A/N Well, her is Chapter 54 and it is nearly 17k words, probably the longest chapter I've written so far! So, enjoy…
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, or any of its characters, and I make no money off of this.
Chapter 54
First Path: Nel vs. Nnoitora
After what seemed like the umpteenth time of charging and subsequently clashing with one another, both adversaries came to a halt across from one another in the same pattern as they had previously.
"Seems you still don't really have the guts to die, even if it means taking me with you." Nnoitora stated cockily, though the look of his opponent didn't seem to change as a result.
"Still keeping up that infuriating expression as per usual… actually, I would prefer you keep that look for the duration of this battle. That emotionless visage… ha! Don't make me laugh, because I know… I know it's nothing more than the look of a coward denying the truth of what I say." Nnoitora continued.
"You would call me a coward because I decided not to end your life and my own at the same time?" Nel asked emotionlessly, her inquiry causing the former Espada to scowl.
"Tch, of course that's what I'm saying you idiot! You don't seem to understand that I've given you the same opportunity over and over again. I've allowed you to have that one opening, knowing that you'll die if you take it and knowing I'll die as well. It really just goes to show how much of a coward you are." Nnoitora replied.
From across the battlefield, the Sexta frowned, a rather noticeable difference from the light scowl she had dawned since the beginning of the confrontation.
"So then your definition of not being a coward is the willingness to needlessly throw one's life away in the heat of battle? That is stupidity at its finest, which is why it in no way surprises me you are of that opinion." Nel stated, her tone containing a hint of venom for the first time since the two began fighting.
"Clearly you don't understand, so I guess I'll explain it to you… the reason I know you are a coward is because you're not willing to do whatever it takes to defeat your enemy. Every warrior should fight in this way, and any that do not aren't worthy of the tittle, and a warrior unworthy of the tittle is a coward, plain and simple." Nnoitora explained.
"I do not view my life as disposable. There are people I value, and I will live on for their sake. Even if I am to die, it will be protecting them, not simply to end the likes of you." Nel replied. Her opponent began to laugh at her words, though weather it was mocking or because he found it to be genuinely funny was hard to tell.
"You're talking about that Soul Reaper brat and your two fraccion, aren't you? That doesn't even make any sense you idiot! You'd die protecting them? Really, that's just the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Nnoitora exclaimed.
Nel's eyes narrowed at the, still laughing, form of Nnoitora. He seemed to think highly of himself, and if what he allowed to happen to his fraccion was any indication, then he really did believe what he was saying.
'I almost pity him in a way… but even so, I won't… no, I can't allow myself lose to him.' Nel thought.
"Nnoitora… do believe that you are stronger than me simply because you fight the way you do?" Nel abruptly questioned, instantly breaking said former-Espada out of his laughter.
"What kind of a stupid question is that? Of course I think my reasoning makes me stronger. My willingness to do whatever it takes to defeat you is what has allowed me to come this far, and even after I kill you I will continue to grow stronger until I die a perfect death." Nnoitora replied in a serious tone, though it possessed a slight edge.
"Then with this next attack, we will prove once and for all who is stronger." Nel stated emotionlessly.
She brought her lance up, giving off the impression she was about to throw it at her opponent in a fashion that he had seen before. Her spiritual pressure began to rise, so much so that a violet aura of energy began to lightly surge around her body.
At her challenge, however, Nnoitora gave off a grin the likes of which could rival Gin's. Shortly thereafter, he brought up his six scythes, staring down his opponent with a glint in his eyes.
"Bring it on you pathetic excuse for a hollow!" Nnoitora exclaimed.
'He's falling for it… now I just have to hope this works.' Nel thought.
She shut her eyes a second later, focusing energy into her weapon and trying her best to pour in enough power so that it would run her opponent through.
The lance began to glow with black spiritual energy, a violet outline making itself apparent. She pulled the lance back, not taking her eyes off of the former Espada before her, and without hesitation, uttered what she hoped to be the final words her opponent would ever hear.
"Lanzador Oscuras!" Nel exclaimed, thrusting the energy-coated lance directly at her opponent.
The vortex of energy began to spin as it tore through the air, leaving behind a massive amount of energy in the shape of an enormous wave with its central point headed directly towards Nnoitora.
'This attack is strong… bit I'm stronger… I refuse to lose to the likes of her…' Nnoitora thought as the attack approached. He began to pour his own spiritual energy into his multiple weapons, one hundred percent confident his defeat was an impossibility.
"I WILL WIN!" Nnoitora roared defiantly, dead set on taking the attack head on.
He brought his scythes towards the weapon as soon as it was close enough, focusing them on the energy-coated lance that was currently raging towards him.
The last thing Nel could see was the lance connecting with the weapons of her opponent, after which a colossal wave of black violet-laced spiral energy erupting from the point of impact.
With Yoruichi
'What the hell?' Yoruichi wondered out of surprise, seeing the large explosion of the spiritual energy with her own two eyes.
Her head jerked to the explosion, somewhat amazed that someone like Nel could cause so much destruction.
However, she was quickly reminded that she didn't have the luxury to take her eyes off of her opponent a moment later, as illustrated by the attempted beheading she then became the target of.
She ducked under the blade before delivering a kick to the beast's side, using enough power to send it falling and spinning randomly across the battlefield.
'Damn cow…' Yoruichi thought, seeing the hollow stand back up as energized as ever.
"You're really starting to piss me off… and trust me when I say that isn't a good thing." Yoruichi stated, though her opponent didn't seem to understand what she had said.
Releasing a tired sigh, Yoruichi brought up her right hand and held it out to her side, clenching her fist before a large amount of white spiritual energy surrounded her body.
Static energy shot out from her shoulders, a determined look evident in her eyes as she stared down the boar-like hollow.
A moment later, she leaped towards it, her fist prepared to strike directly at the center of the creature's chest.
Just as she had expected, her opponent brought it's sword up, positioning the unsolidified circle above the hilt in a way that suggested he had the intent of blocking this attack just as he had her previous punches. That was a mistake it wouldn't live to regret.
The yellow energy solidified, forming the solid circle that had previously deflected any physical attacks. This time, however, it didn't even stand a chance.
Upon Yoruichi's shunko-reinforced fist coming into contact with the defensive barrier, the energy, the zanpakuto, and a good portion of the hollow's body instantaneously shattered.
It fell to the ground a moment later, a large hole now present at the center of his chest. At least, that was where it was primarily located. In total, it seemed to extend to its middle abdomen and stop at the bottom of his neck.
Not bothering to examine the remains of what seemed to be a mindless beast, she began to walk towards her friend, and also to what she hoped was a now finished battle.
With Nel
The javelin-like weapon of her Resurrección returned to her after delivering the blow, though weather or not it could be classified as a finishing blow remained to be seen.
She could sense and see no motion from within the cloud of smoke, but that didn't necessarily mean this was over.
'If he hasn't made a move yet… he should be down for good.' Nel thought.
The abrupt sound of approaching footsteps broke her out of her thoughts and allowed her to take her eyes off of the area her attack connected. She turned to face Yoruichi, after which she released a sigh of relief upon seeing her friend alive and well.
"Nel, are you alright? Is it over?" Yoruichi questioned upon coming to a halt in front of the green-haired Espada.
"I don't know… I think so, but I can't be certain until the smoke clears." Nel replied.
Both females looked back at the cloud of smoke, which had started to fade significantly at this point. After several subsequent moments, they started to see the form of the silhouette of the former Espada, though he was no longer standing.
Nel's eyes narrowed slightly, considering she half expected there to be nothing left of him after that attack, but her annoyance with that fact faded a second later as the smoke finally disappeared.
From his position on his knees, Nnoitora's weapons were shattered, his arms grasped the ground of the forest's floor, and a large hold made itself apparent through his chest.
"How could I… lose… t-to you…" Nnoitora said in a low voice, as if it took a great deal of effort to say these words.
"You lost because you fought against someone who has a reason to fight. True strength doesn't come from raw power and the willingness to kill or be killed, it comes from purpose, and when you became what you are now, you lost any ability to have a purpose." Nel explained in an emotionless voice, staring down the former Espada who knelt across the battlefield.
"You… i-idiot… I knew why I fought… I told you once before… I w-wanted to die… to die gloriously in battle." Nnoitora replied.
The black color of his sclera had faded and his singular visible eye returned to normal, after which a black dust began to seep from his body as it began to fade away. He could feel the last remnant of his energy leaving him as the dust began to fly into the wind, and that's how he knew his death was near.
His wish was to go down in glory on the battlefield, and he believed he got that wish here and now. He wasn't all too comfortable to die at the hands of a woman, and the person he hated more than anyone else in the entire universe no less, but it seemed that despite all that he had said, despite all that he had thought, the green-haired woman inadvertently granted his one wish.
'Of all the people I expected to grant me that wish, I never thought it would be you. Truth be told, I wanted you dead… still want you dead, but in the end, I guess my final thoughts towards you should be this… thank you.' Nnoitora thought before he faded away into oblivion.
Nel stared as the dust was absorbed into the air, eying it dispassionately before she finally felt a sense of relief that it was over. Perhaps dealing with Barragan wasn't, but she no longer had to worry about Nnoitora's grudge. She no longer had to live with the ever-present worry that he would try something. No, on this day that came to an end, and she took solace knowing that somehow he seemed to have found his peace in death.
"It's finally over…" Nel breathed out, closing her eyes and dropping her release form a moment later.
She sheathed her zanpakuto once again before turning to face the purple-haired woman, who currently had a serious expression on her face.
"You did the right thing Nel." Yoruichi reassured, knowing how the Sexta felt towards killing.
"I know Yoruichi… I know." Nel replied.
Before either could say anything else, however, the distinct sound of a hollow's roar sounded off, a very much so alive hollow. Both turned with wide eyes to see the warped form of Tesra charging them in a blind rage, though his body was not in the shape it should have been, specifically due to the lack of a hole in his body.
'That wound healed?!' Yoruichi thought out of disbelief.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The creature roared as it charged the two.
Nel and Yoruichi prepared to deal with the seemingly mindless hollow, but not even a moment later they found that to be unnecessary.
The beast stopped dead in its tracks, any semblance of life leaving its eyes as a zanpakuto pierced directly through his head, through and through. It seemed to have hit something in his brain causing instant death, but that still left the matter of who it was that dealt the finishing blow.
"Sorry about that…" A jovial voice apologized from a distance. The blade retracted a great distance a moment later, allowing the boar-like hollow to fall face first into the ground, dust surrounding the wound as he too began to fade away.
Gin began to walk up to the two females, a grin on his face as she sheathed his zanpakuto. Both appeared rather confused as to why he did this, and with good reason.
"You do know we could have taken him down, right?" Yoruichi asked, though her question made it sound as if she were demanding to know why he had just done what he did.
The teal-haired man chuckled before shrugging off the question in a nonchalant manner, much to the annoyance of both women present.
"What can I say? I guess I didn't really want to take the risk of allowing either of you two to be hurt, because if that happened I don't think Ichigo could find it in his little black heart to forgive me." Gin said jokingly, though his words made those in his presence scowl.
"Ichigo's heart is not black. Say that again and you'll find out how Tesra felt a few moments ago." Nel said in a tone that possessed a slight edge.
"My, my, so testy… if it will make you feel any better I suppose I take it back." Gin mused, holding his hands up defensively.
"Why would Ichigo's forgiveness matter to you, by the way?" Yoruichi asked with a raised brow, her question instantly catching the attention of the Sexta as well.
In response to this, the former captain just grinned madly before releasing a slight chuckle. He leaned forward in a cheeky manner, after which he spoke once more.
"Oh well that's quite simple really… in fact, I think it best I tell you why so that you can, let's say, relay this information." Gin began cryptically.
Second Path: Grimmjow vs. Luppi
'Damn annoying ass bastard.' Grimmjow thought, dodging another barrage of the tentacles his opponent sent at him.
Fighting against Luppi was becoming incredibly annoying, especially considering their fighting styles were very different.
Grimmjow relied heavily on his offensive capabilities while Luppi was capable of shutting said capabilities down with the multiple appendages extending from his back. What was even more annoying than the style differential was the fact that the effeminate arrancar seemed to be toying with him, just making him move around while he effortlessly tried to take him down by use of his limb advantage.
'I've had enough of this…' Grimmjow thought after dodging another wave of smacks from Luppi's tentacles.
"You're rather good at running away Grimmjow, but do you mind if I ask that you hurry up and die already?" Luppi asked mockingly.
The Octava's eyes narrowed and his lips became fixed in a scowl. He use sonido to appear away from Luppi's concentrated attacks a moment later, his elbow now pointed at his opponent.
Several green crystalline darts shot out of his arm, each heading towards his opponent. Luppi quickly brought his appendages down to smack them out of the sky, but unfortunately for him, intercepting the dart-like projectiles cost him greatly.
For each of the attacks that had been fired, an arm was torn at the point of impact. In total, only two of the seven extensions he possessed were left, and that gave Grimmjow an opening.
Smirking, he used sonido to appear in the air, his sights set on Luppi and a predatory look coming into his eyes. His claws began to glow with light blue spiritual energy, a moment after which the energy shot backwards into the air, forming a total of ten sharp blades of spiritual energy.
"Desgarron." Grimmjow uttered.
He brought his claws back, prepared to thrust the energy blades at his opponent and to end this battle. Luppi, in a stroke of luck rather than skill, managed to regenerate his limbs moments before the attack was fired.
The appendages began to glow with spiritual pressure, as did the entire form of Luppi in an attempt to block the attack with his own brute strength.
Truth be told, he didn't have very many options given the fact that he knew if he hadn't done this and fast, the likelihood was that Grimmjow's attack would tear through his tentacles and head straight for his body, which would wound him considerably and leave him vulnerable, both of which were not preferable.
Luppi's arms began to spin around in a pattern that shielded his body from the ten beams of spiritual energy his opponent had fired at him in an attempt to counter the wide area it was likely to cover.
The extended limbs of Luppi clashed with Grimmjow's attack a moment later, after which the arms, despite their increased durability courtesy of spiritual energy, shattered and tore under the pressure.
This, however, came with the added advantage of disabling the attack and rendering it overall ineffective.
"Guess it's better to be lucky than good sometimes." Grimmjow commented from his position in the air.
"Why is it that you're not attacking?" Luppi asked confusedly, not seeing the logic in leaving him alone to regenerate his limbs.
"Tch, as if I'd need a weakling like you to be defenseless before I can kill you." Grimmjow scoffed, his words causing a great deal of anger to build up in his opponent.
"So I'm weak am I?!" Luppi exclaimed.
The tentacles were able to regenerate a moment later, after which Luppi sent them in a blind furry at his opponent, all seven in total.
'Hook, line, and sinker.' Grimmjow thought, allowing a satisfied smirk to take place on his features.
'Why is he smirking like that?' Luppi wondered.
He got his answer a moment later in the form of a woman appearing directly in front of him with her zanpakuto raised in the air and a chilling glare aimed directly at him. His eyes widened significantly and a bead of sweat dropped from his forehead, having realized that this was likely the end. All seven of his limbs were aimed at Grimmjow, and he had taken his focus off of the other two that had accompanied the Octava to this battle.
"But when did you…" Luppi began.
Before he could even finish his question, the blade came crashing down, slicing him cleanly in half down his body. The two halves fell to the ground in a sideways manner, quickly vanishing into dust and unable to even make contact with the ground.
Risha sheathed her blade a moment later before looking back at her fellow arrancar and the blind former captain that had accompanied them. The Octava was no longer in his release form, and both individuals were currently walking towards her.
"Took you long enough to do something." Grimmjow complained, having grown rather bored of fighting Luppi. He preferred sword to sword combat, or at the very least some kind of actual weapon.
"I apologize for the wait, but I do not take orders from you and up until this point I saw nothing but insufficient openings." Risha explained.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, at least you got the job done… but I gotta say though, I can see why your Ichigo's only fraccion, I wish mine could move half as well as that." Grimmjow said, deciding to compliment her abilities on account that he was slightly impressed.
"Do me a favor and tell that to him." Risha stated in a bitter tone, a slight frown evident on her face.
"Meaning…" Grimmjow trailed off with a raise brow, wanting some form of elaboration.
"Nothing! I meant nothing!" Risha exclaimed quickly. She cleared her throat a moment later, regaining her composure in the face of her mild embarrassment for having said something she hadn't meant to.
"I believe it best that we continue on to our objective… Barragan is likely waiting at the end of this passageway." Tosen stated.
The group began to walk towards the end of the arena, but something had been gnawing at Risha's mind since the blind man spoke.
"Are Ichigo and the others engaging him in combat?" Risha asked, a hint of worry evident in her tone. Her own sense were unable to pick up anything, and she merely hoped that given the blind man's pension for sensing spiritual energy, he would be able to do so.
"The spiritual energy I am sensing is clouded. Weather this is because the Hogyoku is within Barragan's position or for a different reason I do not know, but needless to say I am unable to feel if the signature is in combat at the moment." Tosen replied.
The black-haired fraccion frowned at this but said nothing and continued to walk. She was, however, mildly surprised that the other member of their group chose to speak.
"Hey, don't worry about Ichigo… kid can handle himself just fine. Actually, I'd be worried for Barragan's hide right about now." Grimmjow said as delicately as he was able, which wasn't very delicate but it's the thought that counts.
Risha dropped her frown in place of a small smile, nodding her head given that she knew those words to be true. If ever there was a person that deserved her faith, it was Ichigo.
"One more thing, never tell him I said that, I've got an image to uphold." Grimmjow added.
Weather it was intended to be a joke or not, Risha let loose a light chuckle, as did the former captain that lead them down their current path. The Octava, however, just released a light growl at that. It seemed it wasn't meant to be a joke.
Third Path: Ulquiorra vs. Yammy
"Enclose, Murcielago." Ulquiorra uttered.
A torrent of black, green-laced spiritual energy shot into the sky and subsequently fell down onto the ground a moment later.
Yammy smirked upon seeing that appearance. Even if he would never verbally admit it, he respected Ulquiorra's strength a great deal, and if ever he was going to win against him, this is the form he wanted to beat.
Oddly enough, the first thing Ulquiorra did upon entering his released form was look down at his chest, searching for the hollow hole that once adorned his body. In its place was simple a solid black circular imprint on his skin. It seemed to resemble his hollow hole, but upon bringing his hand up and feeling the touch of his hands on the skin, he knew it wasn't.
Emotionlessly, he looked back at Yammy, who was grinning in a way that illustrated his happiness. He didn't know why that would be the case, especially since this form would likely be the last thing his opponent would see before meeting his end.
"You seem rather happy Yammy… but I must ask why that is? Surely you know that at my current level I am stronger then you are." Ulquiorra pointed out.
"Tch, we'll see about that." Yammy scoffed.
He opened his mouth a second later, charging a crimson cero in it and aiming it directly at the Cuarto.
The green-eyed Espada looked rather unimpressed, or perhaps disappointed was the proper word. He made no move to get out of the way, instead allowing the doom blast to wash over his body.
The mass of red energy swirled around his form for a brief period of time, after which he dispelled it with a simple extension of his wings, allowing the remaining bits of spiritual pressure to flow away in the air around him before fading completely.
"In what possible way did you that that would work?" Ulquiorra asked rhetorically.
"Shut up!" Yammy roared, repeating his former attack yet again by opening his mouth and charging another doom blast.
The Cuarto actually released a sigh at this, though once again he had yet to move. The end result was exactly the same as it was before, only after the energy was dispelled, the ogre-like former Espada began to thrust his fists forward, launching a series of crimson bala at his opponent in a fit of anger.
'He really needs to work on his aim.' Ulquiorra thought impassively, looking to his left and right as the first several of the attacks succeeded in doing nothing more than hitting the ground around him.
The series of attacks continued for several moments, up until the point that Ulquiorra's body was completely concealed in a cloud of smoke and dust, the sight of which caused the former Decimo to smirk.
"How do ya like that huh? Not so tough now, are ya?!" Yammy bellowed triumphantly, believing his former comrade to have been at least mildly wounded. Not even he was stupid enough to think that had won him this fight. However, his assumption was proven completely wrong upon the smoke clearing and showing his opponent to be absolutely unharmed.
"Was that supposed to accomplish something?" Ulquiorra asked, genuinely wondering if his opponent though this was the case.
"Gh!" Yammy grunted, highly annoyed at the result, or rather lack thereof, of his attacks.
"Perhaps it is best that I show you the difference in our strengths." Ulquiorra mused. He brought his right hand up and pointed it at Yammy, his extended index finger and the small orb of black, green-laced spiritual energy at its tip serving to illustrate his intent.
"Don't get too cocky!" Yammy roared, charging his opponent with his fists prepared to smash his opponent to smithereens.
His words didn't even faze the Cuarto in the slightest. He merely eyed down his former comrade and spoke the two words that wound send him flying across the battlefield.
"Cero Oscuaras." Ulquiorra uttered.
A black wave of energy characteristic of the attack shot towards Yammy, effectively denying him any openings to attack and instead sending his now burnt body reeling.
He lay on the ground, grunting once out of annoyance, before he got up once again, glaring at his opponent.
"That all you got?" Yammy scoffed.
Ulquiorra said nothing, rather he summoned a green energy lance in his hand, grasping it as he normally did when he was making use of it as a weapon.
Faster than his opponent could react, he used sonido to appear in front of the ogre-like hollow, immediately after which he simply stood in place and waited for his new position to become apparent.
"You thought that would work?!" Yammy bellowed, bringing both of his fists up and preparing to smash his opponent.
Ulquiorra gave him no such chance, however, and quickly sliced off both of his arms with the green energy lance, after which he kicked his opponent with as much force as he was able, sending him across the battlefield yet again.
The armless body hit the dirt several times and eventaulyl crashed into a section of trees that acted as the edges of their battlefield. Several were torn down or shattered at his landing, but if anything the former Espada was fortunate to have been sent on such a path since they seemed to break his fall.
"You don't seem to have realized it Yammy, but you cannot defeat me, and even if you were to do so, there is another stronger then I." Ulquiorra stated, the true meaning of his words not quite known to his opponent given that he hadn't known about the second release.
"Don't… make… me… laugh…" Yammy scoffed, finding the strength to stand despite his lack of arms.
"There are three Espada stronger then you, but I think you're talking about only one of them, right? That Kurosaki kid isn't all that… he's weak, soft. Hell, I don't even understand why you didn't let me just kill him when I had the chance. I don't know why you seem to not hate him for what he is." Yammy continued.
Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly at the former Decimo's words. He wasn't entirely content with the fact that his actions were being questioned by a traitor, and one as stupid as this for that matter.
"I do not hate him because he is one of us, Yammy. He is what we should all strive to be… a being with purpose. Simply existing is not enough for any being with capable intelligence, because without existence there is nothingness, and without purpose there is no existence, only the illusion that one exists. We all fight for our own reasons, and even I have discovered that I too, must have a reason for fighting. Perhaps I don't know what that reason is, but I know it exists, and I would not know this if I hadn't fought Ichigo Kurosaki." Ulquiorra stated.
Yammy began to chuckle at his words, shortly after which he burst into full blown laughter. His limbs and burns began to heal at this point, for the first time showing that his regeneration was a true regeneration.
"A purpose? The purpose for fighting is so the strong can crush the weak! If you need a reason other than that to fight, you're just a weak little ant that needs to be crushed!" Yammy exclaimed.
His spiritual pressure began to rise a moment later, after which an aura of crimson surrounded his body. In the middle section of his abdomen, another hollow hole began to appear, equal in size to the other two. This increase in energy was significantly greater than the previous one, however, and the energy was much denser in nature.
"Now is when I show you what power is Ulquiorra!" Yammy bellowed, his spiritual energy shooting into the sky in the form of a large crimson pillar.
The Cuarto eyed the ogre-like arrancar analytically, sensing that yet again his energy had surpassed his current form. He had not a doubt in his mind that there were more transformations then this, and as a result, he decided it was time to end this before it got out of hand.
"If you are so intent on showing me what power is… then I suggest you show me all of your strength, for even if you did, it would not compare to what I am about to show you." Ulquiorra began.
Thin pillars of black, green-laced spiritual pressure began to shoot up around the Cuarto's body, his transformation occurring all the while. His clothing began to fade, his hollow mask vanished, and his eyes began to change.
"This… is true despair." Ulquiorra stated, after which a final wave of the spiritual energy wrapped around his body, disappearing a moment alter.
"Resurrección, Segunda Etapa." He uttered.
Yammy stared, wide-eyed, at the form Ulquiorra had taken. His spiritual pressure, the name of the form, everything about it causing him to feel a sense of something akin to fear, and that in it of itself was an accomplishment.
"A second release…" Yammy thought aloud.
"Yes… and now you will meet your end at the hands of my full power. Be grateful, Yammy, you are the first to die by the hands of this form." Ulquiorra stated.
He clasped his hands together in front of his body, pointing his fingers downwards before pulling his hands apart, a green energy lance forming in the wake of the separation.
"Lanza Del Relampago." Ulquiorra uttered.
He brought up the lance and prepared to thrust it at his opponent, the determined look in his eyes speaking volumes for what he expected this attack to do.
'He thinks he can end the fight just like that?!' Yammy thought out of anger.
His fists clenched together and he gritted his teeth at the very implication that he could be defeated so easily. He was stronger, that was the definite truth, and he refused to believe anything else was the case.
"You think that you're that much stronger?! Well, YOU'RE NOT!" Yammy shouted.
His spiritual pressure began to rise yet again, the same aura surrounding him as it did previously. Another hollow hole began to form, this time at his lower abdomen.
Much to the misfortune of Yammy, however, Ulquiorra had no intent of allowing his level of power to rise even further, and so, he through the lance, primed directly at the head of his opponent.
The last thing that could be heard before the colossal explosion of energy was the defiant shouting of Yammy. That sound disappeared the moment after the attack connected, after which the energy shot into the sky.
The entirety of the clearing was covered in the green explosion of spiritual energy, as was a great deal of the surrounding area. One could likely have seen the spire of energy from Las Noches, or at the very least felt it explode into the air even at such a distance.
'With that… it has ended.' Ulquiorra thought.
A few moments later, the energy completely disappeared, revealing most, if not all, of the arena to be a crater and for the surrounding tree's to be uprooted for quite a bit of distance. Yammy, however, was nowhere to be seen. It seemed that his body had disintegrated under the pressure, vanishing before he could even do a thing to stop it. Perhaps it was better this way given that he had nothing more to say to the former Espada.
"That was rather impressive, Ulquiorra." Aizen complimented, walking towards the Cuarto, who still held his second release.
"I merely did what was needed, Lord Aizen." Ulquiorra replied. He dropped his release form, or forms, a second later before sheathing his zanpakuto considering his current battle was over.
"Yes… now we must go, I will require the Hogyoku for my future plans, and Barragan must not be allowed to possess such an item." Aizen stated before walking off.
Ulquiorra nodded silently before he too followed. All things considered, he was slightly worried given that he hadn't sensed any spiritual signatures enter combat ahead of them, and that either meant something was clouding his senses, or no fighting had occurred. Either way, both of those possibilities were troubling.
Fourth Pathway: With Ichigo, Halibel, Starrk, and Lilynette
"Are you… food?" Ichigo asked.
"Nope, and that's ten questions left." Lilynette stated.
"Ichigo, did you two have to teach her how to play that game? I can just see her bugging me to play it in the future." Starrk grumbled from his seated position.
"What's wrong with twenty questions? Plus, I'm bored as hell right now and I know for a fact if I wasn't doing this I'd lose my mind knowing what's going on outside." Ichigo replied, a scowl coming onto his features as he finished.
His friend just released a tired sigh before nodding in understanding. Starrk just mused he could deal with the childlike arrancar's antics given the circumstances. Didn't mean he had to like it, but he'd deal with it.
"Anyway… are you an animal?" Ichigo asked, getting back to the game.
"Yes…" Lilynette trailed off, an excited smile coming onto her face that gave of the impression he was on the right track.
"Do you have four legs and fur?" Ichigo pressed.
"Yes!" Lilynette exclaimed, believing the former substitute was about to guess correctly.
Abruptly, the game was cut short upon the very walls of the makeshift prison fading. Each looked, wide-eyed and confused at this turn of events. There was no reason for this to happen, but they'd be stupid not to take the chance.
"She's a wolf, now let's go!" Starrk shouted, grabbing his fraction before jumping out of the enclosure.
"Hey!" Lilynette exclaimed in an angry fashion, though weather it was because she was grabbed or because her game was ruined remained up for interpretation.
Ichigo and Halibel followed suit a moment later, jumping through the large hole in the wall of the black energy before looking back at their former prison. Once more to their surprise, they saw it continue to disintegrate which simply meant it wasn't a slip up on the part of its caster.
"What the hell just happened?" Ichigo wondered aloud.
Unfortunately, no one really had the answer to that question. Realistically though, either Barragan was only able to maintain it for a certain amount of time, or he wanted them to be free.
"I can sense that everyone is alright and moving forwards now… which means that they won their fights. Don't you guys think our being let out of that thing was a little too well timed?" Ichigo asked, his suspicions matching those of his comrades.
"I don't really know… but I've got a bad feeling about this." Starrk mumbled, as if speaking to himself.
"As do I." Halibel said in agreement, a feeling of great unease washing over her.
"Everyone is heading to the same place as well, and that can only mean that Barragan wishes to face us by himself. I refuse to believe this is unintentional on his part." Halibel continued.
"We don't really have much of a choice now do we. Even if Barragan is intending to face all of us at the same time, I don't think he can." Ichigo stated.
His words weren't untrue, but at the same time the fact that they had recently assumed incorrectly didn't really give them a reason to have great faith in their current assumption.
"We should get going and meet up with the others, but at the very least we should be on guard." Starrk commented.
The others nodded in agreement before they began to run off into the pathway, knowing full well what was waiting for them at the end. At least who was waiting for them, exactly what was waiting remained to be seen.
World of the Living: Urahara's Shop, Underground Training Facility
"Hey Tessai…" Urahara called randomly.
He currently sat on a random boulder within the confines of his training area, a bored expression on his own face and a neutral expression on that of Tessai's, who currently stood at the side of the rock his boss sat on.
"Yes boss, what is it?" Tessai asked with a raised brow.
"You ever notice that things are so boring without Ichigo around?" Urahara asked, sounding as if he were doing so just to pass the time as they waited.
"Not particularly… it seems rather peaceful to be perfectly honest. At the same time however, I only see this as the calm before the storm." Tessai replied stoically.
"That's just it Tessai… I want to know when the storm is coming or if it is at all. We haven't heard a damn thing from Ichigo since he visited you with Yoruichi, and that scares me. We should have heard something by now." Urahara thought aloud.
"Ichigo often does the impossible boss, so I doubt we have real need to worry." Tessai said in reassurance. If there was one absolute truth to this world it was never count out Ichigo Kurosaki, and that was something he had heard both Yoruichi and Urahara say repeatedly, though they likely would never say so to the boy's face less he get a big ego.
"I know… it's just…" Urahara said, pausing briefly to release a small sigh.
"…it's just that I really wish I had something to report on what's going on in Hueco Mundo… but I don't." Urahara continued, though his expression and tone seemed a little bit off, as if he sounded disappointed.
"Are you just practicing what you're going to say when she gets here?" Tessai asked with a raised brow.
"Maybe…" Urahara trailed off, eliciting an amused expression from his large friend.
The abrupt appearance of a Senkaimon a good distance in front of them broke off their conversation. Even through the opening of the doors, an audible gulp could be heard from Urahara, once again making the former Kido Corps Commander chuckle.
Two figures stepped out of the gate, immediately catching the attention of both males present. They were only told to expect one.
The first, and the expected guest, was Captain Unohana. The second, however, was Captain Soifon, the very sight of whom caused the humble shopkeeper to pale given that he didn't have anything to report.
'Oh great… she just had to come along with her.' Urahara thought, releasing an inward groan.
"Captain Soifon, this is such an unexpected surprise!" Urahara chirped.
The black-haired captain just leveled him with a glare before releasing a slight huff of condescension. Unohana released a slight giggle at this, but she soon became serious.
"I suppose I should explain… she desired to come along with me and I was in no position to deny her to information she wanted to hear firsthand." Unohana stated.
"But won't two captains being absent be extremely noticeable?" Tessai reasoned.
"Normally, yes, but with the captain's still under wartime protocol our actions are traditionally not questioned if we choose to leave our respective divisions… which brings us to the reason we are here." Unohana said.
Both female captains looked at Urahara, who seemed a bit nervous all of a sudden. He began to sweat slightly, drawing a raised eyebrow from both of his guests.
"Well… ya see… I don't really have anything to um… tell you." Urahara said nervously.
"I'm sorry but I don't think I heard you correctly. Did you say you have no new information as of yet?" Soifon asked rhetorically, narrowing her eyes at the blond-haired shopkeeper.
"One second…" Urahara trailed off.
He then jumped off the boulder he currently sat on and hid behind Tessai in a childlike manner. Both Sofion and Unohana visibly rolled their eyes at this, but said nothing for the time being.
"Yes, I did." Urahara replied, his face not showing from behind his muscular friend.
An abrupt tap on his shoulder turned his vision to his back, after which he nearly jumped out of his skin.
"Gah!" Urahara yelped before hiding in front of Tessai so as to protect himself in some manner from the two women that had appeared behind him.
"You don't have a reason to be fearful of us unless you are lying… which you aren't… right, Kisuke?" Unohana asked, an unusual scowl and glare being shot at the shopkeeper.
"NO! I mean, no! Of course not, I wouldn't lie about something like this." Urahara reassured in a panicked tone.
He got out from behind Tessai a moment later, clearing his throat before he chose to speak again.
"I haven't received any word from Ichigo since he came here to see Tessai. I know this doesn't really do any good to settle your nerves, but…" Urahara said, only to be cut off.
"Of course it doesn't! In terms of time in the Soul Society it's been nearly three weeks since then and we've still not had any word. The other's that know of the situation are getting anxious as well, especially since any day now Aizen and his men could be storming Karakura!" Soifon roared, her angry being extremely apparent.
"Wait, who else knows?" Urahara asked with a raised brow, confusion evident in his tone as opposed to fear due to the black-haired captain's anger.
"Don't change the subject!" Soifon shouted.
"Captain Soifon, please calm down." Unohana requested in a flat tone. Said captain took a deep breath and shut her eyes for a moment, after which the only semblance of her anger seemed to be the glare she still gave the shopkeeper, but then again that was rather normal.
"Several of the other captains are aware of the current situation, mainly Shunsui, Jushiro, and Kenpachi Zaraki. It became necessary for them to know and before you ask I am the one who explained it to them. They have, as far as I am aware, not told any other person. Needless to say, however, they too are growing worried." Unohana explained.
"I see… well, the second I hear something I will let you know. However, I should add that these visits from you, while I enjoy them so, so much, are unnecessary if I don't have anything to tell you." Urahara stated. Since the time Ichigo had arrived in the world of the living, the squad four captain had visited him on a daily, or by her count weekly, basis.
'Stupid time difference…' Urahara mentally groaned.
"While you raise a fair point, if you were to send word to the Soul Society we would risk word of this getting out. If the head captain finds out what has happened and that several among us are going out of their way to keep it from him… the end result will simply not be pretty." Unohana said grimly.
Urahara paled slightly before nodding. The two women then walked back towards the gate from which they had entered, giving one glance back at the shopkeeper before leaving their current realm of existence.
"Thank god that's over." Urahara thought aloud.
"Yes, but boss… what do you actually plan to do should the head captain find out about this?" Tessai asked, genuinely curious as to what his answer would be.
"One mountain at a time Tessai… one mountain at a time." Urahara replied.
Hueco Mundo: Center of the Dead Forest, Exit of the Fourth Pathway
Ichigo, along with the others that had accompanied him, exited the path they had taken. When they did so, they immediately found themselves at the beginning of a relatively small area of cleared trees.
He, along with the others, looked around and saw nothing in the immediate area save for the exits of the other paths. They continued to walk around, shifting their vision everywhere they were able until they eventually came to a stop at the center of the small clearing, still cautiously examining the area.
"Where the hell is Barragan?" Ichigo wondered aloud, trying to find him with his senses.
He could feel his presence, but he couldn't see him, and yet he should be able to. This was, without a doubt, exactly where the former Espada should have been. His thoughts, however, were interrupted with the arrival of the others from the other respective paths.
"You guys alright?" Ichigo called out, addressing everyone present who hadn't kept his company during his momentary entrapment.
"We should be asking you that question… where is Barragan, weren't the three of you fighting him?" Yoruichi said, sounding as confused as the former substitute just had a moment ago.
"Barragan was successfully able to prevent us from facing him through the use of his abilities. We were unprepared and allowed ourselves to be trapped. However, it would seem that he released us upon your being victorious." Halibel explained.
"Then it would appear…" Ulquiorra began, only to stop in the wake of unexpected events.
The ground beneath their feet began to shake, shortly after which the structure of the platform gave in and the area of cleared land fell to the depths below.
The sound of rocks crashing into the section of the Menos Forest below them could be heard as each among the group effortlessly floated down. The distance was very sizeable, just as large as Ichigo had remembered it previously when he had been down in the forest. However, exactly why the platform gave in was still a mystery.
Before any could even remotely wonder what the cause of the sudden pitfall was, the answer presented itself in the form of the traitorous Espada behind the recent rebellion.
"Welcome to your burial ground, my enemies." Barragan addressed, revealing himself to be standing on the floor of the Menos Forest, bones and all.
Ichigo's eyes, and those of his comrades, narrowed at the sight of the former king. They completed their decent down to the grounds below a moment later, each now having their hands gripping their respective weapon.
"I will allow you the opportunity to surrender and face a quick death, Barragan." Aizen offered.
His words, however, only had the effect of eliciting a boisterous round of laughter from the skeletal figure that seemed to find the notion rather preposterous if his response was anything to go by.
"You truly believe I would surrender to the likes of you? Your arrogance knows no bounds!" Barragan shouted.
"You want to be the pot or the kettle in this scenario?" Ichigo asked rhetorically, eliciting a slight chuckle from the former Espada.
"Arrogance is only called so when one believes their abilities to be greatly exaggerated from what they actually are. I, on the other hand, now hold power that is something I know not the full extent of." Barragan replied cryptically.
A moment later, his words were explained in the form of an ethereal purple glow from the center of his chest. The red orb that was formerlyat the center of the golden medallion strapped across his chest was now replaced by none other than the Hogyoku.
'He's attempted to do that?' Aizen wondered. The full power of the Hogyoku was not yet awakened, therefore any attempt the former Espada would have at accessing its full power would be useless. On top of that, any fusion with it would be completely impossible, meaning that, at worst, the power could only be marginally manipulated.
That didn't mean he couldn't become stronger if his desire to do so was powerful enough, but it did mean there was a limit to how strong he could become.
"The power of the Hogyoku is mine now. Be grateful, Sosuke Aizen, for on this day I have relieved you of a power the likes of which you could never comprehend!" Barragan shouted.
"The power of the Hogyoku you currently possess is only a fraction of its true capabilities. You speak as if you are aware of what it is capable of when in fact it is wasted on your narrow mind and pointless desires. Even with all the power it can grant you, you can't hope to defeat all of us, and I will take great pleasure in ripping it out of your chest above your deceased body." Aizen replied, narrowing his eyes at the former king of Las Noches.
For a brief moment, the skeletal figure seemed either annoyed or slightly intimidated at the words of the former captain. He did, however, quickly recover, as evident by the slight chuckle he then released.
"While defeating you all at the same time does sound appealing, I have other plans." Barragan stated.
The eyes of those present widened at the sound of hollow wails coming from a great distance above them where the ground had recently shattered. The tall black form of seemingly a dozen or so Gillian loomed over the hole, their eyes evidently fixed on the group of hollows below.
'What are Menos doing up there?' Ichigo wondered, his eyes glued to the group of hollows.
Abruptly, beams of light shot out from the large group of hollows, each respective one landing and forming what appeared to be a golden shield of energy around everyone present, save for the Primera and Barragan himself.
'It can't possibly be… is that Negacion?' Ichigo wondered, his eyes wide at the sight before him. Several banged against the walls while others, specifically the three former captains, remained calm but seemed to be exceedingly annoyed.
"Bastard… what did you do?!" Ichigo demanded to know, causing the purple-cloaked hollow to laugh boisterously at his evident anger.
"I merely set up the means for your demise." Barragan replied cryptically.
"Explain yourself!" Ichigo shouted, being in no mood for any indirect answers.
"I would have thought that to be rather obvious… I've trapped them in place." Barragan began, causing the eyes of the former substitute to widen as much as they were able.
"Negacion is a unique ability the Gillian possess which allows for the rescue of their hollow comrades in the form of an unbreakable barrier. That is a double edge sword, however, in that the barrier is unbreakable from both ends!" Barragan explained.
"Normally this technique is used to bring hollows back into Hueco Mundo, but from within the confines of this world, the ability has the unique effect of creating an eternal prison for as long as the casting group of hollows can maintain the beams. This should suffice to show that you will receive no help from your comrades against me, worm." Barragan continued, his tone giving off his condescension.
Ichigo glanced back at the trapped forms of his comrades, checking to see if anyone, specifically Aizen, looked as if they had any idea as to how he could free them. He could simply make an attempt at killing the Gillian that were currently casting the barriers, but if he attempted to do that, he risked Barragan either making an attempt on his own life, or killing whomever was allowed to go free.
'Plus I can't underestimate that damn rock since I don't know what it is capable of.' Ichigo thought. Something then occurred to him, and that was a simple fact he seemed to overlook in his distress over the situation.
'That barrier can't be destroyed by anything… which means I don't have to worry about anyone getting hurt so long as I win.' Ichigo thought.
He turned back to face his soon-to-be opponent, his eyes giving off his determination and his stance giving off his intent. Quickly, he drew his zanpakuto and pointed it directly at the former Espada, prepared to give this next fight his all right off the bat.
"Barragan… I guess I should thank you for what you did just now. Since you went to the trouble of making sure they can't get hurt, I can go all out." Ichigo stated.
"A happy accident if ever there was one… regardless of that fact, however, I still intend to crush you and prove once and for all that the powers of a hollow will always be superior to the tainted nature of you and your ilk." Barragan replied.
He summoned his large axe a moment later, holding it out and waiting eagerly for his opponent to enter his released stated. As he thought, the Primera's spiritual pressure began to rise exponentially, an aura of energy coating his body before he next spoke.
"Pierce the Heart, Zangetsu." Ichigo uttered, after which an explosion of dark crimson spiritual pressure erupted from his body.
The energy coated the immediate area as if it were as vast as the ocean and as powerful as the force of a hurricane. One thing was certain, the flow of energy was completely unrestricted as opposed to the gradual restriction the former substitute had been seen to put on it.
'So he would attempt to intimidate me… a valiant effort, but even so I will be victorious.' Barragan thought, begrudgingly giving the orange-haired boy a modicum of respect for showing his strength.
When the energy died down, the menacing appearance of Ichigo's Resurrección was laid forth for everyone to see. His cold skeletal eyes seemed fixed on his opponent and but zanpakuto was still carelessly hanging at his side.
"An impressive amount of spiritual energy to say the least, but I am sorry to inform you that it won't be enough." Barragan said amusedly.
"Who said that this was as powerful as I could get?" Ichigo asked rhetorically. Yet again his spiritual pressure began to rise at a colossal rate, several thin columns of black red-laced energy shooting up from his body.
Several looked at the ongoing transformation in anticipation given they had seen the power the form he was about to enter was capable of, but many were confused as to what was about to happen, among whom included Barragan himself.
'What is this spiritual pressure?' Barragan wondered, feeling the air become substantially thicker. After manipulating the Hogyoku to the degree he had, never would he have even believed the former substitute was capable of making him feel such effects in the wake of displaying such raw power.
A final burst of energy shot forth, coating over Ichigo's body before dissipating a moment later. At the sight of his appearance, many gasped, many had wide eyes, and even a few had smirks of content given they believed they knew what was going to happen.
"Resurrección, Segunda Etapa." Ichigo uttered.
'Segundad Etapa?! That means that he…' Lilynette thought.
'…has two releases.' Starrk mused.
"You've really been holdin' out on me Kurosaki." Grimmjow thought aloud, allowing a menacing grin to come onto his features at the sight of the demonic appearance his comrade had taken on.
The most evident reaction, however, came from Barragan himself, who stood in place eying the form with what appeared to be a mix of fascination and caution.
'In all my years as a hollow, never have I seen something so demonic… never have I felt such spiritual pressure… but I must steal myself, for the hour of my victory is at hand!' Barragan thought, shaking off the momentary shock that struck his core.
"It would appear I have indeed underestimated you… but it matters very little given that I have the benefit of unlimited power on my side. Your power, however, has impressed me to a degree and I have decided I will at least view you as a worthy adversary." Barragan stated confidently.
The former substitute stared at the skeletal figure coldly before raising his extended jet black zanpakuto and pointing it at his opponent.
"That's quite the claim, care to put it to the test?" Ichigo taunted.
Not wasting any time, Ichigo flew through the air, his dragonic wings extending as he rampaged towards his opponent. Barragan brought up his axe to block the rapid strike of his opponent before countering himself, deciding it best to test his own offensive capabilities.
The two began to clash with their respective weapons with such force that the ground began to shake and crack with each meeting of blades.
"That's enough of your antics, brat." Barragan said in a tone of finality, swinging his axe with as much strength and speed as he was able.
What the hollow king expected to happen was one of two things. The first possibility, and the less likely of the two, was that his attack would be blocked but the sheer force behind it would send his opponent flying backwards across the air in which they currently fought. The second, and what he half-expected to happen, was that his attack would be dodged, subsequently after which he would quickly move to strike at his opponent again, though in that instance he was positive he could land a hit given he believed his speed was far superior.
In actuality, however, both of those possibilities proved to be wishful thinking. Before his very eyes, the blade of his large axe was caught in the palm of his opponent's hand. If his eyes were still present in his sockets and were he to still have skin over his bones, he would be wide-eyed and sweating slightly over what had just occurred.
'Impossible…' Barragan thought.
He was quickly forced out of his shock upon seeing the obsidian blade of the Primera aiming to sever his head from his body. Now knowing that he would take a hit regardless of what he were to do, he brought up his left forearm to take the brunt of the strike while simultaneously tilting his head to avoid any damage should the blade were to completely cut through his arm.
"Tya!" Ichigo grunted, swinging the blade at the raised arm of his opponent.
After the blade made its full rotation, the entire bottom half of the arm was completely cut off. The very same section of the purple cloak was torn to shreds as well, but the tattered remains simply flew carelessly in the air around the two warriors.
Not allowing his opponent any room to breathe, Ichigo quickly sent a powerful kick directed at Barragan's stomach, effectively sending him spiraling back towards the grounds below. The loud cracking of rocks and stones could be heard as the self-proclaimed king made his landing in a less then graceful fashion, allowing a sizeable crater to surround his body.
"Damn brat…" Barragan grumbled to himself as he got up from the crater.
He looked back up at the orange-haired Esapda a moment later, taking specific note that his hand, or at least the section that was cut off, was currently being held in his opponent's left hand, and that the Primera's sights were fixed directly on him.
"Sorry… seems I missed. It won't happen again." Ichigo said emotionlessly. He then proceeded to crush the section of bones that were currently being held within his palm, allowing whatever parts of the arm remained to fall to the grounds below.
'His speed, his strength, there is not a doubt in my mind that I seemed to have underestimated him… but the power I wield is limitless and all I need do is force him to his limits before I can surpass him.' Barragan thought. From within his standing position of his crater, he started to laugh though not in a cheerful fashion, more along the lines of amusement.
"Laugh all you want, but I don't intend to stop fighting." Ichigo stated.
He leaned his head forward, aiming the center of his horns directly at the still laughing form of Barragan. Within seconds, a large crimson cero formed between said horns, firing off shortly thereafter in a colossal ray of destruction.
The attack ripped through the air, but the laughter of his opponent had yet to cease. However, any semblance of sound aside from a colossal explosion was zoned out once the large cero had connected, resulting in a subsequent raging of fire and smoke throughout the immediate area.
Trees within the section of the forest disintegrated under the pressure, and even for miles further they were uprooted as a result of the sheer force generated by the resulting winds.
Ichigo still floated in the air, not caring about the smoke and not caring about the damage, simply having his eyes still fixed on the area his attack was intended to hit. He knew it had connected, but he wasn't entirely sure how much damage it had done. Seeing that would give him a good idea of exactly how much power he needed to use in order to win.
Aizen stared warily at the situation before him. He could see, even feel a sense of relief washing over the other detained observers. Even Tosen seemed more at ease after sensing what had just occurred. However, they merely suffered from lack of knowledge at the moment, and that seemed to allow a greater ability to be optimistic.
None knew the power of the Hogyoku better then himself, and despite the fact that achieving the level of a transcendent being was currently out of reach for whoever currently possessed it, that didn't mean its current abilities were anything to scoff at.
'Ichigo… this battle will be like none you have ever fought before. Even I do not know if you will be able to win.' Aizen thought.
By now it had been some time since the attack had fired, and still there was nothing, not a singular sign that anything was about to occur.
'Where the hell is he? He should have made a move by now.' Ichigo thought, his senses scanning the area.
Abruptly, a large burst of light purple spiritual energy shot forth from the area his cero had connected, casting the smoke aside and generating winds the force of which nearly matched those caused by the cero blast that had just occurred.
Within the center of the large eruption, Ichigo saw Barragan's form, and instantly became a mix of worried and relieved.
His cloak was in tatters, the bones of his right leg and his arms were exposed, the bones themselves were chipped or broken is several areas, and he appeared to be supporting himself with his large axe. However, despite his appearance, his wounds began to heal rather quickly from within the nexus of energy.
His cloak regenerated, his bones, everything that could be claimed as damaged seemed to be effortlessly healed before his very eyes.
Beneath the horned mask that covered his face, Ichigo scowled and glared at the skeletal hollow before him. He could just tell that if the arrogant bastard still had skin over his bones, a condescending grin would be present on his face.
The energy died down a moment later, vanishing in an instant and with it the effects. The self-proclaimed king then turned his sights back to his opponent, making to speak once more.
"I see, so you must be rather proud of yourself. Yes, you did catch my blade, yes, you did cut off my arm, and yes, your last attack managed to wound me a great deal. Did you really think that doing those three simple things would grant you a victory? Don't make me laugh boy… my power is far greater then you could imagine." Barragan stated.
A light rise in spiritual energy on the part of Barragan could be felt, after which he lunged into the air directly at his opponent with a speed he had not yet been able to reach previously.
Ichigo parried the blade, after which he used sonido to appear behind his opponent, delivering an attempted strike at the back of his neck.
Barragan, however, turned and managed to block the attack with his own axe, resuming the pattern of the two weapons meeting once again.
'He's gotten faster, and I can feel his spiritual energy getting higher even right now… how the hell is that even possible?' Ichigo wondered.
Very soon, he could safely assume that his opponent's raw spiritual pressure would exceed his own. Aizen had said that the Hogyoku was not fully awakened yet, but it appeared even if that were to be the case, it was more than capable of giving someone an astronomical amount of power.
The two came to a pause in their collision of blades, landing across the air from one another before staring back at their respective opponent.
"You continue to surprise me, and that is one thing I must admit. Even as my power continues to grow, you are still keeping pace… for now." Barragan said, his tone being condescending but having a tone of begrudging respect.
"Thanks… but I'm not just keeping pace." Ichigo replied.
The Primera vanished in the static buzz of sonido a moment later, appearing directly in front of his opponent with his blade cocked back and both of his hands present on the grip of his blade.
He swung at the former king of Hueco Mundo, using enough force that the subsequent blocking of said attack caused an explosion of air to shoot out from their respective blades. Hitting the former Espada with his blade, however, was never his intent.
'What?!' Barragan thought out of shock. He felt something wrap around his, formerly free, left hand, after which he saw the right hand of his opponent leave the grip of his zanpakuto.
The clawed arm was brought down directly down the left side of Barragan's face a moment later, taking with it a chunk of his skull before he released his opponent's left arm from the grip of his tail.
Ichigo spun himself in a complete circle, bringing his obsidian blade back at his opponent and hoping to slice him in half and finally end this unforeseen nightmare.
He scowled upon hearing the sharp clang of his sword clashing with Barragan's axe, but nevertheless he took some sense of pleasure in knowing that the swing did succeed in pushing his opponent back across the air.
Barragan tumbled several times before he finally managed to stabilize his position. He looked back at the terrifying from of his opponent, his left hand currently covering the section of his skull that had been torn from his face.
"I am torn between respecting your tenacity and anger at your defiance, worm." Barragan stated.
He took his hand away from the large wound, after which it healed within a moment within the soft ethereal glow of a light-purple energy.
"However, I have decided that I will respect the valiant efforts you have displayed so far by allowing you to die at the hands of my true power." Barragan continued.
He dissipated his large axe a moment later, after which he extended his right hand in way that allowed his open palm to face his opponent.
"Respira." Barragan uttered.
An ominous aura of energy surrounded his body, a mix of black and purple in color. The energy began to flicker, as if it were waiting for the order to pour forth and seek its prey.
"You were most likely curious as to what my true power was, were you not? Well you now have the honor of witnessing it firsthand. This is a technique known as Respira, and I alone am capable of performing it." Barragan began, still staring down his opponent.
"With this power I become death incarnate for I alone am capable of choosing who and what dies on something as simple as a personal whim." He boated.
"So this is what you used to trap us earlier when we ran down that path." Ichigo thought aloud.
"Trap is such a dull word to describe that situation. I much rather prefer to think of it as stalling." Barragan replied.
"Tch, stalling? Is that why you used the others as well, to just buy yourself time so you could do whatever it is you've done with the Hogyoku? Is that it, you just threw them away for your own purposes like they were meaningless pawns?!" Ichigo shouted.
The former king of Hueco Mundo released a light chuckle after hearing the tone with which his opponent spoke. Up until now he didn't really think he'd ever seen the boy angry with anything.
"Yes, it is true I gave them power knowing they would be defeated, and yes, it is true that I trapped the top three Espada to keep them from interfering, but in the end if those fools couldn't defeat their opponents with the advantage I gave them then they are not worthy to serve under me." Barragan countered.
The demonic-looking figure before him clenched the grip of its sword in a show of self-restraint, the general aura it now gave off being one of rage.
"You said they were unworthy of serving you… well, that's not true, because it was you who wasn't worthy of leading them!" Ichigo roared.
"Anyone who carelessly throws away the lives of the people that follow them just for the sake of personal gain isn't a leader. No, that kind of person is a coward, plain and simple, and that's what you are Barragan, a coward who hides behind the bodies of people that placed their trust in you!" Ichigo continued.
From across the battlefield, Barragan gritted his skeletal teeth together in a fit of pure anger. The arrogant boy across from him had never been a king, never been a leader, and yet here he was lecturing him on how to lead his subordinates.
"What a laughable notion, the likes of you telling me such things. A king has no need of subordinates who fail him in such a manner and they did just that. They deserved to die and if anything they should think of it as an honor to do so for their king." Barragan began.
"That is enough of such talk, now I am afraid it is time for you to die." Barragan stated.
The large, flickering aura of black and purple energy that had been surrounding him began to shoot forwards, heading towards Ichigo with astounding speeds.
It was a colossal wave, consuming the ground, the trees off to the sides, everything. It seemed like nothing was safe from it as everything seemed to rot and die, a clear indication of what would happen if he were to get caught up in such an attack.
'Dammit, I can't let it touch me.' Ichigo thought.
He used sonido to vanish a moment later, appearing behind his opponent with his blade cocked back and prepared to sever his body in two. What he was met with, however, made doing such a thing impossible.
'What?!' Ichigo thought out of shock, instantaneously seeing the wave of energy encircling the former Espada in a protective cocoon.
Just as the breath of death had begun to set its sights on him once again, the Primera used sonido to appear across the battlefield where he had originally been located, a scowl present on his lips from underneath his horned visage.
'Dammit, close up attacks won't work, otherwise I risk getting caught up in that thing. From what I've seen so far, it causes anything to disintegrate, living or otherwise. So maybe I should try using an attack with spiritual energy instead of trying to outmaneuver him.' Ichigo thought.
"By now you've most likely realized that you will be unable to defeat me with your sword, so I suggest you save us both a bit of time and try a different method." Barragan stated, breaking the former substitute out of his thoughts.
"Fine then, let's see if you can stop this!" Ichigo shouted before titling his head forward towards his opponent.
Between his two horns, a large crimson cero formed, firing off a moment later straight at his opponent.
The black and purple smoke-like substance gathered in front of the former Espada, acting as a barrier as soon as the energy hit.
Much to the surprise of Ichigo, the attack hadn't even detonated. Rather, it just seemed to disintegrate after the large wave of crimson came into contact with the makeshift barrier his opponent had erected.
"Perhaps if you try again it will work." Barragan suggested in a taunting manner.
'How… how can my attack do nothing against it? Is it that his Respira disintegrates everything? No, that can't be it. He has to have some kind of weakness.' Ichigo thought.
"You seem confused so I will explain this to you, but only once. My Respira has the ability to age everything until it utterly disappears from existence. Because of this, nothing is immune to my power since everything can age and die. Plants, animals, humans, hollows, and even Soul Reapers can die. Spiritual pressure can fade, and even methods such as kido or a cero blast are useless against me since there is no source of energy that is immune to its effects." Barragan explained.
"That's quite the claim, but how much energy do you think you that Respira of yours can handle?" Ichigo asked.
He didn't even wait for an answer before a black cero with a red outline began to form between his horns. The ball of energy began to grow and grow up until the point that it was the size of his upper body.
'So the brat thinks he can overwhelm my Respira with raw power… fool.' Barragan thought.
With one colossal burst of energy, the attack poured forth creating a massive wave of black and red, its target clear and its aim dead on.
It made contact with the smoke-like substance a moment later, at first doing nothing more than disintegrating with each passing moment the beam continued to collide with it.
"This is pointless, I have told you that…" Barragan said, though he stopped as he realized something.
The amount of energy that gathered and rammed against his defensive barrier began to widen until the point that it was currently arriving faster than his Resira could cause it to decay.
It began to circle his entire being, raging around his body in a torrent of energy. Even from within the smoke-like substance that should have been able to defeat the attack wholeheartedly, Barragan no longer felt secure.
'Impossible…' Barragan thought, his sight now completely obstructed as the energy began to swirl and whip around his dying breath. The oddest element of this situation seemed to be that it just kept coming, as if his opponent had yet to let up.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Ichigo roared in a hollow-like fashion, pouring as much energy as he was able into the black cero.
'It would seem that if this continues for but a moment more, not even Barragan's Respira will be able to contain that much raw power.' Aizen thought.
He was still cautious about the situation given who and what was involved, but at the same time he couldn't help but be content with what he knew was about to come.
Most of the others, save for Tosen and Gin, looked at the swirling epicenter of spiritual energy in amazement. The Espada who served under Aizen during Barragan's time as the Segunda knew full well that the power of Respira was nothing to underestimate and simply bullying through it with raw power wasn't enough, or at least it shouldn't have been.
A colossal explosion sounded off directly where Barragan lie within his formerly impregnable barrier of energy. Fire and smoke quickly burst forth, covering the as far as the eye could see. Trees were blown back and the very ground of the Menos Forest began to crack in the wake of the massive pressure.
'There's no way he could have survived that, not a chance in hell. Even if he did, the spiritual energy of that attack should be dense enough to cancel out his instant regeneration.' Ichigo thought.
Though this is what he believed to be true, he refused to let his guard down for even a moment given that doing so could result in his life coming to a very rapid end. His eyes were still fixed at the connection point of his last attack, and his zanpakuto was still firmly gripped in his hand. He could still feel the spiritual signature of his opponent, and that was enough to justify his caution.
Several of the observers smirked at the sight of the fire and smoke covering the battlefield, but those that chose the side of caution were carefully looking at where they knew Barragan to still be located. One thing was for certain, his spiritual signature hadn't disappeared, and that meant he was still alive.
'Hmm… if he won't reveal himself, then I'll do it for him.' Ichigo thought.
He brought up his extended black blade before swiping it in front of him, using enough force to effectively bring about a powerful wind that sent the smoke and fire to the sides, revealing the form of his opponent once more.
Two things were once again inspired when he was able to see Barragan's condition, one being a sense of relief, but at the same time a sense of great worry. Relief because his form was once again in tatters with cracks all over his skeletal limbs, even half of his skull actually missing, and his robes were in ruin. However, he felt worry because of the ominous glow that now emanated from the Hogyoku that was still located at the center of the golden medallion strapped across his chest. With as much damage as he had sustained, not a single bit of damage had inflicted onto the blue sphere.
'How can he still be alive? More importantly, how can the Hogyoku still be embedded in that damn medallion? Could it be that normal spiritual pressure doesn't work on him now?' Ichigo thought.
"Let me guess what you are thinking at this very moment. Are you thinking how I am alive and why it is that I am able to move and speak at my own free will?" Barragan guessed. He, however, didn't succeed in getting a reaction, audible or otherwise, from the orange-haired arrancar across the battlefield.
"I will explain something to you… I cannot die because as long as the Hogyoku is embedded in my medallion it will not allow me to die. I have become, by every sense of the word, a god. I rule over life and death and therefore the likes of you cannot hope to defeat me. No matter how much power you put into your attacks they will be nothing more than a minor bother to me in the long run… observe…" Barragan stated.
The purple glow of the Hogyoku shined brightly a moment after these words left his mouth, after which the bones that acted as limbs and the purple robe regenerated once again. This time, however, it didn't stop at the simple healing of wounds.
The sections of black fur on his cloak turned to flickering purple flames and the formerly purple fabric turned to pitch black within an instant. Around his neck began where the tuffs of black were formerly present, a brilliant purple flame extended into the air and surrounded his skull head, giving his head the appearance as if it were on fire. His spiritual pressure began to climb higher and higher, up until the point that it made even a being of Ichigo's caliber sweat behind his mask.
"Do you see now boy? This is the power of a god, the god of death!" Barragan gloated, raising his hands in a prolific manner as his transformation neared its end.
Without speaking another word, the former Espada raised his left hand, aiming its palm directly t his opponent.
'That stance, is he going to fire a cero?' Ichigo wondered.
He brought up his sword in order to chop the expected doom blast in half and mitigate any of the damage it would have caused, but it quickly became apparent that the attack his opponent was about to launch was far from that of a simple cero.
After a moment, a flash of brilliant purple light shot forth, after which all he could feel was pain. He was slammed from the air into the ground below, creating a large crater as he felt himself being thrust further and further into the earth.
'What kind of power is this?!' Ichigo wondered.
The feeling of whatever was forcing him into the ground was foreign. It didn't feel like spiritual pressure, and he couldn't make heads or tails of the situation as the glowing purple light still obstructed his view.
When all was said and done, Ichigo quickly collected himself and stood from within the crater his fall had created, staring back at his opponent who seemed to be bored.
"It doesn't seem you've had enough… very well…" Barragan began.
The former king summoned the large axe-like weapon into his right hand a moment later, after which he vanished faster than most of those present could see.
He appeared in front of the orange-haired Espada with his weapon poised to strike his seemingly helpless opponent.
To his credit, Ichigo was capable of blocking the first attack with his own zanpakuto, however his opponent was far from done with him.
A moment later what seemed to be an invisible force coupled with the same ethereal light thrust him into the air. It hit him with enough force that it seemed to take the air out of his lungs, and such a thing frightened him greatly.
He collected himself as quickly as he was able, the soft sound of skidding spiritual pressure and the extending of his wings accompanying his regaining of balance.
For the first time in a long while, he stared at his opponent with worry evident in his eyes beneath his horned mask. He could feel his opponent's spiritual pressure, and the fact of the matter was as plain as the light of day, it was greater than his own.
'If conventional attacks won't work on him and spiritual energy isn't enough to phase him… then I only have one option left.' Ichigo thought.
He glanced back at the trapped forms of his comrades, seeing their expressions that ranged from worried, to observational, to interested, to fearful, but he hadn't looked back at them to see their emotions in the form of their facial expressions.
'If I use this attack… will they be okay? The Sekki-Seki stone wasn't supposed to be breakable by spiritual energy-based attacks, and I tore through the wall and leveled a good bit of the landscape behind it. I know I if I use it now and it breaks through the Negacion they won't be prepared and they could be hurt, maybe even fatally wounded. I could try to warn them, but then I lose my advantage… so if I use this, I am banking on the fact that Negacion won't break under the pressure or it will take the brunt of the damage.' Ichigo thought.
He looked back at his opponent, taking note that the self-proclaimed god hadn't made a single move since he chose to take his eyes off of the fight. Perhaps it was out of arrogance, or perhaps it was out of a sense of pride, but nevertheless the moment of impassivity provided him with an opening to mount what he hoped to be his final attack.
'I can't hesitate… I have to have faith that they will be alright.' Ichigo thought as he brought up his clawed hands and directed them towards the flaming skeletal figure. Many eyes went wide at the sight of this gesture after it was even implied he was about to use such an attack. To the knowledge of everyone who had seen it in action, it was the most powerful move in his arsenal.
The moment Ichigo began to gather the energy in his two hands and his chest, however, none other than Barragan appeared before him in the static buzz of sonido, his axe raised and once again poised to strike.
Without mercy, the weapon came down across his body, spilling his blood into the air and effectively forcing the energy to dissipate.
'I didn't even see him move…' Ichigo thought out of shock.
"As if I would allow you to use such an attack against me." Barragan scoffed as blood continued to pour forth from the Primera's wound.
Ichigo's eyes were wide at this, specifically because the former king shouldn't know about the existence of his most powerful attack, but any worries about that were quickly pushed to the back of his mind upon his opponent rapidly slicing off his two wings.
Without any hesitation, Barragan then sliced across the former Soul Reaper's chest once again, causing yes more of his opponent's blood to fill the air around the two combatants.
"Ichigo!" Halibel shrieked, her tone one of clear and utter fear.
From within their golden prisons, the observers had their reactions at the viewing of their comrade, their proclaimed strongest fighter, being cut down by their unanimous enemy.
Both Grimmjow Starrk stared wide-eyed at the recent turn of events, each being incredibly surprised and growing more and more concerned by the second. Lilynette herself clung to her partners side from within their shared prison, her eye shut and her grip tight.
Nel had tears streaming down her face, light sobs escaping her throat as she placed the palm of her hands against the walls of indestructible energy, wishing desperately for the wall to just dissipate so she could run to the side of the man she now knew she loved.
Yoruichi stared wide eyed at the sight of her former student's blood filling the air in front of her. She had seen the boy fight Kenpachi Zaraki, she had seen him after his battles with Byakuya Kuckiki and Renji Abarai, but in none of those instances could she say she was worried. In fact, worried was a feeling she didn't know she could feel for Ichigo since she found out what he had become and how strong he truly was, not just as a warrior, but as a person. Yet even at this very moment, a sense of pure fear paralyzed her.
Halibel seemed much the same way as the Goddess of the Flash, but she seemed less afraid and more in a state of immobility out of pure shock. Risha, on the other hand, could no longer make eye contact with the battle. Not only had she been forced to watch the man that freed her being cut repeatedly by the cold steal of Barragan's axe, but she was forced to do so from the sidelines, trapped and unable to do anything to effect the end result.
Gin winced slightly at hearing the Tercera's voice and the light crying, knowing full well the emotion put behind Halibel's shriek and the light sobs of Nelliel. Tosen allowed a small frown to come onto his face at the sensing of the mood, but Aizen's reaction wasn't quite what any would have predicted. Oddly enough, no one seemed to be of the right mind to notice the serious glare the former captain currently kept on the form of the traitorous Espada.
'I can't… I can't have lost to him…' Ichigo thought as he felt the pain of his wounds hit his senses in an instant.
For the first time since gaining his power, Ichigo was forced to watch as if time had slowed down while he was cut down by his opponent. For the first time in quite a while, he felt weak. For the first time since he had seen Rukia taken away, he felt defeated.
Barragan extended a hand, after which the same purple light flashed before Ichigo was forcibly thrust across the battlefield and in a downward spiral towards the ground.
He landed without any grace, his wound still fresh and his body weak from the continuous injuries he had only recently received. The Primera got up onto his knees, stabbing the ground with his obsidian zanpakuto in order to support himself.
"How pathetic…" Barragan began, dissipating his axe and making a slow decent from the air to the grounds of the Menos Forest.
The slow sound of his footsteps were all Ichigo could hear as everything else just seemed to stop. His body felt heavy, his breathing was labored, and although he knew he had to get up and fight, his injuries seemed not to allow that to happen.
'Why aren't my wounds regenerating? There's no way my spiritual pressure has faded this much!' Ichigo thought out of frustration, his teeth grinding together as he continued to listen to the quiet noise of his opponent's skeletal feet approaching him.
"How the mighty have fallen." Barragan chuckled, standing directly in front of the Primera's defeated body. The only thing that remained to be seen is if his spirit was defeated, for when this happened and only when this happened, he would end his miserable existence and then execute the rest.
Perhaps this was harsh for someone he saw now as a worthy adversary, but he had a point to make and as such the situation warranted such drastic measures.
"Your body is broken and your wounds will not heal for the spiritual pressure I now hold has made sure of that fact. So tell me… do you still believe you can win?" Barragan inquired, staring down the kneeling Espada before him.
"Last… I… checked I… was still… still standing." Ichigo said, panting heavily as he did so.
Clearly in a show of pure willpower, he got up from his kneeling position, standing tall but still breathing heavily. Weather he was simply stubborn or had the willpower of a thousand men, Barragan couldn't tell, but regardless, not even a wanton display of bravery in the face of death would stop him now.
"I admire your perseverance, but I am afraid you can no longer defeat me. You could never defeat me, and you must accept the fact that you, Ichigo Kurosaki, will die on this day." Barragan stated.
The former king raised his left hand before yet another purple light flashed forth, the effects of which were Ichigo's wounded body shooting towards the golden beams of Negacion. His back connected with the energy barrier that imprisoned Aizen, hitting it with a loud boom before he fell chest first into the ground.
"Dammit…" Ichigo mumbled under his breath, finding the strength to bring his body off of the ground with his elbows and knees.
Once again he could hear the approaching footsteps of the self-proclaimed god of death. However, this time everything else became apparent to him. The soft sobs of Nelliel, the emotions of those who were trapped. He felt nothing but fear and worry, and that tore him apart inside and out. Despite the voiceless cries for him to fight, he couldn't answer them.
'I can't let it end like this…' Ichigo thought, clenching his eyes shut beneath his hollow mask.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, on this day you have fourth valiantly and I have decided that, out of respect for you, I will give you the peace of a quick death." Barragan proclaimed, breaking the orange-haired Espada out of his daze.
He still couldn't bring his face up to see what his opponent was doing, but he didn't have the need to do so. The audible metal screech of an axe materializing gave him all the information he needed.
"It is unfortunate that you must meet your end in this way, unable to protect those you hold dear. I will at the very least give you the mental solace of knowing I will give those closest to you a quick death as well. Know this as you meet your death by my hands." Barragan stated. He brought his axe up in the air a moment later, giving off the appearance of a grand executioner who was about to end a life.
From within their golden prisons, the full gravity of what was about to happen seemed to hit everyone. Yoruichi was still paralyzed, unable to do or say anything, her eyes still wide and fixed on the scene unfolding before her. Nel continued to sob, however it was much less controlled then prior. Her eyes were now red, and her heart began to ache.
Risha, though her eyes had yet to open since her master was wounded, allowed tears to fall to down her cheek in light streams.
Ulquiorra peacefully shut his eyes, almost as if he refused to watch such a thing happen. Grimmjow winced, his eyes having an uncharacteristic look of sympathy in them. Lilynette began to cry into her partners side as Starrk himself closed his eyes, refusing to watch as his friend died. Even Gin and Tosen frowned at what was about to happen, their collective thoughts being if only they were able to do anything. Aizen, however, kept his sights set on the two combatants, as if he expected something to happen, but no one was of the state of mind to notice such a thing.
No reaction, however, was more visible or audible then that of Halibel's. She recovered from her shock and began pounding her fists against the walls of her golden prison. She knew very well it was useless to do so and yet still she did it until she slumped to the floor, tears streaming down her face as she had to witness the death of someone so close to her while she was unable to do anything.
Ichigo's clawed hands clenched the ground at hearing everything, from the weapon being raised in the air to the sobs from Nelliel, to the banging of Halibel's hand on the walls of the Negacion.
'It can't end here… if it does then everything I've done up until now will be for nothing. If I can't beat him, then they'll all die. Yoruichi, Halibel, Nel, Risha… and not just them, everyone depending on me will die. I can't let that happen… I have to do something, ANYTHING!' Ichigo shouted within his mind.
He shut his eyes a moment later, inwardly pleading for his body to move so he could at least try to do something against his opponent. When he was unable to do so he simply kept his eyes clenched, refusing to accept that he would die here.
Ichigo's Inner World
Ichigo felt his hands were currently touching something he knew not to be the grounds of the Menos Forest. His eyes shot open at the feel of metal against his skin, only to be confused at the fact that he was currently inside the wayward city he knew to be his inner world.
He got up a moment later, looking around and wondering if it was real or not. Barragan was, after all, about to kill him outside of this realm, so presumably he thought this to be a little odd.
"Why the hell am I here?" Ichigo wondered aloud.
The sound of approaching footsteps graced his ears, after which he immediately spun around to look at the source. He noticed the white-clad man approaching him, much as he did before, his hood still on in such a way that only the agitating smirk was present on his lips.
Ichigo, however, was in no position to be agitated at the look on his face. He was only able to be confused at why this was happening, and now of all times.
The hollow stopped and placed himself directly in front of Ichigo, arm's length apart, an action that only serviced to add more confusion into the matter, but it became clear what his intent was a moment later.
An arm, courtesy of the hooded man, extended half way in-between the two, a gesture that he recognized from before.
Once the hand was offered to him, it was clear what he needed to do now. Without any hesitation, he took it.
Outside Ichigo's body
Barragan stopped his axe upon his eyes being greeted by a sight that seemed to confuse him enough to warrant such an action.
Before him the skin of his opponent began to slowly crack, as if it were a shell. The skin itself had yet to fall, but the cracks were now present everywhere but the mask at this point.
"What is the meaning of this?" Barragan exclaimed, his tone being more authoritative then confused when he spoke.
He, however, got no response from the orange-haired Espada that he was recently just about to kill. This, in turn, seemed to confuse everyone else, who could see the cracks becoming more apparent, but the skin had yet to fall and the mask was still intact.
'Could it be that he is fading away into nothingness already?' Barragan wondered, as did several others.
Aizen, however, allowed the observational look he had held for quite some time to falter in favor of a pleased grin. He knew that Ichigo wasn't fading away, and he most certainly knew that he wasn't nearly about to die, just as he had predicted.
'So it would appear luck is indeed on your side Ichigo… I look forward to seeing the results.' Aizen thought contentedly.
A/N Next Chapter will be posted next Tuesday, so till then.
Explanations:
The Ending: Meh, you can guess what happens next but I felt like cutting it off here. Don't worry thought, you don't have to wait too long for what happens next.
Ichigo vs. Barragan: Okay, so basically the Hogyoku isn't 'fused' with Barragan but Barragan himself thinks that's the case. The Hogyoku is responding to Barragan's desire to gain power and become a god-king, basically, so Barragan hasn't subjugated it like Aizen did.
Gin: I'd be willing to bet you all know why I left that open ended… and even if you don't, it has to do with his intentions and the fact that he is still looking to kill Aizen.
What Story is Next?: You know, I thought about not adding this in at all because I wanted it to be a surprise given that I am pretty sure no one has done something like these two before… but then again, I did say I would so I kinda have my hands tied. There are two principal stories I really, really want to write and that I have a good grasp of how I want the story to go so I will only be listing those specific two, although I do have several other raw ideas I have been toying with but those are just for your consideration given that I am in the best position to write the actual stories I listed. But before warned, if you really REALLY don't want the plot of my next story spoiled or anything like that DO NOT READ WHAT I WRITE BELOW! You have been warned…
Story One: Haven't landed on a tittle yet, but this story essentially starts at the very end of the winter war, specifically when Ichigo uses the final Getsuga Tenshou on Aizen. It is an alternative ending, in which Aizen is "killed" by Ichigo and vanishes into dust. I use "" because Aizen isn't really gone, and Ichigo doesn't lose his powers. The reason for this is that his powers are preserved by two new spiritual being entering his inner world, or rather being forced into it by a shiny little rock that may or may not still exist. Quite literally, I make Aizen, as well as Kyoka Suigetsu an actual part of his soul. Kyoka Suigetsu obviously has no love for Aizen at this point given that she, and yes Kyoka Suigtsu will be a female, was cast aside by both Aizen and the Hogyoku, and yes, she will become Ichigo's zanpakuto in addition to Zangetsu, that said Aizen himself won't be left out and don't worry when I say there is 1) A reason he is inside Ichigo's soul, and 2) A reason Ichigo is "okay" with it. Pairing will be IchigoxTwoFemales, but like with TFTH I won't tell you who they are since I feel the suspense is half the reason you read it, and if by request I could add a third of my choosing or views' choosing but I think no more than three. On paper this idea sounds a bit ludicrous, but believe me when I say I can make it work quite well.
Story Two: Okay, this one doesn't have a definitive tittle yet, but it is actually crossover fic between… Bleach and Fairy Tail. Essentially, Ichigo enters Fairy Tail from the beginning due to being caught in the Dangai's restrictive current on his way back from the Soul Society at the end of the fullbringer arc. The reason I want to write this is actually because I recently stumbled onto a fic by apline992 called Soul Reapers Fairy: Recreation. I also recently started to watch the Fairy Tail anime and basically just though why the hell not? Keep in mind it isn't based on that story so they will be entirely different, but that reading it was one of the reasons I wanted to write one myself. Pairing will be IchigoxTwoFemalesFromFairyTail with a possible third if backed by viewer demand! You can probably guess which two it will be but at the same time I won't directly say the pairing… anyway, it is also important to note that in this fic, Ichigo is not supposedly stuck in that dimension, he merely doesn't know how to get back or how the precipice world shoved him into the world of Fairy Tail. Also I should add that, for the sake of the story, Ichigo will have a human body coupled with his spiritual one and he will have his badge to allow him access to said form. I have the plot basically 100% figured out and I know what I am doing and when I will do it, same as the fic I listed above this one.
Raw Ideas: The first of these is actually something I don't think anyone has done before and I am not entirely sure why this is, but essentially it is Bleach from the beginning except Ichigo has the real Zangetsu as his zanpakuto from right off the bat, not the duel blade one but Zangetsu as in the actual spirit, aka hollow Ichigo. I don't have a lot of development on this one, but I thought it was interesting. The rest of the ideas are one an alternative winter war one, though this is quite different from the Story One idea, and then the other is probably the one I am most sketchy about because it has quite a few OC's. The last raw idea is essentially I create a race of beings that are, basically, hybrids that were sealed away by the spirit king and now want revenge. They invade both the Soul Society and the Hueco Mundo shortly after Ichigo first meets Ulquiorra and eventually they force a temporary truce on the parts of Aizen and the Soul Society to battle a common enemy. I'm sure I am leaving something out but that's the gist of it. To be honest I could even do something as simple as a take a specific pairing people want and then just make something up that revolves around it.
Reviews:
Graveyard449: Yes, that's exactly what he did. He turned them into hybrids more closely related to Soul Reapers with more humanity and bits and pieces of Quincy powers. That will come up later, but for now it is merely just an implication. The Hogyoku, when it isn't being subjugated aka when it was fused with Aizen, essentially responds to the desires of those around it and manifests them. When it was subjugated, it only responded to what Aizen desired, but it can only be subjugated when it is fully awakened, that is my understanding at least, but maybe it's best not to think on that one too hard xD.
To Anyone Who Corrected the Tosen Thing: Fixed it and thank you!
