Author's Note: Hello to those of you still reading this story. I am holding a contest/character request for this story for three OC-Arrancar that will show up later in the story. For those interested, please check out my profile for more info.

Chapter 72

Reunion

It seemed too good to be true. As Aaron embraced his sister, he feared he would snap out of a blissful dream. After going through so much hardship and assuming the worst for his friends, he had stumbled upon his sister somehow, some way. He smiled warmly when she began bawling like a baby, leading him to pat the top of her head.

"It's…it's alright now. I'm here."

"You idiot!"

Without warning, Izumi broke free and slugged her bewildered brother across the mouth. The blow sent him skidding across the floor. He sat there holding his stinging cheek for a few moments before staring up at his now furious sister.

"Someone wanna tell me what's happening?" wondered Hiyori, just as confused.

"A-Aawon!" Nel, meanwhile, hurried to check on him.

"That…almost hurt as much as when that Luppi guy hit me," Aaron joked. He let out a feeble laugh. "Izumi…?"

"Idiot!" she repeated. She began sobbing again. "Why…? Why did you come after me?! This isn't like Soul Society where they'll let you off scot-free! You could have died!All of you could have! Don't you get it?!"

"…"

Her complaining aside, she went back to hugging him tightly.

"I-I was so scared! Dammit, what took you so long?!"

Her conflicting behavior served to puzzle him even more. Nonetheless, getting his head screamed off made him strangely nostalgic.

"…Sorry, Izumi. I'm…I'm sorry."

"Is yous alwight, Aawon?"

Nel noted the tears streaking down his face. It led her to imitate him by giving him some consoling pats on the head. Laughing, he nodded, offering his quiet thanks.

"Who's the scawy lady?"

"Someone important, very important."

"Touching," a voice in the distance barked. "You freaks done with all the hugging?"

A towering figure emerged from the shadows, an individual that caused both Aaron and Hiyori to reach for their weapons. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez sneered in their direction, amused at how much panic his mere presence garnered.

"Oh, you." Hiyori smirked herself. "Yeah, I remember you, stubby."

"The bitch with the mask," replied Grimmjow. "Right, I never finished tearing you apart back in the human world. Let's fix that."

"Shut it, cockroach. Shinji ain't here to save your ass this time."

After exchanging virulent stares, the two suddenly rushed forward with the intent to kill.

Izumi sped in between them with outstretched arm. "H-Hold it!" The fact a pair of swords hovered only inches away from her made an icy sweat break out on her forehead. "Um…Grimmjow, right? Look, I don't know what your beef with shorty over there is, but isn't it Kurosaki you want? We really don't have time to waste on you fighting someone else."

"Kurosaki?" Aaron counted himself thoroughly interested in the discussion now. "Wait, what about him? What's going on, Izumi? Why are you with this guy in the first place?"

Grimmjow surveyed him like a hawk, leaving him more than a little miffed.

"Get lost, Shinigami, if you value your life. This ain't got shit to do with you."

"The hell it doesn't. My sister's here, and I'm taking her back right now."

"Over my dead body. I still need her for something."

"Kurosaki, right?" Aaron already had a good idea what was going on. His tense shoulders relaxed some, though he kept his twitching fingers close to his Zanpakutou. "Okay, it sounds like we both wanna find him. The fact you didn't attack us on sight means you aren't interested in stopping us, I take it."

Grimmjow smacked his lips. "A few intruders ain't my problem. Settling my score with Kurosaki comes first. …You gonna get in my way?"

For a long while, neither Aaron nor Grimmjow said anything, staring one another down.

"How cute," said Hiyori. "Aw. You miss your boyfriend that badly, Arrancar bastard?"

"Stop it," Aaron ordered once he noticed Grimmjow seething. "I don't like this guy either, but Izumi's right—we don't have time to waste on pointless fighting. I'd prefer this to not end with bloodshed if I can help it. I also take it Kurosaki must be close by."

Izumi nodded. "He's not far. It'd probably only take us a few more minutes to get to him, though he's moving pretty quickly."

The development worried Aaron more than it eased his fears.

"Like I said," he began, glaring at Grimmjow again, "I'm not really interested in wasting time on fighting. We both want the same thing, so why bother?"

Grimmjow scoffed, replying, "I need to pay you back too for what happened in your world, but…I can't say the idea of taking on a coward interests me. Are you seriously trying to cut a deal here? Don't you know who I am?"

"I don't know if you Arrancar are even capable of it, but be reasonable. How does killing me help you get to Kurosaki? I would imagine he's hauling ass across this castle even as we speak. Like I said, we both want to get to him, so how about we team up for the time being?"

The suggestion shocked just about everyone, with Nel letting out an audible gasp.

"Y-Yous can't!" she implored, flailing her arms about. The moment Grimmjow set his sights on her, she scrambled behind one of Aaron's legs. "D-Dons't yous knows who dis is?! G-G-G-G-Gwimmjow! He's a 'Spada!"

"Yeah, plus he's a nutjob!" Izumi whispered. "What are you thinking?! You can't trust him!"

"…I don't," Aaron made perfectly clear. "If Kurosaki really is close, we can't let this chance go to waste. Besides, once we find him, Grimmjow won't need you anymore, right? Everybody wins. We'll grab Kurosaki and then get the hell outta this place."

"Y-You gonna tell Mr. Antisocial over there you're taking his precious Kurosaki away?"

"…No. He doesn't need to know. Worse comes to worse…I'll take care of him."

"I…I just hope Kurosaki is worth all this trouble, little bro."

The idea continued to make Izumi and Nel anxious. For his part, Grimmjow said nothing for a long time, unnerving Aaron.

Soon enough, the Sexta Espada pointed squarely at him. "…You wanna team up? Fine. If you try to stop me from taking Kurosaki on though, I'll kill all of you. Got it?"

Aaron certainly did, making him frown. Izumi waved her hands frantically just like Nel, quietly screaming at her brother to reconsider. Nel's pleading expression did much the same.

"…Fair enough," he eventually replied.

"Stupid," groaned Hiyori, who shook her head. "You'll regret this, mutt. Just let me slice his shitty head off right here and now."

"Try it," Grimmjow snapped. He cracked his knuckles, clearly relishing the idea.

Aaron stuck his arm out, stopping Hiyori from pouncing. "Trust me on this. I—"

"Whoa!" cried Izumi out of the blue. Everyone caught wind of her shaking like a leaf. "Hey, hey! We've got a problem!"

Her pale face led Grimmjow's eyes to widen slightly. "Ulquiorra, right?"

"Yeah, and he's pissed! His energy feels wrong! He and Kurosaki are on a crash course, guys!"

Why Grimmjow lookedpleasedby her harrowing warning, she couldn't fathom.

"Sounds like things are finally getting interesting!" he exclaimed.

"Wait, did you say 'Ulquiorra?'" Aaron mulled the name for a few moments. Eventually, a wave of realization hit him. "…The one who killed Inoue?"

In light of his surging anger, Izumi had half a mind not to answer. She eventually relented thanks to his piercing gaze, nodding.

"You're…not thinking of fighting him, are you?"

"…The idea did cross my mind, yeah."

"No! Isn't that how Kurosaki got himself into this mess?! Besides, that monster will kill you! He…he already took down—"

"They're not dead!" Aaron roared. "Konoka and Sado…aren't dead."

"…"

"Kurosaki will be though if we don't move our asses. I…think I know how to deal with this mess."

"You can't—"

"Look, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't interesting in avenging Inoue right here and now, but I think we can do this without having to fight this Ulquiorra."

The others seriously wanted to know how he planned on accomplishing that miracle. Unfortunately, he went back to his deep contemplation.

Right? This'll…work, I hope…

#

Ichigo Kurosaki, clad in his pitch-black Bankai, filled the room with his ragged breathing. The blood pouring down his forehead stung his eyes and forced him to brush it away. Regardless of his extensive injuries, his pain meant nothing compared to the joy coursing through his entire being.

That delight stemmed from at long last standing opposite Ulquiorra Cifer. Yes, how he had dreamt of this moment and fought tooth and nail to make it reality. He almost desired to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. His enthusiasm confounded his foe as the two locked eyes.

"So, you've shown your face after all, Ichigo Kurosaki. Fool."

A deranged smile wormed its way onto Ichigo's lips. "There you are! I figured if I made enough noise in this place, you'd show up sooner or later, Ulquiorra Cifer. …I hope you're ready to die."

Ulquiorra thought that a strange thing to say since Ichigo hadn't landed so much as a scratch on him so far. The huge room they stood in had been torn to shambles thanks to Ichigo's rampaging. Even more of it ended up that way when dark energy spiraled around him. A wave of it swept past Ulquiorra, who managed to hold his ground.

"You've gotten stronger from the looks of it," the Espada uttered. "…It still isn't enough to defeat me, however. Taking out a bunch of no-name Arrancar won't change that. Killing me won't bring back Orihime Inoue either. The only thing you will accomplish by coming here is hastening your own—"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY HER NAME!"

Ichigo vanished into thin air. Momentarily stunned, Ulquiorra lifted his arm to repel the black blade aimed for his neck. He shoved Ichigo back with the flick of his wrist, although he stared down at it, spotting an open cut.

To think he could actually get past my Hierro…

"This ends here, Ulquiorra!" Ichigo declared, positively seething.

"…Did you mean to say that 'no one else will die?'"

"…"

"Hmph. You humans truly do say the strangest things. Even someone like you must have sensed it as well."

"You're saying that you did that to Sado?!" roared Ichigo through clenched teeth.

"Indeed. As I've stated, coming here was pointless. You all forfeited your lives the moment you entered the walls of this castle."

"GETSUGA…"

"I said that it is pointless, human."

"…TENSHOU!"

#

"Shit! They're already fighting!" Izumi cried. "Hurry up!"

Aaron nodded and Flash Stepped as far as his body would carry him. With so much energy surging in the air, he didn't need Izumi's super senses to tell they were short on time.

Is that really Kurosaki's spiritual pressure? …Was it always this heavy?

"Hey, can he actually beat this Ulquiorra?" he inquired.

Grimmjow replied, "If he ain't dead already, he will be if we don't get there in time."

"…Yeah, that's what I thought."

"You almost sound like you care, Mr. Antisocial," grumbled Izumi. She yelped when Grimmjow's grip around her waist tightened. He carried her under his arms while moving alongside Aaron and the others. "I-I was just kidding! Ouch! Take it easy there…"

"Back off," Aaron told the Arrancar, his eyelids narrowing. "You still need her until we get to Kurosaki, remember?"

Grimmjow shot back, "Shut your mouth. The only reason I'm even going along with this shitty alliance is—"

"Is so you can fight that Ichigo mutt? No shit. You've only mentioned your boyfriend about a hundred times now. Just marry the prick if you love him so damn much…"

Hiyori, Flash Stepping close behind them, rolled her eyes. How she yearned to just put Grimmjow out of his misery and be done with the matter. The glower she shot Aaron said exactly that, making him hot under the collar. He wasn't exactly hankering to remain in Grimmjow's presence much longer either. Even so, he kept the bigger picture in mind.

If this Ulquiorra is really that strong, then I'm gonna need this guy on my side.

"Izumi, any sign of the others?" he asked

She shook her head. "Sorry. I still can't feel any trace of Mitsumi or Sado. I-I'm not saying they're dead, but…"

"…"

"…Sorry. Look, I know you all think I'm some sort of 'energy sensing goddess' or whatever, but it's not like I'm always right…right?

"…Anybody else?"

Izumi grimaced at her brother's dour expression. It convinced her to concentrate a little harder.

"I can…just barely pick up Sasune and his brother. I'm assuming the others are with them. They're…lower, I think, much lower. There's one of those Espada with them, that—"

"Szayelaporro," said Grimmjow, causing all heads to shift to him. "If you're talking about the lower levels, then that two-bit freak's lab is down there. He ain't that tough. If the idiots you came here with, Shinigami, are any good, they'll live to see another day."

Aaron wasn't exactly relieved hearing something like that from Grimmjow. Even so, he guessed any good news was worth its grain of salt at the moment.

"Sis," he muttered. "I need you to heal me and Ms. Hiyori as much as you can."

The request caught Izumi by surprise. "I-I mean, I'll try, but I'm not Inoue. You'll probably still be banged up before you—"

"It's fine. I'm not asking for a miracle. Just do what you can. Hurry."

After some brief deliberation, Izumi nodded and got to work. Aaron, sweating for more reasons than running as hard as he could, had a hunch that even if his sister could perform the impossible, even that might not have been enough.

Don't die, Kurosaki. At least do me that favor for all the trouble you've put us through

#

Sasune and Uryuu sat across from one another with their arms folded. Their expressions brimmed with determination, and neither of them so much as blinked. The tension they radiated honestly got on Lisa's nerves.

"…What the hell are you two doing?" she felt compelled to ask. Sasune, peeved, waved his hand to silence her. That only made her that more curious. "Uh…shouldn't you be following after Renji and those two Arrancar? There's no point sticking around here."

If the Ishida brothers heard her, they didn't show it. Their concentration seemed more solid than steel.

"Knight to H5," said Sasune.

Uryuu countered with, "Bishop to H6."

"Dammit. Good one."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Move already, Sasune."

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking!"

"Forget it. I'm skipping your turn. Gold to B8. Check."

"Oh, that's so legal. Why don't you pull out a laser beam and kill all my pieces while you're at it?"

"Check."

"…"

"Check."

Wrinkling his nose, Sasune grumbled, "I heard you the first time! I said I'm thinking!"

"…Have you two lost your minds?" wondered Lisa.

"Stop yammering! I'm gonna forget where all my pieces are!"

"Are you two…playing shogi?"

"Yes," said Uryuu like the question was the odd thing about the situation.

"Without the board or any pieces?" asked Lisa incredulously.

"Huh? Who needs that crap when you can just visualize that stuff?" Sasune said.

Uryuu replied, "Then you can clearly 'visualize' that I have you in check like usual. Just concede already."

Red-faced, Sasune bitterly mumbled, "Alright already…"

"You two are insane," Lisa said, one-hundred percent certain of the fact now. "In case you've forgotten, there's a homicidal Arrancar on the way back here. Shouldn't we, I don't know, go before he does?"

"That's what I was trying to do when Sasune kept pestering me for a game," Uryuu insisted.

Angrily, Sasune shouted, "I needed time to think! I was trying to play a relaxing game before someone started cheating and skipping my turns!"

"Because you take too long 'thinking.' It's already exhausting enough trying to play without the board."

"Whatever. Run it back! I want a rematch."

"Forget it. Did we come all the way to Hueco Mundo just to play shogi all day?"

"…Like I could forget. Ms. Izumi still needs our help. Ms. Mitsumi and Sado likely do too. Heh. That's not to mention whatever trouble CT has gotten himself into. It's tough being a hero sometimes."

Sasune's bragging aside, he remained where he sat.

Uryuu, irritated by this, said, "What are you doing? Come on already!"

"It's pointless."

"What?"

Sasune chewed his bottom lip before replying, "…Just go see for yourself. I'll save my legs for the fighting."

Uryuu left him behind, utterly bewildered.

"He's being even more of an idiot than usual," he muttered, dashing up a staircase. His older brother watched him and Lisa go with a shake of his head.

"Just give it a minute…"

'A minute' came faster than Sasune expected. Opening his eyes at the sound of rushing footsteps, he wasn't at all shocked to see some familiar faces. Uryuu, gasping for air, reappeared on the scene. Renji, Lisa, Pesche, and Dondochakka were right on his tail. Their panicked faces led Sasune to stand at long last.

"Let me guess," he said, "no matter where you went, you ended up back here."

"How the hell could you know that?" a wide-eyed Renji replied.

Frowning, Sasune didn't reply. This further agitated Uryuu, who had half a mind to hit him.

"Something you wanna tell us?" asked Lisa impatiently.

"Welcome back. Did you all enjoy that little walk of yours?"

Someone other than Sasune spoke up, someone that made everyone sick to their stomachs. Szayelaporro Granz, dressed in a pristine uniform, smiled at the aghast faces staring back at him.

"Forgive the delay. We should begin the second act now, shouldn't we?" The Octava Espada licked his lips and drew his Zanpakutou. "I overheard that just now, Quincy. You've figured out the secret to this room then."

"Something like that," Sasune answered. "You've already stated we can't use our powers in this room. 'This room.' I figure whatever trick you're using is confined to this space, meaning that if we got out of here, we could fight normally. Of course, that would be bad for you. No matter how strong you are, all of us fighting you at the same time and at full strength would probably spell your doom. That must mean you've set up a way that we can't leave."

Szayelaporro gave him a firm round of applause. "I'm impressed. To think a simpleminded being like yourself could even come close to guessing the truth. It's far more elaborate than you think, however. …And you're gravely mistaken if you think taking your powers away wasn't for any other reason than my amusement. I—"

"Despite how your demented mind works," said Lisa, holding up her hand, "we don't enjoy hearing your shitty voice. Just finish explaining already, four-eyes, so we can end this."

Though Szayelaporro appeared composed, those keep close watch could tell he was about five seconds from snapping.

"…Yes, I will enjoy killing you most of all, Visored."

"Cute…"

"So," Uryuu interjected, "there's something about this place you can control. Some kind of mechanism?"

"Correct. My palace is very much like my own body. I've embedded cameras into every wall, and the hallways can be rearranged however I wish from the simple press of a button. I simply moved them in a manner to lead you back here," Szayelaporro clarified.

"Thought so." Sasune clicked his tongue, none too pleased with his hunch being spot on. "Which means the only way out of here—"

"Is defeating him. Well," Uryuu pushed his glasses up and smirked, "I planned on doing that from the start, so I suppose there's no issue."

"Now you're speaking my language," said Lisa.

"I'll carve that shitty smirk right off his face!" Renji bellowed.

Szayelaporro frowned. His foes still weren't despairing. Given the hopelessness of the situation, he felt even feeble-minded beings such as them could face the truth. His finger tapped against his chin with a small amount of vexation.

"I suppose that's what I get for trying to comprehend the thoughts of invalids," he muttered to himself. "It matters not. You fools have wasted more than enough of my time."

"You've wasted ours!" Sasune snapped. A newfound ire had taken hold of him. "I'm sick of looking at your face! I've got a princess trapped atop a castle to save, so move aside."

"A princess you say?" Szayelaporro's eyes soon flickered with realization. "Ah. That human Mistress Arashi dragged here. Izumi Higuchi, I believe? Her powers are rather curious, aren't they? I would have captured her myself if I had known anything about her. …I'll enjoy dissecting her most of all once Mistress Arashi is through with her."

"Sasune, no!"

Uryuu's warning went unheeded. Shouting in anger, Sasune dashed toward Szayelaporro. He could see nothing but red.

"Dammit! Idiot!" cried Uryuu, gritting his teeth. On instinct, he went to form his bow. He successfully did so, giving him one hell of a start. "W-Wait!"

"Just what I expected from low class scum," Szayelaporro remarked as Sasune drew closer. "So easily riled up. At the very least, it makes me want to fight with all my strength to erase your pitiful existence."

He lifted his sword and dipped his head back. Sasune had no clue what the odd behavior meant, but he had a feeling he had to stop it.

"Oh, damn! That's right! I can't use my—huh?!"

His glowing, scarlet bow formed at his command. Though baffled, he wasted little time in putting it to use. A torrent of arrows flew Szayelaporro's way.

"Master Szayelaporro, allow us to be your shield."

Several of Szayelaporro's Fracción darted in front of their liege and took the arrows in his stead. Their master didn't bat an eyelash at their demise, taking firm hold of Zanpakutou. He proceeded to shove it down his throat, the absolute last thing anyone expected.

"Sip, Fornicarás."

Lowering his bow, Sasune felt his strength sap away due to the horrifying sight before him. Like the others, he could do nothing, say nothing, while witnessing Szayelaporro undergo his bizarre transformation. The Espada's body swelled like balloon, and he began wailing a cry of the utmost agony. The awful scene seemed to go on forever.

"Sweet Christmas…" Sasune uttered breathlessly.

"Is…this supposed be a Resurrección?" questioned Uryuu.

"Heads up!" Lisa quickly covered her mouth once a pink mist spread across the room. "The hell is this crap?!"

It wasn't the strange haze she and the others had to worry about. She understood that once it faded and gave them all a proper look at Szayelaporro.

Innumerable tentacles made up the lower half of his body, while a light garment and sleeves made up the top part of his bizarre, new outfit. His fingertips had become unusually long, not to mention purple. Four lengthy branches, somewhat reminiscent of butterfly wings, extended from his back. Two stood on each side and dozens of red strands hung from them. His glasses-shaped mask fragments now formed a band around his sinister eyes, attached to his ears by fan-like coverings. Purple markings around his left eye topped off his freakish transformation.

"Much better." Szayelaporro inspected himself all over, more than pleased by the results. "Forgive the delay. Shall we begin the long-awaited second act of…no. Rather, it is time for us to bring the second act to a close."

He hunched over, suddenly unleashing a huge amount of black liquid off of his back. It hit the walls and ceiling, splashing on his foes before they even had the chance to react.

"Oh, come on!" whined Sasune. "I spent a week sewing this outfit! A week!"

"Forget your clothes! What the hell is this stuff?!" cried Uryuu, who tried and failed to shake it off. "Screw it! Run! I get the feeling we shouldn't let any more of this crap get on us!"

"T-That's like asking us to dodge rain, Ichigo!" replied Pesche.

The wailing Dondochakka nodded feverishly. "It's impossible, know what I'm sayin'?!"

That proved true when a huge drop of the black fluid landed atop his massive head. He and the others looked on in horror as something began growing from the liquid, something eerily familiar. A second Dondochakka landed beside the real one, its yellow eyes showing no emotion or life.

"Oh, shit!" The same thing happened to Sasune, unable to stop some fluid from landing on his shoulder. "Uh…h-having a crisis over here! Should I be happy or freaked out there's someone as good-looking as me here?!"

Fleeing proved futile. Within moments, an innumerable amount of copies surrounded Sasune's paralyzed group. Szayelaporro, finding the scene delightful, laughed his head off.

"Nice legs…" said Lisa, staring at a bunch of her own duplicates.

"Y-You can't be serious!" Snarling, Renji backed into her and the others, unsure of where to swing his sword first. "Cut the jokes for once."

"Can't help it. …It's the only way to stay sane in a messed up situation like this."

That much at least Renji could agree with.

"With that," Szayelaporro remarked, "all the actors have finally joined the stage. Do me a favor and begin the performance. It should be obvious from looking at them all that they aren't some sort of illusion. Oh, and I should mention they have the same abilities you do, so underestimating them will likely lead to a swift death. No need to fall into despair just yet, however. As the two Quincy have discovered, I have removed the seal in this room preventing you all from using your powers. Go ahead now. You and your clones can kill one another to your heart's content."

He went back to cackling like a fiend. That left his unfortunate victims to sit by as their duplicates closed in.

"Dammit! No way that freak is bluffing," mused Renji.

Uryuu let out a feeble chuckle. "How does the saying go? 'Before you can fight your enemy, you have to face yourself?' …This is a bad joke."

"No, it's something out of a stale fortune cookie." Sasune, sweating like a stuffed pig, pointed his scarlet bow straight ahead. "Oh, it's such a shame to have to kill such fine specimens. Think my clones will get mad if I ask for a group photo?"

"…How about I shoot them all for you? I don't mind, really," an exasperated Uryuu suggested.

"Just for that, I'm hitting all your clones in the kneecap."

#

Ichigo could hardly see straight. Rubbing the blood from his vision no longer worked; too much of it poured down his battered head. He managed to keep his dark sword in front of him and is stance focused, a testament to his will winning out over his excruciating pain.

On the other hand, Ulquiorra counted himself perfectly fine other than his burned fingers. They still alarmed him to the point that he stared at them for some time.

He's gotten past my Hierro yet again…

More than that, he actually had to pull his left hand out of his pocket to block Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshou. It left everything around them a flaming wreck, punching a gaping hole in the ceiling too. Light poured in, brightening both combatants' fierce expressions.

"Is that all then, Ichigo Kurosaki? If so, you don't have close to enough power to kill me."

"I will! Even if my body turns to dust, I'll take you down with me, Ulquiorra Cifer!"

"A worthless sentiment." Ulquiorra aimed his index and middle finger at Ichigo. "If words alone were enough to gain you victory, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

Ichigo was more than ready for the massive, green Cero unleashed upon him. He reached up and 'ripped' his hand across his face. His Hollow mask answered his call. When he fired a Cero of his own, he got the normally cold and callous Ulquiorra looking on in shock.

"Impossible…"

The two Cero slammed into each other and created a dazzling light show while fighting for supremacy.

"It wasn't like I just sat around while hunting you down! I got stronger, stronger for Inoue!" Ichigo spat.

"So, you've trained that Hollowfication of yours. …What of it?"

Ichigo, clenching his teeth behind his mask, held on for dear life as Ulquiorra's Cero doubled in size. It steadily pushed his own back.

"You may fight like a Hollow, and your spiritual pressure may even resemble ours," Ulquiorra continued, "but you're nothing more than a pale imitation."

Despite the precarious situation, Ichigo laughed. "What's this? I didn't know you were so talkative, Ulquiorra!"

"…"

"Choose your next words wisely. They'll be your last!"

Suddenly, Ichigo's Cero increased in power enough to once more match Ulquiorra's. It came at the cost of most of his energy, with his mask starting to crack. He paid it no mind, unwilling to lose after coming this far and with Orihime's death still unavenged.

"Kurosaki! Get out of the way!"

Both he and Ulquiorra looked up to find none other than Aaron floating there. Blue energy swirled around Aaron's Seigetsu, and he swung it across the air the moment he and Ulquiorra locked eyes.

"GETSUGA TENSHOU!"

"…Damn," the Quatro Espada uttered, realizing there was nothing he could do to block both Ichigo's Cero and the new threat.

The blast, visible for miles, punched another hole into the dome and cascaded out of it.