(With Ichigo)
"GAH!" Ichigo coughed out the blood that filled his throat and lungs while Ulquiorra watched in horror as a clawed hand speared through Ichigo's chest, followed soon by a black skull biting down on the crook of Ichigo's neck. It wasn't long afterward that it seemed like Ichigo's Reiatsu was weakening while the Hollow's grew stronger. Ichigo concentrated a Bala in his right hand while the other grabbed the hand that went through him. He threw himself forward while blasting the Hollow's head, forcing it to let go but also tear off a mouthful of flesh. Ulquiorra, desperate not to lose his king, swung a wing at the Hollow's elbow and severed the limb. As it began flying away, he charged lances of Ceros and blasted the Hollow with them until the explosions became too distant to feel. He turned to find Ichigo on his knees.
"Lord Ichigo!" He called out in worry, dropping to the hybrid's side. Ichigo panted heavily, grabbing the arm still stuck in his body before tearing it out with a roar of pain. Almost immediately, his mask manifested as jaws and he quickly ate the limb, restoring the most grievous injury. The hole in his chest closed, but his shoulder still burned. He tore away the cloak and Shihakusho to reveal decaying flesh. "What's happening?" For the first time in his life, Ulquiorra felt helpless and scared.
"That thing had a needle in its mouth." Ichigo groaned, remembering the sensation of something digging into him as that thing bit him which left a burning pain like his flesh was dying. "Poisoned me with something." He tried to heal, but it only slowed the decay. He was about to cut it off before his instincts screams at him, just in time to get punched across the roof and into one of the towers. Just as he was about to move again, he was stopped by a strong grip on his throat. He finally had a good look at his opponent. It was almost identical to his Hollow form but with a pitch black skull and shorter horns. The Hollow roared in his face, bringing out his tongue which split open to reveal a needle in between rows of jagged barbs.
"That's what Gin meant!" Zangetsu gasped in realization. The Hollow tried to bite Ichigo again, but he held the creature at bay after pulling his arms free.
'Context Zangetsu!' He ordered as he struggled to free himself. 'What are you talking about!' The Hollow was soon pulled off and kicked away by Ulquiorra, giving Ichigo a chance to breath.
"It's very distant in my memory, but I was a proto-Arrancar Ichigo." The spirit explained as quickly as it could. "Made from many Soul Reapers and Hollows, I had the ability to Hollowfy other with a poison bite and transfer my being into others."
'And you became my Zanpakuto as a result. Your point?' Ichigo unsheathed his blades and prepared for the next attack, Ulquiorra creating another spear.
"My name was 'White'." Zangetsu said as Ichigo put the pieces together.
'So he replicated you?' He asked as the now identified 'Black' reappeared with a charged Cero blasting down at them. The pair blocked the attack, but the pressure was pushing them back.
"And this one seems dedicated to killing you. He drank some of your soul and is absorbing your Reishi while the poison he injected you with is causing Soul Suicide. I'm slowing it down as best I can." Zangetsu explained as the oddest sensation went through him.
'I could possibly die here... I don't know if I'm worried, pissed, or excited.' They pair soon pushed aside the Cero as Black got between them. He kicked Ulquiorra in the chest and sent him flying before tackling Ichigo and slamming him to the ground. 'I've been spending too much time around Zaraki.' He realized before grabbing onto Black's horns and snapping the creature's neck and throwing him off. "I did not come here, fight my way through the majority of Aizen's forces, to die to some knock off copy of my Zanpakuto!" He roared as he tried to heal, again failing to stop the necrosis, as Black got back up and snapped its neck back. "I will succeed, get my sisters back, and kill Aizen!" He roared as he launched a Getsuga Tensho, which Black literally inhaled, which gave Ichigo the opportunity to get in front of Black and punch it. "Sokotsu!" He shouted as both fists slammed into the being's gut, blasting a hole in it and then sending it flying.
"Lord Ichigo." Ulquiorra said as he reappeared at his master's side. "Can you-"
"Help my friends, then bring them to me." Ichigo ordered, seeing Black getting back up.
"Are you sure?" The Arrancar asked, not wanting to disobey but also concerned about his master.
"Just go! I got this." Ulquiorra nodded before going to follow his master's orders. "I hope." Ichigo whispered to himself as he flashed before Black and got ready to fight.
(Fighting Yammy)
The two titans struggled against the might of the other. As Chad's avatar locked arms with Yammy's giant form, he took the advantage of having four arms. The shield arms held onto Yammy's while his attacking arms pummeled the Espada's body. Yammy grunted with each blow, never once really fighting something that matched him in size, before opening his mouth and charging a Cero. Chad pushed the Espada away and threw up his shields to try and block the blast, which still pushed him back a few thousand feet and severely burned Chad's arms.
"Gotta admit, you surprised me with that." Yammy complemented with a savage grin. "Got anymore tricks that might help ya? I'd be glad to crush them all." Chad was breathing heavily, exhausted from the fight and the energy he burned using Diablo Gigante. He took a step forward before he coughed up blood and felt his heart stop for a second.
'Come on! Don't give out yet!' He commanded his body, forcing himself to continue. 'I need to win and help the others!' He pushed forward, firing twin Directo blasts and slamming into Yammy's body before charging forward tackling the Arrancar to the ground. "La Muerte!" He roared out as he threw punch after punch on Yammy's head, creating a deepening crater that sent shockwaves throughout Las Noches. As he did that, his nose began to bleed.
(With Uryu and Tatsuki)
"Well, if that's all then I guess we're done here." Uryu said, confirming that the only forces left were already engaged in combat with their team and from what he was sensing, it was only a matter of time before they won. That's when he felt Ichigo get badly injured and Chad's Reiatsu was fluctuating wildly. "Tatsuki!" He cried out to his ally.
"I feel it. Ichigo and Sado are in trouble." Tatsuki calmly replied before turning to the twins. "Stay here and stay safe you two. Next time, your big brother will personally bring you home." She said with a smile before scowling at the door. "Let's do this!" She growled as she began to storm out the door. Neliel got up and turned to her Fraccion.
"Pesche, Dondochaka, I'm going with them. Continue to watch over Yuzu and Karin." She ordered as she followed the pair.
"You sure about this?" Uryu asked, still apprehensive about the Arrancar joining them despite all assurances.
"Aizen lost my loyalty when he stopped protecting Yuzu and Karin." Neliel returned as they started running. "Plus, I'd like to meet this 'Ichigo' everyone's talking about." The entered the main exit hallway to find Orihime burying Loly and Menoly up to their necks in the ground.
"I take it you know?" Uryu asked as she started running with them when they reached her.
"They need our help." Orihime simply stated as her spirits flew around her. "Sado is closer, so let's go to him first!"
"Right," the Quincy agreed, "and all of us together? That Yammy doesn't stand a chance!" He said as they exited the building, just in time to see Chad's avatar collapse on the ground next to them as Yammy rose back to his feet. "Maybe I spoke too soon."
(With Ulquiorra)
The former servant of Aizen found his fellow Arrancar, resting in the crater he made in his fight with Ichigo. He still had some burns and scarring but he still rested on the burning sands. Ulquiorra's presence did not go unnoticed as Grimmjow began to stir. The panther opened an eye to see the bat standing over him.
"I'll be damned." Grimmjow said as he stretched out. "I thought you were loyal to Aizen no matter what."
"I was lying to myself." Ulquiorra told him. "I stayed with what was familiar and safe, not accepting a reality when I really could see it." He looked over to where the giant forms of Chad's avatar and Yammy were struggling. "Ichigo's first order was to help his friends."
"Against Yammy? In that state?" Grimmjow asked as he got to his feet. "He's just gonna get stronger."
"Are you scared?" The bat asked the panther, getting bared fangs in a savage smile.
"Excited." The two nodded at each other before flashing off to fight the Cero Espada.
(With the Sternritters and Privarron)
"That's not good." Bazz-B said as the battling sides turned their attention to the giant Arrancar as it beat down Chad. The Quincy and Privarron growled while Rudbornn laughed.
"They need help." Candice said, extremely irritated now that she was covered in sand and sweat.
"Candi, you and Bazz-B go." Bambietta said as spheres of Reishi appeared around her. "We can handle this." The balls shot into the bodies of the footsoldiers Rudbornn kept creating. "I'll catch up when we're finished here." The bombs she planted exploded and took out half of Rudbornn's army with Cirucci and Gantenbainne killing the rest, but he had another hundred growing already. "Go!" She shouted as the Heat and the Thunder went off to fight Yammy.
(Fighting Yammy)
"You miserable ant!" Yammy yelled as his club tail slammed into Chad's Gigante Diablo, causing him to fall in a heap. "You had size, but those punches were pathetic!" He roared, getting bigger and bigger with his rage, while Chad's avatar dissipated. "Why did I have to get the weak one!?" The next thing that happened was a geyser of flames erupting at the base of his spine.
"Funka!" Tatsuki yelled, revealing herself in the inferno that was burning the Arrancar. As he began to react, a series of flashes appeared and rained arrows down on Yammy. Orihime soon appeared by Chad and they sank into the sand, using Terra to transport him away from the battlefield. "We're bringing you down you colossal dumbass!" Tatsuki yelled as she flashed away from his coming grip. As Yammy began to turn, the sand around him began to melt and he sank into a pit of molten glass.
"Size isn't everything," Bazz-B called out at the edge of the pool, "but it makes you a much easier target!" Next to him, Candice began throwing bolts of lightning while circling around the behemoth Arracar. Yammy was screaming as millions of volts of electricity coursed through his being with every strike, cursing when Neliel threw her lance and it drilled right through his backside. He roared out in frustration as a Cero charged in his mouth, firing a sweeping blast in front of him. When he finished, he saw two former allies directly in front of him.
"Gran Rey Desgarron/Gran Rey Lanza!" Grimmjow and Ulquiorra shouted as the former left ten massive crisscrossing gashes in Yammy's chest while the latter's spear tore out his eye and part of his face.
"You turned traitor!" Yammy roared out after screaming in pain from the attacks. "All of you! I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU!" He was enveloped in red light as his form changed and grew even bigger. The light faded to reveal a gargantuan ape form that was even bulkier than the previous one, had a long tail in place of his multiple legs, multiple curved horns on his head, none of the protrusions, and all of his wounds were healed.
"That ain't fair." Bazz-B stated, looking up at the giant.
"Life rarely is." Ulquiorra responded as the whole group jumped out of the way of his smashing fist.
(Ichigo vs Black)
Far away from Las Noches, Ichigo and Black continued to fight. The necrotic poison that ate away at Ichigo's body left his left arm rotted and dead, forcing him to use Rasotengai to continue fighting, and it kept spreading. Part of his face and most of his left torso was slowly dying, the injuries that Black managed to inflict having slowed down his regeneration while the rapid and constant movements of fighting helped to spread the toxins. His strength was growing weaker and even his vast amount of Reiryoku was draining away since Black was able to absorb Ichigo's Reishi, even when not using any Reishi attack.
'How the hell am I going to kill this thing!?' Ichigo mentally roared as Black blocked a sword strike, only to receive a hard kick to the stomach. The monster creation rose back up and tried to bite onto Ichigo again, only to get a mouthful of Zangetsu's Hollow blade as Ichigo tried to cut off its head. He cursed his reflex as Black still managed to suck away some of his Reishi just from that, but it did give him the window to attack and nearly cut Black in two with his Quincy blade. Not that it did him much good since Black had similar, if not stronger, regenerative abilities. 'Nothing I'm doing is affecting it!' He threw Black away and tried to think of a new strategy. Then he felt his heart stop and coughed up some blood.
"Ichigo, the rot has spread to your heart and lungs!" Zangetsu informed his wielder. Ichigo's heart started again, but the beating was irregular and his vision was slowly fading. 'You have to stop this now!"
'If you have any ideas, I'd love to hear them!' Ichigo returned, struggling to stand while Black circled around him like a patient predator waiting for its prey to die. 'I can't afford to take the few seconds I need to regenerate my body with Black ready to pounce.'
"Then give it what it wants. You know the Kido." Zangetsu vaguely advised.
'What Kido!? It eats Kido and how is that going to...' Ichigo mentally roared before realization struck. He dropped his guard and in an instant, Black bit into his flesh again. "Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro. Bakudo #79, Kuyo Shibari." Ichigo cast, locking Black in place with rods of lights and black holes, as its mouth began to burn and red glowing cracks appeared across the rotting parts of Ichigo's body. "Hado #96, Itto Kaso." A massive shockwave rocked across Hueco Mundo before a giant crimson katana blade appeared and exploded, burning away everything.
(Fighting Yammy)
"Stay still!" Yammy roared as he smashed a fist into the sand, Bazz-B and Tatsuki barely dodging with their speed techniques. After ensuring Chad's stability and running into Rukia and her companion, Orihime returned to offer any assistance she could. Everything they used either barely phased him or just bounced off. The only two really effective weapons were Orihime's Masamune and Uryu's Seele Schneiders, but neither were cutting deep enough to really be effective. The worst news was that Yammy was still growing, getting more and more frustrated at his enemies.
"What does it take to kill this guy!?" Candice roared in frustration, blasting him with as many volts of electricity as she could muster. Yammy's reaction was to swat her like a fly before Neliel carried her away. The fighting paused when a shockwave rocked through Las Noches, breaking the walls and ceiling as the building slowly came apart. Everyone paused to wonder what just happened, everyone except for Uryu who was keeping tabs on his cousin the whole time.
"COVER!" He shouted as he moved as fast as could to bring everyone together, putting Yammy between them and the coming blast. Orihime erected a barrier, with each Quincy lending a hand, seconds before powerful air and fire destroyed the wall and fried Yammy. The barrier nearly broke before the explosion ended, leaving a charred black Yammy and devastated landscape. The group stood in awe of the destruction as the rest of their side appeared.
"What the hell was that!?" Bambietta asked, Cirucci and Gantenbainne flanking her with the afro Arrancar carrying Rudbornne. Dondochakka and Peche showed up shortly after that, with a giant eel-like Arrancar that carried Chad and the twins in his mouth, finally followed by Rukia and Roka. "My power involves explosions and I've never made one that big." Uryu ignored them as he began running toward Ichigo, powering through the burning heat of the still burning landscape. Lost in concern for his cousin, Yammy's massive hand suddenly caught him in a crushing grip.
"That hurt." He groaned as he rose back up. "It still burns. So hot." He slowly tightened his grip. "I wonder if your blood will help me cool down some." That's when his fist began glowing. Soon after that, blades of light shot through his hand and left him fingerless. Uryu was in his Vollstandig again and glaring at Yammy.
"I'm not dealing with you anymore!" The Quincy yelled out, brandishing his wings again and flapped. The actions shot out thousands of Seele Schneider feathers that pierced through Yammy's mask and skull, leaving the Arrancar still as a statue before collapsing to the ground. "Enjoy the lobotomy!" Uryu yelled before flying off to find Ichigo.
(With Ichigo)
Ichigo laid there, in the center of a scorched crater, missing most of his upper left body. The poison reached pretty far; taking a part of the heart, one lung, and some of his ribs, all of which was healing very slowly as a result of Black's feasting on Ichigo's Reiryoku. The only part that was really left untouched was the tattoo of his Hollow mask that Urahara put on him. Black, meanwhile, matched his name as he was charred to a crisp. The bad news was that he was also healing and slowly started to get back up.
"There's only room for one alpha predator here." A voice said as Black's regenerating eyes saw Zangetsu in Hollow form. Black opened his mouth and shot his needle tongue like a dart, which Zangetsu easily caught and stabbed back into one of Black's eyes, eliciting a mind numbing screech. The screech was cut off as Zangetsu grabbed Black by the throat and lifted him into the air, face to face with the Zanpakuto spirit. "And I don't like competition." He said before quickly devouring the beast. It was healing quickly, but Zangetsu was faster and made sure to get the most from his prey. As he swallowed the last of his opposite, Ichigo's regeneration skyrocketed and had regained his energy. Zangetsu returned to Ichigo's inner world just before Uryu found his cousin.
"Ichigo!" He called out, dropping to the hybrid and trying to wake him up with every shake. "Ichigo! Ichigo are you alright!? Ichigo!"
"That... was painful." Ichigo groaned out as he slowly opened his eyes. Zangetsu already informed him of what was going on just before awakening. "What's the news Uryu?" He asked, trying to focus on the mission at hand.
"Yuzu and Karin are safe and we may have defeated the last of our opposition here in Hueco Mundo." He reported, helping his cousin back to his feet. "I'm not sure about the last guy. I shot my feathers into his head so he's either a vegetable or dead. I rushed to find you over making sure he died."
"Feathers?" Ichigo asked, finally noticing Uryu's wings. "Is that the Vollstandig?" He asked, pointing at the white, vibrating, buzzsaw feathers in Uryu's bright wings.
"According to Bazz-B, yes. Yes it is." Uryu replied.
"Huh, neat." Ichigo returned, rising to his feet. "Okay, let's finish things." He said as he grabbed on to Uryu and flashed back to the group. He saw the Sternritters waiting around, unsure of the next action to take, while Tatsuki and Rukia were with Yuzu and Karin, a female Arrancar was tending to an unconscious Chad, while Orihime and his ally Arrancar were by Yammy's unmoving body.
"Ichigo!/Ichi-nii!" The twins cried out as they ran toward their brother. "We knew you'd save us!" Yuzu cried tears of relief that this horrid episode of their life was coming to a close. "Can we go home now?"
"I don't think so." Ichigo answered regretfully, sad to see his sisters like this. "Aizen and the Gotei are likely fighting right now."
"Then go kick his ass." Karin told him, smiling confidently at her brother. "We can wait." Yuzu wiped her eyes to smile at Ichigo before nodding in agreement.
"Not without us." He heard Grimmjow say, making Ichigo turn to see their bloodied mouths and hear Ulquiorra swallow. "I just had a big meal, and I'm ready to work it off." He said with a savage grin.
"I will not abandon my rightful king again. Where you go, I follow." Ulquiorra told him, before both showed their strengthened Reiatsu. Ichigo looked over to Yammy and saw some bits that were cut off.
"Fine." Ichigo responded as he flicked his wrist and opened a massive Garganta. "But bring Yammy. I want to make a point." The two Arrancar grabbed their brain dead former ally and dragged him with them as they ventured back to the world of the Living. "The rest of you, stay here. I'm finishing this."
(Fake Karakura Town: End of the last Chapter)
Ichigo, Ulquiorra, and Grimmjow held Yammy in front of them as they exited the portal between worlds. At once, the three men dropped Yammy and let him crash to the ground. Ichigo surveyed the battlefield until he locked eyes with Aizen, who seemed to be very irritated with the hybrid.
"I broke into your house, took your army, destroyed your castle, and beat your every attempt to kill me." Ichigo stated as fact to the real Aizen among the three before flashing in front of him. "Now I'm going to kill you. Aizen." He almost growled as his eyes turned black and gold.
(Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers)
Rukia finally reappears
'Finally! I can help with the fight again!' She mentally cheered, having felt useless and forgotten for the last couple of chapters. Just then, Uryu shot his attack into Yammy's head and made him fall. '…I was forgotten till the last minute again wasn't I?'
(Author's Rift)
"Was she?" Whackybiscuit asked as he finished looking over the chapter.
"Yep." I answered, feeling a little disappointed in myself.
"I thought you said you liked her." Last Kenpachi scolded me. I just slammed my head against the table.
"Why does she keep slipping my mind!?"