressure surrounded her, pink in color, and colossal in magnitude. The former Espada stood across the battlefield, slightly surprised by the amount of energy.
'I guess it had been a while since I've gotten her to fight me in that form… even so, she might actually put up a challenge.' Nnoitora thought as the energy began to dissipate.
He smirked wickedly at the sight of her form, though he didn't pay any particular interest to her direct appearance. The white armor-like substance that adorned her upper body and the lance she held in her hand were nothing compared to the look in her eyes, the same fiery look he coveted so much to see in the heat of battle. He didn't know what he did to piss her off to this extent, but he could care less.
"Prepare to die, Nnoitora." Nel said emotionlessly, bringing her lance to bear.
'That's the attitude I want!' Nnoitora thought excitedly. He could no longer contain his patience, and he charged directly at the green-haired woman with everything he had.
Nel responded in kind, aiming her lance directly at the center of his heart, or where is should be anyway. However, she quickly narrowed her eyes at the realization that this impending clash had only one possible outcome the way it was going.
At this rate, she would lose her head, and he would have a hold in his chest that would kill him within an instant. That in mind, her life was by no means disposable, and that meant she would have to settle for getting any little bit of damage she could.
The two met at the center, clashing briefly before speeding past one another and ending up on the opposite sides of the arena. Each then turned to face one another, a glare fixed on Nel's features and the same infuriating smirk still evident in that of Nnoitora's.
As if on cue, the two charged at each other yet again, though this time upon meeting at the center their confrontation lasted a good bit longer.
'The fact that he has those six weapons is giving him an advantage since my own is designed to be offensively oriented. Despite this, he can easily force me to go on the defensive at close range, which means I need a plan to beat him back.' Nel thought as she blocked his repeated attacks.
The two came to a standstill, Nnoitora having brought all six of his weapons to attack the bubbly woman in one fell swoop. Their weapons locked in-between the two, each simply giving the other the same look they had been throughout the entire battle thus far.
"I think I've given you enough time to warm up." Nnoitora stated.
His spiritual pressure began to rise, and his smirk increased in size. More and more force began to be applied to his weapons, so much so that Nel's own weapon began to shake under the pressure.
Abruptly, a dark energy began to cover the surface of the scythes, being black with a yellow outlining. All it took was one final push with all six of his scythes and the former Espada sent his opponent flying across the battlefield, hitting the dirt every so often until she regained his balance.
"Damn…" Nel groaned out, having felt the full force of her opponents pervious attack.
'I was careless… I underestimated him… and above all else, I walked right into his trap.' Nel thought.
She knew full well this fight couldn't be won by her at close range given that if she fought like she had been it would end in her head being severed from her body. Yet despite knowing this, she allowed herself to be goaded, and that was a critical mistake.
'If I'm going to have a chance at ending this, I will need to do so in one strike… the moment I have an opening, the moment he lets his guard down, I will give him everything I've got.' Nel thought.
With Yoruichi
"AAAAAA!" The hollow boar-like creature shouted, lunging at the goddess once again in an attempt to simply squash her.
"This thing just doesn't give up." Yoruichi groaned out in an annoyed tone, leaping back into the air above to get a better vantage point.
She landed a good distance across from her opponent while the hollow itself was just bringing its first out of the ground before it seemed to stare back at the purple-haired former captain. She, in turn, eyed it, but wasn't quite sure if it was going to make a move again.
'If he goes for the same move again, I can easily just counter and send him flying.' Yoruichi thought.
As if on cue, the boar-like creature lunged at her, but unlike previously, the golden-eyed woman simply flipped herself up into the air, dodging the strike of her opponent's fist before bringing her foot down onto his shoulder as fast and as powerfully as she was able.
The hollow hit the ground in an instant, creating a sizeable hole in the ground far greater than any of those that he himself had created in his previous attacks. Despite this, however, it quickly got back up, not even appearing phased in the slightest.
Yoruichi's eyes widened at this, both because her attack didn't seem to do anything, and because her opponent, for the first time thus far, had chosen to swing his zanpakuto directly at her.
She vanished in the blur of flash step with time to spare, easily dodging the attempted slice at her abdomen. The purple-haired goddess stared at the hollow with a fixed glare, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.
'I held nothing back with that kick, and he didn't even seem to be phased. Maybe his hierro has a weak point.' Yoruichi thought.
The white armor-like substance her opponent was wearing seemed to be concentrated in the area of his shoulders, legs, and arms. Surprisingly, it seemed that his abdomen and head were the weakest points of his hierro.
Not even giving it a second thought, Yoruichi disappeared in the blur of flash step, appearing in front of her opponent a moment later with a clear intent to drive a hole through his chest with her fist.
To her surprise, however, the beast made no attempt to attack her with its zanpakuto as she had predicted, rather it simply brought up the sword, positioning the open ring-like section in front of where her fist was aimed.
'What?' Yoruichi thought out of shock, her fist connecting with a yellow barrier of spiritual energy.
She jumped backwards a moment later, not wanting to allow for a counterattack and instead taking the change to reassess her current situation.
'So that zanpakuto has the power to form a barrier that can block physical attacks… how annoying.' Yoruichi thought, only for her eyes to widen as she felt a spike of energy from her friend's battle.
She could sense that Nel's opponent had decided to take it up a notch, and that meant she needed to wrap this up quick. How she would do that, she didn't quite know yet, but she knew it would have to happen soon.
Second Path: Grimmjow vs. Luppi
"Grind, Pantera!" Grimmjow exclaimed.
In the wake of the subsequent eruption of spiritual energy, the multi-armed arrancar across the battlefield let out a bored yawn.
"You know Grimmjow, I expected this to be…" Luppi began.
He was cut off, however, in the form of his opponent lunging at him right out of the gate, his claws prepared to strike and a rather excited grin on his face.
Luppi's eyes widened slightly at this, but nonetheless he was easily prepared. He brought up his multiple appendages and began to smack at Grimmjow as he approached.
Much to his frustration, each attack he through at the blue-haired arrancar missed its mark, allowing him to fly closer and closer to his position.
'I've got him!' Grimmjow thought, counting all seven tentacle-arms having flown past him.
He was proved wrong, however, a moment later upon Luppi extending his right hand and pointing it at his opponent.
At the same time as a smirk formed on his lips, a pink cero formed in front of his extended hand. It fired off a shortly thereafter, forcing Grimmjow into the air so as to dodge the attack.
"I've got you now!" Luppi exclaimed, bringing all seven of his tentacles to strike his opponent simultaneously.
Much to his credit, Grimmjow sliced several of the appendages before he was launched across the battlefield by the remaining number thereof.
He easily got up from his position a moment later, smirking at the sight of almost half the appendages being damaged.
"Why do you appear so pleased with yourself? I sent you flying across our little battlefield with relative ease, so you really shouldn't seem so smug." Luppi chided, a taunting grin present on his face.
"Heh, it's because of the fact that you seem to be missing a few of your creepy ass limbs." Grimmjow shot back.
His opponent smirked at his words, a moment after which the appendages began to heal before the eyes of everyone present.
A white substance covered the area where the extended limbs had been cut, after which the missing sections burst forth as if nothing had ever happened.
"You mean these?" Luppi taunted, causing his opponent to scowl.
'Damn… if I can get close enough I know I could run that bastard through, but I don't think he'd let me do that. Maybe it'd just be much easier to create that opening I was told… I mean, asked to make.' Grimmjow thought.
Third Path: Ulquiorra vs. Yammy
"Come on Ulquiorra, I know ya can do better than that!" Yammy bellowed, sending his fist directly into the ground where his opponent stood.
The Cuarto easily dodged the move by jumping up into the air in an almost careless fashion. As soon as he was in position, he sliced directly through his opponent's armor with little effort, causing blood to spill on the ground below.
In a fit of pure instinctual reaction, Yammy began to flail about, trying to slam his opponent with his fists, rather confident that his raw strength made it so that only one hit would be needed.
As was to be expected, each attack missed, and each came with a price. The green-eyed Espada would gracefully doge the attacks before delivering a slash across Yammy's body, resulting in multiple injuries on the part of the former Decimo and not a scratch to Ulquiorra himself.
When all was said and done, a myriad of gashes and cuts could be seen all over the body of the large ogre-like hollow. The Cuarto merely landed a decent length in front of his opponent, his eyes as careless as ever and giving off the appearance that he didn't quite care about this fight thus far.
"Damn…" Yammy huffed.
"Don't be so surprised, Yammy. Your brute strength isn't even enough to harm me should I attack you head on, and yet you seem to expect that if you were to hit me but one time I would be finished… I will show you how incorrect you really are." Ulquiorra stated.
He used sonido to appear directly in front of his opponent a moment later, looking up at him and simply waiting for a reaction. It just didn't seem fair to strike a creature when it didn't see the attack coming.
"Now die!" Yammy roared, sending his fist down at the green-eyed Espada.
Much to his surprised, his attack was stopped by the zanpakuto of his opponent. The flat end of the blade easily seemed to stop his fist, but that wasn't the real danger of what had happened.
The eyes of the former Decimo widened as he saw his opponent outstretch his left hand, a green cero forming at the tip of his index finger.
"Ulquiorra, you bast…" Yammy began, only to be cut off as the attack was wordlessly fired at point blank range.
A torrent of green seemed to cover the area in front of Ulquiorra, after which he eyed the currently battered and beaten form of his opponent with a look of almost undetectable interest.
"Yammy, if you were to surrender now I am positive your death will be much less painful." Ulquiorra reasoned.
He was met, however, with a rather boisterous bout of laughter on the part of his opponent. Yammy got up a second later, his burnt and bloody body giving off the appearance that his doing so was only a gesture of defiance.
"You think I'd go down to you so easily?" Yammy asked rhetorically.
Red spiritual energy began to encircle the ogre-like arrancar, during which time the wounds on his body seemed to heal almost instantaneously.
'That's not possible… his spiritual energy is… rising?' Ulquiorra wondered.
His eyes widened in shock at what occurred next. Directly where the arrancar's stomach should supposedly have been, another hollow hole began to make itself present, and with it the spiritual energy of the owner rose drastically.
'A second hollow hole? How is such a thing possible?' Ulquiorra wondered.
By the time the energy had died down and the hollow hole was complete, the power level of Yammy had stabilized. It was significantly greater then prior, but it was no longer increasing at a colossal rate, giving a clear explanation as to why the spike occurred.
'It would seem that Yammy has gained the ability to seal away great amounts of spiritual energy and then release them by summoning forth another hollow hole. It shouldn't be possible, and yet that appears to be the case.' Aizen thought from his position as an observer.
'His spiritual pressure is greater than my own in my current state. Therefore, I do not believe staying at my current level will be of any benefit.' Ulquiorra thought.
"Told ya this fight isn't over." Yammy stated confidently.
The Cuarto made no direct reply, rather he merely saw the situation for what it was. He held out his sword, pointing it at his opponent so as to indicate what he was about to do.
"Enclose…"
A/N Again, next chapter will be posted on Friday and it will be rather lengthy given how I chose to separate the next few chapters. Also, I will add that there won't be an explanations section this chapter and there will be one Friday, in which I will post the idea for my next story so you guys have a heads up. Still don't know if you want to hear it or if you'd want it to be a surprise, let me know!
Reviews:
Iskander06: No, absolutely no time travel in this fic or its sequel.
darkmachines: They live, by the way, as in Barragan's fraccion.
rm928: Well… to be honest, I just kind of write once a day for an hour and if I can't make a certain day I just say this day will be skipped. This can mean that I can be as much as, I think at one point I was like 3 chapters ahead, so yeah. The one thing I don't do as well as I could on is the proofreading, but that is mostly me being lazy xD.
Tahaku: They will be more emphasized in the sequel since I don't really have a role for them and I hate adding random stuff in like that if I don't do anything with it in the future. As for Orihime, yeah I will probably add her…
Krazyfanfiction1: I will clarify this since it is confusing. He can charge three at a time, but he can only dispel one at a time. He can hold the energy and combine it, but firing off three cero blasts is not something he can do. The sonido technique he uses is a distribution of the cero blast from multiple angles but the power is reduced and evenly distributed at each angle. Hope this helps clear things up a bit.
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Gin and Tosen… not telling :P, but I do know what will happen to them.
Akuma-Heika: His second release will be greater than Yamamoto's Shikai, but his Bankai is like super ridiculous so I won't say it's as strong as that. As to why the arrancar have spirits, it's more along the lines of their Soul Reaper and hollow powers are manifested within their souls in the form of a spirit, which would some make sense given that Ichigo's inner hollow ended up being his zanpakuto and also the aspect of his hollow and Soul Reaper powers. The reasoning behind that is the Second Release, which in this story has to do with an inner spirit. So kinda like how a Soul Reaper gets Bankai by communicating with their zanpakuto, an arrancar can access this form by sensing their inner spirit. The issue is, obviously, that it's a great deal harder for an arrancar to find something that would resemble the inner spirit of their zanpakuto. The reason I implied as to why Ulquiorra has it was because of the fact that his aspect of death is emptiness, so it only makes sense that he would want to know if he was really "hollow" or not. To me, it made sense, but it is up to your digression.
Graveyard449: Risha is about as strong, if not stronger, then Halibel. They are both strong in different ways so it kind of evens out, but if pressed I would give her a slight edge. There is a reason for that though, and she does play a role in the sequel, but more on that at a much, much later date. Ichigo is a perfect hybrid, yes, or at least he almost is… right now, he is almost there. The number of arrancar that will get a second release in this story are three in total, and that is including Ichigo. Inspiration… I dunno, wish I had a better answer. To be honest I just kind of got it and then went with it, hope that makes sense xD.
