"Tired of dull ages, I walk the same ground, collecting the tragedies still. Hollow ambitions in a hollow mind... Carried my cross to the hill.
And how I lust for the dance and the fire, deep of the nectarine sunset to drink. Spill me the wind and its fire... To steal of the colors - I'm the moonshield.
Shattered hope became my guide, and grief and pain my friends. A brother pact in a blood-ink penned... Declare my silent end.
Naked and dying under worlds of silent stone...
Reaching for the moonshield that once upon us shone...
And how I lust for the dance and the fire, deep of the nectarine sunset to drink. Spill me the wind and its fire, to steal of the colors...
I'm the... I'm the... I'm the...
I'm the MOONSHIELD! "
In Flames - Moonshield
~~~~X~~~~
"How are you feeling now?" Nelliel asked Ichigo after finishing the healing process.
Ichigo stood up and moved his arms a bit.
"Like new. You are amazing at this too, Nel!" He replied happily.
"Th-Thank you..." She blushed at that compliment, smiling gracefully at him.
"No trace of the venom either" He remembered how he felt after the receiving the Locusts' sting.
"Venom?!" She asked worried.
"Yeah... Those things stung pretty hard. I felt my head spinning around and my senses going numb. But even in that state, I was able to defeat him" He looked at the unconscious rival that was by his side.
"I wonder if he knew something more about Ulquiorra" Nel though out loud.
"Not much probably. Despite being quite talkative (believe it or not), Ulquiorra never truly revealed what his inner thoughts were. Who knows? He may not even have had a real motivation at that time, but that could've changed..."
As he finished that sentence, a huge pilar of green light appeared in the dark sky. The Espada was calling him.
"Ichigo...!" Nel called his attention.
"It's time" He replied, getting his Zanpakutou ready. "I'm going ahead. If you want to see how I'm doing, just make sure to be as far as you can possibly be... Though I'd rather have you stay"
"I know, but I also want to see that you're fine. I promised that I wouldn't risk my life, so you can rest assured"
"Wish me luck" He said, grabbing the back of her head and gently pulling her hair to give her a long passionate kiss.
"~Mmm~" She moaned, before breaking the kiss. "Make sure that's not the last one..." She whispered in his ear, giving him shivers, as well as a strong reason to survive.
Ichigo pressed his forehead against hers so their noses touched and their eyes were as close as they could get.
"It won't be, Nel. I promise" He wanted to kiss her again, but decided to leave it for later.
Nelliel watched him leave with a mixture of certainty and worry. She knew Ichigo was really strong, that he could beat anyone if he decided so with the sheer determination he always had. Why did she feel uneasy, still? Like something terrible was going to happen inevitably.
Ichigo went deeper into the black sand desert, into a formation of valleys and canyons.
It called his attention that everything was black. The sand, the rocks, the trees... Well, there wasn't much more to see either, but it still troubled him.
"This place is nothing like the rest of Hueco Mundo"
Then suddenly, after passing through a crack between two rocks, something special came in sight. Something that called his attention in the giant black desert.
"So... White" He muttered, admiring it.
From the black earth rose a magnificent white tree. It was tall and full of thorned branches.
He didn't know why, but he had the feeling that such a thing was unique in all of Hueco Mundo, or even... In the whole Universe.
"It seems you like it" A familiar yet unwanted voice said.
"Where are you?!" Ichigo asked back, ready to slice him to pieces.
From behind the white tree's trunk, appeared Ulquiorra. He was wearing the same Espada attire as before. Ulquiorra clearly wanted a fight that was just like the last time, although many things had changed, starting with the Shinigami's power and appearance.
"Welcome, Kurosaki Ichigo, to the place where I was born"
"You were... Born here?" Ichigo asked confused.
"It was just a choice of words. The first time we're really born as individuals would probably be when we distinguish ourselves as Gillians, though I doubt many Arrancar retain such a distant memory..."
Ichigo just stood there, interested by his speech, despite his animosity towards the Cuatro Espada.
"...I do remember though. I remember how all Gillian were black. I however... Was white. When I became a bat-like Adjuchas, I was still white. When I finished scavenging the corpse of a Hollow and became a Vasto Lorde..."
"Let me guess, you were white" Ichigo completed. "Where are you getting at with all this?" He asked, bothered.
"I never saw a Hollow that was similar to me in my entire existence. Not even did I see something inanimate that resembled me in any way. I was born in these great plains of black sand, somewhere even farther from here. Everything here is black. The only thing I ever thought looked kinda similar to what I was looking for, was the moon... But that is just too far away..." He sighed, disapponted.
In that moment, Ichigo seemed to understand where he was headed.
"Then this tree..."
"Exactly. This tree was the first thing I ever saw that was like me. So empty. So hollow. So... White" He admired the tree. "I wanted to be a part of it. I wanted to enter its nothingness. I wanted, to escape my solitude and embrace that which was similar to me... So I sinked into the tree, hopeful... Until its thorns reminded me that such a thing was impossible. I was born alone... And I would die alone"
"I understand now. This is the place where you became an Arrancar. This tree, is the one that tore your mask off" Ichigo deduced.
"Correct. As you can see, I decided to have our rematch in a very special place, though I wouldn't say I really have any sort of attachment towards anything really... In the end, I know that everything is worthless, pointless and meaningless"
"You are in high spirits today, aren't you?" Ichigo said ironically. "Where is Inoue?" He wanted to ask that ever since he arrived.
"In a safe place. One where no harm can reach her. After all... The dead can no longer feel pain, can they?" He provoked the Shinigami.
"That better be a very distasteful joke, or else...!"
"What? You will destroy me?" He got his sword out of the sheath. "How convenient... I've been dying to die again"
"Fucking freak" Ichigo spat, before clashing against him with a single Shunpo.
Ichigo destroyed the whole canyon that was behind them with that single swing.
"No more restrictions" Ichigo thought, releasing his full power.
Ulquiorra opened his eyes a bit as Ichigo blasted him away with another swing of his blade.
Even though the Espada blocked the slash itself, just the force of the attack was enough to send him flying.
He did not give up though, in fact, he was ready to counter now that he knew the extent of his rival's power.
He used Sonido to clash against Ichigo at a superior speed and strength, one that even made the Shinigami flinch a couple meters, and before he could react, Ulquiorra kicked him away from the spot they were into a more even part of the dark canyon.
"It seems he's no joke though. His mere strength is superior to Aizen's back then" Ichigo thought as he got back on his feet and ready to attack. "Getsuga Tenshou!"
"Cero" Ulquiorra replied with the signature move of his base form.
The two attacks clashed equally, making a destructive shockwave that erased everything on a hundred-meter radius.
"You've grown strong, Kurosaki Ichigo. This time I even dare saying we're even" The Arrancar commented.
"Oh really? Guess I wasn't really trying then!" He replied, slashing violently against his rival in an attempt to prove him wrong.
Ulquiorra blocked the attacks with difficulty, but managed to stand his ground.
"Cero Centésimas" Ulquiorra pointed his fingers and blasted a barrage of smaller Ceros in all directions.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
The black and red Getsuga simply went through the attacks with no effort.
"Too slow" Ulquiorra said as he appeared from behind and hit the Shinigami with a point blank Bala, sending him flying away.
Ichigo rolled over the ground, not able to stand immediately due to the speed at which he was thrown away. On the other end, Ulquiorra was waiting for him, ready to slash him while he was down.
Ichigo, instead of granting him that pleasure, grinned as he blocked the blade of the Espada with his own.
"Nice try"
"Hmph" Ulquiorra was not impressed by his tenacity. He knew better than anyone about it after all.
He jumped back on his feet and clashed against him once more.
"C'mon, Ulquiorra, I know you can do better than this...!" He tried to provoke his rival.
"I was willing to go further ever since I started this battle, although... Are you sure you can handle any more?"
"I wouldn't be so cocky if I was you. You're clearly underestimating my strength"
"On the contrary, Kurosaki Ichigo. You seem to be the one overestimating your own abilities"
"Why don't we leave this façade behind and use our true power then?" Ichigo said, wearing his Hollow mask.
"As you wish" Ulquiorra complied, internally glad as things were going like he wanted. "Enclose... Murciélago" The Espada changed into his first Resurrección, extending his bat wings. "Luz de la Luna" He said, pointing his green javelin at Ichigo.
"Let's go" The Shinigami said as he and Ulquiorra started exchanging blows and slashes all over the black sand desert.
Their crashing created destruction waves that blew everything close by to smithereens, and their weapons' movement alone was enough to make the space around them tremble.
This was truly the true decissive battle between the two.
~~~~X~~~~
Nel was looking at the horizon, hoping that her loved one was fine.
She could feel their Reiatsu from the distance, so she knew that both were alive at the very least.
"Their power is... Scary" She thought. "I knew that Ichigo wouldn't have been normally wounded by a power like Arikado's, but with this proof my suspicions are correct... He lowered his level a lot so that he wouldn't hurt me. I... I was only dragging him down..." She cried a bit at that thought.
Her tears were stopped by a sudden feeling, like someone was entering her mind.
"Can everyone hear me?" It was Rukia's voice.
"Huh? What is this?" Nel asked.
"I used Bakudou 77: Tenteikuura to communicate with you all. It seems that even Arrancar can be notified, probably due to their Shinigami powers" She theorized. "More importantly, is everyone alright? Renji and I are fine, and Hachigen and Hiyori are also with us"
"We're fine on our end" Lisa replied. "The two Arrancar also finished their battle with a bit of damage"
"Grimmjow is unconscious, but he's fine" Harribel added.
"That's great news" Rukia replied with relief.
"We're okay as well! Though we met someone... Particular along the way" Pesche said.
"Who's with you? Is he an ally?" Rukia asked.
"It's difficult to explain out of the blue, but it seems he is willing to help us against the Demons"
"Interesting... Glad to hear you two are okay. What about you, Nel-san? I assumed Ichigo was already fighting Ulquiorra"
"You guessed well. We defeated the First Duke. Ichigo did not kill him though, since he doesn't seem to be an enemy" She said as she looked at the sleeping Arikado. "He went on his own to fight a while ago, and I can tell the two have only just began to fight seriously"
"Where are you?" Rukia asked.
"We're north from Las Noches. I don't know how much, but it's a long distance. The sand is black in here"
"Black sand? I've heard of such a place, though I've never seen it with my own eyes..." Harribel commented with a worried tone. "It must be really far from Las Noches"
"Hey, guys" Ishida spoke.
"Oh, Ishida-san. How are you doing?" Rukia asked.
"We're fine, but that's not important. Inoue-san is with us"
Everyone was shocked by that information.
"H-Huh?! Inoue?! Really?!" Rukia asked with a mix of astonishment and happiness.
"Like you heard. And even more weird, is the fact that the one who brought her to us... Was Ulquiorra himself"
"W-WHAT?!" No one could believe it.
"Yeah... We are just as shocked as you are. However, there's something else"
"There's more?!" Renji joined the conversation, not believing his ears.
"Inoue-san told us what Ulquiorra's true objective is. I'm not sure if all of you know about this, but Ichigo was once completely Hollowfied, and no, not a beast-like Hollow or a Menos if you'd like to call. He transformed into the class known as Vasto Lorde" Ishida revealed.
"No way...!" The Vizards were particularly shooked by that piece of information.
"Ulquiorra died at the hands of that Hollow, and now... He wants to bring him back!"
"You gotta be kidding me..." Rukia muttered.
"This is bad... Really bad..." Hachigen added.
"Fuck" Hiyori cursed as she bit her lip.
Everyone became full of despair as they heard, but Nelliel was especially affected by it.
"No... Ichigo...!" She screamed as her worst nightmare flashed back into her memories.
She remembered it perfectly, and it was all coming together. The black sand, Ulquiorra... And the Vasto lorde.
"Nel-san!" Rukia noticed. "Don't... Don't do anything reckless! We know this must be really hard for you, but so it is for us! We're all coming, but please wait for us to arrive!"
"Sorry... But I can't do such thing" She muttered. "Goodbye"
"Nel...!"
She blocked her mind from the Tenteikuura by strongly increasing her Reiatsu.
"I'm coming, Ichigo!" She said as she let the Zanpakutou out of the green sheath. "Declare... Gamuza!"
~~~~X~~~~
In the dark desert, Ulquiorra and Ichigo continued slicing and dicing everything around them as their arms danced frenzily.
"Cero Oscuras" Ulquiorra said, pointing his finger.
"Heh... Two can play at that game!" Ichigo replied, raising his blade horizontally just like Shinji did. "Cero Oscuras"
The black and green Cero collided equally with its black and red counterpart.
"So you've gotten to a level where using your mask allows you a power equal to that of an Espada in its release? Amusing" Ulquiorra said as he raised a brow.
"I wouldn't really say there is a comparison. Aizen was biting the dust with a lot less, so kudos for you" Ichigo replied, charging at the Arrancar once more.
"To think that I ever found comfort in serving such a low specimen..." The Espada muttered with disgust. "Unforgivable"
Ichigo continued spamming his Getsuga Tenshou against his rival, who either evaded them or cancelled them with his own attacks.
As the fight progressed however, Ichigo was getting the upper hand. All he needed was remembering the way the Espada fought to start reading his moves and gaining an advantage as a result.
"He's really giving me a hard time now..." Ulquiorra thought. "I guess I should show him the abyss that's between our power one more time"
"Getsuga Tenshou!" A giant black and red slash went towards his direction.
Before he could react, Ichigo came through the attack and stabbed him in the stomach.
"Kgh..." Ulquiorra frowned in pain. "I couldn't see that..."
"It's the end for you" Ichigo said.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that..." He muttered with difficulty. "Uña Vampiro"
Ulquiorra stabbed Ichigo with one of his hands in the same place the Shinigami had done with his blade.
"What the...?!" He felt as his lifeforce was being drained.
"With the strength he gained, the Espada pulled the Shinigami's blade out of his body and regenerated himself.
"This is the only way I can survive a deadly wound, and I would also say it's my released form's special ability. By sacrificing this is that I can go one step beyond"
"Grrr..." Ichigo growled as he knew what his rival referred to. "It does seem like a last resort, even for you"
"The end justifies the means. And to erase you, this was needed. I doubt you can match me in that state if I decide to use my secret weapon"
"Heh, although that's far from secret anymore. Grimmjow and Harribel learned to go into Segunda Etapa as well, if that's what you're talking about"
"Really? Well it was about time already. I was the first of the Espada to embrace my pure Hollow nature, Murciélago, and get to a further level of power. Although Aizen never saw my true form, he probably thought that I was hiding something, and that's why he chose me to fight you. Harribel would've probably lost, while Barragan would've disintegrated you before you had the single chance... I believe Starrk, would've been able to let you go as long as he continued his endless naps. Those things considered, I was the best option"
"Though something happened last time. I would've died if such event had not occured, but even so, I don't feel comfortable thinking about it" Ichigo remembered. "This time, I'm ending this battle myself! No matter what the cost"
"Very well then..." Ulquiorra said as he flew into the sky, eclipsing the moon from Ichigo's point of view.
An explosion of black and green Reiatsu filled the area, forcing Ichigo to raise his own Reiatsu to keep his ground, all as he pressed his hand against the wound in his stomach.
"Here he comes... Just a bit more" He muttered in pain"
Ulquiorra came out of the darkness in his demonic form. His yellow eyes surrounded by green sclera, green scar-like marks across them and black horns truly made him a lot like some of the Demons they had fought.
"I would have never imagined that such a golden opportunity would present itself" The Espada said, enjoying the moment.
"You'll be wishing that this day never came after I wipe the floor with you!" Ichigo spouted, ready for the decissive battle's climax. The moment the two had been waiting for so long, and one the two thought impossible to encounter.
"I should play it safe for now... I can't risk getting killed or, even worse, killing him before the proper time" The Arrancar thought. "She shouldn't be too far, just a little more..."
"Getsuga Tenshou!" Ichigo commenced his assault with a predictable, yet classic move at this point.
"Cero Oscuras"
Ichigo was now fighting at his 100%. There was no point in holding back, and honestly, it was impossible for him at this point. Arikado had been a rather troublesome enemy, but it wasn't due to his sheer strength, but to the locusts that he controlled. The other Demons, were all tremendously powerful, but in the end, they were at a level that was attainable for the heroes.
However, Ulquiorra's power alone was enough to make the defeated Dukes a minimal threat in comparison, with no need for special abilities or tricks as backup.
Ichigo fought this battle as if it was his last. He felt like there was nothing stopping him. Not even the wound on his stomach seemed to hurt anymore. He wanted to fight. He wanted to win. He wanted to beat Ulquiorra to a pulp just like the Espada had done with him before.
"Lanza del Relámpago" Once again, the true form of the green lance appeared in Ulquiorra's hands.
"I can feel her approaching. It's time!" He thought.
At the same time, Nelliel was getting to the place at a monstrous speed. Her Velocidad increased exponentially in her Resurreción, due to her having four legs instead of two.
"I know that my power might not mean much in comparison to those two... But I can't allow my vision to become a reality. I saw the way he died, so I will try everything in order to change it!"
As she arrived at the desolate battlefield, she could see how Ichigo dodged the gigantic explosion of green Reiatsu produced by Ulquiorra's attacks.
"Ichigo...!" She gasped, thankful that he was alright.
Unhopefully for her, this was part of the Espada's plan.
"It's over" He said, appearing behind him and stabbing him with a new Lanza del Relámpago he had just created.
"Argh...!" He muttered in pain.
"Ichigo!" Nel yelled, though he was still too far to hear her.
Ulquiorra grabbed him by the neck with his tail.
"I enjoyed our little warmup..." He started saying, putting the tip of his finger in Ichigo's upper chest. "But it's time for the real battle to take place"
"No...!" Nel let a silent scream out.
She rushed to Ichigo's side, hoping to stop Ulquiorra, but it was too late.
"Cero Oscuras" The nihilist Arrancar said as he created a Hollow hole equal to his in the Shinigami's body and tearing his upper piece of cloth as a result.
"Damn... You..." He muttered as everything went black.
"No! Ichigo! ICHIGO!" Nelliel screamed in tears of rage, sorrow and powerlessness.
Ulquiorra simply threw the body away, like it was something to dispose of, something easy to get rid of, and looked at the scene with lifeless eyes. The Zanpakutou flew far away from his hand as well.
Nel threw her lance away and picked the body of her dearest.
"No... Ichigo! Please... Tell me you're alright! Pet my head and carress my hair like you always do!" She pressed the body against her chest, feeling in her skin how it was becoming colder every second that passed.
"I knew it..." Ulquiorra thought, smiling internally.
"Hug me in your arms, telling me that I won't be alone, and then...! Kiss me... Kiss me 'til my breath is completely gone, leaving me at the border of passing out, and yet... MAKING ME FEEL LIKE I'VE NEVER BEEN MORE ALIVE!!!" She screamed between weeps and tears.
"C'mon, woman. Awaken the beast from its slumber..." He murmured, not being heard by Nel.
"Just... Come back, Ichigo. Come back so I can be happy again, and I'll make you happy too! And then we'll both be happy together!" She babbled, now even losing sense of her words. "Ichigo..."
"Do you wish to join him?" Ulquiorra asked coldly. "Cause it would be my pleasure" He pointed his lance at her.
"I... Ichigo..." She kept mumbling. "S-Save me..." She knew she had to say it. "I know you, Ichi. I know you are always fighting to save your friends... So please..." She took a deep breath:
"SAVE ME, ICHIGO! SAVE ME LIKE YOU ALWAYS DO!!!"
Inside his mind, it was all dark and hazy. It was like his body was alone in an endless void.
"What is this? Is it a voice? Is it... Nel's?" He asked, making his thoughts echo. "I want to save her... I want to see her again... I..."
Then, he heard her desperate screams of help.
His eyes widened, making his mind race.
"I'll protect you, Nel..." He saw the moment when he saved her from Dordoni.
"I'll save you... Nel..." He saw how he stopped Nnoitra's blade, even when he was weak.
"I..." Every moment suddenly came to him.
Every hug, every kiss, every smile that she had given to him was the greatest gift he could have ever gotten.
He was willing to sacrifice himself and the whole world for her, and yet here he was. Unconscious. Inanimate. Weak and powerless. All as she held him in her arms.
"I...!" The moment where he protected her from Arikado came to mind.
"I love you. Nel"
Ichigo's artificial Hollow hole started letting out a powerful black and red Reiatsu, while his body turned completely white.
"W-What the?!" She realized what was happening.
His orange hair started growing, at a rapid pace, to the length of his back.
His white mask did not come off, but instead sticked to his face and started growing horns.
"This is...!" She carefully left his body on the ground and took a bit of distance.
"Here it comes!" Ulquiorra thought.
The transformation was complete.
"Ghhhrrr... Gnngh... Gnghh... Gnhrrr... UuuuuuRRRRRYYYYEEEEEAAAAHHHHHHH!" The Vasto Lorde screamed like a deranged soul as it stood up, liberating an amount of Reuatsu that made Nel flinch and forced Ulquiorra to keep his ground.
The Hollow looked at Ulquiorra with its fearsome look. It was not going to beat him. It was not going to just, kill him either. It was the look of a creature set to erase his existence completely.
Then it raised its arm, waiting for the lost blade to come back where it belonged.
This time, Zangetsu not only came back to his hand, but it also tied itself with the black chain around the Hollow's arm. This time, it was at a completely different level.
This time. He was a complete Vasto Lorde.
"Don't tell me...!" Ulquiorra thought in the fraction of a second.
A moment later, the creature was grabbing him by the face and wasted no time slashing him out of its sight with his Zanpakutou.
Ulquiorra just managed to block the sword physically, but the destructive wave hit him anyway. In that moment, he lost an arm, a leg and a wing.
"No way..." He said, regenerating his lost body parts to fly away from the Vasto Lorde's reach.
Despite his effort, the Hollow's speed was superior to his, and even Nel's Velocidad. It was so ridiculous that it looked like he was teleporting around the place, when he was just sprinting.
"I can't follow his movement" Ulquiorra thought worried.
A second later, he was thrown into the ground with tremendous force.
Nel kept her distance while the two fought, but even then she could feel the pressure of the Vasto Lorde's Reiatsu.
"It's so... Heavy. I can't even move..." She thought.
Ulquiorra created two Lanza del Relámpago, one in each hand, but the Hollow didn't seem to have any trouble fighting him.
The creature's cuts and physical attacks were faster and stronger than the espada had expected them to be.
"If this keeps up... I will have failed"
Ulquiorra threw the two lances directly at him, but the Hollow dodged them with no real effort.
The Vasto Lorde seemed to look at his rival with even more rage after that though.
"UUUUWWWWRRRAAAAHHHH!!!"
It appeared in front of him and swinged his blade several times, each slash being more violent than the last one.
Ulquiorra tried to dodge them, but even then received a lot of damage.
Blood was falling all over the black sand that surrounded them, although the Arrancar's healing prowess was good enough to heal him in time.
In spite of that, the truth was harah for him. He was not only losing, but also being completely overwhelmed by his enemy. In this current state, nothing would change.
"Cero Oscuras" He said as he shot a barrage of his black and green Cero worthy of Starrk's pistols.
The Hollow replied by pointing his head and horns towards him and charging a tremendous red Cero.
The two waves of power collided, creating a huge explosion and sending Nelliel flying away as well.
"Ungh...!" She fell into the sand. "Ichigo...?" She murmured, starting to realize that the Vasto Lorde was not him in the slightest. He would've never done an attack like that with her present. He would never hurt her in any way. He promised.
The Hollow appeared on Ulquiorra's back once again, and hit him with a punch charged with red Reiatsu.
"Argh!" He growled in pain. "I'm starting... To take serious damage..."
The Vasto Lorde charged another Cero between its horns, taking advantage of Ulquiorra's weak state.
"Lanza del Relámpago!" He said as he countered the giant explosion with his greatest ability.
After seeing that didn't work, the Hollow swinged his blade, throwing an endless run of Getsuga Tenshou at Ulquiorra.
The black and red Reiatsu waves were faster and greater than he had ever seen. He simply couldn't counter with an attack of his own. All he could do, was try to evade them and hope for the better.
The slashes continued dealing severe damage to him, even as he flied around at his wild speed, but just like everything else, it was not enough.
The mad Hollow kicked him out of his sight and shot a couple Ceros from its finger.
Ulquiorra fell harshly on the sand, feeling the scorching pain of the beams that had gone through his body.
Before he could even look up, the Vasto Lorde was already hitting him with relentless punches.
The blood of the Espada was staining the white knuckles of the Hollow as it continued mashing his body and face like there was no end.
The Espada used his tail to try to make the Hollow lose balance by wrapping it around one of its feet, to no avail, as it grabbed it and tore it apart from his body easily.
Ulquiorra spat a lot of blood, and felt as his mind was becoming dark.
He could no longer process the situation. The world itself was becoming something uncertain and difficult to make out. Not even pain seemed to be real anymore. Only then did he understand what that was.
4
死
D E A T H
The very number that had been given to him symbolized this, and yet he had never felt that he truly understood it.
Last time, he died, but not for one second did he feel close to death. For him, death was a mere concept, the end of life. It didn't mean anything.
For the first time however, he felt afraid.
He was afraid to die.
Why was that?
Was it because... He had something to live for?
"I... I don't want to die..." He thought. "There are so many things... I must learn... From her... There is something... I have yet... To accomplish... I cannot... Give up... Just... Yet..."
The Vasto Lorde was about to charge a Cero at point blank range from its horns, ready to completely erase Ulquiorra from the faze of the whole Universe.
"I... Want to smile. I... Want to love. I... Want to live"
As those thoughts came across his mind, a storm was formed in the dark sky above them.
"Huh? What is happening now?" Nel thought. "Don't tell me this is..."
A black and green lightning fell from the skies towards Ulquiorra.
The Vasto Lorde dodged it, sparing Ulquiorra a couple more seconds to live, or so he thought.
As the lightning fell upon him, not only did his mind come back to the real world. His body regained strength, one he could not explain.
"What is... Going on?" He thought confused.
Then, the clouds above them formed a cyclone with him at its center.
Ulquiorra, in the eye of the storm, was starting to change as the green electric energy was embedded in his being. His horns became more twisted and his black hair grew longer, falling a bit further from his shoulders. The black clouds started shaping a tunic that covered his lower part, while his top was bathed in the moon's light above, becoming as pale as the Vasto Lorde he was fighting. Finally, his yellow eyes became green once again, but with a black sclera around them and his back grew three pairs of black feathered wings, like that of a Fallen Angel.
The hurricane disappeared as quickly as it formed, revealing the Espada's new body, his ultimate form.
"Resurrección: Etapa Final" He muttered, still looking at his body in disbelief.
Finally, from the sky, fell a long lance-like weapon.
"Huh?" He picked it up, getting a feeling like he had always known such a weapon. "I see... You are... Chauve-Souris"
The lance had a blood-red pointy edge, decorated with two black blood-stained bat wings on its sides. The pole was of an elegant black, and its bottom had a green emerald encased in a silver ornament.
"That weapon... Is just like in my dream, which means...!" Nel panicked as her ultimate nightmare became a reality.
"Now, Hollow... The night has made its judgement, coming to my aid in order to fulfill this mission. Brace yourself!" Ulquiorra said as he pointed his new lance at the Vasto Lorde.
The creature replied by letting a loud scream out.
"Kurosaki Ichigo... I'm sorry for having done this against your will, but this Hollow, this power...! It can only mean one thing..." He thought, remembering what he had planned when he decided to help the Demon King. "You might not know it yet... But I am your guardian. I am the moonshield"
The Vasto Lorde charged towards Ulquiorra with a spinning blade.
As soon as he reached the Arrancar's side though, it was not as easy as it had been the rest of the fight.
Ulquiorra blocked perfectly each of his attacks, and even managed to stab him with Chauve-Souris as a counter, making the Vasto Lorde scream in agony.
"I can read his movement, I can counter effectively... I. Can. Win" He realized.
However, this sight was not pleasant to their only spectator.
"No! This is bad..." She bit her lip. "If this goes on, Ichigo is gonna die!"
It was true, the Hollow was definitely not Ichigo, but their body was one and the same. If Ulquiorra killed the Hollow, Ichigo would die. She couldn't let that happen at any cost.
"Why did I even come here in the first place?" She thougjt bitterly. "I haven't done anything but awake that monster! All I wanted was him back... And now he's in an even greater danger"
She looked at her own hands, as if she was simply unable to do more.
"I even promised him... That I wouldn't risk my life" She remembered. "But if I don't do anything, I know how it will end"
In the background Ulquiorra was confronting the Vasto Lorde, with a clear advantage. He was stronger, faster and clearly, more intelligent. Ichigo's Hollow was really powerful, but despite being smart for a beast, he was just a monster. His intellect was not comparable to an Arrancar's, or not to Ulquiorra's at the very least, who was quite intelligent, without being a genius.
"Nelliel" A femenine voice said inside her mind.
"Huh? Who is...?" As soon as she asked that, she entered her subconscious.
It was a forest of Hollow trees. She remembered living in such a landscape for a very long time. It was a memory from the time she was a Vasto Lorde.
"W-What is...?"
Suddenly, a large Chamois of black fur and pink markings fell in front of her, smashing part of the forest.
"You've been denying me for far too long, Nelliel" The beast spoke.
"That voice...! Are you... Gamuza?"
"Precisely. I'm your inner beast. The corporeal form of the power you feed upon. Your betrayal"
"Shut up!" She threw a Lanzador Verde at the animal out of pure anger. "Don't you dare mention that ever again"
The chamois deflected it with its horns and chuckled.
"You might not like it, but you can't deny it's the root of your strength. That, is also the reason I decided to appear"
"What do you want?" She frowned.
"An even greater power is at the tip of your fingers, Nelliel. All you have to do, is pick up that lance in the real world and attack that Arrancar"
"No! That would mean...!"
"Betraying your loved one. Breaking the promise you made to him..."
"So that's what you really want"
"Exactly. Don't you see? It's so simple"
"No, it's not! All Ichigo ever wanted was to protect me. I won't deny his wishes"
"Still stubborn, eh? But unfortunately for you, you don't have much of a choice"
"What do you mean?"
"Your dear Ichi is losing. It's only a matter of time before that Espada destroys him, leaving only a bitter memory of your love"
"Tch..." She couldn't deny Gamuza was right.
"If you want a chance to save him, this is it. Embrace your darkness. Embrace me and accept all you are"
"I... I..." She started doubting, as she remembered Ichigo and realized how much she wanted him to live.
"Betray, Nelliel. Betray and you shall rise beyond all the other Hollows. Betray, and you shall receive the power to stand besides your loved one for all eternity" Her voice was as tempting as it could get.
"I..." She sighed. "I'm sorry, Ichigo"
The chamois turned into a dark aura that wrapped her tenderly, giving her a power she could only dream of.
As she opened her eyes again, she picked her lance up and charged it with her pink Reiatsu.
"I'll break our promise, so that I can save you, Ichigo!"
As she threw the lance with all her strength, an explosion of black and pink Reiatsu surrounded her.
"What the...?" Ulquiorra noticed what occurred. "This was not supposed to happen"
Nelliel's upper body was covered by an armor of white skulls., while the lower part became black with the same pink markings Gamuza had and her horns grew larger and more twisted as well as they changed into a black color. Finally, her lance became pink, overflowing with Reiatsu.
She looked at Ulquiorra with defiant eyes as the lance came back to her hands.
"Leave him alone, Ulquiorra" She challenged him, not fearing the Espada in the slightest.
"Hmph... You think that your transformation is on par with mine? Don't make me laugh"
"I might not compare to your power on my own... But I'm not alone, am I?" Her hazel eyes gazed lazily at him.
"Pfft... Like that thing will understand the concept of ally" He mocked her decission.
"I'm not that thing's ally, I'm Ichigo's partner. All I'm gonna do is protect him"
"Suit yourself. I'm going to accomplish my objective no matter what"
"Good luck with that" Nel smiled, as the Vasto Lorde was already jumping violently towards Ulquiorra again.
Ulquiorra was about to stab the Vasto Lorde in response, but a spinning pink lance got in his way, allowing the Hollow to slash him down.
"Kgh...!" He frowned in pain as Nel got her lance back to her hand.
"All I have to do is support him from the distance" She explained. "There's no need for me to get on his way"
"Then I'll have to get you into the fight by force" The Espada replied, flying towards her.
Nel and Ulquiorra clashed with each of theur lances. Chauve-Souris was definitely stronger than her weapon, but even then she was doing quite well.
She got a few steps back to evade one of his swings, when he revealed his true intentions.
"Lanza del Relámpago" He said as he blasted one of the green Reiatsu lances out of Chauve-Souris.
Nel grinned at that decission though.
"Traidor!" As soon as the lance touched hers, it turned into pure Reiatsu and got reflected equally from her weapon towards the attacker.
"You gotta be kidding me...!" Ulquiorra murmured as Nel's pink doppelganger of Lanza del Relámpago was about to hit him.
The Espada swinged his lance as a helix, creating a giant hurricane that deflected her lance.
"Ciclón de Murciélago"
The pink lance exploded high in the sky, liberating the huge amount of power above them.
"A smart choice, but it seems you forgot about something" She reminded him with a soft voice.
A giant red Cero hit him fully from the side. He had forgotten it was two against one.
"Damn you... Woman" He cursed. "Everything was going great until now. If only she had stayed weak, this would be a lot easier. Even so, all I have to do is put her in danger due to him... But I need more time" He thought.
"Way to go, Ichi" She thought happily, as he was safe. "Even if it's that Hollow the one acting right now, I know you're in there, somewhere. After we beat him, I'll get you out somehow, I promise"
The Vasto Lorde came towards Ulquiorra once again, jumping across the pieces of ground that were still in the air.
"Come... You two" The Espada was ready.
As he prepared to counter the Hollow, a Reiatsu Lanzador Verde came towards his way, just like he had expected.
"Now!" He thought as he grabbed the Vasto Lorde and threw him right in front of Nel's attack.
"No!" She yelled as she noticed.
The Hollow fell painfully on the ground and directed an angered look towards Nelliel.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!"
"Hrrr..." It growled, but decided to continue fighting Ulquiorra as he was closer and a bigger threat to him.
"Just a bit more..." The Espada thought, forcing the Vasto Lorde to follow him as he went towards Nelliel. "If I'm not mistaken, this girl..." He remembered a piece of information given to him very long ago.
"There was once a very unpleasant whore with the ability to swallow and return an enemy's Cero. She was a 3rd Espada, but one day she disappeared. Maybe she's dead, who cares?! Ahahahahahaha" Nnoitra told him in a casual yet unwanted conversation.
"That Nnoitra... I can tell he was ten thousand times more unpleasant than this woman, but let's see if I can get something good out of him" He thought, cutting the palm of his both hands with his horns.
"Wait, that is...!" Nel noticed.
"Gran Rey Cero Oscuras!"
The biggest Cero she had ever seen came flying towards her. Never had she swallowed an attack of such magnitude, but she had no other choice.
She closed her eyes and concentrated on feeling the nature of the Reiatsu that was coming at her.
It was dark, it was electric, it was violent and yet... It was somehow sad and lonely.
She opened her mouth and the black and green Reiatsu started turning into a mist-like energy that entered her organism.
The huge attack, became fuel for her power in no time.
"Haaaa..." She finished swallowing it and mixed it all with her own Cero.
"Here it comes" Ulquiorra thought, bracing himself.
"RRRRAAAGGGHHHH!" She spat it all back where it came from.
A tremendous black and pink Cero flew through the black desert, erasing everything on its path.
Ulquiorra grabbed the Vasto Lorde and threw him in front of the attack, making sure he received it all and understood the big threat Nelliel was for him as well.
"WWWWRRRYYYAAAHHH" The Vasto Lorde screamed in agony as he received Nel's counter.
The Hollow fell on the sand, regenerating all his limbs as they were damaged by the attack.
"Now he won't have other choice than to attack her" Ulquiorra thought.
As soon as he realized that, he felt a piercing pain go through him.
A pink lance was stabbing him through the back and coming out of his chest.
"What...? What do you think you're doing?!" Ulquiorra asked Nel in shock.
"I knew you would try to put him against me as soon as you saw yourself in a disadvantage, so I went ahead of your plan" She replied, determined to protect Ichigo until the very end.
"You know that thing will probably destroy us both, right?"
"Of course. It's the least I deserve for breaking my promise to Ichigo..." She smiled, although tears were falling down her cheeks.
"You... Idiot... It's even possible that you die and I survive. You would fall and scatter into Jigoku! How would that feel?!"
"I don't know, but I'm ready to find out"
The Vasto Lorde had gone back on its feet, and walked slowly yet full of anger towards the two Arrancar.
"This... Can't be!" Ulquiorra yelled, trying to get out with all his might, but Nel wouldn't let him go.
"D... DIE!!!" The Hollow screamed charging a red Cero between its horns.
Ulquiorra had a look of rage and despair like never before, but Nel was smiling beautifully like she always did with her loved one.
"I may not understand love… But I surely know that it's the best thing that could happen to me. I'm sorry that I won't be there for you after everything ends, but even so... Thank you, Ichigo, for loving me like no one else did!" She screamed at him, with tears in her eyes.
And then, in that moment, Ichigo realized what was happening.
He looked through the eyes of the Hollow, and saw how he was about to kill the person he loved most.
"No... This can't...! This can't be happening!" He cried inside his subconscious. "I promised I would never hurt her! NEVER!"
The black space was starting to shake, shattering around him.
"And I won't!" He yelled as he decided to take control of his body.
The Hollow was charging the Cero when it started shaking frantically, one of its hands grabbing the left horn while the other hand trying to stop it.
"What...? What's going on?!" The two Arrancar wondered in astonishment.
As a result, the Cero ended up being shot into the sky.
"I-Ichigo!" Nel realized.
"Ungh... Uuuuuhhhrrgghh... UUUUUWWWRRRYYYEEEAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!"
As the Vasto Lorde screamed, Ichigo broke the left side of the mask completely by pulling the horn out, letting half of his face uncovered.
His eyes had yellow irises with black sclera. His skin, although completely bleach, was fine.
The rest of the mask cracked once again freeing his white nose and the lower right part of his face as well. The only piece of mask that remained, was on his upper right section, covering his right eye and leaving a toothed piece of mask on his upper cheek and a single horn coming out of his head.
No more pieces fell however, meaning only one thing.
He was not a Vasto Lorde anymore, neither a Shinigami.
He had become, an Arrancar.
~~~~X~~~~
Ever since I started writing this story, I had this part in mind. Now that I wrote it, damn... I gotta say it was as good as I had imagined.I'd really like to hear what you guys thought of this chapter.
For those of you who don't know, the song in the beginning (From a pretty great band I gotta say) is the song chosen by Kubo himself to represent Ulquiorra and thus I put it in here. As a coincidence, it turns out that it does relate to the plot I designed (and gave a couple hints in this part) so it couldn't be better!
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Great chapter! Fantastic work! I also thought it was poetic on how you explained your view on life. But I digress. Till next update my friend! May your work shine on!
Reply: Thanks for your compliment and good wishes. I gotta say that I am an artist after all, haha.
Guest: You don't understand the power balance at all. No way in the blue hell, Ichigo will get exhausted fighting a guy weaker than ulquorra after mastering kido and final getsuga tensho.
Reply: First real critic I get, honestly. While I do appreciate your concern, I'm afraid I have to disagree about this.
You see, Arikado's power is not known by Ulquiorra, hence he could be just as powerful, if not stronger. Also, even if he was weaker, Ichigo's exhaustion was mainly due to the negative effect from the locusts' sting, not from damage, so dismissed.
See you guys next Chapter! (I can't wait to write it!) Evhron.
Glossary:
Cero Centésimas: hundredths of Cero.
Uña Vampiro: Vampire Nail.
Etapa Final: Final Stage.
Chauve-Souris: Bat in French. Also, the best spear weapon in Castlevania CoD.
Traidor: Traitor.
Ciclón de Murciélago: Bat's Cyclone.