Ichigo looked at Grimmjow and smiled.
"Sorry, Grimmjow. That was a bit too long of a warm-up. Our fight ends here."
As he spoke, Ichigo yanked Grimmjow toward him and brought down Tensa Zangetsu without mercy.
Shraaak!
Grimmjow was nearly cut in half by the strike!
Yet, he still managed to stay on his feet.
"L-Last... attack...!" Grimmjow gasped as he leapt into the air, putting his hands together at his chest.
"Pantera Claw!"
A blue Cero-based move—
Condensed into claw-like slashes.
Even Ichigo could feel the immense spirit pressure behind it.
"So, your last move, huh..." Ichigo lowered his head slightly.
Although Grimmjow couldn't pose a threat in his current state, Ichigo still felt respect for such a worthy opponent.
"Getsuga... Tenshō!"
Ichigo didn't have flashy moves like the others.
But this one attack—Getsuga Tenshō—
Even someone like Yhwach or Yamamoto Genryūsai would be instantly sent to hell if they got hit directly!
A black crescent wave tore upward toward Grimmjow!
Grimmjow responded with both claws, slashing down his blue energy arcs to collide with the incoming black Getsuga!
"Kurosaki Ichigo!!"
"Grimmjow!!"
Both of them shouted, pouring every last drop of spirit pressure into their attacks!
But ultimately, Grimmjow was just a little weaker.
Ichigo's mighty Getsuga Tenshō shredded through the Pantera Claw and slammed into Grimmjow's chest!
The moment he was engulfed by the black energy, Grimmjow knew—it was over.
To die at the hands of such a powerful opponent...
He could accept that.
He slowly closed his eyes and waited for death.
But... the fatal Getsuga passed right by him!
Even though he wasn't consumed by it, the Pantera Claw had taken too much from him—Grimmjow lost consciousness and plummeted from the sky.
Ichigo quickly caught him by the arm.
This kind of opponent—no, this kind of Hollow—he couldn't just let die like that.
Victorious, Ichigo carried the half-dead Grimmjow back to the high platform where Orihime and Nel were.
When Nel saw Ichigo had won, she burst into tears and crashed into his arms with a super-speed dash.
"Ichigo! Waaaah!"
Ichigo smiled helplessly as he comforted her.
"Alright, alright. See? I'm perfectly fine."
Grimmjow, meanwhile, was totally unconscious now.
Poor guy—from the moment he showed up, he had been beaten into the ground. And now? He had officially become Grimmjow the Carpet.
After bringing both Orihime and Nel to the base of the red pillar, Ichigo checked the positions of the others.
"Alright. Let's go find Rukia and the rest. Then, we'll figure out how to get back to the real world," he said to Orihime.
But just then—
Grimmjow, freshly healed by Orihime, suddenly sat up!
Startling Orihime completely.
"What are you doing?! You're still badly injured!" she shouted.
But Grimmjow ignored her. Even though he had been forced out of Resurrección form due to severe injuries, he still grabbed his zanpakutō and pointed it at Ichigo.
"Kurosaki Ichigo! I'm not dead yet! Come on, let's finish this!"
He charged forward.
But Ichigo casually caught his wrist barehanded, looking annoyed.
"If you want to fight again, heal up first. I'll take you on anytime.
But this time—you lost.
So lie down and take your damn treatment!"
Ichigo flung Grimmjow away.
Grimmjow barely steadied himself with his zanpakutō, about to charge again—
Only to be kicked away by some strange foot-shaped weapon.
"What the hell?!" Ichigo was stunned.
There weren't many Hollows or Shinigami who could sneak past his spiritual sense like that!
And now someone had just appeared right next to him!
The man looked like a damn scarecrow—tall and thin, head wrapped in a white cloth, and wielding a massive crescent-moon-shaped scythe even bigger than himself.
It looked like two crescent moons stitched together.
"Who are you?" Ichigo asked calmly.
Though the guy's stealth was impressive, his spirit pressure was so weak it didn't concern Ichigo at all.
"Who am I?" the newcomer sneered.
"I'm the 50th Espada—Nnoitra!"
With that, he leapt high into the air, clapped his hands together, and swung his crescent blade straight down toward Ichigo's head!
But Ichigo shunpo'd instantly to Grimmjow's side and caught the strike one-handed without any effort.
Then, with a burst of power, he flung Nnoitra away!
"Hey hey hey, Kurosaki Ichigo! Grimmjow's your enemy, right? So why are you protecting him?" Nnoitra asked, confused.
"Why? Because I can't stand bottom-feeders like you who attack when others are down!" Ichigo snapped.
Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were opponents he could fight with honor.
But someone like this? Ichigo wasn't going to be polite.
"Bottom-feeder? You're calling me that?!" Nnoitra's spiritual pressure surged, a pale green hue enveloping him.
But even after his earlier battle, Ichigo wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"Yeah, you're a bottom-feeder. If this were any other time, I wouldn't even bother fighting you," Ichigo said, the disgust on his face obvious.
Enraged, Nnoitra swung his crescent scythe wildly.
But Ichigo dodged all his attacks, humiliating him with ease—provoking him further.
Watching them fight, Nel began trembling.
"I-Ichi...go... Please beat him..." she whimpered, terrified.
But when Nnoitra heard Nel's voice, he stopped.
He turned toward her and stared.
"Nel... Is that you?"
Ichigo was stunned. Clearly, Nnoitra recognized her!
"What do you mean? You know Nel?" Ichigo asked, carrying her on his back.
"Heh... so you don't know her real identity, huh? Then allow me to enlighten you!" Nnoitra smirked wickedly.
"She used to be one of the Espada. Her real name is—Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck!"
He thought revealing her identity would shake Ichigo's trust.
But feeling the trembling Nel on his back only ignited Ichigo's fury.
"I-I'm not an Espada!" Nel cried, clearly with no memory of what he was talking about.
Ichigo gently stroked her head and looked coldly at Nnoitra.
Trying to drive a wedge, Nnoitra continued, "She's using you. She only stuck with you to infiltrate Las Noches and get revenge!"
"She's not lying!" Nel shouted from Ichigo's back.
"I'm with Ichigo because it's fun! I'm not an Espada!"
Ichigo never believed Nnoitra's lies for a second.
If it weren't for Nel and the others, they would've never made it this far in Las Noches.
And Nel—if she ever truly needed help—would've just said it outright.
"Don't worry, Nel. Of course I believe you. If it's you, I know you'd always speak from the heart," Ichigo said gently.
Nel couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
But that exchange only confirmed one thing for Nnoitra—Nel had truly lost her memories!
Seizing the opportunity, he launched an attack at her!
But—he had no chance anymore.
"I said, that's enough!" Ichigo roared as he swept Tensa Zangetsu around.
A massive wave of energy forced Nnoitra back!
"So, you really did lose your memory... I bashed your head in so bad, I guess it makes sense," Nnoitra laughed cruelly.
That was it. Ichigo's fury couldn't be contained anymore.
"You bastard! It was you?!"
Suddenly, behind Ichigo, a demonic, bull-like Hollow mask formed—
His spiritual pressure surged like a monster, blasting Nnoitra through the air!
But Ichigo hadn't completely lost control yet.
Since Nel was injured—
It was time for the King's Seal to come into play.
Golden energy infused with Hollow reiatsu gathered above Nel's head.
As it blended with the fragment of her mask, the cracks began to slowly mend!
"What?! No way!" Nnoitra's face went pale.
Afraid of Nel's full recovery, he rushed Ichigo with his crescent weapon—
But Ichigo just glanced at him—
And in that one glance...
Nnoitra collapsed to his knees!
Just like when Aizen looked at Grimmjow—
The pressure alone was overwhelming.
"You... You really are as powerful as Lord Aizen said..." Nnoitra trembled.
Now he understood—
When Aizen had said, "If you ever meet Kurosaki Ichigo... abandon the mission and run"—he meant it.
Because earlier, even after his fight with Grimmjow, Ichigo hadn't used this kind of overwhelming power.
And at that moment, Ichigo lowered his hand.
The power of the King's Seal was just too overwhelming.
In a few short seconds—
Nel's head injury was completely healed!
And not just that—
Her memories and strength came flooding back too!
BOOM!
A tremendous spiritual pressure exploded from Nel's body—
Even the shockwaves shook all of Las Noches!
Ishida and the others, still in battle, felt it immediately!
Pesshe and Dondochakka recognized it at once.
"It's Lady Nel! She's back!!"
Nnoitra couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"Impossible! I defeated Nelliel! I shattered her mask! How can she be back?!"
Regret consumed him.
If only he had just killed her back then...
None of this would be happening.
But instead, he had chosen the most cruel method—
Shattering her and her subordinates' masks and abandoning them in Hueco Mundo to die.
Now, he was paying the price.
A massive boom echoed.
A woman's silhouette walked out from the smoke—
And her first move shocked everyone—
She used her massive body to smother Ichigo's head—
Physically burying him in her bosom.
"Ichigo! I'm so happy I found you again!!" Nel cried joyfully, clinging tightly to his head.
Ichigo was practically suffocating...
"Nel! I-I'm going to pass out!"
It was terrifying!
Even someone as mighty as Aizen wouldn't stand a chance against this suffocating embrace!
Orihime blushed at the sight—
After all, she was the only one present who could pull off the same effect with her own equipment...
Seeing Ichigo on the verge of blacking out, Nel quickly let go.
Ichigo, finally breathing again, wore the expression of a man who had just escaped death.
Unlike other Arrancar, Nel's Hollow hole was located at her chest.
Aside from the bony forehead fragment, she looked no different from a normal human girl.
(Yes, Hollows can reproduce. Szayelaporro Granz, the twisted 8th Espada scientist, had his Hollow hole in that spot. No wonder he was such a freak...)
(End of Chapter)
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