Moon Princess

by romeoraiden

Ichigo Kurosaki was born destined for greatness but has had to suffer as he grows to embrace his destiny. Naturally, he will not endure this burden alone as he will have many allies to help him along the way. But only one of them can help him go beyond as his ever-faithful sword of the moon. (M for Violence and bad language)

16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: Coming of Darkness

The Shinigami all scatter when the Titan swings its tentacle arm down upon them, causing the ground they were standing on, along with a portion of Ganryū's village to shatter upon impact.

The Titan is unlike anything they have ever seen. Its mere presence alone surpasses any terrible feeling they have ever felt and the world around them feels like it is becoming ill and will fall apart with them unable to escape.

Not that it'll stop the Shinigami from trying to get out of here alive and take the beast down and the first to make a move is Ikkaku who lands on top of the Titan's arm and rushes as fast as he can to reach the neck.

"Grow, Hōzukimaru!" The 3rd Seat cried, unleashing his Shikai and charging forward, thrusting his blade into the Titan's neck. A futile attempt, unfortunately as Hōzukimaru's blade didn't even dent the creature. "Motherfucker…"

The Titan shifts its attention to Ikkaku, moving his left arm with the razor blades to grab him and it moves fast despite its size that he won't be able to flee with Shunpo.

"Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens, Hyōrinmaru!" Tōshirō acted quicker and unleashed a frozen dragon that hit the Titan's arm, freezing it in place to buy Ikkaku enough time to escape.

The Titan frees its arm from the ice and next attacks Tōshirō who counters by increasing the amount of ice but it is all cut down by the razored fingers. Tōshirō then parries one of the blades with his Zanpakutō, holding on for a millisecond before ceasing the change to escape the crossfire and land back down. If he had been any slower, he would've been killed for sure.

"It's going to hit us for real now," Renji warned as the Titan looked down upon them with the hole it has for a face glowing with a menacing magenta glow, alarming them into believing that it was going to use a devastating attack.

"All Ye Waves, Become My Shield. All Ye Thunder, Become My Blade, Sōgyo no Kotowari!" Jūshirō shouted, activating his Shikai in time as the Titan fired an energy blast similar to a Hollow's signature Cero blast at the Shinigami, and Ukitake moved forward, thrusting his left sword to absorb the attack and redirecting it back at it.

To Jūshirō's horror, the Titan's blast is not relenting and he can feel its power overwhelming him.

'No good! I can't absorb anymore,' He panicked, falling to his knees, helpless to do anything since he can't redirect an attack while he is still absorbing energy but if he gives in now it won't be just him who dies.

"CAPTAIN!" Rukia cried over Jūshirō's predicament, even noticing cracks forming on Sōgyo.

"Follow my lead, Ichigo!" Isshin commanded as he and his son rushed in to attack next. Ichigo readies to fire a vertical Getsuga Tenshō while Isshin makes his own horizontally.

"Getsuga Jūjishō (Moon Fang Cross-Shaped Piercer)!" The two combined their attacks, creating a cross that hit the Titan with enough force to not only halt its attack but push the head into a cliff.

Now freed, Jūshirō gets back up and hits the Titan with its own attack, causing the most damage that he succeeds in knocking it to the ground.

"What the fuck is that?" Ichigo shouted.

"I don't know but it's certainly not a Hollow," Isshin said, also unable to hide how spooked he is by the monster's presence.

"Ichigo, I think this is a Titan," Getsuhime muttered, also unnerved by the creature before them.

"A Titan? As in one of the Greek Gods? They aren't supposed to look so ugly,"

"Nothing like those fantasies. The real ones are an ancient race believed to have existed before Shinigami and Hollows and ruled Creation before they were dethroned and hunted down by Reiō. Only myths are supposed to remain of them but it seems we were wrong," She said with concern palpable to her master. "Its power may be too great for us."

"Doesn't matter, we're blowing this ugly bastard to smithereens," Ichigo swore just as the Titan got back up, not looking the least bit harmed.

"Ichigo!" Senna cried and all attention returned to her who was now under Ganryū's clutches while everyone was focused on the Titan. Her Zanpakutō has been shattered and Ganryū placed her on a Bakudō to paralyze her body.

"Senna!" Ichigo roared, now furiously charging after them but is stopped by Isshin who tackled his son in time to evade a swift attack from the Titan who got back on the move and is now more relentless, making the Shinigami more desperate to avoid dying. Even the Blanks have also started running—terrified by the evil beast.

"Good luck surviving. I'm not overly fond of this thing myself but I couldn't ask for a better subordinate," Ganryū said mockingly and fled the scene with Senna.

"ICHIGO!" She cried out to him in terror.

"NO, STOP!" Ichigo yelled rushing after them as quickly as he could, and again the Titan interfered, blocking his path. "GENGETSU!"

Ichigo makes himself intangible and phases through the Titan to continue after Senna. However, he wishes he'd teleported instead because the horror he saw when entering the Titan's body makes him want to vomit. He's never seen the insides of any living being before but he is sure that he'll have Lovecraft nightmares after this.

Not willing to allow anyone to escape, the Titan releases a huge amount of its Reiatsu while simultaneously screaming. The sheer weight canceled out Gengetsu and also made Ichigo fall helplessly to the ground, unable to get back up.

"No…" He cursed his new helplessness.

"This power… it can't be real," Rukia muttered, feeling as helpless as she was when she first felt the Head Captain's godly power as everyone else was also pinned to the ground, though she has it the least bad since Renji is currently on top of her, using his own Reiatsu as hard as he can to shield her from this awful force.

"Just wait until I get my hands on you, you disgusting freak," Renji sneered.

"What incredible power. It's so intense that it doesn't feel like Reiatsu at all," Jūshirō muttered while he, Isshin, and Tōshirō were the only ones doing a better job in standing their ground.

"It's like staring at an alien. No matter how spiritual it may seem I can't accept this thing as something that could ever belong in our universe," Tōshirō growled.

"What, you saying this thing might be from Hell?" Isshin wondered.

"If so, then dark times are truly upon us," Jūshirō replied.

"Dammit! Move! Move! MOVE!" Ichigo growled, forcing himself to the very limits to get back up but was unable to as the Titan was focusing the majority of its Reiatsu to keep Ichigo pinned down. It then moves its tail forward, aiming to squash him.

"Don't lose your grip over me," Getsuhime advised as her sword self started emanating light energy that she had been gathering for a few seconds that started aiding Ichigo in feeling less weight under the effects of the Titan. As quick as she could, Getsuhime levitated herself and Ichigo out of the ground in time to evade the Titan's tail.

"So that's what you meant," Ichigo muttered, relief to have gotten out of there and also glad that she said it before she took him flying.

The Titan tries to grab them but Getsuhime moves too fast to be caught. Frustrated, it gathers energy to fire another energy blast.

"I'm going for its head," Getsuhime said flying closer as the Titan opened fire and they narrowly avoided it.

"Its attention should be only on me," Ichigo declared and let go of Getsuhime, allowing himself to fall, and as he expected, the Titan focused on him, forcing Getsuhime to go faster, stabbing the top of its head just as it was about to hit Ichigo and she releases a violent burst of light energy that causes the Titan a lot of pain, halting its attack.

"Bankai! Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!" Tōshirō moves up with his body clad in his draconic ice form and flies forward to attack the Titan. "Hyōryū Senbi!" He shouted, wrapping the Titan with a giant crescent of ice.

"Chigetsu!" After again pouring blood into Engetsu, Isshin unleashes a torrent of hellfire, crashing into Tōshirō's ice, making an explosion that made the Titan whale more in agony, again falling, and this time it might not get up just as fast as before.

"Just like old times," Isshin smirked while Tōshirō landed right next to him.

"Don't make it sound like this is fun," He sneered.

"Getsuhime?" Ichigo called out to his partner who was caught in that combined attack, and he did not have to wait long as Getsuhime levitated back into his hand.

"Those two are going to pay for that," Getsuhime seethed. Engetsu and Hyōrinmaru are powerful enough individually so receiving a combined attack from them is something she won't let slide.

"I'll pin them down as target practice for you when this is over, for now, Senna needs us," Ichigo said, hastily running to where Ganryū fled with Senna.

Sadly, he will not be able to reach her as in his desperation, he fails to notice someone get close and sucker punch him, the force from the punch was so great that Ichigo felt his breath escape him and that his bones should've shattered instantly. He crashes into a rocky wall, again left momentarily stunt.

"Holla, Pendejos! Hope you don't mind us crashing into this party," Yammy laughed maniacally as he and Ulquiorra arrived.

"What the hell!" Renji shouted as everyone turned to face their new opponents.

"What now," Isshin muttered.

"This can't be happening," Jūshirō gasped with increasing horror. "Broken white masks. Holes in their chests, and… Zanpakutōs. Are you Arrancars?"

"Who knows, and who cares?" Yammy shrugged, feigning ignorance. "You guys were causing so much commotion that everyone back home got spooked and we were sent to investigate what you putas are on about."

"This day just keeps getting worse," Rangiku said, especially terrified of Ulquiorra, getting a brief flashback of the Lord of Calamity when looking at him.

"Hey, Ulquiorra, is he the one the Boss told us about?" Yammy asked, staring at Ichigo who is starting to recover from his sucker punch.

"Orange hair. A silver Shikai. I'd dare say you finally hit the mark on your first try for a change," Ulquiorra affirmed.

"Que suerte! Now we can have some fun," Yammy grinned.

"I don't have time for whatever you assholes want," Ichigo growled.

"Oh, you think you're too cool to fight us, eh? I'm going to fix that. BY BREAKING YOUR FACE!" Yammy declared, running towards Ichigo and thrusting his fist at him that he blocked with Getsuhime. The clash released a powerful shockwave but neither combatant was pushed back by it.

Yammy's punch did not feel like flesh and Ichigo was certain it wasn't the same as how experienced Shinigami like Kenpachi use their Reiatsu to protect themselves. It felt like he was clashing with a wall of steel.

Not wanting to waste any more time. Ichigo shunpo'd behind Yammy and without a second thought swung his sword at his right arm to cut it off but before he could, Yammy released a burst of his red Reiatsu that repelled Getsuhime from getting closer, pushing Ichigo back.

"Dammit!" Ichigo snapped.

"Slippery pray. Think you can just waltz away after I set my sights on you. ¡Eso me moleta, Cabron!" Yammy yelled, resuming his charge but is stopped from attacking Ichigo again by Renji who uses Zabimaru's Shikai, hitting his arm and pushing it away.

"Did you forget that there are more Shinigami here, bastard!" Renji shouted with everyone getting their bearings and preparing for battle.

"Nobody likes to deal with ants, thank you very much," Yammy said dismissively.

"Leave this to us, Ichigo. You have bigger fish to fry," Renji insisted with Rukia, Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku ready to pitch in.

Though the two members of the 11th Division are disgusted by the idea of teamwork, they remember the terror Arrancars bring. They weren't a part of the Gotei 13 during the war but they did witness firsthand Arturo Plateado's rampage through the Rukongai and slaughtered two billion souls trying to reach the Seireitei. Even if these two aren't as powerful as the Lord of Calamity, they do not want to experience that fear again. At least not alone.

"Why now? What could possess you monsters to come here?" Jūshirō asked with turmoil since they have the more important matter of rescuing Senna and stopping the madness Ganryū wishes to start.

"You don't need to know anything," Ulquiorra said pathetically, and in the blink of an eye, the smaller Arrancar vanished from sight.

"Sonído (Sound Ceremony)," Jūshirō narrowed his eyes, recalling that through their hybrid nature, Arrancars have their version of Shunpo that while much the same has a few minor differences. A key factor is that Sonído practitioners are harder to pin down for those below a Captain and Jūshirō can already tell that this Ulquiorra is formidable with the use of his Sonído alone.

Though predictably, the 13th Captain didn't need to think twice about swinging his right blade to his back to block Ulquiorra's attack as he aimed to impale him with his bare hand.

"This will be painless if you cease resisting," Ulquiorra warned.

"I think not!"

The Titan soon rises back up, and its next howling has another effect on Kyōgoku with the world trembling violently again and the storm above getting worse.

"Ichigo, you got more destructive power than the rest of us, so you have to be the one to destroy that thing," Isshin insisted.

"What? But what about—"

"—I'll rescue her!" He interrupted his son who was becoming increasingly frantic, as such Isshin must try and reason with him to remain composed. "Don't forget, Senna is not the only one you need to protect. We all came here for the good of Karakura and beyond."

While still desperate, Ichigo does try to evaluate the situation and relents on what his role in this fight is.

"Alright… I trust you," He said with bitter reluctance.

"Don't worry. Rescuing fair maidens is my specialty," Isshin smirked, leaving the seeing in a dash of fire.

"Famous last words," Tōshirō muttered as it fell to him and Ichigo to face the Titan. "Don't suppose you can hurry up and summon your monster now."

"I know," Ichigo took a deep breath, preparing himself.

"This power isn't something to be used carelessly or often but enough time has passed for our bodies to not experience any backlash," She stated.

"All the better to end this quicker! REIGN, GETSUHIME!" Ichigo screamed as he entered the battlefield, pointing his Zanpakutō into the sky with his Reiatsu skyrocketing. Descending from the black clouds, the Black Dragon of Light emerges ready to destroy her master's enemies once again.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Ichigo shouted, eager to kill the Titan and save Senna.

---

"Let me go!" Senna shouted while she was strapped to a post high in the air with several purple orbs surrounding her. She struggles to break free but it is futile.

"A fruitless effort, my dear. A goddess you may be but the current form I unintentionally left you in when I started dangling with reality leaves you just as vulnerable as the average Rukongai Soul," Ganryū said, standing below her.

"Whatever you think you're doing, you have to stop. Nothing will come of it," Senna warned.

"I do not fear your father, milady. Unlike the Shinigami, I now know the truth, I will not be deterred," Ganryū frowned, recalling vital information that Aizen shared with him, information that rotted his very core and threw away any shred of remorse he had about following through with his evil plan.

"What truth?"

"I'd rather spare you the shock. It's easy to tell that your true memories haven't come back yet and when I'm done here, you'll be on your way back to your precious palace and Kyōgoku will return to the void with no ill consequences to the rest of the worlds,"

During their talk, a few Blanks began flying around Senna, catching her attention. A feeling of dread suddenly encased her as she somehow knew that this wasn't going to end well for her. Ganryū was almost sad seeing the spike of fear appear in her eyes but carried on.

"I won't lie to you. This will not be a pleasant experience but I assure you that all the anguish of the Blanks will be worth it as the Soul Society shall begin anew,"

The process had begun. The Blanks started surrounding and hardening around Senna. They were all preparing to fuse with the Shinenju.

Ganryū smirked victoriously until a familiar spiritual signature caught his attention and a flaming crescent wave of energy sliced through the Blanks. For a moment the process had been interrupted.

"I don't know what led me to believe this would be smooth sailing from here," Ganryū sighed, turning around to face Isshin. "Isshin, I take it."

"Mr. Kurosaki!" Senna cried out to.

"That Getsuga I used should've given me away instantly," Isshin replied.

"Indeed," Ganryū gave him a sadistic smirk. "The son Rentaro had with Kisara. Wish I could say it is a pleasure to finally meet you but alas, I've long since lost any love for your father's clan."

"I know all about your uprising and what the other nobles did to you. I'm not here to reprimand you over all that right and wrong shit," Isshin said while rubbing the back of his head. "I just don't like the way you treat women."

Ganryū wanted to chuckle because of his familiar response. "Even though I no longer remember my childhood and teen years, the nostalgia I feel when around you and your boy is so overwhelming, I'm disgusted. Very well. I shall kill you and then your boy, finally severing all ties with Rentaro Shiba once and for all."

Among the Blanks surrounding them, two of them morph into energy that manifests as a sword in his hand.

"That's a pretty creepy power," Isshin noted, raising his Engetsu to fight.

"Well, I'd prefer to still have my beloved Zanpakutō but your father had an opinion about that,"

"Fair enough," Isshin shrugged, setting Engetsu's blade on fire.

---

"Something's not right," Shunsui said, staring at the image of Karakura above the Seireitei. Beside him are Yamamoto, Unohana, Komamura, and Soifon who are currently in the Sōkyoku Hill with the Kidō Corps making the final preparations for the Kidō Taihō. It consists of a crystalline focus point attached to the top of a massive pole, with several smaller crystal structures circling up towards the main one containing an immense amount of Reiryoku that should be greater than any of the Captains.

"The Shinenju's purification for the Blanks should've begun by now and the presence of Souls granted salvation has always been easy to feel before but instead, I'm getting a bad feeling," Kyōraku frowned.

"I'm afraid that it is very likely that the perpetrator was waiting for them in Kyōgoku to try and take the Shinenju by force," Retsu said, sharing his fears.

"A trap like that should've been obvious for Ukitake and Hitsugaya to figure out, so they at least are capable of preventing the Goddess from being harmed by cravens," Soifon said.

"I agree but the question we are left without answers to is exactly how many enemies they're fighting against, we only have the minor details we've gathered from Ichigo Kurosaki and Kisuke Urahara," Sajin said dissatisfied.

"You think they may have to fight Aizen?" Shunsui asked with a grimace.

"The thought has occurred to me and I pray that I am wrong,"

"There is no time to rattle on about what ifs right now," Yamamoto said. He can feel how badly Kyōgoku is affecting the Soul Society. More Hollows than any unseated officers could comprehend are swarming the Rukongai with half the Divisions being dispatched to repel them. Kenpachi is leading the charge and he imagines that despite being weaker than him, the ungodly numbers will keep him occupied and feeling satisfied when the fight ends.

Sajin and Soifon just finished dispatching the Hollows that made it into the Seireitei but it won't be long before more parasites of Hueco Mundo come crawling. Mayuri is doing the best he can with what resources he has that are still useable to try and close all the dimensional rifts but the technology to access the Garganta is still imperfect.

'If this keeps up, we might have to fire sooner than I wanted,' He thought. 'Reiō. If I must do the unforgivable and sacrifice the Princess I will take full responsibility for this evil deed and accept your full wrath. Come what may, I will always put the Soul Society first above all others.'

"Head Captain," Retsu muttered, having a similar opinion as him.

"I understand. We all know what needs to be done,"

---

Yumichika yelled in agony after receiving a brutal punch from Yammy that not only cost him his arm but he got sent flying, crashing into a rocky wall, and creating a huge hole where he got stuck in.

"Yumichika!" Renji yelled outraged, attacking the Arrancar with all his might with Zabimaru but the snake sword just bounced off once it hit Yammy's shoulder.

"Did something touch my shoulder?" He asked, not having noticed Renji until he started to turn around, unintentionally stepping on Yumichika's severed arm and squashing it.

"Damn you," Renji growled, more frustrated at himself for not being effective.

Ikkaku goes in next, swinging Hōzukimaru wildly and hitting Yammy at every single part of his body but not one hit makes the Arrancar so much as flinch.

"What's the matter, asshole! Is standing there like an idiot the best you can do? I thought you Arrancars were supposed to be like us but thus far I ain't impressed," Ikkaku shouted, furiously hitting harder and harder but nothing was working. "If you have a sword then I suggest you use it. I ain't interested in fighting wild—"

Having enough, Yammy grabs Ikkaku, his huge hand wrapping the 3rd Seat's head entirely, and squishes hard enough to make him cease attacking.

"Your voice is like needles being shoved into my ears," Yammy said a little pissed now. He lifts Ikkaku in the air, pondering how to properly kill him. Still stubborn, Ikkaku tries to free himself by continuously hitting him, managing to aim for his right eye but Yammy's eyes are as durable as his skin with Hōzukimaru being completely useless.

"Let him go, damn you!" Renji yelled, about to attack again to save Ikkaku but Yammy quickly incapacitated the Lieutenant by shooting a red ball of energy from his left fist, hitting him square in the chest and sending him crashing, seemingly defeated.

"Renji!" Rukia cried.

"One measly Bala (Hollow Bullet) and you're out for the count? Man, you guys suck," Yammy sneered, deciding to crush Ikkaku's head like a balloon.

"Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku rushed in next, her blade disintegrating into ashes that rushed and swarmed Yammy's face who correctly compared these ashes to tiny blades.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" He protested, trying to force the ashes off him, and on impulse tossed Ikkaku aside to have free use of both his arms.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" Rukia awakens her Shikai and readies her battle stance. "Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" She fires an avalanche of cold air with the hopes of immobilizing Yammy.

But it was not to be as Yammy becomes enraged by their continued meddling and goes to end it quickly by gathering Reiryoku in his mouth and firing a powerful red blast of concentrated spirit energy that overwhelms Hakuren, melting the ice instantly.

"A CERO!" Rangiku cried in horror, rushing towards Rukia to drag her out of the blast radius but wasn't fast enough so the two women were partially hit by the Cero that ran towards a very far distance across Kyōgoku.

"Lieutenant… Matsumoto…" Rukia muttered, in pain but better off than Rangiku who received heavy burns on her back and legs while shielding her and is knocked out from the pain.

'What terrible power… this is just like when the Lord of Calamity brought despair to the Soul Society,' Rukia lamented, no longer able to hide her terror before the power of the legendary Arrancars.

"Well, this turned out to be a boring mission," Yammy hissed, disappointed with the opponents he's had to face, and took the time to look from a distance at the fight between two giants.

The Titan wrapped its tentacle around Getsuhime's neck to pull her close to it and she retaliated by moving her wings forward, using them as razor-sharp weapons that cut the tentacle right off. She next manifests a gigantic katana from using Jingetsu fit for her size in her left hand and swings it horizontally. The Titan catches the blade with one of its lower hands and struggles to push it away while still trying to get closer.

The ground trembles with each step they take, the air of this world more intense and harder to breathe by both their presence that is so intense, neither should reasonably exist in any of the known worlds. Aliens that even someone as brutish as Yammy could understand as unnatural.

"Whoa! Now that's a beast! I bet we'd get along great, giant to giant," Yammy grinned, planning on stepping into the more exciting fight.

"BANKAI!" Renji cried out with immeasurable fury with his Reiatsu forming a massive explosion that again blocked Yammy's path. Now before the Arrancar is a massive snake with an enraged Renji wielding it. "Hihiō Zabimaru!"

"Back for more, eh? And you even got yourself a Bankai. Sweet. I didn't think a Shinigami would have one except for those wearing white. Too bad the size means little because you're more like a cockroach," Yammy mocked before getting angrier. "I DON'T LIKE COCKROACHES AND AM TIRED OF SQUASHING YOU, SO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU STAY DOWN THIS TIME!"

"Fuck you, motherfucker!" Renji snapped, sending Hihiō Zabimaru after him. The snakehead opens its mouth to eat the Arrancar but Yammy catches it from the jaw and one of the upper fangs, holding on tight without harm but Renji does manage to push Yammy several feet away, which surprised him a bit, not expecting a none-Captain's Bankai to have this much of an increase in power.

Forced to exert himself even more, he growls. Slowly managing to slow down Hihiō Zabimaru's momentum. Renji managed to push him a good distance but it was futile. Little did Yammy realize, the Lieutenant was gathering power while he made his frontal assault.

"Hikotsu Taihō!" He yelled with red reiryoku bursting from Zabimaru's mouth, firing point-blank at Yammy.

"You can use a Cero?" He questioned.

The blast was so powerful and massive that it destroyed a portion of the area behind Yammy. While nowhere near as destructive as Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō, the carnage Renji left could be mistaken for the Agent's work.

Unfortunately, it was as pointless as the efforts of the others as Yammy again didn't even flinch and the best Renji accomplished was to destroy his jacket, leaving his upper torso exposed as well as the number 10 tattoo on his left shoulder.

"That wasn't a Cero," Yammy said even more annoyed. Renji is left paralyzed with fear, unable to believe he accomplished nothing, and could only watch helplessly as the Arrancar ruins his precious Bankai by crushing Hihiō Zabimaru's head to pieces with his bare hands and breaking two more segments of the huge snake with a single kick.

"Here. Watch closely on what a real Cero looks like," Yammy said as he breathed in and fired another Cero that struck Renji faster than he could dodge, taking him out this time.

"Good! Now that's taken care of, time for some real—MALDITA SEA, PENDEJO!" Yammy seethed even more as Ikkaku got back up and attacked him from his right but he easily parried the bald man off him.

"Nice try, pal. But no way am I going to let anyone else have you," Ikkaku grinned madly, his love for battle eclipsing his inner fear. "Things are finally in my favor and I got to give you some credit, Shinigami of Captain and Lieutenant ranks have their powers suppressed by 80% when sent to the Human World but the moment we came to Kyōgoku, those limiters were turned off. I thought for sure Renji would be the new top dog when not including Ichigo or the Captains."

"Am I supposed to know who you're talking about?" Yammy hissed.

"I was afraid you were as dumb as you look," The 3rd Seat chuckled.

"Big talk for a loser who can't process how out of his league he is," Yammy hissed. "In my turf, those who can't accept who the superior warrior is don't deserve respect, let alone have their names remembered."

"Please, like I give two shits about what your wasteland of a home considers a warrior or etiquette," Ikkaku shrugged.

"Screw you! Las Gorilas (The Gorillas) is an amazing city where we built our tournament arena to settle disputes and prove who has what it takes to be one of the Espada (Ten Blades) or a Fracción (Subordinate Officer) for an Espada," Yammy argued offended. "More so the latter. It's ultimately up to the King to decide on who gets to be an Espada but he approves the tournament rules."

"City? Tournament? Espada? What?" Ikkaku is having a hard time processing what Yammy just explained.

"Forget it, I knew in advance that you Shinigami were so short-sighted that you could never fathom Hollow society," Yammy huffed. "Alright, how about a game to pass the time? Let's see for how long you can stand with all your bones broken and how long you can live without your lungs to breathe."

---

'Rukia and the others have been bested?' Jūshirō thought in terror, able to sense how fast the Reiatsu of those fighting the bigger Arrancar had faded so quickly. 'How did it come to this…'

Despite his inner turmoil, he still has the foresight to never lose sight of his opponent, blocking a powerful blow from Ulquiorra's right arm with both his swords. This Arrancar hasn't bothered to use his Zanpakutō either, content on relying on his kind's natural ability to surround their skin with their own Reiryoku, hardening into what they call Hierro (Steel Skin), which is more advanced than the version Shinigami use. Cutting him will not be a simple task.

"You're certainly not what I expected," Ulquiorra said stoically.

"What…" The Captain questioned.

By pushing his index finger forward, Ulquiorra released a shockwave that knocked Ukitake half a mile away, and by the time he got his bearing to land safely, Ulquiorra was already there waiting to strike him from the back again but Jūshirō was prepared.

"Mizutarashi (Water Drop)!" His two blades glowed with a majestic blue light and from the ground below Ulquiorra a circle formed that generated and released a geyser of water to burst out, consuming him. Any other foe would've been killed or heavily injured from this attack but like Yammy, Ulquiorra didn't even flinch from the attack and just proceeded to extend his hand to impale his target.

'Let's try this then,' He cursed, needing to act fast, readying another move to survive this fatal blow.

"Mizubuki (Water Sprout)!" Ukitake stabbed his swords on the ground just as he was trying to slow himself down and Sōgyo no Kotowari again shone with blue light, triggering an explosion from aquatic-like energy that blew the Captain into the air without harming him and blocked Ulquiorra's view of him.

"Hadō #63. Raikōhō!" Jūshirō immediately shouted as soon as he got his footing and got into a safe distance, firing a gigantic burst of lightning.

Unimpressed, Ulquiorra defends himself by only using his left hand to catch the lightning and with seemingly no effort, tosses Raikōhō aside as though he was throwing away a bed sheet, to the Captain's amazement.

Ulquiorra next points a finger at Jūshirō, gathering his Reiryoku in a single point before firing a green cero with overwhelmingly more power and speed than Yammy's. Not bothering to dodge, Jūshirō uses the main ability of his Zanpakutōs, absorbing the Cero from his left blade and redirecting it from his right. Ulquiorra remains still, not even pondering how a Shinigami could use his Cero against him and is hit with a devastating explosion as a result.

'Why didn't he dodge? Surely he isn't so confident to believe he'd' be invulnerable to his own incredible attacks,' Jūshirō thought but was quickly proven wrong.

"Based on the intel I was given, I was assured that as a senior Gotei Captain, you would have more skill and power than this. But it seems we had nothing to fear from you Shinigami after all," Ulquiorra mocked but it didn't seem offensive while he came out of the smoke from the explosion.

His insult isn't too invalid as the truth is, Jūshirō's accursed sickness has been acting up but not as severe as usual so he can still fight but with only half his power so in this state he stands no chance against his adversary.

"Intel? That's not a phrase I thought I'd ever hear coming from one of you," Jūshirō said.

"Feel free to say about us what you will, the opinions of a dead man don't matter at the end of the day," Ulquiorra said before unsheathing his katana. It has a green handle and sheath and the guard has two curved extensions from its long sides with a line going through both sides, giving it an eye-like appearance.

Jūshirō tensed because he knew this meant Ulquiorra wanted to end this fight quickly. He's noticed what they said when they first arrived, it seems that both Arrancars are more interested in Ichigo. The bigger one attacking him first was no coincidence, and this troubles the Captain for many reasons but it also may prove enlightening if he can figure out why, not that Ulquiorra would want to answer.

"Let's not drag this out," Ulquiorra said, making a swift vertical swing that released a powerful shockwave, shattering the ground in front of him.

"Bakudō #39. Enkōsen!" Jūshirō formed a shield in front of him to block off all the debris and simultaneously ready if Ulquiorra would attack him from behind but he was wrong since the Arrancar went for a frontal assault that came after he defended himself from the debris.

His Zanpakutō easily destroyed Enkōsen, followed by another faster swing for his face. Ukitake's reflexes kicked in and parried the blow, allowing him to retaliate by thrusting his left sword at his throat but it was a weak strike.

"How long can you keep up this hopeless endeavor?" Ulquiorra wondered with further disappointment, delivering even faster sword swings that even Soifon would have a hard time countering but Jūshirō persisted, blocking, and parrying every blow but barely able to make his own attacks and not one even phases the Arrancar, or even damage his clothing.

He's not sure how long he can keep this up.

---

Where Senna had been now stood some sort of tree formed by hundreds of large solid branch threads and she could no longer be sensed, her presence was completely blocked because of all the Blanks covering her.

Isshin and Ganryū clash amidst this unusual tree.

Ganryū stabs at Isshin, who dodges, causing Ganryū's sword to hit a part of the tree, which heavily damages it but this seems to not affect the tree as a whole. Isshin goes in for his slash, Ganryū blocks with his Blank-made sword before slashing at Isshin again, who ducks and attacks Ganryū.

As Ganryū ducks, the part of the tree he damaged behind him is nearly cut in two by Isshin's attack as Ganryū stabs at him.

When Isshin dodges, Ganryū stabs at him several more times in rapid succession, only for Isshin to dodge every attack and after making a strong parry that halted his and pushes hard, forcing Ganryū to fall off one of the branches they were standing on where they crash into another, just as Engetsu ignites with fire to incinerate him but Ganryū fought back with a Kidō to counter the flames.

"Sōeigeki (Blue Sleet Attack)!" From his body, Ganryū's yellow-green reiatsu turned into pale blue that manifested as intensely cold air potent enough to counter the incredible heat and push Isshin off him.

Not about to relent, the Fallen Noble generates several daggers that are pieces of the Blanks manipulated by his Reiatsu and sends them after his foe with a velocity that is almost the speed of light. Even if they were moving faster than light, Isshin would've still been able to reflexively parry each blow without issue.

"Chirashi Getsuga (Scattering Moon Fang)," Isshin makes a powerful flaming swing that creates a crescent moon three times his size. In less than a millisecond, the crescent shatters into multiple pieces and is sent flying after Ganryū like a barrage of bullets fired from a hundred miniguns.

Ganryū tried to evade the flaming bullets by running away, as fast as he could to avoid them but after going a fair distance, he was caught and hopefully consumed by them.

Isshin did not celebrate as he noticed hundreds of Blanks swarm around him and tried to capture him.

He pushed them aside with Engetsu, taking out dozens in one swing but they were persistent in catching him, one who got closer than the rest was starting to glow yellow as he kicked him away, and the spirit exploded, vaporizing sixteen fellow Blanks in the process.

'This is insane!' Isshin gasped, realizing their true intention. Suicide bombing, and since they can't truly perish, they'll just repeat the process without end. They managed to sneak up from behind and were going to successfully explode at once but Isshin escaped by using Shunpo, however, he didn't go far enough, the explosion potent enough to reach a hundred feet and aimed for him.

"Getsuga Tentate (Moon Fang Heavenly Shield)!" Isshin is prepared for this and moves Engetsu in a circle, gathering flames to form a shield from Getsuga that protects him from the explosion but he still does not feel safe, not knowing what else to expect, and makes the swift decision to expand his shield to cover him from all directions and his instincts could not have been more perfect as something struck from his back, a sword perhaps but he saw no one.

Acting fast again, Isshin reused Chirashi Getsuga but this time bullets came firing from his barrier, so he rained fire everywhere, and that's when he noticed how from one direction on his left multiple bullets were being parried by something he couldn't see. Ganryū could make himself invisible.

"Getsuga Tenshō!" Isshin ceased his attack, exited his shield, and fired a more powerful attack that Ganryū would not be able to dodge, and when was forced to block the attack head-on before pushing it away with all his might, his invisibility turned off.

"Nice trick but I'm still the faster of the two," Isshin sneered.

"You're formidable but I knew that before we'd clashed," Ganryū said. "I was informed that you were a Captain of the 10th Division for over eighty years and were the first in centuries to be almost a match for Head Captain Yamamoto. You've allowed yourself to grow soft, which is good for me but pity for you."

"You won't think like that in a second," Isshin frowned, and in the blink of an eye, he vanished from his sight. He only had a second to see Isshin before he quickly had to spin around to block the downward slash aimed at the back of his head and the moment he did, Isshin vanished again. Ganryū immediately jumped in the air to dodge the gash to his legs. He glared down at his opponent to see him looking back up at him with a smirk in a crouching position.

His eyes widened when the blade became coated with blazing spiritual energy and Isshin swung it upwards. He unleashed a large wave of fiery energy straight at Ganryū but it exploded just before it reached him. Isshin scowled when he saw the results of his attack, Ganryū had been able to summon some Blanks to form a shield to block his attack.

With a quick burst of shunpo, Isshin dodged the surprise stab from behind and reappeared above him. He braced himself against a branch and used it to push off and he charged toward Ganryū. With Isshin on the offensive, he forced Ganryū back with his superior speed but despite this, Ganryū was able to block all of his strikes.

Ganryū quickly brushed aside a wordless Getsuga Tenshō and began to pant slightly from being forced to fight at such a fast pace. Still, he had a lot more experience and was finding it possible to read his movements.

Isshin landed on a branch opposite of him and rested his Zanpakutō on his shoulder.

"Should've surrendered when you had the chance," Isshin warned.

"You can't beat a man with nothing to lose, Shiba," Ganryū growled annoyed.

Fire bursts from Isshin's body, and like when he fought Yamamoto, the flames manifested into a demonic creature but this time there were a dozen of them, smaller and less imposing. This honestly made Ganryū lose his cool and show a little bit of fear.

'His sword is a Living-Type? That can't be. An elemental is a sub-type but those who use Getsuga are their own singular group of Zanpakutō. There shouldn't exist any Zanpakutō that belongs to two types,'

"Don't overthink it and just try to survive," Isshin taunted him as the miniature Chigetsujū attacked.

Ganryū growled and manipulated a bunch of Blanks to act as his living shields and the moment they made contact with the fire demons, they exploded, destroying them both in the process. All the explosion caused a huge smoke that unfortunately for Ganryū made him lose sight of Isshin.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

Ganryū at the corner of his eye saw the crescent fire coming straight towards him on his left side. He intercepted the blast with his katana and with a fierce slash, the beam of energy crumbled. A gasp escaped his mouth however a second after he dispatched the Getsuga Tenshō and he looked down at his stomach painfully to see a blazing blade piercing out of it.

"I don't know the full history between you and my old man but I don't care. What I do care about is that this tired old feud has become my son's problem and that is something my wife will not tolerate," Isshin explained behind Ganryū, his face set to a frown and he had a tight grip on the handle of Engetsu.

Even as Ganryū spat blood, he still had the gall to look and act smug. "I apologize for hurting your boy but I did give him a chance to walk away. Blame your poor family habit of always playing the hero. In all seriousness though. You should've gone for the head."

Isshin's eyes widened when a large group of Blanks shot towards him in all directions and he retaliated by pulling his blood-soaked Zanpakutō out of Ganryū's stomach and jumped high into the air. He landed on the branch and raised Engetsu across his body defensively believing that the Blanks would follow him.

He was mistaken.

Instead, all of the Blanks surrounded Ganryū and they began to be absorbed into his whole body. Isshin had to shield his eyes from the force of spiritual power Ganryū suddenly unleashed. Once the remnants disappeared, Isshin's eyes widened when he saw the state that Ganryū was now in.

Ganryū had not had any physical changes done to him but he was not only all healed up and his attire repaired but his Reiatsu had increased immensely, almost triple what it was before. Ulquiorra and Yammy who were far away from this fight also felt his Reiatsu and were impressed by Ganryū's strength.

Ganryū smirked and summoned his usual katana and the moment Isshin blinked he was already in front of him, slashing fiercely.

"Damn it…" He muttered as he struggled to block and evade the sudden ferocious offensive barrage. He couldn't believe how much faster and stronger Ganryū had suddenly become.

For a few seconds, Isshin evaded or deflected the blows with Engetsu until Ganryū finally forced him into a blade lock after a slash downwards to Isshin's head only for Engetsu to intercept it. Isshin's feet began to sink into the branch that he was standing on from the pressure that Ganryū's katana was unleashing.

Ganryū smirked at the struggling look on Isshin's face and informed him, "I may be afflicted by the curse of this world like my people were but that still does not change the fact that I am King of Kyōgoku and my power is nearly limitless here. Not even Genryūsai Shigekuni Yamamoto can stop me now,"

Isshin couldn't react in time to dodge Ganryū's next move and blood spewed from his mouth. Ganryū grinned widely when he felt Isshin's grip on his Zanpakutō loosen and removed his knee from the man's stomach. The spike on his knee was coated in the former Captain's blood and Ganryū immediately backhanded him hard in the face. He then followed up by manipulating another group of Blanks into one of the thread-like substances that the large tree was made of. It collided with Isshin and forced him into the trunk of the ''tree'' and trapped him against it.

Isshin coughed up another bit of blood and struggled to lift his head to glare at the smirking Ganryū.

"Don't give me that look, Shiba, and just sit back and watch as my masterpiece can begin," Ganryū said feeling victorious.

"What could you possibly hope to accomplish besides causing the worlds to crash into each other?" Isshin questioned.

"In another life, the temptation of ending it all to punish the world that rejected me and my family might've been overwhelming but luckily for humanity, I had an epiphany. Why destroy Soul Society when I can give it a clean slate,"

"Clean slate?"

"To be precise, the Seireitei. I won't use the Shinenju's divine power to bring ruin to everything, just the Nobles and Gotei 13. I will have her suck away the memories of all in the Seireitei, turning EVERYONE into a Blank and tearing down the Seireiheki once and for all, leaving the Rukongai as the one true Soul Society!" Ganryū revealed his master plan, horrifying Isshin. "And in time, the Rukon citizens will forge a shining future with a new capital to symbolize their dominance and a new army of Shinigami to carry out their justice."

"You have gone insane! The worlds are going to end regardless if you prevent them from crashing into each other," Isshin snapped. "There are hundreds of thousands of people in the Seireitei, the Reincarnation Cycle will crumble by taking in so many souls at once. At best, those souls along with their Reishi will be erased into Oblivion, at worse, we all die."

"Always so quick to reprimand the bad guy as a madman who never thinks ahead," Ganryū shook his head. "As if I hadn't thought of the consequences. Don't worry, I know exactly how to get the Shinenju to prevent the collapse of Creation."

The tree then started to tremble and glow with a greenish-yellow aura.

"It's begun. My creation: the Tree of Requiem is done preparing to weaponize the Goddess's power. Farewell, Shinigami of Old,"

---

To the shock of all the Shinigami, the bubble above them started expanding faster than before with electricity surging from it. The Reiatsu that the Captains recognize as the Shinenju's is now felt all over the sky and they knew that this was not a good sign.

"What's happening?" Sajin uttered, just as the bubble turned into a vortex, and from within, a twister hit the Sōkyoku Hill faster than any of them could react and several unranked Shinigami were caught in it but they weren't killed by it. Worse than that, their cries of pain ended with them being turned into Blanks before vanishing from thin air.

"It can't be!" Unohana gasped in terror, having never dared believe such an outcome would occur.

Genryūsai took immediate action, swinging his Zanpakutō at the twister with enough force to dispel it, saving the rest of his subordinates.

This accomplished little as the vortex brought forth a bigger and stronger twister down on them.

"Reduce All Creation to Ash, Ryūjin Jakka!" The Head Captain, unleashed the full might of his Zanpakutō, sending his inferno to clash with the vortex that is only getting bigger and it was clear to all that whatever this is, it would turn them all into blanks.

The latest chaos could be seen by all the Seireitei. Hard to miss the great flames of the Head Captain trying to prevent a fate worse than death from crashing down upon them.

The clash in power caused some damage to the ground and even started to damage the pole holding the Kidō Taihō.

"The cannon!" Soifon cried. If they lose that, then they may very well all perish.

"Kokujō Tengen Myō'ō!" Sajin acts fast, summoning his giant that steps into the inferno and uses itself as a shield to prevent any harm to the cannon and all those who have not yet moved far enough from the fire.

Yamamoto roars, giving it his all to move the twister at a safer distance from his nearest subordinates. Even though the vortex is getting bigger and stronger, he can still prevent the twister from reaching the ground even if it grows big enough to devour the entire Seireitei.

"Grand Kidō Chief! Prepare to fire the cannon, NOW!" Genryūsai ordered with haste.

"SIR!" He obeyed and returned to his duty with haste, followed by his lieutenant and those who were still brave enough to step into the blaze.

"Old Man!" Shunsui yelled with worry for the Head Captain.

"Our worst fears have come to life. The Shinenju has somehow been turned against us and soon we will all be consumed into Kyōgoku," Yamamoto cursed. His legs are shaking, it's as if he is lifting the weight of an entire planet on top of him. A challenge he might've accepted undertaking under better circumstances but time is not on their side.

"My strength is not infinite. Even I pale in comparison to the power of a god, which is why we must destroy Kyōgoku now!"

"But what about—"

"WE HAVE NO CHOICE, CAPTAIN KYŌRAKU!" Yamamoto raised his voice. "Come what may, we, as Shinigami will put our duty to the Soul Society first. You know this!"

Kyōraku couldn't argue even if he wanted to any further. This was out of their hands now that it has come to this.

"Jūshirō…"

"You hurry up you damn brats!"

---

Getsuhime rams herself at the Titan, grabs him by its waist, and with all her might, lifts him in the air by flying as high as she can. He tries to free himself, using his extra arms to pull her off him, and then stabs her through the back with his razor fingers but misses the wings. Getsuhime endures despite being visibly in anguish.

Below the two giants, Tōshirō stabs at the ground with all his might, releasing the power of his Bankai to its limit, creating a single tower of ice spikes, and once complete, Getsuhime releases the Titan to be impaled by the tower. The ice doesn't do as much damage as they'd hoped but his anguished screams of pain do the trick.

"Getsuga…" Ichigo gathers all his Reiatsu into his sword for hopefully one final blow to finish off the creature. "… TENSHŌ!" And he released all of that with an attack mightier than the one he used to destroy the Sōkyoku Hill.

The Titan would not back down and released another energy blast from its void-like face. The power it packed was enough to overpower the Getsuga Tenshō. A fact Ichigo would notice too late, unlike Getsuhime who realized the danger and grabbed her master with her right hand and pulled him out of the way before the Titan's blast hit him.

"Goddammit! Why is it so hard to defeat?" Ichigo cursed, growing more restless by the minute with Senna still not rescued and this monster refusing to stay down.

"It'sthick hide is the real issue. At this rate, we're gonna have to strike it from the inside," Getsuhime suggested.

"I'm not going back in there! Did you not see what I saw?" Ichigo snapped, appalled by the suggestion. "Besides, if he's tough on the outside, I'm pretty sure the inside isn't any lighter."

"You're looking at this logically and not creatively. That's a flaw you must overcome,"

"Whatever! At this point, we might as well try getting drunk with Rangiku's sake just to give us a moment's rest," Tōshirō protested for the two to stay focused.

"Ichigo! Can you hear me?"

Ichigo and Getsuhime are caught off upon hearing the familiar voice of a friend.

"Matsuri?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm contacting you from the Soul Society via Tenteikūra. Didn't think it would work since the spell was not meant for communications between worlds and how messed up everything is but my Kotōmaru amplifies my use of Kidō immensely so it worked out."

"What do you want?" Getsuhime demanded, displeased to hear her voice while she tossed Ichigo aside so that he wouldn't get caught by the Titan's next assault, and the two clashed again.

"Please listen to me, you guys don't have much time and neither does the Seireitei. Ganryū Ryōdoji plans to harness the Shinenju's power to annihilate everyone in the Seireitei and there are zero chances to evacuate. The Head Captain is pouring all his power and flames to prevent that terror from consuming us all but he will not last so they're firing the Kidō Taihō much sooner," Matsuri informed.

"That's just great!" Ichigo cursed but he inwardly admitted that he couldn't hold it against Yamamoto if the situation escalated so severely.

"I also know that you're fighting a Titan and I know how to kill it. It's the heart. That is the only way to defeat them but I'm sure you've noticed how thick he is,"

"Awesome! You're the best, Matsuri," Ichigo smirked, glad to have some good news as he landed on one of the Titan's hands and stabbed the back of it, pushing with all his limits with the hopes of snapping it but it was no good. Getsuhime is the only one that can do any real damage, she cut off the tentacle arm that thankfully hasn't grown back but they should both share the same Reiryoku, that's why his physical prowess increases when he releases her as a Dragon. What is it he lacks?

"One last thing, according to the archives I'm reading, when killed, the Reiatsu of Titans becomes poisonous to all living beings, physical or spiritual, that will spread at a considerable range depending on how strong they were alive so assume that your whole team will die if you're not careful,"

"Then I'll kill it off world. Kōgetsu," Getsuhime channeled more of her holy light and launched it to the Titan, encasing him in a giant rectangular prison of tangible light that almost resembled a crystal. She then levitates it into the air.

But before it even reached the dark clouds, the Titan started breaking free from Kōgetsu, forcing Getsuhime to fly up and ram herself into him before he could begin to fall back down.

"Getsuhime!" Ichigo shouted with worry.

"I got this from here," Getsuhime assured him, pushing through the clouds with the Titan struggling to break free but the Zanpakutō of Light will not be deterred this time.

"That sword of yours is as glutton for punishment as you are," Tōshirō noted while wondering what she was planning since Matsuri did not commune with him.

"She's something, alright. Even I haven't figured her out just yet but there's no one else I trust to get shit done," Ichigo relented. "Let's split up. We don't have much time left."

"Yes, I'm sure things have also gotten bad back home and the Head Captain may fire the cannon sooner than we'd prefer," Tōshirō noted, correctly guessing how much danger they are in on his own and without another word said, the two part ways with Ichigo rushing to aid his dad and Senna while Tōshirō goes to rescue everyone else.

"You still with me, Matsuri?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, but I'm not sure for how long," She responded.

"I'll be out of here with everyone soon so try not to worry too much,"

"I know you will succeed but I won't lie to you. I would very much prefer it if the cannon had fired already because the Head Captain can't hold on any longer and there is no one else who can stall what Ganryū has unleashed," She confessed.

"Don't ever apologize about wanting to live. You just helped me yet again by buying me some more precious time after all," Ichigo smirked with gratitude.

---

Getsuhime takes the Titan above the dark clouds and goes higher and higher until they reach an invisible wall that prevents them from going further. She anticipated this because there is only one path in and out of Kyōgoku, this realm is so isolated it is protected by a barrier similar to the Shakonmaku but like with the Seireiheki, it is no more than a nuisance before Getsuhime and she effortlessly breaks the dimensional barrier with her and the Titan now within Garganta. The Void of endless darkness.

The Titan again roars with anger, placing two of his remaining hands-on Getsuhime, intending to crush her and prevent any escape, it also wraps his snake tail around her body to restrain much of her movement.

Groaning from the pain but not yet defeated, she summons another huge sword and uses it to stab him in the neck with the blade protruding from the other side. This only irked the Titan further and retaliated by firing a point-blank blast right at her face. She let out a louder groan but this would mean little in the end and proceeded with her goal by making her right-hand intangible with Gengetsu and shoving it into the Titan's chest, grabbing a hold of something that she hoped was the heart and by pouring her Reiatsu into it, she makes it intangible also and mercilessly pulls it out.

Silence soon overtook Garganta once again and the Titan's hold on Getsuhime loosened so that she could free herself. The Titan was dead and the body fell into the darkness.

Getsuhime takes a sigh in relief that it is over and she stares at the heart in her hands, still beating and coursing with incredible power but not one that is alien like the two Captains believed.

"That beast was siphoning Reimyaku from Kyōgoku to fuel itself," Getsuhime realized the source of her fallen adversary's strength. "How interesting but it still leaves me with more questions."

She squished the giant heart, splattering the blood inside before dropping it.

"No poisonous Reiatsu was unleashed. So the bastard child was wrong. Oh well, better safe than sorry," She noted as she returned to Kyōgoku and aided Ichigo further.

---

"Doesn't seem like your grand plan is working as effectively as you think, not that I'm surprised by old man Yama," Isshin taunted as he freed himself from the tree with his sheer strength. Ganryū was too busy marveling at his work to try and finish the job but even if he'd tried to finish him off Isshin would've used Engetsu to defend himself.

"That stubborn old fossil never learns," Ganryū mused irritably, knowing from the start that Yamamoto would interfere with the Tree of Requiem's ''purification'' of the Seireitei even while unable and unwilling to leave the Soul Society. "No matter, his only attempt to stop me, the Kidō Taihō won't work. Kyōgoku is protected by its own Shakonmaku which is a hundred times more durable than the one protecting the Seireitei. Not even a world-killing weapon will penetrate it."

"Doesn't matter, I'll still kick your ass!" Isshin swore, raising his flaming Reiatsu over him before charging forward to finish this battle. Ganryū fights back and the two men resume their clash.

Both gave it their all than before but is now Isshin managing to pull his own even better and can keep up blow for blow with his speed increasing enough to better parry. Unless you were at the level of a Captain, you would not be able to keep up with their ungodly velocity that is less than a blur to the naked eye.

The two jumped away from each other after their blades clashed once more and now they stared each other down standing on opposite branches.

"No more games!" Isshin declared to Ganryū and a second later, he was encased by burning spiritual energy.

"Come on!" Ganryū shouted as yellow spiritual energy surrounded him.

Isshin shot towards his enemy and made sure to position himself so that he was charging towards him head first and with his Zanpakutō at his right side, tip pointing towards his feet. The position he was in was high risk because he was trying to prompt Ganryū to take a stab at his face. If he didn't dodge then he would die.

Ganryū grinned when he leaped off the branch towards Isshin and when the Shinigami got close enough, he stabbed his Katana to his head.

Just as the tip of the sword headed for Isshin, he raised his left hand to his face and moved his head to the left to evade the attack. A slight knick to his right cheek was how close Ganryū's Katana got to piercing his head and in an instant, Engetsu was swung under Ganryū's outstretched arm. He slashed Ganryū's chest and released the pent-up energy within his Zanpakutō. The fiery Getsuga Tenshō hit Ganryū, severely burning and blasting him straight into the ground.

He could not react when it happened, he didn't even scream, the Flames of the Moon were so great his entire being could do nothing but become engulfed by them. It was over.

Isshin takes a deep breath after exerting himself. It wasn't as bad as when he fought Yamamoto but the sad reality is that his spiritual body is still sore after so long being human. He doesn't know when he'll be back to full power again but he doubts that fighting more enemies as strong as Ganryū will help in any way that doesn't get him killed.

"Dad!" Ichigo shouted, arriving at his father's side as fast as he could.

"Got rid of that ugly thing, did you? What about those Arrancars?" Isshin said as he breathed heavily from the stress.

"I'm sure the others will be able to deal with them by the time I get Senna," Ichigo said frantic to go get her back. He glanced back to the large trunk and he saw that they were beginning to spread apart. He smiled in relief when he saw Senna and he could feel her surprisingly steady Reiatsu.

He approached her quickly and said with a smirk, "What's the matter? You're quiet for once. You seem to be lacking your usual energy."

Senna's eyes which had been staring blankly ahead snapped into focus at the sight of Ichigo and she grinned cutely at his taunt and retorted playfully, "Oh, shut up!"

---

Flames ignited around the Kidō Taihō and moments later it fired blasts shaped like various animals straight at Kyōgoku the moment Yamamoto ceased his resistance against the fury of the Tree of Requiem. A section of Kyōgoku was seemingly destroyed and throughout the rest of the dimension dark ooze began dripping through the hole as black lightning started flashing throughout the corrupted dimension.

"Is it over?" Sajin asked as he and Retsu helped the exhausted Head Captain to his feet. None of them have ever seen the great Yamamoto in this weary state but that goes to show them the true strength of a god.

"The sky is no longer reflecting the Human World," Retsu said as the bubble above them that had gotten smaller again now showed what was happening within Kyōgoku, and from what little they could see, it was nothing good.

---

"What's happening?" Ichigo asked as they noticed the dark ooze began dripping everywhere.

"The old man fired his cannon. Can't say I blame him," Isshin muttered.

"Me neither but will there be enough time for us to escape?" Ichigo said while keeping Senna close.

"Escaping is not the issue," Getsuhime said, landing near the tree and them. "That weapon of the Gotei 13 is indeed a terrible engine of carnage but Kyōgoku is protected by a more powerful Shakonmaku. The Shinigami can damage this place but it can't be destroyed. All they've accomplished is delay the inevitable as only I can break the barrier."

"Yeah, I noticed the hole in the sky. Will it pose a problem?"

"Not unless they were aiming right at it,"

"Okay, then what's the issue?"

"The tree. I can feel it ravaging this world without end. It's going to try fulfilling its function even if its master is dead and means to carry on another attack, and as we speak it is gathering more Reimyaku from Kyōgoku," Getsuhime said while pointing at Senna.

"She's right. I have to purify the Blanks now before it's too late, cut it off from its power source," Senna said desperately.

"Can't we just destroy it?" Ichigo suggested.

"It's obvious the damn thing is connected to Kyōgoku's core if it can keep siphoning Reimyaku so it would be a waste of time to take the aggressive route," Isshin countered.

"Then there's no choice. I have to go back in there, and try to seize control of the tree to bring back balance to my world and save the Blanks," Senna said determinedly.

"I can help with that," Getsuhime replied, placing her hand on the ground for Senna to climb on. She does so with haste and gets lifted up.

"I'm surprised you're not objecting to go with her," Isshin said, expecting Ichigo to protest about Senna's choice.

"There's no one else I trust like her. She is a part of me after all," Ichigo mused, having complete faith that through Getsuhime he is helping Senna.

"I surely don't need to tell you that this is going to hurt a lot," Getsuhime warned Senna, having a pretty good guess that trying to bring balance to an entire world will not be a gentle death if they failed.

"I endured it the first time inside. How can the second time be worse," Senna said trying to stay optimistic.

"You and Ichigo get along so well it's disgusting," Getsuhime bemused. She first surrounds Senna in a sphere of light using Kōgetsu and next shoves her inside the tree as hard as she can.

"Here goes nothing!" Senna yelled, unleashing her power as the Shinenju. While she was initially used by Ganryū, throughout the anguish of her spiritual essence being torn apart, more and more of her true memories were restored as a result of the memories she kept inside herself being siphoned by the Tree of Requiem.

She is still not quite whole but she has regained enough of her own identity to know how to fulfill her voyage. She will save the Blanks and Kyōgoku, as her father, Reiō molded her to do.

The Blanks feel the presence of their Goddess once again and rush toward their Salvation.

"It'll be unsatisfactory that you are unable to do much if the lost souls overwhelm you, so instead of bodyguards, I'll instead provide you something more beneficial," Getsuhime said as she began to transfer Reiatsu into Senna.

Senna could feel Ichigo's power surging through her, his presence gradually making her stronger than she had ever felt and with his power, a new light was born with her, and with brazen valor, she extended her hands in welcome to all the Blanks to come to her without fear.

---

"It's over," Ulquiorra declared, holding a bloodied and beaten Jūshirō by his haori. Both his Zanpakutōs are broken and the Captain himself is unconscious and will be dead soon.

"Captain…" Rukia muttered in horror that even her beloved Captain was bested by these monsters. She can barely feel the Reiatsu of Ichigo and Isshin but she also no longer hears the horrible screams of the Titan so surely it was defeated, so he and Captain Hitsugaya will make it here to help.

Seconds later a huge part of a wall is smashed open from the other side and a more beaten and surely dead Ikkaku is sent flying, crashing right next to his partner who remains in the hole Yammy left him.

"Ikkaku…" Yumichika managed to whisper before he finally fainted from blood loss due to his severed arm.

"I take back what I said, you're a total bore," Yammy whined, walking out of the small gorge he made.

"Playing with your food again, Yammy," Ulquiorra said with a tone that could be interpreted as an irritation but unless you knew the stern Arrancar as long as Yammy you never would've been able to tell.

"Whatever. This whole mission was a complete waste of time," Yammy scoffed.

"That is entirely dependent on Roka and how much she's extracted," Ulquiorra corrected before he tossed Jūshirō's body away, sending him crashing into a wall next to Rukia. At this point, she is the only one left conscious but she lacks the strength to do anything.

"Surprised that loser doesn't have a hole in his chest," Yammy commented.

"And why is that, Yammy?" Ulquiorra asked.

"What, I thought you liked killing your targets by punching holes in their chest that resemble your hole,"

"I don't recall ever killing someone like that,"

"Mierda, Grimmjow was right. You do zone out when you're in the flow," Yammy chuckled.

"ENOUGH!" Tōshirō yelled, arriving at the scene, and standing between the Arrancars and his fallen comrades, his shock hidden away by rage over their beaten state while the monsters who've done this look no worse for wear. Bored even, like this was so trivial for them, and it was.

"Oh great, now we have to attend kindergarten duty. I killed the last puta who suggested we help with ''education," Yammy sneered, not impressed by the arrival of the second Captain due to his childlike appearance.

"So you and Ichigo Kurosaki finished playing with whatever that thing was, did you," Ulquiorra said, taking Tōshirō's arrival a bit more seriously.

"Yes, and now the two of you will be the next to die," Tōshirō declared.

"Oh, isn't that cute, the little Captain thinks he can play with the big boys," Yammy laughed, his already low opinion of the Shinigami only grew after taking down so many of their so-called elites that he couldn't bring himself to take Tōshirō seriously.

His sadistic grin faded once he started to feel chilly with a large amount of snow falling from the sky.

"When did it get so chilly around here?"

"Does my Tensō Jūrin (Subjugation of the Heavens) frighten you? I'd apologize but I really can't help it. Ever since coming to this place, my Hyōrinmaru has been growing restless with all this advanced Reishi that he can't help but generate so much moister to the atmosphere against my wishes," Tōshirō said now more composed.

And he is being literal, his most basic yet strongest move is the ability to control the weather in his immediate vicinity to produce a cold environment that can make the ice he makes stronger but he would prefer to not use this ability during Bankai because of how unpredictable it has been in the past but this is one of those times when his preferences are cast aside in favor of victory.

"Is this the best you got? You're going to freeze us to death. You're delusional, kid," Yammy declared, about to attack him by raising his right fist but he was stopped when his hand was covered by a flower petal of ice. "What the—"

Ulquiorra also goes through a similar thing with his legs incase in ice flowers.

"I can't move," He admitted with visible shock.

"Hyōten Hyakkasō (Frozen Heaven Hundred Flower Funeral)," Tōshirō tells them the name of this technique. "I'd never hoped I be able to use this ability so efficiently but unfortunately for you two, the rules of this world are in my favor."

"You brat!" Yammy growled, about to break free from the ice but more and more petals kept forming until they were both trapped by them. Ulquiorra also attempted to free them before it was too late.

"Enclose—"

"Don't make this harder for yourselves. Because when the last of the hundred petals fall, your lives will come to an end," Tōshirō glared, leaving the two Arrancars trapped in a frozen tree structure.

The 10th Division Captain takes in a sigh of relief, having exhausted the last of his strength to use that technique with the ice that wraps him with his Bankai shattering and he falls to his knees, panting a lot.

He hates to admit it but Ichigo and Getsuhime did most of the heavy lifting in the fight with the Titan but that does not mean he didn't give it his all to try and slay that horrible beast and it was only because of him drawing Reishi from Kyōgoku that he was able to use Hyōten Hyakkasō successfully. That and the Arrancars chose to underestimate him, not that he blames them since they managed to beat Jūshirō, something that will bring terror to the Gotei 13 when they informed the Soul Society about this.

The horrific tension that remained even after the Arrancars were defeated spontaneously left when he felt along with the dark clouds that have been replaced by a brilliant light. They could feel it, including those that were out cold, the Blanks were all being purified one by one at an alarming rate but it was not a bad sign. The small world feels like it's healing now, free of whatever corruption Ganryū brought upon it, and the Tree of Requiem is also removed, vanishing into golden particles that fade away into the wind.

"They did it," Tōshirō remarked, relieved to know that the Shinenju was safe now.

---

"It's over," Ichigo smiled in victory, watching Getsuhime lower Senna back down and he saw Senna lying on the giantess' hand, likely unconscious from the stress of what she went through twice in a roll.

"Senna…" He said softly seeing her fast asleep from exhaustion.

"You should be able to tell that she's not dead," Getsuhime said.

"I know that. It's just that… I really couldn't…" Ichigo muttered still feeling down even though they'd won.

"Ichigo, she'll live and will pull through. Let that be enough," Getsuhime advised knowing where Ichigo is going with this mentally, not that he'd listen.

"This kid… he refuses to learn," Isshin sighed, also having a pretty good idea of why his son is behaving so down now.

He shifts his thoughts back to Ganryū who lies down defeated and seems to have only now regained consciousness and leaps down to investigate.

"I… I failed…" He spoke above a whisper, the last of his strength gone. What's worse, there are no more Blanks in Kyōgoku, Senna purified them all. This is to be expected, having lived in this world long enough to see this happen so many times, and yet this time it's different because now… he feels truly alone.

Ganryū shifts his head to see Isshin standing on his right, looking down at him but all he sees in his gaze is pity.

"And once again I am denied everything because of a Shiba. How comical," He tried in vain to suppress a weak chuckle. "You too were forsaken by the Seireitei. Once your clan was at the top of the world. The pinnacle of strength and nobility, but because your ideals were in opposition with the rest of the Shisonka, the Kuchiki, Shihōin, Kasumiōji, and Tsunayashiro tossed you to the dirt and made your name a joke."

"Does this rant have a point?" Isshin questioned.

"You still fight to protect them. Those who will always betray you because you will never agree to be their slave," Ganryū sneered at Isshin's ignorance. "Do you not know what the Seireitei is like?"

"Of course I know, I was one of their attack dogs once," Isshin shrugged. "I know I can never trust them again, my acts of heroism don't give me any leeway but that doesn't change my resolve. I will always put my family first above all else but I will not abandon my principles either. If we have to fight the Shinigami again, we will but for now, there are threats too great for my side to worry about things that haven't happened yet."

"Are you referring to Aizen?" Ganryū asked, making Isshin raise an eyebrow. "I am more well-versed in the happenings of Soul Society than you think. We weren't completely isolated here in Kyōgoku, and I know for a fact that you're in way over your heads."

"I won't bother asking how much you know about that guy but you should know what comes next, and you brought this to yourself," Isshin said, offering Ganryū more pity.

"I know but even as I lie here in defeat, my resolve will not waver. Even in death, I remain an enemy of the world. I won't give your people the satisfaction of taking me in," Ganryū said, sparing Isshin one last glance that holds great strength. "If you're going to die anyway, try to go down with some dignity."

Ganryū's body starts to radiate with an alarming amount of heat with his veins glowing brightly red, starting with his chest and later his arms and legs.

"You stubborn bastard!" Isshin uttered, realizing what he is doing.

"Hadō #96. Ittō Kasō (Single Blade Cremation)," Ganryū whispered his final words, releasing a brief shockwave followed by a massive pillar of red fire erupting from the ground in the shape of a katana's tip. Thankfully, Isshin escaped the blast range before it fired.

"What the Hell!" Ichigo gasped at the sudden attack.

"A Suicide bombing. A better outcome than being dragged in chains," Getsuhime said sternly.

"Old fool," Isshin cursed with suppressed bitterness.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked his father.

"Yeah, the attack wasn't meant to harm me, just an escape from imprisonment," Isshin said.

"You could've stopped him from using that Forbidden Kidō," Getsuhime said, having paid better attention to the scene.

"Perhaps. But what would be the point of further punishing a dead man," Isshin commented nonchalantly, revealing nothing of what he felt but Ichigo understood him immediately. Ganryū may have walked an evil path but it was a path he was forced into, inexcusable as it all was, Isshin quickly understood him and tried to put himself in his shoes.

What is a man to become when his family was destroyed so cruelly, especially by those you believed you could trust? Isshin chose to allow Ganryū to go out on his terms instead of turning him into the Shinigami who would only make his life even worse.

Ichigo is not sure if he agrees with death being the better option than serving time for your crimes but he quickly learned that human law and beliefs of right and wrong are beyond meaningless when compared to the ways of Soul Society so perhaps his dad made the most merciful decision and in the end that's all they can offer to those who aren't truly evil.

It should've been over now. Senna was saved, the Blanks were purified, and Ganryū was gone, nothing left but to return home now that Kyōgoku shouldn't be a problem for him anymore.

If only things could be so simple.

At the distance, a surge of malignant reiatsu burst from the ground and erupted into the sky as a black burst that dispersed as black rain that covered a large portion of Kyōgoku.

"Are they still fighting the Arrancars? But I can barely sense the Reiatsu of Rukia and the others," Ichigo muttered.

"Which is pretty telling that they're the losing side," Getsuhime replied callously, alarming Ichigo and Isshin to head over there and help them.

---

"It can't be…" Tōshirō could not believe it. Hyōten Hyakkasō was his strongest ability and yet it failed with the Arrancars now freed, and the one who broke the ice, Ulquiorra has now transformed with his power ten times greater than it was before.

Large, black bat wings form on Ulquiorra's back, his hair grows longer and wilder, and the remains of his Hollow mask center atop his head, with two large horns extending outward to the sides towards the front. The lines on his face become black, broader, and more triangular, and his fingernails lengthen. His Arrancar attire becomes more form-fitting and closed at the top, becoming more like a robe towards the bottom.

"So that's what Murciélago (Great Black-Winged Demon) looks like. I always wanted to see your Resurrección (Returning Blade) in action," Yammy commented while still feeling chilly from being stuck in ice.

"Pity I had to use it but this could not be avoided," Ulquiorra reluctantly admitted. "If I had been a millisecond slower we would've surely been killed by this brat." He glares daggers at Tōshirō who couldn't defend himself anymore. He was completely spent.

"All out of tricks I see,"

"You're gonna pay for freezing us, you stupid brat," Yammy growled, cracking his knuckles, ready to put the youngest Captain through a world of pain worse than he inflicted on the lesser Shinigami.

"RUKIA!" Ichigo yelled as he, Isshin, and Getsuhime arrived at the last battlefield and with the exception of his Zanpakutō, were horrified at the bloodbath they'd stumbled upon, his eyes glued to the injured Rukia. If she wasn't still conscious, Ichigo would be convinced she was dead. Renji and the others certainly do.

"Hey, the big shots finally showed up. Maybe we can finally have some fun," Yammy grinned, glad to finally be able to have a real fight.

"At least have the self-awareness to keep your Hierro at its peak," Ulquiorra warned, certain that Ichigo and Isshin may have the strength to make them bleed if they're not careful.

Their words became mute to Ichigo and his vision turned crimson. His rage had never felt this high that he subconsciously was surprised that he still had the self-control to gently drop Senna on the ground before rushing to attack the Arrancars with murderous intent.

"Ichigo stop!" Isshin warned his son to not rush into certain death.

Ulquiorra flapped his wings to fly and appeared in less than a blink of an eye behind Ichigo with a javelin made of green energy on his right hand to use to strike at the berserk and ignorant Ichigo. However, Ulquiorra did not account for anyone able to stand against him while in his released state as his javelin was blocked by Getsuhime's dragon hand which instantly came between him and her master. Said Dragon's whole body was now behind the winged Arrancar while Ichigo continued his charge for Yammy.

"ALRIGHT! BRING IT!" Yammy dared, charging red energy into his right fist, and thrusting forward at Ichigo who pushed his blade at his prey. At the same time, Getsuhime and Ulquiorra attacked each other, the two clashes of power triggered an explosion that seemed evenly matched between the four combatants but it was the Arrancars who got blown away, overcome by the frightening power of Getsuga.

"That was something," Yammy muttered, having been blown more than a mile away and is now in a hole about his size after crashing into a cliff. Ichigo's attack was painful but he had too much adrenaline to fully feel it and frankly, he was too excited to care and lucky that he still had his arm after that.

Ulquiorra recovered quicker and with Sonído escaped from Getsuhime's grasp momentarily and returned to Yammy's side.

"We're leaving," He said calmly but if Yammy had an incline of insight he might've picked up the alarm his partner truly felt after being subjected to a brief taste of Getsuhime's wrath.

"What…?"

"I no longer have a track of Roka's Reiatsu with my Pesquisa (Investigative Nerves), meaning she's collected all the Reimyaku she could store from this world. Our part in this is over," He said and with a hand gesture, he used the ability Descorrer (Loosed Void) to open a Garganta beside them.

"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" Ichigo roared, running after them, with his sword erupting with so much destructive Reiatsu that made the ground quake with every step he took.

Getsuhime arrives as well but this time to stop Ichigo, grabbing him again with her hand, canceling his attack out, and leaving him momentarily stunt.

"What are you doing?" Ichigo demanded.

"You're not ready to go near that darkness," Getsuhime said, familiar with what lies beyond.

"I'd listen to your Beast, Ichigo Kurosaki," Ulquiorra warned but he took it as more of a taunt, which became that by his next words. "But you are welcome to follow us if you feel capable of challenging the full might of Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo did not respond, still fueled by wrath but Getsuhime's voice and presence restored some of his common sense to know when he may be running into a trap.

"Didn't think so," Ulquiorra said before entering the portal with a reluctant Yammy following, and then the Garganta closed.

"Damn…" Ichigo growled. He and Getsuhime could do nothing but glare at the spot where their adversaries stood, certain that they would meet again.

---

Consciousness was slowly returning to him, he could breathe easily now unlike before. Ulquiorra had impaled one of his lungs and it was only because of his immense Reiatsu that he was still able to cling to life when his very being wished for the sweet release of death. Something he's secretly desired for so long because of his curse but still, he persisted. Willingly. Because there are things more important than his woes and he proudly walked tall for the good of his men and Head Captain Yamamoto.

Unlike all those times when he lay down in a bed because of his illness, which he loathed so much, this time he feels serene and at peace as he can finally lie down and truly relax instead of feeling dread and shame. Something alien to him.

Orange was the first thing he caught when he opened his eyes, his body relieved of all pain from his shameful defeat against the Arrancar.

"Captain, you're awake!" The voice of Rukia overtook his ears and he turned to his right to see her and Orihime beside him, relief flashed all over their faces.

"Rukia. Ms. Inoue? Where… where am I?" Jūshirō asked weary, realizing he was inside Orihime's Sōten Kisshun.

"At the humble Urahara Shop, of course. Where better for the Spiritual to seek shelter from danger," Tessai said as he entered the room they were in to greet the awakened Captain.

"You… you are Tessai Tsukabishi," Jūshirō again could not believe who he was looking at but this time his voice held reverence and relief.

"I am honored that you still remember me and I too am pleased to see you in one peace. It was heart-wrenching to see one such as you in a beaten state," Tessai smiled, glad to see him all better.

"Likewise but what about Kyōgoku and the Shinenju?" He asked.

"Safe and sound. You've been out for nearly twenty-three hours. Ichigo and Isshin brought all of you here to tend your wounds and Kyōgoku has once again vanished into the Garganta," Tessai informed. "Our beloved Goddess is as good as new with her being and identity fully restored but has not returned yet to the Soul Society, wishing to stay in Karakura a while longer. Ichigo is keeping an eye on her as we speak."

"You are the last one to be treated and Orihime is the one who worked the hardest to ensure we would all survive the terrible battle," Rukia added.

"I'm just doing all I can but I wish I could do more for you, Captain. For some reason, I seem to be doing less for you than we can do for everyone else," Orihime said sadly, not accepting Rukia's praise and troubled by how her healing for Jūshirō was so slow. "It's like something is preventing me from rejecting all your pain."

"Do not stress yourself for my sake, young one. This is a problem I've been experiencing all my life. I found peace living this way, otherwise, I might've never been able to become a Shinigami," Jūshirō smiled at her with gratitude. "So we were truly successful in protecting the Shinenju? And Ganryū?"

"Died in the battle with the Kurosakis," Rukia informed what she was told. "He was determined and would not allow himself to be taken in."

"I see. Then the Ryōdoji Clan is truly gone then," Jūshirō closed his eyes, offering a silent prayer to the fallen.

He was aghast by what became of such a beloved noble clan who truly cared for the people of Soul Society. He and the Gotei Captains tried to help him and took his side in the beginning but Ganryū lost control and chose vengeance over justice. The result could not be anything but a tragedy.

One of Soul Society's darkest tales that had lasting consequences on the relationship with the Seireitei and Rukongai. Gin Ichimaru is a spineless traitor but he was right to condemn the Shinigami for not doing enough for the people behind their walls and he can only look back with regret.

"As long as Senna is safe I am content,"

"We all are Captain. The Head Captain wanted us back home immediately but their attempts to keep the use of the Kidō Taihō a secret with Illusion Kidō from the public went wrong and now the Gotei 13 has another PR nightmare on our hands so he decided to spare you the headache by letting us stay here until we recovered," Rukia said with a nervous smile. She can only imagine the amount of stress Byakuya is going through because of Ganryū's actions. He's the coolest and most composed man in Soul Society but even he can't put up with the media.

"Is that so… how thoughtful of him," Jūshirō said with a weak laugh, inwardly grateful for eternity to be away from the Hell that awaits back home. "What Shunsui wouldn't give to be in my place right now."

That got a chuckle from everyone in the room.

---

"Damn you, Jūshirō… why does old man Yama always play favorites with him," Shunsui lamented with bitterness, looking at the mountain of paperwork that was dumped into his office. He is glad that the day was saved and Kyōgoku is no longer a problem but if his foresight was any better he might've run off with Jūshirō and Tōshirō when he had the chance.

"Quit complaining. We can get everything done by tomorrow if we start now," Nanao lectured him, though despite being a dedicated workaholic, the monstrosity before them has her wishing for death as well.

—

Kisuke heard the laughter in Jūshirō's current room, making his smile brighten.

"All is well then ends well, I suppose. Sure, we have those darn Arrancars to worry about in the future but that's no excuse to not celebrate saving the world," Kisuke said while beside his table with Isshin and Tōshirō.

"Wish I could drink with you on that," Isshin sighed, still not feeling well after yesterday's battle.

"I'm more interested in whatever that giant was. I've never seen such a thing," Tōshirō muttered with aggravation, though like Jūshirō he is ecstatic about still being away from the Soul Society.

"Based on what you all told me, you lots encountered something that predates the Age of Chaos," Kisuke said with a frown. He might've had no answers for them if he hadn't contacted Yoruichi who told him what Matsuri and Fujimaru had discovered.

His frown brightens a bit, thinking of his children and how they seem to be three steps ahead of everyone. Why they needed to investigate the Titans, he's not sure yet but he will hopefully find out someday.

"Titans. That's what they're called. I can only imagine the Head Captain's reaction will be when he learns about this. Monsters of a forgotten era when the legendary Yamamoto must've been just a baby," Kisuke said. "Aizen, Arrancars, and now this. The future is a real mess."

"You thinking they're all connected?" Isshin asked.

"As strange as this sounds, I'm hoping that's the case. If we're dealing with multiple enemy factions then we might be forced to divide and search all around the world and dimensions to find all enemies and confront them, never knowing when the other will strike," Kisuke explained.

"But if they're all on the same boat, then we already know where they're hiding so whatever dangerous traps they may have waiting for us, we'll be able to maintain a strong defense on our side with numbers being our only disadvantage," Tōshirō concluded.

"Exactly. It may sound like poor thinking at first but it's our best outcome," Kisuke nodded. "The real question is, were the two Arrancars there to help Ganryū, or were they there for another reason?"

"I think it was a little of both. I don't know how to explain it but from the moment they showed up, more so when the Titan showed up, Kyōgoku felt off. When we first came in the place creeped us out but there was a serenity in the air that hid beneath all the suffering," Isshin started. "The land felt less and less alive as the fight began somehow and not because of Ganryū's stupid tree."

"I'd feared that might be the case," Kisuke frowned again. "While my group and Ichigo's were cleaning up the rampaging Hollows, my equipment picked a disturbance that is similar to Reishi Deficiency Disease."

"Isn't that the term that refers to when a Spirit is rapidly deprived of their Reishi, causing them to contract an illness?" Tōshirō asked.

"Yes, it is a brutal situation that causes the recipient to fall ill from the rapid loss of their Reiryoku, which can either be from using a massive amount all at once or having that Reishi that makes up a Spirit's body drained. In dire cases, the disease can cause death if deprived enough of their Reishi. But in this case, it is of a scale I've never seen before because the amount of Reishi stolen couldn't have come from a person,"

"But maybe from a planet. Both the Titan and the Tree were siphoning Reimyaku from Kyōgoku," Isshin said.

"A horrific thing to do all on its own but I doubt either would siphon so much of Kyōgoku with careless abandonment. Nothing I learned of Ganryū would suggest he'd be so desperate like ruining his new home just to spite the Soul Society,"

"So then it was the Arrancars who were also siphoning the lifeforce of Kyōgoku. But it couldn't have been the two we fought. There must've been another," Tōshirō concluded in a panic.

"That has to be it," Kisuke said now thinking at an alarming rate about what could the Arrancars be planning. "The Head Captain will see this as a declaration of war."

"I'm more concerned about what'll become of the Shinenju and the future of the Blanks if Kyōgoku were to collapse. Ganryū said so himself that the world Reiō created to purify the lost souls was one of a kind," Tōshirō said, fearing the worst.

"I'm afraid that is something for God to decide. Not us," Kisuke said with a now dangerous glare.

---

Far away from the eyes of Humans and Shinigami, there is a world unseen by both and where only the Hollows dwell. A place of eternal night that has never known the beauty and radiance of the sun, only the moonlight. Below the dark sky is a great desert of white sand that goes on endlessly without there ever being any sign of water. Nothing but hopelessness and entropy lies for those who are unfortunate to call this place home.

And yet… despite what the Shinigami, with their endless hubris, might think, there is a sense of life here that none would ever believe would exist. Once upon a time, it's residents would not believe that their lives would turn out like this but for better or worse, they couldn't ask for anything else.

The doors to a great throne room open as with three Arrancars walk towards the center of the room, on the floor in front of the throne. Ulquiorra had returned to his normal state and Roka was beside them once again. The room had many arrancars in it standing on the rock formations that reside on the sides of the throne room.

All of them look humanoid as expected and they all have fragments of their hollow mask somewhere on their face, each unique to the other and they all have a standard theme for their clothing. Uniforms consisting of a white jacket, black sash, white hakama, black tabi, and white zōri that bear an opposing similarity to a Shinigami's zōri; in essence, the uniforms are inverted Shinigami uniforms. Arrancar uniforms display more variation than those worn by Shinigami, however.

"Welcome home. Ulquiorra, Yammy, and dear Roka," Greeted the man standing in the throne room. "Your mission was most successful. I received the Reimyaku you brought for me ahead of schedule. I am most pleased."

"Thank you. Lord Arturo," Ulquiorra said with absolute respect as he, Yammy, and Roka bowed down in respect to the King of the Hollows.

A dangerous man with long, turquoise hair and yellow eyes. The remains of his Hollow mask are on his right cheek on what appears to be the upper jaw and goes around the back of his head and has a sort of crest. His Hollow hole is located below the base of his neck. He wears the basic Arrancar uniform but with a belt worn just underneath his sash.

Arturo Plateado smirked in triumph, glad to see a big part of his master plan had gone so well.

---

Not gonna lie, I kind of forgot about this story for a while. I've been working on a passion project of mine that I blocked almost everything else. Don't even play Brave Souls anymore. It was supposed to take off before the end of the year but shit happened so I'm getting delayed by a lot, which sucks ass. So much for a life-changing gig but my grandpa says patience is the most important virtue so I'm stuck playing the waiting game for now.

Anywho, I think this is the best way for me to kick off the end of the year. 2023 was okay…ish for us all. Not great in any sense of the word but okay. And I guess that's all we can ask for when times are tough. Cross your fingers for 2024, at least I have faith that it will be good for Bleach. Happy New Year Everybody, and let's keep the Anime Spirit going.