Chapter 40: The Light in the Darkness
Primordial Era, Hueco Mundo
A shining light basks the entirety of the desert of Hueco Mundo, briefly. As soon as the light fades, a skeletal figure, free of any scars, stands alone, solitarily. The being looks towards the sky—more specifically—the crescent moon intently.
I realized as soon as I was born, that I was special…
The skeleton then looks down at his hands, balling them into fists. After a moment, a purple miasma covers the naked skeleton, forming a black and purple cloak.
And in that same moment I realized something else…
~200 Years Later, Hueco Mundo
As of two hundred years later, I had formed the first ever army in Hueco Mundo…
The skeletal figure marches across the dunes of Hueco Mundo, followed behind by hollows of various builds and evolutionary states. Among the army there were the likes of other Vasto Lordes, Gillians, Adjuchas, and even non-Menos hollows.
The army halts their march before a spire which seems to reach past the skies, as the top cannot be seen. The skeleton continues his approach, however, proceeding up a set of stairs before entering the interior.
It was so impressive, that I earned their attention…
The skeleton walks into an empty room, save for a round table surrounded by three chairs. Two hooded figures are each seated on one of the chairs, leaving the remaining one open.
The skeleton bellows, "Who wishes to speak with King Barragan, the Great Uniter?"
One of the figures removes their hood, revealing the face of a dark-skinned woman with tribal tattoos, calm red eyes, and an orange feather-like fragment extending outward from above her left ear. She also has short purple hair with a crimson red tint.
The woman regards Barragan calmly, "My name is Athena Plateado, and he is my brother, Arturo. We have had our eyes on you for quite some time now, young hollow."
Barragan glares at the other figure who remains quiet for a moment, before shifting his gaze back at the woman, snorting, "So the rumors are true… two maskless wraiths occupying a tower under my domain. I should end you both right now for this outrage."
Athena furrows her brow, opening her mouth to say something, but her brother's chuckling cuts her off, pointing at the king in an amused manner.
The man speaks with a rather deep accent, "I like this one!"
Barragan once more glares at the man, balling his hand into a fist, "If you just plan on laughing at me, this is a waste of my time. I could be gathering more hollows under my banner right now!"
The man stifles his laughter, "That's actually what I wanted to speak about…"
The man known as Arturo pulls back his hood to reveal an unnaturally white face with a mask fragment running along the side of his right cheek, angling upward not unlike the horns on a moose. The man also has light gold eyes and dark, turquoise hair that stops around his mid-neck—similar in length to his sister's.
The man smirks at Barragan, "I plan on going to the so-called 'Soul Society' someday and giving those pompous Shinigami Lords a piece of my mind."
His sister stares at him disapprovingly, "Brother…"
Arturo gives her a glance before shrugging and continuing anyway, "When the day comes that I do decide to do that, I was hoping that you and your army would come with me. Think of it as a chance to utilize all of the might you've accumulated."
Athena's frown deepens as she scolds her brother, "You agreed that you would no longer so much as think of doing that!"
Arturo shrugs with a smirk, "And I would've thought you knew there is no way to hold back a free spirit, such as myself…"
Athena looks ready to say something more, but is cut off by Barragan's declaration, "I have no interest in using my army to attack these 'Shinigami'… my only goal is to unite the entirety of Hueco Mundo under my banner…"
A large black battle axe materializes in Barragan's right hand.
The Vasto Lorde's tone becomes sinister as he levels the axe at Arturo, "…including you two."
Athena sighs as she shakes her head in disappointment at the turn of events.
On the other hand, Arturo practically jumps out of his seat, smiling wickedly, "All right then, you little shit! Show me what you've got!"
I had hoped to bring these powerful myths under my control…
3 Minutes Later
But I could not have imagined that their strength was something far beyond my own…
Barragan lies on the ground, now with a deep, permanent crack running down the right side of his skull. Much of the rest of his body is cracked or broken as well, as the king lays tattered on the ground.
By contrast, Arturo merely dusts off his cloak with his hand before sending the king a smirk, "Well, that was fun. You actually managed to surprise me somewhat…"
Barragan heaves, unable to grasp how he lost, "Impossible! …I should be the strongest hollow… how can he be this strong?!"
Arturo gives a bored look at Barragan before addressing his sister casually, "I'm done with him. You can kill him if you want, Athena."
The man doesn't wait for a response as he walks out of the room.
The woman then approaches the king, staring down at him with a serious expression, "Is it true that you wish to unite all of Hueco Mundo?"
Barragan barks at the woman, "Why do you care?! You're just going to kill me!"
The woman shakes her head, giving the king a light smile, "No. You have many enemies who oppose you, young king, but I am not one of them. Despite what my brother might've implied, I will never erase the life of any creature who calls Hueco Mundo their home. I wish to see it flourish, as you no don't do as well."
In that moment, I couldn't help but notice the beauty before me…
And I do not mean it in a shallow sense… no, that would be a waste of my time…
The young king sits upright in interest as the woman squats next to him, offering him a hand, "I can help you bring order to these lands, Barragan."
The king looks to the ground, "But, what if your brother stands in my way… how can I…?"
Barragan flinches slightly as an orange aura seems to coat the woman, her gaze still calm, "I will handle him."
There was something about her that hinted to an almost all-seeing nature… something powerful…
And I was in awe of that power, which perhaps exceeded even her brother's…
The young king nods slowly before taking the woman's hand, "I am listening…"
The woman smiles, "Alright, so here's my plan…"
5 Minutes Later
Both the Vasto Lorde and purple haired woman now sit across from each other at the table.
The skeleton tilts his head in a confused manner, "I thought you said you didn't want to kill the creatures of Hueco Mundo…? I find it hard to believe that no one will get caught up in this…"
Athena closes her eyes, "Some may die, that is true, but my power will allow them to eventually be reborn anew from the ashes…"
Barragan stares at the woman in awe for a moment before questioning, "You mean to tell me you have the ability to resurrect the dead?"
The woman remains silent before staring off into the distance, instead changing the subject, "After today, Hueco Mundo will know you as the man who moves heavens... no mere king, but The God King. The actual truth of what occurs will be irrelevant in the grand scheme of things."
In truth, she was closer to godhood than I…
Although it wasn't as if I couldn't back up such a title…
I still had my Respira, after all…
Barragan nods, "I suppose my understanding the nature of your abilities or power isn't essential. So long as Hueco Mundo is united, I care not for the means… although…"
Athena raises a brow as Barragan continues, "If you and your brother are so mighty, why do you need my help?"
The woman's eyes soften somewhat, "Because we are from a bygone era, where different rules applied to us. This Hueco Mundo is not the same place where my brother and I once lived. You understand what drives these new hollows to feed and evolve, Barragan. We do not."
Barragan looks off contemplatively as Athena gets out of the chair and begins walking towards the balcony at the edge of the room, which oversees the desert below.
Barragan stares in awe as the woman continues, her body starting to light up a bright orange, "We may have the ability to easily bring Hueco Mundo to heel, but we have been around for too long to do anything more. We cannot understand the new era of hollows and are not fit to rule them… you have the ability and right to rule the Hueco Mundo of today. One must know when it is the right time to step aside for the new generation. Do not ever forget this, 'Your Majesty'."
Barragan stares in awe as the woman emits heat in amounts that one would expect from any sun god from the various human mythologies before sprouting wings and soring off into the distance, transforming into a creature akin to a phoenix.
On that day, I witnessed power that far surpassed any of the Shinigami…
In there centuries to come, we would continue to help each other, for the sake of Hueco Mundo…
But eventually, I had grown complacent in my role as God King…
That, in combination with a certain series of events, drove our partnership apart…
So, the rift that she created, became a permanent scar on Hueco Mundo…
A border that neither of us were allowed to cross…
I thought nothing of this at the time…
…it was only after many more centuries of ruling that I would receive a brutal wake up call to how complacent I was truly becoming…
Less Than 20 Years Ago, Hueco Mundo
Indeed, I had become accustomed to ruling over the hollows, without challenge…
The crescent moon of Hueco Mundo hangs high in the sky, shining down upon the desert below. A large tower stands pointing towards the sky, as a deteriorated bell hangs from it, clanging against a long chain attached to it.
The God King sits in front of the sounding bell, complete with golden bracelets and crown. The king rests his head on his fist in a bored manner, surrounded by a multitude of spires or columns that sprout from a brick-like base, which would later become the foundation for the massive palace known as Las Noches. A variety of Adjuchas bow before the path leading towards the king's throne, in reverence of their king.
A female Vasto Lorde holds a pouring glass, motioning towards the king from behind.
The king raises his left hand, waving her off, "I don't need it."
The God King begins to speak to no one in particular, "I'm bored. There's nothing more pointless than an army without an enemy to attack. Doesn't everyone agree? Then again… who would disagree with me?"
As if some act of providence, a massive hollow a distance away from Barragan is split in two, roaring in pain as its body falls to the ground.
The Adjuchas begin to panic, "What was that?!"
Another cries out in surprise, "They killed Gagamel!"
The king cocks his head in mild interest, "Oh?"
Suddenly, three men show up a distance in front of the king, each wearing a black samurai outfit with a white haori on top.
One of the Adjuchas reacts as soon as they show up, "Wh-Who are you?!"
The large hollow attempts to slam his fist on one of the men with brown hair and glasses but is immediately stuck down by one of the men, who is darker skinned than the other two and wears goggles which hide his eyes.
The man with glasses remains standing in place as the blood of the hollow flies through the air around him, settling his gaze on the legendary king, "Nice to meet you. You must be the King of Hueco Mundo."
The skeleton, still resting his head on his fist, responds, "I am. And who might you be? You wear no masks, so you can't be hollows…"
The skeleton questions, casually, "Are you humans? Shinigami?"
The bi-speckled man narrows his eyes slightly at the Vasto Lorde.
Looking back, I'm disgusted with how much I took my rule for granted…
The skeleton holds his left hand in the air, scoffing, "Never mind. I was just feeling bored. If you three hadn't showed up today, I was thinking of splitting my army in half and making them fight each other. So, I'll just say… welcome. Welcome to my castle, Las Noches."
The darker skinned man hums, "Interesting. You call this place with no roof and no walls a castle. Apparently, the King of Hueco Mundo likes jokes."
The king explains his perspective, "A roof isn't necessary. The king's roof… is the sky of Hueco Mundo itself."
The bi-speckled man scolds his associate, "Cut it out, Kaname. It's foolish to bicker."
The man continues speaking as he draws the blade from his waist in a reverse grip, "Let's talk, King of Hueco Mundo. Will you have a look at my sword? Its name is… Kyoka Suigetsu."
The man then holds the sword in front of him in a reverse grip, making the tip point towards the ground.
The king cocks his head to this side in mild confusion, "…what are you trying to do?"
The bi-speckled man continues, "I have one question, King of Hueco Mundo. Are you satisfied with what you are right now?"
The king sits up, his confusion growing, "What?"
The man continues, now holding his sword properly, letting it hang at his side, "Have you ever felt that this world isn't as it should be? Ever thought of rising to new heights? I can help you. Obey me. If you do, I will give you even greater power…"
At the time, I thought he was the height of arrogance…
And I still do…
After all, there is no way such creatures have ever bore witness to the power of a real god…
Unlike myself, who had been chosen by such a power…
The skeleton shifts forward slightly before bellowing a laugh that reached across the sands of Hueco Mundo, "Comical! Comical! A new world? Greater power?! Don't make me laugh, ant!"
The king rises from his throne, gesturing his hands towards the desert around him, "I am the King of Hueco Mundo! I am the King of the World! There is nothing greater than me! There is no new world, except the one I create!"
The king then orders, "Get them! Crush these arrogant ants!"
The bi-speckled man smirks slightly, now holding his blade in a reverse grip with his other, right hand, "I see… Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu."
Reality seems to quite literally shatter before the king, revealing all of his minions to have already been struck down by the two men accompanying the bi-speckled one.
The king gasps, confused, "W-what is this?!"
The bi-speckled man answers calmly, "This… is your world."
The king angrily grabs his axe, growling at the man, "YOU!"
The bi-speckled man gives the king a side-eye, "How ironic. King of Hueco Mundo… an enormous black figure wielding an impressive weapon… you look like a Shinigami."
The king bellows as he charges at the man, "Silence!"
I was humiliated by a Shinigami, who forced me into submission with his deceitful abilities…
He had stolen my throne—my right to rule…
But beyond that, he had stolen my purpose…
Sometime Later, Hueco Mundo
So, I wandered aimlessly for a time…
A skeletal figure, now crownless, drudges through the desert, his head somewhat downcast.
However, I was not alone…
Marching shortly behind the former king are scores of various hollows, be they Gillians or non-Menos class. Leading the group, shortly behind the skeleton, are six particular Adjuchas; a bipedal tiger, a crab, a fairy-esk hollow, a red feathered bird, a massive whale, and a proud elephant.
The remnants of my once great army followed…
All of Hueco Mundo saw that day merely as their king leaving his castle…
As far as they were concerned, 'Aizen' didn't exist…
He was a myth created by the Arrancars who started popping up at Las Noches after I took my leave…
I was still the God King in the eyes of Hueco Mundo…
Barragan halts his advance. The army had already halted a distance away, out of earshot as the Vasto Lorde stares up at the moon melancholically.
As I stood there, I realized that everything I had built was taken away from me like nothing…
And it felt humiliating…
The skeleton then shifts his head to regard a bi-speckled human-looking figure with pink hair—an Arrancar.
The pink haired Arrancar addresses the king, "You aren't looking too good, Lord Barragan… perhaps you would like to come back to your castle…?"
Barragan stares at the Arrancar for a moment before snorting, "I know you, alchemist… you are much weaker than when we parted ways…"
The alchemist shakes his head, "I saw fit to split myself off from my other, useless half. Last I checked, he was in some sorry corner of the desert with a small party of Adjuchas wanting to make a name for themselves…"
Barragan doesn't respond.
The alchemist adjusts his spectacles, "In any case, I wanted to extend to you an invitation to become the leader of the Espada. Las Noches yearns for its God King."
The former king hisses, "You know full well that Las Noches is no longer my castle… I WILL NOT SERVE THAT MAN!"
My biggest humiliation as a king was not losing my title…
The pink haired Arrancar sighs, "Think of it as a partnership, if you'd like. No one will oppose you… after all, only a hollow as formidable as you can hope to hold Hueco Mundo together…"
It was the fact that I lost it to a Shinigami—a being who will NEVER be fit to rule hollow kind…
How could he? Their kind doesn't know what's it's like to feed on your own just to survive…
Barragan seems to consider this offer, "He is correct… perhaps, I could simply play along with this farce… either way, I will kill you, Sosuke Aizen."
The former king nods, "Very well. The God King shall return to his castle…"
The oath I swore to kill that Shinigami still stands…
I will see it through, or die trying…
Hueco Mundo deserves better than a man like him…
He cares not for this desert… he will drive it to even further ruin…
Only a hollow can be the Lord of Hollows…
Present, Arena Above Canopy, Las Noches
The arena built on the top of Las Noches leaves an open, coliseum-like area for hollows of all sizes to battle comfortably, spanning at least the length of a current day football field in length as its diameter. Lining the sides of the arena is a seating area for spectators drawn to the carnage, which is currently lined with thousands of hollows at various stages in their evolution. These hollows let out cries and chants of anticipation for the event they all know is coming. Several massive columns also stand outside of the arena, filtering in the light of the moon.
In the middle of the arena, a lone figure stands with his right skeletal hand held firmly on the handle of his ever-trusted black battle axe, which is pressed firmly into the ground.
Barragan blots out the noise of the crowd, instead regarding his own thoughts, "It is about time that upstart showed up… I'll postpone outright killing him until I've made certain he understands his blunder in keeping a king waiting."
As if on cue, Ichigo, surrounded by a group of seven other hollows, walk out of a passageway leading to the stands. Ichigo immediately looks towards Barragan in the center of the arena from the crowd, who tilts his head to return the stare. Some of the hollows occupying the stands notice this, shifting to look at what Barragan is looking at.
Soon after, multiple of them scream, "IT'S WHITE!"
The crowd then roars in hype, causing Ichigo to wince, "Do they have to be so damned loud?"
A voice within Ichigo's consciousness harshly responds, "Stay focused, King. We need to keep our eye on the prize…"
Ichigo then steels his gaze before using Sonido to warp from the stands to the arena, a distance away from Barragan, who stares him down. The group of hollows from the infirmary disperse, taking seats at various locations in the crowd.
After walking around the stands for a while, Ggio stops as he hears a familiar, obnoxious voice, "You can sit over here with us, Ggio, darling!"
The tiger tenses up, as a tick mark forms on his head, before spinning around and shouting at the person who addressed him, "Like I'd sit with you after my betrayal—"
The tiger stops and widens his eyes as he sees Charlotte, whose sparkling eyes express being in a good mood, hovering next to Sun-Sun, Mila Rose, and Apacci, who recognize him as well.
Ggio's jaw drops, "Since when were you all chummy?!"
Sun-Sun answers elegantly, yet directly, "After fighting Charlotte here, we earned a great deal of respect for each other. Especially after they saved me from falling rubble, which we have a certain, classless deer to thank for…"
Apacci snorts, "Hey, I said I was sorry, alright?! I wasn't thinking…"
Mila Rose and Sun-Sun both nod, simultaneously agreeing, "Clearly."
Ggio begrudgingly approaches, inquiring, "Does that mean you've betrayed Barragan?"
The butterfly shakes their head, "Oh heavens, no! Why would you think that?"
The tiger deadpans as the fairy-esk hollow continues, "In fact, Sun-Sun and I were just betting on who is going to win. Of course, my bet is on Lord Barragan."
The tiger rolls his eyes, "…really? Alright, what are you betting?"
Sun-Sun clarifies, "Whoever loses has to admit they are inferior when It comes to making decisions, thereby making them indecisive, as their choice was incorrect, hence uncultured by comparison."
Ggio simply groans as he takes his seat, "Just forget I asked…"
A short distance away, Sora and Halibel stand next to each other, the latter taking in the crowd, "I've never seen so many hollows in one place before."
Sora's eyes narrow, "I have… but it's not a period I like to remember…"
The serpent almost shudders as flashes of his days as a Gillian occupy his mind.
The female gives him a brief look, sliding somewhat subtly towards him, but is cut off as a small dog jumps between them with a bark. This causes the two Vasto Lordes to look downward, regarding the creature, who wags his tail excitedly.
Sora's eyes lighten up a degree at the sight, "You can feel it too, can't you Kukkapuro? Things are about to change around here…"
"And he's not the only one.", a feminine voice calls out.
The two Vasto Lordes turn to regard Gantenbainne and Cirucci, the latter of whom called out to them. The serpent nods before shifting his attention back to the arena.
In the arena, Ichigo gives an internal sigh of relief, addressing someone through a certain mental link, "Thank you, Roka… Stark's there too…? Huh. …Menoly? …thanks, I appreciate it. Just make sure to rest up, you don't need to worry about me—I've got this."
As soon as Ichigo 'hangs up', he shifts his attention directly on Barragan with a calm, serious gaze. The king notices this and promptly raises his left hand into the air, bringing the crowd to silence.
Barragan glances into the stands, seeing a variety of his Espadas and generals seated among the enemy, before looking back at Ichigo, "You seem to have quite a way of turning my troops against me, don't you, White?"
Ichigo continues to glare at Barragan with narrowed eyes, "It was their decision to betray you. It's not my fault you're a crappy king."
The king is silent for a moment before answering, oddly calmly, "No matter… I'll deal with them after I make an example out of you. No one will defy me after I strike you down."
Ichigo doesn't respond to this with words, rather, activates his black blade arms, which reflect the moonlight. Barragan likewise readies his axe as the two begin to pace about the ring, causing the crowd to hold their silence. The two stare each other down, neither making a move yet. The tension causes many hollows in the stands to instinctively gulp.
Without any further delay, Ichigo shifts his left leg forward slightly before the two suddenly vanish, each with a distorted buzz. They begin clashing, their blows so mighty and quick that they send small shockwaves across the arena, causing an updraft that makes some of the hollows shift a bit in discomfort.
The two continue clashing like this for a bit longer. Barragan swings his axe at the Vasto Lorde, who attempts to parry it with one of his blades and follow up with his other, as usual for him, but widens his eyes slightly in surprise as Barragan's blow causes him to be sent flying back a distance, staggering slightly, as his balance is completely thrown off. While Ichigo staggers, Barragan raises his left hand, charging small red beams on each of his fingers—Balas. These Balas quickly rain down on Ichigo, who can do nothing more than defensively raise his blades, tanking the attacks.
A cloud of dust forms in the wake of the attack, which Ichigo takes as his chance. The young hollow promptly uses Sonido, appearing behind Barragan, bringing both of his blades towards the skeleton to land a fatal blow. However, the old king saw this coming, immediately swinging his massive black axe in a 360-degree motion, knocking into Ichigo's blade arm, and sending him flying back again. This time, however, Barragan charges a full-blown lavender colored cero in his left hand. Once fully charged, the cero launches at the disoriented, mid-air Ichigo with such velocity that it creates a small shockwave around the king's fingers.
Ichigo quickly sprouts his red reishi wings, regaining his stability, before shifting slightly to dodge the blast. However, to Ichigo's surprise, the blast keeps coming as Barragan directs its trajectory towards the younger hollow, following him through the air. Ichigo maneuvers through the air, increasing his speed and managing to fly behind a nearby spire, which takes the blast. The spire is completely destroyed in the wake of the attack, blowing some rubble and debris in the stands. Despite this, the spectating hollows continue to watch in muted silence, as does the king, as the tower finishes crumbling.
After a moment, a buzz occurs behind Barragan, but the king seemingly saw this coming, as he thrusts his battle axe at what appeared behind him, which connects with two black blades. Ichigo holds his swords defensively in front of him as he holds back Barragan's blow, which the king exerts more force into, causing the ground beneath Ichigo's feet to start cracking. The two stare at each other for another moment before both simultaneously backing away from each other, making distance.
The crowd suddenly roars in excitement and hype, realizing that this battle might actually be close and good.
Barragan chuckles, "You have indeed grown into a worthy opponent, White. I see now that your besting Yammy so easily was no fluke."
Ichigo lets out a breath, "You're stronger than I remembered too, old man."
The young hollow's eyes then narrow, "His strikes have even more power behind them than that big guy had... not to mention that they're more focused—more lethal. If I'm not careful, he could easily cut me in half with that axe alone, Hierro be damned."
Barragan snorts, "I've told you this before, but I will say it again: I am the strongest Espada and their leader. None of the rest have a prayer of defeating me. Nor do you..."
The king prepares to attack again, forcing Ichigo to take a defensive stance, but just as the old hollow is about to swing his axe, he pauses. This confuses the crowd, but both Ichigo and Barragan look at a particular wall along the arena, the opposite side from which he entered.
The young hollow's eyes widen, as he starts to call out to the spectators, "Get away from—!"
His call is for naught, as the wall suddenly explodes with a massive, blue light, which vaporizes the spectating Adjuchas. The dragon winces at the sight before his eyes widen once more as he hears familiar cackling coming from the smoke.
Barragan growls, "Who dares interrupt my business with White?!"
The cackling voice calls out, "Your business with White? You're not the only one with a bone to pick with him old man! Not to mention, you two aren't the only contenders for King of Hueco Mundo!"
The figure then throws a hand to the side, causing the dust to blow away in a shockwave, revealing a white armored panther figure with long blue hair.
Many of the hollows present gasp at the sight, murmuring to themselves.
Barragan notices this and growls in irritation, not missing the way Nnoitora and Dordoni radiate both fear and rage from the stands, "Damn you useless Espadas... you were supposed to put him down."
Grimmjow cackles, "I was able to take on two of your prized Espadas at once, not to mention the one I slaughtered in the desert! If I'm being honest, I'm not impressed!"
Suddenly someone from the crowd shouts out, "Wait a minute, that's The Uncrowned King, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez!"
The crowd once more begins to roar in excitement at the new arrival, causing Grimmjow to howl pridefully to the sky and soak up all the glory, "That's right! Who's going to be king?!"
"Grimmjow, Grimmjow, Grimmjow!", part of the crowd calls, particularly Di Roy, Nakeem and Yylfordt, who found each other in the stands.
Ggio stands up and declares, "This can't stand! His Majesty must not be denied, NOW LET'S SHOW WHITE OUR SUPPORT!"
Upon Ggio's prompting, many in the stands begin chanting, "White, White, White!"
Abirama promptly flies in, addressing the crowd in various locations, spreading his propaganda, "Don't be impressed by these pretenders! King Barragan has ruled the desert for well over 1,000 years! He is invincible! Barragan, Barragan!"
The crowd is now split three ways between the combatants, each fighting for supremacy.
Barragan growls angrily as he holds his left hand up once more, "SILENCE!"
The ancient Vasto Lorde's reiatsu erupts, terrifying a majority of the crowd.
Halibel narrows her eyes, "Barragan's angry… that's not good… things are about to get ugly…"
The panther shifts towards Barragan, eyeing him, "Aw, c'mon, old man! You don't have to go and get the red ass on me just because Hueco Mundo thinks I'm worthy of being the next King! You can't stop it, old man!"
Barragan lets out a breath, snorting, "You can say all you want, but you both will die all the same."
Grimmjow then shifts his attention to Ichigo, "Don't think you'll escape my wrath either, White!"
Ichigo glares darkly at the panther, "You're going to regret interfering, Grimmjow…"
The panther glares back at the dragon menacingly, "You still think you're better than me, huh?! You and those eyes… those god-damned eyes! That's why you've gotta die!"
Grimmjow then roars to the sky, creating a shockwave on the arena, which causes some of the hollows in the stands to hold on to their seats to remain grounded. The panther then immediately pounces at Ichigo, who, with no delay, sends a wave of black energy from his swords at both the incoming panther and the God King.
Grimmjow's eyes widen at the incoming attack before he decides to shift his momentum to the side, evading the blow. Meanwhile, Barragan swings his axe at the incoming beam, cutting it in half, leaving the remnants to fly past the booming crowd and into the distance.
Barragan's reiatsu is still on the rise, evident by the familiar miasma that pours from his body, which plagued Ichigo during his days as an Adjucha.
The king channels the corrosive reiatsu through his battle axe, raising it before him proudly, "You think you are the only one who can wield their power through their weapon? Please, I've developed and mastered such techniques centuries before either of you were even in the cradle! Now… I'll turn you both to dust!"
Barragan swings his axe at Grimmjow, sending miasma flying towards him. The panther launches a cero at the attack; however, the blast is completely negated in the wake of the miasma. Grimmjow is soon touched by the miasma, which causes his skin to flake somewhat.
This is short lived.
In the next moment, Grimmjow releases a roar, causing an intense shockwave the spread outward around him, blowing the miasma away.
Grimmjow cackles, "You really didn't think it would be that easy to kill me, did you? That almost tickled!"
Barragan is visibly seething based on his posture before abruptly holding his axe skyward, "I will show you why no hollow has bested me in over 1,000 years—the true power of your God King!"
From the axe, a blast of blackened purple energy is released, completely covering the sky. Even the light of the moon is gone, leaving the area around the arena in complete darkness as Barragan begins to levitate off the ground. Soon after, the blackened energy comes inward towards the king, cloaking both his clothing and axe with a distorted purple miasma.
The God King stares his two challengers down, "This is real power!"
A majority of the crowd becomes fearful in response of Barragan's might.
Ggio narrows his eyes, now anxious, "He's getting serious…"
Grimmjow roars, "So what? Am I supposed to piss myself and run away? Like hell, bones!"
The panther's reiatsu bursts forth from him, causing a blue explosion to erupt before the energy focuses itself, coating his body in a blue aura.
Ichigo eyes the crowd for a brief moment, noticing that many of them struggle to remain standing under the combined reiatsu of two Vasto Lordes. He then shifts his gaze on his opponents, eyeing both Barragan and Grimmjow, who both look ready to tear him and each other to pieces.
The young hollow closes his eyes briefly, exhaling, as he hears his other half whisper, "No more holding back…"
Ichigo's eyes open as he sends a deafening howl to the sky, his body cloaked with pale red reiatsu, releasing raw, unrelenting power that causes the arena to vibrate slightly. The crowd gasps, feeling pure terror as they feel the depth of Ichigo's near transcendent reiatsu, which outstrips even what Yammy's massive reserves were. Every single Adjucha struggles to breath under the combined pressure of the trio's reiatsu, while many other lower hollows straight up pass out.
Grimmjow's vicious smirk reveals itself as he cackles in anticipation, "YES! THIS IS IT! THIS IS THE LEVEL I WANT THIS BATTLE TO HAPPEN!"
The God King briefly glances between his two opponents before clutching his axe tightly, "Your strength… is impressive. But you are still just an upstart, boy! Strength alone will not win you this battle!"
In the next moment, Barragan comes barreling towards both younger hollows, swinging his axe in a 360-degree motion, spewing miasma at everything in his path. Neither hollow has time to properly dodge, forced to block the attacks with their Hierro. Barragan stops this motion at the edge of the arena, looking back to regard the effect on his challengers.
Grimmjow promptly generates a shockwave to shake off the remaining miasma, while Ichigo takes a different approach. The hollow scowls at the miasma beginning to consume his arm before quickly slashing the appendage off and throwing it at the God King, who slashes it in half with one stroke, sending the pieces falling behind him, turning to dust. The crowd gasps at the sight of Ichigo's now bleeding stump where his arm was, and gasp even more when the arm is almost immediately regenerated.
Grimmjow's eyes widen at the display while Barragan tsks, "So that's how you survived my Respira… but I'm afraid high-speed regeneration will not help you against my onslaught!"
Barragan once more swings his axe in a wide sweep, which launches a wave of thick miasma across the entire arena. Neither of the younger hollows let this phase them, however, as Grimmjow begins prancing with insane speed on all fours, roaring as a protective shockwave disperses the miasma around him. Ichigo, again, prefers another approach, deploying his wings before taking flight above the miasma.
Barragan is quickly assaulted by both of his opponents, forcing him on the back foot at they both attack quickly and efficiently. Grimmjow then throws his bladed elbow down at the king, forcing him to block it with the shaft of his axe. Ichigo comes in for a strike with his blades, each coated in red blackened energy. The king roars, releasing his miasma in an outward radius, which forces Ichigo to quickly pull up his flight path to avoid being hit. Grimmjow is not so fortunate, as the miasma begins to stick to his body, flacking off his plated armor and skin before he retreats and makes a shockwave to shake it off.
The panther then holds his bleeding arm, coating his right hand in blood, giving him an idea. Barragan rushes towards him to deal a finishing move, but the panther cackles as he releases a full powered Gran Rey Cero at the incoming king's face, who focuses his miasma and Hierro on defense to avoid being incinerated.
As Barragan's form is sent backwards, a smoking mess, Grimmjow fails to notice Ichigo flying towards him like a jet until the last moment, quickly turning and grabbing the incoming blades in his clawed hands. The panther struggles to hold the dragon back as he puts more reiatsu into his wings, causing them to burn a violent blood red. Grimmjow's feet begin to skid on the ground, showing that Ichigo is overpowering him. Soon after, the dragon's right blade pushes through the panther's hold, lodging itself into the panther's gut, before Ichigo flies into the sky, carrying Grimmjow with him.
The panther's eyes widen as he notices the sinister look in Ichigo's eyes, suddenly feeling a sense of De Ja Vu. Grimmjow flails his right arm, attempting to strike Ichigo's face, but the dragon pierces his blade through the panther's forearm, in a similar manner in which he disarmed Kenpachi, which causes the panther to howl in pain. Blackened red energy is then focused into Ichigo's right sword lodged into Grimmjow's chest. The dragon raises the panther above his head and swings his attack towards the arena, sending Grimmjow with it, which causes an explosion as it makes contact with the ground.
In the wake of the attack, a crater has formed, with Grimmjow at its center. The panther's body spasms as his pupils have left his eyes. Running down the center of the panther's chest is now a massive, scorched, slash mark, which will no doubt leave a permanent scar on his body, as charred blood flakes off it.
Ichigo then eyes Barragan from the ground, who stares back. The hollow king then swings his axe skyward, sending miasma at the dragon. Ichigo huffs before using Sonido and reappearing in the arena, where he then moves to strike Barragan.
However, as he moves over the crater, his leg is suddenly grabbed by a bloodied, black, clawed hand, which forces him to curse, "Oh, you're fucking kidding me!"
Ichigo is then met with a quick, and brutal, punch to the face by Grimmjow, that causes his head to whip back violently, causing the crowd to cringe. The panther swings Ichigo around by the leg with his right arm in a 360-degree motion, before generating long, blue claw extensions on his left hand that he slams into the dragon's chest, piercing through all the way, and sending him crashing into the side of the arena.
Barragan comes at the panther for a sweep with his axe, but the panther dodge with a backflip, letting his foot slam into the king's face while making his retreat, disorienting the ancient hollow.
Ichigo pulls himself out of the rubble, shaking his head, before eyeing Grimmjow and Barragan continuing to trade blows. The dragon retracts his wings before rushing towards the other two Vasto Lordes on foot, charging black energy into his blades, which he launches at his opponents.
Grimmjow skillfully dodges the attack, jumping backwards a fair distance, while Barragan is left mostly open to it, being forced back as it hits him. Barragan slams his axe into the ground to prevent himself from skidding back any further before regarding the incoming Ichigo.
Ichigo and Barragan exchange blows, the dragon still needing to use both of his blades to parry the God King's blows. This, of course, leaves him wide open to attacks from Grimmjow. Indeed, the panther pounces towards him with blood lust in his eyes. Ichigo cannot properly defend, however, as his blades are occupied with Barragan's axe, so the young hollow tilts his head towards his incoming opponent and charges a massive red cero between his horns before firing it at almost point-blank range at the panther.
The panther screams as he is engulfed in the sea of red energy, causing a massive explosion that engulfs nearly the entire arena and generates a mushroom cloud that stands high above Las Noches. Grimmjow's body skids on the ground a smoking mess before coming to a stop.
Ichigo is then forced to regard Barragan again as the king breaks out of the blade lock and swings his axe madly, crushing the ground in its wake. Ichigo's eye twitches as he instinctively decides he's had enough. The orange haired predator charges another cero between his horns, this time taking on a blackened red color, similar to his sword beam attacks. Barragan flinches in momentary surprise of the attack, which costs him, as the cero launches towards him with great speed. The king hastily defends himself with the axe, but even so, the blackened sea of hollow energy engulfs him, in spite of the miasma defending him. What follows in a blackened explosion that coats the entire arena—its foreign reiatsu raining down on the crowd, who are forced into a stunned and fearful silence.
From the stands, Halibel narrows her eyes, "What is this reiatsu I'm feeling…? It's not simply that of a hollow's… it's something else…"
As the dust settles, Barragan, now badly wounded, having scorch marks on his head, heaves as he balances himself with his axe. He glares at the dragon before him with great rage before managing to hold his axe offensively towards the sky, gathering miasma into it. Ichigo tenses as he can tell that the king has thrown defense to the wayside, now focusing all of his energy into killing him.
The king roars as he brings down his axe, sending miasma with it, "RESPIRA!"
The attack comes towards the dragon with greater intensity than before, prompting him to dodge quickly. The orange haired Vasto Lorde widens his eyes is slight horror as the ground where he was previously standing is immediately wiped out of existence.
Barragan continues his assault, forcing the dragon to continue dodging the attacks as he gradually shifts his reiatsu towards offense. Barragan then swings his axe directly at Ichigo, who coats his swords with blackened energy once more before parrying the blow with a grunt. The king lets out a furious battle cry as he slams his axe at Ichigo again and again, swinging it around as if a death storm, as the dragon is forced to dodge many of the strikes which would kill him instantly if they hit. The king once more forces Ichigo into a position where he cannot dodge, but this time the dragon decides not to parry, instead sidestepping at the last moment and swinging his right bladed arm upward at just the right angle that it is sent slashing through Barragan's Hierro and, ultimately, his entire right arm, bisecting it before sending the rest of his sword beam to explode off into the distance. The king's axe flies through the sky before planting itself in the ground behind Ichigo.
Barragan howls in pain as he holds the area that was his right arm, falling to his knees. Ichigo then rests his blade arm next to the king's head, causing him to flinch and look up at a pair of piercing yellow eyes with black sclera.
From the stands, Nnoitora hastily rips the bandages from his mouth, screaming, "What are you waiting for?! KILL HIM!"
The crowd seems to quickly catch on to the Espada's words as a majority of the crowd chants, "KILL, KILL, KILL!"
Ichigo's followers look away in disgust, not wanting to see him deal the final blow—with the exception of Ggio, who watches silently.
It was as if time stopped for Ichigo, "Do I really need to kill him…?"
The teen can hear White's voice egging him on, "Think about everything he put us through—all the pain he's responsible for! Killing him is the only way to remove him from kingship—the wraith said it themselves!"
Ichigo's eyes narrow, "Yes, but…"
The dragon then regards Barragan's limp body on the ground, as the king sputters, "It seems no King rules forever…"
Ichigo continues his thought, "If I spared a piece of shit like Szayelaporro, it would be hypocritical to kill this guy, who's a saint by comparison. It wouldn't sit right with me."
Barragan seems to see the merciful look in Ichigo's eyes, so bellows, for the crowd to hear, "Kill me now! You won't have another chance! For as long as I live, you will never be King!"
The dragon grits his teeth before roaring, "SHUT UP!"
This causes both the crowd and Barragan to do as ordered.
The teen continues, angrily, "You're an idiot! We shouldn't even be fighting each other!"
Barragan tilts his head in confusion, "Is that not why you came here? To decide who would rule over our kind?"
Most of the crowd seems to share that reaction, however, Sora and Ggio in particular lean in, a show of interest.
Ichigo shakes his head, stating bluntly for all to hear, "Fuck that, I don't want to be King. I just came here to kick your ass!"
The crowd becomes jaw-dropped, including Ichigo's allies.
The old hollow's jaw hangs ajar, "B-but you've gathered a small army that managed to take on the Espada and my generals! They even refer to you as a King!"
Ichigo sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, his blades long since retracted, "I never asked any of them to do that."
Barragan gasps, "You're saying, they all follow you by choice? You haven't forced them to?"
The dragon nods, "Yeah. It's like I told you; the hollows who betrayed you did it by choice. Same thing applies to those who were never aligned with you to begin with."
The king's mouth hangs somewhat ajar, recalling words he once heard during the twilight of Hueco Mundo, "One must know when it is the right time to step aside for the new generation. Do not ever forget this, 'Your Majesty'."
The God King's head falls towards the ground in the next moment, a sign of defeat, "I… yield this crown to you and acknowledge you as a worthy successor… you are the one who must lead Hueco Mundo into a new era."
Ichigo's eyes widen, "Huh…?"
The crowd all lets out gasps as well before Ggio shouts, "Long live King White!"
Sora smirks under his mask throwing his fist in the air and following up, "Long live King White!"
The rest of the crowd joins in hyping up Ichigo, "White, White, White!"
Ichigo waves his hands at the crowds, "No! I don't want to be King! Stop it! STOP!"
Against his wishes, the crowd continues to chant, causing him to rub his mask in frustration.
Barragan comments, "You are an odd one, boy. To have come here, fought me, and not want my crown is nonsensical…"
Ichigo grunts, carelessly, "Yeah, well, I'm just full of surprises…"
A distance away, Grimmjow's body lays limp. As the cries calling 'White' continue again and again, the panther's clawed hand twitches.
Past, Hueco Mundo
A panther Adjucha stands proudly on another larger Adjucha, devouring a part of its flesh, "You worthless cowards… Fine…"
The panther leaps towards another, eating a part of it as well, "I'll eat you all and you'll see what the next level's like as a part of my flesh!"
The panther devours from each of his followers before declaring with a steeled gaze, "I am the King!"
Present, Arena Above Canopy, Las Noches
Grimmjow's body immediately bursts up with vicious, blue energy as he howls to the heavens.
Ichigo, with his back turned, widens his eyes in shock, "When did he—?!"
Grimmjow leaps at the dragon, who stumbles as the panther comes at him. This proves costly. Ichigo attempts to catch the incoming strike with his hand, but fails to do so quickly enough, as Grimmjow successfully punctures the dragon's stomach with his hand, causing him to scream in pain. Grimmjow heaves as he removes the clawed hand from the dragon's stomach, leaving him to stumble a bit before rebalancing himself.
The panther roars madly, with pupil-less eyes, his form nearly unrecognizable due to his scorched skin, cracked and deteriorated armor, and the dried blood that dyes his hair red. The large blue claw extensions form on each of his fingertips as he swings them at Ichigo in fury. The dragon, no longer caught off guard, parries the claws with his blade arms coated in the blackened energy they took on before. The two clash like this twice more before the panther, getting overly aggressive, comes in for a death blow, launching both his arms at Ichigo's chest. The dragon, however, takes advantage of this by bringing both of his arms in and parrying both of Grimmjow's strikes by slashing in an outstretched manner, knocking both of the panther's arms away. Immediately, Ichigo turns his blades in a 180-degree motion, leaving the sharp edges facing in at the panther, before quickly and brutally bringing them down on the blue hollow's chest, leaving a deep, gashed mark in the shape of an X.
Grimmjow's momentum halts at this, as blood practically sprays from his chest. He stumbles backwards slightly as his blue claws disappear. Both the panther and the dragon breath heavy, haggard breathes as they stare at each other, the panther's pupils returning to him. Ichigo's breath hitches before he struggles to correct his breathing, the wound in his chest still healing as he retracts his blade arms.
Ichigo's eyes soften as he looks at his opponent, something that makes Grimmjow growl in contempt, "Don't look down on me…!"
The dragon's eyes show disapproval, "You still don't get it… you are powerful Grimmjow… it takes everything I have to not fall to my knees right now… so you want my respect? You have it. Now, let's put an end to this meaningless fighting…"
The panther seems to consider this for a moment before something in him just refuses to let go, causing his adrenaline-fueled body to lash out, "NEVER! I'll kill you, White!"
Grimmjow holds out both of his arms, charging ceros that mix with his blood. Ichigo narrows his eyes in an almost regretful manner as another black cero forms between his horns.
However, before any of the ceros can be released, a distorted buzz sounds behind the panther, revealing the cloaked form of Stark, who swiftly strikes the hollow precisely on the back of the neck, causing his body to fall limp to the ground, his ceros dispersing. The scene causes Ichigo to widen his eyes before slowly dispersing his own cero.
The Arrancar stares at the downed Vasto Lorde, "You're one of those guys who just don't know when to quit… such a pain."
Ichigo regards Stark and a group of hollows who appear behind him using high speed movement as well, "Y-you guys!"
Standing there is the bat hollow, a masked Ashido, Lilynette, two bipedal Adjuchas Ichigo doesn't recognize, Roka, Nelliel and her Fracciones, and finally Loly and Menoly. A tall dark skinned Arrancar who Ichigo doesn't recognize stands near Ashido, looking worse for wear.
The scorpion and centipede approach him, the former addressing him enthusiastically, "You did it, Master Ichigo! You're King!"
The centipede scoffs, looking to the side, "And it sure did take you long enough…"
The dragon smiles under his mask, "Good to see you too…"
He shifts his attention to the bat, the two locking gazes.
The bat becomes frustrated, "I want to congratulate him, but I can't speak…"
Ichigo's gaze softens, which the bat seems to pick up on, "Can he understand my thoughts through my eyes?"
They continue staring at each other like this for a few moments as Ichigo unconsciously filters everything else out.
The two unfamiliar Adjuchas, Shawlong and Edrad, approach Grimmjow, the former stating, "You fought well, My King, but I'm afraid… we've lost today."
Ichigo is pulled from his thoughts by the sight of Grimmjow being picked up by Shawlong, who now only has a left arm, his right arm now only a stump coming from his shoulder, courtesy of Menoly. By this point, Di Roy, Nakeem, and Yylfordt enter the arena from the stands, rushing to their king's side.
Shawlong gives Ichigo a look, "High King White, I request that you allow us to tend to Our King's wounds. I know it is unreasonable given your history, but—"
Ichigo cuts him off with a wave of his hand, "You can do whatever you need to do. In fact…"
The dragon turns back to Roka, who has just finished sewing Barragan's right arm back on, "Say Roka, you wouldn't mind tending to Grimmjow's wounds in the infirmary, would you?"
The girl shakes her head, "I will do anything you request of me, Your Majesty."
The orange haired hollow rolls his eyes as Roka begins to escort Grimmjow's company towards the passageway leading to Szayel's lab.
As if recalling something, Ichigo reaches out mentally to the girl, "…and make sure he's restrained for when he wakes up. I want to have a chat with him."
Roka immediately responds, "Very well. Is there anything else I can do for you, My Lord?"
The dragon thinks for a moment before responding, "Not right now… Thank you."
The girl's response is somewhat delayed and a bit awkward, "…Y-you're welcome."
The teen notices Nelliel's Fracciones following after Roka, flanking her in a protective manner, which earns a slight nod of approval from him.
Ichigo then notes the bi-speckled Arrancar himself, flanked by Dordoni, Cirucci, Gantenbainne, Tesla, and Nnoitora.
The pinked haired Arrancar adjusts his spectacles, "Marvelous showing, Your Majesty. I never doubted you."
Dordoni chuckles, "Indeed! You're no mere niño anymore!"
Nnoitora rasps, "You should've killed him…"
The dragon eyes them, "I take it you all are Espadas?"
Gantenbainne nods pridefully, "Yes. I'm Gantenbainne, it's an honor to finally meet you, White."
Ichigo nods before Dordoni reveals, "My name is Dordoni, and this little Lolita is Cirucci. I expect great things from you, King!"
The trio bow in reverence before walking away, leaving Nnoitora and Tesla, the former speaking, "I'm Nnoitora, and this guy following me around is Tesla."
The dragon furrows his brow, "You disagreed with my sparing Barragan… is this going to be a problem moving forward?"
The mantis tenses before clarifying, "N-no… I have no right to question someone as strong as you. Knowing that you could kill us all if you wanted to is more than enough reason for me to follow you…"
The young hollow relaxes before frowning, "Good… you should go get some rest, then. You never know when we'll need to fight…"
Tesla and Nnoitora walk away, Szayel looking back at Ichigo as he follows, "I shall take these two back to the infirmary with me… I'd like to examine that panther."
The dragon narrows his eyes, "I'll know if you try anything inhumane… don't forget, your 'eyes' now belong to me. I see everything…"
The scientist feels a chill go down his spine, nodding slowly in reaction to the dragon's statement, before walking off with the mantis Espada.
Ichigo regards his allies, including the incoming group of Ggio, Sora, accompanied by a dog who is oddly wary of him, Halibel, and her trio of followers, "Well… we did it, guys. You can do whatever you want now, so go explore the castle or something, I guess."
This causes both Menoly and Lilynette to squeal in delight before grabbing Stark and Loly and dragging them off with them to explore.
As they leave, Ashido calls out, "I'll catch up!"
The Shinigami turns to Ichigo, giving him a slight nod, before regarding Zommari next to him, "You mentioned something about a code of honor when you awoke, Espada. We showed you mercy, so now it's your turn to repay the favor… tell me about 'Lord Aizen'."
Zommari nods in acceptance, "That is reasonable. But we ought not speak here. There should be a room through that passage over there where we can speak privately."
Ashido accepts this before walking off. Zommari bows slightly in reverence of Ichigo before following after.
As those two leave, Halibel and her followers all put in a word of congratulations before the shark explains, "We heard rumors about some kind of room where there is daylight…"
Ichigo nods, "You heard correctly. It should just be directly underneath where we are now."
The female nods, "Interesting… I have always wondered what the sun looks like. Come get us if you need anything."
As the females walk off, Ichigo can't help but notice the crowd, scowling a bit under his mask, before turning towards Barragan, "Can you deal with them? They can go back to their quarters now or whatever, I don't really care."
Barragan nods, "If that is your will, Your Majesty…"
The king then barks at the hollows, "Stop standing there and get the palace repaired!"
This prompts a majority of the hollows to walk through the large doorways leading out of the arena to repair the areas within the palace damaged due to all the fighting.
The ancient Vasto Lorde regards the boy once more, "I shall personally oversee the rebuilding. A king as powerful as you deserves a flawless palace. If you have any questions about the palace or Hueco Mundo itself, come find me. I would be happy to share."
Ichigo gives the old hollow a nod and somewhat odd look as he walks off before noticing Ggio bowing next to him.
The dragon glances at Barragan again and then back to Ggio, "Go… speak with him, Ggio. You can help him with rebuilding if you want to be useful… unless it's too awkward."
The tiger nods before catching up to Barragan, who notes his approach, yet remains silent.
Ggio begins, "Lord Barragan, I—"
The skeleton raises his hand, "I can see now why you chose to betray me for him… I would've done the same in your position… he has the makings of a true king… he shall lead the next generation of Hueco Mundo to become stronger than ever before!"
Ggio nods, "His Majesty requested I help with rebuilding."
Barragan continues walking, stating, "Then by all means, let's…"
Ichigo watches as Ggio and Barragan walk off, now regarding the remaining hollows—Nelliel, Sora, and the bat. Actually, that's not true, as Ichigo just notices a small dog hollow standing at Sora's side, growling at him.
He tilts his head, "What's with the dog?"
The serpent rubs the back of his head, somewhat sheepishly, "It's… a long story…"
Sora then sends a stern look at the dog, which gets him to stop barking and sit at attention quietly.
Nelliel gives Sora a friendly smile, "It seems Kukkapuro recognizes you as his master!"
The serpent tilts his head at the woman, "I don't believe we've met… I'm Sora Inoue."
The woman widens her eyes before they soften, still sending a friendly smile at him, "I'm Nelliel Tu Odelschwank. It's a pleasure to meet one of Ichigo's oldest allies!"
The two continue to converse a bit, causing Ichigo's eyes to land on the bat, whose eyes appear particularly troubled to him.
The dragon bows apologetically at Nelliel and Sora, who pause their conversation to regard him, "Sorry, but I want a private word with him…"
Nelliel and Sora both nod in understanding before Sora picks Kukkapuro off the ground and they use Sonido to warp away.
The bat cocks his head, confused, "With me…? But I can't talk…"
Ichigo finds himself lost in the bat's eyes for another moment before asking, "What's troubling you?"
The bat's eyes widen in surprise, causing Ichigo to elaborate, "Even if you have no mouth, I can still tell by looking in your eyes… I don't know why but, they speak to me…"
The black haired Vasto Lorde tilts his head in confusion, "My eyes…?"
Ichigo speaks distantly, "It might sound strange, but I trust you more than most of the others… maybe it's just because we went to the world of the living together… but then again, maybe not. I think of you, and Sora for that matter, as kindred spirits of mine. But it's different for both of you. For him, it obviously has something to do with us both being older brothers with younger sisters, but with you… I don't know. It just feels like we're connected somehow, y'know?"
The bat squints, "I don't care about any of that, I just want to speak with him as the others do… it would be so much more convenient…"
Ichigo stares off at the moon, prompting the bat to follow his gaze, "Y'know, ever since I found out Arrancars aren't just Shinigami knock-offs, I've had serious thoughts of becoming one eventually… especially since I met my sister…"
The bat stares at him questioningly, "Those maskless hollows? Why would he want to remove his mask…? And since when did he meet his sister… who even is she?"
Ichigo continues enthusiastically despite himself, "Ah, that's right! You left before I ran into her! Her name's Yuzu and she's an angel. As far as I'm concerned, anyone who touches a hair on her head has forfeited their life."
The bat takes a step back as he can feel passionate, overprotective brotherly blood lust radiating from him, "Duly noted…"
The intense aura fades as the dragon sighs, "What I was getting at was, if I remove parts of my mask and become more human-like, our next meeting is sure to be better… I know she didn't see me as a monster as soon as she knew it was me, but it still can't sit right for a girl like her to see an intimidating hollow like me and go, 'Yeah, that's my big brother! Look at how cool he is—'"
Ichigo pauses as he shakes his head, sighing, "…no. No, she'd definitely brag about my current appearance…."
The young hollow looks into the green eyes of the other one, finalizing, "Anyway, you get the point."
The bat responds with his usual silence, however, his mind is busy, "I'm not sure what he should do, but what if… wait, if I became one, could I speak with him?!"
Ichigo continues to look up at the moon, carelessly remarking with a chuckle, "It feels wrong speaking to you like we've been friends for years when I don't even know your name…"
The white bat widens his eyes as his right hand instinctively starts to move upward.
Ichigo meanwhile continues, "…if only I knew how to address you, I could properly thank you for all the help…"
The bat grips the horn on the right side of his head, "I can't bear this silence any longer! How can I not even tell him my own name?!"
The dragon suddenly widens his eyes, thinking of something.
He looks over at the bat, "Wait, we can have Roka—"
The teenage hollow looks in surprise at the bat tugging at the horn on the right side of his head, "What are you…?"
Before Ichigo can get out another word, the hollow rips his horn off, taking most of his mask with it, only leaving the upper left helmet portion. Immediately, the Vasto Lorde's wings, tail, and other various features disappear and collect into a samurai sword—a Zanpakuto.
Ichigo stares intently at his companion's new form, which is far more humanoid than before. The deep, green eyes and snow-white skin remains, but there are many differences, namely that the hollow's hair is much shorter, only falling to his mid-neck, as well as the green, tear-like streaks running down from each of his eyes, now much thinner than before. The remainder of his face is spotless, free of any scars, and his lips are black, in contrast to his white skin.
Ichigo scrunches his brow behind his mask, "Did he just become an Arracnar? Just like that?"
The former Vasto Lorde tilts his head, "Why is he staring at me like that? Did I become an Arrancar? I can't feel my mask…"
Ichigo's mouth opens slightly in surprise as the bat continues to speak, "I wonder if it will be possible to speak now? White deserves to know my name, at least…"
The dragon finally manages a response, "You are speaking…"
The bat's eyes widen in surprise, "You can hear my thoughts?"
Ichigo shakes his head, clarifying, "No, I mean you are literally speaking. I can hear your voice, which, for some reason, I find oddly soothing."
The bat cocks his head, "Soothing…?"
Ichigo nods, "Yeah, it's relaxing… I like it."
The black haired Arrancar stares back into Ichigo's eyes before nervously stating, "My name… Is Ulquiorra."
The dragon samples the name, "Ulquiorra…"
The bat, finally named, Ulquiorra, widens his eyes, "White said my name…"
Ichigo is suddenly struck by an impulse, "You can try calling me Ichigo from now on, or anything really, for that matter. Just not 'strawberry'…"
Ulquiorra samples the name as well, "Ichigo… Hm. Ichigo is… not a strawberry… what's a strawberry, though?"
The bat tilts his head contemplatively, prompting Ichigo to groan, "Just forget the whole strawberry thing. I shouldn't have mentioned it."
The bat nods as Ichigo turns away and looks at the moon, the two once more sitting in silence.
It is short lived as Ulquiorra unconsciously voices his thoughts, "He likes to stare at the moon… I wonder why? His sister… I'd like to meet her, if possible… she sounds… pleasant… I think that's the word for it…"
Ichigo's eyes soften, "She is pleasant, and nice… the nicest, actually… and she deserves to see my face again… my real face."
Ulquiorra watches in curiosity as Ichigo grabs his left horn, before immediately ripping it off, causing most of his armor, fur, and tail to be consumed into a black katana with ridges along the blunt side, a unique ridged guard, and a black chain connected to the end. What remains of Ichigo's mask is the top left helmet portion, which goes around his left eye, which remains yellow with black sclera. His right eye has changed to the same brown it was when he was human. Of course, his skin remains white as before. Further, the red mane remains around his neck, creating a sort of natural scarf. Additionally, his hair remains long, unlike with Ulquiorra, ending below his waist. The remains of his hollow mask are partially covered by his bangs, leaving the horn to appear as if it sprouts directly from his head from behind his orange mane.
The bat Arrancar observes Ichigo's face, "So that's what he looks like behind the mask…"
Ichigo inspects his blade briefly before shifting back in response to two distorted noises sounding behind him, seeing Nelliel and Sora with widened eyes. Kukkapuro lets out a bark at the duo as he jumps out of Sora's arms before letting out a whimper as the serpent sends him another stern look.
The woman smiles, "So, you two decided to become Arrancars?"
Ichigo nods, "Yeah. I guess we've joined the club, huh?"
Nelliel nods, blushing slightly as she says, "W-well I'll go find you two some clothes, then!"
Sora interrupts her before she leaves, "Better get some for me, too."
The woman's eyes widen slightly before nodding with a smile and promptly leaving with Sonido.
Ulquiorra tilts his head to the side, "Clothes…?"
It suddenly hits Ichigo in that moment, causing him to deadpan, "We're naked… she saw us naked…"
The teen blushes profusely, "A girl's never seen me naked before…!"
Ulquiorra tilts his head in confusion while Sora chuckles lightheartedly, "It was an honest mistake. I wouldn't worry too much about it."
Ichigo nods, still blushing, "Yeah, but it's still embarrassing!"
Sora's chuckle dies down slightly as he looks at the orange haired Arrancar seriously, "So… what made you decide to become an Arrancar?"
The dragon responds honestly, "The next time I see my sister, I want her to see my real face."
The serpent widens his eyes before nodding resolutely, "Good answer. In truth, I was thinking the same thing!"
Ichigo and Ulquiorra give surprised looks, the former starting, "You don't mean…?"
Sora immediately rams his right hand into his mask, prying his fingers into the large crack on the right side, a permanent mark resulting from his exchange with a certain Quincy over a year ago. In the next moment, the serpent rips the right side of his mask off, taking all of the jaw with it, leaving the mask untouched left of his nose and above his mouth. Sora's scales, tail, and spikes all condense to form a blood red katana with a crimson guard the shape of a six-pedal flower—identical to the hairpins he gave his sister long ago. Sora's skin appears a natural color, in contrast to the other two Arrancars, being the same color that it was when he was alive. Likewise, his hair has returned to its natural brown although maintains most of its length, falling around his lower back. Like Ichigo, one of his eyes remains as it was when he was a hollow—his left eye, which is a piercing red that shines out of his mask fragment. His right eye is gray, the same color as his sister's. Most notably, however, is a scar that runs through his right eye from just above his eyebrow to the top of her cheek. Just below his scar are three crimson red droplet-like tattoos that fall downward, horizontally spaced on top of his cheekbone.
Ichigo and Ulquiorra observe the man for a moment, each shuddering as he wastes no time closing the distance between them, throwing his arms around both of their necks, "Now, the three of us are as brothers!"
Kukkapuro barks, running around the trio in circles while wagging his tail, matching his master's excitement.
Ichigo raises an unamused brow while Ulquiorra looks up at the taller man, questioningly, "Brothers…?"
Sora looks down at the shorter hollow with an absentminded expression, "Oh yeah, I guess I don't know your name yet… but in case you missed it the first time, you can both call me Big Bro Sora!"
The dragon deadpans, "'Big Bro'? He's probably way older than both of us are!"
The bat blinks before answering, "My name is Ulquiorra. I'll call you, Big Bro Sora…"
Ichigo gawks as Sora laughs heartily, giving them both a slap on the back, "That's the spirit! Now you try, Ichigo!"
The dragon throws his arm back, breaking off from the serpent while blushing, "You serious?! No way!"
Sora frowns slightly in a pout, "Why not…?"
The hollow yells back, "Because it's fucking embarrassing, that's why!"
The serpent's frown deepens, "Now, there's no need to swear. I was just teasing…"
Ulquiorra tilts his head at Sora, who still has his right arm wrapped around the bat, "Teasing…?"
Sora nods with a smile, "Yeah. I was trying to get a rise out of him to lighten the mood, but I didn't know he was such a grouch…"
Ichigo snaps in response, "I'm right here, you know!"
The serpent ignores him, continuing to explain as he drops his arm to the side, away from the bat, "You don't actually have to call me Big Bro. Just Sora is fine."
Ulquiorra nods, "Very well, Sora."
The trio look up at the moon for a few moments before they all tense up at the sound of a smooth, foreign voice, "You three all chose to become Arrancars on your own… how interesting…"
The three turn around quickly as the air behind them suddenly takes the form of a black cloak which is thrown into the air, discarded by the owner of the voice. All three of them narrow their eyes while clutching their new weapons instinctively as a man in a white haori appears in front of then, looking quite wounded based on the bandages he wears, which betrays the look of confidence on his face. Kukkapuro immediately hides behind Sora, whimpering in fear at the sight of the Shinigami.
Ichigo glares at him before stating, "I take it you're the one they call Aizen…"
The man nods, wearing a somewhat amused expression, "I am… and I must say, you put on quite the show in your battle against that panther and the former King of Hueco Mundo."
Sora hisses, beginning to draw his sword, "Save your praise for someone who cares, Shinigami."
Ichigo gives the serpent a look, prompting him to back down, before looking at Aizen again, "Something was bothering me during my fight with Grimmjow… his reiatsu was off slightly, so much so I thought I was imagining things. But now that I see you, I know I wasn't. Any other hollow wouldn't have noticed it, it was so subtle, but my Pesquisa is a tier above the rest… so I've gotta ask…"
Aizen and Ichigo glare intensely at each other as the hollow continues, "…you were the one who healed Grimmjow, weren't you?"
The captain closes his eyes before exhaling lightly, "You're more perceptive than I gave you credit for…"
Aizen opens his eyes again, "I didn't want a hollow with such potential to die prior to becoming an Arrancar…"
Without warning, Ichigo vanishes and reappears behind Aizen, still mid-speech, catching him off guard as he levels his black Zanpakuto on the captain's neck.
Aizen widens his eyes in shock, glancing back at the Arrancar who speaks with disdain, "For what purpose are you helping hollows? For what purpose did you make the Espada?"
The captain's eyes narrow, "To create a new world…"
Ichigo raises a brow, "Why? The current way things operate seem to be in favor of your kind."
Aizen frowns, "Perhaps… but the current is system is rotten to the core, down to the Nobles and Fake Gods who hold it together. I intend to pull it out by the roots, exterminating any bad apples, before replanting and starting anew under the leadership of a true God. To do that, I need your help to secure a device that will awaken powers within Arrancars that are beyond their natural limits."
Ichigo narrows his eyes, growling, "You want me to invade the Soul Society so you can steal your little device that you think can make us stronger?"
Aizen's eyes narrow as he looks back at Ichigo, "I know it will…"
The orange haired Arrancar snorts, "That's great and all, but do I look like I need more power? I don't care about what happens in the Soul Society anyway. So long as the Shinigami leave Hueco Mundo and non-aggressive hollows in the world of the living alone, they can do whatever they want for all I care. Now, I suggest you leave this place for good before I decide to add your head to the list of decorations I'm hanging up in my new room!"
Aizen's eyes widen, "Procuring the Hogyoku is only the secondary reason I came here to request your help!"
After Aizen says this, a distorted buzz sounds behind Ichigo followed by a gasp from Nelliel, who holds three sets of white and black robes in her hands, "L-Lord Aizen…?!"
Ichigo sending the woman a brief look of warning, "Stay out of this, Nel."
Nelliel nods slowly with a somewhat conflicted expression on her face as the dragon shifts his attention back on the captain.
The dragon brings his blade into the Shinigami's neck slightly, drawing some blood, "Talk."
The Shinigami narrows his eyes slightly, frustrated at being in a disadvantageous position, before continuing dejectedly, "You made it sound like Shinigami only hunt hollows. That is a wrong assumption. You may know of the Quincy… they plan on executing one in four days…"
At the mention of the Quincy, Sora softly grabs the skin above his scar.
Ichigo snorts, not removing the blade from Aizen's neck, "Quincies? Yeah, I've heard of them. But, again, why should I care—"
Aizen cuts him off with a serious look, "Because the name of that Quincy is Yuzu Kurosaki."
Ichigo's eyes widen, his blade slowly falling to his side. Nelliel, Sora, and Ulquiorra wear similar shocked expressions for a moment before each looking at Ichigo in concern.
The orange haired Arrancar's mind shuts down briefly, recalling his brief encounter with his sister. He stared down at the face of a crying girl—an innocent child who was forced to adapt to a life without him in it. Her tear-filled eyes, beyond joyful smile, and begging words are all that occupy his thoughts: "Please, Ichigo! Stay here! Don't leave me again!"
However, this image of the girl shifts as she is run through from behind by a jagged, serrated sword, which promptly cuts her in half, sending blood all over his chest as her body falls into two halves on the floor. The hollow glares in blind rage at the mental image of Kenpachi, cackling like a madman.
The dragon's left hand then balls into a fist so tightly that it draws blood, "Those filthy dogs! I'LL SLAUGHTER THEM ALL!"
Aizen steps back a distance, casting a small Kaido spell on his neck, closing the wound as he stares quietly at the enraged dragon.
Through gritted teeth and enraged eyes, Ichigo looks directly at the Shinigami, "When do we leave?"
Author's Note:
With that, the second arc of this story comes to a climactic close! Although, as you all no doubt can guess, the fighting is far from over for Ichigo.
I encourage all of you who've stuck with the story to this point to give me your open-ended thoughts in the reviews/comments. For example, what did you like? What did you dislike? What are you excited about? What do you want to see more of? Is there anything that you want less of? Why do you feel that way? I'd love to read your thoughts on such things and anything else that you'd like to talk about, as it can only help to improve the story moving forward.
Lastly, the next arc will focus on all of the Kurosakis and their closest allies, with particular focus on the development of Karin and Ichigo. In case you all were wondering, it will be a battle arc. Think of the last few Las Noches chapters as sort of a preview to the flavor this next arc will have.
Update schedule: I plan on making updates either bi-weekly or monthly depending on how busy I am in my next semester. Anticipate the next chapter to be posted sometime in late December. I may end up posting multiple chapters around New Years time, but I'll mention it on the author's note in my next update in mid to late December.