"Kurosaki Ichigo!"
For once, Ulquiorra's voice trembled with emotion.
Now, rather than a Hollow or even an Arrancar, Ulquiorra seemed... almost human.
Perhaps it was due to his time spent with Orihime—he had begun to grasp what it meant to be human, to have a heart, and to be Hollow.
Had Ichigo lost control in his current state, Ulquiorra would no doubt be dead by now.
But after fighting for so long, Ichigo had had enough. His tests were complete, and it was time to return to the Human World.
He knew Aizen was currently in Karakura Town. And though the Gotei 13 and Genryūsai Yamamoto were also fighting there, Ichigo believed it was his home—so he should be the one to protect it.
What he didn't know was that the Kuchiki sisters had already been sent to the Soul Society...
And his old man was currently wondering how to ambush Aizen together with Yoruichi and Kisuke...
Hearing Ulquiorra call his name, Ichigo used Sonído to appear right behind him. He grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and ripped it off with a brutal yank!
Only Ulquiorra's peculiar tolerance for pain kept him silent. Anyone else would've collapsed, screaming something like, "My king's power!!"
Of course, such an attack couldn't truly defeat Ulquiorra. His High-Speed Regeneration restored the arm in seconds.
"Lanza del Relámpago!"
The green spear of spiritual energy finally had its chance to shine!
But Ichigo didn't even look at it—he simply raised a hand and caught the spear tip with his bare hand.
Ulquiorra was stunned.
But what came next shocked him even more.
Ichigo snapped the spear's tip off with one hand!
That's when Ichigo frowned. Against Ulquiorra, weaker attacks were ineffective, but stronger ones like Cero would instantly finish him off.
Then he remembered a technique he'd practiced before...
Swordsmanship.
Now was the perfect time to use something that made him weaker!
"Yachiru's Blossoming Chaos!"
Ichigo's voice rang out, surprising Ulquiorra.
Muramasa danced through the air like blooming cherry blossoms, slashing Ulquiorra over and over.
Each cut was shallow, but each one drained Ulquiorra's energy as he regenerated them.
"Not done yet—Yachiru's Iai Strike!"
Ichigo sheathed Muramasa, then performed a lightning-fast iai slash!
The draw was so swift Ulquiorra couldn't react—though it only left a light wound.
"Yachiru's Ten Thousand Streams Return to the Sea!"
A barrage of black slashes rained down like threads, slicing Ulquiorra from every angle!
Ichigo didn't want to kill Ulquiorra. He understood the importance of balance.
If Ulquiorra died, his soul would go to Hell. And with too many powerful souls in Hell, the prison might fail—and those inside would seek to escape.
Zangetsu had explained this.
Rukia had also once told him that if too many Hollows died in Hueco Mundo, the balance between the realms would collapse—throwing the three worlds into chaos.
So even though it looked like he was torturing Ulquiorra, Ichigo's mind was far more focused than anyone realized.
Finally, thanks to the techniques he learned from Yachiru, Ichigo brought Ulquiorra down.
Seeing Ulquiorra no longer resisting, Ichigo exhaled and deactivated his Minotaur form, returning Muramasa to its sheath.
Orihime came over to check Ulquiorra's condition and let out a sigh of relief.
Ulquiorra lay in the sand, looking at Orihime.
"Are you not afraid of me... woman?"
"Not at all. I'm not afraid of you in the slightest," she answered gently.
"...Is that so?" he muttered.
"I think I finally understand... what the heart truly is," Ulquiorra said, closing his eyes—whether from exhaustion, or something deeper, was unclear.
Meanwhile, in the fake Karakura Town...
Tōshirō Hitsugaya was locked in fierce combat with Harribel!
Although Harribel was a Vasto Lorde, she was unlike any of the others—unlike Starrk and Baraggan.
In fact, she was unique even among all Vasto Lorde.
When most Hollows undergo the Arrancar transformation—either through their own will or via the Hōgyoku—they retain a human-like mask.
But Harribel was different.
The reason she wore a cloak that covered her entire face was because underneath it, her mask remained.
Specifically, the lower half of her face was still covered by a set of fierce, shark-like teeth.
The moment she got serious, Hitsugaya felt the immense pressure!
He didn't hesitate to activate his Bankai.
"Bankai! Daiguren Hyōrinmaru!"
Ice dragons coiled around him once again.
No doubt, Hitsugaya was probably the Shinigami most fond of using Bankai during fights.
Then again, compared to other Captains, he was still quite young—and somewhat weaker.
Even so, with his Bankai active, he was still overwhelmed by Harribel's strike!
Just as his Bankai finished forming, a golden flash from Harribel's blade slammed him down into the ground!
Luckily, Hitsugaya wasn't hurt—he had encased himself in ice for defense, emerging with only some dust on him.
Seeing that he was unscathed, Harribel poured her Reiatsu into her sword.
Then, she unleashed a slash that resembled Getsuga Tenshō!
"Cero Árbol!"
Even though her mask never moved, her voice echoed clearly into Hitsugaya's ears.
He instantly recognized the attack pattern—it was too similar to Ichigo's technique to be taken lightly!
Hitsugaya Shunpo'd away just in time.
But the resulting blast still carved a massive crater in the ground!
His pupils contracted in realization—had that landed, he'd be in serious trouble.
But Harribel didn't think this single strike would end it.
Her attack could be fired repeatedly!
While Hitsugaya dodged the first blast, she kept firing—slashing her sword over and over!
Explosive yellow bolts rained down toward the sky!
Hitsugaya barely dodged with the speed granted by his Bankai, but Harribel had laid a trap!
She used Sonído to appear right in front of him—her massive sword crashing down!
Hitsugaya panicked and raised his Zanpakutō to block—but he was completely outmatched.
He was slammed back to the ground with brute force!
A female Vasto Lorde... overpowering a high-ranking Shinigami!
Harribel glanced at her fallen opponent and remembered her three Fracción—feeling their loss was unjust.
Raising her blade, she decided to end it once and for all—despite already overpowering Hitsugaya's Bankai.
"I'll crush you with overwhelming force—Resurrect, Tiburón!"
A massive tidal wave erupted behind her as her blade released its power!
Hitsugaya's eyes widened in shock!
The crashing waves enveloped Harribel—until she slashed them apart, revealing her transformed form.
Her new look featured a mask made of shark bone, resting around her neck and chest. Her hair had shortened, revealing lightning-like markings on her cheeks. The number "3" on her chest had vanished, and her outfit now resembled a swimsuit-style skirt.
She looked beautiful—but the monstrous sword in her hand was terrifying.
Harribel calmly raised her blade again.
Forming a trident, she hurled it at high speed—and severed Hitsugaya's right arm!
The young captain plummeted like a meteor!
Believing her enemy defeated, Harribel turned to Yamamoto and Tenjirō Kirinji, who were quietly observing.
Tenjirō instinctively stood in front of Yamamoto, but the old man remained unfazed.
Then—suddenly—Hitsugaya reappeared behind her and slashed!
Harribel dodged and looked back—only to see that the one she had struck down earlier... was merely an ice clone.
The fake shattered.
Now annoyed, Harribel surged with Reiatsu once again, pointing her massive shark sword at him.
It fired a flood of high-pressure water at Hitsugaya!
A wild waterspout came crashing in.
But Hitsugaya didn't flinch!
Logically, ice should counter water.
In theory.
"Ryūgyakuji!"
Hitsugaya stabbed his Zanpakutō into the water.
Instantly, the flood froze solid—and the icy wave rebounded toward Harribel!
But such an attack couldn't possibly faze her.
She swung her blade lightly and shattered the ice completely.
"Hyōrinmaru!" Hitsugaya roared, launching a massive ice dragon straight at her!
But this so-called elemental advantage... was all in Hitsugaya's head.
"Cascada!"
Raising her massive sword, Harribel summoned a surge of superheated water vapor.
The incoming ice dragon was melted instantly!
Even though both attacks were "water-type," hers was scalding hot—while his was frozen.
Not only did it nullify Hitsugaya's attack, it gave her control of the water!
Hitsugaya was stunned. He'd never faced an opponent like this!
Harribel, not holding back, activated her ultimate move.
"Ola Azul!"
A massive whirlpool, dozens of meters wide, descended like a waterfall!
The deluge completely engulfed the entire fake Karakura Town!
Good thing it was a fake—if it were the real town, it would've needed to be rebuilt after this.
And within that overwhelming flood...
Hitsugaya was swallowed whole.
(End of Chapter)
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