Chapter 36: Crownless and Alone

Las Noches Exterior

As Ichigo and company approach Las Noches, each of them can feel the overwhelming reiatsu of the hundreds of Adjucha-level or above hollows within. Normally, this alone would spark indecisiveness within members of the group; however, in this instance it does not. The group slows in their pace as they reach the castle exterior, now standing in confusion as they stare upon a gapping hole through the wall. From within, they can hear the echoes of battle cries, accompanied by a wave of wind blowing harshly through the large orifice before them.

"Looks like someone else got here first…", Stark remarks casually, before leaning against the exterior wall to rest.

Ichigo nods quietly as he stares intensely into the halls before him. Sora and the bat each give the dragon Vasto Lorde a look before the former looks into the depths as well.

After a moment, Ichigo turns to face his saber-toothed companion, "We'll need a guide in order to avoid unnecessary battles… how well do you know the interior?"

Ggio bows, "I know it almost as well as Barragan himself. It would be my pleasure to serve, My Lord!"

As soon as he finishes his declaration, the saber-tooth Adjucha pounces through the hole in the wall. The Adjucha rises to his full height before regarding Ichigo.

"As soon as you are ready, My Liege."

Ichigo gives a brief nod before addressing the group, "Alright everyone, this is it. We're probably going to have to fight, so if anyone is still thinking of turning back, this is probably your last chance."

There is a silence among the group, which is all the response Ichigo needs. The dragon Vasto Lorde closes his eyes briefly before letting out a light exhale.

In the next moment, Ichigo spins himself around to face Ggio again, declaring, "Everyone stick together. They'll likely try and pick us off one by one, starting with our wounded."

Halibel, Stark, and Ashido perk up at this. The blonde hollow nods in response, prompting her trio of Adjucha followers to circle in around her in a show of protection. Stark and Ashido merely stare at Ichigo quietly before the former yawns carelessly. Stark's action cause Loly, Menoly, and Ggio to all seemingly reach an agreement for once as they simultaneously scowl at the Arrancar.

Lilynette notes this, now wearing a scowl of her own, "STARK!"

The man in question rubs his eyes a bit, "Yeah?"

The girl continues to lay into him, "You can't respond to someone with a yawn like that, especially not the boss! It's IMPOLITE!"

Ggio hisses at the brown haired Arrancar, "The girl is right. If you were working for Barragan, you'd be dead right now-!"

The tiger cuts himself off as Ichigo raises a hand, bringing everyone to silence.

The Vasto Lorde shakes his head, "I don't mind… he didn't mean it like that, anyway. I mean, I'd want to nap too if I was still recovering from a tough fight… that is what you were getting at, right?"

Ichigo glances back at the Arrancar, whose eyes are now wide in mild shock. Stark clicks his tongue, looking away somewhat sheepishly, "He got all that from one yawn…? Damn, this kid is sharper than I gave him credit for…"

The Arrancar then nods, "Yeah. Don't worry about me, I can still fight off the grunts. I'll be fully recovered after I find somewhere to catch some shut eye…"

Ichigo looks at Stark for yet another moment before turning towards Ggio again, "Alright, Ggio, I think it's time we paid your former boss a visit."

Laboratory, Las Noches

Szayel scans over various monitors with a mildly bored expression. Behind him, on each side, stand three figures. The left figures are lit up by the light from Szayel's monitors. Among them are two large Arrancars with round bodies garbed in all white clothing, standard to those working under Aizen. Between them is the much smaller Roka, who has her eyes closed as if focusing on something. The other three figures to Szayel's right are hidden in the darkness.

The pink haired Arrancar shifts back and forth in his chair, as if to pass the time, but pauses as he suddenly sighs, "It's about time you three go greet the enemy, wouldn't you say?"

The man tilts his head to regard the three figures shrouded in the darkness. The figures do not move nor utter a noise.

Szayel turns back to regard the monitors, "Don't worry, I'll still have your reward here when you return. I am a man of my word, after all."

The darkened figures remain unmoving for another moment before suddenly spinning around and leaving the area, their footsteps echoing off the walls of the large lab.

Shortly after they leave, Roka opens her eyes and speaks, "Every remaining hollow in the army has been notified…"

This makes Szayel smirk in a satisfied manner, "Good… now if I can only separate White from his allies… chaos will ensure, and I will get to reap the spoils! All the while, that old fool Barragan will remain none the wiser as he arrogantly and complacently sits on that pointless throne of his, awaiting a battle with an enraged White who thinks it was the God King who tried to kill his allies! His death is all but assured!"

The pink haired Arrancar laughs maniacally, truly basking in the glory of his plan, "Ah, Yuzu Kurosaki… such a sweat girl she was to let me know that her brother is the type of person who will stop at nothing to protect those around him!"

Szayel continues his evil laughter for another moment, continuing to enjoy how things are seemingly going his way. Roka's expression remains neutral, as always, as Szayel's maddened laugher dies down.

The girl waits until Szayel is done laughing before speaking, "Master Szayelaporro, White and his allies have entered through the Southeast corridor."

Szayel continues smirking, his expression becoming even more vicious, "Your time has come to an end, God King. Nothing lasts forever, and the pinnacle of our kind is no longer restricted by you. The next generation of hollows are coming…"

As the pink haired Arrancar says this, he glances to the corner of one of the monitors in particular, his expression becoming serious, "Speaking of which…"

Southeast Corridor, Las Noches

As Ggio leads the group through the halls, many of them can't help but look at what they find with disgust. Littered along the floor and strewn on the walls are the corpses of Adjuchas of various shapes and sizes—a sign of the warpath of the other unknown group who attacked.

Apacci groans as she accidently steps in a puddle of blood, "Ugh, whatever Menos did this doesn't know shit about cleaning up after yourself!"

Sun-Sun nods, "Indeed, this is quite barbaric… no class at all."

Ashido narrows his eyes at the sight, "This isn't the work of the average Menos… it's barbaric, sure, but still skillfully done…"

The Shinigami looks around a bit longer before turning towards Sun-Sun and Apacci, "I was under the impression that you all were the only rebellious hollows…"

The deer and snake seem to make a shrugging motion, prompting the lion Adjucha to add her own two cents, "There are thousands of hollows in Hueco Mundo, it's only natural that there would be other rebels."

Sora, who has been holding the rear of the group, speaks up, "Of course, but it's odd that such powerful hollows would go on without building some kind of reputation. Correct me if I'm wrong, but some of these kills look like the work of a Vasto Lorde."

This sends a chill down the spines of every Adjucha present, except Ggio, who merely continues forward without so much as acknowledging the conversation.

Loly sputters, "T-that can't be right! I thought Barragan made a point of killing all of the rebellious Vasto Lordes. For one to be alive and rebelling like this, that would have to mean…"

Menoly finishes the statement, hanging her head somewhat dejectedly, "…that would mean they are comparable to Master Ichigo…"

The group slows in their pace slightly, except Ggio, Ichigo, and the white bat hollow, who is keeping a noticeably close distance to the dragon Vasto Lorde.

Loly chuckles in attempt to brush it off, "No way! We saw what Ichigo did to that Yammy guy—no way is there a hollow that power—"

Halibel cuts in as she has a contemplative look in her eyes, "Actually, I've heard rumors of a rogue hollow fitting that description."

This statement causes everyone participating in the conversation to widen their eyes in shock and fear. Ichigo stops his pace as well, glancing over in mild amount of interest. Of course, both Ggio and the bat follow suit in halting their advance.

Halibel's green eyes widen slightly under the expecting, curious gazes of the group, prompting her to shake her head after a moment, "Sorry, I don't know the specifics…"

The group give various relieved looks, especially Loly, who attempts to calm herself down, "T-then they are just rumors after all!"

The centipede attempts a mock chuckle, which her sister joins in, although this would go short-lived.

Ggio's voice rings out for the first time since entering the palace, "They aren't just rumors."

The group now look to Ggio with various expressions of shock.

Unlike Halibel, the tiger nonchalantly elaborates, "Shortly after His Majesty fought with Barragan, a new group of particularly violent hollows started openly rebelling against the God King, slaughtering any hollows that crossed their path. At the helm of this group is a Vasto Lorde who calls himself 'The Uncrowned King', perhaps in a show of defiance of the God King. While the part about this rogue being as strong as His Majesty or Barragan are obviously false, the fact that he singlehandedly defeated an Espada is true."

Loly snaps at the tiger, "Well, that's SOOO much better! Instead of a hollow who's as strong as Ichigo and could easily kill us, he's a hollow who's slightly weaker and could still kill us, especially when our guard is down!"

Ggio's eyes narrow and twitch, "Are you saying that you are so cowardly as to grovel even when under the service of Lord White? Have you no confidence in him?!"

Loly hisses, "Idiot! I know how strong Ichigo is, he won't lose to anyone! And what's so bad about fearing for my life anyway? You can't be any different!"

The figurative peanut gallery glance back and forth between Ggio and Loly as they continue to bicker, particularly Menoly, who has an especially anxious look in her eyes.

The scorpion steps forward, attempting to come between her sister and the tiger, "Come on you two, you shouldn't argue like that in front of Master Ichigo…"

At the mention of the dragon, the two cease their bickering and glance at the individual in question, whose eye has a twitch of its own.

Ggio immediately prostrates himself, bowing so far down that his mask is touching the floor, "Forgive my impudence, Your Majesty!"

Ichigo rolls his eyes before letting out a snort, "You two can't even go an hour without a stupid-ass argument, can you…?"

The orange haired Vasto Lorde walks past Ggio's prostrated form, prompting him to roll his eyes once more before addressing the tiger in an annoyed tone, "Get up. I still need you to tell us where to go."

"AS YOU WISH, YOUR MAJESTY!", Ggio declares as he quickly straightens his form and runs past Ichigo, continuing a distance down the hall, before halting and assuming a stand-by position.

Ichigo shakes his head once more at the sight of Ggio's actions before rubbing the top of his mask with his hand, "How does Barragan handle dealing with idiots like this—oh, right… he's a narcissist."

Without further delay, the dragon resumes his stride, prompting the others to fall behind.

However, the young hollow can't help but shake thoughts regarding his Adjucha days, "Nel said my actions sparked rebellions… but I doubt this hollow has Hueco Mundo's best interests in mind… if it comes to it, I might have to put them down…"

Under the Canopy, Las Noches

Within the center of Las Noches, there exists a spacious desert reminiscent of the one outside of the palace; however, the key difference is that this desert appears to be during the day. Blue skies and white clouds hang far above the desert surface, which, despite obviously not being a real sky, appears as such to the naked eye. The only sign of the sky's artificial nature is the seemingly infinitely tall red spires which house interior sections of the palace, perhaps connected by underground tunnels. It is unknown how the area under the palace's canopy achieved this appearance, but what is known, at least to the blue haired panther Vasto Lorde, is that it will make for an excellent battleground.

Grimmjow lets out a low whistle, "I've gotta say, I didn't expect I'd have the opportunity to slaughter Espadas in broad daylight!"

Across from Grimmjow stands two figures. The first figure is a tall, lanky Arrancar with an eyepatch and long black hair, who brandishes a large scythe-like weapon with a crescent blade connected to a shaft with black chains at the end. A distance away from him is another, not quite as tall, bearded Arrancar with black, slicked back hair, who wields a standard-looking katana.

Dordoni is the first to respond to Grimmjow's obvious taunt with, of course, one of his own, "Of course it makes sense that a mere salvaje like you could not properly enjoy the esplendores that Las Noches has to offer."

Nnoitora sneers, "And I find it hard to believe that Luppi got himself killed by you… although, I guess I should be thanking you for ridding me of that asshat."

Grimmjow glares at the two Espadas with obvious bloodlust in his piercing blue eyes, which causes the two recipients to drop their jovial tones, replaced by serious, wary expressions.

The panther points his clawed index finger at neither of the Espadas, but to the sky, as he makes an arrogant declaration, "I'll be able to enjoy all of the esplendores I want and kill whomever I please after I slaughter Barragan and prove to everyone that I am the king!"

Both of the Espadas scowl at this, suddenly no longer in the mood to chat, as they both immediately call out; "Pray, Santa Teresa!" / "Whirl, Giralda!"

Nnoitora and Dordoni's releases cause shockwaves, which makes the artificial desert rumble somewhat, buckling under the strain of holding up the reiatsu of three Vasto Lorde level beings. All the while, Grimmjow cackles with bloodlust as he watches the transformations.

Nnoitora now appears quite differently than before, although roughly the same size. Noteworthy changes are an extra set of arms, which now all appear as white and insect-like with clawed hands, each now holding a large, scythe-like weapon, each resembling the appendages of a praying mantis. Nnoitora has also gained a golden, scar-like marking which extends from his forehead to below his right eye, as well as a pair of horns on his head which resemble a crescent moon. There are also several white appendages on his torso which extend up either side of his stomach. Finally, his hollow mask fragment is revealed on his left eye, which also houses his hollow hole.

On the other hand, Dordoni's appearance change is less drastic; the notable differences including the addition of two large white horns on his back, white armor that starts around his ankles and end around his knees, jutting out to make two more large spikes, one per side, and a change of his mask fragment encasing the frame of his forehead.

Without any hesitation, Grimmjow lunges at the Espadas, still cackling as he knows a battle of complete and utter carnage is about to ensue. Nnoitora barks at Dordoni to stay out of his way as he attempts to intercept Grimmjow, slashing at the incoming panther from four different direction with his scythes such that they would trap all exits of escape for the panther. Unfortunately for the mantis, Grimmjow isn't going to make it that easy. The panther vanishes with a distorted buzz, signaling use of Sonido, and appears immediately behind the taller hollow, who is unable to parry the sudden kick to the face, which slams into him with such intensity that his body is sent flying through the air, promptly crashing into a nearby sand dune.

Dordoni tsks at the sight, noting that Grimmjow now has his sights set on him. The bearded Espada kicks the air in front of him, sending a cyclone of intense wind directly at the panther. Yet again, Grimmjow defies reason by slashing through tornado with his hand, causing it to completely disperse. Dordoni hardly has time to blink before Grimmjow is upon him, violently slashing at the Espada with his clawed hands in an attempt to mortally wound him. Dordoni, a bit quicker on his feet than Nnoitora, struggles to dodge the flurry of jabs that assault him, which manage to graze him in multiple locations, drawing blood. All the bearded Arrancar can do is dodge and backstep as Grimmjow's onslaught is relentless and leaves no openings that Dordoni is fast enough to exploit. Dordoni naturally decides to use Sonido after a strike lands too closely to a vital point for comfort, however, his eyes widen as Grimmjow uses Sonido in the same instance, leaving the distance between them unchanged.

The bearded Espada attempts to back step once more to avoid an incoming slash but widens his eyes as he feels himself backed up against one of the red towers. Although, in that instant, the seasoned Arrancar snickers slightly. Grimmjow's next attack comes with even more force, intended as a killing blow, however, Dordoni dodges it by shifting himself at the last moment, leaving Grimmjow's arm to be planted into the red wall. Dordoni capitalizes on this, as he gathers an intense amount of air around his right leg, which he sends towards Grimmjow fixed in the tower. However, once more the panther shows he is not to be underestimated, as he somehow shifts his body upward, using only the strength of his implanted right arm, which makes the kick completely miss its mark. As soon as Dordoni realizes what happened, Grimmjow slams his own foot into the Arrancar's face, sending him skidding across the desert like the other Espada. The panther isn't done, however, as he begins to charge a cero pointed in Dordoni's direction; however, notices Nnoitora suddenly appear behind him, poised to strike him with his scythes. Grimmjow, still impeded in the tower, immediately redirects the now point-blank cero at Nnoitora, who wears a stunned expression at Grimmjow's reflexes. What follows is a vicious pale red explosion that engulfs the entire underside of the tower, causing it to crumble.

Nnoitora's body skids against the desert, but he is quickly able to regain his bearings before spitting out blood. Dordoni and Nnoitora approach the rubble of the tower warily, each from opposing directions.

They both tense up when they hear familiar cackling, "Not bad… but I think it's time I killed you two!"

The panther then cries to the skies as he releases more of his power, causing a shockwave across the desert. Nnoitora scowls before releasing more of his own power and readying his scythes in a defensive manner. Grimmjow leaps back at the mantis hollow, poising his clawed hand for a killing blow. Oddly, the mantis opens himself up to the attack as he stabs his scythes into the ground, holding onto them tightly. Grimmjow's blow strikes the taller hollow in the abdomen, which causes Nnoitora's body to rattle violently, making him spit up blood. Grimmjow notices, however, that while his attack left some real damage, it did not pierce through the Arrancar's skin. In fact, the mantis has now visible external cuts at all. Nnoitora smirks evilly as he quickly takes his scythes out of the ground, preparing to strike Grimmjow with them. The panther attempts to parry them, but his arm and leg are grabbed by bony, beaked appendages from behind, manipulated by air currents, courtesy of Dordoni. The panther can do nothing as the scythes slash through his midsection from four different angles, which leave deep scars that mark his chest like an asterisk.

Grimmjow spits up blood at this, now starting to flail violently. The panther balls his hands into fists and attempts to release his reiatsu in a shockwave to shake off the air currents, but struggles to do so as Dordoni grunts, increasing the intensity of the currents to their maximum, which allow them to absorb most of the impact from the shockwaves. Grimmjow hisses but then gasps suddenly as his body seizes due to Nnoitora piercing his lower stomach with his white, clawed hand, which leads to the panther vomiting even more blood.

Nnoitora retracts his hand from Grimmjow's stomach before starting to laugh maniacally. The mantis promptly strikes at Grimmjow again and again with his scythes, causing blood to fly through the air. Dordoni shakes his head at the sight, not exactly a huge fan of bloodbaths.

The crazed cyclops attempts to taunt and humiliate the vulnerable panther in the moment, "You thought you could be the next God King? Don't make me laugh! You can't even defeat feeble Espadas like us! Now you'll die here, crownless and alone!"

Nnoitora raises one of his scythes in the air in preparation of a final blow. Grimmjow weakly watches in seemingly slow motion as his life flashes before his eyes.

Past, Hueco Mundo

A small, white panther Adjucha perches on the side of a tree protruding from the sands on the surface of Hueco Mundo. Suddenly, a large shadow is cast over him followed by a unique voice.

"What's this?", the voice calls, "You're kind of little for an Adjucha."

The panther shifts his piercing blue eyes up to regard a much larger bug-snake hollow hybrid with a large white mask and glowing red eyes. The two creatures stare each other down briefly before the exchange continues.

The hollow explains, "Sorry… but I gotta eat you."

Without a moment's hesitation, the panther leaps from the tree and bites out a large chunk of the right side of the hollow's mask, before landing on the ground behind him, holding a bloody mass of the hollow's flesh in its mouth. Following this, the panther shifts its head back to regard the forms of four new hollows surrounding it from behind. The large bug-like hollow screams in pain as the panther continues to carelessly feast on its prize.

A tall, lanky humanoid hollow dawned in white plated armor, a unique mask, and possessing long clawed hands, steps forward to regard the panther.

"You're strong.", the hollows starts, "What's your name Adjucha?"

"Grimmjow.", the panther provides after swallowing his meal, blood still dripping from his mouth.

The humanoid gestures towards himself, "I'm Shawlong."

There is a moment of silence between the two as they continue to stare each other down.

Shawlong continues, "Join us… Grimmjow… or rather…"

The hollows surround the small Adjucha before each bowing before him in respect.

Grimmjow, now confused, glances at Shawlong for an explanation, "What's this?"

Shawlong, still on his knee, explains in detail, "Our goal is not to remain Gillians or to become Adjuchas. One day, we will rise to become Vasto Lordes. But to do that, we need power… an immense power that can guide us. You are that power. Let us walk together."

Grimmjow, whose interest is piqued, eyes Shawlong, who concludes, "Become our king, Grimmjow…"

Present, Under the Canopy, Las Noches

"I AM THE KING!", Grimmjow roars as his body rushes with adrenaline.

Nnoitora does not falter, however, as he begins to bring his blade down. The panther attempts to move to attack the mantis, which forces him to recall the air currents. Grimmjow, now powered purely by near death instinct, acts quickly as he bends his arm, charging an unstable looking cero, which mixes with the blood flowing freely from his torso. This causes Nnoitora to falter mid strike, recognizing the sight as Gran Rey Cero, which causes the trajectory of his blade to shift just enough so that it only grazes Grimmjow's neck as opposed to completely beheading him.

The panther releases the cero on Nnoitora, who is forced to block it using all four of his blades. However, the cero is still too powerful for him to handle, as the mantis' blades shatter under the blast which sends his body flying through the air, a smoldering mess. Dordoni is momentarily motionless, too shocked by how quickly and easily Grimmjow was able to do that despite his situation.

This costs him.

Grimmjow, capitalizing on Dordoni's momentary confusion, breaks out of the hold of the air currents by releasing a shockwave generated by his blood-lusted roar. Dordoni has no time to react as the panther bends his arm and shoots five high speed darts at him. The darts connect on various locations on the bearded Arrancar's upper body, causing his body to shake around violently. As Dordoni tries to recover, his air currents instinctually return to him, but this is futile, as Grimmjow now has an opening.

The panther disappears in a buzz before reappearing in front of Dordoni with blue clawed extensions on his right hand. The bearded Espada raises the air currents to block, but Grimmjow, roaring a desperate, primordial roar, slashes through it like butter as his bladed attack nearly rends the Espada's body in two. In the wake of the attack, Dordoni spits up blood before collapsing to the ground, now a bloody mess.

Grimmjow's teeth grind together as he wheezes, slowly raising his shaking hand to deal the death blow, however, the blue extensions suddenly fade. After another moment, the panther coughs up another large sum of blood before his body falls to the ground. The panther struggles to maintain his consciousness as his thoughts start to return to him, however, it is for naught, as the adrenaline wears off, leaving him in a state between life and death.

A wind blows across the now bloodstained desert left in the wake of the battle. Another moment passes before a figure approaches the downed panther. This figure wears all white garments, like the two Espadas, however wears a unique tall mask that conceals their identity. The Espada Aaroniero Arruruerie stares intently upon the downed form of Grimmjow.

Chamber, Las Noches

Pinned in a wall in a long dark chamber is the bruised, battered, and unconscious form of Edrad. A distance away, Gantenbainne lets out a sigh as he retracts two, pointed, staple-like gauntlets before lightly touching his afro.

The orange haired man smirks, "Good, that fight didn't mess with my hair…"

There is a pause from the Espada as he regards the Adjucha before him, "Y'know, I didn't expect an Adjucha like you to give me that much of a challenge."

The Espada then glances to a certain direction with widened eyes, "W-wait, that can't be right. No way did one guy take out two of us at once!"

Gantenbainne rushes out of the room, leaving the limp form of Edrad on the wall, now with a slight smirk on his face.

Large Dark Room, Elsewhere in Las Noches

Yylfordt engages a bipedal hooved creature, who appears as an Adjucha. One may be confused to discover that this is the release state of Tesla Lindocruz, Nnoitora's ever faithful follower. The creature grabs the bull's horns with his large, bulky arms before brutally slamming him against the wall. Before he can follow up though, he seems to sense something.

Tesla's eyes widen as he gasps, "NO! Master Nnoitora couldn't have lost!"

After the Arrancar says this, Yylfordt immediately regains his bearings and cashes in on the opening, coating both of his horns with purple cero-like blasts before immediately rushing at the beast, catching him off guard, and piercing him with his horn before an explosion ensues which blasts the bipedal hollow into the wall. Tesla groans as his consciousness slips and his form shrinks back down to his unreleased, humanoid form.

The Arrancar gasps out a question, "Are you not loyal to your master? You should be worried about his well-being too…"

Yylfordt snorts, as he starting to charge a cero between his horns, declaring, "My King doesn't tolerate weakness like that during a fight. Here's a reality check, bro; if you can't even survive and win your own fight, then you have no right to worry about anyone else... because you'll be dead."

Tesla fades from consciousness, smiling dejectedly, "Doesn't tolerate weakness, huh? Master Nnoitora is the same way… I suppose… I'll die a weakling, then."

Yylfordt launches the cero, however, something appears in front of Tesla as he does, immediately slicing the blast in two. The bull's eyes widen as he stares a humanoid form with long turquoise hair in one moment while in the next moment they disappear. He's suddenly struck in the back of the neck by a precise, calculated blow, which knocks him out almost instantly, sending his body to the ground. Behind him stands the form of Nelliel, staring down at the two before sighing and wearing a look of disapproval.

The woman mutters to herself, "Carnage like this cannot go on…"

The Espada then turns to regard two forms behind her: Pesche and Dondochakka, "Would you two please carry them for me?"

They both nod, Dondochakka adding, "Right away, Master Nel! We'll get these two patched up, y'know what I'm talkin' about?!"

Pesche further regards the woman in a friendly tone, "Yeah, don't worry about it Master Nel. I'm sure these guys will be the last who need this type of treatment. After all, Barragan's men are under strict orders to not engage White in combat, so once he gets here, the only battle will be the one for the throne!"

Nelliel's brow furrows somewhat, although she offers a weak smile, "Right…"

Pesche's own gaze drops slightly as Nelliel stares off distantly, not fully convinced that it's going to be that simple.

Central Underground Tunnels, Las Noches

Ichigo and company continue to navigate Las Noches, which has turned out to be much larger than it looks like from the outside, which is surprising considering you can't even see the top of the canopy from the ground.

Stark pauses his stride momentarily as he narrows his eyes, "Hey Ashido, wouldn't you say the reiatsu of that hollow who was fighting those other two just a moment ago feels familiar… kind of like that one when we first met him?"

Stark gestures to the white bat hollow, who nods his head in agreement.

Ashido does likewise, "Yeah… it's intense, as if even getting near it is asking for trouble."

Ichigo tilts his head back in interest, asking openly, "Do you think it could have been that Uncrowned King?"

Stark and Ashido shrug while the look in bat's eyes remains passive, suggesting that none of them know.

Ichigo's eyes narrow as he thinks to himself, "I think I've felt that reiatsu before… although different… but where?"

After a moment, Halibel looks forward, "I suggest we keep moving…"

Ichigo follows the female hollow's gaze, seeing Ggio waiting patiently for them a distance ahead. The dragon then nods his head in agreement as the group proceeds, leading them to reach a room that splits off into five directions.

Loly growls in annoyance, "Great, more paths…"

Lilynette pouts, "Well, I think navigating the halls with friends is fun! Don't you think so too, Stark?"

Stark shrugs with an ever so slight smile on his face, "Sure."

Ichigo then addresses Ggio seriously, "Do you know which way leads to Barragan?"

Ggio looks around with a confused and urgent look in his eyes, "These doorways are different from before…"

Halibel narrows her eyes, "They know we're here, then… what's the plan?"

Ichigo glances at Halibel before dipping his head downwards, thinking.

After a moment, he states, "We're not in a rush, but I don't particularly want us all to walk into a trap…"

Ashido stares at the teen seriously, "But if we split up, that leaves our weaker members open to being blindsided by the Espada…"

Ichigo nods, "I agree. I trust six of us to contend with Espadas, minus Barragan, alone, and out of that, three of you are not in any condition to be fighting Espadas on your own right now."

Halibel, Stark and Ashido give each other looks.

Sun-Sun tilts her head questioningly, "Then, what should we do, My Lord?"

Ichigo hums before Ggio cuts in, "I've seen this before from one of the Arrancars called Szayelaporro. He has control over many of the traps and doors in Las Noches. If I were to bet, he likely wishes to speak with you alone, My Lord…"

The orange haired Vasto Lorde stares at Ggio thoughtfully before questioning, "And if I don't comply?"

Ggio narrows his eyes, "Then he'll find a way to separate us… even if that means killing…"

As if on cue, Szayel's voice can be heard overs some kind of intercom, "Felicitaciones! You know me well, Ggio, my old friend! Indeed—the middle path will lead to my palace; however, it is riddled with traps which will react to anyone who is not Ggio and White—given that I have not yet had the time to register Ggio as hostile or unknown in the system and Barragan himself has declared that no one but himself shall lay a finger on White."

Ichigo snarls, "And what of the other paths?"

Szayel's voice calls back, "The right paths will ultimately lead to where the other invaders have gone, which is quite the battlefield currently. Alas, it is the quickest way to get to King Barragan… The left paths will both ultimately lead to Lord Aizen's room."

Ichigo immediately starts walking towards right most hallway, prompting Szayel to give a warning, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. I've riddled both the left and right paths with explosives that react to your reiatsu. Both hallways will explode if you go down either of them, which will permanently cut off your paths and leave you lost once more."

The dragon hollow groans in frustration, "FINE! I'll play your stupid game! But if this is a waste of my time, I'll gut you like a pig!"

Szayel chuckles, "My dear White, I'd have it no other way! I do look forward to meeting you."

After that, the intercom goes silent.

Ichigo then turns to Ggio, "Can this guy be trusted?"

The tiger thinks for a moment before nodding a bit hesitantly, "Szayelaporro is an odd one… but if he were following Barragan's orders, then Barragan would've been speaking to you himself…"

"So, he has his own agenda…" Ichigo concludes, "…that seems to be a trend in Las Noches…"

Ashido steps forward, "I will take the left path. I came here to investigate this 'Lord Aizen', not to meddle in the affairs of hollows."

Ichigo looks at the Shinigami briefly before letting out a deep sigh. The dragon then glances at Sora and the bat hollow, then the five female Adjuchas.

Ichigo then points at the white bat, "Loly, Menoly; you go with him. Ashido, Stark, and Lilynette, it's probably better for you guys to stick together. All of you will take the left path."

Loly and Menoly begin to protest, particularly, Menoly, "B-but Master Ichigo, I can't leave your side! I have sworn to serve you!"

Loly snorts, "Yeah, how are we supposed to make sure you don't fall asleep in the middle of the battlefield or some bullshit like that, huh?!"

The dragon hollow sweat drops, while also groaning in frustration, "HEY! Just because I can appreciate power naps doesn't mean I'm a dumbass!"

Ichigo then drops the jovial bickering and matches the white bat's gaze. The almost begging look in the bat's deep green eyes suggest he feels hesitate about leaving the dragon's side.

The orange haired hollow shuts this down immediately, "Look, I don't want any of you to get hurt on my account. We'll need to ensure that each group has a Vasto Lorde level hollow as well as at least two supporting Adjuchas. Once I meet this 'Szayelaporro', we will meet back up, sound good?"

Loly and Menoly glance at each other before nodding somewhat dejectedly.

The bat nods as well, "His reasoning is fair… and perhaps there is information about this 'Lord Aizen' that would be useful to him."

Ichigo adds, "Don't engage Espadas in combat if you can help it. I don't know if there will be any in that area, but it's better to assume there are. Also, if it does come down to a fight, I'd rather you don't kill if you can help it—just subdue the enemy."

The bat gives a nod before their group begins walking down the left most hallway.

Ichigo turns towards Sora, who states with a somewhat sad look in his eyes, "I guess our reunion will be short-lived, huh?"

Ichigo looks to the ground, "Sorry, but I can't let any of you get hurt because of me…"

Sora's gaze softens before he huffs, "I get it… but please, don't think it's your fault if we get hurt. We all chose to come and fight beside you, remember?"

The dragon's black and yellow eyes widen as he regards the group before him.

Apacci states with confidence, "Hell yeah, let's raise some hell!"

Mila Rose almost growls in anticipation, "Putting Barragan's henchmen in their place? Count me in."

Sun-Sun's response is a bit more dignified, "So violent, both of you! But of course, I agree and shall follow Lady Hailbel and My Lord Sora anywhere~!"

Halibel gives Ichigo a hardened gaze, "It's time for Barragan to pay for his crimes against our kind. We are willing to sacrifice our lives to make that happen, My Lord."

The teen feels an uplifting feeling, as if the hole in his chest is finally beginning to close.

Sora then gives Ichigo a light pat on the back, "See? Don't worry about us. Now that I'm a Vasto Lorde, I'll protect them in your place. Just make sure you survive, yeah?"

Ichigo nods his head at Sora, a soft gaze in his otherwise golden-black haunting eyes, "Thanks…"

With that, Sora and the remaining female hollows walk towards the right path.

The remaining two stand in silence for another moment as Ichigo looks down the hallway supposedly leading towards Szayelaporro.

The dragon's gaze hardens before resolutely stating, "Let's go, Ggio."

The tiger quietly nods—an unimpressive gesture that is weirdly ordinary coming from the tiger. Ichigo rushes forward into the depths of the hall, the tiger following closely after.

Author's Note:

Hope y'all liked this chapter—it was cooking in my head for a while now. I really feel like things are starting to come together with the Hollows, particularly Ichigo and Grimmjow—how they foil each other in particular. Of course, Barragan's character will be thrown into the mix later, but that's a couple chapters from now.