Chapter 35: Survival of the Fittest 2

Hueco Mundo

The wind blows softly across the rugged sands of the quiet desert. Only the sounds of five feral beasts, filling their bellies with the remains of others of their kind, similar to them, can be heard. Specifically, this group of beasts numbers in five, having various builds. A distance away from them stands a small, bipedal, panther-like humanoid creature with long blue hair, furry green ears, and plated white armor. This creature, a proud Vasto Lorde, stares into the distance with a bored expression, as his followers finish their meals. Something suddenly grabs the Vasto Lorde's attention—a massive black and red explosion in the far distance, which sends a shockwave across the desert—causing a small sandstorm to blow their way. The creature's followers twitch in mild fear as their leader begins cackling, exerting his reiatsu in a small, excited burst, creating a shockwave of his own that halts the incoming sandstorm.

The Vasto Lorde continues his vicious laughter, "WHITE! YOU'VE FINALLY COME OUT OF HIDING!"

Shawlong glares in the distance with widened eyes, "…he's fighting that Espada we sensed earlier… they're powerful, Grimmjow…"

Grimmjow smirks under his mask, his eyes narrowing as he continues to look off in the direction of the explosion, "I knew he'd continue to be a worthy opponent… our battle will be legendary!"

The panther then throws a black, clawed fist into the sky, as if to emphasize his point.

Di Roy cackles a bit as well, "I can sense other strong hollows over there too… shall we feast, My King?"

Shawlong nods in agreement, "It would indeed be fruitful for us to interrupt this battle and reap the spoils…"

Everyone in the group all become excited at the notion of devouring the other hollows involved in the battle, as well as seeing their leader throw hands with White.

However, the panther snorts as he turns away from the battle, "No."

This surprises his posse, prompting Shawlong to question his leader, "But… my liege… you've been hell bent on finding him…"

Grimmjow begins to chuckle, further confusing Shawlong, "And here I thought you were the smart one…"

Grimmjow's followers look at each other in confusion before looking back to their King once more as he explains, gleefully, "Don't you see? White is locked in combat with an Espada whose reiatsu rivals even my own! That means, every other Espada in Las Noches right now must be weaker than Barragan…"

Shawlong's eyes widen, "You don't mean—"

The panther lets out a cackle, "Barragan is my only obstacle to becoming King right now! With White and that Espada out of the way, killing him will be easy!"

Grimmjow's followers all tense up, their blood boiling as the panther launches off with a shockwave, sprinting towards Las Noches as he declares, "Today, this King shall be crownless no more!"

The five Adjuchas all let out war cries as well, chasing after their leader as they leave the battle in the distance to settle itself.

Elsewhere in Hueco Mundo

A colossal, kaiju-esc Arrancar raises his massive body to face the new hollow. He rubs his neck before cracking it loudly and narrowing his eyes at the small, horned creature with orange hair standing protectively in front of the group of downed Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde-level hollows.

Yammy flares his nostrils, snorting, "Who the hell are you?"

The horned hollow shakes his head, chuckling. The creatures behind him tense up in mild worry, finding this show of confidence off-putting, considering how their efforts went.

Indeed, Halibel narrows her eyes, "Is he taking this seriously…?"

Yammy growls down at the much smaller creature, "What's so funny?!"

Ichigo shacks his head and sighs, "Well, I had just figured all you Arrancars had heard of me by now, but I guess I was wrong..."

The colossal hollow scrunches his brow, narrowing his eyes as he inspects the creature more carefully.

Suddenly, his expression turns malicious, grinning evilly, "Ah… now I see. You are White!"

Ichigo merely nods in response, noting quietly, "Took you long enough, meathead…"

Yammy laughs evilly, his booming laughter once more kicking up small sandstorms and shaking the desert, "I guess I'll just have to wipe you out, then! Like Barragan said!"

The Espada raises his fist, charging some kind of red blast on it. Notedly, Ichigo has become silent after the mention of Barragan.

Stark struggles to sit upright, barking out, "What are you doing?! Dodge!"

Ashido, now kneeling on a nearby dune, using his polearm to help him stay upright, clicks his tongue, "Damned hollow—came in like he was going to fight this guy with the intent to kill… now he's just going to be crushed!"

Yammy slams his fist down on the horned Vasto Lorde, sending a shockwave of red reiatsu across the dunes, blowing the forms of Stark, Lilynette, and Halibel's group back about 20 meters. Ichigo's trio of followers use Sonido to fall back a distance, standing protectively in front of the group of downed hollows as the white bat spreads his wings, flying upwards with the updraft caused by the attack.

Yammy laughs victoriously, his hand still embedded in the ground, "Not so tough now, are you?! I don't see why Barragan was so worried about you—"

The massive hollow cuts himself and his laughter off as his hand in the ground begins to feel resistance, being force back against his will.

Ichigo, shaking his head back and forth to shake the sand out of his hair, holds back Yammy's fist, easily twice the size of his body, with one white clawed hand. The Vasto Lorde then looks up at the fist nonchalantly with an almost disappointed look in his eye.

Ichigo taunts carelessly, "Is that all you've got? Cuz if so, I'm disappointed that ol' bag of bones sent someone so weak to kill me…"

Halibel, Stark, and Ashido all look at the scene with widened eyes—shocked that the hollow before them is so easily holding back an attack that they were forced to dodge.

Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, Apacci, and Lilynette are all speechless at the sight, unable to comprehend how Ichigo is that powerful.

Sora narrows his eyes, chuckling almost dejectedly, "It figures he's out of my reach once again…"

Back to the battle, a tick mark forms on Yammy's head as he roars, "WEAK?! I'M THE CERO ESPADA! MY REIATSU IS THE HIGHEST OF ANY HOLLOW IN HUECO MUNDO! YOU'LL DIE FOR CALLING ME WEAK!"

Yammy's reiatsu flares up, now forcing even Ichigo's followers to their knees as the reiatsu forces its way through Ichigo's. Ashido, still on the dune, spits up blood in response, having only whatever little of his reiatsu that remains to fight against it.

Halibel narrows her eyes at Ichigo once more, seeing him standing strong amidst the pressure, "He's unaffected…? Just how powerful is he?"

Ichigo's head tilts downward slightly before he exhales deeply. Suddenly, the Vasto Lorde's head jerks back up to regard the Espada with a blood-lusted gaze.

Ichigo cackles as he brandishes his sword arms, "Now that's more like it!"

Yammy slams his fist down, prompting the smaller hollow to dodge the attack with a great amount of speed, shocking those present.

The bat, a distance away, widens his eyes, "I don't recall him moving that fast before…! Certainly not under pressure like this…"

Ichigo appears in the air to Yammy's right before he tsks, "You gotta be quicker than that, buddy... c'mon I'm right here!"

Yammy takes the taunt, turning around and launching a barrage of Balas that Ichigo once more dodges without any effort. The Espada doesn't give up, however, and once more launches a wave of attacks, one of which is about to hit the Vasto Lorde. Ichigo notices this and narrows his eyes deviously before catching the red energy blast in his bare hand.

The hollow regards the attack for a minute, almost sinisterly, before throwing it back at the beast with a cackle, "Here, have it back!"

Ichigo adds some of his own reiatsu to the attack, causing it to become purple as it is launched at Yammy with great intensity.

The Espada takes the attack to his face, which forces him to stumble backwards. In the wake of the smoke of the attack, Yammy's face is completely disfigured and burnt up, his jaw now hanging freely.

Ichigo shakes his head, clicking his tongue as he calls out to the Espada, "I didn't know that the Espada took in buffoons like you. You're strong, sure, but you have absolutely no control over your reiatsu. It's pathetic, if I'm being honest."

Yammy's disfigured form growls in fury, "You... you! I'LL KILL YOU!"

Yammy's body begins to explode with reiatsu far more intense than before, causing a shockwave from the mere release of it. His entire body begins to deform as energy pours into it, erupting into something else entirely.

Ichigo's yellow eyes with black sclera widen before his gaze becomes serious, "Alright... we've had our fun... but this needs to end quickly if the others are going to survive under this reiatsu…"

A voice in Ichigo's head responds, "Yes... we've humiliated him, but now it's time to KILL! Are you ready to do that?"

Ichigo closes his eyes, letting out a sigh as the red reiatsu from Yammy's emerging form lights up the features of his mask, "He's a blood thirsty beast... putting him down... is the right thing to do..."

Out of the eruption of reiatsu, Yammy's new form is revealed, many times larger than his previous form. The black tower-like protrusions from his back have now been replaced by an equally black vertebra. Two massive white horns protrude from the creature's back. Furthermore, he gained multiple white horns on his head, some of which cover areas of his lower jaw, which has been seemingly healed along with the rest of his injuries. Yammy is now bipedal with red, hairy legs and exposed toes, giving him an ape-like appearance. He has kept his tail, which now appears like that of a dinosaur, with the black vertebra continuing down his back to the tip of the tail.

Apacci almost growls as she complains, "Aw fuck! This isn't fair! They're only supposed to have one form!"

Sun-Sun hisses at the sight, "This brute simply refuses to go down… how stubborn…"

Ichigo maintains his serious gaze on the Espada, not so much as showing a hint of weakness before the colossal creature.

The beast glares down at Ichigo, chuckling relatively lightly, "Hahaha... now you will die, puny dragon... you have no hope."

Yammy raises his colossal arm as a cero is formed around it, before slamming it at the smaller hollow.

Ichigo remains standing where he is before deploying his wings and flying up in circles around the incoming arm at a speed that cannot be seen—only a streak of red and black energy visible to the naked eye.

Immediately afterwards, Ichigo is behind Yammy's head.

The beast turns in confusion to see him there, "Huh? I didn't hear Sonido—"

Yammy's eyes widen as his right arm is suddenly torn to pieces, falling to the ground in multiple, bloodied, sections. The Espada roars in pain as he grabs some of the blood on his now stump of an arm with his left hand.

The look in the creature's eyes is desperate as he charges a more unstable cero in that hand, slamming it at White, "GRAN REY CERO!"

Ichigo sidesteps, barely dodging the attack, on purpose, before scaling Yammy's left arm. Once he reaches a certain point, Ichigo jumps off Yammy's arm, using it to propel himself towards the beast's face. Yammy has no time to react as a small, white, clawed fist is slammed into his face, cracking the new mask and forcing him to stumble backwards.

Ichigo clicks his tongue as he watches the Espada stagger, trying to regain his bearings, "No Hierro either..."

Yammy feels a chill go down his spine as Ichigo voices his next words in a cold tone, "Too bad for you..."

The Dragon Vasto Lorde uses Sonido as the Espada is still stumbling backwards, "Where did you go, you insect?!"

Suddenly, the beast feels something grab its tail, before seeing a red flash go out from under his legs, drawing its tail with it. Yammy's eyes widen as his entire body is flipped out from under him, slamming him on his back, causing the desert to shake due to the sheer force of the collision. Ichigo, using all his physical might, shakes violently as he roars, having ahold of the beast's tail.

The bat's eyes widen, "What's he doing…?"

Ashido gasps, "Don't tell me he means to—"

Ichigo's roar increases in magnitude, his bones creaking, as he begins to swing Yammy off of the ground in circles. Ichigo's wings discharge a torrent of red reiatsu, not unlike flames coming from a rocket, as the speed in which he swings Yammy escalates.

The beast attempts to charge a cero, but just as he does, Ichigo releases his hold, throwing Yammy across the desert, away from the others, who are struggling to remain grounded as the air currents caused by the swinging are fiercer than any mortal storm could hope to be.

Yammy crashes into the ground, causing the entire desert to shake for miles around. The Espada rubs his head before attempting to get up, clearly disoriented from the last attack. Ichigo will not allow recovering, however, as he comes rocketing in, a red streak of reiatsu following his path. As Ichigo jets towards the much larger hollow, he roars, charging a huge purple cero in between his two, forward-facing horns.

Yammy throws the cero in his left arm to counter, however, Ichigo's cero wins the collision, going through the other blast and colliding with Yammy's hand, vaporizing it almost instantaneously. What follows is a massive explosion that causes Yammy's body to roll over and be burnt up down the entire left side.

The Espada realizes it isn't over though, as he hears one final Sonido, prompting him to turn his head to see a streak of red in the distance. Ichigo is soaring at Yammy once more at speeds well beyond the speed of sound. Instantly, Yammy's head is struck before he can even realize it, his body flipping through the air again before slamming to the ground near Sora and the others. Ichigo then appears in front of the rest with his back turned as Yammy's body begins to flake away into dust.

The Espada tsks, "Damn... It looks like... I'm the one who's going to die..."

Yammy grunts in irritation as he realizes his soul was destroyed. Ichigo's gaze softens somewhat, his blade arms retracting and the bloodlust fading, realizing that the battle has been won. The hollows and Shinigami behind him can't hide their shock at the sight—even Menoly, Loly, and Ggio have widened eye.

Loly gasps, "I knew he was strong, but… he… he killed that guy so easily…"

Stark hums as he eyes Ichigo's back from the ground, muttering, "This guy is definitely stronger than we are…"

Lilynette nods, a hint of fear in her eyes, "Y-yeah…"

Halibel stares at Ichigo's back quietly for a moment before she notices something in the corner of her eye—Sora not only standing upright but twitching almost violently. Her eyes widen as she can see the clear look of hunger in his eyes.

Sora's red eyes dilate as he eyes the Arrancar's soon to be corpse hungrily. He no longer acknowledges Ichigo's presence, nor any other for that matter. His gaze is locked solely on the powerful prey who lays before him. "I'm too weak right now… I can't help him… I… must get stronger!"

Ichigo continues to stare with a downcast expression at Yammy, looking as if he's about to say something, but stops as his eyes widen suddenly. Just as he turns his face to his left, he sees a grey and red serpent race past him, lunging at Yammy's disintegrating body. The Adjucha, without mercy, claws his way into the giant's insides, viscously consuming the beast from the inside out. The Espada's eyes widen in pain and after a moment he begins screaming with such intensity that Ichigo can't help but wince. Soon after, poison of various color spews through the crevices of Yammy's eyes and battle scars, a sign of Sora's onslaught.

Ichigo's eyes are full of surprise, "I thought he was down… how could he still manage to move?"

Ashido looks on in horror, "I knew it! I should've killed that merciless Adjucha when I had the chance!"

The remains of Yammy's corpse light up a bright, red light before the remains are all focused inward, shrinking down. Smoke covers the landscape. There is dead silence, the onlookers not daring to make a sound as they watch, curious as to what will emerge.

As the smoke clears, the group can see a humanoid figure with scaly red and grey skin and long hair a mixture of black and brown flowing down to its mid back. There are two white spikes coming out of each of the creature's shoulders. A large, spikey red tail comes out of the creature's lower back, which is a dark gray color. In the dead center of its chest is a gapping hole, which, in tandem with its white mask with a crack down the right side, is a sign of it being a hollow. Its eyes are a crimson red color, which currently focus in on Ichigo.

A distance behind them, Sun-Sun can't hide the gleeful look in her eyes, "Well, it would seem that we have yet another Vasto Lorde to protect us…"

Mila Rose snorts, "Don't be so certain, Sun-Sun…"

The snake's eyes narrow, "Don't tell me you still don't trust Lord Sora?"

Mila Rose snaps, "DON'T CALL HIM THAT!"

Apacci chuckles, "He's definitely trustworthy in my book, but you don't have to kiss his ass like that, Sun-Sun!"

Sun-Sun sighs, "Oh, how hopeless you two are… can't you see, as a fellow snake, not mention a gentleman, Lord Sora is destined to be my husband one day…"

Apacci and Mila Rose cry out simultaneously, "YOUR WHAT?!"

A distance away, Halibel ignores her followers' conversation, managing to sit upright and eyeing the two Vasto Lorde's staring each other down, "So… you've evolved…"

Ichigo's followers and Stark's group eye the exchange with interest as well, particularly the bat, who slowly walks closer, "It would be best if White has my help if they come to blows…"

The two male Vasto Lordes stare at each other for another moment before Ichigo rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, "Yo, Sora… how've you been…?"

The casual exchange causes the onlookers to have shocked reactions, not expecting this sudden casual shift in tone.

The serpent Vasto Lorde smiles under his mask, "Much better since I met you, White. But of course, given what just happened, that should be obvious!"

Ichigo nods a bit awkwardly, "I suppose that makes sense…"

The horned Vasto Lorde looks to the ground slightly, his expression overall dejected in nature.

Sora notices this, his eyes narrowing somewhat, "Is something the matter?"

Ichigo winces slightly in reaction, "Well… it's just that I found out my identity…"

The serpent Vasto Lorde seems to perk up at this, "Really? That's great!"

Ichigo sighs, shaking his head which is still downcast, "I doubt you'd still think that when you hear my name…"

Sora stops his jovial celebration, a concerned aura coming from him, "…really? I doubt that… how bad could it—"

"Ichigo Kurosaki.", the orange haired hollow cuts him off.

Sora's eyes widen at this revelation. He can't find the proper words to react—genuinely speechless for the first time in a long while. Ichigo now dejectedly and submissively bows before the new Vasto Lorde, having revealed his true identity. This act shocks everyone, seeing the formerly confident and powerful individual lower himself before someone weaker than him.

Sora is still thrown off after learning the truth, although, the Vasto Lorde can't help but think, "For some reason, I am not surprised…"

The horned dragon hollow suddenly makes a declaration, "If you wish to take my life, I understand. What happened with Orihime was my fault…"

At this, Ggio snaps from behind Ichigo, "B-but My Lord! You can't!"

Loly hisses as well, "I might not like this ass-kisser, but for he's got a point…"

Menoly merely looks on with a concerned look in her eyes.

Ichigo also hears a voice of protest in his head, "Hey, King! I didn't agree to this! I won't let you—"

The Vasto Lorde squirms almost unnaturally in a show of wrath before shouting, "THIS ISN'T ANY OF YOUR BUSINESS! STAY OUT OF THIS OR I'LL KILL YOU!"

Ichigo's followers shut up immediately, all having a put off look in their eyes. The voice in Ichigo's head also becomes quiet.

Sora, meanwhile, narrows his eyes at the sight of White—no, Ichigo, before him. His thoughts shift to a memory from before he became a hollow.

Sora's Memories

I felt bitter… very bitter.

Orihime started to speak constantly about the brave boy with auburn hair.

Sora, in the form of a whole, wearing a black suit, gazes on his sister from afar, seeing her through the window of the girl's apartment. She wears a wide smile on her face, sheepishly rubbing the back of her head as she speaks to a picture of Sora in front of her.

"You'll never guess who I got to talk to today, brother!", the girl states in an excited tone.

Sora's form perks up at this, "Who could she be so happy about…? …Is it that boy…?"

The spirit's guess is confirmed as Orihime bashfully reveals, "T-Tatsuki finally introduced me to Ichigo! At first, he was a little rube to be honest. 'Hey', is all he said…"

Orihime looks down a bit distantly at this, prompting Sora to growl, "That punk! Treating my Orihime that way—can't he see she's way out of his league—"

Sora cuts himself off as Orihime smiles genuinely, with a loving look in her eyes, "…but then he acted all polite after realizing he may have come off as rube… he was quite the gentleman, which is unheard of from him. The look in his eyes was so gentle… it reminded me of you, brother…"

I could see that she was happy... very happy… every time she spoke of Ichigo…

That should've been good enough for me, right...?

Her friend, Tatsuki... I owe her a debt as well... for watching over and protecting her...

Now I see... I should never have given into this bitterness...

I don't have the right to protect her anymore...

Hueco Mundo

Sora walks forward, softly. His light footsteps can hardly be heard as they make contact with the sand. Ichigo's followers look on apprehensively, thinking that the serpent may go for the kill.

Halibel, still on the ground, narrows her eyes, watching the scene with interest, "What will you do...?"

Ichigo lowers his head as Sora is upon him, closing his eyes as he seemingly accepts his fate.

Sora raises his hand, making the bat instinctively draw a light green lance made from his spirit energy. The bat stops his advance on the pair of Vasto Lordes, his deep green eyes widening in confusion, "I don't sense any hostile intent… what is he planning?"

Sora suddenly flicks Ichigo on the head with his finger, causing the Vasto Lorde to open his eyes wide in shock and confusion, looking up for an explanation.

The serpent sighs, staring softly at the other hollow, "That's your punishment... I forgive you."

Ichigo growls, not satisfied with this, "Why didn't you kill me?! How can you forgive me so easily?! I deserve to—"

The new Vasto Lorde cuts him off, "What happened with Orihime wasn't your fault and you're certainly not why I became a hollow, if that's what you're getting at."

"But—", Ichigo insists, clearly looking for a reason to be punished.

Sora crosses his arms, nearly hissing, as he scolds the younger hollow, "No buts! I refuse to let you blame any of what happened on yourself! My actions are my fault. It would be irresponsible of me to not take accountability for them and blame them on someone else... especially a teenager..."

The others are all flabbergasted at this.

"Y-YOU'RE A TEENAGER?!", Loly points one of her appendages at Ichigo accusingly, although the Vasto Lorde ignores her.

Menoly sweat drops, "Why is that such a big deal to you, Loly…?"

Loly hisses, snapping at her sister, "Because I thought he was older than we were when we died!"

Menoly shrugs, "Well, I don't care. I'll still follow Master Ichigo regardless… although, I guess I should start calling him 'Young Master'…"

Loly's eye twitches as Ggio nods, "Well said, scorpion."

Ichigo stares at the ground, not believing what he is hearing. Out of all the ways this could play out, he never could've imagined that Sora would be perfectly fine with him.

Seeing this, the serpent sighs, looking down and explaining, "I owe you all that I am for stopping me from... killing Orihime..."

Ichigo's eyes widen as he turns to look at the new Vasto Lorde.

Sora stares directly at him, "I can't thank you enough for that, Whi—no, Ichigo. For preventing me from committing the unthinkable, my loyalty shall always be with you. For as long as you'll allow it, I shall be by your side..."

Sora then bows graciously before Ichigo, who widens his eyes as he recalls the wraith's words, realizing that they were correct.

Ichigo then nods, feeling an uplifting feeling despite himself, as he awkwardly rubs the back of his neck, "S-sure... thanks..."

Halibel closes her eyes, feeling uplifted herself at the scene, "Good… it seems the two of you are both honorable…"

A distance away, Ashido stares in awe at the scene, "Hollows acting so civilized… how is this possible…? They just slaughtered that last guy!"

Ichigo sighs, before looking directly at Ashido with a piercing glare. The Shinigami tenses up, holding his poleaxe weapon defensively. The orange haired Vasto Lorde disappears with a buzz before suddenly reappearing in front of the Shinigami, his haunting gaze still causing the Shinigami to tense up.

"What business does a Shinigami have in Hueco Mundo? Are you hoping to kill us when we let our guards down?", Ichigo questions with hostility.

Ashido glares back at Ichigo, nearly scowling, "And if I was?"

The Vasto Lorde wastes no time as he suddenly grabs the Shinigami by the throat, faster than he can process, before hoisting him in the air. Ashido gasps for breath, clawing at his throat with one hand while the other still firmly holds his Zanpakuto.

Ichigo sneers darkly, "Every Shinigami I've met has been pompous—assuming they have the right to kill us for existing. I won't have a Shinigami in Hueco Mundo!"

The Vasto Lorde exerts more pressure on Ashido's throat, prompting the Shinigami to fling his polearm around in an attempt to strike the hollow, however, Ichigo easily parries the pitiful strikes with his free arm.

Ashido begins to get blue in the face as Lilynette calls out, "Stop hurting him! He protected us!"

Ichigo suddenly turns to regard the small Arrancar girl who stands above her counterpart—a bearded battle worn man who struggles to sit upright. Ichigo flinches as he notices a familiar form standing next to them—the horned white bat with large black wings. The bat notices Ichigo's stare before flying off, closing the distance between them.

Ichigo stares into the creature's deep green eyes, almost getting lost in them once more, before he asks, "Is that true? Did this Shinigami protect hollows?"

The white bat nods, looking at the Shinigami with mild amounts of… concern? Perhaps, although the creature would not recognize it as such a sentiment, given it is devoid of all emotions. After a moment, Ichigo releases the Shinigami from his grasp, leaving him to fall to the ground in a crumpled mess, gasping for breath.

Ichigo regards the rest of the hollows, now seeing Lilynette attempt to hold Stark up above her, although her bones creak under his weight. Ultimately, she just settles on sitting him upright and leaning against his back in support.

Ichigo then looks to see Sora helping a female shark Vasto Lorde to her feet. The pair are flanked by three female Adjucha hollows, who regard Sora quite enthusiastically.

"I guess those were the female hollows the wraith spoke of…" Ichigo ponders.

The hollow finally regards a trio of approaching Adjuchas; his pack.

Ggio is the first to speak, bowing before him, "Congratulations on defeating the Cero Espada, My Lord! You are one step away from becoming King!"

Menoly nods with equal enthusiasm, "Indeed, that was quite impressive, Young Master Ichigo!"

Loly merely scoffs, "That was pretty cool for a dork like you, I guess…"

Ichigo nods, chuckling lightly before deadpanning, "Wait, 'Young Master'. What's with that?"

Menoly tilts her head, "Well, you are younger than us, so I just thought it was fitting…"

The Vasto Lorde sighs, for some reason not liking being viewed as the youngest around, "Fine… that's fair, I guess…"

Ichigo notices the bat hollow still staring at him with a questioning gleam in his eyes. His eyes soften in response to seeing the bat's gaze, seemingly trying to relay a message of his own through his eyes. The two stare at each other like this for a few moments, causing Loly and Menoly to shift about somewhat uncomfortably.

Despite this, it is Ggio who calmly addresses Ichigo, "My Lord: What shall we do now?"

Ichigo tilts his head towards the tiger, breaking his gaze with the bat. The Vasto Lorde's eyes seem somewhat contemplative as he eyes the group of hollows a distance away before nodding his head.

"Isn't it obvious, Ggio? We're gonna properly introduce ourselves."

The tiger nods as Ichigo gives the bat a look, "Could you carry that Shinigami over there?"

The bat gives a slight nod before grabbing Ashido and flying over towards Stark and Lilynette. As Ichigo's group approaches, the three Adjuchas next to Sora seem to tense up suddenly, recognizing someone.

Mila Rose growls, "Ggio Vega! I can't believe I missed your putrid stench before now.What are you doing here?"

Ggio snorts, "I am here accompanying My Lord, White. I will not tolerate any insults directed towards him, so watch your tongue from here on out, bitch."

Mila Rose growls again but she stops when Menoly snaps, "Ggio! We are here to make allies, not enemies!"

The tiger snorts, "You aren't the boss of me, scorpion!"

Ichigo sighs, annoyed, "Yeah? Well, I am, and I agree with her."

Ggio deadpans before bowing, "Forgive me, you grace, I shall hold my tongue!"

It's the dragon's turn to snort, rolling his eyes, "Whatever…"

Halibel, now supported by Sora, calls out to Ichigo, "Can I take it this means you've recruited some of Barragan's men?"

Ichigo shrugs, "No, just this guy. He wouldn't stop following me, so I just gave up and let him join the group. Also, I don't believe we've met, Ms.…?"

"Tier Halibel. I take it you're White?", Halibel responds politely.

Ichigo nods, "Yeah, you could call me that. But like I told Sora, my true name is Ichigo Kurosaki. You know Ggio, but these two are Loly Aivirrne and Menoly Mallia."

The two Adjuchas nod, stating simultaneously, "Good to meet you."

Halibel nods, "Likewise… I didn't think you would have females in your pack…"

Ichigo tilts his head, "Why's that?"

The shark Vasto Lorde shakes her head, "It's just that you sounded a lot like Barragan from the numbers of hollows you've devoured in such a short time, but it seems I was mistaken…"

The dragon still looks confused, "I don't follow. Is Barragan a sexist or something?"

Sora and Halibel give each other a look before the former explains, "Perhaps, but it is widely accepted, at least among most hollows, that females are inferior due to having less strength… of course this is on average, as Ms. Halibel here is more powerful than most hollows."

Ichigo snorts, "Huh, so Hueco Mundo is sexist then. Figures. Just another stupid thing that needs fixing—Loly and Menoly here are not weak—I trained them myself!"

The Vasto Lorde huffs proudly, truly impressed with himself on how he was able to help the sisters along.

Mila Rose chuckles from behind Halibel, "I like you more than I thought I would, White! It's rare to find a male with genuine respect for the other sex!"

"Indeed. Although, you have a long way before you can compare to the type of gentleman Lord Sora is…" Sun-Sun states coyly.

Sora sweat drops at the snake's words as Apacci follows up, "Anyone who's got Lady Halibel's respect has mine too!"

Ichigo nods before questioning, "And what're your names?"

"Franceska Mila Rose. I hate long titles and the like, so you can just call me Mila Rose for short." "Cyan Sun-Sun, milord." "Emilou Apacci and don't you forget it!", the trio respond in succession.

The Vasto Lorde responds, "Well, it's good to meet you all. The name's Ichigo Kurosaki—I'd prefer it if only my enemies referred to me as White from now on."

The three look between each other before Mila Rose responds, "Sure thing, Ichigo."

Ichigo tilts his head towards the quartet behind them, "And that goes for you lot, too! I know you were listening."

Stark nods slightly in response, muttering to himself, "Very perceptive…"

Lilynette, meanwhile, gets up, although still weary of Ichigo, as she regards the Vasto Lorde, "Well, Mr. White, my name is Lilynette Gingerbuck. These two sorry saps are Coyote Stark and Ashido Kano. There's also that bat guy, but… I don't know what his name is."

Ichigo stares at the girl with a somewhat downcast look, "I don't know his name either… and that Shinigami is your friend, truly?"

Lilynette nods, "Yes, my best friend! I won't let you hurt him anymore!"

The Vasto Lorde's eyes fall towards the ground, "I see… well, in that case, I am sorry. I didn't think Shinigamis and hollows could be friends…"

Lilynette snaps, "Well that's still no excuse to—"

The girl stops as Ashido places a weak hand on her shoulder, "It's fine, Lilynette. Remember what I told you—Shinigami and hollows have a grudge that goes back nearly as far as the creation of the realms. He was right in being weary of me."

Lilynette backs off at this as Ashido regards Ichigo with narrowed eyes, "What's your game then, hollow? Who is this Barragan you speak of?"

Ichigo shrugs, "Well I was hoping after we all learned each other's names we could give some general information about ourselves and where we came from…"

Ashido nods, "That's acceptable. I'd like to know quite a bit myself about what happens on the surface of Hueco Mundo, and you all are the perfect source."

The dragon holds his stare with this Shinigami, "And I want to know why the Shinigami hate hollows so much."

Ashido stares at Ichigo seriously, "I can't speak for the rest of the Shinigami, but I hate hollows because they killed my friends. I can never forgive that."

Ichigo's gaze falls once more, "I see… I understand why you'd feel that way… but there has to be more than that…"

Ichigo stares off distantly which prompts Sora to clear his throat, gaining everyone else's attention, "Well if no one else wants to, I'll go first…"

About 30 Minutes Later

"A RUIN ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF HUECO MUNDO?! THAT'S SO COOL!", Lilynette squeals in delight.

Stark covers his ears while Ashido merely winces in response.

Menoly nods excitedly, "I know, right? Loly here was such a Debby-Downer the whole time, though…"

"I WAS NOT!", Loly snaps.

"You were too.", both Menoly and Ichigo respond nonchalantly.

Loly hisses at Ichigo, "Like you are one to talk! With your dreams and acting all moody! I should've known you were a teenager from that alone!"

Ichigo sighs, "Oh shut up, as if you act your age!"

The centipede growls, "What does that mean?"

Ichigo smiles smugly underneath his mask, "It means you act like a little kid."

Loly gawks underneath her own mask, speechless at Ichigo's bluntness.

Sora, meanwhile, chuckles at the scene, "It would seem Orihime was correct about your bluntness, Ichigo. It's good to see you've retained that much in this life."

The Vasto Lorde rubs the back of his neck, "Oh, well, um… thanks…"

After a moment, Halibel regards Ichigo seriously, "So, you were planning on taking out Barragan?"

Ichigo turns towards the female Vasto Lorde before narrowing his eyes slightly, "Yeah… I was hoping to have a few more allies than these three before going towards Las Noches, though…"

Halibel nods, closing her eyes, "Very well. In that case, for saving us from that monster Yammy, as well as setting Sora here on the right path, I too shall offer you my services. Although, I am unsure how much I will be able to help in my wounded state."

The trio of female hollows behind Halibel all bow towards Ichigo, following their master's lead.

As the female hollows do this, Ashido, now having his Zanpakuto returned to its sealed state, holds his sword somewhat ceremoniously, "I won't subject myself to your service, given that you are a hollow, but I will agree to help you besiege Las Noches. I have business of my own I wish to conduct there."

Ichigo nods, "Fair enough. I take it that means those two are coming as well?"

Ashido nods as he notices Ichigo is referring to Stark and Lilynette.

Ichigo smiles under his mask, "In that case, I welcome you all to the pack."

The Vasto Lorde finally regards the white bat hollow next to him, "I'm sorry for dragging you into my problems again…"

The bat shakes his head, "I am unsure why, but I would follow you into Hell itself, should you request it."

At this, Ichigo nods, a smirk under his mask, as he declares, "Anyone who wishes to see a new dawn for Hueco Mundo—follow me!"

One by one everyone comes to his side.

Ichigo nods once more before he cries, "Time to remove that bag of bones!"

Las Noches

Barragan, seated behind Szayel, growls, "That upstart dares make a mockery of one of MY Espada?! I can sense his malice directed at me even now…"

Unbeknownst to the king, Szayel smirks as he says this, "Your time's running out, old king…"

Szayel's eyes widen suddenly as alarms start going off throughout the palace, "An intruder? Now? But White is too far away—"

The pink-haired hollow cuts himself off as he listens to Roka through their link. Barragan eyes the Arrancar carefully, feeling a bit uneasy.

Szayel then nods before regarding the king, "My Lord, it would seem that this 'Uncrowned King' has come looking for a fight with you."

Barragan waves his skeletal hand, as if shooing him off, "Tell the Espada they are to deal with those intruders—anyone except White. I know Nnoitora and Dordoni have been itching for a good fight."

Szayel nods, "Very well, Your Majesty."

As Szayel contacts Roka to deliver the messages, Barragan leaves the room, chuckling, "Very well, little dragon… come face me… face your death!"

Author's Note:

Life Update: School has been rough to say the least. Coursework is extremely demanding and working on this chapter in general wasn't that easy for me, as I needed to get myself in the right mood to. Anyway, I think it's appropriate that I am now calling a hiatus for the fic—at least for a few months while I deal with college. There's also an upside to this for the fic, which leads me to…

Story Update: I know I said there were only two or so chapters left for this arc, but I've decided to expand upon this 'Las Noches' Sub-Arc. I will be giving most of the hollows fights and/or character moments. Furthermore, I plan on focusing more on backstories for Grimmjow and Barragan leading into their eventual confrontation with Ichigo at the end of the arc. I just felt like my original plans for this arc were a bit rushed and glossed over a lot of these characters who deserve as much attention as I gave the Fullbringers and Bambies earlier on. The battle for control over Hueco Mundo is about to be waged and I can't wait for when I get time to properly write it and share it with you all!

Until then, this is Gestuga Goon, a humble Bleach weeb, signing off.