Ichigo slashed the air with his Hollow Zanpakutou for the first time, attacking Ulquiorra with a giant wave of white and red Reiatsu.
"Getsuga Tenshou!"
Ulquiorra countered it with the same beam he had shown Grimmjow. The special Cero, usable only by those who have the black eyes of Etapa Final.
"Cero Luna"
The ground around them was turned into a raging sandstorm.
"Inoue!" Rukia called her.
"What is it?" She asked.
"You've done enough, I can take it from here. Could you create a barrier around this area? Things are getting wild over there"
"Y-Yes!" She accepted the request, leaving Grimmjow, who had the most serious injuries, to Rukia and casting an orange force field that allowed them to see the fight while protected from the disastrous consequences it presented.
"Looks like this distance was not nearly enough..." Ichigo thought, looking at the giant barrier Orihime had to create. "Was she ever able to do one so big?"
"I see you're impressed by the increase in her powers" Ulquiorra realized. "Believe it or not, she has been training on her own ever since I took her with me. I hadn't seen the fruit of such training either, but that woman is a lot stronger than she looks"
"Why are you doing this Ulquiorra? What are you trying to achieve?"
"I already told you before... Such thing has not changed"
"C'mon, you don't have to do this!"
"Quite on the contrary, I must" He simply replied, preparing his spear for a new attack. "Revolución del Relámpago"
He shot a giant blast of green energy at the black sky, which separated into hundreds of Lanza del Relámpago, falling at a rapid pace.
"With an attack like that... Everyone's lives will be at risk" Ichigo thought. "I can't let him..."
Ichigo took a deep breath as he decided to stab his own hand with his horn, letting his dark red blood fall on the white sand as he pointed his hand at Ulquiorra, ready to shoot right before his attack fell.
"Gran Rey Cero"
The red blast that came out of his hand clashed with Ulquiorra's barrage, being almost equal in strength.
"Grrrrraaaahhh!" Ichigo made an effort to increase his Cero, so it finally engulfed the Espada's attack completely.
Ulquiorra flew away in order to evade said attack, which would've dealt him a considerable amount of damage in case it hit him.
The Arrancar that were witnessing the fight had their mouths wide open as they watched such a surreal battle. It was unlike anything they had ever seen.
"I had no idea... Ulquiorra was this strong" Apacci said told her fellow Fracciones, who were all reunited among Harribel as Nel healed her.
"And Ichigo-sama is not falling behind either" Sung-Sun added, equally impressed.
"So... You've started to see him as your king pretty early, don't you think?" Mila Rose replied.
"He is clearly the strongest, though your underdeveloped brain may not understand why..." She decided to insult her intelligence in reply.
"What did you say?!" The lioness Arrancar growled.
"Although I cannot deny the fact that I'll gladly follow him if he punishes Ulquiorra for doing this to Lady Harribel" Sung-Sun admitted.
"I gotta agree with that" She murmured.
"Hey, Nel-sama... H-How... How is she?" Apacci asked, worried.
"It's nothing so severe, Apa-chan" Nel replied, cutely creating a pun with the Fracción's name.
"Apa...Chan...? I mean, That's great..." She said in relief, a bit startled by the way she called her at first. "Actually, you knew me?"
"Tier told me about you three. I recognized you because of those beautiful eyes" She complimented her heterochromia. "Sorry for calling you that, it's just something I thought after hearing 'Apacci' was your name, but I can just call you that if it bothers you"
"Well... It would be alright if it were only you, Nel-sama, but... Those two won't stop if they hear you calling me that" She whispered as she looked at the other Fracción a bit flustered.
"Oh, I understand" Nel nodded.
"More importantly... Why... Why did this happen?" She asked Nel, thinking that she might have an idea.
"Well... Ulquiorra is a very unpredictable Arrancar. I cannot say that I've felt a hint of animosity from him, and he seemed very happy to know that Ichigo considered him his Primera Espada, so... The only possible answer is..."
"...That he's helping Kurosaki-kun in a way" Orihime completed, joining their conversation as Grimmjow had been completely healed, but still unconscious.
"So I was right after all..." Nel replied.
"He knew that Kurosaki-kun was troubled by the idea of fighting friends seriously, even more in the case of Harribel-san for being a woman... So he decided to put him in a situation that forced him to fight seriously, but also got him admiration from the crowd, eliminating the possibility that any of them develops ill feelings towards him because of the fight" Orihime explained in low voice.
"So... He did this to... Protect him?" Sung-Sun asked surprised as she was also listening.
"I can't believe it..." Mila Rose muttered.
"But... Are you sure... About that, Inoue-san?" Nel asked her, worried that it was just a hunch and not a fact.
Orihime remembered the conversation she had with Ulquiorra that morning, before he disappeared for the whole rest of the day, until that moment that was...
"Ichigo-sama won't be able to fight to his fullest. Not against Harribel, or even Grimmjow. You know that as well as I do" He said.
"Yeah... But, what other chance does he have?"
"Fighting a third party. Someone who interrupts the encounter and renders the two Arrancar against him useless. Someone who is not liked by anyone in the crowd, but who is able to read the desires of the most violent Arrancar like a book and tell them what they wanna hear..."
"Cifer-kun... Don't tell me you are planning to...!" Orihime understood his new scheme.
"Yes. I will become that 'someone'. I will be the stepping stone to forge the new reign Ichigo-sama will rule over. There's no one who could do it better"
"But... You will be hated by so many...!"
"It's better to be hated for what you are than being loved for what you are not. I will never be someone they can trust, I know that. I was never like them in the first place... So I can easily accept this fate"
"Cifer-kun... I know I can't ask you to turn back now. I know that look..." She said sadly as she stared into his eyes and caressed his cheek. "...You are at the point of no return. You will do that no matter what I try, so... Promise me one thing"
"What?" He asked, a bit worried that he wouldn't be able to keep said vow.
"That you'll come back to me no matter what" She said seriously. "In return... I will promise to love you for the rest of our lives"
Ulquiorra smiled in relief as he accepted, eager to discover what a life like that would be.
"I promise, Inoue" He nodded.
Orihime sealed the pact with a long kiss, giving him only more reason to fulfill the unbreakable task.
"I know it. Ulquiorra told me about it before... Sorry that I didn't say anything but... I also thought it was a good idea" She finally replied.
"Oh really?" Mila Rose spat back. "You two thought hurting and humilliating Harribel-sama was a good idea? I knew you were weird from the moment I saw you with him. Who in their right mind would want to be with the person who abducted them? Especially Ulquiorra! You are just as sick as he is..." She gave her a dread look.
Apacci and Sung-Sun didn't know how to react. On one hand, it was true that they didn't want Harribel to suffer in any way, not even defeat if possible. However, logically, this made no sense whatsoever.
"That's not...!" Orihime tried to defend herself.
"Mila Rose..." Nel called her attention with a serious tone.
"Y-Yes, Nel-sama?" The woman didn't expect that.
"Don't you dare try to insult Inoue-san ever again. She is the kindest person I've ever met, so I know for sure that those grave accusations are absolutely false. I understand how you feel, but you're letting your emotions take over instead of analyzing the situation. Apologize to her immediately" The Segunda Espada ordered, with an imposing attitude that made her look nothing short of a Queen.
Mila Rose considered what she had said for a second, making her realize how wrong she was.
"Yes, Nel-sama" She complied, bowing to Orihime. "I'm sorry for what I said, I'll take it back, Inoue-san"
"N-No. Don't worry. It was my fault for saying something so careless in such a situation..." Orihime took the responsibility.
Nel gave a dread look to Mila Rose, pushing her to not let Orihime take the blame for her wrongdoing.
"No, Inoue-san. I should've never insulted you, so it's my fault"
After that, Nel smiled at the two and concluded the topic.
"I trust your word, Inoue-san. Ulquiorra is doing something admirable. Right now, the last thing we need is to push ourselves against each other. By doing this, such a thing should not happen and Ichigo should be more comfortable with this, even if he doesn't realize it"
"That's true. You can tell just by seeing him" Orihime agreed, making everyone tilt their heads towards the battle.
Ichigo was clashing with Ulquiorra at a speed so high that the only moments they could be seen was when they hit each other in mid-air.
"Ciclón de Murciélago"
Ulquiorra attacked with powerful hurricanes of black and green Reiatsu.
Ichigo was able to stop him with powetful slashes of his two blades.
"Ichigo!" A voice in his mind said.
"Zangetsu!" He recognized it. "What is it?"
"Don't you think it's time to use something more than just single sword slashes to get him?"
"Well, I also know Kidou now so..."
"That's not what he meant, Kingy. You should take advantage of having two Zanpakutous" Mugetsu joined.
"But that's what I'm doing, right?"
Tensa Zangetsu tried to explain as he didn't seem to comprehend:
"Cross both blades and devastate him with a new level of Getsuga. Just say..."
"Getsuga Juujishou!" Ichigo said at the same time as his Zanpakutou spirits.
A cross shaped cut of white, black and red energy flew towards Ulquiorra at a monstrous speed.
"Now this is more like it..." Ulquiorra muttered as he braced for impact, spinning Chauve-Souris in an intent to block most of it.
The attack, however, was far more destructive than he had estimated. As soon as it hit him, he felt his body breaking.
"It can't be...!" He muttered as blood came out from various parts of his being, though he regenerated pretty fast.
Before he could counter, however, Ichigo appeared behind him.
"It's over, Ulquiorra" He declared, rolling his Hollow Zanpakutou. "Cero Luna"
Ichigo knew that such an attack was only possible for an Arrancar in Etapa Final, but such limitations didn't apply to him. After all, even as a Shinigami he was able to use Cero Oscuras just by wearing his Hollow mask.
The white and red beam forced Ulquiorra to use his most powerful ability yet, though it was not perfected.
"Tormenta de Murciélago"
A giant black hurricane with green electricity running through it rose from around his body, creating a sort of force field, just before the Cero hit him.
Right after, black clouds covered the sky above them and charged themselves with electricity.
"What is that power...?" Arrancar murmured from the watchtower.
"Is a single Espada even... Capable of that...?!" Another replied in shock.
A black and green lightning fell from the clouds, directed at a single point: Chauve-Souris.
Ulquiorra pointed his Final Weapon at Ichigo, knowing that he was putting his life in danger.
Despite that, he knew Ichigo had to be strong enough to overcome that attack. After all, he was their rightful ruler, he was Gran Rey Cero.
"Lanza Relámpago Muerto" He said as he threw the spear, rolling with green and black electricity around it.
Ichigo could see how the attack was even faster than anything he'd seen until that point, and probably, it was the same with power.
Once again, such an attack was dangerous for everyone present. It had an unknown magnitude, but he was sure that it would not leave the field unscarred.
"I have to... Do something" He thought. "I have to protect them all"
And inside his mind, the voice of his new Zanpakutou's spirit spoke once more.
"You're ready..." He whispered. "The power to hollow other souls is yours... The ability to..."
Ichigo didn't ask anything as he heard those words, he understood perfectly.
The lance was about to hit him when he put the white sword inside his Hollow Hole and said:
"Void... Las Noches"
"No way...!" The crowd gasped. Everyone had clearly heard it.
A cupola of pure black Reiatsu engulfed him and everything in a hundred meters radius. It was a violent energy, and it resulted in a strange Reiatsu.
Needless to say, Chauve-Souris was sent flying back to the ground below Ulquiorra with an utmost ease.
For all the Arrancar present, it wasn't a feeling of being crushed or slammed by the pressure, instead, it was a sensation of being weakened. As if their own Reishi was being absorbed by a black hole.
Weaker Arrancar started falling unconscious, unable to withstand the effect of Ichigo's Resurrección.
"What is... This feeling?" Apacci muttered in shock.
"It's like... My power's being sucked up..." Mila Rose added.
In the upper deck, where Nel's Fracción were with Renji and Ashido now, they could see the whole event, with an open mouth as the black hole was still in sight.
"What's going on...?" Ashido said, feeling strange as well.
"I cannot say... How is... Nel-sama?" Pesche asked worried.
Nelliel looked at the scenery, not with admiration or fear, but with confusion.
"I can feel everyone becoming weaker..." She thought, seeing as many Arrancar were already knocked out. "But then why... Why do I feel like I'm getting stronger?"
Saying that made her realize the only possible explanation.
"Does this mean...? Ichigo is the one causing this...? Could he be absorbing Hollow Reishi!?" She put her hand in her chest and closed her eyes, trying to feel the connection with him in a deeper way.
Ichigo's Reiryoku was expanding second by second, relentlessly absorbing the power of all Hollows around him.
After a couple seconds though, she sensed how it was growing at a slower pace and then it all suddenly stopped.
She opened her hazel eyes to gaze upon her Ichigo.
As expected, the black hole-like cupola had started to reduce its size, until it left only a shadowy figure of the being that created it
Finally, the pitch black energy that covered Ichigo's body dispersed into the night, leaving only a long tunic that made its master look like the embodiment of Death.
His red furry collar on the neck, as well as the brazelets of red fur on his wrists grew a bit larger and became sharper.
His hands and feet had grown claws, just like the ones he had in his Vasto Lorde form.
The black lines that came out of his Hollow Hole expanded through his whole body, ending at the red furry collar.
His face seemed to be the same, but his mask had extended and covered his whole upper half, creating a helmet-like piece with two long curved horns.
Finally, Zangetsu, despite being part of his Shinigami legacy, was tied with a black chain to his arm, just like it had done in its full potential.
Ichigo looked at his surroundings, still a bit dishoriented with the changes.
As soon as he saw Ulquiorra, he flew towards him in a way that even looked as teleportation from the eyes of the Espada.
"Ichigo-sama..." Ulquiorra muttered as he beheld the new form of his king.
Ichigo pointed his index finger at Ulquiorra, charging a tiny black sphere in its tip.
"Cero Medianoche" The black sphere blasted a dark beam that threw Ulquiorra into the sand floor, erasing all his limbs easily.
Ichigo had been careful to not use a killing blow, but even so, it was a simply devastating attack and he had never used it before.
"Didn't I want to use a Cero Oscuras?" He thought confused and a bit worried.
To Ulquiorra however, there couldn't have been a greater happiness than confirming his beliefs. As he lay on the ground, he smiled at the moon above him and said:
"Long live... The king of the night... Long live... Gran Rey Cero...!"
After saying that, it all went black.
Ichigo descended upon the body of the Espada. He could see how it was slowly regenerating itself, but it was at a very slow pace compared to how it should have been.
"So this is what my power is capable of..." Ichigo thought, looking at him. "Even if he still isn't able to use Etapa Final to its fullest... I easily obliterated him"
Orihime cast the barrier away as the battle ended.
Many Arrancar, although weak, were still conscious as the encounter concluded.
Nel ran towards him, worried that he was hurt in some way, although that was pretty much impossible given the circumstances.
"Ichigo! Are you alright?!" She asked him worried as she hugged him.
He smiled at her and exhaled in relief. She was not scared of him.
"Nel... You didn't feel like... I was draining your life out... Did you...?"
"No, of course not...!" She knew he was worried. "But... I felt it..." She admitted. "You became stronger... Absorbing their Reishi, didn't you...? I... I felt stronger as well"
"Ah, it must be because of our link" He remembered, happy that such thing was only a plus for her. "It seems that this is an ability of my Resurrección, but I don't know how to control it yet, so... I'd like to go back to my base form. It's easy, right?"
"I thought as much" Nel knew he would've never done something so dangerous on purpose. "It's hard to explain, but try to seal your Reiatsu in the form of a sword. If you get your Zanpakutou back, is because you did it well"
"Alright"
Ichigo did as Nel told him, chanelling his overwhelming Reiatsu into his Zanpakutou's sheath, thinking of the sheath as a seal.
His mask shattered, leaving only the right part, just like it was before, and the rest of his body went back to how it used to be in general.
Las Noches went back to being a normal white Zanpakutou and the chain tying Zangetsu to his arm disappeared.
A giant wave of dark Reiatsu washed over the Arrancar crowd as he went back to his normal form. He returned what he had taken, or at least what was left of it.
It was clear that the power to bring every other Hollow to its knees was not because of the powerful nature of his Reiatsu, but due to the tendency to absorb it had.
"Looks like it worked" He chuckled as he hugged Nel tightly, kissing her and feeling alive once again.
His power was tremendous, but it was not a nice feeling.
As he was submerged into the darkness of his own Zanpakutou, an abyss of loneliness tainted his soul. It was a mixture of wanting to erase existence itself, to reduce everything to nothing as his dark eternal night swallowed it all.
Now he understood why Mugetsu had chosen a special time to tell him. His power couldn't be taken lightly. Not by others and especially not by him.
"If I didn't have you with me... I would've gone mad" He whispered to her.
"Everything's alright now..." Her soft soothing voice replied as she warmly caressed his face. "I'm always with you, Ichi. I am a part of you. You will never be truly alone... Cause I love you"
愛してる
She looked up with a smile and bent over to kiss him again.
Unknown to them, or to be exact, forgotten, almost all the Arrancar in Las Noches witnessed that moment.
Their eyes were fixated on the two, stunned by what they saw.
First of all, their Queen had been defeated by an Espada many believed to be dead, and now, was overwhelmingly stronger than anything they had seen.
After that, their minds were blown as the man who defeated Aizen beat the Espada and bestowed a power unlike anything they could imagine.
Finally, they couldn't even understand how the teal haired Arrancar approached their new king, carelessly demonstrating a kind of affection that was never believed to be possible for any kind of Hollow.
All of Las Noches was in shock as three paradigms had been broken in less than an hour.
The Tres Bestias as well as Loly and Menoly could only blush in reply to the last event, suddenly feeling lonely as the idea of finding a partner unconsciously rose inside their minds.
Ashido, more than embarrassed in some way, felt shocked by the possibility that Arrancar could love.
"I... I knew they could work together sometimes, or even, rarely develop some sense of friendship, but... This... This is just ridiculous" He thought.
Orihime on her part, ached to rush to Ulquiorra's side and heal him immediately, but such an action would be more than risky in that moment.
Ichigo broke the kiss with Nel and softly passed his hand through her cheek.
"I love you..." He replied as well. "Now, can you please bring Ulquiorra to Inoue. I'm sure that she wants to take care of him"
"Yes. I'll do it right away"
He walked to the crowd, with the unquestionable aura of a king.
Every step he took, filled the Arrancar with a mixture of fear, respect and commitment.
Ichigo could especially taste their fear though, which was expected given the fearsome power he had, but he never wanted to give that impression of himself.
Fear might be really powerful, but it doesn't create a bond as strong as respect or camaraderie. He didn't want to be like Barragan for what he'd heard, and even less like Aizen. He wanted to be, like Mugetsu, while still being himself.
"So, um... I'd like to apologize for the ability of my Zanpakutou..." He started saying to everyone. There was no need to act authoritarian, just because of his power it was obvious that nobody would doubt his capability. "As some of you might have heard, I only became an Arrancar a while ago... So I'm still getting used to this power. Also, I'm not really good with words but... I'll do an effort and see if you guys get what I intend to say...
For starters... Though I might have defeated Ulquiorra, I will not kill him. That's because, I have decided that the years of needless deaths in Hueco Mundo must stop. Right now"
The Arrancars' breath stopped in reply, processing what their new king had just stated.
"I am not interested in creating conflict and despair, so I tell all of you who wish to conquer the other realms to disappear from my sight if that's what you expect from me"
Despite the reaction to Ulquiorra's earlier proposal, no Hollow dared to even move.
"Nobody? Well, I won't punish those who don't share my views, really, but I don't want to rule over that kind of people either. That is because, I don't see you as pawns or servants. I want to think of you as partners, mates that work with me towards a brighter future, and I can't work with those of you that only have destruction in your minds...
You see... I want us to construct a society. One where we only fight against those that threaten our existence... And in this specific moment, the Oni have done that. That, is something I won't forgive.
As a ruler, I want my first action to be reforming the Espada. I want to ensure the security of the inhabitants of Las Noches, as this must be a place of peace, one where you all can feel safe and work together to make it better, in all aspects.
As Arrancar, there's no reason for us to kill each other, and we don't need to eat other lower Hollows either, and while I know that such an action helps in the task of getting stronger, it is nowhere near the true path to power.
Many of you, won't ever understand what I'm saying. Many of you, were never meant to become Arrancar under normal conditions. Believe me, I know more about that last point that any of you..." He chuckled nervously. "However, the last thing I want is for that so called 'normality' to come back. Is it right to hurt an equal? Is it right to take the life of one another? Many of us are inherently stronger, that's true... But I believe that everyone has something valuable to give. Some of us are good at fighting, some others at thinking, others even at inspiring so... Why reduce it all to the law of the strongest?
My Zanpakutou... Yes, Las Noches, has shown me the past. It was one in which Hueco Mundo had flourished. There... This palace used to have plants and water inside it... Arrancar solely existed to fulfill one purpose: become Whole and fill the void inside of them"
Everyone seemed confused by such statement. What was this Arrancar talking about? That is not the life they knew. That was not nearly the world they were born into... It was like he was talking of an altenate reality or something, and yet... It sounded... Good.
"I... I'm not sure you understand what I'm saying" Ichigo chuckled. "After all... I've had the possibility to understand how you guys think. I trained and fought alongside Grimmjow and Harribel when I was still a human... And I fell in love with Nel, an Arrancar just like you all, when I was human as well. They all taught me a lot, about what they thought, what they desired, what were they looking for in life... And the sad thing is... That the answer was... Nothing"
All the Arrancar widened their eyes at that realization. Some of them had existed for decades, yet they had nothing.
"You guys don't know why you exist. Hollows are born and start killing and eating to get stronger... With what purpose? You have nothing to protect. You have nothing to care for. You don't know what it means to love... And that is exactly what our maker wanted us to learn"
As he said that, the attention of the Arrancar seemed to peak. Maker?
"That's right. The Old God that created us, was the God of the moon and the night" He pointed at the moon. "He was the one known as Tsukoyomi. The one who was denied by the Goddess of the sun and the day, Amaterasu. Because of this... He decided that all those souls who were unable to find happiness would become Hollows in the afterlife, which could either be purified or become Whole. The latter, became the objective of Gran Rey Cero, but such a thing never happened... And that was fault of the same Demon that is tormenting us right now. Yama, the ruler of Jigoku"
The Arrancar were shocked by that revelation.
"Yama convinced Susano'o, brother of Tsukoyomi and Amaterasu, as well as enemy of Tsukoyomi... To raid Hueco Mundo and erase the existence of the current Hollow Society. This was because Yama was interested in getting soldiers for his army and Susano'o wanting to erase any trace of Tsukoyomi"
"You gotta be kidding me...!" Ashido thought. "They are like this... Because of someone else? It's not tgeir fault? No... It can't be..." He was in denial.
"That's why... I chose to become Gran Rey Cero. I want to lead you all in this fight against the Oni, and once we are done with that, I want us all to recreate this world, together. We will no longer live in misery, but we won't be making innocent people suffer in order to gain that. Let me know you! Let me be your friend! And mark my words... We will take destiny in our hands..." He rose his white sword. "...And we will be free from the chains that bind us today!"
At first, everyone stood in silence, unable to react to such declarations. In a way, it was all true. They didn't have a purpose or a reason. If it was true or just a lie... Didn't truly matter. One way or another, they were being given an objective. Ichigo was giving a meaning to their empty lives.
In a way, it was no different from Aizen, who gave them the purpose of fighting and defeating the Seireitei. But... There was something that made them polar opposites.
Aizen never interacted with them in a friendly manner because he wanted to be friends with them, it was all an act to manipulate and use them for his own intentions. Ichigo on the other hand, was someone who despite his power was not interested in dominating them. Hell, if he wanted he could just absorb their Reishi until they became nothing. However, Ichigo was the first ruler they had that was truly worried about them.
This was more than just a new experience, it was someone proposing a whole new reality for them. Were they willing to change their ways in order to achieve that new world he was offering them?
A couple seconds after, some shy claps could be heard, only to be joined by the rest little by little, until the whole crowd was doing it and cheering his name.
"Hail our new King... Ichigo-sama!" Pesche yelled.
"All hail Gran Rey Cero!" Dondochakka shouted as well.
Everyone started screaming his name and celebrating energically the rise of a new king.
He could only smile as he heard the people that had chosen him to lead them reacting positively to his best efforts.
Orihime had finished healing Ulquiorra, but he was still out. It was the same with Harribel and Grimmjow.
"Let's head to the palace, Ichigo-sama!" Rudbornn exclaimed, creating Calaveras to help him carry the unconscious Espada as well as create a barrier for Ichigo and Nel so that no Arrancar would get too close.
"Hey, Rudbornn... Is this necessary?" Ichigo asked, a bit uncomfortable.
"Sorry, my king, but it is an important measure, at least right now that everybody is so... Motivated" Rudbornn, who was personally guiding the convoy (despite it being controlled by him anyways), replied.
As soon as they arrived in the Throne Room, the Arrancar present bowed their heads to Ichigo, who was standing besides Nel in front of the throne.
Despite the whole setting, he would not finish the picture as expected.
"I appreciate your dedication, but I won't put my ass in that chair until I've finished my first proposal. Once my friends are awake, we'll start a journey to find any Arrancar that roam the surrounding areas of the palace and bring them here. In the meantime, I want you to do whatever you feel comfortable doing, or well... As long as it's not violence of course, so you're invited to fight each other if it's with training in mind" He clarified. "I'd like to give you a tip, actually. You should try talking more to each other, it helps a lot to understand each other and... It's a great way to pass the time. Don't get me wrong, I know we're not Shinigami or human... But I know that we can at least establish bonds of trust and friendship, so... Do your best. If anyone has any trouble, I'll be glad to help. I am responsible when anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help... I want my hand to be there. I don't know if that is what a king does, and I doubt that is what your previous rulers did... But it is what a king should do, and it is what I will do"
The people present cheered for him as he concluded his speech, leaving the Arrancar with total freedom to spend their time.
"You've heard the king. Return to your activities! He and the Espada need to rest in order to start their mission" Rudbornn ordered as he and his clones slowly pushed the people out of the Throne Room.
With the room calm once again, they could go back to their activities.
Everyone was happy about the sudden turn of events, even though it was pretty much planned, no one expected the other Arrancar to accept him so easily.
"See, Ichi? You didn't have to worry so much. It was a success!" Nel happily said in low volume.
"Maybe... But now, I've got a lot more of responsibility" He replied.
"Don't worry about that, man. I think you're better at this than you think" Renji encouraged him.
"You'll be an amazing king, I know!" Nel added hugging him.
"And you'll be a wonderful queen" He replied with a smile, giving her a soft pat on the head. "We must hurry to find the missing members. The Oni Nageki spoke of must already be planning an attack to steal the Heart of Tsukoyomi"
"Yes. We cannot afford to waste any more time" Pesche said.
"We can help you by scouting with Bawabawa" Dondochakka added.
"That's a good idea, Dondochakka" Ichigo replied. "Now... Where is everybody?"
"Well, Orihime is with the three Espada, cause they haven't woken up yet"
"I see... And what about Rukia?"
"Well, about that..." Renji seemed troubled. "She and the three Fracciones of Harribel are looking for Ashido"
"What? Did he run away?" Nel asked worried.
"I don't know if it's that or if he wanted to go for a walk alone or somethin'. Maybe, some time to think, you know? He seemed a bit troubled being surrounded by so many Arrancar..."
"Well, it wouldn't be strange if that was the case. He must be pretty confused with all that's happening. I am very surprised to see the reactions of the Arrancar, in fact" He replied. "Still... I don't think it's a good idea leaving him alone for too long. His mind might be quite unstable, so who knows what he could do if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?"
"That's true..." Nel agreed. "But I think the best we could do is hope for those four to find him. He can't have gone too far, right?"
"I don't know about that..." Renji frowned. "Last time we came here, Las Noches was on sight from a pretty long distance. As long as he has that, he can go pretty much anywhere..."
"That is a problem... But, let's just hope nothing bad happens... I'm sure that Rukia and those three will find him soon" Ichigo concluded. "I'd really like to look for him myself, but to tell the truth... I'm beat. I think I'll go have some sleep" He yawned.
"Go, man. You deserve it..." Renji yawned as well. "It wouldn't do me any bad either... Grimmjow really made me push my limits you know? Poor guy... All that effort for nothing"
"But you did so much as well... Doesn't it make you feel bad?" Nel asked him.
"Nah, I expected something like that... Though I never even imagined that Ulquiorra would be the one" Renji admitted.
"Neither did I... But, I know his intentions" Ichigo smiled. "At first, I was really confused, and it bothered me that he put you guys at risk again... But I know that he did that to force me, otherwise I would've never used half of that strength..."
"You were so troubled by the idea of fighting Tier yesterday..." Nel remembered. "You could say Ulquiorra saved the day in that sense"
"He did make things easier for me... But I can't say that his actions were the best. I am willing to forgive him because of the way things sorted out though"
"Don't be so harsh on him... I spoke with Inoue-san and I know that he only wanted to help you" Nel tried to defend him.
"I'll have a word with him once he wakes up, but in no case I'm planning to punish him. I... I guess I already did that with that attack of mine..." He admitted that blasting a Cero Medianoche from point blank range was excessive.
"Oh, now that you mention it... I had never seen a Cero like that... How did you do it?" Nel asked him.
"I don't know, actually. I remember how Ulquiorra said that Cero Oscuras was a power only usable by Espada in their Resurrección, so I thought I'd try it in my own transformation, but I guess something different came out of my mind when I tried it. In fact, I never saw any of you three using a black Cero, despite the fact that you are all Espada and know Resurrección"
"Hum... I guess that's because I've never relied so much on Cero to begin with... It made me feel..." She seemed a bit uneasy. "...Hollow"
"Oh... I see..." Ichigo thought that it made sense.
If one thought about it, they all had reasons not to use such an ability. Grimmjow clearly preferred to use Gran Rey Cero because of his fixation with the throne. Harribel always used her water-based attacks as they were more destructive and covered a larger area, her Cero Volcánico being the exception. Finally, Nelliel didn't due to her aversion towards the most basic Hollow behaviour. In the end, Ulquiorra seemed to be by far the most fond of the attack.
"But...! I did use my Cero Doble on a Gran Rey Cero Oscuras!"
"Really, whe-? Ah... That must've been when..." He could guess easily.
"Yeah... If I hadn't swallowed it... Ulquiorra..."
"He would've probably killed you..." He bitterly concluded.
"Ichigo... I'm sure he didn't mean to do it"
"Of course not...!" He said ironically. "It's not like he was willing to kill you in order to force my awakening... Right? No... I thought that I could forgive all his bullshit but this is too much. If it wasn't for your ability... You'd be gone, Nel"
"But maybe he knew about it! Nnoitra must have told him something..."
"Even so... What if you had been unable to swallow an attack of that magnitude? He clearly took the risk anyway!"
"Hey, Ichigo... Calm down. You said you would forgive him, didn't you?" Renji tried to make him reason as well.
"I did, but I never imagined that..."
"Enough, Ichigo. You became Gran Rey Cero thanks to him, whatever mehods he used are not important right now!" Nel wanted him to stop with that.
"*sigh* You're right, Nel. And you too, Renji. Sorry for losing it. I just... Can't take seeing or knowing you were in danger"
"I know, but that's why I'm sure he knew. He's too worried about you to kill me. I'm sure he knows how miserable that would make you..."
"Still, I think it is necessry that I have a word with him. I... I think I've been putting a barrier every time we spoke before so, I haven't really given him a chance to open up. I really want to understand him, and I wish we could fight together in the future so... I must give it a try, a real one this time"
"Go for it. I'm sure he's a lot more accessible than we think. Otherwise, Inoue-san wouldn't be so fond of him" Nel pointed out.
"I'll go talk to him once he's awake. Right now, I gotta take that nap I mentioned. I need it"
"I'll go with you!" Nel giggled as she grabbed him by the arm. "I mean... You won't sleep so well without your favorite pillows" She whispered.
"Ahahahaha..." He blushed as he laughed nervously. "Guess I can't deny that... See you later, Renji!"
"Yeah, have a good rest. I should have one myself..." He left the room as well.
~~~~X~~~~
It was really complex writing this Chapter because of all the assumptions and setting I had to make. This is due to the fact that the Arrancar in general had never had a positive leader aside from Harribel, who we don't see so much in the Manga after Karakura to be honest. The same with Ichigo, he has never been in a situation where he is the one prominent leader of a large group, not officially at least, so I tried to develop that side of him. Someone just, friendly and not unnecessarily polite or using complicated words. More like, just Ichigo trying to act as responsible as he possibly can.
In the end, I hope I was able to make something credible, coherent, and overall, enjoyable. If there's something that bothers me is reading stuff I don't believe because of lack of consistency, but that's just me. In case someone feels that this doesn't really evoke the behaviour of Arrancar (or Ichigo as ruler) and feels like the descriptions don't really match this, I'd be glad to discuss it and do the right adjustments.
Reviews:
Antex-The Legendary Zoroark: Another excellent chapter! And my, my! You keep surprising me over and over! So it seems that even though Harribel is a good opponent in her own right, she still won't match up to Ichigo, thus Ulquiorra steps in? How fascinating! I also see what he's doing. He's purposefully riling up Ichigo so he'll come at him with the intent to kill and prove his strength as ruler no doubt...
Also enjoyed how Orihime confessed her love to Ulquiorra. Although I wonder...if she and Ulquiorra are a match, will both become Wholes? But then, Orihime is human and not Arrancar. Unless you plan on changing that down the line?
I also liked how even though it is brief in this chapter, Ashido's entire perspective of the world he once knew has changed so much! It'd be a hard pill to swallow; even for me. But yea. Overall, good chapter! See ya next update!
Reply: Always doing my best to surprise my readers, though it seems his actions were easily understood.
Now, with the UlquiHime... Yeah, Wholes cannot be created between an Arrancar and another species because of the link between them. So... That will either never happen or maybe... Things will move towards that direction... I've already decided that long ago though, fufufu...
Finally, Ashido's development was rather quick, but this is because of a couple reasons. First of all, his Shinigami friends are telling him to trust these Arrancar as Aizen is no longer controlling them. Then, we have the fact that the Tres Bestias really care a lot about him, and while he might be more than a little dense as to why, he has felt their selfless desire to help him. Even so, in this Chapter he's far too shocked to simply move along the same page as the other characters who have already accepted these changes, and because of that, he needs a bit of space in order to be able to truly accept it all through a moment of introspection.
See you all next Chapter! Evhron out.
Glossary:
Cero Luna: Moon Cero. Special white Cero only usable by Etapa Final level Espadas.
Revolución del Relámpago: Lightning's Revolution.
Tormenta de Murciélago: Storm of bat. Based on Ulquiorra's 3rd Anniversary version ultimate attack.
Lanza Relámpago Muerto: Deadbolt Lance.
Cero Medianoche:Midnight Cero. Special Cero, only usable by Ichigo in his Resurrección.