Bleach: Three Paths

by Getsuga Goon

What if Rukia arrived too late at the start of Bleach? You'd be surprised. The fates of the Kurosakis would be forever changed by this one event. Takes inspiration from the Bleach Fanfiction named "White" by Melkor's Mercy. [Cross-posted on Ao3.] Cover image by Chris-Jin on DeviantArt.

34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34: Survival of the Fittest

Rukongai

After hours of searching through the wilderness of the Rukongai, including a forest and a small rocky area, the group find themselves on a dirt road in the middle of a large grassland. Yukio wipes some sweat from his brow, as the sun had been beating down on him for hours—his black clothing doing him no favors in counteracting the heat. This prompts Kon, who is currently seated on the boy's shoulder, to nudge him in support.

Yukio acknowledges the stuffed lion with a look and whisper, "Don't worry Kon… this is nothing compared to what she must be going through, right now…"

The lion nods lightly, although still wears a concerned expression, "Alright…"

After a while longer of walking, the black cat leading the group of nine halts.

Uryu glances down at the cat, raising a brow, "Why are we stopping?"

The cat stares at something in the distance, not bothering to look back at the boy, "We're here…"

This prompts everyone in the group to raise their heads and look ahead of them, causing some to gasp. The sight before them would look like a rather unassuming traditional Japanese estate if it weren't for the two giant, juxtaposed arms flanking the building which hold up a banner with the name of the person they are looking for.

Riruka groans in disgust, "Ugh! That is hideous! Not cute at all!"

Yukio remarks, unamused, "It's not exactly cool either…"

Uryu, meanwhile, adjusts his glasses, "What is that even supposed to be, anyway?"

Chad says nothing, but still can't help but sweat drop at the sight.

Just then, two large, built men walk out of the house and call to the group, "Who goes there?!"

The group regards the men with curious looks, finding their appearances to be quite unique as well.

The men scan over the group carefully before noticing a black cat among them, "Master Yoruichi?!"

5 Minutes Later, Shiba Estate

Kukaku exhales a stream of smoke from her mouth as she regards the group seated around the room with a downcast expression, "I see… so, you say both Uncle and my cousin are in peril…?"

Yoruichi, seated in front of the Shiba woman, nods solemnly, "Unfortunately… At this point, we are uncertain whether or not either of them will make it out of there alive… normally, Kisuke wouldn't want to spend resources on a situation that didn't guarantee someone would die, but this group of humans have all come here of their own free will…"

Kukaku takes a moment to gaze over the group seated behind Yoruichi. The woman's eyes narrow, "They're powerful…"

Kukaku then glares at Yoruichi, "Well, I'd hate to say it, but I already knew all about the situation with my family…"

Yoruichi tilts their head, "Y-you did?"

Kukaku growls, venom in her voice, "Yeah. Those Shinigami bastards are set to perform a ceremonial execution on her in one week…"

All of the Ryoka gasp at this, finding their current situation to be far worse than initially thought.

Yoruichi questions in urgency, "Where?"

The bandaged woman levels her gaze on the cat, "The Sogyoku Hill. Word has spread throughout most of the Soul Society. The Great Noble Clans intend on making this an event that no one forgets, least of all the Shiba Clan…"

Yoruichi hisses, "The Noble Clans?! But why?!"

Kukaku shrugs, "Apparently something about wanting to punish my uncle for disgracing the Shiba bloodline by marrying a Quincy… they also…"

The woman looks away, causing Yoruichi to question carefully, "Please, go on…"

Kukaku nods with a dejected look, "Sorry for not telling you earlier, but… they got Urahara too."

Yoruichi's eyes widen, the cat too shocked to give a proper reaction.

The Shiba woman sighs deeply, "Both he and that Tessai are in Muken now… I'm sorry, Yoruichi…"

The group all wear expressions of despair and rage, however, most of all is Uryu, who trembles with wrath filled eyes, "I should've known… Shinigami are all the same—they'll always have it out for the Quincies, no matter who they are!"

Yoruichi looks dejectedly towards the ground, their ears drooping downward, "Kisuke…"

It is at this moment that a burly man walks into the room, wearing a dew rag and green sleeveless vest, exposing his muscular chest.

Kukaku regards him carefully, "Are you prepared to escort them through the Seireitei, Ganju? You've never fought a fully trained Shinigami before…"

Ganju's frown is heavy as he nods, "Of course. This isn't something I can allow myself to back out of."

The woman nods before once more eyeing the group, "Over the next day, Ganju will train each of you to channel your reiatsu into a spiritual orb, which we will use as a cannonball."

Tsukishima tilts his head, "Are we going to use some kind of cannon to get in?"

Kukaku eyes him before nodding with a smirk, "Yeah… we'll blow a hole right through their Sekkiseki barrier!"

Silbern

Keigo, now garbed in a completely white uniform, reminiscent to that of a Soldat, sits at a table in a room with walls lined with various oven and stove-top equipment—the kitchen. He stares with widened eyes at the sight in front of him—a unique contraption in the form of a cake with pink frosting and gummies lining the top. Seated across from him is Liltotto, who stares at the cake with a hungry, yet annoyed look. Standing in front of Keigo, next to the table, is Candice, who looks at him with an anxious look in her eye, tapping her foot on the ground.

Keigo continues to stare dumbly at the cake, "Well I guess I know now why they call her Candy…"

The woman in question grits her teeth before snapping, "Well, go on and try it!"

The boy flinches as Liltotto reaches out to the cake, however, Candice quickly slaps her hand away, hissing, "He goes first!"

Liltotto tsks, rubbing her hand, as Keigo pokes at the substance with a fork before slowly sampling it.

His eyes widen as he blurts out between chews, "Wow, this is really good, Candy! You really outdid yourself!"

Candice's eyes widen before a smirk crosses her features, "You're damn right it is!"

Immediately thereafter, Liltotto, not being able to take it anymore, contorts her mouth into a much larger, unnatural looking mouth with serrated teeth before completely consuming the cake along with half of the table.

Keigo's jaw drops as the fork he was holding falls to the table. Comical tears start to fall from the boy's eyes, "Wha-wha-what… I-I… I don't… ahh… huh?!"

Liltotto's mouth contorts back to normal before the girl lets out a light burp. She regards Candice casually, "He's right, you did outdo yourself this time… have you been practicing your cooking in the world of the living? Because your usual cooking left much to be desired…"

Candice clicks her tongue, "You still didn't have an issue eating my cooking before… and yes, I got plenty of practice with Yui—"

The woman's eyes widen briefly at the mention of the girl, before her expression becomes downcast. Keigo has a similar reaction.

Liltotto glances at the two, her gaze softening slightly, "Rooster Head was right… Candy really did soften up in the world of the living…"

Earlier, Silbern

Keigo anxiously follows the group of Quincy women throughout the cold, dark halls of Silbern, keeping a particularly close distance to Candice, holding onto her shoulder while he looks back and forth hysterically. The boy earns many a glare, be they curious, envious (from the men), or perhaps, most often, disgusted.

His run-ins thus far had been anything but ideal. First, the group had the misfortune of running into a particularly edgy looking Sternritter with a black spiked mask, named Äs Nödt. The man had asked Keigo about what he feared, to which the boy couldn't help but sputter out, "Right now, I'm p-pu—pretty sca-scared of y-you-!"

What really put the nail in the coffin for Keigo was the way in which the Sternritter's eyes seem to angle up and narrow in a pleased and excited manner, as if the fact that Keigo was afraid of him made his day. The Sternritter let out a ghastly chuckle, "Good, very good…"

The boy couldn't stop his fearful tears as he struggled to maintain any remnant of composure. He couldn't help but notice the women around him also tensed up during the interaction, suggesting that they too were unnerved by his presence.

The next individual of note that he met was yet another Sternritter, this one called Cang Du—a man with short black hair reminiscent to the well-known martial artist, Bruce Lee, and a scar running though the left side of his lips. Keigo was anticipating a bad interaction, but the Sternritter seemed to just ignore his presence before he regarded Bambietta casually, "So you're back, huh? Hope you didn't go soft."

Bambietta scoffed in response before Giselle came in and explained, far too jovially in Keigo's opinion, that, "Bambi already killed a Soldat!"

Keigo, of course, stood more closely to Candice at this, jaw dropped and still with comical tears falling from his eyes, "These people are freaks!"

Returning from his thoughts, he continues to follow after Candice and the other women, who are led by Bambietta through the halls of Silbern. Although the other women all seem to trail a distance behind her, almost out of earshot.

Liltotto suddenly falls back a bit, regarding Candice, "Hey, Candy. Do you want to hang out later?"

Candice gives the girl a look before she snorts, "If you want food, you should go talk to Gremmy. I'd rather not put the effort into cooking for a someone like you who will eat anything…"

Liltotto's brow furrows as she tsks before glancing at Keigo, "Well… what if it was something for both me and him?"

Keigo's eyes widen as Candice looks over her shoulder at the boy who is still right behind her, practically breathing down her neck.

The boy states, in a genuinely surprised tone, "You never struck me as the type who knew how to cook…"

This makes Candice slightly offended, causing her to snap, "Well, you don't look like anything special yourself, but—"

The woman cuts herself off, confusing Keigo for a moment.

Giselle and Meninas, a bit closer to Bambietta than the others, but still trailing behind, turn towards the trio with interest.

Giselle remarks, teasingly, "Go on, Candy. Say why he's so special~."

At this point, Keigo catches on, smiling smugly at the green-haired woman.

Candice grits her teeth, turning away from the boy and hiding her now beat red face under her hat, "Forget it! Once we're done showing you around, I'll show you my skills up close and personal!"

"And I'll be there to help with the leftovers." Liltotto quickly interjects.

Candice huffs, wearing an annoyed look on her face, "Fine..."

Liltotto smirks, now having gotten what she wanted from her friend.

Keigo looks ahead of them, finding Bambietta walking by herself, her back facing them as seems to pause in her stride. He can't help but notice that the quartet of women have seemingly been keeping any and all interactions they had with her as brief as possible.

Keigo can't help but think as his eyes soften, "Is she really this group's leader? The others have hardly even talked with her since I woke up... and this distance between us..."

Giselle and Liltotto continue to speak casually with Candice as Meninas sees the boy gazing at something in particular, absentmindedly following his gaze to Bambietta.

She tilts her head, wondering aloud, "Do you like Bambi too?"

This causes the three other women to stop talking, looking at Meninas, then Keigo, and finally to Bambietta.

There is a twitch in Giselle's eye, "I'm sure he's just curious about her... right...?"

Keigo's eyes widen, noticing Candice wearing an annoyed expression, Liltotto wearing a uncaring one, Meninas looking curious, and Giselle smiling jovially, although having a sinister glint in the corner of her eye.

The boy nods quickly, unnerved by Giselle's gaze, "Yeah... she hasn't said much..."

Candice's annoyed look fades, as she knows exactly why Bambietta has been so distant.

Giselle, now with the sinister look leaving her, remarks in a friendly tone, "Well, that's just Bambi being Bambi! Sometimes she's all quiet and moody, while other times she's bossy and loud! She's quite touchy, though, so it's better to keep your distance!"

Liltotto nods, confirming they are out of Bambietta's earshot before explaining, "Exactly. She's honestly a pain to deal with sometimes, if I'm being honest. But we keep her around because otherwise she'd throw a tantrum..."

Keigo nods, a weary look in his eyes, "I think I get it... but in that case, shouldn't we catch up with her before she gets mad?"

The four women glance back and forth between each other before silently nodding their heads in agreement with the boy, following closely behind Bambietta.

After a while longer of walking, Keigo can hear some of the Soldats whisper as they pass, "What is Grandmaster Haschwalth thinking bringing a human here?"

Keigo looks towards the ground as he shakes, comical tears falling from his eyes, "Oh great, they hate me…!"

In the following moment, there is a blue explosion that completely destroys the body of the Soldat who said that, causing the Soldat next to him to shudder.

Bambietta glares at the remaining Soldats in the hall, barking, "If I hear anyone question the Grandmaster again, they will meet the same fate!"

The Soldats all force themselves to stand up straight in attention, "YES MA'AM!"

After the Soldats disperse, Keigo lets out a sigh.

Suddenly, another voice makes itself know, "They're right, though! Jugo must be starting to lose it if he thinks we're just gonna roll over and accept you bitches bringing that thing in here with you!"

The group turns to see a white cloaked man with a red mohawk.

Keigo has a bad feeling as he looks at the man who gives him a disgusted look, "What're you lookin' at, huh?!"

The boy continues his crying, "AHH! I-I'm sorry!"

"DID I SAY YOU COULD SPEAK, HUMAN?!", the mohawk man roars.

The boy quickly places his hands over his mouth before giving Candice a pleading look.

The green-haired woman sighs, "Leave him alone, Bazz B. Haschwalth should've already told you that he's a guest of His Majesty…"

Bazz B scoffs, "Oh, like I'm supposed to just accept that bullshit! It's obvious he's just black mail in case the whole Kurosaki situation takes a nose-dive! And quit standing up for a human—I know you're a horny slut, but I didn't take you as someone who got intimate with inferior beings! It's disgusting! I don't even want to think about if he got you pregnant—".

Bazz B looks away looking like he's ready to hurl.

Candice grits her teeth as she hisses at the man, "What did you just call me, you bastard?!"

The mohawk man smirks, "A horny slut… what of it?"

The remaining four Quincy women look between Bazz B and Candice with slight worry.

Candice starts shaking, glaring at the ground, "Bastard…"

Bambietta makes a motion to step forward, but Giselle and Liltotto block her path.

"We can't fight Bambi... or else His Majesty will be angry with us... If Candy wants to get in trouble, that's on her." Liltotto states with a serious tone.

Bambietta growls, her eye twitching, before she huffs, "Fine... I'm done sticking my neck out for her anyway..."

The woman then crosses her arms with an annoyed expression on her face, leaving the other two to look at each-other, confused by what she meant by that.

In the next moment, something happens that surprises all of the Quincies present: Keigo stops his shaking and walks past Candice. The boy takes a firm stance in front of her as he stares down Bazz B with a serious look. The woman's eyes widen in shock, not expecting a show of resolve now that the boy better understands his circumstances.

The mohawk man clicks his tongue, spitting out, "What are you doing, human?"

Keigo growls, "Don't call her that! She has standards, which I pray that I one day can meet. SHE'S NO SLUT, YOU ROOSTER HEAD!"

Candice blushes lightly in response, "Keigo…"

Giselle, on the sidelines, chuckles, "Hey look, Lil. He used your nickname for Bazz B!"

Liltotto nods, "So it would seem…"

Meninas, meanwhile, sighs, placing a hand on her cheek, "How romantic… I wish a man would stand up for me like that…"

Bambietta merely sighs, looking away, "Either way, that dummy shouldn't have said that… especially not with Bazz B… how stupid…"

Bazz B's face is as red as his hair, "'Rooster Head?' I let Liltotto get away with calling me that because she's one of us… but you…?"

The mohawk man stares at Keigo with blood lusted eyes, "You're dead."

Faster than Keigo can see, Bazz B closes the distance between them and slams his fist into the boy's face, sending most of his teeth out of his mouth as his head jerks to the side. There was also a crunching sound—signifying the unnatural way in which his nose bent. The boy stumbles slightly before his body falls limp to the floor. Keigo is barely conscious as he is face first in his own blood.

The Quincy women wince at the sight, Giselle remaking, "Ooo… that's gotta hurt… were you actually trying to kill him, Bazz B?"

The mohawk man snorts, "Of course not… he just needed to be taught a lesson… It'd be a waste to kill a potential man servant…"

Bazz B then eyes Candice with contempt, "Although it seems to me you're more intent on making him a sex toy, you dirty slut…"

Candice's eyes widen and shake as she stares down at Keigo's form. Bazz B begins walking away with his back turning to her. The woman's vision turns red as blue electric particles form around her. A blue reishi lightning bolt forms in her hand before she lunges at the man from behind.

Bazz B turns around with widened eyes as Candice is right next to him, almost within arms distance. As the woman sends her arm towards him, it is suddenly grabbed by a white gloved hand. Candice stares with her bloodlust now directed at the form of Meninas, towering over her with scrunched brows.

"Oh no Candy, you need to calm down…" the taller woman states.

Candice hisses, "I'LL CALM DOWN WHEN HE'S DEAD!"

Bazz B, now regaining his composure, snorts, "If you want to die that badly, feel free to come at me whenever!"

The man then extends his arms on both sides, seemingly leaving himself open to an attack, as he smirks arrogantly, "Well? Where's that lightning of yours, Catnipp?!"

The green-haired woman cries in bloodlust, as she charges lightning in her other, left, hand. Before she can throw an attack at the mohawk man, however, Meninas quickly takes her other free hand before promptly slamming a powerful fist into Candice's face, sending her flying into the wall. In the wake of the attack, Candice struggles to pick herself out of the wall she's impeded in, as blood seeps from her body in multiple areas.

Bazz B snorts, spitting on the ground, "Whatever… this was stupid anyway… I can't believe you've gotten so soft, Catnipp…"

The man raises his hand, pointing his index finger at the form of Candice imbedded in the wall.

Bambietta mutters under her breath, "So stupid..."

The woman then begins to walk towards the scene, Giselle and Liltotto looking at her in curiosity.

Bazz B begins to call, "Burner Finger—"

Although, the man stops as Bambietta stands between him and Candice in the wall.

The woman wears an annoyed expression, "Buzz off, Bazz B... you've made your point."

Bazz clicks his tongue, lowering his hand as he barks at the woman, "Oh, and that leads me onto YOU, Basterbine! You are the most sickening of you lot of whores!"

Bambietta grits her teeth, remaining quiet as Bazz B continues to lay into her, "You know, when I first heard that you received training from Jugo, I had hopes for you! I thought you'd rise up to become a Schutzstaffel candidate! But here you are, as always, lowering yourself to the level of these other whores! You're better than them and it sickens me to see you protecting such trash! You're holding yourself back!"

Bambietta's face is one of pure anger—tomato red, as she barks back, "VERDAMNT! Y-you have no right to refer to Grandmaster Haschwalth so casually! Are you trying to get into a fight with me?! Because we both know how that will end, IDIOT!"

Bambietta huffs and puffs as the yelling took a great deal of energy from her lungs.

Bazz B scowls before he immediately turns around and marches away, "I'll remember this, Basterbine..."

As Bazz marches away, the woman huffs before she remarks quietly, "Feigling... as if you know what it takes to be a Schutzstaffel, anyway..."

After the man leaves fully leaves the scene, the Quincy women and stunned Soldats who unfortunately chose the wrong time to walk down this hallway regard the limp forms of Candice and Keigo.

Giselle walks over to the boy before kneeling over, tilting up his face which is currently a red, disfigured mess of flesh and bone. The woman shakes her head, "Oh no, this won't do! We can't have Candy's new toy looking so ugly~!"

The woman then does some motions with her hands as the various teeth and blood that left Keigo's body earlier seemingly flow back into place, as well as his face reforming back to normal.

After a moment, the boy widens his eyes before looking up at Giselle, "You saved me…?"

The woman tilts her head before smiling, "Well, I guess you could see it like that. I just didn't want Candy to be sad~…"

Keigo furrows his brows, feeling a chill, as the look in the woman's eyes isn't right, but the boy can't pinpoint exactly why he feels that way.

In the next moment, Keigo shoots to his feet, worry clear on his features as he looks at Candice's bleeding form, "Is she going to be ok?!"

Giselle smiles at the boy, "Of course! I'll just patch her up like I did with you…!"

After Giselle once more performs those motions with her arms, Candice cracks her neck, "Damn it, Meni! I just about had him!"

The pink-haired woman tilts her head in confusion, "But he would've killed you if you fought… I couldn't just let you die like that… His Majesty would be angry with me."

Candice stares at the woman for a while longer before sighing, "Whatever…"

She then walks over to Keigo, "Are you alright, boy—I mean Keigo?"

Keigo looks at Candice with a light smile, "Yeah… Giselle patched me up, but I really thought…"

The boy's eyes widen as his jaw drops, tears flowing back down his cheeks, "I WAS GOING TO DIE!"

The green-haired woman sighs, "And we're back…"

Candice then stares at Keigo with a soft look and light smirk, while he continues to whine in terror, "He may be a coward… but he really knows when to step up and make a girl feel loved… I don't deserve it…"

Bambietta, staring down the hallway in the direction that Bazz B left, suddenly straightens her back and salutes, pulling her Quincy Cross out of her heart-shaped belt-buckle.

This draws the attention of the others who all gasp, widening their eyes in apparent horror. A figure with a black cape and long black hair stands before them. Flanking the figure on the right is Jugram Haschwalth, eyeing the group intently. On the figure's left is a darker skinned man wearing a green beret type of hat and an 'X' tattoo over his left eye.

The figure calls out in a rough, masculine voice, "It would seem that you children are growing more accustomed to our guest… although, it disappoints me to see such roughhousing…"

The Quincy women and Soldats present all immediately reach for their Quincy Crosses before saluting the man before them. Keigo looks at them all with confusion in his eyes. Before the group is the smirking form of Yhwach, who currently strokes his unique looking moustache.

Bambietta is the first to speak, "Apologies, Your Majesty. I'll make sure it won't happen again."

The woman then sends a harsh glare at Candice, which causes her to shudder.

Yhwach nods, "I'm sure, my daughter… but quite honestly, I would say that was the fault of Bazzard Black. He is far too rash and is always looking for trouble… Haschwalth will have a talk with him."

The blonde man gives the Quincy King a nod in acknowledgement, before walking off to approach the man in question.

Yhwach then regards Keigo with an oddly friendly looking smile, which again seems out of place to the boy, "And you must be Keigo Asano."

The brown-haired boy flinches before nodding slowly, forcing himself to maintain composure, "Yes sir, that's me…"

Yhwach maintains his smile, closing his eyes jovially, "I must say that it is quite fortunate to have such an honored guest as one of Ichigo Kurosaki's best and closest friends."

Keigo's eyes widen, all fear leaving him, "You know Ichigo?"

Yhwach nods, "In a sense, yes. You know that his sister, Yuzu, was training to become a Quincy… Ichigo Kurosaki also had the potential to become one. I grieved when I found out that he died, and from a Hollow, no less. To lose a son to one of those filthy animals is always a tragedy."

The Quincy women cannot shake a bad feeling, as Yhwach conversing so casually with a Sternritter, yet alone a human, was completely unheard of.

Yhwach then turns his gaze onto Candice, "You should be pleased to know, my daughter, that Sosuke Aizen did not reveal anything about you or Bambietta Basterbine… he decided instead to blame everything on Kisuke Urahara, once more. Urahara has been locked away in Muken."

Bambietta's eyes widen at this, "Wait, Your Majesty, does that mean—"

The dark-skinned man next to Yhwach snaps at her, "Hold your tongue until His Majesty is finished, Basterbine!"

Bambietta flinches under the man's gaze.

Yhwach raises a hand, "It is alright, Lille. She is right to worry… considering her connection with that man…"

The other Quincy women are confused about what Yhwach is talking about before the King reveals, "Kugo Ginjo as well as his entire group of 'Fullbringers' were not rounded up with Kisuke Urahara. Apparently, a group of about ten Ryoka appeared in the Rukongai…"

Bambietta sighs at this information, "That's a relief… he may actually be able to get her out of there…"

Yhwach smirks slightly as he reveals, "Before I move on to the next item, it may be relevant to you to know that Ichigo Kurosaki is White."

This leaves everyone confused, as if this is meant to mean something but they don't know what.

Keigo scratches his head, "Well, I mean... he's not darker skinned, so maybe you could call him that..."

The king chuckles jovially, "No, my boy, that's not what I meant. White is the name of the Vasto Lorde hollow that attacked Karakura Town the other day."

Keigo's eyes widen slightly.

Candice and Bambietta drop their jaws, the former sputtering, "B-but, how?! Vasto Lordes only appear once every 150 years or so! How could someone who just died a year ago have possibly evolved that far?!"

Lille glares at Candice with hostility, but Yhwach raises his hand in front of him, stopping the dark-skinned man from reprimanding her.

The Quincy King addresses Candice, "I understand your shock and confusion, my daughters, but I assure you Ichigo Kurosaki is no normal individual. He managed to take down two captains almost completely by himself. I'm sure your experience with his dear sister has shown you adequately just how talented and how much latent potential these children have..."

The two women each nod, indeed finding their experience in training Yuzu much more productive than they could've ever thought.

Keigo, meanwhile, addresses the king, his knees shaking, "So... you're saying Ichigo is still alive...?"

The King's eyes narrow slightly before he answers, "Perhaps you could choose to look at it like that... but I assure you, the being that he has become is not the same person you once knew. Hollows are ravenous, savage creatures that will hunt and feed upon countless souls, be they human, Quincy, Shinigami, or even other hollows. For him to have become a Vasto Lorde type hollow, he will have needed to devour thousands of other souls..."

Keigo's knees give out as he says this, his body falling on the ground as he still stares at the king, albeit distantly, "No... not Ichigo... he wouldn't..."

Candice looks at the boy with pity, "What His Majesty says is true, Keigo... Ichigo can't be who he once was... the best he could hope for is to be struck down by a Shinigami..."

Yhwach nods, closing his eyes as he continues, "Then onto the topic of the young Yuzu Kurosaki..."

The Quincy King frowns as he looks directly at Keigo, "You all should know, that Yuzu Kurosaki is set to be executed within two weeks."

Candice and Bambietta have looks of horror in their eyes as Keigo stares at the ground dejectedly.

Yhwach sighs, "I'm afraid we must rely on the help of these "Fullbringers". Although Sosuke Aizen has plans of his own... he also has an interest in Yuzu Kurosaki, so I doubt he'd allow her to die. He's also had his eye on White for a long time now... perhaps he will use whatever remnants of the boy remaining within the creature to manipulate—"

"Ichigo will save her." Keigo declares matter-of-factly.

Lille snaps at the boy, "Know your place! Do NOT Interrupt His Majesty—"

Yhwach once more raises his hand in front of Lille, who begrudgingly backs down.

The Quincy King then eyes the boy carefully, "What makes you so certain this Vasto Lorde will do as you say? He must have Aizen's help to enter the Soul Society, so he'd have to agree to any and all terms. What makes you so certain?"

Keigo's gaze is unflinching, "Because he's Ichigo. No matter what has happened or changed about him, he will always fight to protect those in need. That's simply the type of guy he is."

Yhwach smirks at this, "Duly noted... we shall see if what you speak is the truth then, boy."

The King then turns and walks away, with Lille following close after.

Present, Silbern

The group of three around the now half-table all look down at it as they recall what happened earlier. Candice and Keigo find this news difficult to cope with, particularly the green-haired woman, who continues to blame herself for what happened.

Keigo suddenly stands up, looking off with a serious expression, "We've got nothing to worry about, Candy."

Candice frowns and raises an angered brow, "What do you mean?! They're going to put her to death and there's nothing we can do about it!"

Keigo nods, "Exactly. But if what the old man—I mean, His Majesty, said is true, then there's no reason to worry… Ichigo will handle it."

Candice snorts, "Yeah, like that's going to work! Leave it to a Hollow and a group of kids who have no idea what they're getting themselves into! They've got no chance!"

The brown-haired boy doesn't waver as he looks the woman straight in the eyes, balling his hand into a fist, "SHUT UP!"

Candice flinches, not having seen the boy's aggressive side before.

Keigo then scowls, clearly impersonating someone, "'Just shut up and leave things to me! I'll save everyone, so don't worry about it'. That's what Ichigo would say if he were here right now… he won't back down."

Candice looks down, scrunching her brows as the idea of depending on a hollow still doesn't sit right with her.

Liltotto pulls out some candy from her pocket before sticking a lollipop in her mouth, "The amount of faith this guy has in his friend is impressive… I wonder if they'll actually save the girl. Not that I really care about what happens to her, though… doesn't make me any difference."

Hueco Mundo

Laid on the sands near the palace of Las Noches are quite a few corpses, belonging to creatures that look akin to Adjuchas.

A grey and red colored serpent has finished feasting upon the remains of one of the Adjuchas, before addressing his four companions, "I think that was a sufficient hunt for today. What say you all?"

Mila Rose stretches her front and hind legs before nodding, "I agree. We shouldn't be hungry for a while."

Sun-Sun and Apacci both nod their heads in agreement as well, prompting Halibel to declare, "Very well, then. Let's get—"

The shark Vasto Lorde cuts herself off as her eyes widen. The group of hollows all feel a rush of powerful reiatsu, unnerving them.

Apacci looks around, "Where the hell is this coming from?!"

Sun-Sun hisses, "Why couldn't we detect this earlier…?"

Meanwhile, the shark Vasto Lorde remains quiet. After a moment, her eyes narrow as she holds her large, bladed fin appendage in front of her in a hostile manner.

Sun-Sun stares at Halibel worriedly, "What's wrong, Master Hali—"

The female snake is cut off as Halibel disappears with a distorted noise before immediately reappearing behind her and deflecting as red cero-like blast with her fin-blade. Sora's eyes widen as the group begins to hear loud laughter a distance away. The group turns to see a massive humanoid figure in a white Gi with a sword strapped to his waist. The figure has a long ponytail despite the top of his head being bald and having ridges as if there are internal horns on his skull.

Sora's thoughts are racing, "What was that blast? That looked like a cero, but it was far too quick! I couldn't even tell where he was, but she did easily... not to mention she deflected it with ease... is this the difference between a Vasto Lorde and Adjucha?"

Halibel glares at Yammy, who smirks evilly at her, "What's with that look, Vasto Lorde? Can't you tell that was just my way of saying hello?"

Halibel holds her glare, "I'm not going to humor you, Espada. Leave now or I'll have no choice but to retaliate."

Yammy grunts, finding the threat humorous, "Well, now, you're a feisty one! That's no way for prey to talk to the hunter!"

A thought seems to pass through Yammy's head as he looks contemplatively to the sky, "If any of you know where the Unrcowned King or White are, tell me now and I'll try to make your deaths quick."

The shark Vasto Lorde's eyes widen briefly before narrowing once more, "I see... then you leave me no—"

Before Halibel can finish, acid is flung from behind her, directly on Yammy.

The Arrancar cries in pain as the acid starts to eat into his skin, burning away most of the top of his Gi, "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS STUFF?!"

Yammy has no time to regain his bearings, as Sora slithers forward, launching a cero from both of his hands, creating a large explosion.

The serpent's hands turn into the same dagger blades from his fight with Runuganga before as he prepares to launch himself towards him. However, the serpent is forced to stop in his tracks as a large white bladed arm blocks his path.

Sora hisses at Halibel, "Why are you stopping me?! I have to kill this guy!"

The Vasto Lorde gives the snake as disapproving look, "It's you who'd get killed, fool."

This causes the serpent to widen his eyes widen, "What—"

The snake cuts himself off as he can hear laughing from the smoke before him. Sora's eyes widen as the smoke clears, revealing Yammy, nearly completely unscathed from the attacks, save for his now tattered white Gi.

Yammy looks at the serpent, smirking, "So you've chosen a slow death! That suits me just fine!"

The Arrancar flares up his reiatsu, which easily burns away any and all remaining acid, "Your sudden attack surprised me, but now I realize you're just a stupid Adjucha in over his head! Nothing you do can hurt me!"

Sora's body buckles under the weight of the pressure, a reaction he shares with the other three Adjuchas.

Yammy begins to charge a cero in his mouth, "Goodbye, pissants!"

Halibel stands defensively in front of the Adjuchas as she braces herself for the cero, calling, "Stay behind me!"

As Yammy launches his cero, Halibel counters with one of her own—a golden yellow cero, which comes from the tip of her bladed arm. A massive explosion of gold and crimson ensues, creating a shockwave in the middle of the desert.

Elsewhere in Hueco Mundo

Stark widens his eyes, immediately shooting up from his seat on the ground, as he feels a massive collision of reiatsu nearby.

A distance away, Ashido turns away from playing with Lilynette, who hangs innocently from his outstretched arm, as if hanging on monkey bars.

The bat looks off distantly as Stark sighs, "I don't think we should interfere..."

The bat nods its head in agreement, "We may die if we engage... it's not our problem..."

Ashido growls, "Usually I would agree, Stark... but that reiatsu is not a normal hollow's power... it's like yours…"

Stark raises his brow before closing his eyes and sighing again, "I wasn't sure if you would notice that..."

Lilynette drops from Ashido's arm, staring curiously at the man's serious face.

"Regardless...", Ashido continues as he places a hand on the hilt of his blade, "... I have a bad feeling about this… I came up here to find out more about the situation—about this 'Lord Aizen' fellow… this might be my best chance to find out without directly storming that castle…"

Stark looks to the side before sighing and getting up, grabbing his own sheathed blade lying on the ground next to him, "Alright... we'll check it out. But I can't promise I'll give it my all if we have to fight…"

Lilynette growls at Stark, "What do you mean you won't give it your all?! Do you want Ashido to die?"

The bearded man furrows his brows, a bit annoyed as he conceals his blade in his cloak, "Of course not! I just don't want his expectations to be set too highly."

Ashido gives the man an appreciative smile, "I wasn't going to ask you to back me up to begin with, but I appreciate the help."

Stark merely nods before performing some stretches, limbering up.

Lilynette looks up at Ashido with an eager expression, "I'll fight too!"

The Shinigami looks down at the girl, still smiling, "Alright, but please make sure to stay behind Stark or myself, alright? I'll make sure those other hollows can't lay a finger on you."

Lilynette blushes lightly as she gives the man a wide smile, "Got it!"

As Stark and Ashido walk off, the former gives the bat a look, "You comin'?"

The bat doesn't react, deep in thought, "Why are they so intent on seeking out conflict?"

Stark sighs before calling out to the hollow again, breaking him out of his thoughts.

The bat nods hesitantly, "I'm sure White can feel this battle too... if he does, he may show up as well..."

Halibel vs Yammy

A yellow flash can be seen flashing across the desert around the hulking Arrancar known as Yammy Llargo. The Espada scowls as the flash rushes at him, slashing him across the chest faster than he can react to, drawing blood.

Yammy growls in annoyance, "If you think an attack like that is enough to beat me, then you're sorely mistake—"

The yellow flash once more strikes Yammy, although this time once at his front, across his face, and another time across his back, causing blood to spurt from his body.

Sora stares at the scene in awe, "She's running circles around that guy, while we can hardly even stand! I definitely underestimated her… then again, she is a Vasto Lorde…"

Yammy punches the air where the yellow flash was just a moment earlier to no avail. Shortly after, the Espada is struck directly in the chest, sending him barreling back a distance and to his knees as he clasps his stomach, spitting out blood. Before the downed Arrancar stands Halibel's form, staring down at him as she levels her blade arm at his face.

The Arrancar's breathing begins to get heavy as Halibel narrows her eyes, "Any final words, Espada?"

Yammy glares at her with hatred, growling incoherently.

A distance away, Ashido, Stark, Lilynette, and the bat hollow have arrived, eyeing the battle with interest.

Lilynette states the obvious, "That hollow won!"

Ashido frowns as he watches Halibel begin to raise her sword arm to deliver the final blow, "I still need to question that unmasked hollow!"

The Shinigami grabs the hilt of his blade after moving a horned mask from his large fur cape onto his face, preparing to charge in.

Before he can actually charge in, however, Stark grabs his shoulder, "Hold on..."

Ashido looks back at his friend in confusion, before looking back at Yammy.

A distance behind them, the bat looks on wearily, "He's about to do something…"

Yammy grabs the sword on his hip, roaring, "ENRAGE, IRA!"

Halibel widens her eyes and immediately retreats a distance with Sonido as Yammy's form suddenly explodes in red reiatsu, causing a small sandstorm to kick up. From the dust stands a colossal multi-legged behemoth of an Arrancar. Yammy's torso is similar to how it was a moment ago, save for the obvious gargantuan size of it at the moment. His head now is covered at the top by a white helmet, which connects at the back of his neck with a ginormous bony lower jaw. His elbows now have large black spikes coming from them, which honestly could pass as towers on their own. Similar black spikes trail down his back, along his spinal area. A large red cloth covers his groin area, under which are eight white, elephant-like legs that trail on each side of his body. At the end of his lower body is a large bony tail club. All in all, Yammy's appearance is not unlike that of a Kaiju monster.

The Espada lets out a booming laugh, causing shockwaves to flow across the desert. The Adjuchas are now forced to the ground from the pressure, no longer able to fight against it.

Apacci wonders aloud, "What the hell did he just do?!"

Mila Rose snarls, "That's Resurreccion! But how can it be this powerful?!"

Halibel's eyes widen as she continues to feel the beast's reiatsu, "Y-you're..."

Yammy laughs once more, kicking up yet another sandstorm, "I am the most powerful Espada! Even Barragan has no choice but to respect my strength! You fodder don't stand a chance!"

The beast punches the ground where Halibel was standing, but the Vasto Lorde dodges easily. The large hollow shoots quick, condensed blasts of red reiatsu at her continuously, but she continues to dodge, appearing near the hollow's lower body and striking his legs.

The large hollow roars, "Even my Balas are too slow?!"

Just then, he notices the four Adjuchas struggling to stand.

Yammy grins evilly, "If I can't hit you, then I'll just kill your friends!"

Halibel's eyes widen as Yammy begins to charge more of those quick Bala attacks in his hands. The Vasto Lorde moves to block the blasts, however, instead of throwing the blasts, Yammy grabs her, crushing her entire body in a vice-grip.

Halibel screams in pain as Yammy continues to crush her, "Not so tough now, are you?! I'm going to enjoy this!"

The Arrancar hardens his grip, causing the Adjuchas to panic as they feel Halibel's reiatsu plummet.

The male serpent berates himself, "I can't just sit by and watch... I have to help her!"

The serpent's body creaks as he musters up all of the willpower he has and forces his body off the ground.

Sora roars as he begins charging his reiatsu, "Usual attacks won't be enough! I need one-hundred percent of my power to make this work!"

The serpent holds his hands in front of him, beginning to focus all of his reiatsu into one attack, spitting a large multi-colored blot of acid into the cero he charged into his hands, before throwing the attack directly at Yammy's hand with all of his might.

The large hollow's eyes wince as the acid-cero explodes on his hand before the acid quickly begins to work its way into his skin. This forces the beast to drop Halibel's limp form to the ground. Yammy shakes his hand around, sending the poison off as he stares at Sora in irritation.

The serpent chuckles, managing to get out between labored breaths, "You... didn't like that... did you..."

Sora's breath hitches before he falls back on the ground, motionless. Yammy growls as he raises his colossal front left foot to crush the snake. Before the foot can land, there are two flashes that strike his front left leg in an 'X' formation. Yammy's leg is suddenly cut off of his body as blood spurts from the stump.

The Arrancar screams as he grabs the stump, "WHO DID THAT?!"

Yammy finds his answer as he looks down to find the forms of Stark and Ashido, each with their swords drawn, standing on each side of Yammy's dismembered leg.

The Arrancar growls, "Who the hell are you two?!"

Stark sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as Ashido stares at the Arrancar with hatred in his gaze, "We are your death, Hollow! I've hunted countless of your kind before, and you will be no different!"

Yammy begins to laugh, "Ah, I see... you're a Shinigami! Too bad Aizen never found you, because no one can save you from me now!"

Ashido flinches at this, "So, you know this 'Aizen' after all…"

The massive Arrancar snorts, seemingly offended by this, "Of course, I do! He's the one who helped us take the next step into becoming Arrancars!"

The stalwart Shinigami bares his blade in a show of hostility, "Very well… I'll make sure to question you more about it after I take off your arms and legs!"

Stark flinches at Ashido's show of bloodlust, as the Shinigami disappears in the next moment.

The Arrancar sighs, rubbing the back of his neck, "Well, I suppose I can't let him show me up…"

Stark disappears with a distorted noise, following after Ashido into the center of the battle.

Sun-Sun looks at the scene in confusion, seeing the flickers of light from the moon reflecting off Ashido and Stark's Zanpakutos. She quickly notices a young, human looking girl in a grey cloak walking casually next to her, as if the reiatsu is no problem for her.

Lilynette whistles as she eyes the exchange carefully, "They really are letting him have it, wouldn't you say, Mr. Bat?"

Sun-Sun's eyes widen as she and the other two female Adjuchas regard the white bat Vasto Lorde, standing a distance back.

"He doesn't have a mouth…!" Mila Rose notes to herself.

"Where the hell are all these people coming from?!" Apacci growls in irritation.

The bat, however, doesn't react to the young-looking girl's words, deep in thought as he eyes the battle, "This is how nature is… the strong will survive alone… yet the weak may still be successful in packs… I had never considered this… is this why Stark and White seek companionship…?"

Sun-Sun suddenly regards the girl, "W-who are you? Why are you helping us?"

Halibel, laying crippled on the ground, turns her head to stare at the young-looking girl in question, a curious look in her gaze. Mila Rose and Apacci do the same.

Lilynette, now acknowledging the other hollows, looks up contemplatively before answering with a grin, "I'm here helping my friend Ashido. He wants to question that big guy about this 'Lord Aizen' guy."

Sun-Sun tilts her head in mild confusion, "'Lord Aizen'? I'm afraid I haven't heard the name until today…"

"I have." Halibel states a distance away, prompting the other hollows to look at her questioningly.

Lilynette smiles excitedly, "Really? What do you know about him?"

The shark closes her eyes, "Not much, I'm afraid. Just that he was apparently the one who founded the Espada… beyond that, I don't know."

The young-looking Arrancar tilts her head, "Aw, well I don't really know what the Espada is either…"

Returning to the fight with Yammy, the large hollow snorts as the two sword wielding humanoids continue to slice at his body, unable to do any real meaningful damage through his Hierro.

The Espada declares, "Alright then, tiny insects. If you wanna be squashed, then I'll be glad to oblige!"

Yammy then begins to throw tons of Balas at them, coating the sky with red reiatsu.

Stark readies his sword as Ashido pulls a large mask from the back of his fur cape. The Shinigami jumps in front of Stark and blocks the Balas with the giant mask, which seemingly absorbs the blasts.

The two quickly charge back in at Yammy, forcing him to change orientation, his now fifteen legs working tirelessly to move his colossal body around, "Quick little buggers aren't you...?!'

The beast stomps on the ground multiple times, causing the sand to quake underneath the force. Ashido attempts to slash at Yammy, but the shockwaves are too intense, forcing him to retreat. Stark also struggles to get in close but thinks of something before using Sonido to appear underneath Yammy, slashing at his right front leg. The beast tumbles over, unable to keep himself upright in light of such a quick and effective attack.

Ashido comes back in, attempting to strike the beast's right second leg from the front, but his sword gets stuck in his skin. Yammy notices this and throws his right arm at Ashido, who raises the bone shield in his left hand to block. However, the force is so great that it sends Ashido flying back, his Zanpakuto coming with him out of Yammy's leg. The Espada then begins to charge a colossal cero in his mouth.

Stark notices this from underneath Yammy and uses Sonido to appear in front of the disoriented Ashido, attempting to use a blue cero of his own to counter. However, Stark in his base form has no hope of winning out against Yammy in a battle of power, so his cero is quickly overtaken by Yammy's, causing the brown-haired Arrancar to widen his eyes as the blast consumes both him and Ashido in it. Shortly after, Stark is sent falling to the ground, a smoking heap of flesh.

Lilynette shouts out to him, "STARK!"

Ahsido growls, barely able to block the remainder of the cero blast with his mask shield, which suddenly breaks into pieces, flaking away into the air, being fully spent.

Yammy's booming laughter shakes the desert, "Hahaha! Weaklings falling one after the other! Only one of you left!"

Ashido rushes up to Stark's side and shakes in rage as he stares down at his friend's coughing form.

The Arrancar smiles lightly, "Well, looks like there are hollows stronger than me after all... but you should be able to finish this guy with no problems, right?"

Ashido nods, removing his mask, which shocks the onlooking Adjuchas and Halibel. The Shinigami stares down at Stark seriously as he hands the mask to Lilynette, who at this point is at their side as well.

Ashido states with resolve, "Don't worry... I'll end this. No more holding back..."

Ashido walks up in front of Yammy, who now stops his laughing, growling at Ashido, "What do you think you can do, Shinigami? Someone weak like you…?"

The Shinigami continues to approach Yammy quietly, recalling memories from his past.

Ashido's Memory

"Pleased to have you aboard, uh…?"

"Ashido Kano, sir."

"Right, well it's good to have you. Our last Vice-Captain was killed in a duel, so I hope you can last a bit longer than he did, ha-ha!"

"I will, sir! I promise to become a worthy Vice-Captain of Squad 11—the strongest squad!"

My captain stared at me for a moment in silence as I said that, almost as if he had an issue with that statement.

"What is it, sir? Did I step over a line?"

He shook his head, then dawning a smirk, "No… just… please don't die in the midst of battle, Ashido. I know that everyone around here says that's the best way to go out, but I have a feeling that such an end isn't fitting for someone like you…"

I was confused, perhaps even slightly offended by his words. Did he mean that I was weak?

It's been so long that I have forgotten how exactly I felt in that moment, but I do know that when he spoke those words, he wasn't looking down on me.

I am strong.

That is why I was the only one…

…who survived…

Present, Hueco Mundo

Ashido grits his teeth, as the recollection of old memories spurs him on, "I haven't used this in years... because if I did, the full depths of my reiatsu would have been revealed. In Hueco Mundo, having high reiatsu is the same as painting a target on your back—a lesson I learned the hard way..."

Yammy tilts his head before growling, "I don't care. You're gonna die, tiny!"

The beast charges another cero in his mouth.

Ahsido holds his sword in both his hands before him as he declares, "Persist, Kodokuna Senshi (Lonely Warrior)!"

The Shinigami's blade quickly turns into a naginata kind of weapon. Immediately thereafter, the Shinigami strikes the cero, causing it to explode, catching him in the blast as well.

Yammy laughs very loudly once more, "FOOL! You didn't even dodge! You talked big but now look, you're dead—"

The Espada suddenly feels his remaining front right leg give in as his body crashes to the ground. In front of his face, at eye-level, stands the tattered form of Ashido, breathing heavily.

The Shinigami states, "You... are the fool... my Zanpakuto... allows me to get stronger... the more damage I take... it took all my remaining masks to keep me alive... but now..."

Ashido levels his naginata at Yammy's eye, stating with bloodlust, "I can cut you..."

Yammy flinches, slamming the ground where Ashido was with his fist. Ashido disappeared with flash step, however, appearing behind the beast and striking at a variety of his legs before finally plunging the pointed edge of his polearm into the midsection of the beast's extended leg body. This causes Yammy to spasm in pain.

The Espada roars, "That's how you want it, huh?! Well alright, you'll regret that, fool!"

Ashido raises his brow before his eyes widen again. Yammy charges a massive cero in his mouth before firing it off towards the group of downed hollows, Stark included.

The bat closes his eyes as he turns away, "Looks like we shouldn't have gotten involved after all..."

The Shinigami turns to run towards his allies as the cero approaches Stark and Lilynette in seemingly slow motion, "No, not again! My friends—"

However, something unexpected occurs in the next moment: a black and red beam of some kind crashes into the crimson red cero, shattering the attack, before continuing to collide into Yammy's torso, slamming the hollow's entire body backwards in an epic show of force. Ashido's eyes widen as the beast hits the ground.

If you want to see some action…

The entire desert shakes once more, sand tornados forming in the wake of Yammy's downed body.

Gotta be the center of attraction…

Ashido stares with widened eyes at four new arrivals all landing near the group of Adjuchas. In the middle of the scene appears to be some kind of humanoid figure—with forward facing horns.

Make sure that they got their eyes on you, like the face that you see on every magazine…

The humanoid figure calls out in a defiant voice, "Hey, ugly! Don't you know it's not nice to beat on those weaker than you! It makes you look weak!"

Be the focus of attention…

Yammy struggles to regain his balance, beginning to charge Bala attacks in his hands, before throwing them at the group.

Be the name that everyone must mention…

The humanoid figure, with long orange hair states, "You guys make sure no one else gets caught in the crossfire…"

Come out of the shadows, it's your time…

A bipedal tiger hollow bows in reverence, "As you wish, my lord!"

A feminine centipede Adjucha scoffs, "No problem! We'll handle damage control, right Menoly?!"

A scorpion hollow next to her nods, "Indeed! Good luck, Master Ichigo!"

'Cause tonight is the night for everyone to see…

As the Balas close in, the humanoid hollow raises his black bladed arms, coating them with black and red energy, before throwing them both in a swinging motion, coating the sky with their energy as they completely overtake the Balas, creating a brilliant black and red explosion.

It's natural…

Yammy gawks at the scene, "N-no way…"

You know that this is where you gotta be, it must be your destiny…

Sora's eyes begin to open, being awakened by the influx of powers that came with the variety of new arrivals.

The bat hollow stares, with widened eyes, past the newly arrived Adjuchas at the back of a familiar figure, "It's him… it's—!"

Sensational…

Yammy growls before, with surprising speed, turning his body around and flinging his tail club down at the group of hollows.

Halibel closes her eyes, seemingly expecting death. However, when it never comes, her eyes widen to find the orange haired hollow holding back the club with both of his bladed arms.

"Wait… orange hair?!", the shark Vasto Lorde thinks with urgency, beginning to put the pieces together.

The horned hollow groans, his body somewhat creaking under the strain of holding the tail, "I told you…"

And you believe that this is what you waited for and it's you that they all adore…

The hollow retracts his blades, revealing them to be white clawed hands, "…IT MAKES YOU LOOK WEAK!"

Now you feel like number one!

The hollow then throws the club tail directly at the larger hollow's back, the tail making a sickening crackling sound as the bones break.

Shining bright for everyone!

After the club makes contact, Yammy is sent spiraling face first into the sand, causing a wave of sand to flow towards the group of smaller hollows. The sand is, however, blocked at the humanoid exerts his reiatsu, protecting the group around him.

Sora looks up to see a form that is unfamiliar yet familiar at the same time, "Wait… you're…!"

Living out your fantasy!

The hollow turns around to regard the individuals standing behind him, "Yo. It's been a while, Sora…"

The brightest star for all to see!

Sora calls out in response, not believing what he is seeing, "WHITE!"

Now you feel like number one!

Yammy manages to pull himself back off the ground slowly but surely. He eyes the scene with a snarl.

Shining bright for everyone!

Ichigo turns back to face the beast, "No time to talk…"

Living out your fantasy!

His hands turn back into bladed arms before he calls out, "C'mon, big guy. Show me what you've got!"

You're the brightest star that's ever been!

Author's Note:

For context of how Bazz B and the Soldats view humans; the Quincies had enslaved humans 1000 years ago. Bazz B, having been alive during that time, would certainly have 'dated' views on them… although, the Quincies in the Wandenreich in general may have held such beliefs, Kubo ultimately doesn't really go into that much depth with them at the time of me writing this, sadly…

Moving onto the battle with Yammy, Halibel lost because Yammy used her allies against her. I know he's quite stupid, but I believe he is sadistic enough to pull something like this off. Stark lost for the same reason Ulquiorra was losing to Byakuya—lack of experience. Ashido 'lost' due to his becoming to absorbed in his bloodlust—he was going for the kill.

Speaking of which, next chapter: Ichigo vs Yammy! You shall all see then if Ichigo will make the same mistakes as the other three… (he won't). Also, Sora and Ulquiorra reuniting with Ichigo.

This was my first try at integrating musical lyrics into my writing. I wanted to make sure that each and every one of you knew that HE showed up and that you'd have HIS theme going on in your head while reading it. After all, Ichigo is HIM, and he deserves to be gassed up, not only by his theme, but also his bro Keigo earlier in the chapter!

The next few chapters will be nothing but Ichigo content and him wrapping things up in Hueco Mundo!