A full day had passed in the World of the Living since Grimmjow had killed Averstruz, but the unchanging sky of Hueco Mundo gave the group of Arrancar no hint to how much time had passed. They had been walking endlessly over the desert, having engaged with a few small groups of Calaveras that had surprised them. Rudbornn had set up numerous outposts for his soldiers in the wilderness, presumably in anticipation of having to hunt down any fleeing enemies. It was no trouble for the group, but every skirmish gave the main pursuing group more time to close the distance between them.

Just now they had finished off another squadron, and were piling the bodies in a sand pit. Apacci wiped a large blood splatter from her face as she kicked the last dead trooper in. "This is getting really tiresome, you know."

"Tell me about it," Grimmjow said. He was sitting on top of a large boulder, watching the horizon, "Killing these punks is a waste of my energy. That bastard Rudbornn planned this out. Wearing us down over time so he can pick us off when we are weakened."

"Nuh-uh!"

The Espada jumped slightly, surprised by the sudden appearance of Nel on his shoulder. "Hey! Get off of me!"

"Dat ain't gonna happen, kitty cat!" the little girl pumped her fist excitedly, "We's the strongest there is! That cow head is nuthin' compared to us! Miss Hollybelle will be back too, and she'll bring Mr. Hat and Itsygo with her to beat the robot up!"

"Wait a minute. Did you say Ichigo Kurosaki?"

"Yup! He's numbah one! He'll always come to help Nel out! That's what I told Miss Hollybelle!"

A sick smile spread across Grimmjow's face, that Sung-sun was quick to notice. "Grimmjow, no."

"Don't tell me what to do, woman. You know how long it's been since I've seen Kurosaki? I've waited years to kick his ass! Once this is all over I'll show him who's stronger!"

"Yeah, well just don't start any crap before we kill BG9," Mila said, "We'll need all the help we can get. I just hope Tia made it there alright…"

Catching Nel as she leaped from Grimmjow's perch, Sung sun let the girl hand from her shoulder. "Are you doubting her, Mila Rose?"

"No, I'm not. It's just… I'm still worried about her. From what Grimmjow said happened-

"I know. I'm still concerned too. She was hurt badly, but she is strong. She will return. I know she will."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will!" Apacci interjected angrily, "Tia's put her life on the line for us so many times, and she's always made it out okay! Now, we're the ones who have to fight for her!"

"Yeah!" Nel chimed in with a victory pose, "We's gotta do it! We are the best!

"Besides," Apacci averted her eyes from her partners, blushing slightly, "You idiots piss me off a lot, but… We have to stick together. Cause we're y'know. A family, or whatever. Yeah. Whatever."

Mila and Sung-sun looked at each other. A second later, they started to tear up.

"You stupid bitch!" Mila cursed as she ran and hugged Apacci, "I hate you too, goddammit!"

"You're both idiots…" Sung-sun muffled as she forced her way into the hug.

"Stop crying!" Apacci sniffled, "If you all cry, then I'll start crying! I hate all of you!"

The Tres Bestias stood there, bonding in their own bizarre way. Grimmjow couldn't bear to watch. Too sappy for his tastes. He slid down the rock, hands in his pockets as he inspected a pile of supplies that belonged to the dead Calaveras. Nel noticed his snooping, and scurried over to investigate with him.

He opened up a small metal trunk first, filled to the brim with assorted weapons. Grimmjow had never seen Calaveras use anything but swords before, but there tools in here that clearly weren't blades. He picked up a small oval-shaped one, with a pin on top. He could sense a large amount of unstable spiritual energy contained within the device. "The hell is this thing?"

"Oh!" Nel popped up under him, reaching for the explosive, "That's a boomer! If you pulls that little thing on top, it goes kaboom!"

Better hold onto this. Grimmjow hooked the grenade to his belt. "How do you know about this?"

"Itsygo told me lots about weapons from his world! Crazy stuff!"

"Hm."

Human technology being adapted to a spiritual form was not a new concept, but arming shock troopers with them was. BG9 seemingly wanted Rudbornn to rearm his forces in a more militaristic manner. He dug further into the case, and at the bottom found else surprising. A pistol.

Grimmjow took the gun out and inspected it. He had never held one himself, but he instantly knew why Starrk enjoyed using them. He aimed into a nearby dune and pulled the trigger.

BANG!

The shot was quick, so fast that Grimmjow couldn't see the small amount of energy even moving. It was at least as fast as using Sonido, if not more. The loud gunshot startled the Tres Bestias and broke up their group hug.

A scared Nel covered her ears and shook her head back and forth. "No! Nel doesn't like that!"

"Oh yeah," Grimmjow said, smirking as he put the gun into his jacket, "Definitely keeping this."

While the advantage of having this was easy to figure out, the Espada soon wondered if the next group of Calaveras would all be wielding these. Not that they could kill him, though; he was too strong to die to them.

"Hey!" he shouted over at the women, "Get over here. We've got weapons to use."

The voice that responded put Grimmjow on high alert.

"Is that so?" Rudbornn's voice said from somewhere unknown. Drawing Pantera, Grimmjow scanned the surroundings for their hunter. As soon as he spotted the traitor, he was going to blast him away.

"Don't worry, Grimmjow," Rudbornn assured, "I'm nowhere close, but I know where you are."

The bull's voice was disrupted by static. Looking down at the trunk, Grimmjow saw a small blinking light and a speaker on one of its inner walls. "I knew you would be tempted to open this case, anyone would be. Curiosity is a fatal mistake. Once you opened it, the homing sensor was set off."

"So what?" Grimmjow snapped back into the speaker, "You might find me, but you sure as hell won't be able to kill me!"

"Oh, I don't plan on it. There are Calaveras stationed at the four cardinal directions from your location, all closing in on you. They won't kill you either. I wish to bargain."

"Say what?" Mila Rose said, her and the women approaching, "What's going on?"

"Ladies," Rudbornn greeted, "I have a proposition. Once I arrive, hand me Nel over peacefully and you will be spared. If not, you will be destroyed by BG9 and myself."

"You don't scare us, dumbass!" Apacci retorted, "All four of us can overpower you with no trouble!"

"Arrogance. I figured as much, coming from that wench's lackeys."

"Don't you dare call Tia that, you bastard!"

Sung-sun held the triggered Apacci back, taking a more calm approach to negotiating. "What makes you think we will give you Nel at all? You have nothing on us."

"Oh, but I certainly do," Rudbornn said smugly. They could hear him pulling something towards his end of the speaker. "Talk, idiots."

The group wasn't expecting him to have prisoners, let alone Nel's two brothers.

"Nel! Are you there? Nel!" Pesche shouted, "It's me! Pesche! We got captured!"

"I'm here, too!" Dondochakka followed, "Help us! These baddies are mean!"

Alarmed by the sound of her Fracciones crying for help, Nel jumped into the trunk and pounded on the speaker. "You let'em go, you meanie! We're gonna kick your butts if you don't!"

"If you don't hand her over," Rudbornn said, "I will kill them in front of her. Slowly. If you give me her, nobody dies. I will be there in one hour. Make your decision."

The static call ceased. The four Arrancar stood there quietly for a moment until Grimmjow picked up Nel by her cloak from the trunk. "Like I said. Get the weapons. We'll need them."

"Grimmjow," Sung-sun said, grabbing hold of Nel, "He has prisoners. If we attack he'll kill them."

The Espada patted his jacket where the gun was being held. "Not if I shoot his brains out. Or cut his head off, whichever feels right at the time."

"We can't let him kill Pesche and Dondochakka! They are Nel's friends!"

"He won't. I won't let him kill those morons. Even if he tries I know I can get him first."

"That's a risk we can't take," Mila added, "But we can't just give him Nel, either. We're stuck."

"Who knows how many troops are gonna be surrounding us, too," Apacci said, "We could summon Ayon but if Rudbornn sees him he'll kill the prisoners without hesitation. And if BG9 comes with him we're double screwed."

They had little options, and little time to choose. No matter their choice, Rudbornn could still betray his word and try to kill them regardless.

"Give Nel to them," the small Espada's words were faint, but certain, "Nel doesn't want her brothers to get hurt, and Nel don't want her other friends hurt too. The baddies don't wanna hurt me, and you are all so tough. You'll kick their butts if they try and hurt ya. So give Nel to them, please."

She wasn't wrong. Though she was trapped in such an inferior form, Nel was still thoughtful and intelligent. It just took a bit more to get it out of her.

"Then that's that," Mila Rose sighed, hands on her hips, "Now we just wait."

"You can do that," Grimmjow said, using his foot to make a hole in the sand. He dropped a reishi grenade in and covered it back up, tossing a piece of cloth over top to mark its location. "While I make this place a ticking time bomb."

Things could not be going more smoothly for Rudbornn. The fools had fallen right in line with his trap, and now he would be able to watch that idiot Grimmjow die at the hands of his soldiers. And when the Espada was shot full of holes, bleeding out, he would cut his head off himself and hold it high.

His anticipation nearly made him forget to contact BG9 and update him on the events. The hybrid would be rejoining him shortly upon finishing his current task. Creating reishi weapons for his Calaveras took time.

BG9's endgame was unbelievable to him at first. Creating a huge military from his soldiers was not so far-fetched, but when it suggested the use of reishi firearms based on human design over swords Rudbornn was rightfully concerned. Not many Arrancar were proficient with any sort of guns; his Calaveras were born with swords as well. BG9 had shown him records and footage of human warfare within his database, and of how destructive they could be. It made the mystical warfare of Shinigami and Arrancars seem primitive.

There were numerous Sternritter that had wielded more modern weapons. Robert Accurtrone, "The Nimble", was one of BG9's prime examples. His quick-fire weapons had taken the eye of the current Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 in an instant. The weapons the Calaveras were being given were based on the elder Quincy's own. More powerful weapons took inspiration from the Schutzstaffel leader Lillie Barro and BG9's own arsenal.

BG9's power level was far higher than he had imagined it would be upon its rebirth. The mastery of reishi manipulation the hybrid demonstrated was flawless, creating lasting and solid items with ease. It was going to use the composition of Hueco Mundo itself to mass produce weapons, and planned on modifying captured Hollows with armaments to turn them into obedient, walking tanks of warfare.

What BG9 wanted was a rematch: all-out war.

There was no noble goal like with Ywhach, no desire to reform the world in his own favor. BG9 identified the Shinigami as unworthy of the authority they had. Nothing would satisfy him more than all-out genocide, a one-sided war with technology they could not compete against. He would overwhelm them with Rudbornn's infinite legions, wearing them down non-stop. Not even Kenpachi Zaraki could fight forever like BG9 could. Learning the Bankai of Ichigo Kurosaki would place BG9 on a level of strength no Captain could compete with.

Except for one Sosuke Aizen.

BG9 concluded that the traitor would be released from prison once more, and would likely fight against his forces. There were no reliable calculations to be made regarding a duel between them. Kyouka Suigetsu was something BG9 could not comprehend.

If all else failed, if his army could not withstand the Shnigami's counter-attack, then BG9 had his final solution. Rudbornn was unsure exactly what a hydrogen bomb was, but BG9 told him noting would survive it. The Knowledge was not restricted to just power theft: if BG9 could learn it, it could create it from reishi permanently. It was similar to how the Bankai medallions had been produced, a solidification of The Knowledge.

BG9 stated he could make numerous nuclear-level explosives if given time. It would cost the robot its life, but that did not matter. Extinction of the Shinigami was the only goal.

No matter what, BG9 would stand victorious. And Rudbornn would be perfectly happy with that.

BG9 was satisfied with Rudbornn's compliance.

Standing atop one of the towers of Las Noches, the robot watched as Calaveras stood in front of the great fortress. Such useful creations. They were in perfect lines, military formation, all wielding his freshly created firearms. The same way Ywhach had organized the Wandenreich foot soldiers. And just as expendable, as well.

There was a certain satisfaction to be felt when following the order of pure logic and calculation. The weak are exterminated by the strong. In his arrogance, Ywhach had become too ambitious in his desire. To simply wipe out the Shinigami was something he was capable of doing, but he instead tried to do so much more and failed. Even with the numbers in his favor, Ywhach could not overcome his greed for power.

BG9 refused to meet that same fate. The Shinigami extinction was inevitable. And if humanity also denied his superiority, they too would die.

It was only logical, after all.

If anyone had told Tia that she would one day be training herself against Ichigo Kurosaki, she would have called you insane. After their mock fight that (literally) shook the earth under Urahara's shop, she could understand why the Soul Society put so much faith into the man. Even with her numerous Hogyoku gifted abilities, he was still on par with her in strength and speed. Yoruichi admitted she felt like a third wheel in the bout, but managed to keep up with them to an extent. With their hour up, they sat and rested for a moment as Urahara prepared a Garganta.

"I'll tell what, Halibel," Ichigo said as he wrapped Zangestu's blades up and onto his back, "BG9's going to have to use every trick he's got to even get close to hurting you."

"I won't give him a moment to try," Tia replied. There was no plan in mind for how to take the robot down: she was going to blitz BG9 with all that she had.

Coming down the stairs from the shop above, Tessai brought Ichigo a small box with a bow on it. "What's this, Tessai? Early birthday present?"

"Not for you," the Kido master said, "But for Nelliel. It is her new power control bracelet. Kisuke made it on the side while he prepared the Hogyoku fragment. It is ten times more durable than the last, and the last one was really tough itself. There should be no need for another one to be made ever again."

Halibel looked at the gift and its little green bow and smiled. She couldn't wait to see her again. There was so much she wanted to say. But there was business to be done first.

Behind them, a tear in space formed between two large wooden poles. The Garganta slowly grew and expanded, Kisuke having finished performing Keikaigi. The shopkeeper looked down on the group from atop the pole and waved. "We're all set here. Whenever you're ready."

"Call my home for me, Yoruichi," Ichigo said, "Let Orihime know I'll be back in time for dinner."

"Will do, Ichigo. Stay safe. You need backup at all, I'll be there in an instant."

"Let's hope we don't."

Tia gave Yoruichi a quick look and nodded her head. The cat lady did the same: she knew exactly what Tia was trying to convey.

"See you again?" Yoruichi asked.

"Of course. I'll try to hold my liquor better next time."

"Doubt it."

With that, Tia and Ichigo entered the Garganta, the portal closing behind them. It was time for Tia to take back her home.