Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach!
A/N: A short Author's Note to begin this chapter with. Recently I have been busy with a variety of things. Exams, work but also a collaborate work of fiction that will soon be released on this very website as well.
Over the weeks myself and Yonda, the author of Returning the Favor, have been working on a Harry Potter fanfic. One that we believe is unique among most stories regarding Harry Potter on this website. Should you be interested, I ask that you give it a read, as the prologue of the first part will soon be released on his account.
With that said, let us continue to the story verse of Bleach.
DarkJason: It may or may not be the Final Battle. Who knows? I do! But you do not yet! *Evil Laugh*.
About Urahara, Yoruichi, Isshin and the Vaizards. Some of them at least, may make an appearance at one point or another during the battle in Hueco Mundo. But that's all I will reveal about that for now.
I'm glad you like the fact that I've made Rukia and Renji Captains. Personally I never understood why Renji did not become a Captain in Canon yet. Well to be honest I realize that his personality perhaps isn't the most ideal one but still. Why would Ikkaku go to such lengths to hide his Bankai if it isn't even guaranteed that he will have to or be forced into a Captain's position if it were discovered, Renji being the living proof of this.
Gagboy: I may or may not give Ichigo a second form much like Ulquiorra's. For now, I certainly don't see the point. Secondly I believe Ichigo is powerful enough as it is, and I prefer not to increase my character's strength by transformation after transformation but rather by hard work and fierce determination.
Yonda: You are right indeed. I have had some small time jumps in my previous chapter. Something that, sadly was a necessity. I like time jumps as much as the next person but I agree on the fact that there were a bit too many in my last chapter.
But rejoice in the fact that as far as I know, there will (at least in the upcoming chapters) be only one more time jump.
HiddenMaster: Thank you for your kind words! I'm glad you liked the chapter. As for Luppi dying a painful death. Well, I promised, didn't I?
Perhaps light will be shed on the true reason for Luppi's rebellion, but truth be told, it isn't some grand elaborate scheme on Aizen's part. Merely abusing the right words being heard by the wrong person. Luppi was simply a living proof of how something pretty small can escalate into something pretty big.
Takai153: Yes she is here indeed! But there's a reason she is only the fifth Espada. As you may have noticed I have kept the rankings of Starrk, Barragan and Harribel the same. Meaning as in Starrk being the strongest and Harribel being the weakest of the three.
With Ichigo being the Primera that means all of them move down a spot.
Nel, in my story, was a Vasto Lorde before the Shinigamification (I am of course assuming she was only an adjuchas in Canon, judging by her released form), meaning that this time around, when she became an Arrancar, she ended up weaker then Starrk, but stronger then Barragan.
On a side note, I want to release some information concerning Nel's released form. Because I believe she was an Adjuchas in Canon and she is a Vasto Lorde in in my story, I will completely change her released form apart from the name and release command of her Zanpakutou.
Snogwomp: A Kenseikan is the hairpiece that Byakuya wears to keep his hair together. It is generally considered as a certain sign of nobility or wealth.
Oxybusy: Yes, some Shinigami will die.
Grinja: Yes, Nel and Ichigo have gradually been getting closer, as I promised. Sadly, the real romance will take a while yet to begin. I am awaiting a certain event until I decide to allow them to take that step.
Cheese Maker111: You're right about the overusing of phrases. The only excuse for this I can give is that I generally do not look over my chapters for mistakes as thoroughly as I should. I'm usually pretty anxious to post it and get started on the next one as quickly as possible! ;p
Nonetheless, I've tried to pay more attention to it in this chapter so I hope you will notice a difference.
Chapter 17: Blood Soaked Desert.
Rukia was standing up in the air, amidst her fellow Captains of the Gotei 13. Several dozens of yards opposite of them she could easily make out the figures of Aizen and his Espada. It wasn't just the Espada however, she was certain that there were somewhere between thirty and forty extremely powerful fighters standing opposite of them.
It had been only a few hours ago that their latest meeting had ended. The meeting had indeed concerned the subject she feared it would. The members of the Secret Mobile Corps that had been sent to spy in Hueco Mundo and if possible around and inside Las Noches had returned with haste. They had reported that for the past day dozens upon dozens of Arrancar had started fighting one another and had concluded that a civil war had broken out inside Las Noches.
They had even gone as far as to state that they believed at least one and possibly two Espada were participating in it. Considering the fact that the members that had been sent out on that particular mission were pretty skilled in sensing reiatsu levels most of the Captains had been convinced that they were most likely right about that.
But now, standing in front of them were all ten of the Espada, not a single member was missing. Rukia could only conclude that either their information must have been wrong, or they had been set up by Aizen. Considering the fact that their enemies seemed to have been waiting for them she thought the latter was more likely to be the case.
Turning to gaze upon Ichigo's expressionless face once more she was reminded of how his eyes had widened considerably when his eyes had found her. She reckoned that he was surprised she had managed to become a Captain in such a short period of time, truth be told, she couldn't completely wrap her finger around that fact herself just yet.
She wasn't looking forward to the battle that was coming up. Regardless of who would win, it was a very likely possibility that a lot of her friends and comrades would die. She feared for their lives, but above all she feared for Ichigo's life. She knew he was without a doubt one of the most powerful contestants on this playing field. Nonetheless, she was afraid for him.
Considering their current predicament however she realised that she had to get her mind off of that subject for the time being. Soul Society had brought all it's Captains and Lieutenants to Las Noches in order to make sure the surprise attack would lead to devastating casualties in the first few minutes. Even most seated officers had been ordered to come.
But while Soul Society had certainly brought more manpower, Rukia doubted that the quality of their soldiers were anywhere near as good as Aizen's Arrancar were.
Rukia could clearly hear the worried voices speaking below her. The lower ranked Shinigami that had come along seemed to have grown worried about the fact that their surprise attack had already failed. They had been excited about launching a surprise attack on Las Noches, Aizen's fortress. Like any experienced Shinigami, they too, were aware of the fact that a surprise attack often ended up in nothing more then a slaughter. That however, was not how it was going to be, it appeared they were going to be forced into a fair fight.
"Welcome to Las Noches, Shinigami." Spoke a calm voice which she was sure belonged to Aizen.
Rukia could hear Komamura growl in anger, but other then that Aizen got no reaction. At least, not until a few seconds later. It was then that their Captain-Commander held his staff horizontally in the air, dispelling the wood that was encasing his Zanpakutou.
Rukia was forced to stifle a gasp as the spiritual pressure in the air around her increased tenfold and she felt her body bending down ever so slightly. She could hear surprised and panicked shouts from the Shinigami standing down below who were certainly not used to such levels of spiritual pressure and were almost instantly forced to their knees.
Sweat had appeared on her forehead and was slowly but surely trickling down her face as she rose her gaze to look upon Ichigo and his comrades. She was glad to find that some of the Espada were experiencing the same thing that she was while others, such as Ichigo, appeared to be completely unaffected, making her realize once more just how true Ichigo's words had been back then.
"Bansho Issai Kaijin to Nase." Yamamoto's loud voice rang out.
Mere moments after those words were spoken his spiritual pressure increased greatly once more and the Shinigami on the ground below were instantly forced onto the ground. Rukia could clearly see most of the Arrancar in front of them bending over, sweating and breathing unevenly. Even worse then that, Rukia herself noticed that she and some of the other Captains were forced to bend over even further and she had to try her hardest to not be forced to her knees as well.
"Ryuujin Jakka."
Once more she attempted to turn her eyes towards the gathered Espada to see how they reacted to this second increase in spiritual pressure but she was forced to shut her eyes tight by the blazing inferno of flames that was surrounding the Captain-Commander. His blade was set on fire completely and the flames were lashing out violently in seemingly random directions, they didn't however get anywhere near any of the gathered Shinigami.
Carefully opening her eyes again she saw the Captain-Commander violently slashing his blade downwards, causing a huge stream of fire to speed towards Aizen and his Espada. The size of it was immense and she was curious if all of them would manage to dodge it in time. Letting her eyes wander to Ichigo's face she was sure he was calmly speaking some words to his comrades before the fire engulfed them completely.
Ichigo reappeared about a twenty yards to the left of the blazing inferno and put Ggio down so as to allow him to regain his footing. Ichigo had been forced to make a grab for Ggio before moving on to save himself in order to assure his Fraccion's survival.
"M-my apologies, Ichigo-sama! I wasn't fast en,-"
"Don't worry about it, Ggio," Ichigo interrupted his Fraccion, "There is no need to be ashamed, that attack was far out of your league, as you can clearly see by looking around you."
Ggio allowed himself to think his master's words over carefully for a moment before taking a look around himself. He could clearly see the first six Espada standing around them, he even saw Nel putting down Dondochakka and Pesche before she harshly told them to return to Las Noches, something that was very out of character for the soft and caring personality that Ggio had, over the weeks, found out that Nel possessed.
Besides Nel and Ichigo it seemed that only Starrk and the new Espada that Ggio believed was called Harribel had been caring enough to save their Fraccion from the blazing inferno of fire that had been sent at them from Soul Society's Commander. Grimmjow, who had arrived later then the others and increased the amount of Espada present to seven, was seen sporting some minor burns. His Fraccion however had stood the closest to Aizen out of all the Fraccion present and thus had had a larger distance to cover in order to get to safety. Their screams of agony had long since passed and no trace of their existence remained in the desert. Their fate was shared with Charlotte Cuuhlhourne, one of Barragan's Fraccion, as Ggio had been formerly as well as Gantenbaine Mosquada, who was considered the weakest of the Privaron Espada.
"Jokaku Enjo."
Ichigo heard the Captain-Commander say out loud. And looking back to his left Ichigo noticed that it was actually a fortress of fire trapping his commanders, Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen inside of it. To make the situation even worse, it appeared that three of the Espada who were standing closest to Aizen had failed to escape the inferno as well. Zommari, Aaroniero and Yammy were standing in front of Aizen and his two most trusted lieutenants, as well as Cirucci, one of the four former Espada.
Now this pissed Ichigo off. He didn't think that they couldn't win without Aizen but it would have certainly been a lot easier. Even without Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen, Ichigo believed they would have still managed to pull out a victory. The situation changed in it's entirety however the moment that three more Espada failed to escape the prison of fire created by Soul Society's leader.
"Kurosak-" Szayel's voice called out to Ichigo, interrupting his thoughts. Ichigo however quickly spoke, already knowing what the former Espada was going to ask him.
"Whatever Szayel, you can leave us to do battle here so that you can continue with your precious research. Get out of my face." Ichigo replied, irritated.
Truth be told, Ichigo wasn't exactly happy with letting Szayel go to watch and study the Shinigami do battle. While Szayel may no longer be an actual Espada he was still much stronger then the other Privaron Espada and a fair bit more powerful then some of the current Espada. Nonetheless the data he could gather would certainly be important. Yet, that data would not increase their chances right this very moment.
And so, with a nod, Szayel vanished in a buzz of Sonido. Leaving the remaining Arrancar to do battle while he observed them and their opponents, recording each and every battle that would be taking place.
Rukia was glad. Yet, at the same time she was sad. Their chances of victory had just increased greatly, sadly this also meant Ichigo's chances of surviving had just decreased. She had known that the Captain-Commander would have had some sort of back-up plan in case the actual surprise attack didn't work. That being the case his back-up plan had worked out rather splendidly.
Yamamoto had managed to obliterate seven Arrancar, who had, judging by their reiatsu levels been at least as powerful as a Shinigami Lieutenant, some of them even being significantly stronger. To make things even better he had managed to trap three of the weaker Espada and to top things off, Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen had chosen not to move an inch. It was obvious the trio were severely underestimating Soul Society.
Most of the Shinigami and Captains around her seemed more confident of their chances at victory than they had been before. As if on cue, their leader turned around to address the Captains and other Shinigami under his commander, perhaps in an attempt to raise their morale even further.
"Get ready. Put the entirety of your spirit on the line and crush them here! Even if your flesh is torn asunder, be as a steel wall down to your last shard of bone! We must crush them here!"
A snap of a finger distracted Ichigo from his thoughts and as he looked to his right he saw Barragan stepping forward. His remaining Fraccion rolling out a large blanket, bones rose out of it and soon formed Barragan's infamous throne, the one in which he had ruled Hueco Mundo for all those centuries. As Barragan sat down he started speaking.
"There are numerous enemies in front of us. It is needless to say that they outnumber us. So, with our boss unable to do battle," he said, letting his eyes wander over the blazing inferno in which Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen were trapped. "I shall be the one giving out the orders."
Instantly most of the remaining Espada narrowed their eyes at Las Noches' former God-King. Some of the Fraccion openly voiced their opinions, causing quite the ruckus.
Barragan's eyes soon after locked with Ichigo's, but Ichigo didn't back down. He would not tolerate someone weaker then him trying to bully him into obeying.
"I won't tole-"
"No…Cuarta." Ichigo interrupted the aged Espada, putting emphasis on the word Cuarta. Barragan was a proud old man. He was certainly powerful but he could not live with the fact that Aizen had made him the Fourth Espada. He could not stand the fact that there were three Arrancar more powerful then him. It was risky to remind Barragan of his rank, either out of two things could happen. Either Barragan could get angry, or in this situation, with Aizen trapped, even hostile, or he could grumble a bit and obey. While there were doubts about the fact if Nel or even Starrk were stronger then Barragan there was not a shadow of a doubt among any of Las Noches' Arrancar that Ichigo was the most powerful among the Espada.
Surprisingly, Barragan chose to rise from his seat in an attempt to threaten Ichigo into obeying.
Ichigo wouldn't take any of that and without warning he increased his reiatsu to a level that none of the other Espada could ever hope to match. Barragan was instantly forced back into his seat and was slumping further and further into it as if someone was trying to push him through his chair. His breathing became uneven and ragged and sweat was streaming down his body. His face took on an almost panicked expression when he seemed to realise that he had chosen the wrong person to pick a fight with.
Believing enough was enough, Ichigo reduced his reiatsu back to it's previous level. Allowing Barragan to regain his breath. Looking around for a second Ichigo noticed that most of the Espada had undergone similar effects, even though not as extreme since Ichigo had made sure his reiatsu would target Barragan particularly.
Once again, he looked at the old Espada and locked eyes with him. "Luisenbarn," Ichigo called him to attention. "You may have once been the God-King of Hueco Mundo but that is in the past. In the present and the future you will obey me. Do I make myself clear?"
If looks could kill, Ichigo would've dropped dead on the spot. Never before had someone looked at him with an expression of such intense and pure hatred. Nonetheless, Barragan looked away not long after and Ichigo realised that was the closest thing to an answer he was going to get.
Now that that was settled Ichigo had to make one of the hardest decisions in his life. He knew that this battle depended on one thing in particular, or rather three persons. With Aizen unable to do battle for as he long as he was locked away in that inferno it made things substantially more difficult.
The deciding factor was simple. They had to take out the top three Captains of Soul Society, before sustaining too many losses. Ichigo knew the Espada were powerful, each and every member was a force to be reckoned with in it's own way. But Ichigo also knew for certain now, after what had happened to Luppi, that Aizen viewed them all as discardable. But those that weren't created out of Vasto Lorde Class Hollow in particular were no more then pawns, objects to be used to ensure victory. And so with a heavy heart, Ichigo knew that he too had to go along with that philosophy if he wanted to ensure victory.
"Nelliel, Starrk," Ichigo called the two of them to attention. "Your opponents are the Eight and Thirteenth Division Captains respectively."
Nel looked as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she merely nodded. Starrk, on his account, had nodded his understanding as well. Both had signified that they would do as was asked of them. They would do what was necessary to make sure that it would be Aizen who stood victorious in the end. They would do their part. Now, it was up to Ichigo to do his part.
Looking over his shoulder, he looked at the faces of each of the gathered Espada for no more but a second. Except for Nel, when his eyes reached her he looked into her eyes and wanted to say something, anything really. In the end, he just looked her straight in the eyes, he knew words weren't necessary. They'd bonded so closely over the past couple of months that they understood each other, always. He knew she understood that above all he wanted her to come out of this alive, and he could see she was trying to tell him the same, she was probably one of the precious few who was smart enough to have figured out just what he was going to do, and that coming out alive would not be an easy task. Nonetheless, he swore he would come out alive, if not for himself, then he would do it for Nel.
Everyone knew what to do. Despite the fact that he had not given orders to everyone. They were all smart enough to realize that with their current numbers, some of the stronger Espada would be expected to fight more then one Captain at a time.
And so it was that Ichigo turned his head back to the Captains standing in the air in front of him. Locking eyes with the Shinigami that was his opponent he saw no fear in them, no mercy and no emotion other then anger.
So with speed only he possessed among the Espada, he instantly charged at the Captain that would be his opponent. He could clearly see the majority of the Captains lose sight of him until he reappeared right in front of his opponent, the only Captain who had seen all along where Ichigo had gone. And likely the only Captain who would ever be able to block Ichigo's strike as effortlessly as he did.
The other Captains instantly attempted to interfere, seeing as their Commander was under attack. But they were soon interrupted as several loud buzzes signified the arrival of the remaining Espada. Several loud clanging sounds rang throughout the dark night's sky of Hueco Mundo, proving to Ichigo that everyone had chosen their targets indeed.
Locking eyes with his opponent he saw nothing, no emotion but a slight hint of anger that still remained. Anger that likely was because it had been Ichigo that so brutally defeated two of his subordinates. Anger because of Aizen that was the reason for this entire war to begin with. Ichigo just so happened to be the second most dangerous opponent.
"You are my opponent," Ichigo spoke calmly, "Yamamoto-Genryuusai!"
Nel quickly unsheathed her blade in order to block the vertical strike that was meant to slice at Ichigo's side, resulting in a blade-lock with the lazy looking Captain.
"Nelliel tu Oderschvank." She spoke calmly. The Eighth Division Captain merely smiled at her in return before he replied.
"A beautiful name for a beautiful woman," He answered her, causing her to smile at him in return. "Hachibantai-taicho Kyouraku Shunsui. Nice to meet you." He continued lazily.
Nel smirked at him in reply before retracting her blade and starting a vicious assault of horizontal and vertical slices at the Shinigami that introduced himself as Kyouraku Shunsui.
"Unfortunately," Nel spoke in between strikes, "the conditions of our meeting," she continued, "are everything but ideal!" She finished as she made a particularly violent stabbing motion with her Zanpakutou towards Kyouraku's chest.
Kyouraku managed to dodge the thrust by jumping backwards a couple of yards where he remained standing. "I guess you're right about that." He spoke to her, with what seemed like a small hint of sadness in his voice.
"Tell me," he continued. "Do you never go easy on your opponent? Not even in the beginning of a battle?" He whiningly asked her.
Nel had to stifle a giggle at the Eighth Division Captain's antics. He was quite the charming guy that was for sure. "I'm not particularly fond of fighting, Hachibantai-taicho Kyouraku Shunsui." Nel answered him. "But I'm afraid I do not have the luxury of holding back this time, I'm well aware of your strength."
"I see." Kyouraku replied. "That's too bad, I'm not too fond of fighting myself. We would've made a great couple don't you think?" He winked at her as he suggestively asked the last question.
This time however, Nel did not appreciate his humour any more. "I would appreciate you taking me seriously, Kyouraku Shunsui, starting by unsheathing that wakizashi of yours." Nel replied, slightly irritated as she pointed at the still sheathed wakizashi.
"Tch. You only use a wakizashi if you can't handle a katana, everybody knows th-"
"Then why is it that you've been switching hands all this time while parrying my strikes? You're obviously ambidextrous as both your arms seem to be almost equal in strength. So tell me, why would someone who's ambidextrous carry around two swords?" Nel interrupted him.
Kyouraku could only grin at her in reply, making Nel feel as if she'd just caught a little kid with his hand in the cookie jar. "You got me there." He spoke. "And here I thought I was doing a good job at…" But that was as far as he spoke as he disappeared and reappeared with Shunpo, instantly going for a violent horizontal slash towards her mid-section, "…hiding it!"
Nel was just in time to notice that while he swung at her side with his katana he was already drawing his wakizashi with his other hand. Reacting quickly, Nel pulled her scabbard a few feet out of her sash and held it in place with her unoccupied hand, effectively blocking the Captain's katana. At the same time she swung her Zanpakutou at the Captain's right shoulder, going for a diagonal slice which was quickly blocked by his other hand, now holding the previously sheathed wakizashi.
Nel smirked at the experienced Captain who grinned at her in return before launching his own flurry of rapid strikes at her in return. Nel was immediately forced to draw the scabbard from her sash entirely in order to parry all of his attacks. One thing she instantly noticed however was the fact that the attacks with his left hand appeared to be slower but definitely a bit more powerful while the attacks with his right hand were a whole lot faster but also lacked some strength compared to his left hand.
Kyouraku finished his series by simultaneously crossing his arms over one another and pulling them both sideways in an obvious attempt to decapitate her. Nel simply ducked and kicked the Shinigami Captain in the stomach, forcing him backwards.
"You're still not taking this seriously." Nel said to Kyouraku who merely smiled at her in return.
"Perhaps. But then, neither are you." He stated seriously for a change, surprising Nel.
Before she got a chance to answer his question, she was distracted by an incredible burst of reiatsu several dozens of yards behind her. Looking at the location in question her eyes widened as she saw Ichigo barely escape a huge torrent of fire. The entire landscape beneath him was burning and she could clearly see he was having trouble fighting the Captain-Commander.
"Worried about your friend?" Kyouraku asked her sympathetically, which surprised her and brought her attention back to her own opponent.
"Perhaps." Nel stated flatly as she looked down at the ground.
"He's a tough one, isn't he?" The Eighth Division Captain asked her, probably not even expecting an answer. "But Yama-jii's our commander, he shouldn't be taken lightly you know, your friend could die." Kyouraku told her sympathetically.
Nel instantly charged and with speed she herself didn't know she possessed appeared in front of Kyouraku's face with the telltale sound of Sonido. Drawing back her sword she slashed down at him with incredible force, leaving Kyouraku no choice but to block with both of his swords. The power behind the attack wasn't what surprised him the most however, it was Nel's narrowed eyes and the expression of intense anger on her face that surprised him.
"You're wrong!" Her high-pitched voice almost shouted out at him. "Ichigo won't die! He won't and he can't!"
Those were the last words she spoke before she started attacking the Eighth Division Captain once more, using both her scabbard and her sword as a weapon and leaving him no chance to turn the roles around.
Kyouraku meanwhile had to admit that he had underestimated the Espada. Admittedly he did not know her rank but judging by what she had showed him so far he had guessed she would probably be ranked somewhere around fifth. It appeared that she had been holding back a great deal of power however, and he had obviously struck a nerve by stating that that boy, Kurosaki Ichigo, could die. He was actually kind of surprised, he didn't think Arrancar could possibly bond in any way similar to that of humans or plus's but it appeared that he had been wrong, Kurosaki Ichigo was someone very important to Nelliel, of that Kyouraku was certain.
Seeing Nel prepare for an extremely powerful strike aimed at his right he took his wakizashi in a reverse grip and prepared to block it. He was surprised however to find that she instead made a thrusting motion with her scabbard and while he managed to push it off course with his left hand it still ended up hitting him straight in the stomach, causing him to flinch.
Realising she had created an opening he quickly pulled himself together only to find that her Zanpakutou was coming straight at his face. Not having enough time to raise either of his swords to push the approaching Zanpakutou off course he leaned his head slightly to the left. In the end, it saved his life and he got off with nothing more but a scratch on the side of his cheek.
Nel meanwhile was glad she had managed to draw first blood. When Ichigo had ordered her to fight against the Eighth Division Captain she knew what he had meant. She knew that the two Captains she and Starrk were supposed to fight were the oldest two Captains in Soul Society apart from the Captain-Commander and she knew she would be in for one hell of a fight. She was uncertain if she would be able to win, something which she still was, but she now knew that at the very least they matched fairly even, for the time being.
The Eighth Division Captain had instantly Shunpo'd several yards backwards after receiving the shallow cut on his cheek and was now looking at her as if he was impressed.
"Sheesh, I didn't want to make you angry, I was just stating a fact." Kyouraku spoke out to her, a bit embarrassed. The embarrassment soon disappeared however and was replaced by an expression of the utmost seriousness. "But seeing as you got serious, I guess you leave me no choice but to do the same thing." He stated flatly before taking off his pink flowery coat and throwing away his straw hat.
Madarame Ikkaku was instantly confronted by an Arrancar with a devil-like mask fragment, consisting of a plate on his forehead with two small horn-like protrusions stick up at the sides. The two horns on his mask fragment were mirrored in his hairstyle.
While his appearance was certainly odd Ikkaku knew that this guy was powerful and would be a more then worthy opponent for him. He was glad, and smiled excitedly at the yet to be named Arrancar.
"So you're my opponent, huh?" He exclaimed excitedly.
"That's right, niño!" The Arrancar replied.
"Very well! Then allow me to tell you the name of the man that will defeat you!" Ikkaku shouted back at the man. "Eleventh Division's Third Seat, Madarame Ikkaku!"
Much to Ikkaku's annoyance, the man started laughing loudly after his introduction. "Defeat me? You?" He asked mockingly.
Ikkaku was getting irritated by the fact that he was seemingly being looked down upon but before he could comment on it the man continued once more.
"I remember you saying that it was considered a courtesy in Soul Society to extend your name to your opponent so that he may know the name of the one who defeated him in battle before he left this world." The Arrancar stated, surprising Ikkaku since while he had given his name to the devil-like Arrancar he had not stated anything of the kind. Before he could think on it any further however the Arrancar spoke up again. "Arrancar #103, Dordonii Alessandro Del Socacchio. Now let us do battle, niño!"
Before giving so much as a warning the Arrancar disappeared with a buzz of Sonido and reappeared in front of Ikkaku who was instantly sent flying downwards by a kick from the Arrancar who had just introduced himself as Dordonii.
As Ikkaku crashed into the ground below he instantly regained his bearings only to find that all around him people were doing battle. Unseated Shinigami from many a Division were being slaughtered by dozens of Arrancar that had seemingly released their Zanpakutou as most of them looked very animalistic.
Looking back up to the sky he saw Dordonii dashing towards him at full speed, with his Zanpakutou at the ready. Drawing his own Zanpakutou and remembering his last battle with an Arrancar he decided that he would give it his all from the very start this time. Quickly connecting his scabbard with the hilt of his Zanpakutou he looked back up to Dordonii with a maniacal grin sported on his face.
"Nobiro, Houzukimaru!"
Rukia quickly drew her Zanpakutou, alarmed by the sudden appearance of an Espada in their midst. She had been consumed in her thoughts for a brief moment but intended to rectify that mistake as she rose her blade above her head to slash down at the Espada. Before her blade got even halfway however, she faltered and realized the man she was just about to swing down at was Ichigo.
Her thought process was interrupted again by several static sounds and the arrival of a blue haired Espada with his Zanpakutou poised to strike at her. Readjusting the course of her blade she managed to block his Zanpakutou, causing their blades to clash violent. The same sound was repeated several times all around her making her realise that to her relief, the other Espada, her enemies, had successfully intercepted the assault of the remaining Captains. With the knowledge in mind that Ichigo was as safe as he could be, considering the fact that he was facing the most powerful Captain in Soul Society, she returned her attention to her assailant.
As she locked eyes with the blue haired Espada the first thing she noticed was his expression. He was grinning like a maniac and from that she easily surmised that he loved to do battle. This Espada, was in many ways very similar to their own Zaraki Kenpachi, she was certain of this fact.
"I am your opponent, Shinigami!" The blue haired Espada shouted at her.
She had figured as much but nonetheless she appreciated the confirmation of this fact. She quickly scanned his body, looking for a number tattooed somewhere on his body. She was denied a very thorough scan however as the Espada didn't seem to appreciate her attention lingering away from him and launched a punch aimed at her head.
She was only just in time to see the attack coming and ducked under the Arrancar's arm, grabbed her Zanpakutou with both hands and stabbed at his chest in retaliation for the surprise attack.
The Espada quickly knocked her blade off course with his own Zanpakutou and turned around for a backwards kick aimed at her chest. Rukia easily saw the attack coming but her attention wavered when mid-turn, the Espada's jacket blew upwards ever so slightly, allowing her to see an intricate number seven tattooed on the right side of his back, close to his hollow hole.
Seeing the man's foot come at her she got her head back into the battle and used Shunpo to get herself to safety several yards backwards.
"Seven." Rukia spoke, not giving the Espada a chance to continue his attack just yet.
"What was that?" The blue-haired Espada shouted at her in return.
"You're the Seventh most powerful Arrancar in Aizen's army." She stated flatly, no emotion could be seen in her face or heard from her voice. Her brother had taught her well in that regard, she would honour the Kuchiki name by being a role model for the next generation of Shinigami.
"That's right, Septima Espada, Grimmjow Jaegerjaques." The Espada stated, grinning at her maniacally.
"I see," Rukia stated simply. She was confident in her abilities and she knew that she had a good chance of defeating this man. She felt no need to relay her name to him, there was even the chance that Grimmjow already knew hers considering the fact that she had been kept prisoner in Las Noches for quite a while.
"Hoero, Zabimaru!"
"Kare, Kazeshini!"
Surprised at the sudden release commands she looked behind her only to see both Zabimaru and Kazeshini fly past her from both of her sides and make their way towards Grimmjow. A static sound alarmed her to the fact that Grimmjow had disappeared and she could clearly see him reappear behind Hisagi with his Zanpakutou raised high above his head, ready to strike.
Hisagi, apparently having heard the buzz that signified Grimmjow's arrival behind him raised the second of his blades in the air behind him, hoping to block Grimmjow's inevitable attack.
He wasn't disappointed as a loud clang signified that Grimmjow had indeed hit Kazeshini. Hisagi however, didn't appear ready for the amount of power that was put behind the attack as he was sent flying downwards, his Zanpakutou trailing after him dangerously fast.
"Tch, three on one huh? Whatever! All the more fun for me, give it all you've got, Shinigami!" Grimmjow shouted out before he burst out in maniacal laughter once more.
He was quickly forced to resume the battle however when Zabimaru once more came flying at him from behind. Grimmjow merely batted Renji's Zanpakutou aside and charged at the newly appointed Captain.
Rukia, deciding that while his back was turned to her, this was her chance. She quickly sheathed her Zanpakutou and charged at him, noticing from the corner of her eyes that Hisagi had gotten up and was thinking along the same lines as she was.
"Carriage of Thunder. Bridge of a Spinning Wheel. With light, divide this into six." Rukia silently chanted.
She could clearly hear Hisagi had started chanting something as well mere seconds after she had started her initial chant. Looking back up she saw Grimmjow was rapidly nearing Renji's position, the latter of which was still retracting his Zanpakutou and appeared to be defenceless.
"Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens." Rukia finished her second chant a split second after Hisagi had finished his first.
She could clearly hear the sound of metal cutting through the air behind, signifying that Hisagi had thrown Kazeshini at Grimmjow for the second time, the latter of which seemed to have heard this as well as he turned his head around mid-charge.
"Hadou #11 – Tsuzuri Raiden!" Hisagi's voice yelled. The effect was instantaneous as lightning emitted from his hands which were holding his Zanpakutou. The lightning quickly spread and was soon running over the entire length of Kazeshini, causing Grimmjow's eyes to narrow as he turned around apparently having changed his mind about the biggest threat at this point in time.
"Bakudou #61 – Rikujyoukourou,
Hadou #73 – Soren Soukatsui!"
Rukia finished both her spells at once. It took no more but a jabbing motion of her finger for Grimmjow to be trapped in her Kidou spell causing his eyes to widen in panic as Kazeshini was still making his way towards him.
That wasn't the end of it however as Rukia swung her other arm in a wide arc causing two large balls of condensed blue reiatsu to erupt from the palm of her hand. Both heading in opposite directions yet it was clear that they arced straight towards Grimmjow location.
Grimmjow was doing everything he could to release himself from his prison. Cursing himself yet again underestimating his opponents. He was the king damn it! These weaklings should have been no match for him and yet here they were forcing him into a potentially life threatening situation.
The last thing Grimmjow thought as Kazeshini wrapped itself around his body was that he would make those Shinigami pay if he got out of this predicament in time. Time however, was not on his hands as he could feel the electricity coursing through his body and the small woman's Kidou attack impacted with both his sides.
Ggio instantly realised that, as the Espada were battling the Shinigami Captains, it was up to their Fraccion, the Privaron Espada and the Exequias to occupy the next most powerful opponents Soul Society had to offer, namely their Vice-Captains.
Ggio was confident in his strength, he had always been until his former master Barragan had so callously thrown him aside as if he were nothing but thrash. It was then that he had vowed to become as strong as he could possibly become, he had thrown himself into training with a vengeance. Fully intending to prove his former master wrong. He had not, however, expected the Primera Espada to take him, Ggio Vega, as his one and only Fraccion.
Ichigo had taught Ggio many things. He had helped him become stronger then he had ever been before but above all he had also taught him about emotions. About caring about people and about his own personal history. Ggio felt that he owed Ichigo a life debt, he would forever give his everything to repay that, starting here, by proving that he was worthy of being the only Fraccion of the Primera Espada.
Those were the thoughts that occupied him as he charged at two Shinigami with a Lieutenants badge bound to their shoulder. He would prove to all of Las Noches that he too was someone to be taken seriously, that his power was not to be trifled with. He would prove it to his former master Barragan, make the man regret throwing him away so callously. But above all he would prove to Ichigo just how much he had improved, he would make him proud.
Arriving at his destination he instantly pulled back his left foot and aimed a sideward kick at the strawberry blonde Shinigami's midsection. To his surprise, said Shinigami hadn't even noticed him yet which resulted in his kick connecting, sending her spiralling to the ground below.
"Rangiku-san!" the remaining blonde-haired Shinigami, called out worriedly.
Hearing the sound of a Zanpakutou being drawn from the very same direction Ggio's form blurred before he vanished with the static sound of Sonido. Reappearing in front of the blonde Shinigami he caught the man's hand that was holding his Zanpakutou before quickly launching a punch in his gut, causing the Shinigami to bend over in agony. Improvising on the spot, he kneed the man in the face before again making a sideward kick to his stomach, sending him flying towards his fellow Lieutenant.
Ggio was shocked. Was this the level the average Vice-Captain of Soul Society was at? He had chosen his two targets on purpose, they were standing extremely close to one another so Ggio had figured the other would jump in to fight him two on one. He had hoped to push himself to his limits in order to best his opponents but all it took was four attacks to send the both of them flying?
A long time ago he would've gloated over the two Shinigami's misfortune of having to face him. But that was long time ago, Ichigo had taught him otherwise. Ichigo had taught him to never let his arrogance cloud his judgement, to stay alert while facing any adversary no matter how weak or powerful they might be. Ggio knew that at the very least these two Shinigami had not yet released their Zanpakutou, meaning the battle could yet prove to be challenging.
Feeling their reaiatsu signatures reappear no more then twenty yards in front of him he broke himself from his thoughts and met both their respective gazes.
The blonde man, standing on the left was the first to speak.
"Sanbantai-fukutaicho Kira Izuru."
"Juubantai-fukutaicho Matsumoto Rangiku." The blonde one standing on the right followed shortly after him. It appeared that they were indeed Vice-Captains. It was interesting though, the Shinigami that introduced himself as Kira Izuru seemed to be the Vice-Captain of the Division that was formerly being led by Ichimaru Gin, which could very well mean that this war was personal for him. He would have to be careful with that one, another lesson that Ichigo had taught him.
The other Shinigami, the woman that had introduced herself as Matsumoto Rangiku was apparently the Vice-Captain of the Tenth Division. Meaning that her Captain, the white-haired kid that Ggio had laid his eyes on only a couple of minutes ago, was the one that had been beaten soundly by Ichigo.
"Ggio Vega." Ggio simply stated, feeling no need to state either his Arrancar number nor his rank or social standing in Las Noches.
Ggio noted how both Shinigami had shared a quick look and nod at another. No more but a split second later he could see the Shinigami that had introduced himself as Kira Izuru silently started to chant something. Before Ggio got a chance to think about this however, the woman named Matsumoto unsheathed her Zanpakutou and swung it at him.
"Unare, Haineko!"
'Shit!' Ggio thought as her blade dissolved into what appeared to be ash-like particles which quickly sped into his direction.
"Hadou #58 – Tenran!"
Ggio's eyes widened as Kira clasped his hands together and appeared right between Ggio and the ash cloud that was quickly spedding towards him. A tornado-like blast was fired from Kira's fists and came at Ggio at an incredible speed, scattering the ash cloud and at the same time increasing the area it was affecting.
Ggio had to admit that he had no idea what that ash-like substance was capable of but he knew for certain that he was now in immediate danger and had to get himself to safety. With that thought in mind he quickly Sonido'd as quickly and as far away as he could.
He let out a sigh of relief as he appeared some fifty yards to the right of his previous location. His left arm was throbbing painfully and was covered with several large and deep cuts. Blood was seeping out of the fresh wounds and was dripping down his fingers.
He had made a crucial mistake. He should have dodged the moment he saw the ash-cloud come at him, he assumed he still had some time to spare and chose to wait for Kira to make his move. A mistake that had almost proven fatal for him. Had Ichigo not helped him hone his already incredible speed to even further levels he would not have escaped that attack and it would likely have ended the battle instantly.
An explosive burst of reiatsu distracted him for a moment, causing him to look behind him. He closed his eyes for a second after taking in the sight that greeted him. He had known from the moment that Soul Society's Captain Commander trapped Aizen, Ichimaru and Tousen along with some of the lower ranked Espada in his prison of fire that Ichigo would choose to confront the veteran Shinigami. Ggio had complete faith in his master's powers, he knew that he outclassed any of the other Espada by a large margin and would even go as far as to believe that Aizen would have to get serious in order to beat Ichigo.
Nonetheless he had feared from the very beginning of this battle that his master had finally met his match. That Ichigo had finally met an opponent that he may not be capable of beating. As he looked hopelessly at Ichigo trying to attempt the waves upon waves of flames that were chasing after him he suddenly felt the two Shinigami reappearing in front of him.
"It is not considered wise to take your eyes off of your opponents, Arrancar." Kira Izuru stated flatly.
Ggio had to admit he was surprised that they hadn't abused his opening. His worry for his master had overtaken his common sense for a second and it could've cost him dearly. He was still unsure just how powerful the two Shinigami in front of him actually were.
The entrance he made on them could as well have been a farce. Something they set up in order to make him believe he was more powerful then them. Their last attack had certainly nicked him good. His left arm was all but useless.
That, combined with the fact that he truly wanted to help Ichigo, despite that he knew he would hardly make a difference.
"Ah. You're right." Ggio replied, turning his head back to his opponents.
Their faces turned to surprise upon seeing him. He realized it must've been because of his overly show of emotion. He didn't like the predicament Ichigo currently was in, and he knew it showed in his facial expression. He quickly corrected this before he continued.
"I would like to finish this as quickly as possible, regardless of which of us will end up the victor. Let us not hold back any longer, Kira Izuru, Matsumoto Rangiku!"
He started gathering all of his reiatsu in his Zanpakutou as it's central point, preparing for what was about to come. He could hear the rustling of reiatsu moving through the air, making it's way to his weapon and it seemed both Shinigami were aware of this as well as they readied their stances.
"Omoto o agero, Wabisuke!"
Ggio saw Kira lay his hand on his Zanpakutou as he shouted out that particular chant. His Zanpakutou changed shape dramatically, forming two 90 degree angles, basically forming three ends of a square, reminiscent of a hook. Even more interesting was, judging by the way in which Kira held his weapon, the cutting edge appeared to be on the side of the hook, rather then the 'normal' side of his Zanpakutou.
Ggio realised that both Shinigami were ready, both of them had their Shikai's out and so it was time for him to give it everything he had as well. He would prove to Ichigo that he had made the right choice in choosing Ggio as his Fraccion.
"You are my opponent," Ichigo spoke calmly, "Yamamoto-Genryuusai!"
Their blades had clashed and both Ichigo and the elder Shinigami were trying to overpower the other. Both ignoring the series of blades clashing around them. Ichigo could see Yamamoto's eyes, which apparently were partially closed slits most of the time, opening ever so slightly until the man made direct contact with Ichigo.
"Your opponent?" Yamamoto asked, almost mockingly. "You are a thousand years too young to challenge me, youngster!"
Ichigo's face remained as emotionless as ever. Arrogance and pride, two personality traits that appeared very important to Soul Society's Captain Commander. He reminded Ichigo slightly of Barragan Luisenbarn.
"But very well, if it's a beating you desire, then that is what you shall get!" Yamamoto shouted out before violently pushing Ichigo backwards and instantly lashing out at him with his already released Zanpakutou causing an enormous wave of fire to rush after Ichigo who's eyes widened in surprise.
He was only just able to escape in time with the use of Sonido, reappearing right before the Captain-Commander with Atrevico held in one hand high above his head, poised to strike down at the aged Captain. As he struck down, Yamamoto blocked his attack with such speed that even Ichigo had trouble following the motion of the man's arm. A loud shockwave reverberated through the desert causing a violent sandstorm to raze around the two combatants.
Ichigo realised by now that trying to overpower the old man was a futile effort, having learnt from his mistake the first time. Instead he chose a different course of action as he removed his unoccupied hand from his pocket and pointed his palm at the veteran Shinigami.
"You're wide open," Ichigo stated with a smirk, still exerting pressure on the Captain-Commander's Zanpakutou.
Much to Ichigo's surprise, Yamamoto raised his unoccupied hand as well, pointing his palm at Ichigo. Knowing that he had to act fast now, he acted.
"Hadou #33 – Soukatsui." Both fighters spoke simultaneously.
Before Ichigo even got a chance to increase the power of his own attack, he was forced to retract his Zanpakutou as a huge torrent of blue reiatsu erupted from the aged Shinigami's hands, instantly absorbing his own attack in it. His eyes widened as he opened his mouth to speak but everything that would've come after that was cut off as he was completely engulfed by the blue wave of reiatsu that should have been a lower level Kidou attack.
Aizen stood silently inside the prison of fire that had been created by the most powerful fire-type Zanpakutou in existence, Ryuujin Jakka. His most trusted lieutenants Ichimaru Gin and Tousen Kaname standing on his respective left and right sides. Behind him stood Zommari, Arroniero and Yammy.
The fact that neither of the three had taken the risk of escaping Genryuusai's attack was a bit of a letdown. He had purposefully remained where he was because he was certain his Espada would be all he needed to stand victorious against Soul Society. The fact that three of his Espada had failed, or chosen not to, move out of the way of the attack was not something he had counted upon.
Perhaps he had been too focused upon the five strongest Espada and with that neglected to correctly analyze the strength of his weaker Espada. Regardless, he was certain that even now, his Espada would stand victorious.
As he had expected Barragan would attempt to take charge but, much to his surprise, Ichigo had chosen to silence him. Perhaps he felt responsible for the outcome of this battle, that would be just like the orange-haired Espada, Aizen believed.
He had allowed himself to smile for a second when he saw Ichigo charge at the Captain-Commander himself. The way in which the Primera had taken the fight to Soul Society's strongest Shinigami had been an impressive sight.
On top of that it seemed that Ichigo had ordered both Starrk and Nelliel, his Segunda and Tercera Espada, to take care of Ukitake and Kyouraku. A wise move. The truth was, with himself trapped in this prison of fire, he could not reach the forces of Soul Society, but nor could they reach him until the technique expired.
Which meant that the true outcome of this war was going to be decided by the battles the three most powerful Espada were fighting against the three most powerful Captains. Aizen knew for sure that at least some of his other Espada were going to stand victorious as well, meaning that if Ichigo's plan succeeded, there would be no more but a handful of Captains left to stand in his path.
As he observed the battlefield, Aizen found that Starrk had picked Ukitake as his target. Meaning that Nel had chosen to fight Kyouraku. Both battles were sure to be interesting but nonetheless Aizen was confident that his Espada would stand victorious over the two veteran Captains.
Taking a look to his left, Aizen noticed Barragan and Kurotsuchi Mayuri standing in front of one another. Without a doubt preparing to face each other in battle.
To Aizen's right, was Tia Harribel, already engaged in battle with both Hitsugaya and Soifon, the female Espada actually seemed to be holding her own, for the time being at least. He had felt her reiatsu levels and he was certain that he had been right in giving her the rank she now bore, nonetheless, he had not seen her do battle before and she seemed capable enough to fight on even ground against two Captains. One of which had already released his Bankai while the other, Soifon, was still fighting with her Shikai.
Lastly, he scanned the battlefield only to find Ulquiorra several hundreds of yards in front of him. Fighting both Zaraki Kenpachi and Kuchiki Byakuya, a surprising combination. He was almost surprised, seeing those two fight together against one opponent could not possible end well.
Before he got a chance to observe their battle any further he was distracted by an incredible explosion of reiatsu up in the air above him. Looking up, he saw a huge torrent of blue reiatsu erupting from the palm of Genryuusai's hand. Aizen was forced to frown when he realized that his Primera Espada had just been hit by an attack of that magnitude at point blank range. But Aizen was no fool, he knew full well that it would take a whole lot more to take out his strongest weapon, Kurosaki Ichigo. He smiled, interested in how the battle would go on from here on out.
Pain. Pain was the first thing Ichigo felt as he opened his eyes. His vision was blurry, he noticed, as he looked up to the dark night's sky of Hueco Mundo. Looking around him, he found that he was lying just in front of the most outer wall of Las Noches with the Captain-Commander standing about a hundred yards in front him, motionlessly watching Ichigo.
Ichigo grit his teeth in anger. Not anger at the Captain-Commander, but anger at himself. Anger because he felt that he could've done better. Was this truly everything he could against the most powerful Shinigami currently alive, save perhaps Aizen himself.
No, he realised. He could do better, he knew he could. He wasn't out of the battle just yet. He had made a crucial mistake in thinking he could best the Shinigami among Shinigami in an art that was founded by Shinigami. He had been a fool, attempting to best the old man with Kidou, he realised now.
But at the same time his defeat had been a blessing, he was sure of this. It had been a long time ago since he had actually experienced true pain. Ever since becoming a hollow there had been none who had challenged him and came out of the ordeal, standing victorious. Even more so, there had been none who had truly managed to seriously injure him. While Ichigo had by no means become arrogant enough to believe he was all-powerful it was a good thing to be reminded that there were indeed souls out there that could potentially defeat him in battle.
As he stood up, that was the train of thought that led him to his current predicament. A large part of his Arrancar uniform had been burned to shreds, exposing his entire upper body including his face for all to see, with only the sleeve of his left arm having remained intact. His arms and upper body were covered with burns, some so severe that Ichigo was sure he could peel off his very flesh with just a finger. He could feel a burning and stinging sensation coursing throughout his entire upper body with almost every movement he made.
Locking eyes with the old man he came to the conclusion that for now, he'd just have to deal with the pain, he refused to release before he had managed to draw blood from the veteran Shinigami.
"I'm impressed," Ichigo stated flatly, slightly out of breath. "You're the first person that has managed to injure me this severely ever since I became a hollow."
The old man's eyes remained narrowed, and just when Ichigo believed he would not get a reaction from the Shinigami he removed his arms from the sleeves of his Haori and Shihakusyou and pulled them both down, exposing his muscular torso for all to see. Interpreting this as a clear sign that the man was ready to resume battle, he charged.
His legs at least, appeared fine. They were sore but they wouldn't hinder his movements in any way. The pain coursing through his torso and arms on the other hand was excruciating. But he would bear through it, he would relish in the pain as it was a reminder of his greatest mistake yet. He would relish it and learn from it before taking things to the next level. He was determined to draw blood.
So when the Captain-Commander disappeared from sight with a speed that rivalled Ichigo's own he was prepared. Planting his feet solidly in the desert sand of Hueco Mundo he twisted around and parried the vertical strike coming at him with time to spare.
A loud bang resounded as the two Zanpakutou met, silencing the sound of metal hitting metal. Instead putting emphasis on two gigantic forces of reiatsu clashing with one another.
Ichigo knew he could do this! It had been a mistake to battle the Captain-Commander with the use of Kidou. He would take the fight up close and personal from here on out. Immediately after their blades met he redirected the course of his blade, forcing the old man to go along with it or leave himself open to attack. Unsurprisingly the man went with the former, allowing Ichigo to execute a powerful kick to his side. To his surprise however, his kick was intercepted as the old man grabbed his foot with his unoccupied hand. Instantly realizing the tight situation this put Ichigo in, he jumped and aimed a kick at the man's chest with his other foot, forcing him to let go in order to dodge.
Landing back on his feet, Ichigo immediately stepped forward only to spin around completely, using the momentum of his spin to increase the power behind his attack as he went for a horizontal slice across the man's chest. To Ichigo's surprise, the man chose to dodge by stepping backwards instead of parrying his blade, which would've been the easier course of action with less risk involved. Which meant that Yamamoto dodged the attack in order to set up an attack of his own.
Sensing the heat in the area increase as the burns on his body began to throb even more Ichigo decided this was where he should proceed with caution, instead of recklessness. For the second time since their battle started, fire erupted from the old man's Zanpakutou as he slashed it through the air.
Ichigo's eyes widened considerably as he took in the sight around him. All around him, the dry desert sand of Hueco Mundo was actually on fire. A sign that clearly proved just how dangerous of a Zanpakutou Ryuujin Jakka was.
"This is were it ends, Kurosaki Ichigo," the old man spoke, his reiatsu sky-rocketing to even higher levels.
Ichigo's eyes narrowed and his body visibly tensed, preparing himself for the attack that was sure to come.
"You've allowed me plenty of time to set up this attack, I will not spend any more time on the likes of you."
Mere seconds after the old man's words had left his mouth, seven humongous pillars of fire appeared around Ichigo as Yamamoto Shunpo'd himself to safer grounds.
The heat that covered the area was maddening. His body was aching and he felt as if his skin was actually melting. The burns inflicted on him earlier made it near impossible to move even a single muscle. His body wouldn't move, it wouldn't listen. His muscles were giving out, the insane amount of pain causing almost his entire body to go numb.
Realization dawned upon him. He couldn't move. An attack of this magnitude was going to hit him. It was inevitable. He could barely move his arm, let alone be able to escape in time. He closed his eyes in silent regret. He had failed Aizen, he had failed Ggio, he had failed Rukia, he had failed…
'Nel…'
He had promised. He couldn't die here and leave Nel behind without him by her side. He couldn't bear dying knowing that she would have to live with the loss of her closest friend.
Renewed determination filled his being. A single step forward. He grunted in pain, the heat becoming more intense with every passing second. He rose his in burns covered arm, causing him to cry out in agony.
"Sayonara, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Too late. The heat rose to levels unimaginable as the seven pillars grew in size. Closing in on him until they merged into a single pillar of fire towering high above even the entire fortress of Las Noches.
When Ggio was about to release his Zanpakutou, something distracted him. A huge amount of reiatsu had erupted near his master. Looking in front of him, he saw that it had distracted his two Shinigami opponents as well.
Lowering his sword, a clear sign that he would not choose to attack anytime soon, he looked behind him. Seven huge pillars of fire that had seemingly sprouted out of the very earth had Ichigo surrounded. More importantly, his master was looking beat up, and he was obviously in an intense amount of pain.
Renewed determination filled Ggio's being. He turned around and sped towards his master. Only for his path to be blocked by his two opponents.
"Your fight is with us. You'll have to go through us, to get to him."
Anger filled Ggio's body to it's very core. But it was quickly replaced by a feeling of fear as the seven pillars of fire increased in size at an incredible speed. It took no more then a second for them to become so massive that they had formed a single pillar of fire rising above even Las Noches. Consuming his master in the process.
Ggio felt despair run through his body, which was quickly replaced by anger. Anger at the aged Shinigami who had just disposed of his master as if he were nothing but thrash.
A single tear slit down his face as Ichigo's reiatsu disappeared completely.
Rukia's eyes widened as she, Renji and Hisagi had turned to look at the spectacle that was the power of Ryuujin Jakka. Both Hisagi and Renji appeared glad that the infamous Kurosaki Ichigo was about to meet his end.
Rukia inwardly wept for Ichigo. She had known this could happen but she never fully comprehended just how real the possibilities were. Somewhere in her mind, she had thought, or perhaps hoped, that Ichigo would be able to conquer every trial along his way. That he would stand victorious in every battle he fought.
When Ichigo was consumed by Ryuujin Jakka's power, she quickly wiped away the single tear that slit down her face as cheers of joy could be hear down below. Signifying that the Shinigami grunts that they had brought were celebrating the death of Kurosaki Ichigo as they threw themselves into battle with renewed vigor.
Nel had just dodged another series of rapid slices and thrusts from the ambidextrous Captain when he suddenly stopped his assault and lowered his weapons.
She instantly realized why as she rapidly turned her head around only to see Ichigo surrounded by seven huge pillars of fire.
"Seems your friend is in a bit of trouble," the Eighth Division Captain stated flatly.
Nel chose to ignore him as she studied Ichigo's condition. His entire torso and most of his arms were covered with painful looking burns. She could clearly see he was in pain, most likely due to the heat radiated from the pillars of fire. He had trouble moving, she could clearly see him grunt out in pain with every movement he made.
She panicked.
There was no way he would be able to escape an attack of that magnitude. As soon as she realized this she vanished from sight with the static sound of Sonido, attempting to come to Ichigo's aid. She did not get very far however as the telltale sound of Shunpo signified the arrival of Kyouraku Shunsui, blocking her path.
"I'm afraid I can't let you interfere in their battle, Nel-chan," Kyouraku spoke somewhat sympathetically.
Panic took a hold of Nel as the seven pillars of fire merged into a single one, consuming Ichigo in the process. Nel could clearly feel a growing feeling of unease in her stomach. Fear took a hold of her, causing her mind to become chaotic as she realised just what had happened to her best friend, to the man she considered her soul mate.
"Get out of my way!" Nel shouted as she launched herself at the Captain. Starting a series of incredibly fast and powerful blows with both her scabbard and her Zanpakutou.
At first the man was quick enough to dodge or parry them, but it didn't take long before several small cuts were appearing all over his body.
"Can't do that, Nel-chan, I'm sorry," The man stated sadly.
No more but a second later Nel could feel Ichigo's reiatsu signature disappearing completely. Causing tears to leak from her eyes, as she became wild with panic.
"I'm coming for you, Ichigo!" she shouted out erratically, seemingly to no one in particular.
"Ennetsu Jigoku."
The Captain-Commander sheathed his sword as the inferno of fire in front of him disappeared entirely. Not even the ashes of the Primera Espada had remained.
The old man had to admit to himself. The Espada had been a very powerful opponent and it didn't surprise him that he had been able to best two of his Captains. Truth be told, his victory had been so quick only because the Espada had foolishly attempted to best him with the use of Kidou. An art which he couldn't have been practising for more then a few months at most.
While he was indeed strongly talented in the art, it didn't come close to the level that he himself was at, after having been practising Kidou for more then a millennia.
With Aizen's prime soldier out of the way, the battle was sure to turn to their favour as Yamamoto was now free to assist other Captains with their individual battles.
After launching a Cero at Kyouraku, Nel finally managed to rush past him, rushing towards the Captain-Commander as if killing the old man would bring her dear friend back to life.
Much to her surprise however, this proved to be unnecessary.
Her eyes widened when the black form of a Garganta, opened up behind the elder man ever so slightly. The tip of a Zanpakutou appeared first, followed by a hand, and no more then half a second later, the tip of the Zanpakutou could be seen protruding from the Captain-Commander's stomach, who's eyes had opened up only slightly, indicating his surprise.
Another hand appeared soon after, it's index finger pointing between the injured Captain's shoulder blades. The finger recoiled slightly, clearly indicating that some sort of attack was fired by it. This point was proven as the Captain-Commander was blown several dozens of yards forward by a seemingly invisible force, forcefully removing the Zanpakutou from his stomach.
Keeping eyes locked on the two hands that had already left the Garganta she smiled softly, relief flooding through her body as none other then Kurosaki Ichigo stumbled out of it.
Stumbling out of the Garganta he allowed himself to smile ever so slightly. He would like to think that his plan had succeeded, but it wasn't so much a plan as a last resort, thought up on the spot. A mere second before the Ennetsu Jigoku had swallowed him whole he had managed to rise his arm high enough in order to create a Garganta with just enough time to let himself fall into it and closing it behind, stopping most of the flames from coming after him.
He had not managed to escape harm completely as his back, one of the few parts of his body that had remained unharmed after the Captain-Commander's Kidou attack had suffered severe burns. Burns that were far worse then those inflicted upon him previously.
He had allowed himself to regain his breath for just a minute before deciding that this would probably be an ideal moment to strike. Ryuujin Jakka wasn't known to be the most powerful Zanpakutou in existence for no reason. It was likely a common sight for the Captain-Commander to find that not even the ashes of his opponents remained. That, combined with the fact that, in between dimensions, Ichigo's reiatsu signature would vanish from Hueco Mundo completely, he realised that he wasn't going to get a better chance.
Truthfully, his attack had not succeeded in the way in which he intended it to. He had intended to end it right then and there by stabbing the old man through his heart. Sadly however he had enough trouble to even raise his Zanpakutou-wielding arm and thus his arm had lowered in the last milliseconds of his thrust, causing his blade to pierce the veteran Shinigami's stomach.
He had been quick to realise that this was where he had to take things up a notch, something which he couldn't do in his current state. Not wanting to await Yamamoto's retaliation he had carefully used a weak Hadou #1 – Shou while the man's back was still turned to him. Allowing some distance to be created between the two of them.
By now, the Captain-Commander seemed to have risen to his feet and had turned back around to face Ichigo. One of his hands clutching his bleeding stomach. He did not appear in the slightest bit worried, probably knowing that Ichigo was the worse for wear, hardly being able to move. His missed thrust was the obvious proof of that.
"Ichigo!"
Raising his head slightly to the left he saw appear next to him with the telltale sound of Sonido. Her opponent, the Eighth Division Captain Kyouraku Shunsui, having remained up in the air.
"I'm alright, Nel," Ichigo stated, his emotionless mask still in check. But he knew that she knew. She knew that it was a farce, a mask that was fake. Set in place purely to protect himself, to stop others from abusing overly show of emotion.
She smiled at him, once. It was a sad smile, and he understood it. She had been worried when his reiatsu signature had disappeared and he hadn't been there when Soul Society's leader's attack had disappeared.
He smiled at her in return, it was a small smile and one might even mistake it for a smirk. But it was a smile nonetheless, and he knew that Nel had seen it. She nodded at him once, before her form blurred and she reappeared in front of her opponent.
Removing his eyes from her form he once again turned to look at the Captain-Commander. The man's wound had stopped bleeding and a soft tissue of skin seemed to have reformed on top of it. The man had most likely abused Ichigo's short conversation in order to patch himself up a bit. Something Ichigo shouldn't have allowed.
Nonetheless, he didn't mind. After all, it was time for a fresh start. He had made his fair share of mistakes, and the Captain-Commander had made one of his own by lowering his guard too soon.
"Let us end this, old man," Ichigo spoke, smirking.
Yamamoto Genryuusai showed no outward signs of having heard the young Espada. Ichigo knew he had though, and he knew that the man would not drop his guard again. He had just confirmed to him that he was not an opponent that was to be taken lightly. Something he was about to make sure the man understood perfectly well.
Not having the strength to raise his Zanpakutou with a single arm, he grabbed it's hilt with both hands. Raising it into a battle stance, he widened his already present smirk before he shouted out his next sentence.
"Shimasu, Atrevico!"
Nel wasted no time in idle chatter when she reappeared in front of her opponent. Rushing at him she started with a thrust towards his mid-section, which he dodged and followed up by a vertical attack aimed at her torso.
"My, my, wasting no time are we?" The Eighth Division Captain spoke lazily.
Still facing the Eighth Dívision Captain she could feel a sudden rise in reiatsu behind and knew that it was because of the reiatsu that Ichigo was undoubtedly emitting. She knew Ichigo would beat his opponent. He wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. He had decided that it was time to get serious and to put an end to this battle and so she had decided she would do the same.
Nel launched another series of slices and thrusts at him, combining it with the occasional swing of her scabbard, all of which were dodged, before she chose to reply.
"I see no reason to. Despite your attitude, I know you're well aware of what it means to do battle. You can act all nice and dandy but it doesn't mean, that at the end of the day, you won't hesitate to kill your opponent should he allow you the chance." Nel's high pitched voice answered.
Another swing of her Zanpakutou required the experienced Captain to jump backwards. With speed that he hadn't yet shown before he rushed at Nel and forced her on the defensive. Attacking with both of his Zanpakutou.
She dodged and parried most of them without too much trouble, yet the occasional swing managed to make contact with her skin. Some of which were luckily absorbed by her Hierro others of which managed to penetrate her skin, creating small cuts in the process, but none that were severe enough to be considered a deciding factor in their battle.
When she noticed that her opponent took a split second to take in the sight behind her. The exact spot in which she now knew Ichigo's released form was facing the Captain-Commander she decided to teach the Shinigami in front of her a lesson.
Rushing forward she launched a kick to his midsection, which Kyouraku only just managed to block with his lower arm at the same time making a stabbing motion with his other arm towards her stomach which was now twisted towards him due to the angle of her kick.
Nel smirked, glad that the man had done exactly what she had wanted him to. Adjusting the course of her arm, she turned to ram the man's Zanpakutou off course while at the same time launching a punch at him with her unoccupied hand.
Much to her surprise, the Captain chose to smile at her in return, leaning his head backwards ever so slightly causing her fist to graze his nose. As she landed Nel twisted on the spot, using the momentum of her swing to increase the power of her attacks resulting in a violent blade lock with Kyouraku.
"Mmmm." Kyouraku mused, his blades still locked with Nel's Zanpakutou and scabbard.
Nel merely rose an eyebrow at the man's actions, allowing him to continue, all the while still trying to overpower the Captain.
"Your friend," He stated, "he's stronger then I thought, I'll give you that." He paused for a second. "Which makes me wonder, We've been fighting for a while now and while at first I felt pretty confident that I could guess your number, now I am not so sure anymore."
Nel smirked at him for a second before she started putting less and less power into trying to overpower the Captain. A fact which he quickly abused as his face started to get closer to hers.
Thinking that the man was close enough now, she opened her mouth wide, a brilliant red orb forming inside of it, signifying a hollow's signature move; Cero. The lazy looking Captain's eyes widened in what almost looked like panic for a split second as he found Nel was once again putting more strength into overpowering him in their blade-lock all the while charging her Cero.
Kyouraku's eyes widened at this. Realizing he couldn't simply move away without risking getting hurt by Nel's Zanpakutou, yet he couldn't stand still either.
Nel released her Cero and was instantly blasted backwards due to the close proximity of the powerful Captain. Skidding to a halt she regained her footing and stood up. Laying her eyes on the position the Captain should still be in, she found a large cloud of sand and dust obstructing him from view.
When the sand cleared away Nel lost all figure of speech for a mere second when she saw a large rectangular shield of what she knew to be Kidou, hovering in front of Kyouraku Shunsui. The man had been protected by every single bit of damage that she had intended to cause to him with her Cero. Not only that, she had received slight burns herself, a risk that she had been willing to take in order to damage the Captain severely enough so that it might make a decisive difference in their battle.
A mistake she would not repeat.
"Kidou," She spoke up, "somehow I did not expect you to be the type to use Kidou, Kyouraku-san." She finished, slightly out of breath.
"You're quite right at that, I'm not too fond of Kidou," Kyouraku answered, "but that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to use it should the need arise."
Nel's expression of the utmost seriousness turned to a small smile. The battle still hadn't really turned to anyone's favour but she knew that Kyouraku had yet to use his Shikai, let alone his Bankai. She had grown tired of waiting for him to take things to the next level.
Locking eyes with the man, her serious expression returned.
"Tercera Espada, Nelliel tu Oderschvank."
Kyouraku shook his head slightly at this new bit of information.
"Tch. Aren't I the unlucky one, out of all you Espada, I have to be the one to face the third strongest?"
"Unlucky?" Nel asked.
"Lucky?"
"Luck has had no part in the fact that you are facing me. As the third strongest Espada, it was only natural that I face only the strongest of the Captains." She stated, stoically.
"Regardless, I have grown tired of our games, Kyouraku-san. Let us get serious."
"Do we rea-"
"Yes, we have to." Nel interrupted the veteran Shinigami. Before holding her Zanpakutou horizontally in front of her.
"Utae, Gamuza!"
He felt alive again. It was a feeling of total and complete euphoria. No longer was his body covered in burns from head to toe. No longer would his body ache with agonizing pain with every single movement he made. No longer was he limited in battle due to the sloppy movements and reactions of his body.
He was alive, and ready to show the man in front of him just what he was worth and just why Aizen had named him above all, the Primera Espada.
Looking himself over his eyes fell upon his hands. His fingers, for the third time now, covered in a white bone-like substance, much resembling the same material that a hollow's mask consisted of. Bolts were sticking out of his right shoulder and he was covered in a ragged cloth. Red markings had once again took place all over his body and his former Arrancar uniform had been ripped to shreds almost entirely. Exposing his emotionless face and the number one tattooed on his throat for all to see.
Running a hand through his hair he remembered that it was now far ragged and dirty-looking, as well as a lot longer. Reaching just past his shoulders now.
Atrevico, his Zanpakutou, had become pitch-black and grown almost a foot longer in length. The same dirty-looking cloth that covered his torso was wrapped around the guard and the hilt of Atrevico, with a slight piece of it hanging out at the end.
Raising his eyes, he laid them upon the Captain-Commander of Soul Society once more, vowing not to underestimate the old man again.
"It seems that you desire a greater punishment, if that is your wish, then the beating shall continue, young one." The Captain-Commander stated, rather angrily.
"We shall see, Genryuusai-san."
The moment in between the next move almost seemed like an eternity. Both Ichigo and Yamamoto staring one another in the eye. Ichigo felt like he had reached a new level of strength. He was aware of everything going on around him, aware of every emotion running through the old man in front of him. He was certain that if the man chose to unleash his very strongest attack on him now, he would be able to counter it now.
He was ready to fight, not for Aizen, not for his fellow Espada, not for any Arrancar of Hollow in Hueco Mundo. He was ready to fight. For Rukia. For himself.
'For Nel..'
As if on cue, both opponents sped at one another, Zanpakutou ready in a stance of battle. Reiatsu oozing off of the two powerful forces that were about to clash.
The outcome of the battle, was likely to be decided by the two of them.
A/N: Once more I want to repeat what I said at the begin of this chapter. Recently I have been busy with a variety of things. Exams, work but also a collaborate work of fiction that will soon be released on this very website as well.
Over the weeks myself and Yonda, the author of Returning the Favor (A Vizard Ichigo/Lisa pairing, one of the better fics I have read with such a, rare pairing), have been working on a Harry Potter fanfic. One that we believe is unique among most stories regarding Harry Potter on this website. Should you be interested, I ask that you give it a read, as the prologue of the first part will soon be released on his account.
Anyway, about our new story. Yonda and I have read quite a few Potter fics and we found a pattern that tended to repeat itself: Harry is shunned by his friends or the other way around and suddenly grows very powerful without a realistic explanation and kicks everyone his asses, or he starts training all his friends with jogging and weight-lifting and then they all kill the bad guys because Muggle training helps a wizard grow strong! Together, Yonda and I attempted to break free from these patterns and came up with, what we believe, is a unique story. I won't go into more detail right now, but everyone who is interested should check it out!
Two more things I want to add are the following. First of all, I realise full well that the updates of my story have increasingly become slower. Most of these reasons are rather private so I will not go on this too far, but others are things such as combining a part-time study with a full-time job, add up to that trying to keep in touch with your friends it doesn't leave you a whole lot of spare time. Nonetheless, I'm hoping for my next chapter to be released before the end of July, but sadly it could just as well end up being the end of August.
Secondly, I want to inform you all of the fact that Nel's Canon resureccion is being revamped by yours truly. Since she is a Vasto Lorde in my story I do not intend to have her look like some kind of centaur. Her resureccion will be something more befitting of an Espada of her calibre.