"Lucky me to have stumbled across a quincy and a shinigami. I have quite a bit of information about Ichigo and Lady Rukia but none on you two." Szayel's slimy voice unnerves Renji and Uryu as the three have their standoff. "I can tell that your Zanpakuto is a power type though that's a shame. You truly are as dumb as you look then."
"Then you're underestimating me from the start." Renji declares before raising his sword upwards and slashing it towards the espada. The repeating segmented serrations of Zabimaru fly through the air coming down in a massive arc striking Szayel directly in the shoulder.
The cocky espada didn't even raise his sword to block the attack, assuming that Renji wasn't nearly powerful enough to scratch his hierro. That however is far from the truth, the center of the hundred meter long cable linked blade immediately pierces through Szayel's hierro cutting deep into his clavicle. With a yank backwards the blades retract towards the handle of Zabimaru sawing into Szayel's shoulder. The espada is slammed to the floor under the weight of the attack before he manages to sonido away from the sawing blades. Appearing several leagues away from the four, Szayelapporo clutches his partially severed shoulder as blood drips from the wound onto the floor. The mad scientist stares in fear at the retracting blades as they return to their wielder. The red headed shinigami snaps his blade back into place with a flick of his wrist as Uryu draws back on his bow.
"Fascinating." Szayel says before lifting his undamaged hand and snapping his fingers. "Fracciones." This statement causes the floor to rumble as large openings in the walls open up revealing strange deformed arrancar that come bounding towards their master.
"Lord Szayelaporro!" The chorus of distorted voices echo through the hall as the fracciones get close to their master. Tall, gigantic, round, skinny, gaunt and every other strange combination of sizes range between the army of strange arrancar. As one round bodied hollow gets close to the mad scientist he reaches out and grabs it by the face before consuming the poor creature. The fracciones and intruders look on in disgust as Szayel gorges himself on his own servant.
"Ah.. much better." He purrs after finishing off the poor hollow, the black and pink reiatsu that bled from the creature now radiates through his body causing the gaping wound in his shoulder to mend itself. "Don't look so glum, I'll make you another one later."
"Disgusting." Uryu spits out after having witnessed the grotesque display. "That used to be a soul you monster and you just devoured it with no hesitation."
"Such is the nature of hollows, but my fracciones are different. They're field medicine, and each of them knows that. I siphon off a portion of my power to create these little fleshling arrancars and when I consume them I can regenerate at high speeds. So can any other arrancar that is injured." Szayel explains before looking at the tattered portion of his shirt. "Fracciones, entertain our guests for a moment. I need to get changed." He says dismissively before walking away from the fight.
"Oh I don't think so." Uryu says as he draws one of the silver sword handles from his belt. Channeling his spirit energy into the device it creates a long slender sword blade made of energy. He lifts the weapon upwards and loads it into his bow before firing it at Szayel. The espada turns around just in time to see the modified Quincy blade pierce through his chest. "Do you really expect to just leave us with your toys? You never turn your back on your opponent in a fight."
"Nice shot Uryu." Renji compliments before maneuvering his sword to the side, extending the blade in preparation to attack the multitude of strange arrancar that surround them.
"Ah… I remember now. You dealt with that Privaron espada Cirucci." Szayel recalls before turning to face them completely. Him rotating his body causes the energy blade in his chest to shatter like glass before it clatters to the ground. "This has certainly gotten interesting. Fracciones. Deal with them." With a sonido, the scientist vanishes allowing his minions to fight the two hollows, shinigami and quincy intruders.
With Rukia.
The Cero Espada sits alone in her cell in deep meditation, around her power has dropped the temperature in the entire palace to absolute zero and yet… it somehow continues to get colder and colder. The temperature has long since frozen away the kido seal over the cell door, but she needs more than just her shinigami incantations alone to escape this nightmare. Deep within her inner world, Rukia follows her new sword spirit through the frozen forest of her inner world. Far in the distance spanning high in the sky over the mountains that frame the frozen forest is a strange sideways city that seems to pan forever into the heavens above her. "Ichigo's inner world." She thinks to herself as she and Emperatriz flash step up the steep mountains and into the strange sideways city.
In the outside world, the moment she sets foot in his inner world, he senses her presence with him. He senses the full extent of her power and he stops moving all together, floating in mid air over the daylight frozen desert within las noches. Her spirit feels like a soothing cold patch after a harsh workout, or the inviting relief of a cold pool on a hot summer's day. However there's also something else within it, he senses definitively that she is now an arrancar and not a shinigami anymore. However, a new sense of familiarity on her spirit graces him as well though he can't place what it is at the moment. When Orihime says his name, he's brought out of the trance before looking at the orange haired woman and small child on his back. "Grimmjow is fighting down there." She says pointing over his shoulder down to the battlefield below them. "Think he needs help?"
"Yeah. Let's go." He says before lunging forwards propelling himself towards the fight.
Within his soul, Rukia lands on top of one of the tallest buildings before stopping to scan her surroundings. She steps cautiously along the blue towers that scrap high into the sideways sky before looking around at the vertical clouds and repeating skyscrapers. She steps elegantly along the windows beneath her feet as she tries to sense for either version of Zangetsu. "Instead of standing on my window, you could knock. Queen." The chipper and slightly twisted voice of Hichigo greets causing Rukia to look down at the window she's standing on. The hollow sword spirit is looking up at her from within the room, though from where he's standing he's on the ceiling. "Hello. Zangetsu." His black lips split into a wide grin revealing pure white teeth within, the same as his strange bone white complexion. His smile raises his cheeks up slightly, framing his black and gold eyes before he reaches out and opens the window. "Care for some tea?" He asks, and though she knows he's being coy the offer is tempting.
"Unfortunately we don't have the time, Zangetsu." This voice perks his attention, as behind Rukia stands the tall elegant white and red form of Empiratriz looking over Rukia's shoulder. "We need your help."
"Y-yeah…" He stutters, staring into the beautiful zanpakuto spirit before him. "W-what uh… what do you need?" He stammers.
"You actually. I need Zangetsu." Rukia says as she points to the inverted blade atop the back of Hichigo. "Aizen has locked away my swords and trapped me in a prison. I need your power to break out of it."
"Uh… y-yeah. All you need to do is call my name, and I will come. My Queen." Zangetsu responds as he bows before the queen of the hollows.
"Thank you. My King." Empiratriz responds, as she offers a hand to Zangetsu allowing him to take it in his. A wide smile graces Zangetsu's lips as he reaches behind his back and hands the white and black version of Zangetsu to Empiratriz.
"The king's gonna need that soon, so be sure you're quick about it." He says as the two fade from his kingdom. "Oi! King! You're gonna be unarmed for a little bit, Rukes is hatching a plan and needs my help!" Hichigo yells to the heavens of the inner world, knowing that his mirror will hear him.
In Las Noches, Rukia awakens within the small concrete cell, across her lap lays the sealed form of Zangetsu within his original state. She smirks, feeling Ichigo's power radiate off the blade as she stands and draws the weapon. The massive nodachi is larger than her entire body, and almost too heavy for her to wield and somehow he swings it about with a single hand. "Cleave the Heavens." She coos to the blade causing it to radiate with power. "Zangetsu." The blade vibrates within her hand, exuding excitement for battle. The blade illuminates with his reiatsu becoming so bright she can barely even look at the weapon. She raises the massive weapon up to head height, twisting her arms to point the blade of the weapon towards the stone wall in front of her. She nearly topples over from the recoil as the sword fires a getsuga tensho upon being released. The blast of spirit energy completely evaporates the wall confining her within the tiny cell. Now free, she tightens her hands along the wrapped tang of the massive weapon, having to flex her muscles just to hold up the weapon. Now it's time to find her own, but she'll need to hold on to him for a little bit longer.
Across Las Noches, Ichigo was just about to make a sneak attack on Nnoitra jumping into the fight with the fifth espada and grimmjow. However, the words of Zangetsu calling out to him prevent him from doing so. "Oi! King! You're gonna be unarmed for a little bit, Rukes is hatching a plan and needs my help!" He hears the sword speak to him before the blade fades from his back. "I'll be fine, I still got Kido and our hollow powers." He answers audibly to his sword spirit before raising a hand to his face, summoning his mask. The skeletal mask has changed once again, this time nearly the entire left side of the mask is read from the widened markings that sit on that side. The activation of his hollow powers alerts both Nnoitra and Grimmjow to his entrance on the battlefield. "Who the fuck is that?" Nnoitra asks as Ichigo sonido's in front of him glaring at the 5th espada through the eye holes of his hollow mask.
"Kurosaki Ichigo." He answers, before pressing a hand flush with Nnoitra's stomach, the charging red and black cero in his palm causes the eyes of the espada to widen in shock at just how fast Ichigo had moved. "Cero." Nnoitra's heart sinks to his stomach as the glow from the blast intensifies then consumes him.
With Renji and Uryu
Panting, Renji wipes the sweat from his forehead after cleaving through the last of the modified fracciones. The corpses of the fracciones dissipate into spirit particles or ash as some of them have been slain by Uryu's bow. Seeing that their enemy has vanished, he curses in frustration before reaching into his robes producing a sake gourd. "Here, drink this." He says offering it to Uryu who accepts the gourd. "It'll replenish your spirit energy, it wont top it off but it'll at least give you some back." He explains as Uryu eyes over the gourd for a moment before drinking its contents. "Where did that slimy fucker go?" Renji growls as they scan the hallway for the elusive espada.
"My my, I knew you were dumb but this is just adorable." The slimy voice of Szayel appears from behind them, "I told you I was going to get changed, you ruined my favorite top, handsome. I have a soft spot for big dumb hunks like you~ Before we continue this little party, I don't suppose you'd be willing to become an arrancar would you? You'd make a wonderful new boytoy." Szayel coos, causing a look of disgust to wash over the four intruders.
"Like hell I'd become one of your playthings you freak!" Renji shouts, causing Szayel to chuckle to himself. "Besides, I don't need to delve further into hollow powers, I've already got more than enough to take care of the likes of you." This statement stops the espada from chuckling, his face now shifts as he raises an eyebrow and smirks hearing this.
"Oh? Are you saying you already have hollow powers? How enticing." Szayel says before dropping a hand to his sword, pulling it from its sheath. "Tell you what, Mr hunky redhead. I'll show you mine… if you show me yours."
"You're going to regret those words." Renji snarls, he moves his sword out away from his body before charging his spirit energy. The pressure begins to shake the room, further enticing the espada in front of him for what is to come. "Ban-Kai!" He shouts, causing his body to glow red as the room erupts into an inferno of spirit flames produced by his ascension. The spirit energy lashes outwards in a deadly inferno blasting away the large tiles on the floor, partially melting portions of the wall and wiping away the remains of the fracciones' corpses that littered the floor. As the energy dissipates the massive amount of dust kicked up by the release slowly begins to settle and through the silence the hiss of a massive snake echoes through the hallway/ "Hihio Zabimaru." The smoke reveals a colossal skeleton of a serpent, its skull filled with rows of sharpened fangs with a large red main behind the serpent's skull. Renji's shihakusho now sports an animal fur cloak over his shoulders, covering his right arm with the skull of a baboon on the left. Szayel looks on slightly unimpressed by the sword release however, that changes as he raises a hand to his face.
Touching his fingers to the crown of his forehead, he curls them inwards causing reddish black reiatsu to begin ebbing from his hands. Pesche and Dondachaka instantly recognise this as hollowfied reiatsu and this feeling causes Szayel to lick his lips as a blush runs across his cheeks. He slowly drags his hand downwards across his face, burning the air with his hollowfied reiatsu as it calcifies in mid air before falling to place on the vizard's face. His white headband turns black as the hollow mask forms beneath it, its shape resembling that of a baboon's skull with two sets of gnarled long canines on both sides of the mouth. Across the forehead of the mask, black tribalistic markings run along the forehead, over the eyes and across the cheekbones. The center of his chest splits open revealing a perfectly circular hollow hole where his heart should be. The snake burns with black reiatsu as its skeleton grows flesh, muscle, sinew and gore grow from the desiccated bones. The eyes of the massive viper glow black and gold matching the wielder of the hollowfied bankai. "Hihio Zabimaru… Bajrisuku." He finishes.
"Baboon Basilisk King?" Szayel questions seeing the strange reptile that the hollow lieutenant is holding by boney segments along its tail. He lets go of the beast's tail before walking up towards its mouth prompting the creature to open its mouth for its master. He reaches into the mouth and grabs a long serrated fang before pulling it out of the creature. The fang glows with black and red spirit energy before shifting to resemble a boney form of his shikai blade.
"Well, I did say I'd show you mine didn't i? He asks rhetorically, raising his blade upwards he turns it towards himself then sticks the point into his mouth, slithering his long tongue around the edge of the blade. "Sip… Fornicaras." He purrs as he stabs the blade down his throat like a sword swallower. The blade glows a vibrant purple as he reaches the hand guard, suddenly it stops glowing and his body explodes ballooning out making him appear massively obese as his body begins to levitate off the ground. From his skin, strings of long purple electric arcs of spirit energy waft into the air as the body explodes. The bottom half of the obese form explodes into a mass of dozens of purple writhing tentacles that support his once again slim upper body. From his back sprouts four long tentacle-like appendages with strange droplet shaped lures that dangle from the boneless limbs.
"Let's get this over with." Renji growls as he flicks the fang blade to the side causing its segments to spread out. Beside him the basilisk hisses at Szayel.
"Over with?" He asks. "No, the fun is just starting."