Chapter 22: the only thing to Fear
The hellish serpentine monster, that was Nightmare Von Ollivante finally clashed blades with the now Captain, Ichigo Kurosaki.
Neither of them budging an inch as Ichigo looked straight into the blood red eyes of the demon serpent that stood in his way, its jaws opened, each side of the jaw split out, making it look like four jaws in one mouth.
"I can't sense fear in you…. Boy." Nightmare growled, "Have you abandoned your fear knowing this is the end?"
Ichigo just smirked wildly. Nightmare became slightly confused at the gesture.
"What's so funny… boy!" Nightmare spat.
"I think your question is funny, I have no fear of hollows weaker than me." Ichigo laughed.
Ichigo pushed Nightmare back and slashed his sword upwards, generating a force of wind that whizzed by Nightmare's slender serpentine body, little did he know though, the blast of air completely sliced through one of his legs.
"Ack…. Dammit." Nightmare swore seeing his missing appendage and watching blood squirt out from the wound.
Nightmare shifted his eyes back to Ichigo who flashed into sight right in front of Nightmare and Ichigo using his armored hand, cracking the knuckles as he drew back, threw a bullet like punch right into nightmares mouth but when he hit nightmare, a red light appeared from his fist and exploded sending both of them flying in different directions.
Ichigo coughed as he continued to hurtle away from Nightmare. What the hell was that, Zangetsu doesn't have that kind of power…. Or does he?
Nightmare recovered from the blast, it destroyed one of his four jaws, "Dammit… How is it possible for a Soul Reaper to use a Cero?"
Nightmare coiled up but Ichigo flashed in behind him and grabbed his scythe like tail and cut it clean off.
"C'mon Nightmare! I thought you were an Espada…." Ichigo said.
Nightmare whipped his tail around and the wind made Ichigo back up a little.
Nightmare's Reiatsu spiked and the storm that encased the sky began to rumble with ferocity, as black rain began to fall.
"Black rain? What the hell?" Ichigo wondered.
"Ichigo!" a voice called out.
Rukia stood next to Grimmjow who then dashed over to Ichigo.
"Grimmjow do you know anything about this guys power?" Ichigo asked.
"I've never seen this before but I think this is exactly like your predicament Kurosaki." Grimmjow spoke.
"Exactly like my predicament, what do you mean?" Ichigo looked at Grimmjow through rain soaked hair.
"He's losing control of his power, kind of like when your hollow takes over you." Grimmjow explained and Ichigo looked shocked.
"So he is losing himself to his power….. Wait Grimm-"Ichigo turned and was taken back. Grimmjow began to falter slightly and Rukia fell completely unconscious before him, falling to the earth below.
"RUKIA!" Ichigo yelled flash stepping just in time to save Rukia from a death fall. He cradled her in his arms. "What the hell is this, what happened…? Oi Rukia! Rukia wake up."
Ichigo looked around and saw Uryu, Sado, his dad, Urahara, Yoruichi and Nel scattered around, unconscious just like Rukia was.
"What…. Yoruichi, Dad, Urahara…. Nel…. Uryu Chad… what happened?" Ichigo wondered in complete shock.
Ichigo moved them under a roof getting them all out of the rain, he walked back outside as the rain hissed and evaporated when it touched him. "What is this rain…..? It dissolves completely on contact to me?"
"Ich….I….go.." a weak voice spoke.
Ichigo turned around and saw his father struggling to look at him. "Dad! What's going on what happened?"
"The…. Rain….. Dev…oured….our… Energy…" with that Isshin collapsed unconscious again.
"So the rain can drain us of our spiritual pressure huh…. Why am I not affected?" Ichigo pondered but heard a massive roar come from above.
"Shit! I forgot all about that bastard! Hold on Grimmjow I'm coming!" Ichigo flew at full speed trying to make it to Grimmjow.
"Berserker Gunfire!" Grimmjow roared as a wide beam of energy blasted out towards the hellish serpent, engulfing it entirely.
Grimmjow was panting heavily, the shot took a lot out of him, but just as the smoke cleared, and Grimmjow felt something cold enter his body. He slowly looked down, and found a black scythe blade sticking through his stomach. "N-No…" Grimmjow spat out some blood that made its way into his mouth from his body. Nightmare looked Grimmjow in the eye snarling in his face until Ichigo appeared and cut Nightmares tail off again.
"How the hell did you get your tail back, I thought Arrancar's can't regenerate like hollows?" Ichigo asked coldly.
"You still don't get it do you child." Nightmare laughed, "It's the rain."
"The rain.." Ichigo began to get angry, "now I get it, the rain saps away ones Spirit energy and transfers it to you am I right?"
"Your pretty smart Soul reaper…. But I don't understand how you are still awake?" Nightmare fiddled with his claws.
"Look and see Nightmare…" Ichigo closed his eyes, took a deep breath and opened his eyes again.
Nightmare felt the world around him get extremely heavy, as if gravity itself had increased to enormous amounts.
"This is real spiritual pressure Nightmare, get used to the feeling, because." Ichigo looked at Nightmare and smirked, then appeared behind him. "It will be the last thing you feel…."
Nightmare barely had any time to block as Ichigo turned and threw his knee into the back of Nightmares head.
Nightmare was sent crashing through a building, but quickly used Sonido to appear behind Ichigo, he began to slash at Ichigo with his scythe like claws and Ichigo managed to dodge most, but the one he tried to block was slightly too late as it slowly cut his skin lightly causing blood to seep out.
"ack." Ichigo spat as he muscled away from Nightmare and began to continue his barrage of hacks and slashes against nightmare who returned the barrage.
Their blades clashed with ferocity some of them faster than the blink of an eye. Nightmare opened up his animalistic jaws and lunged forward for Ichigo who caught him with his sword Nightmare began to charge a large cero.
Ichigo gripped his sword harder, "Getsuga Tensho!"
The black Getsuga and the purple cero exploded into each other at point blank range, sending both combatants flying from each other moderately wounded. Ichigo recovered from his knock back. His coat completely blown off, his haori slightly tattered, with the black armor completely unscathed shining with a red hue.
"Look familiar Nightmare?" Ichigo said, "The last piece of the hollow king's armor has bonded to me."
"How? It only bonds to-" Nightmare was cut off.
"Hollows, yeah about that, I may not look like it but…." Ichigo put a hand over his face and black reiatsu formed in his hand as a white mask with black striped formed on his face. "I am part hollow."
Ichigo flash stepped behind Nightmare, "Now do you understand?"
Before Ichigo could swing his sword down the mask on his face cracked away and disintegrated.
"What!" He gasped.
"Looks like your hollow powers are unstable…. Which means" Nightmare used Sonido to get behind Ichigo, " you are outmatched."
Ichigo turned and shoved his sword into Nightmares body, completely going through him.
The serpent screeched and roared in agony as Ichigo jerked Tensa Zangetsu out from its body.
The serpent crashed into the side of a building continually howling in pain squirming from the gaping wound seeping blood constantly.
Nightmare finally seized up and fell to the ground, landing with a large bang and a crater formed. Ichigo landed on the skyscraper where Orihime sat under her Santen Keshhun shield. Orihime canceled her shield and ran to Ichigo.
"Ichigo are you alright?" Orihime asked about to throw her Soten Kesshun around Ichigo.
"I'm fine Orihime, nothing more than a couple scrapes is all." Ichigo laughed.
"Well you're going to get healed anyway Ichigo whether you like it or not." Orihime interjected.
"Wow Orihime… when did you become more assertive?" Ichigo smirked.
"Someone had to keep Grimmjow inline." Orihime crossed her arms.
"Hahah… I agree." Ichigo laughed, "Say where is he?"
Ichigo suddenly felt an elbow plunge into his back, "I'm right here you idiot!" Grimmjow smirked.
"Always so violent Grimmjow sheesh." Ichigo rubbed his back.
"Yeah well, did you kill the bastard I fell asleep on the job." Grimmjow scowled.
"See for yourself." Ichigo pointed to the ground where Nightmare lye in a crumpled heap in a crater.
All three descended to the ground and approached the dead serpent, Ichigo halted them all.
"Wait a second, if you're out of energy doesn't a resurreccion form fade like bankai?" Ichigo asked.
"It should, remember my resurreccion faded when you beat me Kurosaki." Grimmjow answered.
Before anyone said anything the crater that housed Nightmares corpse suddenly exploded with purple reiatsu, causing the ground to shake violently. They looked in slight horror as Nightmare stood once again, now with two more snake like heads that charged ceros' aiming for them.
"Get out of the way!" Grimmjow pushed them back, "Bankai!"
Grimmjow transformed into his Bankai form and pressed his palms together and formed a large ball of energy.
"Take this, Berserker Gunfire!" Grimmjow roared as the blue ball burst out in a wide powerful beam of energy that collided with the 3 ceros. Grimmjow struggled to hold back the 3 balls of energy, but continued to push forward, Nightmare however put more energy into his blast and began to overwhelm Grimmjow.
"AAAAAAAAHHHH FUCK! LETS GOOOOO!" Grimmjow roared putting everything he had into the blast.
"Getsuga…" Ichigo put both hands on his sword the blade swirling with black red energy. "Tensho!" Ichigo released his blast and combined with Grimmjow's beam, causing the blasts to explode on each other.
Nightmare let loose a vicious roar and lunged forward, snapping his jaws at the 3.
"Damn has he finally lost control?" Ichigo yelled.
"I think so….. Orihime.. Get out of here now me and Kurosaki will handle this…" Grimmjow pulled her away.
Orihime nodded and ran into a building where Rukia and the others were.
"How did he get this power?" Grimmjow sneered.
"The rain sapped every ones spirit energy away and increased his power, he must have absorbed too much power and he lost control of it." Ichigo replied, "It didn't work on me, the rain dissolved as it touched me so it couldn't absorb my power. But with my dads, Urahara's, Yoruichi's and company absorbed into him, he is ferocious!"
"I can barely sense any Reiatsu from him…. What's going on?" Grimmjow asked.
"It means he's become far too powerful for you to understand…. I can sense his power, its nearly equal to my own…. I can't go on fighting him much more like this!" Ichigo yelled as Grimmjow and him kept dodging gnashing teeth and claws from Nightmares berserk rampage.
"Do you have anything to stop this guy like now!" Grimmjow yelled at Ichigo.
"I do, but I'm gonna need some time to get it ready!" Ichigo yelled back, "Stall him as much as you can Grimmjow I'm gonna need it."
Grimmjow nodded as Ichigo flash stepped away, leaving Grimmjow to deal with an out of control Nightmare Von Ollivante.
"Ok you overgrown piece of shit." Grimmjow slid his claws that protruded from gauntlets on his wrists, against each other making a scraping sound, "Lets dance!"
Ichigo stood at the top of a skyscraper and sat cross legged breathing in and exhaling in a slow rhythm, as he concentrated harder his spiritual pressure spiked.
Nightmare charged at Grimmjow who continually slashed at Nightmare, furiously to keep him at bay, the two charged their strongest attacks and shot at each other, standing at a deadlock. They pumped more and more power into their attacks, neither of them gaining ground on the other.
The blast exploded and Grimmjow was sent completely through a building Grimmjow struggled to get up. Falling as he did so, Grimmjow had a memory come back to him.
Ichigo fights to protect his friends…. He has something to fight for that's what makes him strong…
"I…" Grimmjow panted. "I….have…"
"I HAVE SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR!" Grimmjow roared as an intense wave of reiatsu engulfed him.
Ichigo continued to meditate and force all of his reiatsu into his blade, but something caused him to open his eyes as he looked down from the sky scraper to find Grimmjow engulfed from a large amount of Reiatsu.
"He has more power than I thought….." Ichigo sighed as he put a hand on his blade and flash stepped down to the ground.
Grimmjow turned to look at Ichigo, something was different about him, and Ichigo noticed it.
He seems more confident….
Grimmjow turned again to a raging Nightmare and flashed to his side and slashed with enough power to cut through Nightmare's tough skin. Grimmjow kept up his assault until Nightmare charged up three powerful Ceros' and shot them all at Grimmjow.
Grimmjow took the full force of the blast as it sent him rolling away he coughed up a little blood and got back up and charged him again firing everything he had at the berserk monster.
"I will save her…. I WILL!" Grimmjow roared as his blades glowed brighter with blue energy as they continued to slash away at Nightmare, putting cuts into the monster but they would heal up instantly.
"Grrrrr" Grimmjow began to charge his ultimate attack but noticed something odd.
Nightmares body began to boil in some places, bubbling like some weird lab experiment. Grimmjow looked in disgust as he continued his feeble attempt to stop the monster that stood before him.
Grimmjow let loose every ounce of energy he had left at Nightmare, but it did absolutely nothing to hurt the monster.
Nightmare screeched and rushed forward slapping Grimmjow with what it had left of a tail sending him flying through a sky scraper. Grimmjow really struggled to get up but Nightmare pinned him down and began bashing away at Grimmjow's body, Grimmjow began coughing up blood as Nightmare continued his assault on Grimmjow.
Nightmare charged up Ceros again and fired them at Grimmjow point blank. Grimmjow fell unconscious, blood trailing down his face arms and chest. He was battered and beaten, but before Nightmare could devour him.
"I told you!" Ichigo roared appearing in front of Nightmare and throwing him away. "I'm here to beat your ass Nightmare!"
Ichigo looked down at Grimmjow who was unconscious and bloody. "Sorry Grimmjow….. I'll make this up to you I promise." Ichigo stepped forward until someone grabbed his wrist, Ichigo looked down once more at Grimmjow who had one eye open.
"Please… Save…..Her… Save…." Grimmjow said weakly. "Save Ori…hime…."
"Don't worry I will…" Ichigo said as he walked forward and flash stepped to attack Nightmare.
Ichigo's blade was wrapped in black Reiatsu, he swung Tensa Zangetsu with force breaking Nightmares wrists, Ichigo then kicked Nightmare once again but Nightmare caught Ichigo in one of its jaws and threw him to the ground. Ichigo Recovered and put a hand on his blade, black reiatsu spiraled the blade.
"Ok lets go you freak….." Ichigo said but Nightmare came and disrupted his technique before he could start.
Ichigo flash stepped away and tried again. But Nightmare found him before he could complete it and launched a Cero that missed Ichigo but blew up a skyscraper next to him.
Ichigo continued to try and try again, his efforts failing because he cannot get the time he needed to launch the attack.
"Grimmjow can't hold out anymore….. And I can't get a god damn opening CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!" Ichigo roared.
Just then through the calm he saw snowflakes begin to fall, and the quiet soothing sound of a flute playing in the background.
"What….. This sound…. Almost vaguely familiar…" Ichigo tensed up knowing who it was as he turned around to see, holding a snowy white flute in her hands.
"Rukia…" Ichigo smiled.
Rukia played her flute as Nightmare got back up and began screeching while flying full bore at Ichigo and Rukia.
"Uh oh… here he comes…" Ichigo readied himself.
"Ichigo Relax," Rukia sighed. "Just focus…"
In an instant Ice appeared and encased Nightmare in a thick layer of Ice.
"NOW ICHIGO USE MUGETSU NOW!" Rukia yelled.
"No need to tell me twice!" Ichigo laughed.
Ichigo put a hand on his blade causing black reiatsu to flow from it as he brought the sword up over his head he closed his eyes and thought about Rukia.
Nightmare began to break free from his icy prison, roaring and gnashing at the Ice, firing off ceros' left and right.
"Oh you definitely have to die!" Ichigo roared.
"Let Darkness Rain through the Night… Mugetsu!" Ichigo slammed his blade down as the world around them became enclosed in pure darkness, an incredibly large thin blade of energy surged from the ground and sliced Nightmare right down the middle.
"Good bye Nightmare…." Ichigo whispered as the darkness engulfed nightmare completely.
Ichigo swiped his blade to the side with a sigh, knowing the invasion was over, Ichigo landed on the ground watching the clouds above him dissipate, and looking at the crevice he left from his final attack.
He shook his head water droplets spraying everywhere from his hair, Rukia approached him and hugged her tiny frame around his body.
Ichigo looked down at her, "It's over….." He said.
"Yes, it is…. You did it Ichigo, you're a hero again." Rukia smiled.
"Nah, You Grimmjow all of you guys, were all heroes." Ichigo smiled back putting his right arm around Rukia still gripping his sword. Blood trailed down from his lip as he turned around seeing the group of people behind him.
"Uryu, Chad, Urahara, Yoruichi, Dad… how are you guys feeling." Ichigo stepped towards them.
"Well we've been better son." Isshin crossed his arms and smiled.
"IIIICHIIIGOOOOO!" A feminine voice screamed, Nelliel wiggled her way through the group of people and ran full speed towards Ichigo.
"Nel! What the…" Ichigo was cut short as Nelliel ran up to him and hugged him so tight he couldn't breathe.
"Ne.. NEL! Stop I can't breathe!" Ichigo panicked.
Ichigo finally broke free from Nelliel, who tried to hug him again, Ichigo put out his arms and stopped her. "Nononononono….. That's enough hugging from you for one day.." Ichigo shook his head.
"Awwww ruin the fun Ichi…." Nelliel pouted, "Thank you though…. I'm glad that bastard died, he deserved it for controlling the souls of so many hollows, even if most of them were mindless, and they still have a right.."
"Yeah no problem Nel, I owe you one from when you saved me from Nnoitra…" Ichigo smiled.
"Well that debt is repaid Ichigo." Nelliel turned around and opened a garganta. "See you around."
"Bye Nel" Ichigo waved good bye.
"I won't let it end like this!" A voice roared.
Ichigo looked behind him then roared in pain as he saw Nightmare, who dissipated back into his regular form, plunge into his back with the soruspurrita gauntlets.
Ichigo roared in pain as Nightmare separated Ichigo's soul from his hollow form, which laid there on the ground, motionless. Nightmare opened a Garganta and threw Ichigo's monstrous hollow inside, along with the Soruspurrita gauntlets.
Everyone was shocked at the monstrous appearance of his inner hollow its demon skull like face with two large horns and red fur on his collar wrists and ankles. Ichigo staggered back to his feet and walked up to Nightmare who was grievously wounded from Ichigo's Mugetsu attack, gripped his sword hard.
"Just Fucking Die and go to hell!" Ichigo roared as he slashed his blade downward cutting Nightmare in half.
"I may die here Shinigami captain… but your nightmares are just beginning." Nightmare laughed just as he dissolved into nothing but black ash.
"Ichigo wasn't that your Inner hollow he separated from you?" Uryu asked.
"He separated me from my hollow! What!" Ichigo roared patting himself. "your telling me I'm free if that damn pest!"
"How the hell is it possible for such a monster to exist within you." Isshin intervened. "I've seen my fair share of hollows, but I could sense that things power, its far stronger than any hollow I've ever fought."
"Ichigo, since you are now separated from your hollow, you know that it now has its own conscious, and you will be weakened since you don't have your hollow strength." Yoruichi added.
"Now now guys, lets not badger the young Captain, Right Ichigo?" Urahara stepped in.
The whole group simultaneously burst out, "New captain!"
Ichigo nodded and turned his back to show the white haori hanging off of his shoulder connected to the armor still attached to his arm.
"I don't get it….. how is the armor still attached to me?" Ichigo wondered.
"Its quite simple Captain Kurosaki." Urahara fanned himself. "Although your soul was split apart, resulting in the separation of you and your hollow, the both of you are still connected, and if one part of the soul is defeated by the other, the defeated part becomes one with the other part of its soul."
"Hmmmm, so if I can defeat my hollow again, I get my hollow powers back again." Ichigo asked.
Urahara plainly nodded, "But before you can, you need to train again, you need to become very strong."
"if you lose, you will become a part of it….."
GARGANTA CAVERN….
The place was dark as night….. nothing stirred until…
Hollow Ichigo opened its eyes and slowly got up, grabbing the silver pair of gauntlets that lay next to it.
It turned to see a light at one end of the tunnel, it growled deeply and harshly and used Sonido to get to it.
The hollow jumped through the hole and landed with a large thud in the desert off Hueco Mundo, swinging its right arm down, a white sword with a black Swastika like symbol as its flange materialized in its hand.
The hollow reared its striped, horned, skull like head back and let out a shrieking Monstrous Roar that could be heard for miles….