Ichigo stared coldly at Ulquiorra, before repeating himself
"Get the hell away from Inoue"
"That was my intention" Ulquiorra replied calmly "My duty is to protect Las Noches until Aizen-sama's return, I have not received an order regarding the death of the woman…You however are a different story, killing you… and all of your friends outside is now synonymous with protecting Las Noches, so I will eradicate you, with my sword"
As he spoke, Ulquiorra withdrew his sword, to Ichigo's great surprise
"I wasn't expecting this… I didn't think you'd draw your sword from the start, I was just going to start by making you draw it, but you did it anyway… is it safe to say that you recognize me as your opponent?"
"At the very least, an intruder that needs to be destroyed"
"That works for me"
Visera tilted his head slightly, his eyes inscrutable beneath the remains of his mask, the visor that he clearly took part of his name from
"You are an interesting specimen, I was worried for some time that you weren't going to meet my, admittedly low expectations and die fighting that remnant"
"Don't talk like we know each other, I just need to take you down and then I can go help Ichigo" Layne replied, shifting his grip on his keyblades slightly, memories of when Visera had blinded him rising up to the surface
"Oh, but we do know each other, we know each other quite well" Visera replied cryptically "You might enjoy this, Layne Trell
Visera reached up to his visor mask, and in one swift motion, shattered it, revealing the full face underneath
Layne looked on in shock as Visera's full face was revealed to him, losing his ability to form rational thought as the revelation of Visera's identity shook him to his very core
"You…you're…no way"
"WHAT!" MADARAME, AYASEGAWA, KIRA, HISAGI, RAYNER!"
Omaeda was shouting at the top of his lungs
"Weren't they holding the fort in our absence, I was getting the feeling like I won something, and thinking look, they're depending on me, not you, since they weren't at the meeting place"
Everyone ignored him
"What, was everyone aware!"
Joel was unaware of Moll involvement, but he didn't want to let that fat idiot in on it
Omaeda was still looking around frantically, before getting savagely shut down by Soi Fon
Meanwhile, Barragan was still handing out orders
"Hmph, five soldiers… So what? If five ants are to protect the pillars, then I shall send five dragons to crush them before me… Poe… Coolhorn…Avirama…Findorr… Oreana… Kill them"
The five Arrancar named shouted their assent before each heading off in different directions to a different pillar
"Oh?" Ikkaku muttered calmly, sensing a new reiatsu "A fresh opponent is here"
Ikkaku opened his eyes and came face to face with a massive gut, before looking directly upwards to see the face of the Arrancar now towering over him
"Damn, you're pretty big… I'm praying that it's now just for show"
"Praying… two what, Do you Shinigami have a god?"
"Shit…what am I praying to?... now that you mention it that was a stupid turn of phrase"
Ikkaku though for a second before turning to Poe again excitedly "Alright, I got it, anything will do, so I'll pray to your god!"
"I see, then there is no problem with that… my god understands better than anyone that this fight will be no contest"
At another pillar, Hisagi was met with the blonde Arrancar Findorr, who had summoned the original set of hollows
"First off, I'd like to ask, what seat are you?"
"Shuhei Hisagi, Lieutenant of Squad Nine"
"I see, In that case, I shall fight with power equal to that of a Lieutenant"
Hisagi frowned at the bold claim
Yumichika refused to even look at the Arrancar that was sent his way
Kira merely raised an eyebrow at the Arrancar shouting at him, doing some attempt at a hype dance and doing his damndest to get Kira to Join him
At the final pillar, Moll waited with her arms crossed as an Arrancar appeared before her, the woman had grey hair and the mask fragments that resembled a carved feature from a totem pole along the top left third of her face, she had a katana in a sheathe at her left side with a grey wrapping
"Barragan-sama has ordered your demise" Oreana informed Moll curtly "This one will be delivering his godly edicts from this one's unworthy hand"
"Tell him to get in fuckin' line" Moll replied easily "It's getting longer by the second"
The Arrancar frowned as it seemed to recognize Moll
"This one's fortune is good today it seems, you are the shell, Moll Rayner, are you not?"
"You would be right" Moll replied uneasily, annoyed that she was being referred to as a shell
"Intelligence on Moll Rayner's capabilities is well documented among Aizen-sama's forces, more so than any other member of Moll Rayner's allies… Moll Rayner is the individual that this one has the least to fear from, which means that this one will be finished quickly and sooner able to return to this one's god's side
Moll was growing steadily more and more irritated listening to Oreana prattle on
"I'm the most well-known, and the one you have the least to fear from… well in that case, could you give me some information, seeing as apparently I will be dead soon, some really stupid guys invaded your stupid base… are they still wreaking havoc?"
"As a favor to the soon to be unworthy dead, this one will tell Moll Rayner what Moll Rayner wishes to know"
Moll waited as Oreana began reciting the status of Ichigo's group that had invaded the Soul Society
"Ichigo Kurosaki – In combat with Grimmjow Jaegerjacques... Uryu Ishida and Renji Abarai – In combat with Szayel Aporro Granz, Sado Yasutora, Rukia Kuchiki and Layne Trell, all deceased"
Moll sighed with relief
"Rise Inside, Sora!"
Moll's oversized daikatana disappeared from her back and Sora appeared in her hand in its customary flash of white light
"Curious, this one's information does not appear to have elicited any emotional outburst; this is contrary to all known information about Moll Rayner"
"No, I'm definitely emotional, I'm relieved… if you're prattling on about those guys being dead, then you're definitely a liar, which means all your bullshit about my knowing all of capabilities is probably lies as well"
"Moll Rayner's logical capabilities appear to be flawed, a shortcoming that was noted in Moll Rayner's file… but not quite to this extent"
"Let's fuckin' find out" Moll stated with a smile, as she brandished Sora before her "I'll cut you down and fuckin' show you how good I am"
"Predilection towards curse words, a trait shared by Moll Rayner's counterpart in the Auxiliar Espada… However… this one shall give you what you want, Maintain, Equilibrio.
Oreana's resurrecion kicked up an incredible amount of wind, and Moll reflexively attempted to defend herself from the attack that she knew would be coming
"Bakudo 56: El Escudo!" Moll shouted, but was surprised as nothing happened, and promptly got smacked in the face with Oreana's fist, sending her flying backwards into a wall
"Moll Rayner will find that Moll Rayner's Kido will not function while Equilibrio is released… This one's special ability is why this one was chosen to destroy this pillar… Barragan-sama is wise indeed"
"Well that's pretty fucking annoying" Moll replied as she stood up, swinging Sora a couple of times experimentally "I guess I have to just kick your ass the old fashioned way"
"This one is again confused; Moll Rayner intends to cut me with Moll Rayner's zanpakuto… the file states that Moll Rayner's zanpakuto is ineffective at cutting, leading to an overreliance on Kido"
"You know about the Shinigami four arts correct? It's true that my skills in Kido far outpace the other three… but I'm the third seat of the fourth division… they wouldn't let me keep my position if I couldn't do the other three to an acceptable level… and there's something else too… something that your file won't know about me"
Oreana ignored her, and leapt in for a swipe, looking to lop Moll's head off with a single slash
Moll brought Sora up and blocked her blow easily, stopping Oreana's momentum completely
"Something I didn't know about myself… something that had been missing since I became a Shinigami, but was just returned to me before you lot arrived… the truth about Sora's power… it's not the wind… it's the storm"
As Moll spoke small currents of arcing electricity began running along Sora's blade and she spoke one more word
"Spark!"
Visibly large amounts of electricity seemed to generate directly from Moll and transferred through Sora and directly into Oreana, who screamed in agony as the current flowed through her body, surging and arcing over and over again until there was nothing left of the Arrancar but a smoking pile of ash on the floor
"It was really strange, suddenly hearing a voice in my head telling me to go fuck myself" Moll said calmly, seeming to talk to the pile of ash that used to be her opponent "That's how I knew you were lying about Layne being dead, all that information and all you are is dust"
Moll raised her head and looked out at all the other pillars
"Heh, looks like it's going to be mission accomplished"
Suddenly, the pillar that Ikkaku had been stationed at shattered and started crumbling down
"Holy shit!"
Moll began running towards the pillar, linking up with Kira and Hisagi, who were carrying an unconscious Yumichika between them
Joel looked down from his sky perch at where Ikkaku's pillar had been
"No way… Ikkaku was beaten?!" He muttered, his hand straying to his zanpakuto and his feet moving to flashstep over, before Ukitake put a hand up to stop him, as two members of their party had already vanished
The ground around the pillar, which had been cracked and destroyed from Ikkaku's fight with the gigantic Arrancar, was slowly fading out, replaced by fresh ground from the real Karakura Town
The giant Arrancar glanced down slowly, and spoke his thoughts, his voice as slow and ponderous as his form seemed to be
"The town that was transferred… is starting to return?"
The Arrancar dismissed that notion and then turned back to Ikkaku, who was lying on the ground, broken, bleeding, brusied and still clutching the shattered fragments of Hozokimaru's shikai form
"It seemed like this cue ball was still hiding something… but now he's dead"
"Who're… you callin dead…" Ikkaku struggled to push his words out as he shakily attempted to push himself up "You're just saying… whatever… the hell… you feel like…"
The Arrancer stomped on Ikkaku's back, causing him to shout out in pain
"How convenient, if you're alive then bring out the power you're hiding… or you're going to die"
The Arrancar pressed down on Ikkaku's back, increasing the pressure and volume of Ikkaku's cries of pain
"Don't…make me laugh… If I had something like that… I wouldn't waste it on a little bitch like you"
"I see… then die"
A large gauntleted fist, impacted the Arrancar's face at a high velocity, with enough force to send the giant twisting and flying through the air, crashing through several buildings
Ikkaku gasped and inhaled as the pressure was suddenly lifted off his back, and craned his neck to see his savior
"C-captain Komamura!"
Komamura had strode over confidently and clocked the Arrancar while Ikkaku had been face down in the rubble, and now he barked an order
"Tetsuzaemon!"
"Yessir!"
Iba appeared from over Komamura's shoulder, carrying a brown satchel containing multiple black metallic rods, which he then planted in a circle around the shattered pillar, halting the regression of the town
"That'd should do it, they're for emergencies… but there shouldn't be a problem if ya don't bust em up while yer fightin'
"Iba-san…"
Whatever Ikkaku was about to say was cut off by the sound of raucous laughter, its source the giant Arrancar, causing Iba and Komamura to cease their conversation and turn towards him as they giant pulled his twisted form and with a stunning agility considering his incredible size, jumped up and stood in front of Komamura, towering over the not small Shinigami Captain
"He's huge, even bigger than the Captain" Iba observed, a small hint of worry tinging his tone
"That was really something Shinigami… or are you a dog? Anyway, that was a nice punch… but it was not a "Real punch"
The Arrancar flung his arm backwards and then shot it forwards, punching Komamura squarely in the gut, sending him flying backwards
"That is what is known as a "Real Punch" The Arrancar stated, withdrawing an incredibly small sword from the sleeve of his uniform "While I'm at it… I will show you what is known as the supreme punch… Breathe, Calderon"
The Arrancar's head and limbs seemed to swell, like they were having air pumped into them at rapid speed and pressure and his entire body ballooned outwards until he was standing taller than the nearby skyscrapers, towering over Iba and Ikkaku, engulfing them in shadow as his figure blotted out the sun
"Crushing you is going to be such a pain…"
Some distance away, Moll, Hisagi and Kira stopped as the beheld the Arrancar's gigantic size
"Holy shit!" Moll exclaimed "What are we going to do against that monster!"
Iba grabbed Ikkaku by the collar of his shihakusho and turned tail and bolted directly away from the Arrancar
"Oi Iba-san!?" Ikkaku exclaimed "Where the hell are we going?"
"Shut up! Do you really think we can do somethin' against a guy that sent the cap'n flying?"
"What's with that cowardly reason!"
Iba ignored him as the Arrancar opened his mouth and started to speak
"So heavy… so tired, but this cannot be helped… for this is Barragan-sama's will"
The monstrous Arrancar lifted his arm up slowly and then brought it down, it's shadow engulfing Iba and Ikkaku, who hadn't run nearly far enough away to evade the Arrancar's tremendous reach
"Let go Iba-san, you can't dodge like this!"
"I thought I told you to shu-oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit"
Iba and Ikkaku braced themselves to be crushed, by were miraculously spared from their impending demises through the intervention of Komamura, who had rushed in and grabbed the Arrancar's fist, grunting from his exertion
Komamura roared defiantly, seeming to strain greatly as he picked the Arrancar up by his fist and tossed him over his shoulder, crushing several of the buildings in its path, before turning his head towards Iba and Ikkaku
"Do not retreat Tetsuzaemon, no matter what… and be sure to stay behind me" Komamura told Iba, who replied resolutely
"Yes Sir!"
Once again, the now gigantic Arrancar began to laugh mockingly, attracting the attention of the gathered Shinigami
"Hahaha, that didn't do anything, you pathetic insect! But it was surprising to know that a pathetic insect like you could toss ME… a fraccion of Barragan-sama… and when I get surprised… a yawn escapes"
The Arrancar seemed to unhinged his jaw, and a Cero began to form in it's depths, it's green hue illuminating the area that was cast in shadow from the Arrancar's incredibly large form
"I see" Komamura replied, unsheathing his Zanpakuto "Then allow me to stifle that yawn for you… Bankai… Kokujo Tengen Myou!"
Komamura's Bankai stood a full head and shoulders over the Arrancar, his colossal form no match for the mightiest weapon in Komamura's arsenal, clocking in at around a hundred metres tall, the armored form of Kokujo Tengen Myoo looked down on the Arrancar, who stopped charging his Cero in awe
"What… what the hell is this… who… who the hell are you?" He cried out in disbelief, his anguished shouts sounding similar to a man whose faith was being shattered
"That's right… I have not said my name yet, I am the Captain of the Seventh Division, Sajin Komamura… and I am ashamed to admit it, but you are correct, I am a pathetic insect of a man"
Kokujo Tengen Myou brought it's blade down on the Arrancar as Komamura completed his humbling self-deprecation, utterly crushing him beneath its blade, completely erasing any threat that he may have posed to the Gotei 13
It was at this point that Moll, Hisagi and Kira arrived, and took stock of Ikkaku's damaged form
"God. Fucking. Dammit. Ikkaku" Moll cursed "Stitching you up is my fucking day job; this is supposed to be a holiday, set him over there so I can get to work"
Joel whistled in amazement, he'd never seen Komamura's Bankai in action before and its effectiveness could not be denied, having destroyed the enemy in one hit
"He's not playing around today, is he?" He asked, seemingly at his Captain, Ukitake, but it was Soifon who answered him
"That's a good thing, learn from this Lieutenant, don't give your enemies an inch, or you will regret it"
Joel nodded; he knew she was referring to the fact that his opponents had a tendancy to make continual headaches for the Soul Society… Layne and Jed being the chief examples, but others, including Daisuke could have been finished off by him, but had instead come back for another round
Not this time, this time I'm going to finish it
"He doesn't seem to care if it's the real world or the fake one… I wonder if the Seventh Division is going to be in the red for this fiscal season" Matsumoto mused
Joel blanched at the reminder of the paperwork he was going to have to fill out after this battle was over… assuming he made it out alive, two constants in life, death and paperwork
"Those idiots got beaten!" One of the remaining Arrancar at Barragan's side growled, having witnessed the five of the members of her retinue all individually get killed by five separate Shinigami
Behind them, Barragan shattered part of his throne in his fist and began to stand up, clearly intending to take to the battlefield, before his remaining two fraccion knelt down in front of him and pleaded
"Our deepest apologies, Barragan-sama… we shall go and dispose of them immediately, so it is our humble request that you remain seated as we slaughter them all"
"Who are you going to dispose of?" Soifon asked, as she and Omaeda flashstepped in behind them, some fifty feet away "Are you talking about Komamura and the guardians of the pillars? Or do you mean all of us… because depending on your answer, I'll dispose of you… actually, I'll dispose of you even if you don't answer"
Soifon drew her sword and charged at the short Arrancar, and it was like a chain reaction, each of the assembled forces split up and looked as though they were about to square off against each other, Soifon and Omaeda vs the remaining two of Barragan's fraccion, Hitsugaya and Matsumoto were surrounded by the Female Espada's Arrancar, and Kyoraku, Ukitake and Joel looked to be in an uneasy standoff with the younger male Espada, and the little girl fraccion he had with him
"Now then" Yamamoto said calmly, observing the situation "At last the real show has begun"