Chapter 115: Kurosaki Ichigo Vs Ulquiorra
"It feels... you've changed, Fiander Moros."
Ulquiorra's piercing green eyes studied the figure seated upon the throne with analytical precision. Where once Fiander's presence had radiated the overwhelming spiritual pressure befitting an Arrancar of his caliber, now there was nothing—an absolute void where his reiatsu should have been. His spiritual signature had been completely suppressed, making him appear no different from an ordinary human being wandering the streets of Karakura Town.
Yet the moment one made eye contact with Fiander, a bone-deep chill would penetrate straight through to the soul itself, inspiring a primal terror that defied rational explanation. It was as if staring into an abyss that gazed back with ancient, calculating intelligence.
Fiander carefully lifted the unconscious form of Nelliel from his lap, his movements gentle and protective as he arranged her small body comfortably upon the massive throne. With deliberate care, he removed his white jacket and draped it over her like a blanket, ensuring her modesty and warmth were preserved. The contrast between his tender ministrations and his fearsome reputation created an almost surreal scene.
Rising to his feet with fluid grace, his torso now bare and revealing the intricate network of scars that decorated his pale skin like a map of countless battles, Fiander approached Ulquiorra with measured steps.
"The guests are arriving," he said, his voice carrying that familiar undertone of dark amusement. "Would you care to receive them properly?"
Following Fiander's suggestion, Ulquiorra turned his attention toward the main entrance of the throne room. His enhanced senses immediately detected the approaching spiritual pressure—wild, desperate, and blazing with determination. Moments later, an orange-haired youth burst through the massive doors, his oversized Zanpakutō gripped tightly in both hands as his desperate eyes swept the chamber.
"This location is hardly suitable for combat," Fiander observed with practical concern, his gaze shifting meaningfully toward Nelliel's sleeping form. "Take him elsewhere for your battle. I have no desire to see Nell harmed by the collateral damage of your confrontation."
Ulquiorra's pale eyes followed Fiander's line of sight to the small figure wrapped in the white jacket, then returned to assess the intruder who dared enter their sanctuary. "Dealing with him shouldn't require an excessive amount of time," he replied with characteristic emotionlessness.
Without warning, Ulquiorra moved. His form blurred into an afterimage as he crossed the distance between them in an instant. His pale hand shot forward like a striking serpent, fingers clamping down on Ichigo's face with crushing force. The Cuatro Espada dragged his captive nearly a hundred meters through the air before slamming him bodily into the reinforced wall with bone-jarring impact.
BOOM!
The collision created a crater in the supposedly impregnable surface, with Ichigo's form embedded deep within the stone and debris. Dust and fragments of the wall rained down around the impact site like a miniature avalanche.
"Getsuga Tenshō!" Ichigo's voice roared from within the cloud of pulverized stone.
A brilliant blue crescent of spiritual energy erupted from the dust-shrouded crater, its edge crackling with destructive power as it howled through the air toward Ulquiorra's position. The attack carried all of Ichigo's desperation and fury, compressed into a single devastating slash.
Facing the incoming Getsuga Tenshō, Ulquiorra's expression remained completely impassive. He made no attempt to dodge or deflect the attack, instead allowing his spiritual pressure to surge outward like a tidal wave of crushing force. The raw power of his reiatsu instantly shattered Ichigo's crescent attack, dispersing it into harmless motes of spiritual energy.
The release of Ulquiorra's spiritual pressure sent violent tremors throughout the entirety of Las Noches. The ancient palace groaned under the strain, with chunks of ceiling beginning to rain down from the impossibly high vault above their heads.
"Bakudō Number Ninety-Three: Glass Amaterasu!"
Fiander's fingers snapped with sharp precision, and immediately a massive dome of golden, translucent energy materialized around Nelliel's resting place. The protective barrier shimmered like crystallized sunlight, completely isolating her from the battle's destructive effects.
"Didn't I specifically request that you keep things quiet, Ulquiorra?" Fiander's voice carried a note of mild reproach, though his tone remained conversational.
"My apologies. I will exercise greater restraint," Ulquiorra replied immediately, his voice carrying genuine acknowledgment of the oversight.
Even as the Cuatro Espada finished speaking, Ichigo's voice echoed from above their heads. "Bankai!"
Red and black spiritual energy exploded outward in a torrent of power as Ichigo's form emerged from the rubble. His massive Zanpakutō had transformed into the sleek, black blade of Tensa Zangetsu, and his entire appearance had become more refined and dangerous. With his newly enhanced speed, he descended like a falling star, bringing his blade down toward Ulquiorra's shoulder with crushing force.
CLANG!
The sound of Tensa Zangetsu striking Ulquiorra's Hierro rang out like a bell, the blade meeting skin that had been hardened to surpass steel. The collision sent vibrations up through Ichigo's arms, but left not even the faintest scratch on the Arrancar's pale flesh.
"Is this the extent of your strength?" Ulquiorra inquired with genuine curiosity, his hand moving to casually grasp the blade that pressed futilely against his shoulder.
Before Ichigo could react, Ulquiorra's other hand drove forward like a piston, his knuckles connecting solidly with Ichigo's solar plexus. The impact launched the substitute Shinigami through the air, sending him tumbling end over end for dozens of meters before he managed to regain his footing. Ichigo landed heavily, gasping for breath as pain radiated through his entire torso.
Desperate to turn the tide of battle, Ichigo raised his hands to his face. Spiritual particles began to swirl and coalesce around his features as he drew upon his inner hollow's power. Within moments, a menacing red and black mask materialized over the upper half of his face, its design featuring jagged teeth and glowing yellow eyes.
Ulquiorra observed this transformation with mild interest, though his expression remained characteristically stoic. "How intriguing," he murmured, noting the dramatic shift in Ichigo's spiritual signature.
The Tensa Zangetsu in Ichigo's grip began to flow with crimson and obsidian reiatsu that moved like liquid fire along its surface. The blade itself seemed to pulse with malevolent life, eager to taste battle.
"If you think you can handle it, then try to take this attack, Ulquiorra!" Ichigo's voice had taken on a distorted, dual-toned quality due to the hollow mask's influence.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
But this was no ordinary spiritual slash. Black flames suddenly wreathed the blade's edge, and the resulting crescent that launched toward Ulquiorra carried within it an otherworldly heat that seemed to burn the very air around it.
"Be careful, Ulquiorra!" Fiander's warning came with perfect timing, though his tone suggested he was more entertained than truly concerned.
Ulquiorra, however, maintained his characteristic confidence. With complete calm, he extended one pale hand to catch Ichigo's enhanced attack bare-handed, just as he had done countless times before with lesser opponents.
Seeing that his warning had been ignored, Fiander simply shook his head with dark amusement. "Tsk tsk tsk, why don't you listen? That's... hellfire!"
As Fiander's words faded, the black-flamed crescent struck Ulquiorra's outstretched palm. Initially, the Cuatro Espada felt only a mild burning sensation, nothing his Hierro couldn't handle. But as Ichigo continued to pour his spiritual power into the attack, the temperature skyrocketed exponentially, reaching levels that transcended anything achievable through normal spiritual energy.
SHING!
A flash of cold steel cut through the air as Ulquiorra was forced to draw his Zanpakutō and slice through Ichigo's attack, severing the connection and dispersing the hellish flames before they could cause further damage.
Sizzle...
Looking down at his left palm, Ulquiorra observed with clinical detachment that the flesh had already begun to rot and blacken. Corrosive black flames continued to burn within the wound, eating away at his regenerative abilities like acid.
"This isn't the power of a Shinigami," Ulquiorra stated with newfound interest as he studied Kurosaki Ichigo's masked form.
His green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "How peculiar. I cannot explain why, but when I compare your spiritual signature to mine... I believe you bear a closer resemblance to a Hollow than I do."
"Shut up!" Ichigo snarled, his hollow-enhanced voice carrying an inhuman undertone.
The eyes visible through his mask flashed with crimson light as he raised Tensa Zangetsu above his head with both hands. "I don't care what kind of power this is—as long as it can defeat you, that's all that matters!"
"Grahhhhhh!" A bestial howl erupted from Ichigo's throat as he brought his blade down in a devastating arc.
Another massive black crescent tore through the air toward Ulquiorra, this one even larger and more destructive than the last. The hellfire coating its surface burned so intensely that it left afterimages in the observer's vision.
"I believe you're operating under a fundamental misunderstanding," Ulquiorra said with his typical emotionless delivery.
The Arrancar raised his left hand, the one still bearing the festering wound from the previous attack. "That last strike should have represented the absolute limit of your capabilities. The only reason you managed to injure me was because I chose to test your abilities firsthand."
His pale lips curved into the faintest suggestion of a smile. "The testing phase has now concluded..."
"You truly are nothing but worthless trash."
"Cero Oscuras!"
The words had barely left Ulquiorra's lips when a massive beam of pitch-black spiritual energy erupted from his palm. The Cero was unlike anything Ichigo had ever witnessed—where normal Cero appeared as brilliant flashes of colored light, this attack seemed to devour illumination itself, creating a void in reality that consumed everything in its path.
BOOM—!
The colossal black Cero completely obliterated Ichigo's Getsuga Tenshō, not merely overpowering it but erasing it from existence entirely. The attack continued its inexorable advance, and even the hollow mask protecting Ichigo's face began to crack and crumble, its fragments dissolving into spirit particles that scattered on the wind.
Ichigo barely managed to escape the full brunt of Cero Oscuras, but as he turned to assess Ulquiorra's position, he found only empty air. An afterimage flickered past his peripheral vision, and suddenly the Cuatro Espada materialized directly behind him. Ulquiorra's leg swept upward in a devastating kick that sent Ichigo flying once again, his body ragdolling through the air before crashing heavily to the ground.
"Why do you attempt to flee?" Ulquiorra asked as he began walking slowly toward his downed opponent, each footstep echoing ominously in the vast chamber.
"From whom exactly do you believe you can escape?" His tone carried the weight of absolute certainty, as if Ichigo's defeat was already an established fact.
As he continued his methodical approach, Ulquiorra's voice took on an almost contemplative quality. "I cannot fathom why Master Aizen and the others harbor any expectations for someone of your caliber, but I suppose that mystery will die with you."
"I will end your life here and inform Master Aizen that you were nothing more than trash!"
Without ceremony, Ulquiorra reached down and grabbed Ichigo by the front of his shihakushō, hauling the battered substitute Shinigami to his feet with casual strength. His right hand drew back, fingers extended like a spear point, aimed directly at Ichigo's heart.
SNAP!
Suddenly, Ulquiorra's striking hand was caught in an iron grip. Ichigo's fingers had clamped down on the Arrancar's wrist with such force that even Ulquiorra's enhanced strength couldn't break free.
"What's happening?" Ulquiorra's eyes widened slightly—the first genuine emotion he had displayed during their entire confrontation.
From deep within Ichigo's throat came a voice that was decidedly not his own—deeper, more primal, and carrying an aura of malevolent hunger that made even the air around them feel heavier.
"Trash?" The voice spoke with slow, deliberate menace. "That's one word... I absolutely refuse to accept!"
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