They killed my wife and my baby

With hopes to enslave me

First mistake...

Last mistake!

Goku transported himself onto the roof of Las Noches, where Ulquiorra Cifer awaited his arrival. A lifeless gaze peered into him, but he stared back with grinning anticipation.

"You came to face me with no hesitation or fear," Ulquiorra said. "Do you not remember what transpired on Planet Vampa?"

"Yeah, of course," Goku said. "But I've been waiting to get another crack at you for months. It's been a while since I've been this eager for a fight."

"You're a very peculiar person. The prospect of battle enthralls you more than the purpose of your mission."

The smile on Goku's face dropped. "Just because I'm excited to fight, it doesn't mean I forgot why I'm here. You guys are gonna pay for all the horrible things you've done."

"Regardless of your motives, the mission given to me by Lord Aizen is to eliminate all intruders. Taking your life is the first step towards that.

Goku leaned into his fighting stance and grinned. "Just try it."

Ulquiorra dashed to Goku and threw a roundhouse kick to his head. Goku blocked and countered with a straight punch, but Ulquiorra parried it and tried to land a backhand to the side of his head. Goku ducked under and gripped his arm and cloak on his chest. The Espada gasped before Goku flipped him over his shoulder and slammed him Ulquiorra into the floor. He wound up to strike his enemy's head, but Ulquiorra's hand thrusted forward and fired a Bala. Goku hopped back and dodged it. However, this gave Ulquiorra enough time to leap back onto his feet and charge forward.

With his sword drawn from his hip, Ulquiorra swung his Zanpakuto across Goku's eyes. He bent backward to avoid it, and once he touched the ground, he booted Ulquiorra in his chest with both legs, sending him up into the air. Goku flipped over and sprung his body into the sky to pursue his target, but his foe dashed back with a flurry of high-speed sword strikes. Goku escaped his blade, but didn't slip past a spinning back kick that landed on his abdomen. It struck with enough force to send him toward a tower that protruded from the roof. He regained balance and propelled himself from the side of the tower back towards Ulquiorra.

Once he drew closer, Goku pulled his fist back, but his enemy already swung his sword down on his head. However, Ulquiorra's Zanpakuto only cut through an Afterimage. Goku sped behind Ulquiorra and slammed him in the back, forcing him down towards the ground. His body slammed onto the rooftop, but as Goku chased from above, Ulquiorra leaped to his feet and fired a Cero from the tip of his finger. Goku countered with a Kamehameha wave. A large blast boomed above Las Noches.

After Goku glided down from the explosion, he fixed his eyes on the melancholic Arrancar. "Hey! What's your deal?"

"What do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked.

"Usually, I can feel someone's feelings when they're fighting, but you're so… empty."

"Unnecessary concerns would only hinder my ability to fulfill my duties. Moments before my death at the hands of Ichigo Kurosaki, however, I understood the purpose of emotions, and how people hold them in their hearts. Tell me, Goku, what is it you hold in your heart?"

"Um, my heart?" Goku hummed with his hands on his hips, then scratched the back of his head. "Well, I guess… I guess I have my friends, family, and I keep my love for fighting in there, too. It's 'cus of all of those things that I can't lose now."

"I see." Large amounts of Ulquiorra's dark spiritual pressure leaked from his body. "Then in my heart, I hold my loyalty, as well as my desire to make any fool who dares to stand in Lord Aizen's way, taste genuine despair." Ulquiorra pointed the tip of his blade at Goku. "Imprison, Murcielago."

Dense spiritual pressure swirled around him and kicked up dust. Goku watched and smiled as he felt his enemy's power surge. Alright, looks like he's getting serious.

The green and black spiritual pressure gave way and unveiled the transformation Ulquiorra utilized in their previous bout. "Resurrecciòn: Tercera Etapa."

Goku's hair stood up straight. He let out a guttural shout and powered up to Super Saiyan Blue.

Ulquiorra lifted his hand and pointed towards his enemy. "Since you don't seem to feel any fear, allow me to instill it into you before you die." He formed a large ball of energy onto his fingertip. "Cero Oscuras - Aplastado."

The blast discharged at a wide range and erased the buildings in front of it. Goku made a quick escape via teleportation. He maneuvered behind his target, but Ulquiorra shot his tail out and wrapped it around his neck. He lifted slammed Goku's face into the ground. His head ricocheted, but Goku planted his feet and grasped the tail. He pivoted and spun Ulquiorra around several times, then flung him into the air.

Ulquiorra soared high, but once he controlled himself, he glanced toward the ground and lost sight of Goku. Goku teleported in front of Ulquiorra and used Instant Transmission to change his location multiple times. When Ulquiorra guessed he'd be in one direction, Goku flew in from the other and struck his cheek with his boot, sending him back toward the last remaining tower. Ulquiorra stopped himself before his back touched the wall of the structure, but Goku rushed in and clotheslined his neck into it. As Sekkisekki stone crumbled to the floor, the two clashed fists and exchanged blows thousands of times over. Shock waves and sparking lighting cascaded across the battlefield.

An uppercut crushed onto Ulquiorra's on his chin before a blue energy sphere thrusted into his stomach. The energy ball burst and sent Ulquiorra across the sky. Goku tried to close the gap between them, but Ulquiorra locked his eyes on his target and opened up his right hand.

"Lanza del Relámpago." A green javelin of flaming spiritual pressure appeared in his grasp. Goku raised his eyebrows in confusion until Ulquiorra heaved the spear at Goku's face. It raced by his eyes, but the massive eruption in the distance dwarfed Las Noches in height. As wind rushed into Goku's face, his mouth gaped open at the sheer destructive force of Ulquiorra's attack. How could he be so eager to launch his spear at such a close range? Had Goku taken the blast head-on, he would survive. However, every unprepared person in the vicinity would perish.

"Do you see now?" Ulquiorra asked. "There is no point in having hope. You will all die here."

Goku quelled his apprehension and returned a grin. "Hmph, that's a pretty powerful move, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to scare me."

"Very well." Spears materialized in both of his hands for him to wield. He charged forward, ready to engage in combat once more.

Goku couldn't help but let out a nervous giggle. "Well, I hope the others are having a better time than me right now."

His eyes shot open. Power levels from Grimmjow, Vegeta, Gohan, and Halibel all flashed across his senses. No, that can't be. Something's not right here.

Grimmjow pressed forward and slashed his claws in every direction. "Come on, Prince. You were so confident before. What happened to ending this early?"

Vegeta did not respond as he continued to block and slip past Grimmjow's attacks. However, he couldn't dodge a slash that cut across his cheek. Grimmjow followed up with an intense roar strong enough to force Vegeta back. While Vegeta regained his bearings, Grimmjow fired five small missiles from his elbow. Vegeta avoided three, but the remaining two struck his shoulder and thigh. The detonations filled the air with smoke.

A smile twisted onto Grimmjow's face, but Vegeta darted out of the dust and landed a punch to his stomach. Though Grimmjow bent over, he smashed his knuckles into Vegeta's ribs. Afterward, he spun and kicked Vegeta in his back, sending him head-first into the sand. Vegeta staggered back to his feet to find tall blades of Reishi emitted from each of Grimmjow's claws.

"Desgarròn!" He lifted his hand and hurled five blades at Vegeta. By the time Vegeta leaped away from the blue Reishi, a second wave sped toward him. Though Vegeta flew backward to evade it, Grimmjow directed them with an upward swing of his arm. Vegeta fired off five blasts to destroy the attack. Four of them hit their targets, but one blade diverged from its original path and dodged Vegeta's blast. He gasped as it dug through his Saiyan armor and created a gash across his chest. Vegeta bore his heels into the sand. Blood flowed out of his chest and into the rest of his clothing.

Grimmjow "You're not looking too good over there, Vegeta. Maybe you should eat a Senzu bean."

He gripped his bicep and grunted. Any substantial pressure applied to his leg caused him agony. His dislocated shoulder swelled and forced him to wince. However, the scowl on his face gave way to a grin, much to Grimmjow's confusion.

"I have to hand it to you, Grimmjow," Vegeta said. "You have gotten stronger. I'll give you that. But even when I'm in this state, you won't come close to defeating me."

"Hmph, overconfident to the point of delusion. Even for you, this is a new low."

"Come to think of it, I've only used my full power at the Tournament of Power and on Beerus' planet. If Aizen couldn't track Instant Transmission, I wouldn't expect you to witness it." Vegeta bore down on his shoulder and forced the joint to realign. He grimaced, but fought through the pain. "Now, before we finish this, I still have one question to ask you. Did you try to stop Aizen when he attacked Sadala?"

With clenched teeth, Grimmjow lowered his head. "You think I wanted that to happen? I pleaded with that bastard in every way I thought of, but he wouldn't give in, and then he…" He shut his eyes and stopped himself.

"And then what?"

Grimmjow struggled, but muttered the words out. "He made me do it."

Fury grew inside of Vegeta's chest. "You're telling me that in sound mind and body, you betrayed our Saiyan race with your own hands? How could you forsake your pride? You should've died before doing such a cowardly thing. Now, I'll make you wish you did."

Violent energy emanated from his body, causing Grimmjow to shield his face from the sand that flew toward him. "How?! You were holding back that much energy?!"

"Allow me to show you the pinnacle of Saiyan power." After Vegeta widened his stance, his aura pulsated. All of his muscle structures underwent rapid expansions. A fierce shout prompted his entire body to glow with intense light. When his vision returned, Grimmjow gasped at Vegeta's new appearance and level of strength. His hair and eyes took on a darker shade of blue, while his aura sported the same coloring with sparkling particles to complement.

"This is a form I achieved when I pushed past my absolute limits. I call it Ascended Super Saiyan Blue."

Grimmjow trembled at his foe's power, but Vegeta sped forward and elbowed his jaw. He then unloaded a torrent of strikes onto Grimmjow's face and sternum before he moved behind and kicked him in the back. Before Grimmjow controlled himself, Vegeta flew in front of them and kicked him in the stomach. Grimmjow careened high in the air and led Vegeta to pursue him from below. Once he stopped himself, Grimmjow raced down to claw his face. However, Vegeta caught both of his wrists. The two warriors exchanged close glares of rage.

"How pathetic," Vegeta said. "You're probably aren't even aware of it, are you?"

Grimmjow strained to free his hands. "Aware of what?"

"You've been so wrapped up in yourself that you haven't even sensed that you've been losing power for a while now. Let me guess, you just discovered how to combine your transformations, and now your body can't handle the stress because you haven't trained long enough." Vegeta's fiery expression softened. "What a pity."

He pulled Grimmjow in and kneed him in the stomach, then slammed a fist into his spine him. Once Grimmjow's body hit the sand, Vegeta hailed barrage of yellow energy blasts. Each one detonated on top of the other.

The smoke scattered away to reveal Grimmjow upright. He fought to catch his breath. Sustained damage and the stress from his transformations had caused his body to near its limit. However, Vegeta's softened scowl brought out hatred. Whether it came from Frieza, Aizen, or Kurosaki, he despised that stare of superiority.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he said. "You keep looking down at me with those eyes. I hate those goddamn eyes!"

Grimmjow's energy erupted from his body. He widened his stance and brought his inverted hands to his chest. In preparation, Vegeta charged his energy into his hands. "All you are is prey! I am the king!" His body and hands emanated fuchsia-colored energy. "Galick Gun!"

He threw his hands forward and shot a massive energy beam at Vegeta, who remained unphased. He curled his fingers and brought his hands to each side of his chest. "Gamma Burst…" Vegeta then inverted his hands inwards and thrusted them out. "Flash!"

Grimmjow's Galick Gun reached Vegeta, but he released a yellow energy beam that eclipsed the purple blast. Forced to watch his demise, he couldn't help but to smirk.

Oh well, if anyone was gonna do me in, it had to be you, Prince.

The burst of the blast shrouded Grimmjow. Shock waves traveled across Hueco Mundo and destroyed sections of Las Noches' outer wall. The dust settled and unveiled a crater of sand. Grimmjow reverted to his normal state and laid face-up but motionless in the center. Cuts and bruises lined his body and arms, while a laceration on his forehead bled down the side of his face.

Vegeta powered down to his base form and landed next to his opponent. He fixed his furrowed brow at him.

You fool. I used to look up to you. Now you've turned around and done something so disgraceful. Vegeta balled up his fists. It makes me so sick! How could you go against everything we stood for?

After he unclenched his fists, he reached into his jumpsuit through the neck and pulled out a Senzu bean. He kneeled and placed the bean in Grimmjow's palm, then closed his fingers around it.

If you're so fixated on redeeming yourself, then wake the hell up and face Aizen like a true warrior.

Vegeta took to the sky and headed for the castle. On his way there, a grin slid across his face. Damn you, Kakarot. That merciful spirit of yours rubbed off on me. He shook his head. It was no time for sentimentality. He needed to hurry and find Starrk.

Vegeta raced into the hole in the wall that Trunks and Goten entered through, then flew around in the castle's maze. However, something worried him. He didn't know if this problem existed as an anomaly. Someone else may have noticed, but he needed to monitor this situation further. After a few minutes, he found himself in the inner desert of Las Noches. His target was nowhere to be found.

He traveled outward and observed Goten fend off Barragan, while his son dished out punishment to Nnoitra. While he took pride in his son's dominant display, his suspicions became more concrete. However, Lilynette Gingerbuck arrived in front of him.

Vegeta gritted his teeth. "Where the hell is he?"

Lilynette smiled. "Beats me, but I'll be glad to take his place."

"Is this some kind of sick joke? Bring him out now before I lose my patience."

From the stub on the side of her mask, Lilynette drew a curved sword as long as her body. She charged at Vegeta and attempted to strike. In a nonchalant manner, he caught the blade and flung them both to the ground.

He refused to curb his anger any longer. "Coward! Show yourself before I blow your partner to smithereens!" His voice echoed across the landscape, but no response came to him. Vegeta shot his hand out towards Lilynette. "Have it your way!"

Vegeta blasted his Big Bang Attack down at the Arrancar. She fired off a green Cero from between her eyes to challenge it, but her beam dissipated on impact. Once the blast drew closer, Coyote Starrk arrived in front of her and deflected it away.

Starrk turned around to Lilynette. "I thought I told you not to-"

Vegeta appeared in front of Starrk and smashed a punch to his cheek. He fell back and tumbled into the sand.

Lilynette ran to his side. "Starrk! Are you alright?"

Vegeta chuckled and transformed into his Super Saiyan Blue form. "Now that you're finished hiding, I can finally grind you into dust."

Hunched over, Nnoitra gripped his shoulder. Blood spilled out of a large laceration on his trapezius muscle.

Trunks stood distant from him with no damage to show for. "And here I was thinking you would at least put up a decent fight. But I guess you can only stand a chance when you use a distraction." As Nnoitra gasped for air, Trunks tightened his grip around his Zanpakuto. "Do you even care about all the destruction you caused? All the lives you stole? We don't even have Dragon Balls to bring them back. Have you ever thought about that?! Huh?!"

"You're asking me if I regret killing humans? What a joke. Their lives had no meaning. If you're too weak to survive, then you deserve to die. I just hastened the inevitable."

"Killing them was your first mistake." Trunks strolled toward his enemy. You won't be able to make another."

Trunks took a few steps until someone emerged behind him. He moved his head to the side to dodge a blade. Afterward, he spun and planted his fist into the attacker's chin. Tesla Lindocruz laid with his face in the sand.

"I was wondering when you were gonna show up," Trunks said. "Now I can kill two birds with one stone."

Tesla rose and held his blade out in front of him. "Master Nnoitra! Please let me fight alongside you. I can't stand back and watch him disgrace you any longer."

Nnoitra stood straight and healed his wound. "I'll allow it, but only because I want to see this wretch in unspeakable pain."

"You're more than welcome to try," Trunks said. "But just to remind you, zero times two is still zero."

"Bastard," Tesla said. He brought his sword-wielding hand across his neck. "Gore them, Veruga!" Steam emitted from his blade and shrouded him before revealing his giant, warthog-like transformation.

A cocky grin slid across Trunks' mouth. "My statement still stands."

The Arrancar charged Trunks from both sides. When they drew a few meters from him, he vanished. They turned their heads to look for him. However, Nnoitra shot his head upward to an energy blast hurled toward them. They leaped into the air and separated to avoid the attack.

"Damn you!" Nnoitra scanned the area for his foe. "Stop running and-" He tilted his head to Trunks high in the air. With his sword raised above his head, he descended onto Tesla, who searched in all the wrong places. "Tesla! Above you!"

Tesla gasped and lifted his head, but it proved too late. Trunks sliced him from the top of his head, between his eyes, and through his body. As the Arrancar's body split in half, Trunks slashed his body into pieces. A Sonido placed Nnoitra behind him. In wide-eyed fury, he thrusted his blade forward. However, Trunks swiveled his body and fired energy blasts from both hands, which injured Nnoitra further and incinerated Tesla's remains.

The smoke cleared to reveal Nnoitra trembling in agony. Bruises and scars did not prevent him from expressing his vitriol.

"One down, one to go," Trunks said.

"You fucking pest!" Nnoitra said. "I wish I tortured you when I had the chance. I should've gutted that stupid bitch right in front of you and killed you both."

Trunks lost all sense of rationality. His sclera blackened, while his pupils changed from green to amber. Nnoitra gasped at the sudden spurt of power, but before he processed the situation, Trunks ran Zangetsu through Nnoitra's stomach.

For a moment, Nnoitra glimpsed into Trunks' eyes and understood. I see. So he is just like Kurosaki, or should I say, one of us…

Trunks forced the blade upward into his chest, then punched him down to the ground. Nnoitra crashed down into the sand and clutched his wound. He struggled to sit upright.

A breeze carried crimson droplets off of his sword. Trunks raised his hand at his fallen foe and prepared an energy blast in his palm. Nnoitra hurled blood onto his chest, but a weak, yet maniacal laugh still escaped.

"He'll kill… you all," Nnoitra said. "You… all of your friends… and that captain you care so much about. You are nothing… to Lord Aizen!"

"Raaahh!" Trunks fired the blast downward. Nnoitra's laugh persisted before the energy wiped him from existence. As the dust persisted from the ground, the darkness crept out of Trunks' eye, and his pupils reverted to their intended color. A deep breath calmed his rage before he flicked his blade outward to remove any excess blood. Afterward, he set his sights on a tower that stood alone in the distance.

Nothing to Aizen, huh? We'll see about that. If he didn't break a sweat with those two, he should be able to at least give Aizen a run for his money.

Trunks sped off towards the building, drawing Goten's attention. Don't tell me he's going off on his own. What happened to sticking with the plan?

"Hey, slow down!" Goten wanted to chase after him, but Barragan's Respira prevented him from leaving. He hoped that whatever training Trunks did inside of the Time Chamber gave him the strength to stand against Aizen.

On the other side of the battlefield, as Vegeta approached Starrk, the sight of his son drew his attention. He's wants to fight him alone? Dammit, he hasn't noticed?

"Trunks, stop! What the hell are you doing?" Vegeta's cries also fell on deaf ears.

After he detected most of the Espada's power levels, Vegeta knew something was amiss. The new power-ups the Espada received from Aizen didn't correspond to their numbers. So far, he assumed Grimmjow to be the strongest, followed by Kakarot's enemy, then Gohan's. He'd rank Goten's adversary next, which made the enemy his son killed the weakest out of the Espada present. Aizen must've framed it as a trap to lure one of them in.

Darn kid, he's just like his father. He better be able to hold his own until I'm finished.

"Ichigo, please tell me he isn't doing what I think he's doing." Renji said.

Ichigo stayed silent, but from his widened eyes and held breath, Renji figured it'd be best not ask further. Sentiments of uncertainty spared no one, and some were more expressive than others.

Soi Fon clamped her jaw and maintained a tight grasp on her captain's coat from her crossed arms. What the hell was he trying to prove? It hadn't even been half an hour since she told him not to be stupid. Now he turned around to perform an asinine feat. Dammit! If I wasn't stuck here, I'd strangle him.

"You know better than anyone else here, Ichigo," Rukia said. "Do you think Trunks can fight him by himself?"

Ichigo exhaled to ease himself. "He's a lot stronger than when I first met him. That much goes without saying. In fact, we gained more from the last two weeks than we did in six months. It's just that there's no actual way to know how strong Aizen's become. I guess we're just gonna have to trust that he knows what he's doing; we don't have another choice."

Even his own words weren't enough to soothe his anxieties. At the moment, he could do nothing but loathe. That reality ate at him from the minute the Garganta sealed. It reminded him of the months he spent without his powers. Now that he far surpassed his previous strength, it was as if nothing had changed. However, it was as he said: he needed to trust his friend to win the battle.

Trunks drew closer to his destination and figured that it would be best to drop in from the roof. After he scaled the tower's wall and crashed through the center of the ceiling. He landed amidst gray room with large pillars that lined each side. In front of him, however, stood a tall, square platform. Atop it, a brown-haired man sat on a throne. Beside him, Arrancar leaned over the throne and handed the man a plate with a teacup on it. Right away, Trunks identified the man on the throne as his target: Sosuke Aizen.

Once Aizen thanked his subordinate, the Arrancar bowed before scurrying off. He took a sip of his tea and rested it on the arm of his chair, then shifted his gaze to the floor.

His lips curled into a slight, yet wintry smile. "Trunks Briefs, I'm glad to make your acquaintance. Allow me to congratulate you for defeating Nnoitra in battle. It was a brilliant display of your talent, and I'm impressed with how much you've grown from your year spent in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber."

"Cut the shit, Aizen," Trunks said. "I'm not here to be showered with compliments. I'm here to kill you."

"You'll have your opportunity to do so." Aizen took another sip of tea. "But first, I'd like to speak more with you."

"Hmph, Ichigo said you were a big talker. Fine, try to persuade me, but it won't work."

"I don't intend to persuade you, but - from one intelligent man to another - I'd like to pick your brain for a moment. I'll start by asking this." Aizen's eyes narrowed down onto Trunks. "Do you trust the ones that stand above you: the Supreme Kai, the Omni King, and the Soul King?"

His inquiry took Trunks aback. "What? What do you mean by that?"

"Where are my manners? Would you like a cup of tea?"

A/N: Apologies for the delay! This chapter didn't come as easily as I hoped but I'm happy with where it's going.

A lot more of the unexpected will be happening in the coming chapters, so stay tuned.

Also a huuuge thank you to everyone that has favorited/followed this fic. It means the world to me, and I also want to say thank you to all that have viewed it to this point. Be safe, and I'll see ya next time