Disclaimer: Bleach and Ben 10 do not belong to me.

As usual, thank you both Vandenbz and Pyromania101.

Battle for Karakura Town:

Part 6: Conclusion

"There you are!"

Heatblast, Ichigo, Isshin, Gin, and Aizen felt Baraggan's spiritual pressure pouring down the exact moment they heard his voice. Looking up, Heatblast's eyes got even wider, Ichigo felt multiple beads of sweat form on his brow, Isshin narrowed his eyes, and Gin appeared genuinely startled. Aizen was the only one to look at the Second Espada with curiosity and intrigue.

Though Baraggan retained his skeletal appearance, there were some notable changes. For starters, his crown was larger, though it only supported five tall spires. The center of the crown held a large eye with a red pupil. Although no one else knew it, his skull had been completely restored, now sporting a golden segment around his left eye and two golden chains hung from either side of his head. Jutting from his neck were four large, cracked tusks, though the top pair were shorter. They each sported a golden band around them and red energy emitted from the tips.

His robe had become a mixture of black, brown and tan. Now flowing, the garment revealed a skeletal ribcage where the bones seemed suspended in midair around a mass of pinkish-red energy. The bottom bones were plated with gold. His lower half was covered in leggings the same colors as his cloak. On his hips were large, golden blades, sporting chains that crossed each other as they wrapped around his body. Red energy poured out from underneath his cloak like flames. Not only did gold bangles adorn his wrists, but his right arm was shown to be completely plated in gold while his left was cracked and emitting the same energy his tusks were.

In his right hand was his axe, though it too had drastically changed in appearance. The section of the handle just beneath the axehead was also covered in gold. The blades themselves now had pieces missing, forming crescent-shaped holes in each one. In the middle of the axe was a three-tiered, golden emblem with a red gem in the center.

Baraggan chuckled at the stunned expression on Heatblast's face. "What's wrong, Tennyson? Nothing to say? Are you so completely in awe of my new power now?!"

Heatblast had a feeling that if he could sweat, he definitely would. The air felt so thick and heavy just being in Baraggan's presence. "Going for a new look too, Baraggan?"

Baraggan turned his head and Heatblast could see that the light from the Espada's newfound energy was even coming from his eye sockets. Baraggan's eyes landed on Aizen and they seemed to glow brighter. "So, Aizen, the Hogyoku can do far more than you said it could. Or am I wrong in assuming it's the source of your new appearance?"

"I must say that I'm surprised, Baraggan," Aizen said coolly. "I thought you were dead."

"I will never die, Aizen!" Baraggan bellowed. "Especially not to the likes of that worm, Tennyson."

"Ben," Ichigo whispered to him. "I'm guessing he didn't look like that before?"

"No, he was just a skeleton in a cloak and an axe," Heatblast replied. "Which to be fair, is still pretty intimidating but nothing like this."

"This feeling," Ichigo said. "This happened back in Hueco Mundo, when I fought Ulquiorra."

Against his better judgment, Heatblast couldn't help but turn his head to stare at the Substitute Soul Reaper. "Ulquiorra?"

Ichigo nodded. "Ulquiorra had a form past Resurreccion." Heatblast's jaw dropped. "He called it Segunda Etapa."

"Segunda Etapa, eh?" Ichigo and Heatblast snapped their heads back to Baraggan, who chuckled. "'Second Stage', how fitting. You say Ulquiorra of all people had access to this sort of power? And yet, you're still here. Did you flee from him? Or was his power underwhelming in the end?"

Ichigo shifted from side to side, unease spreading across his face as he looked at the ground. Heatblast stood in front of him, glaring at Baraggan.

"Here to get some payback, Bonehead?"

Baraggan's grip on his axe tightened. "Oh, I'm here for more than just payback, Tennyson! I'm going to make you suffer for what you've done to me!"

"You brought it on yourself, as usual," Heatblast said coldly.

"So you have obtained a new level of power, Baraggan," Aizen said, looking over the Second Espada, a contemplative look on his face. "Now how in the world did you manage to obtain it?"

Baraggan chuckled, a slow, deep sound like rumbling thunder. "You want to know how, Aizen? Why, those fruits Tennyson made in that damned Oasis."

"What?!" Heatblast yelled, his flames rising and causing Ichigo to take a step back. "You had some of them the entire time? I thought you saw them as cheap handouts! Not to mention, why didn't you give any to your men?"

"Oh, they certainly would be if they were used on lesser Hollows! I would have been content to destroy that Oasis when I had the chance, but after our quirk skirmish, I decided that I might as well take advantage of it." He glanced back and forth between Aizen and Heatblast when he spat out the word too.

"So as long as it's you, it's fine," Heatblast shook his head in disgust. "Just how many did you eat?"

"Enough," Baraggan said smugly.

"Interesting," Aizen mused, causing Gin to look at him. "Still, should the fruits alone have been able to help him achieve a new form? Or is it…?" Aizen looked down at the Hogyoku and frowned.

"Captain Aizen?" Gin inquired.

"It is of no concern," Aizen looked up at Baraggan. "So now that you have acquired this Segunda Etapa form, you have finally decided to oppose me?"

The bangles around Baraggan's arms rattled from how much Baraggan's arms were shaking.

"Ooooh, there will be a reckoning for you, Aizen! But at the moment I have a score to settle with him!" He pointed his axe at Heatblast. "So go! Go and create the Royal Key and know that once you do, I will come to claim both it and the Hogyoku from you. Then I'll kill you!"

"Really?" Aizen asked in amusement. "How considerate of you. Benjamin, it seems our fight will have to end."

"Oh no, you don't!" Heatblast raised his hand to blast Aizen, only for Baraggan to appear beside him.

"Your battle is with me, Tennyson," He raised his axe. "Destino Arrogante!"

He slammed his axe into the ground, creating and shattering the rubble before knocking Heatblast into the air. Before he could regain his bearings, black and maroon energy erupted from the fissures Baraggan had created. Ichigo and his father were knocked off their feet and Heatblast was sent spinning through the air. Even Gin felt anxious at seeing Baraggan's attack. Only Aizen was nonplussed.

"Ben!" Ichigo cried as he picked himself off the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this," Baraggan chuckled again, moving away.

Ichigo, unaware of what the Second Espada was capable of, prepared to attack when a doorway consisting of two sliding doors appeared before Aizen and Gin. Ichigo's eyes widened as the doors parted, leading into what appeared to be a waiting room. But Ichigo recognized it immediately: the Senkaimon, gateway to Soul Society.

Aizen looked over his shoulder and smirked at Ichigo. "Your choice, Ichigo Kurosaki. You can either pursue me or stay behind to help Benjamin fight Baraggan. Unfortunately I can't wait for you to make up your mind so I will go on ahead."

"Get back here!" But Aizen and Gin paid no mind as they started into the Senkaimon.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to go ahead, Captain Aizen?" Gin asked even as he followed. "Baraggan has gotten pretty powerful now. If Ben loses-"

"He won't."

Gin actually staggered at the absolute confidence in Aizen's voice. "Why Captain Aizen, it almost sounds like you believe in him."

"I acknowledge his capabilities," Aizen replied smoothly. "Baraggan has become more powerful, yes, but I know Benjamin will win one way or another."

"I see," Gin took one last look at Baraggan before he stepped into the gate, a contemplative look on his face.

"Stop!" Ichigo ran forward but it was too late. The doors to the Senkaimon closed and slowly disappeared, Ichigo coming to an abrupt stop as it vanished.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned, gasping as Nelliel ran towards him with Orihime riding on her back, arms around Nelliel's waist and looking slightly flustered. Before Ichigo could comment on it, Harribel and Starrk appeared alongside the former's Fraccione. Sung-Sun and Apacci were supporting Harribel while Mila Rose was helping Starrk. Ichigo winced when he noticed they were all sporting wounds he suspected were Aizen's doing.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?" Nelliel asked as Orihime slid off her back and stood beside her.

"I was too late," Ichigo said. "Aizen's on his way to Karakura Town. This Espada called Baraggan showed up and-"

"So it was him," Starrk frowned. "I thought we had seen the last of him. Something's changed. His spiritual pressure has not only skyrocketed but it's become different–"

"Segunda Etapa," Ichigo stated, getting their attention. "That's what Ulquiorra called it."

Orihime gasped, her eyes indicating unpleasant memories. The others didn't notice as they were staring at Ichigo in shock.

"Ulquiorra had something like that, huh?" Starrk scratched his head. "Never knew him to keep secrets. I wonder if even Aizen knew."

"He claims Aizen didn't," Ichigo replied.

"Where's Ben?" The others began looking around frantically.

"Baraggan sent him flying," Ichigo said worriedly. "I-I want to help him but–"

Starrk disappeared in a burst of Sonido. Ichigo looked around for him before his eyes drifted to where Aizen had disappeared.

"Kurosaki," Orihime said softly at the conflicted look on Ichigo's downtrodden face.

"Go to your home and stop Aizen," Harribel said, causing Ichigo to blink at her. "I appreciate your wish to help Ben but he is the only one who can counter Baraggan's power. Yet if Aizen succeeds, then it won't matter regardless. We'll try to catch up to you as soon as possible."

"She's right, Ichigo," Isshin said. "I understand wanting to help Ben out but if he is the only one who can stand a chance against Baraggan, we need to focus on Aizen."

"Alright," Ichigo relented after a long silence.

"Orihime Inoue," Harribel said softly as the human girl turned to her. "I think it would be best if you accompanied him to Karakura Town."

Orihime stared as Ichigo scowled at Harribel. "What?! I don't want Aizen anywhere near her!"

"I understand your concern for her, Ichigo Kurosaki," Harribel said softly. "But you are injured and will need to be at full strength before trying to face Aizen. Besides, Ben had suggested that the Hogyoku should be separated from Aizen instead of defeating him outright."

Orihime gasped. "If we do that, I'll try to erase the Hogyoku from existence."

"Careful, Inoue," Isshin said as he stepped towards her.

Orihime's eyes widened and her jaw dropped upon seeing Ichigo's father dressed in Soul Reaper garb. She looked at Ichigo himself, unable to form words. Ichigo scratched the back of his head, also speechless.

"Your powers are impressive but whether or not they can work on the Hogyoku is a big issue. That thing's been doing all kinds of crazy things so I wouldn't be surprised if it has some kind of defense mechanism."

"I'll come with you," Nelliel volunteered firmly, surprising Ichigo and Orihime.

"Nelliel," Ichigo started to say.

"Please, Ichigo," Nelliel pleaded. "Let us help you. I want to help Ben too but he has other allies he can depend on. You two were about to go after Aizen alone."

"Please let us, K—" Orihime swallowed, licked her lips, then with a deep breath, tried again. "Please let us help you, Ichigo."

Ichigo did a double take at Orihime addressing him by his first name and saw the determination in her eyes. Looking away from her, he noticed the others were all looking at him expectantly. Sighing in resignation, he smiled at her. "Okay, Inoue."

Orihime smiled when Nelliel charged forward and conked Ichigo on the head, making him stagger back comically.

"When a girl addresses you by your first name, then you should also do the same, Ichigo."

"Nelliel!" Orihime panicked, flailing her arms.

Isshin chuckled. "Oh, I think we're going to get along great."

Ichigo grumbled as he rubbed the top of his head. "Alright, we're all going. Dad, open the gate."

Isshin nodded in approval. "On it." He held up his sword as it began glowing with energy. Aiming it horizontally, he thrust the blade forward and turned it to the side like a key. The same doors that Aizen had summoned appeared a moment later.

As the doors opened, Orihime turned around towards Harribel and her Fraccion, shocking them when she bowed. "Please look after Ben!"

Although Orihime had reassured them that she bore no grudge, the four Arrancars were stunned by her actions. Recovering from her shock, Harribel nodded firmly. "We will, I promise."

Smiling, Orihime turned and joined Ichigo, Isshin, and Nelliel as they ventured into the Senkaimon.

"Apacci, Mila Rose, get Lady Harribel back to Hachigen so she can recover," Sung-Sun said. "I'll help Starrk find Ben."

"I don't like you giving orders, Sung-Sun, but you're right," Apacci said. "Hold on, Lady Harribel."

"Be careful, Sung-Sun," Harribel said to her subordinate.

"I promise, my lady," Sung-Sun replied. Their conversation finished, the female Arrancar shot off in two different directions.

/*/

Baraggan looked around to where Heatblast had flown off to. He looked around the rubble, first to the left, and then to the right.

"Where are you, Tennyson?! I know you're not dead yet! Hiding like a coward? Come out and face me!"

"If you insist."

Baraggan moved to the side as a green beam shot past him. A figure moved out from underneath a mound of rubble. It was a ten-foot tall, dark blue robotic-like being with a silver belt. He had oval eyes, a gray, metallic mouth that covered part of his chest, a large horn from the top of his head and a smaller protrusion from the back of his head.

Baraggan threw back his head and laughed. "What is this? Some sort of bug? It certainly suits you."

"Looked in the mirror lately? You're no prize yourself."

"Make all the jokes you wish, Tennyson. It'll make your demise all the more satisfying."

"You should have stayed down when you had the chance." Opening his jaw wide, the new alien scooped up some of the rubble and began scarfing it down.

"Having yourself a last meal? It's only fitting that you eat from the dirt like the filthy little insect that you are!"

"You know something, Baraggan? I just realized, you and Aizen have something in common."

The light in Baraggan's eyes flashed and his next question was accompanied by a deep snarl. "And what would that be?"

"You both really like to hear yourselves talk!"

The insectoid alien unleashed another beam at Baraggan who lazily moved to the side. Undeterred, the hero fired another beam while constantly stuffing his mouth with various chunks of gravel, metallic pipes, and even wood from collapsed utility poles. But Baraggan dodged each and every blast with ease.

"Did this transformation affect your mind? Even if by some miracle your attacks hit me, their damage would be miniscule at best."

"Wasn't trying to hit you!"

If Baraggan had eyebrows anymore he would have raised one when his attention was drawn to the sound of crumbling concrete. Turning around, Baraggan realized he had been standing in front of one of the surviving skyscrapers. The new alien's repeated blasts had struck the corners of the building, thereby causing the unbalanced skyscraper to come tumbling down.

"Timber!" The alien hero called as he ran away from the skeletal Arrancar.

As the skyscraper descended, Baraggan merely raised his axe. "Pathetic!"

One swing and the building was demolished. Chunks of wall, rooftop, shards of glass, pipes, everything that composed the skyscraper were obliterated. The insectoid alien was flung off his feet, hitting the ground into a roll.

"Not again!" he grunted as his face hit the pavement. No sooner had the insectoid tried to push himself to his feet, than another blast of force struck the ground beside him, shooting him into the air. "Maybe I should have stuck with Cannonbolt!"

Then he felt two pairs of hands grab his own. "Starrk! Sung-Sun!"

"So you've entered your released state, Starrk?" Baraggan asked. Both he and Sung-Sun stared incredulously as Baraggan's new form. Already the former Primera felt a cold sweat run down his brow. "A pity. I was hoping to kill you and Lilynette one after the other, but it seems I'll have to settle for both at the same time."

Pausing the moment he heard growling, Baraggan saw that a trio of wolves had formed a circle around him. Sung-Sun and Starrk shot away as the wolves exploded into blazing light.

"Doubt that did anything," Starrk commented. "But we need to get back to the others."

"I don't recall seeing this alien," Sung-Sun noted, studying Ben's new transformation. "What's his name?"

"I just turned into him earlier. Say hello to Eatle."

"So he's a beetle and he eats stuff?" Starrk guessed.

Sung-Sun raised a brow. "Then he's just an insect version of Upchuck?"

"Hey, he can do things Upchuck can't!" Eatle said defensively. "Where's Aizen?"

"He went on to Karakura Town," Sung-Sun informed him. "Ichigo Kurosaki has gone ahead, accompanied by that other Soul Reaper, Nelliel, and Orihime Inoue. Don't worry, we told Kurosaki that he should remove the Hogyoku from Aizen first."

"If he's able to," Starrk pointed out.

"That's not all," Eatle said, his eyes fixed on the smoke from the wolves' explosion. "Baraggan wants Aizen to make the Royal Key before he takes it and the Hogyoku from him."

"Things just had to get worse, didn't they?"

"Are the others still with Hachigen?"

"They are now," Sung-Sun answered. "Despite being injured, Lady Harribel and Nelliel accompanied us to check on you. I asked her to return to Hachigen while I helped retrieve you."

"Look out!"

The next thing the other two knew, Starrk was blasted away from them, the sheer force nearly taking Sung-Sun and Eatle with him. Thrown by both the whiplash and lack of support, the two fell to the ground. They looked up to see Baraggan hovering above them. Further away, Starrk picked himself up, a sword of spirit energy in hand that he used to block the other Arrancar's attack.

"Yep," Starrk grumbled. "Didn't work."

"Of course it didn't work!" Baraggan laughed. "The only thing you had superior to me was your spiritual pressure, but now I completely eclipse you in every way, Starrk."

If only we knew how to get that Segunda Etapa thing, then he wouldn't be laughing, Lilynette said huffily.

Even if we somehow could, there's still his time powers to worry about. Besides, since we don't even know how he got Segunda Etapa, I don't think we'll be gaining it any time soon.

Starrk started to rise, hissing as he felt his injuries taking hold.

"I suppose I can dispose of you first, Starrk. I'll enjoy watching the despair on Tennyson's face as he watches you die."

Baraggan tilted his head back to dodge another blast from Eatle, who glared up at him defiantly.

"It's me you want so come and get me!"

"Ben-"

"Sung-Sun, get Starrk back to Hachigen and stay there until everyone's recovered. I'll keep him busy."

"But-"

"I'll be fine," Eatle said reassuringly. "Now go!"

Sung-Sun wanted to argue but Eatle was already running off, scooping up more rubble and firing at Baraggan as he ran. Her eyes locked with Starrk's and he gave a reluctant nod. Sung-Sun looked back as Baraggan casually floated after Eatle. "We'll come back for you."

/*/

"Where's Ben?" Apacci asked when Sung-Sun and Starrk returned to the others.

"He's keeping Baraggan distracted," Starrk grunted. "But for how long, I don't know."

"It might be best if you were to seek out Captain Unohana," Hachigen said, having created a barrier around the Teen Titans. "I had witnessed this Baraggan's power before my comrades and I joined the battle. The captain may not have the same powers Orihime and I possess but she is the head of the healing division."

Sung-Sun looked over at Charlotte, who was staring in the direction where Baraggan and Eatle were engaged. "So, now that it turns out your former king is alive, what will you do?"

"I have already pledged my loyalty to Ben," Charlotte said the moment everyone's eyes landed on him. "Even if I retained loyalty to Baraggan, he would have killed me for losing at the pillar. I will not betray you."

"Well, I guess that's–" Suddenly one of the barriers holding the Hollow Aliens exploded, completely destroying it. Out of the smoke, a regenerating Fuego fell, his arms and limbs regrowing.

Hachigen winced. "Of course. A self-contained area like that, he must've been filling it with methane the entire time."

"Then he ignited it once the barrier was full!" Mila Rose realized.

There was a cracking noise as everyone looked up to see the barrier holding Diamante shattered. When they noticed a corner of the barrier was the first part to break—

"He must've been attacking one specific spot over and over again like an icepick," Sung-Sun. "Slowly chipping away at the barrier."

"And when I focused on healing Ken's team," Hachigen said tiredly. "I didn't focus on reinforcing the barriers."

Diamante and Fuego sneered at the Soul Reapers and Arrancar before the latter fired beams of flames at the group. Harribel raised her sword and shot a jet of La Gota to counter the attack, penetrating the flames and tearing a hole clean through Fuego's torso that was already beginning to heal. Diamante jumped up and landed onto the barrier still holding Huecos Brazos in place. He began pounding on the top of the barrier as Huecos punched with renewed vigor.

"I'm getting tired of these guys," Apacci said as she raised her fists in preparation.

"Agreed," Mila Rose said as she gripped her sword.

"Lady Harribel, you and Starrk should seek out that Unohana Soul Reaper," Sung-Sun suggested. "We'll hold these imitations off as long as we can."

"Are my teammates almost healed?" Miss Martian asked.

"They're recovering well but I still need more time," Hachigen admitted.

"Then I'll buy you that time," the Titan declared, taking a fighting stance.

"We all will," Charlotte stated as he drew his sword again.

Starrk and Harribel shared a look before turning their heads back to where Baraggan and Ben were. Glancing back at each other, they gave a weary nod. "Be careful, ladies," Harribel said to her Fraccione.

All three nodded back just as the barrier holding Huecos shattered. Casting one last look at her Fraccione, Harribel set out to find Unohana with Starrk right behind her.

"He seriously fired a Cero within that barrier?" Apacci wondered, seeing the smoke rising off the Hollow Alien's body.

"People do crazy things when they're desperate," Miss Martian said as Huecos was joined by his comrades.

"These three specialize in switching opponents and then ganging up on one at the same time," Mila Rose informed her as the three Hollow aliens turned their attention towards the group. "We can't let them catch us off guard."

"Got it," Miss Martian replied as their opponents charged towards them.

/*/

"What's wrong, Tennyson?" Baraggan taunted as he dodged yet another blast from Eatle. "Are you so terrified that you can't come up with any better strategies?"

Eatle grumbled even as he jammed more chunks of rocks and metal into his mouth. Baraggan was obviously just toying with him again, probably wanting to make him sweat. Aside from the question of whether or not Eatle could sweat, when was Baraggan going to stop playing around?

The answer came when Baraggan just appeared directly in front of him! Eatle yelped, his horn already charging when the second Espada struck him with the flat of his axe. The insectoid alien was launched into the air, slamming into a chunk of wall from one of the other destroyed buildings. Groaning, Eatle looked up just in time to see Baraggan swinging his axe down. Eatle managed to grab the blade with both hands before it made contact. Kicking off the ground, he headbutted the axe with his horn, pushing Baraggan back. Undeterred, the Arrancar shot forward again. Eatle ducked as a slash from his opponent destroyed the wall behind him.

When Baraggan swung his axe again, Eatle fired a beam from his horn. As Baraggan's attack was deflected, Eatle fired again, striking Baraggan in the chest. The attack pushed him back, kicking up dirt as he slid along the ground but the Arrancar quickly came to a halt.

Then it came again, that intense pressure. Eatle wobbled for a moment, trying to firmly plant his feet.

"I hope you enjoyed that little window of hope I granted you, Tennyson," Baraggan said, his voice like a cold wind. "Because now, I'll end you!"

Before Eatle could even blink, he was struck again, soaring up in the air. No sooner had he tried to get his bearings that he was struck again, launched forward this time. He was just able to see Baraggan appear in front of him before he was bludgeoned by the flat of the axe. He spun through the air, feeling like a ball in a demented tennis game. The next thing he knew, a force struck him from above and he found himself face-first on the pavement.

Dazed, Eatle would have picked himself up but he felt Baraggan's hand grab him by the leg. The whole world spun again as he was airborne once more. He could just make out another incoming building as he threw his arms in front of his face. Instead of hitting the wall, he crashed through one of the glass windows. His body hit some kind of platform and crushed it to pieces.

Pushing himself up, Eatle saw that he was in one of those corporate meeting rooms, complete with a table (what he had landed on), chairs, and a whiteboard on the wall.

"Wow," Eatle couldn't help saying as he brushed himself off. "They really went all out on this fake town. Why all the extra detail?"

Looking down at himself, Eatle grimaced as he noticed his body was badly dented in several spots. "He's just toying with me. If he really goes all out I'm gonna need to dial another guy in fast."

The room began to shake and unless Eatle had suffered some minor brain damage, he could swear that the room was starting to tilt. "Now what?" Just then he saw the wisps of an all too familiar black smoke. "Go figure."

/*/

Baraggan stood outside, watching as his Respira began to spread all over the skyscraper, the foundation already beginning to rot. "Try to drop a building on me, Tennyson? Well, let's see how you like it!"

Upon most of the building rotting away, Baraggan waited as it began falling apart. It leaned to the right before collapsing in on itself. Still Baraggan waited as the once towering building became a pile of debris. His Respira was unfettered, rotting away the rubble into nothing. His attention was drawn to a figure shooting through the Respira, making him clench his axe tighter. The fact that the figure moved through the Respira without aging into dust meant it could only be one form that Baraggan knew of.

Diamondhead struck his hand down as he slid across the ground, rising to his feet as the building he escaped from disappeared into the Respira.

"Finally."

Diamondhead turned around just in time to raise his arms. Baraggan struck him, knocking him off his feet yet again.

"Getting really tired of that," Diamondhead snarled, forming an anchor and chain of diamonds from his hands.

Swinging the anchor, he threw it at the ground. Just as he was about to pull himself towards it, Baraggan appeared and grabbed the chain before he pulled. Diamondhead shot towards the Arrancar, quickly shaping his fists into blades. He grit his teeth as he felt his body beginning to slow down the moment he was within inches of Baraggan. The Arrancar grabbed Diamondhead by one of his back spikes, spun him overhead, and threw him into the air once more.

No sooner had he been launched than Baraggan appeared before him, grabbing him by the throat and slamming him onto the rooftop of another building. Before Diamondhead could pry himself free, Baraggan dragged him across the roof with so much force that it tore pieces of the floor off.

"Even your durability has a limit, Tennyson," Baraggan said as he threw Diamondhead off the roof. His pressure flaring once again, the former king struck him in the stomach with his axe, crashing him into the roof of the building right across the street. "It's all a matter of hitting hard enough and in the right spot."

Diamondhead pushed himself up, fists raised as he glared defiantly at Baraggan.

"So, even now you defy me. You must realize how hopeless it is."

"I already told Aizen this and I'm gonna say it to you," Diamondhead snapped. "No matter how powerful you become, I won't stop until I take you down."

"And now do you intend to do that? Way Big? The moment you transform into that giant, I'm going to rot him away to nothing. Your tricks won't work on me this time, Tennyson."

Diamondhead narrowed his eyes, still glaring at the Arrancar defiantly.

"But, if you're so eager to reach Aizen," Baraggan said. "We can see him together."

"What are you talking about?"

Laughing, Baraggan swung his axe and aimed downward. His Respira shot down, hitting the pavement and spreading like a fog, rotting everything that it touched to dust.

Diamondhead stared in confusion but as the Respira continued spreading, horror dawned on him. "You're going to destroy the entire town?!"

"And the four pillars keeping this town here! Once they are destroyed, we shall join Aizen in the real Karakura Town."

Diamondhead gasped. Everyone, especially all those injured and scattered around the wreckage of the town, they would be…

Leaping off the roof, Diamondhead landed in the path of the Respira and struck his hands onto the ground. Crystal pillars rose up like a barricade.

"Trying to contain my Respira, Tennyson?" Baraggan laughed. "Go ahead and try. I shall amuse myself watching you struggle in vain. In fact…!"

The Arrancar unleashed a larger wave of Respira across the ground, spreading out and blanketing the area. Diamondhead grit his teeth as he watched the rest of the nearby town rot and decay into dust.

"Go ahead, Tennyson!" Baraggan bellowed. "Try and stop me!"

Luckily the town was vast so it would still be awhile, even for Baraggan, to completely destroy it at once. But Diamondhead had other matters to worry about. Hitting the Ultimatrix, he transformed into Jetray and flew off.

/*/

"Ha! Is that the best you can do?" Apacci taunted as she dodged a jet of fire from Fuego and countered with a Bala.

Rather than hit him directly, she struck at his feet. The explosion blew him backwards where Mila Rose appeared and slashed him four times. As his body fell to pieces, she began charging a Cero only to narrowly dodge a fist from Huecos. Charlotte, who had entered his released state once more, grabbed Huecos by his outstretched arm and threw him over his shoulder and into the ground. Diamante was about to fire shards at him when Sung-Sun coiled her tail around him and threw him towards his teammates.

"You knock-offs think you can beat us?" Apacci said haughtily. "We've been training with the genuine article!"

"Don't underestimate them, Apacci," Mila Rose warned. "Just because we have experience against Ben's aliens doesn't mean they're helpless against us."

"I don't know," Miss Martian said as she stood between Huecos and Diamante. "These guys don't really seem to measure up to Ben at all."

Huecos and Diamante snarled as they both punched at her, only for Miss Martian to become intangible. Their fists went right through her and hit each other in the face.

Apacci grabbed her stomach, guffawing as they both staggered away from each other. "I-I can't believe they fell for that one!"

"They're becoming agitated and therefore unfocused," Sung-Sun noted.

"I just hope that Unohana woman can heal Lady Harribel and Starrk," Mila Rose said.

"Don't worry," Hachigen reassured her. "Not only is she the captain of the healing division, but her Zanpakuto specializes in–"

"Guys!"

Everyone turned to see Jetray flying towards them, looking incredibly panicked.

"Ben? What's wrong? Is it Baraggan?" Apacci asked.

Jetray nodded as he constantly looked back over his shoulder. "He's spreading his Respira through the entire town so he can destroy the pillars all at once!"

"What?!"

"But in order to do that—" Hachigen realized.

"You all have to get out of here! Head back to Hueco Mundo while there's still time!"

"You're not expecting us to leave you behind, are you?!" Apacci cried.

"It's too dangerous to stay. You have to get out now!"

"But what about Urahara and Yoruichi?" Hachigen pointed out. "They're still out there. I can feel their spiritual pressure, regardless of how low."

"Not to mention-hey!'' The group dodged Diamante's stab. The Hollow Petrosapien swung his arm before Charlotte ducked and swept his leg out from under him. Huecos tackled him, sending the two grappling onto the ground. Fuego summoned vines out of the ground to ensnare the others, only for Jetray to cut through the vines with his tail.

"We don't have time for this! Baraggan will kill everyone if you don't get out of here!"

"If?"

Jetray spun around. Charlotte, Miss Martian, Mila Rose, and Apacci all gasped as Baraggan stood above them all.

"B-Baraggan?" Apacci stammered.

Said Arrancar looked down at them and spotted Charlotte, forehead covered in sweat. "So, Charlotte. You have betrayed me?"

Swallowing, Charlotte tried to steady himself. "I was cast out the moment I lost to that Soul Reaper. My loyalty now belongs to someone else who's not only powerful but kinder than you."

"Oh? And where is that power now, Charlotte? Tennyson has been helpless against me!"

"It's not over yet, Baraggan!"

"Only because I allow it to be!" Baraggan shouted. "Hmm? What's this?"

He then became aware of the Hollow Aliens looking up at him. He tilted his head, studying them.

"What is this? Wait—I see now. Szayel's handiwork, no doubt. So he created clones of your aliens and Hollowfied them, eh? This was no doubt that little project he and Aizen were talking about earlier. Well, Tennyson, how about I give you a little preview of what I have in store for you. Starting with them!"

Baraggan dove down at the three Hollow Aliens, who instinctively leapt back. It did them little good as everyone was bowled over by the shockwave Baraggan's blow created. Baraggan then used Sonido to appear before Fuego and grabbed him by the throat with one hand. Huecos leaped up to throw a punch at the Arrancar, only for his eyes to widen as he felt his body begin to slow down. Baraggan cast aside his axe and effortlessly grabbed him by the throat as well.

"You two will do perfectly!"

"Baraggan, no!"

Jetray was about to attack but Baraggan had already unleashed his Respira. His jaw fell in horror as the miasma spread along their bodies, their flesh rotting away. The two Hollow Aliens' eyes widened as they thrashed. Fuego aimed his hands at Baraggan to blast him with flames, only to gasp as the Respira spread along his fingers and down his arms. A draw of breath and Diamante lunged at Baraggan, only for the former king to turn around and kick him in the chest, knocking him back down.

"Behold the fate in store for you!"

Miss Martian's hands flew to her mouth as Huecos' flesh rotted faster, exposing his skeleton. Even as his body rotted away, Huecos never stopped struggling, pounding his fists at Baraggan's arm only for them to rot down to the bone which then crumbled when they struck the limb holding him captive. Huecos stared in horror as the Respira crept along his arms. Fuego was no better, his body starting to shrivel up and crumbling away to dust.

"Let them go!" Jetray yelled, his eyes already glowing but Baraggan dodged as the Aerophibian fired his beams. As if to mock him, the Respira spread even faster. Jetray watched in frustration as the two Hollow Aliens crumbled away to dust. The last look on their faces was that of horror and desperation.

"How horrible," Hachigen said bleakly.

"Bastard," Apacci hissed.

"Not even they deserved that!" Mila Rose said, glaring at Baraggan.

Sung-Sun would have commented but she noticed a greater concern. "Ben? Ben, what's wrong?"

The others turned as Jetray descended to the ground as if in a daze, his eyes fixed on where the two Hollow Aliens once were.

He was 11 years old again, in a forest. He had just been dropped onto the ground. Before him was a large, vaguely humanoid creature with a black metal body, with blood-red lines running through it. In his right, colossal hand was a slimmer, black figure with long antennae and one eye in the middle of his head.

"If I'm not mistaken, this seems to be your favorite alien, Ben Tennyson. Correct?" the monster said in a distorted, electronic voice as it looked at its captive with one menacing eye. "Not anymore."

The alien in the monster's grasp began to glow red, his eye widening before he slumped over, his body becoming smoke-gray. Ben watched in horror and grief as the alien crumbled into the wind like dust. It felt like something inside of him died.

"Nooooooo!"

"Ben! Ben, snap out of it!"

Baraggan laughed as he brushed his hands. Descending to the ground, he picked up his axe.

"Has the folly of defying me finally dawned on you? It is too late to beg for forgiveness now, Tennyson, not that I would forgive you anyway. I shall kill you and then I will kill Aizen! Once I have the Hogyoku and the Royal Key, I will claim sovereignty over Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Then, with the power of the Hogyoku, I shall raise a grand army and claim your universe for my own!

"Everyone you love; your friends, your family, they will all die just as you will! My army shall feast upon the souls of all who live in your universe. Those worthless ants will cry out for the great Ben Tennyson to save them, but he will not come! Do you see now what you have wrought for defying me? Your universe is doomed and it is all. Your. Fault!"

Jetray said nothing, his eyes still holding that dazed look.

"You're insane!" Apacci cried.

There was a twin boom of Sonido. Both Harribel and Starrk appeared beside the others, bandages around their wounds. Harribel''s eyes widened when she noticed Baraggan's new appearance but then she noticed the vacant look on Jetray's face. "Ben?"

With a yell, Diamante lunged at Baraggan yet again. The overthrown ruler looked at him with as much boredom as a skeleton could muster before reaching into his cloak and pulling out one of the long crystal shards Diamante himself had given to Huecos. Baraggan disappeared for a brief moment before reappearing in front of Diamante, the hand holding the shard shooting forward. Diamante froze as the shard stabbed into his body.

"Ah, perfect," Baraggan said gleefully. "I noticed shards like these scattered all over the place when I pursued Tennyson. I decided to keep one of them in the event he turned back into Diamondhead. I'm glad to see they work. Diamonds to break diamonds!"

With a heave of his arm, Baraggan pushed Diamante away, the Hollow Alien flying back so far that he completely disappeared from view.

"Now then," Baraggan said as he turned his attention back toward the others. "Where were we?"

"Baraggan killed those clones of Four Arms and Swampfire," Mila Rose informed the other two Arrancar. "When Ben saw those two killed right in front of him…

"It must've been like seeing his own aliens die in front of him," Starrk rationalized.

"And now Baraggan says he's going to take the Hogyoku from Aizen to invade Ben's world," Sung-Sun concluded.

The two Espada glared at Baraggan with as much hatred as they had for Aizen. "We won't let that happen."

"And how do you intend to stop me?" Baraggan asked them mockingly. "Both of you together couldn't stop me now! Not that you could have stopped me before I achieved this power!"

The two Espada continued to glare at him, though they couldn't deny that their chances of victory were very slim.

Baraggan hefted his axe onto his shoulder. "If seeing his aliens die in front of him brought this reaction," He tilted his head towards the still shell-shocked Jetray before turning back to his former comrades. "Then I wonder what will happen when he sees you die next, Starrk. Especially since you and Lilynette are one right now."

Starrk's finger twitched, preparing to summon as many wolves as possible.

Baraggan then turned his head directly towards Harribel, who tightened the grip on her sword. "As for you, Harribel. I was going to kill you and your Fraccione as well, but I know a far better punishment for all of you!"

Her Fraccione all shifted into fighting stances, trying to maintain their defiance.

"Instead of killing you like Starrk, I will make the four of you my slaves! You will obey me, serve me, worship me and while I do not care for such things myself," His tone became low and venomous. "You will please my new army."

Disgust and outrage spread among the group. If the looks Harribel and her Fraccione were giving Baraggan could kill with a glance, he would be dead many times over.

What the hell?! Liynette cried out in Starrk's mind. Not even Baraggan's sunk that low before!

He wants to hurt Ben so bad he's willing to do something like that? Starrk thought back, not bothering to hide his own disgust.

"I will kill you before that happens," Harribel stated.

"Oh, Harribel," Baraggan said darkly. "You and your Fraccione are the ones who will be begging for death and I shall refuse your pleas. This is your punishment for defying me as much as it is Tennyson's. A pity he won't be around to see how broken you'll-"

Electricity surged through Baraggan's body. Everyone gasped when they saw a transparent Ampfibian floating behind him, tentacles on his back.

"YOU WON'T TOUCH THEM!"

Baraggan flailed his arms, swinging wildly but his attacks harmlessly phased through AmpFibian's body.

"You know what all that gold and that giant axe make you, Baraggan? One big lightning rod!"

Baraggan gnashed his teeth. "You worthless insect!"

"I'm a jellyfish, bonehead!"

Baraggan growled. "I may not be able to hurt you Tennyson, but they are not so fortunate!"

He swung his axe, sending his Respira down at the others. Just as they were about to flee, a thin, rectangular barrier appeared before them to block the attack.

"Hurry!" Hachigen urged them, obviously the creator of the barrier. "We must get away from here!"

"Go back to Hueco Mundo!" AmpFibian urged them, trying to put more power into his attack.

"But what about–"

"I'll be fine!" AmpFibian cut Apacci off. "Go now!"

"Are the others healed?" Starrk asked Hachigen.

"Hopefully so," Hachigen said as he dispersed the healing barrier. "Though I must say, for ones so young to take even a weaker version of Kuroshitsugu is nothing short of impressive."

"Be impressed later, we have to move!" Starrk said.

Harribel's Fraccione and Charlotte immediately moved to retrieve Ken and his team. Mila Rose reached to pick up Ken himself when the hybrid hero slowly opened his eyes.

"Ken? Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Ken said as he sat up, rubbing his head. "What happened?"

"Long story short," Miss Martian spoke up, "Aizen and Ichigo are in Karakura Town with Orihime and that Nelliel lady. Ben would've gone after them but that other Espada Baraggan showed up and he's really powerful. He killed two of those clones and now Ben's fighting him."

Ken shot to his feet only to start wobbling. Miss Martian quickly grabbed his arm and helped him regain his bearings.

"Easy, Ken, you're still recovering, " Hachigen said gently.

"Ben's fighting that Baraggan guy alone," Ken said. "I have to help him."

"Baraggan has power over time," Starrk informed him. "Not only can he slow down time around him, but he created this smoke called Respira that ages anything it touches to dust."

"Got it," Ken said.

Sung-Sun paled. "There's something else. Baraggan is unleashing his Respira on the entire town so he can destroy the pillars all at once."

"There's still some injured people scattered around like that Urahara guy," Starrk said.

"Not to mention all the wounded with Captain Unohana," Hachigen reminded them.

"Will we be able to move all of them out of the town in time?" Ken asked.

"I hope so," Hachigen told him.

"Look out!"

Everyone turned to see that the Respira had almost completely destroyed the barrier. The Arrancar scooped up the rest of Ken's team and began to flee towards Unohana's location. Suddenly, Harribel stopped.

"Lady Harribel! What are you doing?" Apacci cried.

"All of you, hurry back to Hueco Mundo," Harribel told them. "I'm staying."

"What?!" her Fraccion exclaimed.

"I promised Orihime Inoue that I would look after Ben," she replied. "I will keep that promise."

"Harribel, I understand but you're no match for Baraggan!" Starrk said firmly. "I'm sorry to say this, but you'll probably just get in Ben's way."

"Then I won't get in the way," Harribel said. When Starrk raised a brow, Harribel knelt down and scooped up one of the various shards that Diamante had fired around the area.

"Don't forget about me," Ken said. "My intangibility can protect me from this Baraggan guy's powers. We can still help Ben."

Harribel nodded at him before looking back at Starrk. "Please look after my Fraccione, Starrk."

"Lady Harribel…" Apacci started to object.

"Ladies," Harribel said softly. "Please stay safe."

"Are you sure about this, Harribel?" Starrk questioned. "If you're going to stay then I should help you."

"Rally whatever survivors you can from Hueco Mundo. Even if we manage to defeat Baraggan, we still have Aizen to worry about. We may need every available combatant to stop him. As the Primera Espada, they should be willing to listen to you."

"Captain Unohana could vouch for you to any of the remaining Soul Reapers still there," Hachigen pointed out.

Starrk sighed. "Alright, alright. We'll be back as soon as we can."

"But-" Apacci started again.

"It's for the best, Apacci," Mila Rose said quietly. "There's nothing we can do right now except believe in Lady Harribel and Ben while we get reinforcements."

Apacci wanted to argue but she found no words to defend her slumped her head in defeat. "Just please come back, Lady Harribel. You and Ben."

"We will," Harribel reassured her. "As I believe in Ben, I believe we will win this!"

"Good luck, Lady Harribel," Mila Rose said.

Sung-Sun nodded.

"Thank you," Harribel said. Sharing a nod with Ken, the two ran back toward where AmpFibian and Baraggan were fighting.

"Before we reach Unohana, we better get that Urahara guy and his lady friend," Starrk said. "That way we'll have everyone together when we leave."

"We better stick together," Hachigen recommended. "Even if that Baraggan's powers can destroy my barriers, they can at least provide us some protection."

"Good idea," Starrk said.

"Well then, come on! Lady Harribel and Ben are counting on us so let's move out!" Apacci shouted.

Given the direness of their situation, Mila Rose and Sung-Sun didn't bother commenting on their teammate trying to take command again.

/*/

Unaware of all the decisions happening behind him, AmpFibian glared at his opponent. "It's just you and me now, Baraggan."

"No, it's just me, Tennyson!"

"Good luck with that since you can't even touch me!"

"You can't stay in that form forever, Tennyson! You've transformed quite a few times since our fight and I'm certain you were doing so beforehand. You'll change back and once you do, I will kill you!"

"Not unless I take you down first!"

Baraggan laughed as his Respira began to emit from his body once more. "You may have caught me off guard Tennyson, but attacks like that won't be enough!"

AmpFibian narrowed his eyes as Baraggan's Respira spread even further. No more playing around then; the moment he turned into anything that wasn't intangible or crystal, Baraggan would age him to dust. AmpFibian quickly scanned the area. If the Soul Reapers were willing to make the buildings as authentic as possible, was it likely that the power poles had actual electricity within them? His course set, he took off.

"Now where are you going?" Baraggan wondered, following after him as he emitted even more of his Respira.

AmpFibian could practically feel the Arrancar behind him. Looking down, he winced (as much as he could due to his lack of facial features) as he saw how badly Baraggan's Respira had spread. To say he was running out of infrastructure was an understatement. Then his eyes landed on a residential area, complete with intact utility poles. Quickly he flew down and landed on top of the closest one, grabbing the service cables with his tentacles. Immediately he felt the electricity surging through him.

"Still don't get why they went the extra mile but I'm not complaining!" AmpFibian said.

"Bah!"

AmpFibian's eyes widened as Baraggan sent a wave of Respira at him with a swing of his axe. Then to Baraggan's own amazement, AmpFibian's body transformed into blue lightning that dove into the service drop.

"Hmph, so you can even turn your entire body into electricity. If that's the case…"

Barggan flew further down the street, slashing through the power cables like his axe was a pendulum guillotine. His mighty swings not only destroyed the cables but the houses on either side. Then for good measure he unleashed his Respira on the cables, watching as they crumbled away. His power continued to spread down the cables from one pole to the next when a bolt of lightning shot out of the fourth pole down the street.

"Do you honestly think that absorbing some extra electricity will be enough to defeat me?" Baraggan asked as AmpFibian reverted back to his original form.

"Why don't we find out?" AmpFibian taunted, raising his tentacles menacingly.

"No matter how much you absorb, your attacks will be nothing but a tickle now!"

"Then laugh this off!"

Barggan yelled as he was hit by a powerful sonic scream directly at his head. Turning to face the new attacker, he saw a transparent, grinning Ken Tennyson who was beginning to descend back to the ground.

"Nice to know your time powers can't completely protect you when an attack is point blank," Ken said as his feet touched the road.

"Ken?! What are you doing here?"

"I'm not about to let you face this guy alone," Ken told his alternate father. "Don't worry, I made sure to charge up before I got here. I can't believe they actually gave this fake town real electricity."

"I know, right?"

"If you are both so eager to die, I will happily oblige!"

"Sorry, but I don't plan on dying," Ken taunted.

"Same here!"

Baraggan's pressure flared up again, his Respira spreading once more. Ken winced as he witnessed several houses crumbling away. "They weren't kidding about his power." Looking up at AmpFibian, he tilted his head towards the right. Nodding, AmpFibian flew off, Ken leaping in the same direction.

"You can't stay intangible forever!" Baraggan yelled at them, increasing the speed and range of his Respira. "I will kill you both!"

"Guessing you have a plan?" AmpFibian asked as he flew next to his alternate reality son.

"Something like that but for it to work, we need to distract him so Harribel can–"

"Harribel's still here?!"

"She wants to help you."

"I can't let Baraggan hurt her. He said he was going to-"

"Miss Martian already told me," Ken said grimly. "So we won't let that happen. Harribel is preparing a trap for Baraggan. We just need to keep him distracted."

"Alright," AmpFibian said quietly. "I hope this works."

"Me too," Ken said as he looked over his shoulder, watching uneasily as Baraggan's Respira continued spreading across the street.

"Whatever strategy you're forming won't save you, worthless trash!" Baraggan shouted as he flew after them.

"And I thought only Aizen liked to run his mouth," Ken commented.

"He's worse than when the Highbreed were still bad guys," AmpFibian added.

"You are only delaying the inevitable! No power you possess will defeat me!"

And then a lightbulb went off in AmpFibian's head. "Possess?"

Ken raises his brow. "What's wrong?"

"I think I finally know how we can end this."

"What are you talking about?" Ken urged.

"First, I can't let all this extra electricity go to waste. Ken, how much energy can you absorb?"

"A lot," Ken said, completely lost.

Turning tangible again, AmpFibian reached out a tentacle to him. Uncertain, Ken touched the tentacle, feeling the alien's electricity flowing through him.

"Don't worry, Ken. I have a plan too. Sort of."

"What-" Ken started to ask before AmpFibian began flying back at Baraggan.

"Oh? Come to try and face your death with some degree of dignity, Tennyson?"

"I don't plan on dying, Baraggan. Especially not to a one-trick pony like you!" AmpFibian mocked.

"What did you say?"

"Face it, Baraggan, all you have going for you is your Respira which I already proved that several of my guys can counter. I have no idea why I was ever scared of you."

"You dare-"

"Oh I dare, Baraggan! I even double dare! At least Aizen has more going for him than just his Kyoka Suigetsu. But you? Take away your Respira and you're nothing!"

"Nothing? NOTHING?!"

"Now I've done it," AmpFibian said to himself as Baraggan flared his spiritual pressure again, immediately becoming intangible as a flaring red aura erupted from the Arrancar.

"You think my Respira is all I have, Tennyson? Allow me to prove you wrong!"

"I don't think so!" AmpFibian darted at him.

"How many times will you try to attack me before you realize how pointless it is!?" AmpFibian hit the Ultimatrix dial, causing Baraggan to shield his eyes with his axe. "Now what have you become!?"

Moving his axe, Baraggan took in Ben's new form. Flying towards him was an alien with a gaseous appearance resembling the typical portrayal of a ghost, sporting claw-like hands and gray skin with black lines running all over him.

"What is this? You can turn into a ghost yourself? And what's so special about him?"

"This!"

The new alien became transparent, indicating that he became intangible. Baraggan braced himself for another attack, only to be stunned as the ghost-like alien disappeared inside his own body! He would have cried out but he couldn't move his mouth. Then his body started to move on its own, slowly and crudely.

What is this?!

This is what Ghostfreak can do! Possess people! The ghost-like alien said in a low voice similar to Big Chill.

Baraggan's body jerked back and forth like a marionette in the hands of a novice puppeteer.

Possess? Control? You kept another alien with such powers hidden this entire time?!

I wasn't hiding anything. I've got a bad history with this guy. So bad I avoided using him to the point that I often forgot I even had him. But desperate times call for desperate measures.

Baraggan screamed inside his head, his body thrashing as rage filled his mind. Ghostfreak mentally grunted as the Arrancar's willpower clashed with his own. All that rage and hatred, it was a struggle just to hold on. So now you try to control me, Tennyson? Control a god?! My willpower far exceeds yours, you pathetic human! I will not submit to you!

I already knew that.

What?

To be fair, I was never trying to control you.

Then what were you—?

A tidal wave crashed into Baraggan, the vulnerable skeleton being tossed and turned like a capsized boat.

That! Ghostfreak yelled in Baraggan's mind before leaving his body.

Any curses or insults Baraggan was about to unleash were cut short as electricity coursed through the water. Ghostfreak looked up to see Ken, also transparent, in the water. Ken grinned as he unleashed all the voltage he had stored upon the tyrant. Baraggan was so stunned that he didn't even have time to scream. Flying over to Ken, who quickly closed his mouth, the two became tangible again as Ghostfreak flew them out of the water. As they surfaced, they saw Harribel standing in the air above the water.

Ken held up a hand and a mana platform similar to Gwen's formed beneath his feet. Ghostfreak would have commented on the fact that Ken could use mana too if Harribel hadn't raised her sword, making the water rise like a geyser. She slashed in an arc and the water followed, slamming back into the ground. As the water began to level out, the three spotted Baraggan who was still apparently stunned.

Raising her free hand, Harribel held up another one of the shards. This one was the staff that Diamante had created for Fuego. Her spiritual pressure rising, Harribel dove at Baraggan, aiming the spear directly for his head. Ghostfreak quickly flew after her. Channeling all her strength, Harribel stabbed the spear at her foe—

Only for Baraggan to grab it before the tip could reach his forehead. Harribel's eyes widened as the light in Baraggan's eyes flashed.

"Very well, Harribel," Baraggan said as he rose to his feet. "You can die first!"

He swung his axe. Except instead of cutting Harribel in two, it passed right through her. Baraggan gawked, discovering that her body had also become transparent. Harribel herself was surprised, letting go of the shard in the process. From behind her, Ghostfreak glared at Baraggan with his one eye. The baffled Arrancar then noticed that his hand was on her shoulder.

Before he could react to this development, Ghostfreak grabbed Harribel's free hand with his right and the diamond shard with his left. The shard became intangible–and Ghostfreak plunged it directly into Baraggan's head! He couldn't feel it but Baraggan knew that at any moment–

"You won't kill anyone else." And with that, Ghostfreak released the shard.

"Guh!" Baraggan gasped, the spear sticking out of his forehead like some elongated horn. His body trembled and his arms fell to his sides. "D-damn you, Tennyson. Damn you to HELL!"

Silently Harribel swung her sword at the shard, her blade glowing with spiritual energy. Ghostfreak let her sword become tangible just as it was about to make contact with the shard and the spear was driven further in like a hammer and a rail spike. The spear stabbed through Baraggan's head and straight out the other side, cracks forming around the top of the tyrant's skull. Feebly, Baraggan started to raise his axe for one final attack. Despite being intangible, both Harribel and Ghostfreak reeled back.

But just as Baraggan lifted his axe to eye level, the red energy emitting from his body began to fade. His arm once again fell, his axe slipping out of his loose grip and clanging when it hit the ground. Like a once mighty tree, Baraggan fell to the ground, his golden chains clanging as they struck the stone. Ghostfreak and Harribel said nothing, continuing to stare at the Arrancar's fallen body. From behind them, Ken made his way to the ground on a flight of mana tiles.

"Is it over?" He asked quietly as he stood beside them.

Harribel reached out to sense his spiritual pressure. After a moment she nodded. "Yes. It's over."

There was a flash of green light and Ghostfreak had reverted back. Harribel looked over at Ben, his eyes still fixed on Baraggan. "Ben…"

"What he wanted to do to everyone in my universe, what he wanted to do to Starrk, you and your Fraccione," Ben turned his head towards her, his eyes locking with hers. "I wasn't going to let him hurt any of you."

"Well, I must say that was quite a battle."

The three looked over their shoulders to see Kisuke Urahara walking towards them. He still looked roughed up from his fight with Aizen but not too worse for wear. Perhaps, like the Arrancar, he hadn't bothered going all out due to Orihime's presence.

"That was pretty close, I must say. Luckily you stopped him before he could destroy the pillars and reach the real town. Now that he's out of the way, we can focus on Aizen."

Ben paled. "Aizen! Ichigo! We got to go now!"

Urahara nodded. "I'll open the Senkaimon for you. It'll take a moment so you can enjoy your time together a little longer."

"Huh?"

Urahara simply pulled out his fan, waving it in front of his face as he looked at something between Ben and Harribel. Following his line of sight, Ben's eyes widened and his face grew warm. He was still holding Harribel's hand. Harribel's own eyes widened when she realized the same thing. The two let go simultaneously.

"Sorry," Ben mumbled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Don't be, it was necessary for your powers to work on me." Harribel said quietly, averting her eyes.

"Come on," Urahara called, causing the two to notice that the Senkaimon gates were opening. "To the real Karakura Town."

Nodding, the two dashed to the gate. Ken ran up beside the alternate version of his father, a big grin on his face.

"I guess you share my dad's fondness for blondes," he whispered playfully.

Ben nearly bit his tongue, his cheeks reddening as he glanced to see if Harribel had heard him. When she appeared to be focused on the gates, Ben shot an irritated look at his alternate self's son, who only smiled back. No more words were said as the four ran through the gates.

/*/

The next thing Ben knew, they were running down a dark, narrow passageway like some underground tunnel. It was slightly different from the dark void within a Garganta.

"This is the Dangai, or Precipice World," Urahara explained as they ran. "It is the bridge between the Human World and Soul Society."

"Soul Reapers really travel through this to get to the human world?" Ben asked, looking back and forth at the dismal looking corridor.

"Normally no because Soul Reapers have Hell Butterflies to guide them through the Senkaimon without the need to go through the Dangai."

Ben raised a brow, wondering if Urahara was talking about an actual butterfly. At this point, he probably was. "Do you think Ichigo is alright with just his dad and Nelliel helping him?"

"You don't know Ichigo like I do, Ben," Ken said reassuringly. "Sure, things will get hard for him but he always comes out stronger for it. He should at least be able to keep Aizen busy till we get there."

"I hope so," Ben said.

"Ben," Harribel then spoke up. "If worst comes to worst, will you resort to that alien again?"

"Ghostfreak? Probably. He might be able to get the Hogyoku out of Aizen. Or at least keep him occupied until someone else can do it."

"Yes, I noticed that during your fight with the Espada," Urahara commented. "So that Ghostfreak allows you to possess people?"

"Pretty much, but it was a fight just to keep Baraggan distracted, let alone try to possess him. Aizen's willpower is obviously gonna be stronger, plus I don't know if the Hogyoku will give him some kind of anti-possession ability."

"So far Aizen's increased abilities have been physical," Urahara said thoughtfully. "Though to be fair, we have mainly resorted to physical attacks against him. I don't think the Hogyoku will grant him anything to counter possession. At least, not yet."

"So I go Ghostfreak on him, you guys yank out the Hogyoku, and we take him down?"

Urahara chuckled dryly. "You make it sound so easy."

"I never used Ghostfreak in Hueco Mundo so Aizen doesn't know about him. He won't know what hit him."

"True, but we still don't know how the Hogyoku itself will react if someone tries to remove it from Aizen," Urahara pointed out. "It's possible the Hogyoku will refuse to be removed from its master."

"That makes things trickier," Ben couldn't help but admit.

"Look!" Urahara called out, pointing with his cane ahead of them. The other three saw a faint light in the distance. "Hurry!"

Hitting the Ultimatrix dial, Ben transformed into XLR8. "Ready, Ken?"

"Ready!"

XLR8 grabbed the half-human/half-Kryptonian and dashed toward the light, accompanied by Harribel using Sonido and Urahara using Shunpo. They approached the end of the corridor and then everything went white.

/*/

After that brief, blinding display, XRL8 saw they were in the middle of a perfectly intact Karakura Town. Looking over, he didn't see any destruction or hear cries of people panicking. Had Ichigo already succeeded?

"Ben! Ken!"

Turning his head, XLR8 saw Orihime running towards him, followed by Nelliel. Behind them was… Rangiku Matsumoto? If that wasn't a shocker then the fact that Gin was lying on the ground beside her sure was.

Gin laughed weakly when he spotted them. "So you managed to take care of Baraggan after all, huh? Guess Aizen's acknowledgment was right on the money."

"Where's Aizen? Where's Ichigo?"

"Ichigo took Aizen away from the town so nobody would get hurt," Orihime said.

Harribel closed her eyes and reached out with her Pesquisa. She frowned as she felt an all too familiar, currently unpleasant power coming from the distant mountains. And yet…"Something's wrong. I can sense Aizen but I can't sense your friend."

"While we were traveling in the Precipice World," Nelliel said, "Ichigo's father had him learn something he called the Final Getsuga. I don't really know what it is since Orihime and I had gone ahead to try and stall Aizen. But when Ichigo came back he was taller, had longer hair, and we couldn't sense his spiritual pressure anymore."

"Huh? I wonder what this Final Getsuga is," Ken mused as he cupped his chin. Then he noticed Urahara had a bleak look on his face. "Urahara?"

Everyone jumped as the ground shook and a colossal pillar of light so huge it looked like it was right next to the town shot into the sky.

"Ichigo might still need help. We'd better hurry."

"Good idea," XLR8 said, turning towards his Arrancar friend. "Lead the way, Harribel!"

Harribel nodded.

"Before you go," Gin hissed in pain. Rangiku looked at him worriedly but he focused his attention onto Ben. "There's something you need to know. Removing the Hogyoku will be harder than you think."

Urahara narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by that?"

Gin laughed weakly. "I thought I had finished off Aizen and took the Hogyoku from him."

"You did?" XLR8 questioned.

Now it was Harribel's turn to narrow her eyes. "You tried to kill Aizen and claim the Hogyoku? You were trying to overthrow him this whole time?"

Gin smirked despite the pain he was in. "I never cared about any of that. The entire time there was only one thing I wanted: to kill Aizen."

Harribel, XLR8, and Ken all widened their eyes. Urahara had a contemplative look on his face.

"The entire time, none of us ever suspected…" Harribel said quietly. "We were always wary of you, for none of us could guess your motives. For we never would have thought—"

"Not bad acting, huh?" Gin leaned against the slab he was resting on. "I think that kid can handle it on his own now but having some backup wouldn't hurt. Anything to take that bastard down once and for all.

"But look, when I took the Hogyoku from him, it just went back to his body. He struck me down and probably would've finished me off if those two," He nodded at Nelliel and Orihime, "Hadn't shown up and saved me despite everything I've done."

"Gin…" Rangiku said, kneeling down beside him.

XLR8 was about to speak when black, white, and blue energy jutted through the air like lightning from the same spot the pillar had come from. The group stared as the energy began swirling into a vortex.

Orihime put her hands over her heart as she looked at the spot in concern. "Ichigo…"

"Don't worry, Orihime," XLR8 said as he grabbed Ken again. "We'll bring Ichigo back!" He took off to the direction of the light accompanied by Harribel and Urahara.

/*/

The moment they arrived, the group was standing next to a massive crater, obviously formed by the pillar of energy. The question, however, was Aizen responsible? Or Ichigo? Speaking of which, where were—

There they were, floating above the center of the crater. To say Aizen had changed was an understatement. His body was pure white except for his hands and legs, which were now pitch-black. It looked like his sword was now fused to his hand and his face now resembled a black skull with a third eye in the middle of his forehead. His two regular eyes were now pure white. He also sported three holes that ran vertically down his chest, the Hogyoku floating in the middle of the top hole. He was sporting six sheet-like wings with an eye in the middle of each and a skull at each tip. The bottoms of the wings flowed into long tendrils.

"That's Aizen's evolution?" Ken asked.

"It suits him," XLR8 said coldly. "A monster in and out."

He was about to reach for the Ultimatrix dial when he saw Ichigo's own transformation. Ichigo's hair had not only extended down to his waist, but had become pitch-black like the energy he had just released. Grayish bandages wrapped around his torso, right arm, and even up to his face just beneath the eyes. Markings that resembled black flames spread across his chest and wrapped around his left arm. The lower half of his body was covered by what looked like the tattered remains of a black cloak. To top it all off, his body looked like it was releasing black smoke, especially from his right arm.

"That's the Final Getsuga?" Ken asked in amazement.

"Even now, I can't sense anything from him," Harribel said. Her eyes began to widen once again. "Has he reached a plane of power that can't even be sensed by others?"

Ichigo then raised his right hand and what appeared to be a long, thin shadow formed in his hand like a blade. He started to lift it up.

"Get to cover!" Urahara cried.

XLR8 hit the Ultimatrix dial again.

/*/

Back at Karakura Town, Nelliel and Orihime both let out a gasp as Way Big appeared in the distance.

"Going all out from the get-go huh?" Gin said. "Good idea."

"Ben can turn into Ultraman?!" Orihime cried, excitement overriding her concern.

"Who?" Nelliel, Rangiku, and even Gin asked all at the same time.

/*/

Way Big quickly dropped to his knees, shaking the ground as he did, and wrapped his arms around Harribel, Ken, and Urahara as Ichigo swung his sword. A veil of darkness filled his vision, reminding the Tokustar of when he first faced Tosen's bankai. He could feel the pressure of Ichigo's attack pushing against him. He couldn't even imagine what was happening to Aizen now. Holding the others as tight as he could, Way Big braced himself against the force of the blast, squinting his eyes to avoid any significant dirt from getting in them.

Then the wind became still, the pressure stopped, and the darkness seemed to lift into the sky like a black curtain. Way Big waited a moment before slowly lifting his arms away from the others. Looking to where Aizen had been standing, he saw that Ichigo's attack had created a clean cut into the ground.

"Ben? Is that you?"

Way Big turned his head to see Ichigo walking towards them. The smoky spiritual pressure was starting to fade away and the bandages that had covered his face were dissolving.

"Whoa," Ichigo said, taking in Way Big. "I didn't know you could turn into Ultraman."

"Who?" Way Big asked with a tilt of his head.

A crash interrupted Ichigo's reply. Everyone's head snapped toward the sound. Aizen was lying on the ground, bereft of his wings and the black coloring that had been on his hands. There was a massive gash that ran from the back of his head and down his spine. There was a creak and a crack as parts of his whitened body seemed to stretch in order to close the wound, like grotesque stitches. Weakly, Aizen's hand reached out and he began to push himself up.

"You're still regenerating?" Ichigo asked, though he sounded more annoyed than anything else.

"He survived even that?" Harribel asked in astonishment.

Aizen raised his head, glaring at Ichigo before glimpsing the others out of the corner of his eye. His face had somewhat returned to normal. His right eye was still white while the left had reverted back to being gray with a purple sclera. A part of his right jaw was still covered by the teeth of his monstrous transformation.

"Not for long," Way Big said as he began to rise to his feet, cracking his knuckles.

But then Ichigo's black hair immediately reverted to his short, orange hair. Said Substitute Soul Reaper collapsed to his knees before starting to fall towards the ground. Luckily Ken quickly grabbed him before that could happen.

"That used up all your energy, huh?" Ken said to his friend. Ichigo grimaced as the other bandages on his body began to fall apart.

Way Big took a step forward, planting his foot between Aizen and the others. Yeah, the plan was to use Ghostfreak but there wasn't any harm in pummeling Aizen first.

Aizen rose to his feet, tilting his head back to stretch his neck before glaring down at Ichigo.

"You've lost, Ichigo Kurosaki."

"I don't know, Aizen. He knocked you right out of that ugly form so I'd say that's something," Way Big sneered. "Not gonna lie though, that form really brought out your real personality."

"And now it's your turn to face me, Benjamin? Congratulations on defeating Baraggan, though I expected you to be back sooner."

"Allow me to make up for it," Way Big said.

Aizen raised his Zanpakuto, revealing that a decent portion of the blade had been broken off. Then to everyone's shock, it started to crumble away. "Look, my Zanpakuto is disappearing. You know what that means? The Hogyoku has decided that I know longer need a Zanpakuto. I am like Ichigo Kurosaki now! I have become one with my Zanpakuto and its powers."

Way Big's form became stiff. Did that mean Aizen could use his illusions at will now? He had to take Aizen down now!

"No," Aizen gave a maniacal smile. "No, I will reach far greater heights than him now that he has lost his powers!"

"He what?!" Ken and Way Big shouted at the same time. Harribel looked at Ichigo in disbelief, the Substitute Soul Reaper simply stared at the ground. Ichigo had actually given up his powers.

"Prepare yourself, Benjamin Tennyson!" Aizen cried. "It's your turn now!"

"Bring it on!" Way Big yelled as he raised a fist, refusing to let Ichigo's sacrifice be in vain.

But just as the two were about to attack, a red light shot out of the hole where the Hogyoku was planted. Aizen stumbled, staring at the light. More darts of light began piercing out of his chest, forming the shape of a cross on his chest.

"W-what is this?" Aizen asked. "A Kido spell? When did this-"

"Well, it looks like it's finally working."

Urahara walked around Way Big's foot and towards Aizen.

"Kisuke Urahara?" Aizen glared. "This is your doing?!"

"It is. I fired that Kido into you within a separate Kido, back before your metamorphosis was complete. Back when you were at your most vulnerable."

Way Big thought back to when Urahara had been pelting Aizen with kido spell after kido spell. During that time, he had also managed to slip in another without anyone noticing?

"So that's when you used it," Aizen realized.

"It's a seal," Urahara went on. "I suspected that, if you fused with the Hogyoku, killing you would be pretty much impossible. As for removing it from your body, well one would have to be extremely lucky just to get near you, let alone try to take the Hogyoku. Plus, there was no way of knowing if you ensured that the Hogyoku couldn't be separated from you. So I developed this new kido to seal you up."

Harribel eyed Urahara, her frown deepening. If he had known all of this, why hadn't he told anyone? Especially Ben or Kurosaki?

"I see. I'm sorry but it looks like I'm about to evolve even further!" Aizen held up his hand, showing that his sword had now completely dissolved. "You can't seal me away with a kido of that level!"

The white substance that had completely coated his body shattered around his right hand. His right eye had reverted back to its original state and the teeth that covered the right side of his mouth disappeared.

"What is this?!" Aizen grabbed his face. "The power—the power I gained–it's disappearing."

"That is the will of the Hogyoku," Urahara told him. "The seal I fired into you is finally taking effect because your power has weakened. The Hogyoku is saying that it doesn't recognize you as its master anymore."

Ken noticed Ichigo looked uncertain at the development, contemplating something. He was about to ask when Aizen screamed.

"Impossible! That can't be true! Impossible! Impossible!"

Harribel glared at Aizen as he staggered in disbelief. For all the pain he caused her and the ones she cared about, she could not deny some satisfaction at seeing him break down.

More red lights of energy now shot out of his back, taking the shape of crude crucifixes, stabbing into Aizen. The Soul Reaper looked ready to topple over as a glowing red mass began to form around his feet, spreading up towards his head as it started to encase his body like a cocoon.

"Urahara Kisuke!" Aizen shouted viciously, his voice raw with hatred hatred. "I despise you! With an intellect as brilliant as yours, why do you go along with the status quo? Why? Why do you take orders from that thing?!"

"That thing?" Urhara asked nonplussed. "Are you referring to the Soul King? Ah. I guess that means you saw it, huh?"

"Of course I did!" Aizen screamed. "Why do you think I wished to show Benjamin?!" Suddenly Aizen looked up at Way Big almost pleadingly. "See the Soul King with your own eyes, Benjamin! You'll know I'm right! If Urahara will not listen then it's up to you! Once you see him, you will understand!"

"Without the Soul King," Urahara said, still calmly, "Soul Society would fall apart. The Soul King is the lynchpin that binds us together. Without that lynchpin, everything would crumble. That's the way the world is."

All that statement did was enrage Aizen, causing him to tear against the substance even as it reached his torso. On his back, some of the kido crucifixes merged together, forming two large, gray crucifixes made of the same substance as the cocoon.

"That's only the reasoning of a loser! Winners do not talk about how the world is, only how it should be! Ben-!"

But Aizen became encased in the gray substance. Ichigo looked away but the others were transfixed as the seal seemed to morph, stretching high into the sky until it took on the form of three crucifixes, or possible swords, stuck together at the blades.

"So," Ken stared up at the seal. "That's it?"

"That's it," Urahara said. "Aizen is finally defeated."

Green light flashed. Ben walked over to Ichigo and knelt beside him.

"Ichigo, did… did you really have to give up your powers?"

Ichigo nodded, eyes on the ground. "Yeah. In order to use the Final Getsuga, I had to become one with my Zanpakuto. I learned that it's called the Final because once I used it, I would be giving up my Soul Reaper powers."

Ben felt his mouth grow dry and a gnawing feeling in his stomach. "I'm sorry, Ichigo."

Ichigo blinked, looking at Ben in surprise. "What are you talking about? You still had to worry about that Baraggan guy, so we didn't really have many options left."

Ben looked up at Aizen's seal. This whole time, they could have just weakened Aizen to the point that the seal would work. Getting to his feet, Ben walked over to the seal, hands in his pockets. All they had to do was wear Aizen out until the seal could take effect. If he had done something about Baraggan sooner, they could have worked out a plan, they could have done something else. Ichigo shouldn't have had to give up his powers.

"This is all my fault," Ben said quietly, lowering his head in shame.

So lost in his own thoughts that Ben was unaware that Harribel had been approaching him. Having noticed the troubled look on his face, she was about to ask what was wrong when she heard his whisper. She froze in place; Ben was blaming himself?!

"It's not your fault," Harribel said, making Ben jump when he realized she was right behind him. "You couldn't have known what Ichigo Kurosaki was going to do."

"Should I have had to, Harribel? If I hadn't been so stupid, I could have taken out Baraggan faster and gotten back to Ichigo before he had to resort to that Final Getsuga." He sighed. "I messed up and Ichigo's paying the price for it."

"Ben…"

Harribel closed her eyes. It hurt her seeing Ben putting himself down like this. Ichigo Kurosaki obviously didn't blame him so why was he doing it to himself? Her answer came when she once again remembered his words at the fake town.

If there's any sacrifices to be made, then I'll be the one to make them, not you.

Do you believe you should put the weight of the entire world on only your shoulders? That if something went wrong, it had to be your fault? Harribel clenched her free fist. No, after everything you've done, after everything you've been through, I won't let it end like this!

She looked over at Ichigo, who Ken was helping sit on a large boulder for support. Even though she barely knew him, Harribel did respect him. He braved Hueco Mundo with just a few friends to save Orihime Inoue and was perfectly willing to give up his powers to stop Aizen. Yet, should he have had to? Harribel cast a glance at Urahara, who was still looking at Aizen's seal.

Her frown deepened. Why hadn't he mentioned anything to them about the seal? They could have formed some sort of plan to weaken Aizen sooner. Was Ichigo's sacrifice avoidable? Was Urahara even the slightest bit remorseful of what he had given up? Or… was he somehow counting on it?

If Kisuke Urahara could create something like the Hogyoku, surely he could come up with something to restore Ichigo Kurosaki's powers. One way or another, she was going to get answers.

End of Chapter

How many of you guys were expecting that?

Yeah, one of my friends had suggested letting Ichigo face Aizen alone. They felt facing Aizen was Ichigo's time to shine so let him have his moment. When you put it like that, yeah, Ichigo deserves his moment, even if a majority happened off screen in my story.

Originally I was going to have the chapter end at the part where Way Big shields the others from Ichigo's Mugetsu. But as I was rereading the actual Bleach chapters, I noticed there was a slight jump between when Aizen got sealed to when Ichigo collapsed after meeting up with the others. So I extended the ending.

I don't blame you guys if you're shocked about Ben contributing to Baraggan's death like that. I really couldn't think of anything else to do with Baraggan but kill him off and I wanted to do something different than how he did in canon.

Bit of a heads-up guys. Next month is when my cousin's getting married. He lives out of state so I'm going on April 17th and coming back on April 23rd. I'll make sure to work on my chapter as much as I can but since April will mainly be about preparing for the wedding, attending the wedding, while also spending time with my relatives, I probably won't get much progress done till after the 23rd.

That's all I've really got to say. Hope to see you all again in the next chapter. With any luck I'll manage to get it posted in May.

However, I do understand there are some things I need to address. Understandably, a lot of people are put off by the fact that Aizen survived. I replied in the review section but it's better if I added it to my author's note.

I understand where you're all coming from.

I'll admit, I had different scenarios planned out in my mind how the final battle should play out, including one where the Hogyoku literally abandoned Aizen, as in it fell out of his body after he was damaged by Ben and Ichigo's attack. Almost like a Lord of the Rings type deal. Aizen was then going to die from the sheer numbers of injuries he has sustained since the Hogyoku was no longer healing.

But aside from a friend suggesting that I let Ichigo have his moment against Aizen alone, the stuff I learned in the later parts of Bleach, especially regarding Soul Society's Original Sin, actually intrigued me to the idea of Ben and Aizen interacting once Ben learns the truth.

Now, I do actually have plans to address Ben's lack of impact on the Winter War. No spoilers but it will involve the one responsible for sending Ben to the Bleach universe in the first place and realizing his folly for not thinking things through.

While I understand that it won't make up for his lack of impact in the Winter War itself, I also made plans for Ben having an impact in the aftermath of the War to both Soul Society and Hueco Mundo. Plus his failure to aid Ichigo will affect his decisions in future chapters. This in turn will affect the Arrancar as they realize the full extent of the damage their flimsy excuses for staying loyal to Aizen caused.

That's all I can think to say. See you all in the next chapter.