Chapter 28: Rip and Tear

"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Zanpakutō"
"Hollows/Vizard"
"[Reading/listening to a message/letter]"
"{Speaking a different language}"

AN: Here we are, back from break. Before we get into it, wanted to address an issue that was brought up. Yes, Ichigo's relationship is a total mess right now. That's my fuckup and I'm gonna pull an "Emerald Phoenix" by using that to help the story by having the characters realize and talk about how they screwed up with a promise to be better. But that won't come until after Aizen is dealt with since there's no time for it right now.

But anyway, on with the show!

-]|[-

The change happened in an instant. One moment, Uryū and Chad had been fighting someone strong and the next, Chad's signature was weak and fading while Uryū's was gone entirely. Ichigo gritted his teeth in a pained grimace as he realized exactly what must have occurred. His golden reiatsu poured out of him in rage and grief over the fact he'd led one of his friends to their death. Even if they didn't get along all that well, anyone who was willing to lay down their life to help him couldn't be anything but a friend. "I'll kill him," the teen growled through his teeth. "I'll kill them all."

Speaking louder, Ichigo spoke to Nemu beside him, "Take Nel for me." As soon as she held the young Arrancar in her arms, Ichigo scooped up Hanatarō in his arms and the pair began moving far faster than before. "Sorry Taro, can't let you set the pace anymore." His voice was clipped and distracted as they raced through Las Noches. He was too late to save Uryū, but he wouldn't fail Chad as well. Not even if he had to level this whole damn palace to the ground.

-]|[-

Tia Halibel stood on her palace's balcony and stared out towards where she could sense her fellow Espada Nnoitra and the Reiatsu signature heading for him. There were actually three enroute but only one had caught her attention: The Kurosaki boy. Even from this distance, she could tell he'd grown far more powerful in the last few months. When last she'd seen him, he could barely stand against Grimmjow but the raging storm of power she currently felt was on an entirely different level. Between that and how many of the Espada she had already felt perish, the mocha skinned woman turned half her attention to her fraccion.

Of the three, only Sung-sun was quietly waiting for orders. She was both the shortest and most slender of the group, with her long white dress and its extra long sleeves hiding her form even further. Her long olive colored hair was decorated with a mask fragment that resembled a hairclip. The petite woman glanced dispassionately at her comrades as they argued about some triviality or other. No doubt one of them had taken offense to the other's existence again. Currently the taller of the two, Mila Rose, had Apacci in a headlock and was ruthlessly grinding her knuckles into her scalp, carefully avoiding the shorter woman's horn. Mila Rose was slightly taller than their mistress and a few shades darker with wavy brown hair and green eyes. Her attire largely consisted of an armored corset and a skirt with a thick black belt. Meanwhile, the shorter Apacci was tomboyish with short black hair and wore a mostly standard uniform barring her shorter sleeves and a pair of gloves. Her most outstanding feature was her heterochromia, with one eye amber and the other blue. She was also currently trying to punch Mila Rose hard enough to make her let go.

"Enough," Halibel's voice cut across their bickering. Both women instantly released each other and stood at attention, pretending they hadn't been fighting moments prior. After a reproving look at the pair, the Espada continued, "You three are to stay in the palace. Avoid confrontation with the intruders at all costs; is that clear?"

"Understood, ma'am." Sung-sun quietly confirmed.

Mila Rose shrugged, "Yeah, I don't fancy getting on the wrong side of whoever that is."

It was Apacci who noticed something off about the Reiatsu signature in the distance. "Halibel-sama, why doesn't that feel like a Shinigami?"

"That," she answered, "Is something I'd very much like to know." Indeed, it was quite the conundrum. The teenager had more than a trace of Hollow Reiryoku mixed into his Shinigami power. 'Had the boy somehow become like the Espada? Aizen-sama had stolen the Hōgyoku so it's possible that Soul Society used it before he did.' Still, she wouldn't concern herself overly much with his abilities. She'd been keeping track of all of the intruders and so far, their opponents had been those who had sought them out. That Dordonni was still alive also spoke of at least some measure of mercy. Thus, she'd keep her daughters far away from them and things should be fine. She owed Aizen but those three would always come first.

-]|[-

Throughout Las Noches, several others picked up this new development and reacted in their own way. Orihime and Tatsuki stared out towards where they'd felt Uryū's Reiatsu disappear, tears running down the former's cheeks, before heading in that direction from their respective locations. Candice quietly made the sign of the cross before rushing to avenge her fallen kinsman. She hadn't liked him, but he was a fellow Quincy. Just as she vanished via Hirenkyaku, Dondochakka ran into the area. Realizing he was too late, he stomped his foot in frustration. "Oh c'mon. I just caught up, don'tcha know!"

From her location, Unohana felt her eyebrow twitch as she realized just how incredibly far away some of the others had managed to get. For the life of her, she couldn't get how they spread out so far on accident. Regardless, the release from the one Espada gave her a bearing.

Grimmjow's head snapped up from where he'd been moving towards Kurosaki. The boy's Reiatsu had suddenly skyrocketed and raced towards Nnoitra's location. The Sixth Espada bared his teeth in a snarl at someone else stealing his prey from him. He quickly adjusted course as he bolted towards Nnoitra as well. Screw it, he'd kill them both. Nnoitra wasn't Ulquiorra but he got on Grimmjow's nerves too.

-]|[-

Turning away from the pair of corpses, one his own subordinate and the other one of the invaders, Nnoitra sneered down at his so-called opponent. Despite losing both his arms, the teen was still attempting to stand. It was pathetic. The miserable insect would die before he ever regained his feet, and even if he did manage to stand up, the human couldn't do anything to him now. Not without those precious arms of his. "Where did all that bravado go, human? You were so sure of yourself just a few seconds ago. Now you're dismembered and dying." As Sado managed to get one foot under him, Nnoitra took a moment to kick him in the ribs, sending him sprawling to the ground once more and taunting him further, "Stay down on the ground where you belong."

Nnoitra's instincts suddenly screamed at him. The man swung his two right hand scythes in an arc as he spun around, only for both weapons to be caught on a shield, the snarling lion face imprinted on it seeming to growl at him specifically. The shield was thrust upwards, sending both of his scythes up and away from his body. Nnoitra's attacker, a man in a full suit of armor, thrust a sword directly into his side just under his armpit. To the Espada's shock, the blade bit into his flesh, though not deeply. Still, the force behind the attack drove them both over a dozen meters away from Sado's prone form. Nnoitra almost missed it as a Shinigami leapt off his attacker's back and ran towards the downed human. But then he was too busy fighting to pay attention to anything else.

Away from where Ichigo had dragged the fight, Nemu landed by Sado to assist Hanatarō in healing him. Quickly releasing her Shikai, Nemu sent out a pair of ribbons to bring the young man's arms closer to him without having to release Nel, carefully holding them in place against his body. Hanatarō absently nodded his thanks as he drew his own Zanpakutō, thankful that he actually remembered it for once. Such injuries would have been far more draining to heal otherwise. He swung the blade down across Sado's chest and red smoke poured from where his wounds which then flowed into Hanatarō's Zanpakutō, rapidly filling the gauge running the length of the blade. The gauge had almost completely filled when the smoke stopped. After a moment to confirm, Hanatarō nodded up at Nemu, "He'll be okay now. I just have to restore his Reiatsu and he'll be fine."

Back with the fight, Nnoitra found himself in the unenviable position of having an opponent well inside his minimum range. His scythes were deadly, but because he wielded them one handed, they were of minimal use against anyone closer than roughly two meters. As such, Ichigo was able to easily avoid his clumsy blows while landing his own in turn. His sole saving grace was his hierro, which turned crippling blows into light injuries. Injuries his regeneration took care of quickly enough. But he still had a trick or two up his sleeves. He dropped all four weapons and grabbed Ichigo's sword and shield in a pair of hands each, hissing as the blade bit into his palms. The Espada stuck out his tongue and began charging a cero, only to hear his opponent snarl, "Tenka-Ichiken!"

A golden wave of power slashed through the upper half of his left hands before crashing into him. his body hurtled back from the force as the beam did its damnedest to burn through his hierro. Even as he tumbled across the ground, Nnoitra sent Reiryoku into his to maimed hands to speed their regeneration. Thankfully, he hadn't stopped charging his cero (nor accidentally bitten through his tongue) so as soon as he was angled right, he fired at Ichigo as the teen charged him. The young captain was forced to block the yellow beam with his shield, giving Nnoitra time to regain his bearings.

'To hell with the surprise factor.' As his hands finished regenerating, Nnoitra sprouted his hidden arms and created a scythe for each of his six hands. With a sneer and a grunt of effort, he sent each scythe whirling towards Ichigo, generating a new weapon for each hand as he went. For a few seconds, in which he threw over a dozen scythes, his plan seemed to be locking his opponent on the defensive. However, with a mutter Nnoitra couldn't hear, a pair of golems appeared before Ichigo and raised their shields to block the attacks.

"KUROSAKI!" Came the bloodthirsty shout as Grimmjow launched himself towards the armored Shinigami from behind. Unlike their previous encounter, his sword was already out, held in his sole hand as he sought to impale the bastard who had maimed him. He didn't care that his designated prey was currently fighting someone else; he wanted Kurosaki dead and he refused to let anyone else do the deed. If need be, he'd kill both of them at the same time.

His charge was halted when Ichigo smashed his shield into Grimmjow's side, sending him crashing into one of the towers that dotted the landscape. "I'll get to you later." Ichigo promised as he focused on the one who'd killed Uryū. From within his helmet, Ichigo's eyes shone like golden beacons fueled by wrath and vengeance. His Reiryoku swirled around him akin to a maelstrom as he raised his blade once more and swung it at Nnoitra, sending out a colossal wave of energy with a growled, "Tenka-Ichiken!"

-]|[-

A little girl stomped down the hallway as she followed a much older looking man. She wore an open white vest and booty shorts with thigh high boots and elbow gloves. Her pale lime green hair was largely hidden by her mask fragment: a horned helmet that covered the top of her head and left eye, leaving her pink right eye exposed. "Goddamnit Starrk, we've already lost four Espada!" She loudly protested. "What's it gonna take for you to go out there and fight?!"

The target of her ire, a tall man who appeared to be in his 30s, grumbled, "What do you expect me to do about it? I can't bring back the dead." His wavy brown hair stopped just above his shoulders and, along with his open upturned collar, drew attention to the fanged bottom jaw around his neck that was his mask fragment. His clothing was far more conservative, exposing only a small portion of his chest but otherwise completely covering him from the shoulders down. Though the conversation itself was new, the general mood wasn't. Lilynette possessed all their drive and motivation whilst Starrk had inherited their power, resulting in one who couldn't do anything and one who didn't want to.

Appearing before him in a brief Sonido, Lilynette's angry glare turned serious. "I thought you didn't want any more comrades to die, Starrk. Isn't that why we joined Aizen? So we wouldn't be alone?" The young Arrancar lowered her head and stared at the floor between them as she whispered. "If you don't fight, everyone dies. And we go back to being alone again."

Her solemn declaration broke through where her angry rant had not. "I- you're right, Lilynette," Starrk admitted. "I'll see what Aizen-sama wants, then I'll do something about the intruders." Indeed, they had arrived at their destination: Aizen's throne room. "Wait here," The First Espada ordered as he walked inside.

Within the cavernous throne room, Aizen waited along with his subordinate Tosen. As always, his expression conveyed smug amusement. "Ah, Starrk. Right on time," Aizen greeted him. "I'm afraid there's been a change of plans. You and Lilynette will be staying behind to keep the intruders from following us to Karakura."

Starrk quirked an eyebrow from where he stood. "Wasn't that going to be Ulquiorra's job?"

Aizen nodded in agreement, "Yes, but I've realized that I would need my strongest Espada to hold down the fort as it were." Technically, it wasn't even a lie. Aizen wanted Kurosaki to be tested properly and his growth rate had exceeded expectations, requiring a stronger opponent for him. Ulquiorra was a Vasto Lorde himself but he was only the Fourth Espada for a reason. Starrk, despite being a natural Arrancar, was unbelievably powerful and was perhaps one of two Arrancar that Aizen would need to put actual effort into defeating. He'd make for an excellent test of Kurosaki's abilities; either the boy would come out stronger and in turn augment his own evolution, or he'd perish and would have never notably contributed to his apotheosis anyway.

-]|[-

Grimmjow dug himself out of the rubble with a snarl. 'How dare he look down on me like that?!' He mentally growled. Wetness on his face and the taste of blood told him just how hard he'd been hit. Holding his Zanpakutō in his teeth, Grimmjow reset his nose and snorted. Spitting out his Zanpakutō, he held it low and declared, "Grind, Pantera!" Though he was still missing his arm and ear from his first fight with Ichigo, releasing his resurreccion healed his broken nose at least. And the blood still on his hand made for a useful catalyst. He charged Reiryoku into his palm as he aimed at his target, intending to blast him with a Gran Rey Cero. 'No bitch around to save you this time!'

Right as he prepared to fire the whirling blue orb of death, something wrapped around his throat and pulled him backwards into the sand. The enhanced cero instead launched off into the distance, eventually crashing into the far wall of Las Noches and detonating spectacularly, if completely uselessly. "Ichigo-sama has no time for you. Leave him to his vengeance." Grimmjow sliced through the ribbon around his neck with a claw as he leapt to his feet. It seemed Kurosaki's bitch was going to interfere. Whatever; he'd kill her too.

With a single Sonido, Grimmjow was in Nemu's face, his hand spearing towards her chest. Both her hands came up and grasped his wrist, stopping his attack but only just. Her hands shook slightly from holding him back, something that Grimmjow smirked viciously at. "Really? You're going to stop me like that? You can barely even hold me back! Looks like you haven't improved much since I fought Kurosaki!"

Her voice betraying none of the strain her arms showed, Nemu replied, "On the contrary. I've made significant upgrades in the last few months. For example." From just below her armpits burst a second pair of arms. Both lower arms pulled back, their hands clenched into fists, before throwing a powerful double punch to Grimmjow's abdomen. "Sōkotsu."

The impact rocked him backwards but Grimmjow merely grimaced before smirking. "You'll need to do better than that." He swiftly grabbed one of her wrists before throwing her into the same tower he'd just dug himself out of.

-]|[-

Within his office, Ukitake cheerfully worked on some last-minute paperwork. Yes, there was the battle coming up in only a couple hours, but he was notoriously behind. Having to spend the majority of every day recovering from the few hours he was active had played merry hell on his ability to actually fulfill more than the bare bones of his duties. 'Or at least it used to,' He happily thought as he took another deep, lung-filling breath. At any rate, the fourth most senior captain (Shunsui had been made captain a day before him) had already finished all his preparations for the war against Aizen and checked to see if anyone else required his help. Besides, Sentaro deserved a break. For all he and Kiyone bickered, they nonetheless relied on each other to handle all the paperwork for not only their stations but also the Division's empty lieutenant posting and a great deal of his own paperwork prior to Inoue-chan healing him.

The door to his office opened unannounced. To his complete lack of surprise, Shunsui stood in the doorway. "Glad to see you aren't running around like a lunatic again, Jūshirō," He playfully ribbed his oldest friend.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?" The white-haired man asked with an embarrassed smile.

"You did run the breadth of Seireitei twice without Shunpo."

With a rueful chuckle, Jūshirō replied, "In my defense, I literally can't remember the last time I could take such deep breaths without feeling like I was going to cough out my organs."

Shunsui leaned against the doorway as he conceded the point. "I suppose I can't argue with that." His laidback smile becoming more genuine, he offered, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

-]|[-

Burnt, bloody, and starting to flag, Nnoitra finally managed to get an opening as Ichigo got tired of dealing with the Espada's hierro blocking his attacks. Ichigo's armor vanished and his sword was replaced with a spear but that brief window where he wasn't being attacked allowed Nnoitra to rush towards the noncombatants in what he refused to admit was a desperate Sonido. With an arm on each side he grabbed two of them, hoisting them into the air by their heads and putting a scythe to their throats just in time to make his opponent stop dead. With his helmet gone, Ichigo's hate filled glare was more prevalent than ever, promising an excruciating death to Nnoitra.

"That's right, Shinigami! You don't want anything to happen to these two, do you?" Nnoitra taunted him, "Now, drop that weapon of yours before I make them both a head shorter." Both Nel and Hanatarō attempted to squirm away from the blades and their throats in reply, Nel whimpering as she did so. Reluctantly, the teen released his spear and let it fall to the ground. Nnoitra sneered at his acquiescence, "Good. Now all you have to do is stand there like a good little victim as I get my payback."

"I'm going to strangle you with your own intestines, you son of a bitch," Ichigo vowed.

"Cute," The Fifth Espada snarked, "I think you'll find that hard to do when- hm?" As Nel's whimpering intensified, Nnoitra finally took a closer look at his hostages. "Well, what do you know? Never thought I'd see your sorry carcass again, Nelliel. Figured you'd have enough sense to go die in the desert after you were kicked out of the Espada." While he spoke to his hated former superior, Nnoitra's grasp on her head slowly tightened.

"Nel'th not an Ethpada! Nel'th not!" Tears ran down her cheeks as Nel cried out in fear and pain. But no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn't get free of the vice-like grip.

Hanatarō fought harder at seeing a child tortured in front of him, "Let her go! Hadō #31, So-"

A smack to the face cut the Seventh Seat off as Nnoitra focused on Nel. "You say that, but I remember you, Nelliel tu Odelschwanck!" All he could think of was how much he'd enjoy actually killing her this time. No more leaving her for dead. Whatever else he was going to say would remain unknown as all six of his arms fell from his torso. Before the pain even registered, Ichigo had closed the distance between them, spear in hand and a horned mask on his face. Hanatarō quickly scooped up Nel, one hand already filled with healing energy as he held her head, and retreated to a safe distance. Behind him, a monster bore the full brunt of a god's wrath.

-]|[-

Grimmjow spun and smacked Nemu in the face with his tail. The impact knocked her out of the air and sent her hurtling towards the ground. Before she even hit, Grimmjow bent his arm so his elbow was facing the violette and fired five crystalline darts at her. As she fell, Nemu pointed a single palm back upwards and incanted, "Seventh son with second sight. Drums of liberation. Traveling from the east. A mirror divides the night sky. Bakudō #81, Dankū." A transparent barrier formed between her and Grimmjow moments before the darts impacted. Each one struck the barrier and though it cracked, the Bakudō held up against the onslaught.

The Espada let out a "tch" of annoyance then had to dodge as ribbons from Nemu's Shikai speared towards him from multiple directions at once. As he flipped over one ribbon, a violet orb smashed into his back and exploded, knocking him into an axe kick from Nemu. While Grimmjow careened towards the ground much as she had moments ago, Nemu spared a quick smile towards Ichigo, who had already turned his attention back to Nnoitra.

Nemu brought her arms together, her hands flared out and her fingers curled towards each other like fangs as she chanted, "Queen of twilight. The giants are raging. The serpent rises from the waves. Hadō #40, Suikōdan!" From her hands formed a four-meter shark made of water that launched itself at Grimmjow and bit into his torso on contact. However, the teeth barely penetrated his skin and Grimmjow dispersed the shark with a single blow. Frustratingly, that violet attack from Ichigo, which Nemu suspected was a bala, did more damage than any of her own.

With a single Sonido, Grimmjow was once again instantly in front of Nemu. The feline themed Espada spun rapidly, becoming a blur, before slamming his heel into her side. Before she could rocket away from the force, his tail snagged her by the ankle and dragged her into a devastating elbow strike to the face. Another set of darts appeared from the joint but just as he fired them, another violet bala smashed into his back. The darts all veered wildly off course and struck random patches of sand in the distance. This time though, Grimmjow actually saw Ichigo's arm returning from where he'd fired the attack. "That bastard! Treating me as an afterthought!" His teeth ground together as he saw red.

Sensing Ichigo's building power, Nemu instantly realized he was going to do something Big. Though she lacked the power to kill Grimmjow herself, at least not without dangerously overclocking her body, she could utilize Ichigo's attack if she correctly guessed his intentions. With her opponent so close and so distracted, he didn't even notice her ribbons until it was too late. All six bound him from head to foot, leaving the man completely mummified. "Hadō #11, Tsuzuri Raiden." An electric current traveled through all six ribbons and into Grimmjow's body. The lightning caused his body to spasm and seize, disrupting his attempts to free himself. Still feeding the Kidō, Nemu spun the pair of them around in a circle once, twice, three times before mentally severing the ribbons where they met the bands of her Shikai. Grimmjow was effectively hammer-thrown right above Nnoitra as Ichigo unleashed his attack.

-]|[-

The first spear caught Nnoitra by complete surprise. Ever since Kurosaki donned that mask, his ferocity had escalated nearly as much as his power. Loathe as he was to admit it, the boy was toying with him. When he wasn't firing bala at Grimmjow (and how the fuck did he learn to do that?), he was slicing through the Fifth Espada's hierro like it didn't exist. Even attacks that didn't reach him still carved straight through the hierro he'd always believed to be invincible. As such, with all his focus aimed down at his opponent, he could be forgiven for not noticing when a duplicate of Eikō no Yari formed overhead, only to rocket downwards and impale his thigh. The sadist howled in pain even as one of his scythes cleaved through the shaft. But a moment later, over a dozen more spears impaled him from every angle: From above, below, behind, the front, the sides. So much of his body was torn up by the blades that they ironically became the only thing keeping him upright. He couldn't even tear them free due to the spears embedded in his arms and hands. Ichigo appeared before him, glaring up from behind his mask as he thrust forward with his Zanpakutō. The true Eikō no Yari stabbed up through Nnoitra's throat and into his skull as Ichigo roared, "Tenka-Ichiken!"

The violet beam of energy was akin to a great geyser. A torrent of power surged through the blade and tore apart Nnoitra's body down to the smallest particle as it crashed into and through the ceiling of Las Noches hundreds of meters above. The artificial sunlight was extinguished as the dome ceased to exist and the great palace of Hueco Mundo was plunged back into eternal night. Once the river of power subsided, not even ash was left of the Fifth Espada in the molten crater where he once stood.

-]|[-

Omake: Genocide Mode

Everyone in Los Noches felt it when Ichigo's Reiatsu disappeared. For most of the remaining Arrancar and Hollows, it was good news but not particularly important that one of the invaders died. However, one unconscious child whined at the loss she subconsciously felt, "Noooo, Itsygo." Among the humans and Shinigami present, all felt a combination of horrified grief at the loss of a friend, stunned disbelief he could have been killed, and grim determination to not let his death be in vain. But for one woman, the response was different. Kurotsuchi Nemu stared up at the ceiling of Los Noches in absolute despair, her eyes wide and unseeing. Ichigo, the man she loved, the man she lived for, was dead. He was killed. With that thought, the sorrow was burned off her face and replaced with raw, unbridled hatred. All thought vanished from her mind, leaving only the certainty of her purpose.

Crouching down until her backside nearly touched the sand beneath her, Nemu leapt. From the perspective of everyone except Captain Unohana, she simply vanished with a loud crack like a thunderbolt. The sand directly beneath her turned into solid glass from the pressure and a shockwave rippled out from where she had stood, forming a tsunami of sand that exploded in all directions. With that single jump, the lieutenant rocketed up through the ceiling of Los Noches, her braid undone by the sheer speeds at which she moved. She had never pushed her body so far before. Against the Arrancar in Karakura, she hadn't even come within 20% of her body's threshold. Now, she was within 0.5%. She genuinely had no idea if she could even fight like this. But she did know it didn't matter; the one thing, the only thing that mattered right now was murdering her beloved's executioner.

When Nemu broke through to the roof of Los Noches, she didn't bother waiting to land. She couldn't afford to wait and she had no desire to at any rate. Instead, the moment she spotted the Fourth Espada, she formed a platform of Reishi and kicked off it, angling herself straight for him. Her Shikai's ribbon covered her upper right arm, forming a drill as that limb spun rapidly. She'd take his head in one strike. Were she thinking clearly and had the time, the violette would have preferred to make Ichigo's killer suffer for what he did. To have his death drawn out until there was nothing left of the Espada but the ability to feel pain.

Her opponent was fast though. He couldn't dodge entirely, but Ulquiorra bought his life at the cost of his right horn and wing. Even as he turned to face her, Nemu was launching herself at him once again. The Vasto Lorde formed another Lanza del Relámpago and threw it at his new opponent, not bothering to ask who she was. She was an enemy and that was enough. Unfortunately his difficulty controlling the lance's trajectory showed itself. His attack grazed her lower left hand, disintegrating it entirely, before continuing on to hit some far-off part of Hueco Mundo and exploding spectacularly. Nemu's own attack landed, piercing through Ulquiorra's shoulder and severing his arm at the cost of her Shikai shattering on that limb. To her frustration, both the arm and the wing she had severed began regenerating. "You waste your time, woman," Ulquiorra scoffed. "Unlike others, I did not sacrifice my high-speed regeneration for greater power."

"That just means I get to kill you more!" Nemu uncharacteristically roared. With a burst of pure speed, she appeared in front of him and launched a complex combo, striking him with all four arms plus her legs. A punch to the solar plexus, a knee to the groin, a jab to the stomach, a knee strike to the face. Yet despite the blows she was raining upon him, her body wasn't coming away unscathed. A particularly powerful cross to his face punched his lower jaw clean off, but her upper right arm disintegrated under the sheer power of the strike, no longer able to keep up with the strain. Having had enough, Ulquiorra blasted her back with a bala.

The Fourth Espada glared down at the lieutenant as blood flowed down his neck. Raising a hand, he pointed one finger at her and charged a Cero, ready to be done with this annoyance. But Nemu was already moving, leaping to put herself behind him even as he fired. As she flew past him, Nemu had her remaining bracelets spawn ribbons that wrapped around his arms. Once she kicked off another platform, this time positioned to perform a drop kick, the ribbons retracted, pulling her towards him all the faster. Ulquiorra was not idle, and contemptuously severed all three ribbons, ever so slightly throwing off her aim. This time, he let her strike him. Even as her feet struck his lower abdomen hard enough to break off his legs, his lance lashed out, severing both of her left arms.

With the impact destroying her own legs as well, both combatants fall to the ground. Knowing her opponent would just regrow his limbs, Nemu readied what she knew would be her final attack, one way or another. Sectioning off twelve percent of her soul, the maximum she felt she could and still complete the attack in her condition, she prepared to utilize her Gikon Jūrinjū with her sole remaining limb. Doing so would take time though, hopefully less time than Ulquiorra would need. She kept a close eye on him regardless, both to aim her attack and to make sure he hadn't gotten up yet.

Indeed, Ulquiorra did need more time to fully regenerate the damage to his body than Nemu did to finish him off. However, he hadn't lost his tail to her last attack. As she gathered power in her palm, his whiplike appendage lashed out and wrapped around her wrist before crushing it so ruthlessly that her entire hand was severed, leaving the woman with only half a limb. Taking his time now that his last enemy was disabled, Ulquiorra stood up once his legs were fully formed. "Congratulations, woman. You did more damage than the human. Not that it mattered. And now, just like him, you will die." Raising his right arm, he pointed a single finger at the crippled woman, an orb of pure blackness forming at the tip as he prepared to fire a cero oscuras at her.

-]|[-

AN: Ichigo Wins! Brutality.

So, Nelliel hasn't made an appearance yet, but trust me, she will. Now, in canon I think it was implied that Aizen actually did know about Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa, but here he genuinely doesn't. And frankly, Starrk is stronger than a lotta people give him credit for. I've seen people rank Yammy as stronger because "It took two (exhausted, still injured, and more interested in fighting each other than him) captains to defeat him", which just blatantly ignores that Starrk fought FOUR captains, all of whom were fresh and rested when they fought him. You might be asking "Why didn't Bambietta react?" Because she's the Naruto of the group: Shitton of power, extremely little skill, including sensing Reiatsu. Ichigo's last attack let her know where people were because it was a giant goddamn beacon of Fuck You. Side note: I briefly wished I was using Suijin as Ichigo's Zanpakutō instead, then I remembered what the Bankai was and realized that'd be WAY hard to utilize properly.

Suikōdan is an original Kidō I made up using a Naruto jutsu, specifically Water Shark Bullet. It's pretty much the same as in the Naruto series: Big water shark that bites your enemy. I had intended to use a different idea, only to realize me and Kairomaru already made a Kidō that does the exact thing I was going to use so I grabbed something else.

The omake is something I wrote months ago when I still intended to have Ichigo fight Ulquiorra. It would've led right into Ichigo's resurreccion had I stuck with it.

Last thing: As of next month, I'll be making a pat tree on (same as my name here). For now, it'll be more of a tip jar and place I post oneshots and such early. I won't be posting Vow early until either I have a very productive month again and write two chapters in a month, or after Aizen's dealt with and this story goes on hiatus so I can focus on other stories.

Next Time on "Vow of the King": Please stop spanking the loli while talking to me. It's kind of uncomfortable.