Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Chapter Thirty-Two

Charlotte vs Tres Bestia

"APACCI!" Mila Rose and Sung-Sun screamed as they watched their friend disappear in the blast, the enraged Charlotte Coolhorn disintegrating her into ashes.

Grabbing her broadsword, Mila Rose charged at the berserker Arrancar in a blind rage. "YOU BASTAAAAARD!" Already in her released state, with all her might she brought the broadsword down with a chop. Coolhorn brought up an arm to defend and promptly lost it when the sword sunk into his flesh. But the loss of his left arm didn't deter the bizarre creature from holding up a hand in front of Mila Rose's face, a Cero forming to blow her head off.

"MILA ROSE!" Sung-Sun screamed, rushing to try to save her friend before she was decapitated.

A fist came out of nowhere and smashed into the side of Coolhorn's face. Once again the berserker Arrancar was knocked to the ground. Mila Rose and Sung-Sun turned and were relieved to see Chad. But even more so the sight of Apacci alive behind him, having been protected by him. "You're alive!" Mila Rose cried, relief swelling over her. "We were worried."

Chad gave his mentors a thumbs up. "Sorry I'm late. I had to wait a bit to recover before I could move," he confessed.

"Don't do that. You look like such a dweeb…" Apacci groaned as she struggled to her feet. "Thanks for the save though."

Sung-Sun joined them. They watched Coolhorn make it to his feet but as the effeminate Arrancar started to stagger and sway her eyes were directed to his stump of an arm. Spirit energy was pouring out of the wound, its signature volatile and dangerous. "Not good!" Her brow furrowed when she saw Coolhorn's blank expression. "He's a walking bomb! Losing his arm made his spirit energy unstable! He's gonna blow!"

Indeed, Coolhorn was screaming in agony. His veins bulged and cracks formed in his skin. Black and red spirit energy began pouring out of the wounds. Ichigo's spirit energy was too much for Coolhorn's body to handle and now it'd reached critical mass. "GRAHHHHHHHHHH!" Coolhorn screamed as his body began to swell up.

Chad immediately put himself back in front of the Tres Bestia and put up his shield arm. "Get behind me!"

"Are you nuts?!" Mila Rose screamed. "Your shield won't do anything! He's going to take the entire mountain with him! We have to run!"

"It's too late!" Apacci shouted, sensing that the walking bomb was going to explode any second.

A large shadow suddenly loomed over the four. All eyes turned to Ayon as it loomed over Coolhorn. The Tres Bestia saw that his wounds had regenerated. "Ayon! What are you doing?!"

The massive creature didn't say a word. It merely grabbed Coolhorn with its huge hands and picked the Arrancar up. It turned its head towards Chad, staring deep within the Human from those endless black pits for eyes. Chad was confused when he heard a low grunting sound come from the chimera creature. It sounded low and sad to the young man. But Chad somehow understood what Ayon was saying.

"Take care of them."

"AYON!" The Tres Bestia all screamed when Ayon jumped high into the air. Ayon jumped as high as its massive strength could take it. The moment Ayon's jumped reached its peak was when the bomb that had been Charlotte Coolhorn exploded, a massive burst of red and black energy released all at once.

The four on the mountainside braced as the shockwave almost knocked them off their feet. When they looked back up, they saw a huge cloud of smoke above the mountain. Coolhorn was dead and he'd taken Ayon with him.

"Wow…" Mila Rose breathed in terrified awe. "If Ayon hadn't grabbed him and jumped, he would have turned the mountain into a crater."

Apacci bristled. "What did Aizen do to him? He was a monster."

Sung-Sun turned to Chad. "I suppose we should all be lucky that you finished your opponent before he went nuclear. Otherwise Apacci would have been blasted to kingdom come if you hadn't saved her in time."

"Hey! I could've saved myself!" Apacci insisted.

"You mean before or after we vacuumed up your ashes?"

While Apacci bickered with Sung-Sun, Chad walked away and looked out on the town. His first inclination was to rush to Ichigo's aid. The battle between him and Barragan was raging. But Chad knew that if he tried to intervene he'd only get in the way. As much as it pained him to admit, this was Ichigo's fight and Ichigo's alone.

Meanwhile…
Isshin vs. Findor

The sky was littered with explosions as fire and water met with disastrous results. Isshin had to admit as continued to combat the Arrancar, this was a rather formidable opponent. He could tell what Aizen had done to him, pumping him full of his son's spirit energy in order to increase his power. And with him continuously breaking off pieces of his mask Findor's power kept rising higher and higher. And with the release of his Resurección, Pinza Aguda, Findor was able to counter Isshin's zanpakuto fire with high pressure blasts of water. Blood dripped from a light wound on Isshin's left shoulder.

Dealing with Findor's Hollows had been an easy task once Isshin released Shikai. But when Findor had directly engaged him he'd been forced to take the fight to the air after seeing how destructive the Arrancar had become.

Findor seethed with anger as he continued to charge at Isshin with his huge claw. The only rational thought in his mind was to serve his king. And killing this Soul Reaper would fulfill that desire, even as his body started to crack.

Isshin's ears picked up the massive kaboom on the mountain behind him and quickly realized by Findor's unstable energy that the man was close to exploding too. And if he detonated right in the middle of town…

'If even one of these guys goes boom, the town will end up as a giant crater. What is Aizen thinking sending these guys here? I though he wanted Karakura Town. Why would he risk destroying it and the Spirit Enrichment Zone just to test his men? Unless…' Isshin started to analyze the situation more. 'Unless this isn't Aizen's show. Barragan must've acted without Aizen's orders. That makes sense. Still, what is Aizen thinking, letting one of his top men risk his plans like this?'

Findor's pained scream snapped him out of his thinking. He saw Findor hold out his huge claw and open it up, a massive red and black Cero forming. "Shit! Can't dodge or he'll hit the town!" He dipped his fingers into the wound on his shoulder and threw the blood onto his sword. The Reishi fire intensified to intense levels before Isshin gathered his energy. "Gotta take him down…before he takes everyone with him." He held the sword overhead and swung with all his might. "GETSUGA TENSHO!"

The Cero forming in Findor's claw fired too late to save the Arrancar from death. The massive burning Getsuga Tensho squashed his attack before Findor himself was caught in the blast. His death rattle echoed throughout the town as he was blasted to ashes.

Panting, Isshin sheathed his sword and watched the smoke settle to reveal Findor gone, nothing but a pile of falling ashes in his wake. "Woo…" he breathed, wiping the sweat from his brow. "Good thing I finished it before he exploded. Otherwise the blast would have reached Yuzu, Karin, Asahi and-" Isshin's eyes suddenly widened when he saw something in the distance. "RANGIKU!"

His former lieutenant was currently in the grip of the now transformed Nirgge, the Arrancar now the side of a house. The roof of the abandoned factory they'd been fighting in had collapsed from their battle, revealing her dire situation to her former captain. She'd been able to lure Nirgge away from the Kurosaki house but had been thoroughly crushed by her opponent.

Nirgge's huge body crackled with red lighting, his green fur smoldering from the heat of his body from the energy running through him. Rangiku screamed as the mammoth Arrancar squeezed, feeling her ribs on the verge of cracking. Nirgge took pleasure in Rangiku's screams, planning on making Rangiku's death a slow and painful one.

Armed with only the broken hilt of Haineko, Rangiku struggled to break free of the Arrancar's grip. "H-Hado-GAHHHHHH!" she screamed when Nirgge squeezed again.

Nirgge grinned with malicious glee. There was no doubt in his rage-filled mind that he'd won this fight. First he would kill Rangiku, then kill the child that he'd been originally aiming for. He prepared to give Rangiku one final squeeze to completely crush her bones and organs. "DIE!"

"LET HER GO, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

A wave of blue energy surged towards them. Nirgge was so drunk off his fury that he didn't realize that he'd been attacked until Rangiku fell from his grip. Looking down he saw two large stumps where his arms used to be. "GRAAAAAAAAHHH!" the mammoth Arrancar screamed as the pain suddenly hit. Blood gushed from his stumps while he staggered backwards.

Rangiku opened her eyes to find herself in the arms of Isshin. "C-captain Shiba?" she coughed.

"Don't speak. Your whole ribcage is fractured and is close to puncturing your lungs," Isshin warned.

"H-how-"

"I'm a doctor, remember?" Isshin smiled. He turned his head towards Nirgge and was horrified by what he was seeing. Black and red spirit energy started to pour out of the huge Arrancar's wounds. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nirgge screamed in agony. Like Coolhorn and Findor, the unstable spirit energy inside him reached critical mass when he sustained a heavy injury.

The cracking of Nirgge's skin and his rising spirit energy warned Isshin what was about to happen. "Dammit! He's about to blow too!" He knew there was no time to charge up another Getsuga Tensho. All Isshin could do was hope that his next gambit worked. He spun his sword around and muttered a spell. "Hadō #58: Tenran!"

The tornado that blasted out of Isshin's Engetsu swept up the Arrancar and hurled him into the sky. Nirgge screamed incoherently until his body could contain the power inside him no more, erupting with a massive blast.

The former captain quickly took Rangiku into his arms and shielded her from the shockwave, holding her close until the dust settled. He looked up to find yet another cloud of smoke hanging over Karakura Town. Nirgge was dead now too.

Hearing a groan of pain beneath him brought Isshin back into focus. "Rangiku!" He saw his former lieutenant struggling to breath and knew that the internal damage was worse than he first assessed. "Hang on!" he put a hand to her ribs and started to use Kaido. Although healing wasn't his forte, he'd taught himself to properly heal after Masaki died so that he wasn't powerless to save his children.

He could feel the others fighting in the distance. His senses picked up Yoruichi's spiritual pressure faltering and had to fight the urge to run to her and Kisuke's aid. Rangiku was his top priority. "Ichigo…" he muttered as he felt his son fighting Barragan. "Please come back to us alive!"

Toshiro vs. Abirama

"KILL YOUUUUUUUU! DEVORAR PLUMAAAA!" the avian Arrancar roared as he launched his feather attacks at the captain again and again. In a blind rage he unleashed a storm of feathers at the pillar of ice that Toshiro used to shield himself. "I'LL KILL YOUUUUUU!"

Toshiro braced himself with more ice. This was becoming more problematic. Abirama was becoming more and more indiscriminate with his attacks. If Toshiro wasn't careful then the Arrancar would end up causing havoc in the town below. "I should hurry. Ryu-"

"No need, Captain Hitsugaya."

From behind his ice, Toshiro was shocked to see a small figure behind the erratic eagle. Abirama sensed the intruder and spun around to find nothing. However, after a brief moment, however, a butterfly marked appeared at the center of the man's chest.

The same voice next came from Abirama's back. "Nigeki Kessatsu." Soi-Fon calmly walked away from the eagle. Abirama screamed as he felt the poison take his body, disappearing in a giant butterfly mark that slowly faded away.

Toshiro was surprised to see his comrade. Soon Captain Kuchiki and Unohana joined them along with their respective lieutenants. The ice around Toshiro dissolved while he sealed his Bankai away. "I didn't think you'd come."

Soi-Fon slid her hands into the folds of her sleeves while looking at Toshiro disapprovingly. "You showed too much restraint," she chastised. "Had that fight gone any longer he would've exploded and taken you and half the town with him." She gestured to the nearby clouds of black and red smoke made by the other exploding Arrancar.

"Why are you all here?" Toshiro demanded to know. "I thought you were ordered to stand down?"

"Yes. And those orders were given to you as well," Byakuya warned, his face stern and harsh. "Yet you disobeyed a direct order from the Head-Captain and joined the battle anyway."

Sheathing his sword, Toshiro crossed his arms and glared back at the three captains. "Am I supposed to do nothing as a hoard of Arrancars rampage through the town we were sent here to protect?"

Soi-Fon narrowed her eyes. "Don't try to twist things around. We were not sent here to protect Karakura Town. We are here to monitor Ichigo Kurosaki and his allies in order to decide whether to kill them."

The harshness of Soi-Fon's tone chilled Toshiro, even if he knew she was right. Byakuya was the next to speak. "I understand that you might feel an emotional attachment to Ichigo since he is the son of your former captain. But that doesn't change the situation." Byakuya narrowed his eyes. "You are aware that the Head-Captain has already made his decision towards Ichigo."

"And you know that I do not approve of it!" Toshiro shouted back heatedly. "You know Ichigo just as well as I do, Byakuya! You know that he isn't evil! He is not our enemy!"

Renji stood behind the group and bristled with fury at the decision made by their Head-Captain. But he knew better than to voice his outrage at his captain. Likewise Isane stood next to him feeling distraught about the whole situation. Only Omaeda seemed to be okay with the decision made.

Unohana, however, spoke with her usual calm. "You are right, Captain Hitsugaya. Ichigo Kurosaki is not evil. However, when someone with heart and ideals goes astray, good becomes something far worse than evil. Right now Ichigo is teetering on the edge of that line. And if he falls into darkness he will become a threat to everyone. His romance with Tier Halibel and his subsequent Hollowfication have turned him into something far less than a Human."

"I understand that but-"

"And," Unohana continued, cutting him off, "he is emotionally vulnerable to Aizen's influence. He couldn't even give you an answer when you questioned his loyalty. If it were up to us, Captain, we would remove his powers and let him live out his life as a normal Human again."

"But Captain Kuchiki already tried to remove his powers once," said Soi-Fon, watching Ichigo fighting Barragan from a distance. "And you saw the result of what became of that thanks to Kisuke Urahara's meddling. And because we have no way of separating him from his Hollow powers we cannot do the humane thing."

"And what about Ichigo's friends?" demanded Toshiro. "They've done nothing wrong! Isshin-"

"Has much to answer for," Byakuya interrupted. "Orihime Inoue is blameless in all of this so she will be spared. And the Quincy lost his powers when he fought Captain Kurotsuchi so there is no need to punish him. But Yasutora is just as much of Hollow hybrid as Ichigo. He has the capacity to become just as dangerous as Ichigo. And as for Halibel and her subordinates, our duty as Soul Reapers is clear."

"And the child? Isshin confirmed that Asahi is Human."

"He lied," Soi-Fon bluntly said. "He would do anything to protect his granddaughter. He knew you would take his word at first glance. That's why he didn't show you her Chain of Fate. We have no doubt that the thing that creature birthed is a Hollow wearing a Human shell."

Toshiro clenched his teeth. 'That's not true! Captain Shiba would never lie to me!' And yet despite thinking that, Toshiro felt doubt creeping into the back of his mind. 'Would he?'

Byakuya took a deep breath and sighed. "Captain Hitsugaya. I do not approve of this either. I too spoke out against the order but Head-Captain Yamamoto's orders are absolute. And even if my heart tries to tell me otherwise, my eyes cannot deceive me." He turned to the battle in the far distance between Ichigo and Barragan. "Can you look at that battle and tell me that is a fight between a Soul Reaper and a Hollow?" The young captain's silence was answer enough. "That feels like a fight between two Vasto Lorde Hollows. If we allow Ichigo to grow further in strength, he could become something more dangerous than Aizen."

Unohana put a hand on Toshiro's shoulder. "And there's still Halibel to consider. We've no idea what her motives are in all of this. For all we know she could be using Ichigo as a way to supplant Aizen."

"I…"

"The debate is over, Captain Hitsugaya," Soi-Fon said, ending the discussion with a tone of finality in her voice. "Our orders are clear. Once Aizen has been dealt with, Ichigo Kurosaki is to die."

Silence filled the air as Toshiro hung his head. Yet while the four captains debated the ethics of their orders, Isane's phone started to ring. "Hello? Yes, the captains are here…WHAT?!" she screamed.

Unohana spun around. "Isane, what's the matter?" Her alarm grew when her lieutenant turned to her with a pale face.

"C-captain…" Isane trembled from the report she just received from the Soul Society. "It's him! HE'S HERE!"

Kisuke & Yoruichi vs. Szayelapporo

"Ahahahahaha!"

"Nghhhh!" groaned a downed Yoruichi, unable to stand anymore. "Anyone ever tell you that…your laugh is annoying?"

The Flash Goddess had been soundly crushed once the Espada used the doll he'd created of Yoruichi and crushed both her Achilles tendons.

"Now, now, I could have done a lot worse," Szayelapporo threatened, holding up the tiny Yoruichi doll in his hand. "But I would like to have my specimens in one piece. I just think it's funny that the woman who is known as the fastest in all the Soul Society can no longer even stand up."

Kisuke leapt to his friend's defense. "Give me that doll!" His sword flashed with a crimson red. "Scream Benihime!" His red attack launched at the pink-haired man but one of his gargantuan subordinates jumped in front and took the hit instead. He saw the purple tentacle wings reach towards him but threw up a barrier of his own to protect himself from the same fate as Yoruichi. He landed on the roof of his shop and his studied the surroundings a bit. Aside from their battle and Ichigo's, it looked like the rest of Barragan's men had all been defeated.

Szayelapporo seemed to have noticed it as well thanks to the huge clouds of red and black smoke that hung over the town. "So it seems that my experiment was a failure. But then again, how could a mere Fracción hope to contain such volatile spirit energy." The scientist stroked his chin. "Hmmm…still, their increase in power was considerable. This has given me much useful data. Imagine the power boost an Espada would gain. Yes…" Szayelapporo's smile widened. "I'm certain that the Espada would be strong enough to integrate Ichigo's spirit energy."

"Yeah, how about no," Kisuke warned. He raised his sword to strike again when he saw Szayelapporo turn and walk away. "Leaving so soon?"

"Of course. This little excursion seems to have run its course. I'm disappointed that I wasn't able to acquire you for my experiments but I'll deign to wait for another opportune moment. In the meantime…" his evil eyes turned towards the fallen Yoruichi. "I'll settle for your friend."

"Yoruichi!" Kisuke realized Szayelapporo's aim and jumped towards his best friend. But the Espada's minions beat him to her.

"Get off of me!" Yoruichi screamed as she was swarmed by five of the white monsters. "I can still punch your faces off you-" She was silenced when the five dogpiled her. Just as Kisuke was about to reach her, the Fraccións suddenly glowed with a pink light and a burst of energy surged from the group, knocking Kisuke backwards.

When the glow faded, Kisuke looked on in horror at what'd become of Yoruichi. In place of where his friend lay was a large stone cube that'd been made from the petrified bodies of Szayelapporo's men. And amidst the tangle of stony limbs was the petrified face of Yoruichi.

"Quite an effective way of capturing prey, wouldn't you say?" mocked Szayelapporo. In his hand the Yoruichi doll turned to stone as well. "Oho?" He watched Kisuke turn to him with murder in his eyes. "You're more sentimental than I was lead to believe. Are you sure you're a scientist?"

"Oh, I'm peachy…" Kisuke seethed. "I'll find a way to get her out of that. But first," he pointed Benihime at the man. "I'll deal with you first."

Ichigo vs Barragan

Sword met axe in a violent struggle. Ichigo clenched his teeth behind his horned mask while he battled Barragan. He could now keep up with the Number Two Espada with his Hollowfication but the kingly Arrancar was as strong as ever. Barragan held out a hand and fired a Cero which Ichigo dodged. When Ichigo fired off one of his own, the Arrancar cut it in half with his axe. Before Barragan had the chance to counterattack Ichigo was upon him again, leading into another clash of steel.

The King and the Substitute clashed before they were knocked back by the recoil of their exchange. "Hmmm…" Barragan growled, glaring at the transformed boy with such hatred in his eyes. "You're stronger than before. But disguising yourself as a Hollow will not save you from me. You will die. And then I will dump your broken, lifeless body in front of that traitor and watch her weep from her foolishness."

"Why do you hate Halibel so much? What has she ever done to you?" Ichigo demanded to know.

"Hmph! She defied me once when we were both still just Hollows. That alone warrants death."

"You're petty for a king."

"I am no mere king, boy." Barragan pointed his axe at Ichigo. "I am the King of Hollows."

Ichigo rolled his eyes. Barragan sure liked to talk grandly about himself. "And yet you serve Aizen. Some king you are."

Barragan Sonidoed right in front of Ichigo. The boy barely had enough time to block the axe as it came down on him. "Your disrespect only digs your grave faster. I will kill Sosuke Aizen. And I'll do it with my own hands." Ichigo grunted from the heavy weight of Barragan's axe. "He sits upon my throne. The throne that was stolen from me. And I will take back my throne and paint the walls of my palace with his blood. But before I kill him with the very power he gave me, I will kill you. Hmm?"

Ichigo's Hollowfied body pulsed with red and black energy. "Getsugaaaa…TENSHO!" Sweeping aside Barragan's axe, Ichigo's black blade launched its signature technique right at Barragan's chest at point-blank range. Barragan staggered backwards with a cry of pain but Ichigo was disheartened to see that the wound inflicted wasn't deep enough. "How? That was a Hollowfied Getsuga Tensho!"

"I am not some pitiful Hollow that can be killed with a single swing, boy…" Barragan seethed. "Nor am I some paltry Arrancar. Even your master fears me. And now…I will show you why." He held out his axe and pointed it downward. "I will destroy you and everything you ever held dear."

"Rot: Arrogante!"

To be continued