The longer it takes Bawabawa to slither his way through the frozen desert of Hueco Mundo, the more the size of Las Noches seems to be driven home. The fortress already stands against the horizon almost to the point that it swallows it entirely but, as they get closer the sheer size and scale becomes more real as time goes on. Aizen's palace in modern size and scale is close to the combined size of North and South Korea. The mega structure is so large that it bends with the curvature of Hueco Mundo, and as they get closer to it, it seems to take up the entire horizon. For the most part, time in Hueco Mundo, The world of the living and soul society are pretty similar to each other, though it doesn't help that much. The minutes slowly tick by on Uryu's watch, one hour coming and going, then two then four. The clock almost strikes 10am by the time they make it to the outer wall of the Desert fortress.
"This is just as foolish as using the front door." The monotone voice of Byakuya says as he watches Ichigo pass his hand over the stone that makes up the outer wall of Las Noches. "Once you blast the wall, everything inside there will know we're here."
"Most importantly," Ichigo says as he tries to sense how thick the walls of Las Noches really are. "Rukia will know too. Besides, Captain Ukitake said that since she's a seated officer now, she's required to try to escape being a prisoner of war." Giving up on the idea of trying to find a cavity behind the wall by tapping it, Ichigo draws his sword and scratches a large X shape in the stone. "So are you gonna stand there and watch me blow this up or are you gonna help? With how huge this place is I bet the walls are gonna be pretty damn thick."
"Once we break in, we get Rukia and get out." Uryu says taking a few paces back before shielding Orihime from the blast that the three soul reapers are about to do.
"Cero or Kido?" Ichigo asks, bringing his hand to his face to summon his mask if it's the first option.
"Hollow spirit energy might buy us a bit more time. Anyone on watch might be stupid enough to think it's a fight between any of the local hollows." Renji says.
"Don't be stupid, the only person that dumb that was here was Yammy and Rukia decapitated that idiot already. When the wall comes down we haul ass. I have a score to settle with Nnoitra, so while you idiots find his wife I'm gonna go kick some ass."
"Go nuts Grimmjow." Ichigo says as he pulls his hollow mask over his face. "On three?" He asks, Byakuya sighs then does the same. Renji groans as Grimmjow licks his lips, eager for the prospect of getting to fight again. The espada and two vizards begin charging three different ceros, the crimson lights of the energy blasts growing larger and larger. "Fire." Ichigo declares, prompting each of them to fire the blast of condensed hollowfied spirit energy into the wall.
Meanwhile,
In Aizen's throne room, the traitor captain sits on his throne, sipping from a cup of tea as he looks over the espada all gathered before him. It's the first meeting since Rukia's conversion into the Cero Espada, despite the fact that her transformation is complete and she sits in front of him at the head of the table, the permafrost that has taken over Hueco Mundo still covers everything. Aizen takes note of that of all the espada, Rukia is the only one without any markings of a mask on her face whatsoever. Instead the large hollow hole sits prominently in her chest, her eyes aren't the same royal purple they once were, instead they're lighter; a light purplish blue color frames the piercing orbs of the former soul reaper. Her scowl still fixed on Aizen himself, as if trying to freeze him to death with just her eyesight alone. It doesn't help that he is the only one out of everyone in Las Noches to not be wearing a winter coat. Aizen lowers the tea cup then rests it on the waiting tray of one of his servants before clearing his throat preparing to speak.
"Hueco Mundo is being invaded." He says, though the others in the room don't react, Rukia's heart skips a beat at the traitor captain's words. "Kurosaki Ichigo and several others are going to arrive any moment now, it means it is time to make our move on the human world."
"How many of them are there?" The sadistic and calculating voice of Szaelporo asks, sounding closer to a snake's his rather than a normal human voice.
"Seven." Aizen answers. "Among them are Kurosaki himself, Sixth squad captain Kuchiki Byakuya, the lieutenant of the six squad Abarai Renji, former sixth espada Grimmjow Jaegerjacquez, A quincy by the name of Ishida Uryu and two humans with spiritual powers. A female, Inoue Orihime with the capabilities to heal and create barriers as well as a male Yasutora Sado, he is a brute of no finesse but do not underestimate his power."
"Who is to stay to squish these worms?" The grovely voice of the 2nd espada Barragan asks.
"Every single Espada under rank three." Aizen answers. "Harribel, Barragan, and Starrk. You are going to be coming with me along with the lesser arrancar to the human world. The privaron espada and those four and lower will stay and delay or defeat the intruders."
"What of Kurosaki Rukia?" Ulquiorra asks,
"She will remain here." Once again Rukia's heart skips a beat, this was the opportunity she was waiting for. "The intruders are after her, the longer they are delayed from reaching her the more time we have in the human world to complete the Oken." Aizen pauses once more thinking for a moment. "It doesn't matter if she returns to their ranks, she wears that number she is an espada and she will be fought as such. You are dismissed, Kurosaki Rukia, you are to come with me back to your quarters."
Even in Las Noches, the ice covering the floor is thick, the footsteps of the espada don't even carry enough weight to break the ice. However, of the denizens of Las Noches, only two have enough strength to do so. As Aizen steps across the ice covered floor, the thick layer of frost cracks beneath the weight of his spiritual pressure. Similarly, it happens as Rukia walks as well; however after they crack, the ice mends itself back again. "I know that the moment we attack Fake karakura town you will make your escape." Aizen begins, the idea that he is already aware of the fake city ploy causes her heart to stop for a moment. "The reason why we are not attacking Soul Society's displaced true Karakura town directly is to deal with any resistance from the Gotei 13. Even if they have help from the vizards, they will fall and I will become the new soul king." Rukia remains silent as they walk through the corridors to the palace of the Cero Espada. "I can tell you're trying to sense for your swords but you won't be getting those back so easily. I have sealed them with Kido much the same way I did the Hogyoku. Tell me, did you feel that I had the Hogyoku when you ascended to my Cero Espada?"
"No." Rukia answers.
"Then you may stop using your pesquisa to look for them. Only when we leave to destroy the Gotei 13 may you have the blades back." Aizen says, his arms folded behind his back as he walks along the path towards Rukia's quarters.
"I can't summon my swords behind whatever Kido he's used on them," Rukia thinks to herself, normally a Shinigami can summon their blade to them since it's a part of their being, however they need to be able to sense the weapon.
"He's alone and his guard is down." The hollowfied voice of the fused hollow and zanpakuto echoes through Rukia's mind. "You might not have access to us, but you can steal his sword and cut him down."
As they enter the hallway towards Rukia's room, the temperature gets colder and colder as they near the dark room at the end of the hall. Ice and mist waft off of Aizen's breath as they get closer and closer to the room. With time running out on her opening to attack Aizen, Rukia has one choice. Kill him, take the Hogyoku, devour it and escape. As Aizen takes a step forwards Rukia makes her move against him. As his heel makes contact with the ice, Rukia wills it to freeze his legs all the way up to the waist. The moment the Ice moves, Rukia vanishes from behind the traitor captain, reaching for the handle of his sword while moving at hypersonic speed. The ice suddenly creeping up his leg causes Aizen's eyes to widen in slight fear as he instinctively reaches for his blade. In the split second that he reaches for it, Rukia grabs the weapon and unsheathes Kyoka Suigetsu, turning the sword on its master. Coming out of the Sonido, Rukia is holding Kyoka Suigetsu up at head level pointing it at Aizen.
"Clever girl." Aizen says seeing her with his sword, having been frozen in place Aizen is forced to watch as Rukia sonidos once again before a burning stinging sensation lines its way across the front of his neck, around the sides and through the back. Aizen reaches up towards his neck, finding his voice having been severed as a moment later his knees give way and he collapses to the floor. The floor spinning in his vision as his head rolls several feet away from his body coming to a stop staring at the cero espada as she flicks the blade to the side casting the blood off the weapon.
"When I bring your head to Captain Yamamoto, he will allow me to return to Soul Society. I'll be using your skull as a cup for the sake at my wedding." Rukia says, stabbing the blade into the ground then wrenching it to the side causing the soul steel to snap like glass. The look of hate on her face relaxes slightly as she takes a step forwards to collect Aizen's head from the floor. Picking up the severed head by the hair, Rukia can only stare at it with pity looking at the slack jawed expression on the head.
"Hmhmhmhm Hahahahaha…" Aizen's head begins laughing maniacally causing Rukia to drop the severed head, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. "Clever girl indeed." He says before continuing to laugh. Behind her, Aizen's decapitated body stands up on shaky legs for a moment before standing sturdy. "But not clever enough." Aizen says as the stump of his head begins to glow with a familiar powerful dark purple spirit energy. It rips itself free of Rukia's grasp, floating back to his body's outstretched hands. Clasping his head between his hands, he lifts it above his shoulders then plants it on his shoulders. "Did you really think for a second that I didn't know you were going to attack me? It was all according to my plan, all you did was definitively prove that the Hogyoku has responded to my will."
"N-no… Im -impossible." Rukia says, staring horrified as Aizen reaches up to the front of his cloak. He pulls it aside revealing his bare chest and the Hogyoku firmly implanted in his sternum. Stretching out from it, long tendrils of power fuse itself with Aizen's flesh in the shape of a cross on his chest.
"I thank you for the invitation to your wedding Kurosaki Rukia… unfortunately for you it will be a Red Wedding." Aizen says with a wicked smile on his face. "I am immortal, I am All Powerful and Nothing will stand in the way of my Apotheosis." Lord Aizen raises a hand tucking his middle finger beneath his thumb then flicking it forwards. Rukia is hit square in the chest by a bullet of condensed spiritual pressure and air. Though most of it goes through the hole in her chest, she is still sent flying backwards into one of the adjourning rooms, the very same where she became an espada. "I can't have you dying on me, Kuchiki. You've become more important than you ever could have imagined. So you will stay here, or your friends will die and you'll be a widow long before you ever become a wife." Aizen flicks his hand to the side causing the large stone door over the prison cell to slam shut. As he walks away, he opens his hand summoning Kyoka Suigetsu to his side in a repaired state. Getting to the end of the hall, he rubs a hand along the back of his neck feeling the frigid scar that runs along his flesh.
The room Rukia was locked inside of has no windows and the wall that used to be a door doesn't have a way for her to open it. The force of the blow that hit her in the chest had knocked her out, and she has no way of knowing how long it's been since she was knocked out. Standing from her crumpled position on the floor, Rukia slides a hand around the surface of the walls looking for a way to open them. "Well that didn't work." The voice of her zanpakuto speaks in the back of her head. "There's a kido on the door." Empiratriz continues. "I noticed." Rukia responds, walking a few paces back to the other end of the room. Raising her hand to the door she flattens out her palm so it's facing the wall directly, she grabs her arm with her other hand bracing it as she begins speaking. "Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of man! Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south! Hado number 31 Shakkaho!" Her spell chant causes the ice in the room to instantly melt before being pulled in towards her hand swirling into a burning red vortex on her palm. The fireball grows in size heating up the air in the room before it fires from her hand, the recoil of the kido spell barely enough to move her arm, before her hollowfication the same spell would have thrown her hand upwards as if she fired a hand cannon. The blast slams into the stony wall before exploding in a large mass of flames and smoke which permeates the room. As the smoke clears Rukia sees a glowing kido seal over the stone making up the wall.
"If Kido doesn't work, I doubt a cero will either." Empiratriz speaks once again.
"That's what I was thinking." Rukia responds, resigning herself to sit on the stony floor in the room. "Why does Aizen want me alive so badly?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, however with Ichigo here it means we're gonna get out of this soon." Her zanpakuto responds.
"That is if he can find us, the longer it takes him to find me, the longer Aizen has to kill everyone else."
"Well, how do you contact him then?" Empiratriz asks.
"You mentioned that when Ichigo and I became one, I'd be able to visit his inner world." Rukia responds, adjusting her seated position so that she's now in a meditative stance. "Think it would work?"
"It's worth a shot. Maybe Zangetsu can lend us a hand." Empiratriz responds.
"It's our best bet." Rukia ends the conversation. She takes a deep breath then closes her eyes, resting her hands on her lap she begins to focus on her spiritual energy and her inner world. Allowing herself to enter jinsen.
In the Outer Walls.
The long hallways of Las Noches are thick with ice on every surface, the ambient spirit particles that normally would be in the air had been frozen. However, it has proven to be a bit of an advantage when it comes to speed. While Renji, Grimmjow and Byakuya choose to float over ice on the floor, Ichigo and his friends glide across the ice as if they were wearing skates. Using reishi control to force their spiritual pressure underneath their feet into the form of Ice skates. Orihime keeps close pace with Ichigo and Uryu, the spirits of her powers continuously healing Nel as they slide against the ice. Behind them, Pesche figures out how to do the same technique with his spirit energy, but Dondachaka slides against the ice on his belly. "The interior of the walls are basically a maze. Aizen thought this place might get discovered while he was a part of the Gotei 13. It's meant to slow down anyone who gets inside here so that the other arrancar can take care of them." Grimmjow explains. "Before Aizen completed his Hogyoku and helped evolve the current espada and myself, there was another set of Espada that are now wearing the triple digit numbers. They were created with his half of the Hogyoku, while they're weaker than the espada, they're stronger than the other arrancar as well as most of the fracciones. They're called the Privaron Espada."
"Anything else we should know before the fighting starts?" Renji asks, his hand resting on his sword's handle as they sprint down the hall.
"Yeah, I haven't been inside the outer wall like this," Grimmjow says as the group runs into a large room with ten identical corridors on all sides of the room. "Well this is just perfect."
"We're going to have to split up," Uryu says, rather obviously.
"If we're going to split up, we're going to do this wisely." Byakuya adds, "Ichigo is the most important person in this group when it comes to defeating Aizen. I believe Orihime Inoue should go with him."
"I can regenerate with my hollow powers, but it saps my spirit energy reserves so if we have issues her healing will be really useful." Ichigo responds, Orihime walks towards him as the two head towards one of the hallways directly in front of the one they just exited from.
"I will be fine on my own. Lieutenant Abarai and Grimmjow should go together with Chadcand Ishida going with each other as well. What were your names again? Dondachaka and Pesche?" Byakuya asks, prompting the two hollows to nod. "I recommend going with Chad and Uryu."
"We're former arrancar, just as skilled and just as powerful as any of the others. You'll be in good hands with us." Pesche declares confidently, though Uryu just deadpans at them.
"Alright, then it's settled. Stay safe and meet us in the desert outside the fortress in three hours if we can't find you." Ichigo says as he turns to begin his journey down the separate hallway.
"Don't start with that crap. We're warriors and it's insulting to care for a warrior's safety on the way to battle." Renji says, "I get that you're my friend and all and that you care for each of us, but when you speak like that it makes it seem like you don't have faith in our abilities. So instead, there's something I'd like to do before we split up. It's an old tradition that the Gotei 13 used to do before large battles." Renji says as he extends a hand outwards. "Join hands, and if I can do it then you can too Strawberry."
"Yeah yeah whatever." Ichigo groans, complying with Renji's request. Each of them places their hands in the center of a small circle, except for Grimmjow. "Sooner you put your hand here the sooner you go fight shit Grimmjow." Ichigo says, causing the former espada to groan and comply.
"As we approach the battlegrounds, believe that our blades will not shatter, have faith that our resolve will not weaken, though our paths are splitting apart, know that even if the world is ripped asunder know that we will return here alive." The moment Renji finishes speaking, each of them throws their hands down breaking the circle before turning and running down their respective hallways to the battle to come.
While not as fast as he would like, Orihime and Ichigo are sprinting down the hallway as fast as the orange haired woman can go and keep her powers on the child arrancar. She has made progress with reversing the effects of the cold and the child's mask is beginning to repair itself albeit slowly. The entire time Orihime is silent as they sprint down the corridor, though Nel has woken up enough to now peek her head out of Orihime's cloak to watch. "Who's dis Wukia lady we're gonna go save?" The child asks, causing Ichigo to look back slightly over his shoulder at the green haired child. "She's going to be my wife." Ichigo answers, "She saved me and my family from a hollow and gave me a life I never could have dreamed of having. I can never repay her for that, so it's only fair that I save her as many times as she needs me to." Orihime notices the resolve in Ichigo's voice, and while it pains her to know that the man she loves is going to marry someone else, she respects his devotion to Rukia if only wishing it was to her instead. "What 'bout owihime?" Nel asks again. "She's been one of my closest friends since as long as I could remember. I trust her with my life and with yours." Ichigo answers, though before Orihime and Nel could respond again the path ahead of them opens into a wide room laced with green tiles on the walls.
"Ah, greetings Intruders." A male voice with a heavy Spanish accent echoes through the room. Standing in the middle of the large room is a man with jet black hair, a trimmed and combed mustache, a vizor-like mask fragment and attire reminiscent of a bullfighter. Fringes of leather strips hang down from the white jacket he's wearing with two strange looking hollow holes on his chest and stomach in the shape of tear drops. "I am Arrancar 103, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio. Who may I have the pleasure of fighting? Niño."
"Ichigo Kurosaki." Ichigo answers, "and I'd rather this not be a death match. I'm not here to kill you."
"Ah, so you are the man that Lord Aizen has informed us of. Then I know why you're here." Dordoni responds. "I am afraid I cannot let you pass, Kurosaki Ichigo, but what about the other two? Will they not be participating in this battle?"
"No, they will not." Ichigo answers for Orihime and Nel not allowing them to speak. "What has Aizen told you about me?"
"Other than that you're betrothed to Kuchiki Rukia?" Dordoni asks, prompting Ichigo to nod. "That you are a dangerous man, and only the privaron espada and the true espada may fight you."
"Then you know what I'm capable of then." Ichigo says, "If you know that then why do you want to fight me?"
"Because it is my duty." Dordoni responds. "Grace me with combat, show me the extent of your power and if you beat me then I shall let you pass." Ichigo nods, lifting his hand up to the handle of Zangetsu before drawing the massive sword. "He has told us that you have hollow powers, may I see them? Niño."
"Do I get anything for showing you my hollow powers?" Ichigo asks as he rests the blade of Zangetsu over his shoulder.
"I will display my full power." Dordoni says, "Do we have a deal, Kurosaki Ichigo?"
"Yeah. That sounds fair." Ichigo says as he lifts his sword before stabbing it into the ground. "Shall we begin?"
"Yes, but I thought soul reapers needed their swords to access their power." Dordoni asks as Ichigo walks forwards from his sword.
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed." Ichigo responds, "In order to prepare myself to invade Las Noches, I trained every second of every day for ten consecutive days to get strong enough to come here to rescue her. I trained my hollow powers, my shinigami powers, and abilities that even Aizen doesn't know I have." Behind him, Zangetsu's blade begin to leak black and red spirit energy that magnetizes itself towards Ichigo. The blade becomes fully enveloped in the spirit energy before revealing itself once again. This time Zangetsu looks no different from a normal nodachi having been returned to its sealed state. With his sword sealed, Ichigo raises a hand over his face before clawing down at the air, this causes more of the black spirit energy to materialize before covering his face in the white skeletal mask. "You want my hollow powers, then you're gonna fight only my hollow powers." His warped voice echoes from behind the mask before Ichigo vanishes, Dordoni's eyes go wide as Ichigo displays the use of a sonido, appearing just behind Dordoni on his left side. "Remember, you asked for this." Ichigo says before punching the black haired man in the face with a hand that glows with red spirit energy sending him flying though one of the adjacent walls. "I told you Nel, I'm just like you." Ichigo says, looking at the small girl through a partially lifted mask before vanishing, chasing after the privaron espada.
Collecting himself from the rubble, Dordoni brushes the debris from his clothes and his hair before staggering to his feet. "I'll give you credit Niño, I didn't expect you to put out this much strength only using your hollow side. I believed that you would use your Bankai to fight me." Dordoni says as Ichigo sonidos in front of him again.
"You asked for hollow powers, and I'm using hollow powers." Ichigo says, raising his hands and cracking his knuckles. "What has Aizen done with Rukia?" the vizard demands, raising a hand, Ichigo begins charging a red and black cero on the tips of his fingers.
"Mistress Rukia has been given the title of Cero Espada, or the rank zero. The moment she arrived, Lord Aizen has a special interest in her. For an entire week he used the hogyoku on her hollow self, refining that power into the Caballero Encima he has dubbed her." Dordoni responds, when he finishes speaking he reaches a hand towards his sword, pulling the falchion style blade from its sheath. "Whirl, Giralda!" Dordoni declares, causing the blade to transform into a tornado around his body.
"Resurrection." Ichigo says to himself, watching as Dordoni transforms. Instinctively, Ichigo raises a hand and stops a bullet of compressed air with his palm causing it to dissipate off of him leaving his hand stinging from the attack. From within the tornado, Dordoni reappears, his body is sporting numerous horns over his shoulders, forearms and shins, the horns over his elbows are releasing a bluish smoke that connects to two large cyclones that have formed near his body.
"You have displayed the extent of your hollow powers, and I shall show you what I am capable of. My sword is Giralda the whirlwind, it channels my old self's form as the thunderbird and ruler of the weather itself. I was an adjuchas hollow as you would call it." Dordoni says as the tornadoes begin tearing towards Ichigo forming two bird skull shaped masks over the points of the vortexes. Once again the vizard vanishes from the attack thrown at him, this time he appears right in front of Dordoni punching him hard in the stomach then he slams his heel into the back of the arrancar's spine as he doubles over in pain. The force of the strike sends Dordoni flying into the ground creating a crater with his face.
"Give up." Ichigo commands, appearing at the lip of the crater "I trained with the most powerful shinigami in soul society for the sole purpose of killing Aizen. You can't even make me break a sweat." He threatens. As Dordoni lifts his head up from the crater to look at the vizard, he sees a red and black cero being charged mere inches from his face. "I ask you this once, do you surrender?"
"I'm impressed Niño, you may be powerful enough to defeat the espada after all. It's a shame that I never got to see that Bankai of yours, but yes I do surrender." Ichigo dispels the cero he's charging on the tip of his finger then turns his hand over opening it up in the process. "You are far more than any of the other arrancar or espada."
"How so?" Ichigo asks as Dordoni's resurrection fades from his body.
"You offered mercy to an opponent far weaker than you, that is honorable Kurosaki Ichigo. I respect you for that choice Niño." Dordoni says as he accepts Ichigo's gesture. "Now that I have lost, what do you want me to do?" The privaron espada asks, watching as Ichigo removes the mask from his face.
"Let us pass, and tell me where Rukia is." Ichigo responds prompting Dordoni to nod in affirmation.
"Each of the espada have their own palace inside Las Noches. Since Lady Rukia is the rank zero espada she has her own palace here within these walls, however her palace is more of a prison Niño." Dordoni explains. "Lord Aizen had designed it to be able to withstand the resurrections of all of the espada, aside from her, being unleashed upon it at the same time. Even with his precautions her transformation from soul reaper to hollow to espada froze Las Noches and Hueco Mundo solid."
"Anything else I should know?" Ichigo asks, pulling his former adversary up to his feet so that he can look him in the eye as an equal.
"Aizen has a special magic that he has used to confine her within thee palace. It can survive the Cero Malletera that the Primera Espada Coyote Starrk can produce in his resurrected form. Destroying the fortress is nigh impossible Niño." Dordoni explains.
"Thanks, and when this is over and Aizen is dead I'll make sure you have a place within the gotei 13. Just because you're on the wrong side of a war doesn't mean that when it's over we have to be enemies." Ichigo says, offering to shake the privaron espada's hand.
"While I cannot wish you luck, the best I can do is honor my word. You and your friend can be on your way. If anyone asks," Dordoni says before suddenly severing his left arm allowing it to drop to the floor with a slap. "I'll say that you defeated me, which is true mostly."
"You didn't have to go that extreme with it!" Ichigo yells in shock seeing how fast the arrancar severed his own limb.
"Have to make it believable don't we?" Dordoni asks rhetorically. "Now, be on your way besides it's just an arm and I can get it reattached later." With that, Ichigo nods before heading back towards the room with Orihime and Nel so they can continue their search.