I DON'T OWN BLEACH .THOUGH I WISH I DID.
Thoughts 'Wow.'
Zanpakuto whispering "Wow".
Hollow "wow."
CHAPTOR 5
The True Arrancar
It ran through the desert. The white, catlike being knew that it was in trouble. The pickings had gotten rather slim lately and rather that risk regressing he decided to go deeper into Hueco Mundo.
But that had been where his luck had run out.
Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez had run afoul a Vasto Lorde.
Barragan Luisenbarn had been prowling the sands when he had been attacked by the over zealous adjuchas. Originally he had been in Las Noches but with the recent actions against him by Ulquiorra Schiffer, all that had changed. He was planning on taking care of that threat by killing Ulquiorra but he was not foolish enough to do it alone.
Neither of them had been transformed into arrancar yet but it was only a matter of time now. Aizen had already gained the Hōgyoku and now would return once his business with the shinigami was finished. So he needed to kill Ulquiorra before that. Originally, he had been planning on recruiting a fellow Vasto Lorde but now all that mattered was destroying the insect that had attacked him.
Barragan charged up a cero but before he even finished firing, Grimmjow started burrowing his way down through the sand. Barragan followed firing the cero to enlarge the tunnel that Grimmjow was leaving behind. He would not let this insult pass.
Karin had read Rukia's note and couldn't believe it. When Karin had fought that Gillian with the four-eyes, she had seen that Rukia had been spooked. Karin had really not understood just why Rukia had been so scared until she had read the note. Then it had all made sense. She was now running towards where she felt Rukia was. She could feel four-eyes…Uryu stalling things but she knew that he was no match for them.
At the scene itself there were four people present. Two were Uryu and Rukia while the other two were clearly the shinigami sent to retrieve her. One was a woman with hazel-blonde hair and exceptionally large breasts. She made no obvious efforts to conceal the latter, wearing loose-fitting robes that expose much of her cleavage. The other was a very short boy whose height was comparable to that of Rukia Kuchiki's. He had spiky silver-white hair and teal-emerald eyes. He wore the standard captain's clothing, save for a green baldric around his shoulders which held Hyōrinmaru, his zanpakutō.
"The time for talk is over. Whatever you have to say, say it with your sword." Uryu said as he took on a defensive position.
"Matsumoto." Toshiro said nodding to his Vice Captain.
Getting the hint she stepped forward and took charge. "Growl, Haineko (Ash cat)," Matsumoto said, her blade melted away, leaving naught but a cloud of ash in its wake. Her powers were perhaps the most flexible of shikais.
When she released, the blade dissolved into ash. In combat, Matsumoto could control the movement of the ash, and cut anything it lands on by moving the hilt. The ash was also solid enough to be used as a shield to block enemy attacks. But all she was trying to do now was to disable the boy in front of her. But Quincy's were the unchallenged masters at manipulating spirit particles. The same thing that made up the ashes.
They landed on Uryu, creating painful cuts and scratches but drawing very little blood before they retreated. Uryu looked at Matsumoto and shook his head. He raised his right hand, the one with the glove and simply held it out. To Matsumoto's shock and horror, the ash cloud stopped retreating and started to gather around his fist.
She did her best to regain control but it was all for naught. Her control over her shikai was gone as fast as sake in the eleventh division. Finally, the ash gathered had turned bright blue and he formed a bow and arrow that he fired at Matsumoto.
"Quincy," she whispered. "You are a Quincy."
That was all she managed to say before she was hit by the arrow and knocked backwards. Toshiro rushed to the aide of his lieutenant and checked on her condition. To his immense relief, he found that she was just knocked out. He immediately turned towards the Quincy and what he found shocked him just as much as it did Rukia. For the Quincy was no where in sight. There was no trace of him and if it wasn't for the slight bruise on Matsumoto's head, there wouldn't have been any evidence that the Quincy ever had been there.
It was at that precise moment that Karin appeared. She looked and saw Rukia and a white haired kid standing next to some woman. Toshiro instantly recognized the newest intruder. She was the girl that they had been sent for. He was already weary, what with the Quincy somewhere around and decided to try being diplomatic.
"Kurosaki Karin. I have been sent from Soul Society to retrieve Rukia and to remove your shinigami powers. Please surrender and I will make sure that the process is done as painlessly as possible." He said.
Toshiro knew a fight when he saw one. He knew that the girl… Karin would not give up and sure enough,
"What will happen to Rukia?" She asked.
"She will be put on trial and if she is found innocent then we will help her recover her powers. She will be back on patrol in no time." He said.
"And if she is found guilty?" She asked knowing what the answer would be.
"….then she will be executed." He said.
"No she won't because I won't let you take her." She said taking a stance.
"Give up. I am a captain." Toshiro told her.
"Really? Then it's going to be fun beating you." she replied.
Toshiro ignored this, gazing calmly at the girl. For a long moment, they both stood there, tensed for action, waiting for the other to make the first move.
Karin smirked. That cat woman, Yoruichi had taught her a technique to move at high speeds. They had met shortly after the Gillian had retreated, when she had pestered Urahara for some training. There, in Urahara's shop, they had practiced endlessly until she had mastered the technique. She had taken to it like a duck to water and could even keep up with Yoruichi. She was well on her way to being the junior goddess of flash or so she was told.
Toshiro blinked as Karin suddenly disappeared. At first he thought that she had run away like the Quincy but it was then that his instincts acted up. Toshiro turned, relying on his intuition, and blocked the strike. The two exchanged several quick sword blows before jumping away.
Toshiro was definitely rattled. He had never seen any one move so fast. Only the goddess of flash was said to be able to move that fast. Also his ice blade was a direct assault blade. But his opponent seemed to have the advantage of speed. He could not hit her but she could hit him. He would have to think fast but if worst came to worst he could use bankai. He was sure that she had not achieved that……had she?
The battle continued, with sword constantly clashing against sword. Karin clearly had the upper hand so far, although she had to fight hard to keep that advantage. But Karin also knew that Toshiro hadn't even released his bankai yet. Karin still had a few tricks up her sleeves, but if Toshiro decided to take this seriously, she would definitely be hard pressed to keep up.
Toshiro, making up his mind, released his hold on his spiritual energy. He decided to end it as fast as he could.
"Set upon the frozen heavens, Hyōrinmaru (literally 'ice ring')." He shouted releasing his blade.
Hyōrinmaru itself remained the same, but gained a crescent-shaped blade attached to the hilt by a chain. Karin still felt that she had a chance but what she didn't know was that Hyōrinmaru allowed Hitsugaya to control water and ice.
The slashes created by Hyōrinmaru gives off an immense amount of spirit power which overflows from the tip of the blade, creating a flow of ice vaguely shaped like Hyōrinmaru's dragon spirit. The dragon flies at opponents and instantly freezes anything it touches. The chain-blade also freezes anything Hitsugaya traps with it.
They exchanged attacks, Karin now put on the defensive. She charged cautiously aimed a slash to his head, which he easily blocked and he followed it with a few medium fast stabs and slashes.
'Damn it. This is getting too much.' Karin thought.
Toshiro then pressed on the attack. He swung his sword over his head and slashed out. Karin dodged and appeared behind Toshiro, with her Zanpakuto above her head. But he turned, slashing out his blade and blocked the attack.
The sound of metal clashing against each other with force could be heard as Karin was slightly pushed back. They then charged, both pushing their blades against each other. Their strength was equal. The clash of swords continued as Sparks flew, they broke of only to attack each other again. Blocking, parrying and attacking. Each trying to find a weakness in the other.
'It is time to take it up a notch.' Toshiro thought.
The Ice dragon charged at Karin, freezing all in its frozen path. It was fast but not that fast. Karin ducked to the left and shunpoed near Toshiro delivering a vicious uppercut to the Captain. But he just flipped back and charged at her again. She then kicked high and when it was blocked, she quickly grabbed the Captain and threw him on a tree with all of her strength. She then charged at him and punched him with full force.
Toshiro knew that if he used his Zanpakuto at such a close range it could kill her so he decided to use an alternative.
"Bakudou no Rokujuu Ichi: Rikujyoukourou (Binding Art #61: Six Rods Prison of Light)." Suddenly six rods of light slammed into Karin's mid section, holding her in place. This was an effective Kido in which the opponent, once targeted, is restrained by concentrated reiatsu. This concentrated reiatsu applies pressure from six directions in order to restrain the opponent and potentially crush their bones.
But as he had not used the incantation, it was considerably less powerful. She was already breaking free and would have done so if Toshiro hadn't used another kido spell.
"O Ye Lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, March on to the south! Hadou no Sanjuu Ichi: Shakkahou (Destructive Art #31: Shot of Red Fire)." He said and a fire ball was launched at Karin. This was a low level Kidou generally mastered by academy students, in which after a short chant the target is hit by an amber red explosion. A powerful Kidou if the explosion hits the target full on, and is basically a weaker but shorter version of Soukatsui.
There was an explosion and immediately he brought up his guard to block the incoming strike. Karin had used the utsusemi (empty cicada, in reference to their molting), which allowed the user to move out of harm's way while leaving an afterimage behind to escape the first Kido spell. She had then attempted to use senka (Flash Blossom), a flash step combined with a spin to quickly move behind the enemy, followed by a combination of two quick thrusts while Toshiro was distracted.
However Toshiro was a captain for a reason and he proved it.
"Guess I have to completely defeat you don't I?" He said.
He took aim and said "O Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudou no Kyuu: Dageki (Binding Art #9: Strike)." knowing he had little time he immediately let loose Hyōrinmaru.
Karin was engulfed in red light, completely paralyzing her. She recovered but it was too late to dodge the ice Dragon that was approaching her.
'I'm sorry Rukia. If only I was stronger.' She thought closing her eyes.
'Karin.'She opened her eyes and was shocked to find the attack slowing in the air. Time slowed down and came to a stop. Toshiro stood frozen half way in his attack. Rukia stood at the side, an expression of horror could be seen on her face.
That voice was familiar, even though she'd never heard it before. Then she realized just who or rather what had spoken to her.
Then she appeared. Standing at 6'1", a lean wiry frame. She had delicate Asian features and smooth white skin. Her figure was androgynous as were her movements. She walked fluidly and silently with the grace of a predator. She was dressed in a black dress-suit, white shirt and a black tie. Her face was hidden under her large fedora hat and her hands were covered with leather gloves. She was smiling and her eyes became half closed as a amused grin adorned her face. However, despite her polite manners and almost ever present smile there was a menacing aura that surrounded her. She made Karin feel unsettled and felt 'shivers' go down her spine. Her smile was like a wolf's that had cornered its prey and was preparing to pounce.
'Yes Karin. I am indeed the spirit of your Zanpakuto. Fighting a captain and lasting this long without releasing is an accomplishment that not many can boast of.' Her Zanpakuto said to her.
"But it wasn't enough and because of that…" she began but was interrupted.
'Karin, do you want to win?'the Zanpakuto asked.
"Yes." She answered.
'Then call my name and show him our power.'
"But I don't know…."
'Yes you do. Think and remember.'
She felt power flow from her Zanpakuto, energizing her and retreat back into the blade just waiting….. no begging for release. She was stronger and felt as she could take on just about anything.
'That is only a fraction of our power. Say my name and release it.'
"End their existence, CHOKUSHI (Direct death)." Karin shouted.
The Zanpakuto in her hands transformed even as the attack neared her. The blade and hilt separated into a thousand tiny fragments, which then flew away from her, leaving her seemingly defenseless. Just as suddenly as they scattered, the fragments regrouped and formed an invisible cloud around her that was absorbed into her body.
As the massive ice dragon slowly started to approached her, Karin could make out small points as well as thin glowing reddish black lines that extend from those points that extend all over the body of the dragon as well as every thing else. She wondered if there was something wrong with her eyes. The avatar of her zanpakuto walked past her and pointed to the lines.
"There is nothing wrong with your eyes. What you see are the eventual fated destruction of an object or entity expressed as small points on the object or entity's body and as thin glowing reddish black lines that extend from those points and crawl over the body. Along with this perception I also grant you the ability to trace the lines with any sharp object and in doing so effectively realizing the fated destruction of the victim causing it to be cut along those lines."
"Because this destruction is destined, this method of injury ignores any of the victim's defenses, armor, Kido protection, and so forth are all useless. While a line symbolizes "damage" along that part of the body, a dot symbolizes the totality of that body's damage, and by extension, "existence". When a dot is pierced, the victim's concept is destroyed. This method of killing is absolute as it bypasses anything and everything except direct reincarnation into the mortal world, and can even be used against a collective entity. As it erases existence, then by extension, I can also destroy non-physical things, such as Kido spells or Kido based attacks."
She then smiled. "However you still can't see the dots as you can only see them if you achieve Bankai."
"What good is this if I don't have ANYTHING to cut the lines with?" Karin Shouted
"Then make something to cut the lines with. Tell me Karin what is the blade that you fear the most? Why not share that fear with every one else?"
Karin thought about it. What did she fear… a sword? Spear? No…. It was then she remembered.
As a little girl she had been taken to the hospital to get her monthly shots. She had wandered deeper into the hospital and had wandered into a balcony overseeing a hospital operating room. She was about to leave when they came in. For the next hour she watched, too afraid to runaway, as the doctors opened up the body and operated on it. Finally her father came and rescued her but since then she had developed a deep phobia of scalpels.
Scalpel, a small but extremely sharp instrument used for surgery, anatomical dissection, and various arts and crafts. Best used for more precise cuts then with larger blades. The scalpel is held with the tips of the first and second fingers and the tip of the thumb with the handle resting on the fleshy base of the index finger and thumb. This is widely considered useless in combat, despite its more practical usage. But it was just what she needed.
Immediately four scalpels appeared in between her fingers in each hand. While most shikais are ordinary-looking, physical weapons, her weapons were glowing constructs that seem to be made of energy. Her scalpels glowed white and were perfectly adjusted for her. She just knew that she could wield all the scalpels as good as any doctor could use a single one.
As the medium-strength attack approached she slashed at, cutting more then a few lines. This caused the attack to shatter out wards and causing Toshiro to be showered in a spray of ice shards. The captain was not badly injured however, having anticipated the incoming shards, he had used an extremely quick kido spell to melt most of the shards. But he had severely underestimated her and was now paying the price. He was covered in cuts and bruises.
She then charged at him in much the same way as before. They locked blades locked only to jump back as they didn't want to be hit by the other's attack. She then jumped high and almost flew past him and landed behind him. Then she slashed out at his exposed back. Toshiro jumped out of the way but he was caught at the end of one of the scalpels. The wound was not deep nor was it on a line, but it was a distraction. One he could not afford.
He immediately countered by using a binding spell "Bakudou no Rokujuu San: sajō sabaku (Binding Art #63: Chainlike Desert.)"
The Kido caused Karin to be wrapped from the neck down in a thick chain. He then fired the next Kido.
"O Lord, mask of flesh and bone, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man, truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws! Hadou no Sanjuu San: Soukatsui (Destructive Art #33: Blue Fire Crash Down)."
This kido fired a column of blue fire at Karin in a similar manner to 31, but over a wider area and with more power. Despite its power, this Kido was considered by many to be a low level Kido due to its simplicity. Although also very powerful, this Kidou however, required a long chant before use if the user hadn't mastered it.
As the river of fire flew at Karin, she broke free of the restraints and jumped into the sky, just as Toshiro planned. He then let fly a huge ice dragon that rushed at Karin. She was about to dodge when Toshiro shipnoed behind her and kicked her towards the speeding dragon. Karin had no chance to avoid it. The dragon caught her in its mouth and bit her as hard as it could. It then slammed into the ground forming a big crater and a massive dust cloud.
When the dust settled, Toshiro could see the limp figure of Karin lying in the ground. He hoped that he did not hurt her too badly. She only wanted to save her friend Rukia and he admired such loyalty and friendship. He was about to signal to the 4th division when he saw Karin and immediately brought his guard up.
Karin was in a lot of pain. She slowly got up cried out in pain as some of her bones were broken. The dragon's teeth had also done some damage. She then looked over to Toshiro. Suddenly coming up with an idea, she threw two scalpels at Toshiro. Toshiro dodged it and was about to knock her out when the attack hit him. The nature of the powers of Karin's release gave her a certain degree of control over her weapons. She could form a limited amount of weapons and all weapons formed could be summoned back to her. While she could not control the path of her weapons she could however direct them to a degree.
Toshiro very suddenly found himself impaled in the back and was sent flying forward as she re summoned the weapons. She attacked the captain, sending a slash at him creating a large gash on his chest when the scalpel hit him. He punched her and jumped backwards to give himself some breathing space. He looked up just in time to see her attack.
Karin, meanwhile, appeared to have learned from her previous mistakes. She didn't charge in like before but instead attacked from a distance using the scalpels and recalling them back. Toshiro soon found himself loosing the battle. He had lost a good bit of blood and was slashed in a lot of places. He could no longer dodge and was backed into a corner. Having no other alternative he used a quick kido spell
"Bakudou no Sanjuu san: marui tate (Binding Art #39: Circular Shield)."
A shield formed in front of him giving him time to recover. Quickly he fired the next spell.
"Bakudou no Ichi: Sai (Binding Art #1: Obstruction)."
It was a low level Kido that forces the targets arms behind them, preventing them from using them. This spell is good for Shinigami that would prefer to restrain the opponent, but generally only worked against weaker opponents.
Karin was in no way weak but with all the fighting they had done, she was weakened enough for it to work. After a few minutes of struggling she collapsed on the ground. Karin did not have any energy to continue but the same was not true for Toshiro. He slowly walked towards her and looked at Karin. She tried to get up but she was then hit by two needles from behind. It was Matsumoto. She was pointing a gun like device at Karin and pressed a button on it.
The needles then melted and the liquid flowed into her, dissolving her Soul Sleep and soul chain, destroying them completely. The liquid was then immediately absorbed into her body and her wounds started to close up. The process also knocked her unconscious.
"Matsumoto, alert the 4th division and take Kuchiki into custody." Toshiro said as he slowly walked towards her.
"What about the girl?" She asked.
Toshiro was about to open his mouth to respond when they felt it.
But before anyone could do anything a brown blur appeared and took the young Kurosaki away. For Toshiro this was conformation. The speed, the underhanded tactics, the quick thinking, she was definitely the student of Yoruichi. He cursed him self for underestimating her so much. The next time he was going to go all out with Bankai. If there was a next time. But he really doubted that.
He was so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice his vice captain smirking and looking at him knowingly.
'So the Ice prince finally found himself a princess who can apparently match him to a degree.' She thought. Oh yes, she was going to have fun with this. 'Just wait till the women's association hears about this. Hinamori is going to freak out.'
"We can't do any more here. Matsumoto, her powers were stripped from her and she was sent home. Nothing else happened." Toshiro said stressing the last words and also looked at the Kuchiki making his intentions very clear.
"Yes Captain." Matsumoto said and opened the gate.
The three of them walked into it and Rukia took one last look before it closed. Toshiro on his part didn't know just why he hid the involvement of Shihōin Yoruichi or that Quincy, but he had a feeling that it would be important later on.
'Maybe I will see her again.' He thought and didn't notice the sly expression on Matsumoto's face as she looked at him.
Grimmjow burst out of the sand, falling down several feet and landed on his feet before he felt the monstrous reiatsu behind him. He jumped out of the way just as a cero impacted the area he was just standing in.
"Finally, I've cornered you." The Vasto Lorde said.
The Vasto Lorde's body was skeletal appearance, with his mask shaped like a skull with a crown and his hands being nothing but bones. There were two armbands on his arms. Barragan's body was draped in a black cloak, with a pitch-black fur line around his neck, giving him a macabre, Grim Reaper-like appearance. His feet were shaped like pointed-toe boots. He had what looked like a crack on his right eye part of the mask.
"Am I supposed to be scared? I mean, are you even a Vasto Lorde? You seem too weak to be one." Grimmjow said. No one ever accused him of being bright.
Barragan didn't take that well, causing him to release his reiatsu making Grimmjow really regret taunting the titan. "I am Barragan Luisenbarn and I shall enjoy eating you."
"Like hell you will. If any one is going to be doing the eating it's going to be me." Grimmjow growled.
"You? Eat me?" Barragan laughed. "Go ahead then. Try and kill me."
Grimmjow crouched low and leapt forward to attack, a cero already charging in his closed mouth. Barragan disappeared and reappeared in front of the panther and was about to bring his bony hand down when Grimmjow opened his mouth and fired his cero. Barragan was taken by surprise, the power of the cero sending him flying into the sand.
Barragan got up unaffected and responded in kind, bring up his hand, a cero beginning to form on the end of his claw. Grimmjow charged up his own, pouring all of his power into this one, making it more powerful than he'd ever made it before. He knew that running was not an option and that he had to fight to survive.
He let his cero fly at the same time Barragan did, the two doom blasts rushed at each other and rushed past each other. Grimmjow may have been an idiot but he was a sneaky idiot. He had fired his cero just to the side of the one approaching him. He knew that Barragan simply didn't have the speed to dodge it. And sure enough Grimmjow's cero hit the surprised Barragan but Grimmjow completely avoided the Vasto Lorde's cero using his speed.
Barragan took the full hit of Grimmjow's cero, the power scorching his body and glassing the sand around him. It was no where near enough but Barragan had still taken one hell of a hit.
"Is that all." He said getting up the wounds already healing. "I never thought that an Adjuchas' cero would be so weak, but maybe it is just you."
"Weak? I'll show you weak." Grimmjow shouted as he charged at the Vasto Lorde.
Darting forward faster than ever before, Grimmjow lashed out at Barragan with his claws. But Barragan calmly raised his hand and grabbed on to the panther's tail causing it to blacken as the rot effect took effect. He then yanked the cat backwards and rammed him into the ground. He then formed a fist and brought it down intending to smash through the Adjuchas's mask. But Grimmjow had already recovered and slashed out at the said fist. Hide met claw and in the end claw won. Injured, Barragan pulled his hand back and threw the infidel into a tree.
Grimmjow was stunned by the impact and couldn't see the cero heading his way. At the last minute, he realized the danger he was in and tried to react but it was too little too late. The cero hit Grimmjow's lower body and completely engulfed him. In a last ditch effort to survive, he released what was left of his reiatsu to try and dissipate the cero.
His efforts worked and though he was cooked from the inside out, he had managed to halt the rot effect. He was still alive. Although the last would not be permanent if Barragan had anything to say about it.
Slowly approaching his prey Barragan was fully intending to finish him off when he was hit by a cero. Normally this would not have been a problem, but with his resent fight and the power behind the cero, it hurt him…a lot.
"Aaarrrgg. Who dares…?" He didn't finish as he was hit by a Bara.
"I do." The new comer said.
Barragan turned around and got a good look at the interloper. The hollow was in the shape of a horned humanoid lizard, white with an open heart markings along the left and right side of the mask. The hollow had bird like feet while the upper body was remarkably humanoid. Spikes protruded from the shoulders, and a mane of spiky orange hair went down the back. It had a tail tipped in black with black lines that ran the length of it.
On its side was an arrancar. She looked like a fully-grown woman, her mask a skull on the top of her head with a pair of horns jutting out. Green hair flowed down her back and she was wearing the Espada uniform. She was clearly a VERY powerful arrancar. A Vasto Lorde class arrancar. Her Zanpakuto lay on her side with a green hilt and sheath.
"Have you been sent by Aizen?" Barragan asked. The arrancar was just too powerful to have been created naturally. She had to have been created by the Hōgyoku.
"We've come here on our own." The hollow said.
"I wasn't talking to you Adjuchas." Barragan said.
"And I wasn't talking to you weakling." It said and calmly walked towards the downed Grimmjow, ignoring the fuming Vasto Lorde.
"This is by far the funniest situation you have gotten your self into Grimmjow." He chuckled.
"Shut up. And who are you?" Grimmjow asked as he tried to struggle to his feet.
"Just a friend. My names Ichigo. You wanted to become a Vasto Lorde right?" Ichigo asked.
"Damn right I do." Grimmjow said as he finally got on his feet. Barragan was about to attack but he was stopped by a look from Nel.
"It all depends on you really." Ichigo said. "An Adjuchas can only grow stronger to a limit. After that they won't grow stronger and as a result they won't evolve. There are ways past that and one way to get past that little problem is to devour…" He said and fired a powerful cero at Barragan sending him flying, "A Vasto Lorde."
"You BASTARD. I will KILL YOU." The enraged Barragan screamed.
"No you won't. You simply don't have the power to." Ichigo calmly replied.
"You are only an Adjuchas." Barragan growled.
"No, I am not." He said.
Ichigo's form suddenly became warped and twisted. Darkness erupted all around him and things grew out of his body only to be reabsorbed. The transformation was as horrifying as it was disturbing but finally it was done. The shadows were ripped apart and blood began gushing all over the sand. Some relief was felt when the transformation was complete but that relief was dashed away when they saw what now stood in the place of the Hollow. What they were looking at resembled nothing more then a true demon for there was no other words to describe it.
It looked like a black and white skeletal demon on steroids with blades coming out of its body. Its massive size and armored hide made it almost impossible to hurt it. The feet were now clawed and were jointed like that of a dinosaur. Its legs now had black tipped knife-like spikes on them and the knees were even more vicious looking. Another set had grown from the bones in its rib cage, making its armored chest more black then brown, getting progressively longer the closer they got to the neck protecting it.
A single bone tail swung lazily behind it, dragging the bladed edge on the ice floor. It was mostly muscular humanoid in shape. Two torn up malformed wings grew out from its back while from its spine, numerous spikes were protruding and were partially covered by a main of orange black hair that grew from its head all the way to its back. Its eyes were yellow and were glowing as if it was burning with the fire of the sun itself. On its hands were horrid black tipped claws and the forearms had long bladed spiked. But that was nothing compared to its energy. It was like a black consuming void and was flowing around him giving him a dark aura with a spectral image of something terrifying behind him.
"My powers include instant adaptability, regeneration as well as self mutation and power compression. That is why you didn't sense me. Good bye Barragan, it was nice knowing you." Ichigo said and appeared right next to Barragan. He then fired a powerful cero at point blank distance.
The Hollow had no chance of evading and the devastating attack hit him causing a good amount of damage. However the strike didn't kill him, instead just crippled him temporarily.
"I don't need your help." Grimmjow growled.
"Yes you don't." Ichigo agreed. "But I had a few issues with him that I needed to take care off. Now show me just why you don't need my help." He said as Barragan slowly got up.
Grimmjow charged, leaping on top of the Vasto Lorde, embedding his claws into Barragans shoulders. Ignoring the pain from his blackening claws, he charged up cero charging in his mouth. Barragan tried to get a grip on the panther hollow but the superior agility of the weaker hollow won out in the end. Grimmjow fired his cero and tore Barragan a new hole. Barragan shrieked in pain and lost focus.
Using his enemy's distraction, Grimmjow pull a chunk of flesh out of the Vasto Lorde, and swallow it. Barragan roared out in pain and rage. He reached back to try and grab the Adjuchas but Grimmjow had already jumped off. The moment he landed something unexpected happened. Grimmjow evolved causing a cloud of sand to obscure him.
The reiatsu level soared as the panther hollow changed and with a massive roar that created shockwaves in the air, the cloud of dust cleared, revealing the newest Vasto Lorde within. The new form wasn't much different from his old arrancar release, Ichigo thought idly.
He was a humanoid skeletal panther creature with powerful blades at his hands and feet. His tail wiped around him with sending waves of reiatsu surging all around him. His hands were humanoid and clenched with anticipation of finishing off his former tormenter and joy at achieving his ambition. This evolution had further augmented his speed drastically and gave him an inhuman agility, flexibility and movements to match that made him almost impossible to hit.
His armor now was covered in denticles, and was therefore as rough as sandpaper. Most point backward, so it could be used to inflict wounds on anything that touches it and would shred the hands of anyone foolish enough to grab hold of him. It also served to reduce drag, making running more efficient. The denticles also allow him to move silently compared to others, boosting his stealth abilities.
He immediately dived out of the way of a cero Barragan fired at him.
"Is that all you got?" Grimmjow taunted Barragan as he dived behind a medium sized rock.
Grimmjow knew he'd gone too far when Barragan had fired a massive cero at him.
'Okay, note to self, never question the abilities of a Vasto Lorde ever again.' He thought before he dashed away from Barragan again using a new rock as a shield so as to avoid meeting the same fate as the previous one. Grimmjow dodged to the right, trying to keep him in sight.
Slashing the air with his paws/hands, he sent four energy claws at him, knocking Barragan right into a tree, causing it to come crashing down on him. However he had used sonido at the last minute avoiding the brunt of the damage. After surviving long enough to evolve into a Vasto Lorde, Barragan had developed a very tactical mind. Furthermore he had developed a powerful memory with the years he spent trying to survive and as such the same tactics never worked twice on him.
Grimmjow had to dodge again as he reappeared behind him and sent blasts of energy his way. Dodging, he noted that the three blasts had been weaker then usual.
'What is he up to?' Grimmjow thought.
Another disturbing fact about Barragan was that he was VERY creative with his powers. Raising his left hand, he created a cero and pointed it at Grimmjow. Grimmjow made to dodge and fell into Barragan's trap as he triggered an earthquake at his feet that sent him crashing to the ground. Thick pillars of black gas suddenly erupted, surrounding the panther hollow which he then tried to counter with his own powers. The results of the first and second blasts.
"Is that all you got?" Barragan asked as the pillars closed in on Grimmjow.
Giving up Grimmjow tried to create a cero out only to find out that the pillars absorbed energy.
"These pillars devour energy. I may not be able to hit you as well but the moment the gas hits you, you will rot and die." Barragan said as he smirked.
"It's not over yet." Grimmjow said and he twirled around while moving through the pillars, using the denticles to shred the air around him. The pillars were made of gas and he was freed as he never once touched the gas. However he was also disoriented due to his efforts.
He dropped down and fired a cero causing the ground beneath Barragan to explode. But Barragan had already anticipated that and had used sonido to close the gap in between them. Grimmjow dodged the skeletal fist and fired an energy slash at Barragan. He managed to sever Barragan's cloak but it was more of a show piece then a weapon.
"Surrender and I will make it quick." Barragan said.
Grimmjow just smiled widely. "Did you know that anything as effective as a drill when it spins at high pressures?"
Barragan's eyes widened as Grimmjow let loose a number of largely destructive 'darts' from his elbows at him. Grimmjow then jumped away to prevent getting knocked off his feet from the force of the projectiles.
Barragan dodged out of the way, rolling under the darts. Focusing on an idea in his mind, he used the debris to give him some cover to send a few ceros at Grimmjow.
Grimmjow turned just in time to counter the massive number of ceros from Barragan with a hastily fired Bara. "You really need to do better then this." Grimmjow said as he fought in an attempt to distract him.
"I won't fall for that." Barragan yelled as he sent a cero and a Bara towards him. The Bara exploded, creating a dust cloud blinding him, while the cero continued on heading strait towards him.
'Shit, getting hit by that would be like being run over by a truck.' Grimmjow thought as he finally noticed the cero.
Of the hollows he had fought, Barragan had the strongest ceros. Due to the power and force, it would easily tear open his armor like a tissue.
"A Cero? How original. You're creativity leaves me in awe. How do you keep coming up with all of this?" he taunted as he dodged behind a tree to keep from being blown up.
"Shut up!" Barragan yelled. "If you want originality then how about this." he said as he threw a fist full of sand into Grimmjow's eyes. The effects were immediate. Grimmjow lost his sight completely.
Barragan then tried to blast him with a cero while he tried to dodge again, but Barragan's anger put a lot of power behind this one. An earthquake started where the blast struck, due to the ground rotting out from beneath him, knocking him off his feet. It was the chance that Barragan was waiting for.
"Oh no…" Grimmjow whispered. He wasn't able to see nor was he able to smell reiatsu properly, as there was too much of it in the air. But it was good enough for him to sense the enraged Barragan approaching him.
"Ready to die?" Barragan asked him.
He saw Grimmjow smirk and watched in horror as Grimmjow faded away. Grimmjow's armor had also gained an active camouflage system that allowed him to take on the color of his surroundings. While not as effective as true invisibility, it allowed him to be very difficult to see at any distance. It also made his armor reiatsu absorbent, contributing to the difficulty in locating him when he does not want to be found. This active camouflage system is so efficient that it won't be turned off and would operate even if Grimmjow was knocked unconscious. While activated it only fed off the passive reiatsu he gave out but he couldn't keep it turned on indefinitely.
Barragan immediately turned around but it was too late. The faded Grimmjow struck him with his claws and smirked as he tore off Barragan's mask off killing him. Once the body completely vanished, Grimmjow then turned towards Ichigo and Nel.
"Now then, I think that I'll fight you as well." Grimmjow grinned. He wouldn't kill them as they did save him, but the chance to fight such a powerful hollow was just too tempting to pass up.
"Fine." Ichigo said stunning Grimmjow enough to momentarily stop him in his tracks. Ichigo then sent Nel a look and she left the area to keep a look out.
"I want you to join us but I also need a good sparing partner who won't die within a seconds. So, why don't we use settle it with a fight? If I beat you, you'll follow me. If not then we are even."
Grimmjow crouched down ready to attack. "Now that's my kind of a deal."
"She will be alright. She only has a few cuts and bruises." Urahara said.
Yoruichi had just rescued her wayward student and was now hovering over her worriedly. If it had been up to her she never would have allowed the girl to go through that. In fact, with Ichigo's absence, she felt that it was up to her to watch over things. But Uryu had arrived a bit too late and now….
"Don't worry. The liquid injected in her was a dissolvent as well as an accelerator. All it did was destroy her soul chain and soul sleep and then the accelerator healed her injuries. The first was a product of Kurotsuchi. The last was probably added due to the promptings of another captain, most lightly Ukitake." He said and watched the thinly veiled relief on his companion's face.
"Will she recover her powers?" Yoruichi asked.
"Of course she will. When she absorbed Kuchiki's powers, her body created an alternate soul chain and soul sleep to deal with the foreign power. That was the only thing that got destroyed. The powers inside of her were unaffected and have probably absorbed all of Rukia's powers by now, growing even stronger. It's her release that amazes me." He said.
"What do you mean?" Yoruichi asked now sufficiently mollified.
"Well, since she was using another soul chain and soul sleep it should have been impossible for her to release her blade unless…." He trailed off.
"Unless?" Yoruichi asked impatiently.
"Unless she was one in a million." He said.
"You don't mean…"
"Yes. Her connection to her Zanpakuto was so strong that she knew the name of her blade even before she was told it. Because of that her Avatar was able to force its way out despite the blocks. What you saw was probably just a fraction of power within her that managed to get through."
"I've never heard of this before. As far as I know these type of people only have a closer connection to their Zanpakutos." Yoruichi said.
"She is a special case. Plus in all of soul society's history only two people not including Karin were able to find out the names of their Zanpakuto without being told it. They are Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai and myself." He said puffing out his chest proudly only to have Yoruichi smack his head.
"Enough with the Ego and…what now?" Yoruichi asked him.
Urahara looked down at Karin and sighed. "Now we help her recover her powers."
Yoruichi watched as Urahara laid the blanket over Karin. "What I meant was what will happen now? A war is coming, but against whom?"
"Sigh. Yes a war is coming, primarily against Aizen. Despite our best efforts, all we have managed to do is to weaken his forces. With luck we can win with minimal losses. And then….well I guess after that it all depends on the Zero division."
"What?" Yoruichi asked totally shocked.
"You don't know? The second war started because Central 46 were the ones who had declared war on the hybrids and the whole of soul society had paid the price for it. Soul Society was left ruined and the Zero Division were decimated. Ichigo was tight lipped about what had happened to the royal family but from what he hinted we can assume the worse."
"What about Yamamoto?" Yoruichi asked.
"Yamamoto is a very excepting man. The fact that the Visoreds can use hollow powers means absolutely nothing to him. So long as they didn't try to eat other souls he didn't particularly care about them. But he was…is a real sticker for rules and well you get the idea. At least he took in mind their services and managed get them exiled as opposed to executed."
"So it all depends on the Royal family. Ichigo is going to approach Yamamoto after the war is over and before the Central 46 is reformed, am I right so far?" She asked him.
"Yes and he has a plan but I don't know what it is. But we can assume that it will be quick and efficient." Urahara said.
Yoruichi sighed, looking at Karin once again. "Are you going to give her hollow powers?"
"It all depends on her. If she regains her powers in time then no. If not…" He left it unfinished. He didn't need to.
"If anything happens to her, so help me, I'll…" She began.
"Get in line, Yoruichi. Get in line. And even if she gains hollow powers, she will still have a long way to go before she matches her brother."
"Tell me more." Yoruichi ordered.
The fight was short and brutal. Every attack, every punch, every cero, all were blocked, dodged and countered. Ichigo attacked, attacked and attacked some more. He did not let Grimmjow have any time to even breathe. Finally Grimmjow collapsed on the sands.
"You're mad." He panted.
"Thank goodness for that, because if I wasn't this would probably never work." Ichigo replied.
"Time travel? You really expect me to believe that?" Grimmjow asked.
"How else would I know all that I know?" Ichigo asked.
"Telepathy. Could be one of your hollow powers. You could have just read my mind." Grimmjow grinned.
"Your right. I could have, but I still know all this and I am still going to make a big splash in the pond." Grimmjow considered it. "There will be a lot of powerful opponents to fight." Ichigo finished and by the grin on Grimmjow's face he knew that he had him.
"So what's the plan?" Grimmjow asked.
"Now once Aizen uses the Hōgyoku on you, I'll help you and Nel evolve. Won't happen anytime soon but the training will help you get stronger." Ichigo said.
"Evolve? An arrancar is the end of the line." Grimmjow said.
"No they are just an Adjuchas or a Vasto Lorde who removed their masks to gain shinigami powers. They are only a watered down version of a true Arrancar, the true hybrid." He said.
"A true Arrancar?" Grimmjow asked.
"A being that does not hunger like a hollow. A being that does not loose its heart like a hollow. A being that does not have an emptiness in its soul like a hollow. A being that has instincts unlike a shinigami. A being that has all of the powers of both a shinigami and a hollow but none of their weaknesses. A being that is the true king of its soul. In all of history only two beings not including myself managed it."
"I like the sound of that. So?" Grimmjow asked.
"So what?" Ichigo asked.
"How does a true Arrancar evolve? And from what?" Yoruichi asked.
"From three things actually. The first two were documented on a wall deep in Las Noches by the people who built it and as for the third…well I got the first hand account. The first and hardest is a Vasto Lorde. As you know when an Adjuchas evolves, its body and mask shatters revealing the monster inside. Now if the Hollow in question or any hollow for that matter devours a shinigami then most of the reiatsu devoured is absorbed and converted but some of it, say around .1 to .5% remains as shinigami reiatsu that slowly build up and is completely inert. The more powerful the shinigami the more reiatsu that builds up but it is only important in the final stages of a Vasto Lorde. Anyway this continues until there is an equal amount of hollow and shinigami reiatsu present at which point….."
"At which point?" Yoruichi asked impatiently.
"At which point, the Vasto Lorde reaches the final stage and the slight division that identifies the difference between a shinigami and a hollow quickly fades. All the power stored within the body then changes. Without anything to divide the two equal opposing powers, they then clash against each other, two tsunami's of unimaginable power. On one side the complete and full power of a Vasto Lorde and on the other side a captain commander level of reiatsu at least. The two sides unable to gain supremacy over the other, churns and mixes until there is only one reiatsu left. A blank reiatsu that is both and neither. Then all of the souls they devoured as a hollow are expelled and the newly born creature can then pass as both."
"Sounds interesting. But then why is the world not full of these true Arrancars?" Yoruichi asked.
"Simple. Vasto Lordes are rare enough for there to be no more then a handful at any given point in time. Also even if the Vasto Lorde ate a shinigami as powerful as the captain commander every day it would still take hundreds of years for it to build up sufficient shinigami reiatsu to evolve."
"Alright but what about the other two?" she asked giving him her full attention. A very rare thing as she was thought from birth to be conscious of everything.
"The second is a false arrancar. Popular theory is that they are hollows that have had their masks almost completely removed and through this process, gained the powers of a Soul Reaper, a more humanoid appearance, as well as strength, speed, and intelligence beyond the level of a normal hollow. Some do it and transform but some die or are only partially successful. How does this work? Simple really. A soul can become a shinigami or hollow. They forcefully awaken part of their shinigami potential. If they had enough shinigami residues or have eaten powerful shinigami, they transform better and are stronger. But this presents a number of problems as well."
"What kind of problems?" She asked.
"First off, when they seal off most of their hollow side, they loose around 30% to 40% of their hollow essence, maybe even more. Second is that they have so many souls suppressed within them that they also unconsciously suppress their Zanpakuto's Avatar. So no shikai and Bankai. Due to this instead of their powers being sealed inside their bodies it gets sealed inside their Zanpakutos to fill the void."
"Doesn't sound so bad."
"Sure they gain a few abilities but they also loose a lot of their hollow strengths. The only way to avoid the bulk of these problems is to become a false arrancar with the Hōgyoku. Transforming this way ensures that no hollow essence is lost and the release form is at full hollow power. Secondly, shinigami essence is directly infused into the hollow building up on their own latent shinigami powers empowering them, kind of like how Kuchiki transferred her powers to Karin." He then paused and looked at her.
"How do they evolve?" she asked.
"They have an advantage as their shinigami side is partially active. They have to slowly build up their shinigami side the same way that shinigami do. Their hollow side feeds off their shinigami side. That is also why they can live off shinigami food and not just souls. Normally when they release, their hollow powers are further empowered by their shinigami side. When they have built it up sufficiently, their release mixes with the shinigami essence, all the souls devoured are freed and presto, a true Arrancar." Ichigo said.
"Sounds kind of easy." Grimmjow said.
"Did I mention that their shinigami side would have to become at least as strong as if not more so then the current Captain Commander of Soul Society himself? And that it took him two thousand years to do it. Sure there are others as strong as him but we are exceptions. A once in thousand year kind of exception. And that their Hollow side would have to be a extremely high Vasto Lorde level." Ichigo said.
"Ok, not so easy. And the third?"
"A Visored. A Visored is Soul Reapers who has obtained hollow powers. The associated process is referred to as 'Hollowification'. To gain access to their hollow powers, a Visored dons a hollow mask. This allows them to augment their Soul Reaper abilities with hollow powers, as well as giving them access to some of the generic hollow abilities. Their consciousness is split into three. They, their Zanpakuto's avatar and their hollow."
"How do they evolve?"
"They then have to do something that is almost imposable. They have to make an agreement, all three them. A bond between the hollow shinigami and Zanpakuto should be created, similar to the trust bond between the shinigami and his or her Zanpakuto. The more they trust each other the stronger they get as there is free flow of power between them. This way the hollow can ignore the conditions for evolving and become a Vasto Lorde. After that it is similar to the false Arrancar but they only evolve when they temporarily merged their minds and powers into one as opposed to the false Arrancar's release form."
"What about the evolution itself?"
"I think that the evolution is common for all three. First off, the person's face is completely covered in a mask. Then seven layers of chainmail wrap themselves completely around the person. Seven links attach themselves to one seventh of the mask. Then one by one, the layers melt into the skin, forming a true hierro. When each layer is melted one link is pulled and one seventh of the mask is broken off. The process continues until there are no more links left."
"That sounds painful." Yoruichi said.
"Ichigo assured me that it was. But in the end it was worth it." Urahara said.
"If Ichigo and his hollow merged then why is Shiro still there?" She asked.
"They didn't merge as per say. Rather they have a really powerful bond. If something happens to one of them then all three feel it. Though that doesn't apply to certain things. Ichigo said that the same was written about the other two in the wall in Las Noches. He found it after the Nexus Bomb incident. That was where he realized just what he was."
"Powers?" Yoruichi asked.
"Same as an Arrancar only multiplied anywhere from a hundred to a thousand with an enhanced shikai and bankai and full body release form complete with mask. No known drawbacks. He still hasn't tested the full extent of his powers." He said.
"Also…hey wait a minuet. The first two were documented on a wall deep in Las Noches by the people who built it?? As in who exactly?" She asked.
"Well, this was long before even Yamamoto's time. Apparently, the first true Arrancar evolved from a Vasto Lorde, whose name has long since been forgotten. He was vicious and cruel, capturing the human realm and viewing normal and human souls as nothing more then cattle. He then began prosecuting the other Lordes so as to prevent others from evolving. A few normal souls managed to escape and discovered their Zanpakutos becoming shinigami and formed the shinigami realm. But their numbers and powers were few and far in between."
"So then what happened?"
"Then a false Arrancar, his personal general fell in love with a shinigami. To protect her and them, he then killed and hunted numerous members of his own kind, hollow and arrancar alike and became a true Arrancar. Finally he managed to strike back at his former master and killed him thereby becoming the last known hollow king."
"And then?"
"And then what?" Urahara asked.
"What happened to him?" Yoruichi shouted hitting Urahara on the head.
"They lived happily ever after of course. Oh and they had a son." He replied with a happy smile.
"You are talking as if they are still alive." Yoruichi said with a laugh.
"....."
"NO WAY." Grimmjow shouted.
"Well, that was a long time ago and they have probably passed on and if not then I never met them in the future. But their son did grow up and is trying to surpass his father. Pity that that he didn't inherit a shred of hollow essence. Or I probably would have had a lot easier time with certain things." Ichigo answered off handedly.
"......"
"What?" Ichigo asked.
"I need a good nap." Grimmjow said.
"No you need a good fight." Ichigo said.
"You really are from the future." Grimmjow smirked and charged at Ichigo.
"And this time try not to embarrass yourself." Ichigo said as he blocked Grimmjow's strike.
While the two were fighting they didn't notice two figures watching them. The shadows covered the first figure completely, hiding any and all of his or her features. The only thing that could be seen was that he or she had a humanoid silhouette. But from the feel of her reiatsu the figure was clearly a hollow. The second figure had two large black wings on his back. His hollow mask was a helmet that covered his head and sported two large horns. He was very muscular with clawed hands and feet and also had a very long and slim tail with green eyes.
"What do you think Ulquiorra?" He or she asked the second figure.
Ulquiorra had been following Barragan ever since he had left Las Noches. He too had been searching for allies against Barragan and then he had stumbled on to this.
"This is interesting. But can it be true?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Oh yes. Everything he spoke off was the truth. The proof is buried deep in Las Noches."
"You Knew?" Ulquiorra stated rather then questioned.
"Yes, the sands have eyes. And I have other allies as well."
"This changes everything." Ulquiorra said.
"Yes it does."
"Then we have an agreement?" Ulquiorra asked the figure.
"If you want one." The figure replied.
Suddenly, Ulquiorra turned and started heading back.
"What will you do now?" the figure asked him.
"Now I inform Aizen-sama about Barragan's death and Grimmjow's evolution." Ulquiorra said.
"And what about Ichigo?" the figure asked.
"I will tell Aizen all that he needs to know." Ulquiorra said and they disappeared without anyone noticing them.
I certainly hope that that satisfies some of you. Man I am beat. Still I have a lot to do what with the next chapter coming up.
GRIMMJOW'S powers.
SUPER- speed, agility, flexibility - making him almost impossible to hit at close range.
SUPER Armor- covered in denticles (Tiny fins that do a lot) - has an activatable camouflage system that helps him to hide in plain sight – Extremely durable (almost insanely) - Shoot dart - Reiatsu Claws.
Power Boost. -Other powers if any will be revealed later
ARRANCAR POWERS AND RELEASE ARE ALSO CHANGED.
As for what this line from the previous chapter-
"I..Ichigo. Are t...those what I think they are?" An extremely shocked and white face Uryu asked while pointing at the pile near Nel.
"Uryu what are you….." He started but the words died in his mouth. "Mother of God." Ichigo whispered as he was now as shocked as Uryu.
What was it??? You will see later. VERY LATER.
Plz try to guess who is the son in the review. It will only be revealed in the last few chapters.
Oh and Ichigo is not a descendant.
What do you think of Karin's release?
Now to the fight.
Karin did fight a CAPTAIN. Hence the one-sidedness.
Why Barragan? Simple he is the top Espada that I like the Least. I also can't do a proper creature fight.
Weapons? Sure
Claws and fangs? No.
PLZ review. The more you review the faster I update.