A/N: English is not my first language، so excuse me for any typing mistakes.
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Garl put his sword back into its scabbard and then took a fighting position.
'Does he really think he can face me?' Ulquiorra thought as he prepared to face Garl. Even though Ulquiorra was only able to use twenty percent of his full power, he was still a formidable opponent. After all, he did not become a cuatro espada out of thin air.
Garl moved very quickly towards Ulquiorra who was surprised at how fast Garl was. Ulquiorra blocked the sword using his left arm as a shield, but his arm was easily cut off. Before Garl could continue to attack, Ulquiorra had thrust his Zanpakuto into the ground and quickly pointed with his right hand in front of his opponent's face.
"Bala."
Garl was tossed backwards shattering some trees with his body before falling to the ground.
'Impossible! Not only is it fast, it is also capable of piercing my skin as if it were nothing.' Ulquiorra looked at his amputated arm. Since Ulquiorra came to this world everyone he encountered had been unable to scratch him, it was true that losing most of his power had made his hierro less solid than before, but that was not a sufficient reason.
Ulquiorra used his healing power to regenerate his amputated arm, his arm was regenerated after a few seconds.
"I knew that."
Ulquiorra looked away from his arm and looked at the source of the sound. Garl emerged from the smoke and dust and was in pretty good shape. If an ordinary human was subjected to such an attack, he would die instantly, but it seemed clear that Garl was not an ordinary human.
"Bala, your regeneration ability, your weird energy, your looks and your clothes. At first, I thought you were just a weirdo practicing a new kind of magic, but what I saw now made me sure of something." Garl said as he wiped the blood from his lips.
"What is it?" Ulquiorra asked as he took his Zanpakuto.
"You are not human."
Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow in response to Garl's words. Makarov, Goldmine, Bob, and maybe even Erza, they all felt at first meeting him that he wasn't human, but none of them were sure. Well, except for Garl.
"What makes you think I'm not human?" Ulquiorra said curiously.
"I don't think, I'm sure. Although I've never left my village, I know very well that your attack and regeneration are not magical. I don't know who you are or what you are, but whatever you're planning to do here.." A silver aura appeared around Garl's body and his eyes began to glow with azure light. "You will inevitably fail."
The ground became shaking due to the magical energy exuding from Garl's body, Ulquiorra clenched his fist on his Zanpakuto. Previously, Garl was strong enough to defeat Aaroniero Arruruerie in his released. But now, Garl had a strength equal to that of Szayel Apollo granz in his released.
[Ulquiorra, you shouldn't hold yourself back anymore. Your Cero is getting weaker, your hierro has become less firm, and you may not be able to use the resurrection. If you don't fight this guy seriously, you will definitely die.]
'die?' Ulquiorra thought before a dark green aura appeared around his body and he released all of his reiatsu causing Garl to feel an immense pressure.
'Damn, this guy is really strong. Even though he had lost most of his power, he could still stand in front of me. I must kill him.' Garl thought as he prepared again to attack his enemy.
Garl sprinted back toward Ulquiorra at an impressive speed and delivered several blows trying to target his opponent's vital organs, but Ulquiorra barely managed to deal with Garl's sword. Ulquiorra used a sonido to suddenly appear behind Garl and attack him, but Garl easily managed to block his opponent's sword and then kicked Ulquiorra in the chest causing Ulquiorra to retreat tens of meters back, smashing his body several trees before hitting a large rock and falling to the ground . Ulquiorra could sense that his chest bones had been broken.
Garl sprinted back toward Ulquiorra but Ulquiorra pointed a finger at his opponent.
"Cero."
Garl grabbed his sword with both hands and then raised his sword and cut the cero in half causing everything behind Garl to explode. The area that was once green and full of trees has been turned into a wasteland with charred remains of trees and a large number of potholes. At this moment, Garl could only imagine what would happen to him if such an attack hit him.
Ulquiorra rose from the ground and dusted his clothes, his bones having repaired themselves. Except for Ichigo, no one was able to make Ulquiorra fall to the ground. Ulquiorra was not happy with what was happening.
It seemed obvious that both Garl and Ulquiorra were about to switch up their tactics. Ulquiorra was planning to defeat Garl without killing him in order to get the information, but Garl proved to be too powerful to be overthrown without killing him. While Garl was planning to take Ulquiorra to the village, but Ulquiorra turned out to be a great danger and Garl had to kill him.
"Silver Magic: Spears Arena."
Ulquiorra disappeared using a sonido before silver spears appeared from under where he was standing. Ulquiorra hid and appeared in different places to avoid being hit by those spears. Ulquiorra knew that those spears would not stop appearing before they hit him, he pointed his finger at Garl and fired another Cero, but Garl managed to avoid that attack, but he was surprised by Ulquiorra's appearance behind him.
"Don't you think that your magic will be enough to defeat me." Ulquiorra said.
"Silver Magic: Walls!!" Garl activated his magic before Ulquiorra could cut him in half, and a silver wall of earth appeared between Ulquiorra and Garl.
Ulquiorra was quickly moving around Garl trying to deliver a powerful blow, but all of his blows were blocked by the silver walls. But because of Ulquiorra's multiple attempts to hit Garl, his walls barely managed to repel each blow. Left, right, up and down, no matter how many times and ways he tried to dodge his enemy's blade, he wasn't able to move fast enough to exploit any loopholes.
'Tch. It's very fast! I can barely hold off his blows! I can't just stay on the defensive, I need to change the course of this battle!' Garl thought trying to fend off his enemy's attacks. Indeed, a single mistake on his part would lead to a quick death.
'He is very skilled.' The former Espada kept trying to inflict any of his blows on Garl, but failed. Although Garl was at the level of a Vice Captain, the skill that he was able to use to protect himself from Ulquiorra's blade had impressed him. Ulquiorra did not have much experience in terms of dealing with magical attacks, because he did not face strong enemies, all the magicians he encountered were weak, or as Ulquiorra says, rubbish. And don't forget that Ulquiorra is fighting in a different and unfavorable situation, because if he used his full power, Garl would have turned into a coal in just ten seconds.
"This will end now." Ulquiorra said.
[are you serious? It's not like I care, but isn't what you're going to do overkill?]
"I'm done playing with you. I've wasted enough of my time. So I'm going to obliterate you, trash." Ulquiorra said softly with a fatal flash in his eyes. After making several failed attempts, he decided it was time to win this battle.
Ulquiorra cut his finger with a Zanpakuto and then pointed his finger at Garl and said the three ominous words.
"Gran Ray Cero"
Garl felt as if his soul was being ripped out of his body like a molar is being pulled out of the mouth. He created one silver barrier after another in hopes of blocking the attack, but all those barriers did was slow down the attack.
Garl quickly turned away from gran ray Cero.
*booom!!!!!!*
Although Ulquiorra's attack is not as powerful as the one he used to overthrow Lullaby, it is still devastating.
"You're still alive? Unexpected." Ulquiorra said while looking at Garl.
"This is not over yet." Garl said standing up and getting ready to fight again. "If you want to know what I can really offer, so be it." However, despite what he had just said, Garl knew that his words were no better than an empty threat.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
«On the other side of the forest, inside the palace»
An unidentified person was following the course of the battle by looking at the crystal ball. This person was none other than a lich.
"interesting." Lich said as he looked at Ulquiorra. "I don't know what kind of creature you are. But whoever you are, your strange power will help reduce the time I will be trapped here." The lich turned his gaze to the huge cocoon that was glowing a dark purple. "I have to get it no matter what." Lich said as he fixed his eyes on Ulquiorra.
Then he disappeared.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
«Ulquiorra vs. Garl»
*boooooom!!!!!*
*Bam!!*
*booooooom!!!*
The sound of metal ringing could be heard between the sounds of the explosions. The forest is in great ruins.
Ulquiorra's clothes were tattered and frayed, but he was fine thanks to his unique ability to regenerate. While the condition of Garl was worse, as he was suffering from many wounds and minor burns.
The tide of the battle seemed to be going in Ulquiorra's favour.
"Give up. You have no chance against me." Ulquiorra said as he pointed his Zanpakuto at Garl.
"Never!!!." Garl let out a fighting cry and then rushed to attack his enemy again.
The swords collided with each other causing the ground to shake.
"Silver Magic: Spear Rain!!"
Ulquiorra leapt away before a silver spear shot out from under the ground. Ulquiorra felt it wasn't over yet, so he used the sonido to shift his position more than once until the spears stopped appearing.
"You have to do something else. This method won't work for me." Ulquiorra said as he looked at Garl coldly.
"This is just the beginning." Garl said with a mysterious smile on his face. "Look over you."
"What?" Ulquiorra looked up to see that the spears that came out of the ground had started to descend from the sky very quickly.
Ulquiorra cut his finger and then pointed at the sky. "Gran Ray Cero." The green energy ball headed towards the silver spears, the result of the collision was that Ulquiorra's attack had swallowed up the spears as if they weren't even there, after several seconds the energy ball exploded, temporarily changing the color of the sky to a dark green. "Is that all?" Ulquiorra said while looking at Garl. Ulquiorra pointed a finger at Garl.
"Cero."
At the same time, Garl pulled his cross from his belt and pointed it toward Ulquiorra.
"Holy Flash!!!" Garl shouted before a silvery light shot out from the cross toward Ulquiorra.
The two attacks collided with each other. Unexpectedly, the Holy flash gradually began to overwhelm Cero, but Ulquiorra quickly made up for the situation and increased his attack power. Due to the pressure caused by the two attacks colliding, something expected happened...
*Bammm!!!*
A powerful explosion had caused both Garl and Ulquiorra to be pushed several meters back. This blast was more powerful than the Cero.
Ulquiorra got up from the ground and dusted his clothes. Unlike Ulquiorra, Garl lay on the ground groaning in pain.
Ulquiorra's victory is certain.
"It's over, you lost." Ulquiorra said as he walked quietly towards Garl.
"Our battle is not over yet." Garl seemed to be making a great effort to get back on his feet.
"You are too weak to fight. In fact, you can barely stand on your feet, so how will you be able to stand up to me?" It was as if ulquiorra was mocking his opponent's efforts.
"shut up!!!!" Garl shouted angrily. "Stop gossiping and fight me!" As soon as Garl finished speaking, Ulquiorra suddenly appeared in front of him. Garl created a silver barrier to block Ulquiorra's attack, but he sensed that someone was behind him, so he quickly turned around to create another silver barrier, but it was too late. Ulquiorra kicked his opponent on the right side of the face causing Garl to be sent backwards, shattering a lot of trees.
"Give up, there is no point in continuing to fight. Even if you rise from the ground a million times, I will bring you down a million times. There is no victory for you." Ulquiorra said.
"tch…" Garl didn't care what Ulquiorra said. After getting up with great difficulty, he took up his sword and shot towards Ulquiorra, but Ulquiorra fired another Bala.
"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!!!"
"Didn't you hear me?" Ulquiorra said, impatiently running out. "No matter how many times you try, you will still lose. Even though I am not at my full strength, I am still stronger than you."
"I don't care." Garl smiled. His silver hair had turned red, his clothes tattered and soiled. He didn't expect things to get this far, he didn't expect to face such a strong opponent. But he does not regret it at all.
'Why is he still fighting even though he knows he can't defeat me? Why? Does this have anything to do with the heart?' Ulquiorra thought at the same time, avoiding Garl's attacks.
Ulquiorra didn't understand why Garl kept fighting, he was sure that Garl knew he couldn't win. But this scene reminded him of his fight against Kurosaki Ichigo and how he was fighting hard against the odds with nothing but one weapon and willpower that knows no impossible. But Ulquiorra doubted that Garl would show the same determination Ichigo showed when he faced Ulquiorra in the first and second releases. After all, (and for the time being) Ulquiorra and Garl were pretty close in terms of combat power, this fact would give Garl some hope of winning.
Garl and Ulquiorra stopped fighting when they saw hundreds of skinless monsters approaching them.
*boom!*
Both Garl and Ulquiorra turned toward the source of the explosion, it was as if something heavy had fallen from the sky. For some reason the blade of the Zanpakuto was shining with a green-colored light.
Both Garl and Ulquiorra felt like they were about to vomit, the smell of the place was beyond words. For a moment, Ulquiorra wanted to cut off his nose and throw it into the fire, Ulquiorra didn't know what caused the smell, but he knew it had something to do with the explosion. But Ulquiorra has discovered a new emotion, disgust.
"Lich…" Garl said before the dust settled to reveal a being Ulquiorra had never seen before.
This demonic being had red-black wings, glowing yellow eyes, a long black tail, two horns and a chin that was as long as his horns.
"What do we have here? My archenemy..." Lich said as he looked at Garl. "..and a creature I've never seen in my entire life. You smell not like humans at all, in fact, your smell is unlike anything I've met in my entire life." Lich laughed as he looked at Ulquiorra.
"I don't have time to waste with you, who are you?" Ulquiorra asked.
'Hey! Does that mean they aren't allied!?' Garl thought. From the start, Garl had thought that Ulquiorra was cooperating with Lich but it was clear from Ulquiorra's question that Lich had nothing to do with Ulquiorra.
"Hehehehehe, you don't have to be so aggressive." Lich laughed a little.
"You're the one controlling those monsters, am I wrong?" Ulquiorra said.
"Oooh~, how did you know that?" Lich seemed amused.
"The energy inside those monsters is similar to the energy you have, and they smell a bit like yours." Lich laughed when he heard Ulquiorra's comment, Ulquiorra continued. "I thought you sent this mortal to me after you had enough of sending me your weak beasts. But it seems I was wrong."
"Hehehehehehehehehe, interesting. You seem like a smart and strong individual. If we cooperate together we can get out of this damned place and then I will introduce you to my overlord. Trust me, my lord will welcome someone as strong as you and put you in a high position. Because only the strong are worthy Stand next to the Great Master. Accept this deal and you will never regret it. There are many, many people who would do anything to be where you are now." Lich said as he extended his hand toward Ulquiorra.
"Why should I trust you?"
"No need to worry about this, my lord wants nothing more than to see all humans go to hell. But since you are not a human, I assure you that my master will not catch you any ill. But remember well, as long as you do not make mistakes, my lord will He will not punish you." Lich said.
Ulquiorra knew when a person was lying or telling the truth, Lich was telling the truth. (whether this person is a human or even a demon)
"Stranger, please don't listen to him." Garl said, looking at Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra did not listen to what Garl said and calmly walked towards Lich.
"You idiot!! You don't know what you're getting into!" Garl shouted at Ulquiorra. Although they had been fighting each other for a while, it seemed as if Garl was trying to save Ulquiorra.
Ulquiorra stopped in front of the Lich, the stench was unbearable. If a normal person smelled that scent, he would immediately faint.
"As expected of a smart person like you." Lich smiled as he looked at Ulquiorra, barely managing to control his excitement. After all, he hadn't gotten a strong ally in a long time.
"I refuse."
"WHAT!?!?" Lich shouted angrily while Garl sighed in relief.
Ulquiorra didn't care about being subservient to anyone, especially to someone like Aizen. In fact, the only reason he accepted becoming a Arselay was because he didn't want to get useless problems and also because he needed to get money in order to meet his personal needs.
Ulquiorra felt a thick magical power flowing from the Lich's body, the Lich obviously seemed very angry. Ulquiorra and Garl unleashed their power.
"I'm grateful to you stranger. Take care of the Lich while I take care of the monsters." Garl said before setting off to face the skinless monsters.
[I don't understand this human's actions. A little while ago, he wanted to kill you and now he wants to help you. it does not make sense!!!]
"YOU IDIOT!!" The Lich shouted as a black magic circle appeared in front of his open mouth. "Satanic magic: Havoc." A dark purple beam shot out from the magic circle.
Ulquiorra jumped away from the purple beam, that beam caused everything he touched to turn to ash, even the ground became softer than quicksand.
"Very slow. This human was faster than you." Ulquiorra said, it seemed obvious to him that Garl was a little stronger than Lich. Ulquiorra pointed his finger at Lich. "Cero."
"GEEAAAAAH!!!!!" Lich cried out after being overwhelmed by the green light.
*boom!!*
Twenty seconds later, the smoke dissipated and a Lich appeared. His body was stained with violet blood, his left arm was missing, his wings were full of holes.
"*cough* *cough* I'll kill you." The Lich's voice became really frightening, he was looking at Ulquiorra with pure hatred. He hadn't imagined that Cero would be this strong. but that is not all.
"What is this that you just used!? I have lived for many years and know all kinds of magic, this attack wasn't magic at all!!" Lich shouted angrily.
Lich swallowed a skinless monster like an anaconda swallows its prey. Ulquiorra did not expect Lich to act like this. But it did not end there.
The Lich's wounds were all gone, his wings and arm were completely repaired, and his strength was even more powerful than before. Lich's ability was somewhat similar to that of Szayel and Aaroniero. All three were sacrificing his familiars.
"YOU DARE CONFRONT ME!?!? YOU ARE JUST ANOTHER IDIOT!!!" Lich shouted angrily. A purple aura appeared around the Lich's arms.
Ulquiorra remained silent. Although he hated to admit it, his fight against Garl had exhausted him and drained a lot of spiritual energy from him, if the fight lasted longer then Ulquiorra would definitely lose this battle.
'I have to finish this as soon as possible.' Ulquiorra thought as he planned how to end this battle.
Lich and Ulquiorra directed several attacks towards each other. Ulquiorra only sustained a slight wound which disappeared due to his ability to regenerate. As for the Lich, he had the upper hand, because every time he took damage, he would swallow up a skinless monster. To make matters worse, the Lich's power increased every time he swallowed a monster. Although Garl does his best to take out these monsters, the number of these monsters is almost uncountable.
[Ulquiorra, you have to eliminate those monsters, or this battle will only end with your loss!]
"You don't have to tell me this." Ulquiorra muttered before slashing his finger again and pointing his finger at the stripped monsters. "Gran Ray Cero."
*booooooom!!!*
"Your defense is open!" Lich said as he was about to hit his enemy. But Ulquiorra had already cut his finger and then pointed at Lich. With all his remaining spiritual energy, he carried out his last attack.
"Gran Ray Cero!"
*boooooom!!!*
Ulquiorra stared at the scene of the explosion. It was a direct hit. There was no way Lich could escape that attack.
Ulquiorra breathed tiredly, after all, firing four gran ray Cero in one day is no small feat.
"Havoc!!!!!"
"What!?" Ulquiorra said.
A purple beam of light came out of the smoke and hit Ulquiorra. Ulquiorra fell to the ground and his body slowly withered and rotted, this technique was more like the Rispera. But Havok appears to be more painful than Respira. Ulquiorra had not expected such an attack, in fact, the Lich had an attack powerful enough to make the Septima Espada in critical condition.
A lich emerged from the smoke and the magic circle in front of his mouth had disappeared. There are no more wings and arms. Obviously, he tried to protect himself. And he succeeded to some extent.
"You are a really powerful bastard. If I hadn't absorbed the power of my servants a while ago, I would be dead by now." Lich smiled as he looked at Ulquiorra. As much as he hated to admit it, his survival was just a matter of luck. If the Lich had been a little weaker, he would have just become a burning lump of coal.
Ulquiorra tried to break free from the influence of the Lich's magic by attempting to push the magic using spiritual pressure, while at the same time healing his body, which had become extremely fragile.
And he seems to have succeeded. Somewhat.
"Oh~, you really are such a hard person to kill."
He succeeded in getting rid of the effect of magic and then got back on his feet, but this cost him a very heavy price. Ulquiorra is no longer able to use Cero, Bala, or Sonido, his power has become equal to that of a normal human, or maybe even less. All in all, Ulquiorra could no longer defend himself. All Lich had to do was recharge his attack once more and Ulquiorra would surely die.
"It's a pity that I don't know your name. Farewell.." Leach opened and began to charge his attack again.
Ulquiorra could barely hear his enemy as he started losing consciousness. Ulquiorra couldn't believe that this actually happened, he couldn't believe he was in an awkward situation because of a weak creature, he couldn't believe how pathetic he had become..
[Hehehehehe, look at yourself.]
"Shut up, I'm not in the mood to deal with you...." Ulquiorra didn't care whether the Lich heard him or not.
"Who are you talking to?" Lich said in amazement.
[No wonder other Hollows wanted to eat you. No wonder Grimmjow did not stop bothering you. I don't think I've ever seen you get hit so hard or so fast before. Not even against Kurofucky's Hollowfield form... although that was pathetic in itself.]
Ulquiorra decided it was time to resolve this battle.
"Congratulations."
"Why are you congratulating me?" Lich asked in astonishment before swallowing one of the monsters. 'I don't understand, although he is in a weak state he is still behaving arrogantly. unless..'
"You survived after receiving a blow from Cero and Gran Ray Cero. But you only saw a small glimpse of my true power."
"What!?" The Lich knew that the seal surrounding this forest was holding back Ulquiorra's power, but the Lich felt that Ulquiorra was hiding something else.
"Enclose... Murciélago."
A green aura surrounded Ulquiorra's body and then everything started to turn upside down…
«Garl vs Skinless Monsters»
While Garl was busy killing the skinless monsters, Garl fell to the ground feeling an enormous pressure that fell on the entire area. The monsters were screaming in pain because that pressure had caused their internal organs to be crushed and all of their bones broken, the only reason Garl was still alive was because he was strong enough to withstand this pressure. But it seems he can't stand it.
"What the hell is going on...?" Garl looked up to see that the sky had turned completely black, like a night sky without stars or moon.
Then suddenly it gets dark. With wide eyes, Garl watched glowing green drops fall from the dark sky. When they touched his skin, he couldn't help but feel a shiver sweeping through his spine. It didn't feel wet like regular rain. He was certain that this rain wasn't water or anything he had seen before. But he realized what this rain was.
"Liquid pure energy…." Garl muttered as he looked at the sky in astonishment.
«Ulquiorra vs. Lich»
The Lich was lying on the ground due to the pressure produced by Ulquiorra's power. But unlike Garl, the Lich's bones were shattering one by one, but the Lich was smiling and laughing like a madman.
"I can't believe you were hiding so much power!!!" Lich continued to laugh as he looked up at the sky, or rather, he was looking at the magic barrier.
Many cracks appeared on the magic barrier due to the crushing pressure.
This is why Lich is so happy.
«with garl»
Suddenly, Garl heard a sound like the sound of glass breaking. Garl couldn't believe what was happening, the barrier that had existed for a hundred years was beginning to disintegrate!!
'That's impossible... Even a magic barrier is unable to contain this power. How strong is that stranger?'
Suddenly the sky returned to normal and Garl could no longer feel the pressure. Garl quickly got off the ground and then ran towards Ulquiorra and Lich's place.
«With Ulquiorra and Lich»
Ulquiorra fell to the ground unconscious, the barrier seemed to have made the Resurrección beyond the limits of Ulquiorra's abilities. And when Ulquiorra tried to use his first release, the result was that his bones were shattered. After all, the magical barrier had made Ulquiorra's body unable to withstand all that enormous power.
The Lich got up from the ground with great difficulty and then looked at the magical barrier that had become like a pane of glass about to shatter.
"Thank you, stranger. You saved me the trouble of destroying this disgusting barrier." Lich walked towards Ulquiorra with great difficulty. After all, there were no longer any monsters that he could swallow in order to repair his own body. "This is your end!!!!"
"Holy Flash!!"
"Gaaaaaah!!!" Lich was forcefully pushed back by that attack, enabling Garl to drag Ulquiorra's body to safety.
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Cero!!"
The white hollow fell to the ground due to the explosion caused by a pink Cero. White Hollow was dressed in white, had long black hair reaching to the middle of his back, his skin as white as marble, his eyes as green as emeralds with a vertical green streak under each eye.
"You lost again, Number 76." Zoe said as she extended her hand towards the white hollow.
The White Hollow grabbed the fourth Espada's hand and then got up from the ground.
"Our training for today is over. Let's go, I'm sure Starrk-san is eagerly waiting for us." Zoe said.
White Hollow nodded his head before he went with her to the dining hall.
After the White Hollow joined Aizen's army, Aizen gave him the No. 76, but despite his low rank, most of Las Noches felt his true power that he could overthrow the Octava espada. In fact, Aizen had given the White Hollow a low rank as an incentive in order to make the White Hollow live up to its full limits.
Of course all the Espadas would have liked to have that White Hollow to be one of their fracción, even Barragán didn't want to miss this opportunity. But since Zoe was the one who found the White Hollow, she had a right to get it.
"Wake up, Baka!!" Zoe and Hollow White both heard the sound of Lilinette Gingerback screaming as she hit Coyote Starrk, Stark was asleep as usual. Zoe couldn't help but laugh as the white hollow kept looking at this strange duo. In fact, he had repeatedly wondered how a lazy person like Starrk could become the strongest espada in Las Noches.
*punch*
"get up!"
*slap*
"get up!"
*kick*
"Okay okay, I'm awake." Starrk shouted as he yawned.
*punch* *slap* *kick*
"What was that!?!?
"It's because you took so long!!" Lilinette said.
"Whatever… Oh! Hi Zoe-chan, hi…." Starrk was hesitant, he didn't know the name of the White Hollow but refused to call him 'Number 76'. In fact, one of the reasons Stark and the White Hollow became friends is because they knew the true meaning of solitude, so they understood each other so well and that's what made them agree at times.
"Seriously, you should get a name." Lilinette said.
"I don't see a compelling reason to do that." White Hollow said softly.
"I agree with Lilinette. You need to get a name." Zoe said.
"As you wish, it's not as if I can stop you." White Hollow said. The three smiled when they heard the White Hollow's answer.
"Wow!! I have tons of cool names!" Lilinette shouted loudly.
"We don't want a silly name." Starrk said.
"You're right. We should give you a proper name." Zoe said.
"emo boy?" Lilinette said.
"No!"
"Batman?"
"Are you kidding?"
"The marble statue?"
"That's not a name!"
"Hot boy?"
"WHAT?!?!" Starrk and Zoe shouted at the same time. Although Starrk looked annoyed, he found it funny, while Zoe was trying to hide the redness of her cheeks. Starrk and Lilinette seem to have noticed Zoe's reaction.
"Sexy boy~~?" Even though Lilinette looked like a ten-year-old girl, she had a demonic mind, Lilinette said as she slyly looked at Zoe.
The White Hollow didn't understand what Lilinette meant, but it seemed like Starrk and Zoe understood very well what Lilinette meant.
"That's enough! I'll give him a proper name." Zoe said in annoyance before looking at the white hollow. "Your name will be Ulquiorra Schiffer."
"Ulquiorra? The man who cries? Why?" Starrk asked, starting to get curious.
(Author's note: Ulquiorra is derived from "El Que Llora" which means "the man who cries.")
"The lines under your eyes make you look like someone who's always crying or just wants to cry." Zoe said as she looked at Ulquiorra.
Starrk frowned and looked at the table, Starrk knew what Ulquiorra looked like when Zoe brought him up.
"And what does the word "Schiffer" mean?" Starrk asked.
"I would have chosen 'cifer', but that nickname didn't seem appropriate." Zoe replied.
"Ulquiorra cipher, that doesn't sound bad." Lillinette said.
"No. It's not Ulquiorra cipher, it's Ulquiorra Schiffer." Zoe said before looking at the white hollow. "What do you think?"
"Ulquiorra Schiffer.. it's okay. Thank you, Zoe-sama." Ulquiorra said with a small smile on his lips. The way he smiled, the way he looked, and the smoothness of his voice made Zoe very confused.
"Y-you are welcome." Zoe said awkwardly, like an elementary school girl.
With the exception of Starrk, Lilinette, and Ulquiorra, no one saw this side of Zoe. And not even Aizen. To everyone, Zoe is a tough and dangerous person, but when she's alone with Ulquiorra, Starrk,and Lilinette, she's an easy person to get along with.
"Neeeeeh Starrk~~, do you know a place in Las Noches suitable for a big wedding~~? I'd like to be a bridesmaid." Lilinette said mischievously.
"Lilinette!!!" Zoe screamed and her face turned scarlet. Fortunately for her, Ulquiorra didn't understand what Lilinette was talking about, after all, Ulquiorra's experience of romantic relationships was no different from that of a baby who had just learned to walk.
"I don't think there is such a place… but I am sure Lord Aizen will make some exceptions." Starrk smiled as he turned his gaze toward Ulquiorra. "I will be your best friend."
"You too?!?!" Zoe cried angrily before leaving the hall.
"Nice to Meet You, Starrk-san, Lilinette-chan." Ulquiorra bowed in front of Stark and Lilinette, and before he left Lilinette grabbed his hand. "What is the matter?"
"Tell Zoe she has to hurry before another woman steals it from her." Lilinette could barely suppress her laughter.
"Okay." Ulquiorra didn't realize that what he was going to say to Zoe would cause Zoe to turn into a raging monster...
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Ulquiorra quickly opened his eyes and grabbed the neck of the first person who fell into his sights and then lifted him into the air.
"S-stop!" A female voice said.
"who are you?" Ulquiorra said in a very cold tone of voice. He looked closely at the person holding him, it was a girl dressed like nuns.
"C-Cleaire! Sister Cleaire!"
He loosened his grip on the girl's neck to allow her to breathe. "where am I?"
"At the church! You're safe now." Claire said
'security?' Ulquiorra thought before he released the girl.
While Cleaire was gasping for breath, Ulquiorra looked around intently until he saw his Zanpakuto close to him. 'a stranger? Why did they leave my sword near me?' Ulquiorra thought before hearing the sound of the door opening, four people entered the room, Garl was among those four. He pointed his finger at Garl.
"Wow, wow! Calm down!" Garl said confused.
"Tell me what can stop me from killing you now."
"Because we are no longer enemies!!" Garl shouted angrily.
"Do you think I'm a fool or a naive? A while ago, the two of us were about to kill the other." A green light began to appear on the tip of Ulquiorra's finger.
"I saved your life! We didn't take your weapon! How can I prove to you that we're not enemies?!?!" Ulquiorra felt some sincerity in his former opponent's words, but that wasn't enough.
Ulquiorra quickly drew out his sword and brought the blade edge close to Garl's neck. Garl's companions prepared to attack Ulquiorra, but they quickly stopped when they saw Garl pointing at them.
"No one interferes." Garl said as he stared at Ulquiorra.
"But..." said one of Garl's companions.
"I said, no one interferes!" Garl confirmed.
"This thing wants to kill you!" Cleaire cried. She seemed to know that Ulquiorra was not human at all.
"If he really wanted to kill me... I would already be dead." Garl said without taking his eyes off Ulquiorra. "And don't worry, he's not a demonic entity and the proof of my words is that he didn't die when we brought him into the church."
Ulquiorra didn't understand what Garl was talking about, and didn't even want to. He wanted answers, and he's going to get them!
"You better tell me the truth or you will become a mutilated corpse." Ulquiorra was ready to kill Garl and everyone else with him. "And don't you even think that you can lie to me."
Just as Ichigo could read his enemies' minds by fighting them with swords, Ulquiorra could read his enemies' thoughts by looking into their eyes or through body language. Garl sighed and then asked his companions to leave the room. Ulquiorra put his sword back into its scabbard and then sat on the bed while Garl sat on a wooden chair.
"what do you want to know?" Garl said.
"Everything. Why are you so cut off from the world? Why do you put a barrier around the village? Why am I so weak? What are those strange monsters? Who is the Lich?"
"Okay. But first, I'm so sorry for the misunderstanding between us. The fact that you're not human made me think you were on Lich's side." Garl looked rather embarrassed, but soon a serious expression appeared on his face. "Secondly, you are a visitor in this village. Wouldn't it be fair to know what makes a non-human being like you come here?"
"I am the representative of the legal unions, Ulquiorra Schiffer. I came here at the request of the mayor of Shirotsume town." Ulquiorra said, he didn't find a reason to lie so he told the truth.
"Your name is similar to human names… Wait a minute! Shirotsume!? A town!? Are you saying Shirotsume Village has become a town?!" Garl made no effort to hide his astonishment. This village has been cut off from the world for a hundred years, so it's only natural that Garl would be surprised by this kind of change.
"Yes, Shirotsume has become a huge and very prosperous town. The mayor himself sent me to solve this problem. So will you tell me everything?" Ulquiorra said.
Garl sighed deeply before looking directly at Ulquiorra. "According to the ancient documents, it all began four hundred years ago..." "That era was the most brutal in history, during which many wars and terrible calamities took place. At the same time, that era was a place of great inventions. That era can be said to be one of the heydays of the magical world..."
"And what does this have to do with what's going on here?" Ulquiorra asked.
Garl completed his words. "Four hundred years ago all there were many terrifying entities that made the world tremble at the mere mention of their names. Acnologia, Zeref, Ignnel,… and of course, Lich was one of those entities…" Garl paused and seemed to be reluctant to finish. his words.
"What exactly happened?" Ulquiorra asked curiously. There are some people who get excited when talking about ancient history, we can say that Ulquiorra is one of those people.
"Lich is one of the demons who has a direct blood relationship with Demon Lord "Lucifer". But for some reason he came to the human world. No one knows why, but what we do know is that the Lich was not able to return to his world." Garl said.
"I suppose Lich should have struggled in this world and become a party to those endless wars, right?" Ulquiorra said.
"Yes. Lich caused the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people. The Demonic Lich was really powerful, but he was crazy when he thought he could outsmart the two mightiest powers on earth, Zeref and Acnologia."
"And let me guess, Lich decided to take on Zeref and Acnologia in order to prove his strength." Ulquiorra said. He didn't know anything about Zeref's power or Acnologia, but he felt they were so dangerous that the Soul Society would have to send all 13 Gotai Captains to deal with them.
"He did. Unfortunately for him, he took on Zeref." Garl said.
"What is the difference between Zeref and Acnologia?" Ulquiorra asked, not understanding what Garl meant.
"The ancient documents mentioned that Acnologia kills everyone who stands in front of him without hesitation, and he does not keep hostages. On the contrary, Zeref will not kill his rival before he is sure that his rival can become useful to him, after all, Zeref liked to conduct experiments." Garl said with a small smile on his lips, he looked rather happy. "After Zeref beat the shit out from Lich's body, Lich became a guinea pig. Lich's presence helped make Zeref make a lot of progress in his research, helping him create many monsters like Lullaby and Deliora. Needless to say, Zeref's successes were Because of Lich's pain, after all, Zeref wasn't kind while experimenting on Lich." Garl's smile disappeared before he continued his words. "After the Lich's usefulness expired, Zeref decided to turn him into one of his own demons, but his attempt was unsuccessful. Zeref could not control the Lich's will and as a result, the Lich turned against his new master, which led to another battle that ended with the Lich's death. Or so Zeref thought."
"what do you mean?" Ulquiorra asked.
"Lich had been in a coma for a hundred years, after he woke up he immediately set out to kill humans."
"Why?" Ulquiorra didn't understand what was causing the Lich to act like this. He wondered if the reason behind this was revenge, venting of anger, or hunger...
"He kills just because he wants to kill."
"What?" Ulquiorra hadn't expected to hear such an answer.
[He is acting like hollows. No, it's worse than them. Hollows kill each other to survive and gain more power.]
Murciélago was right. There was no meaning to Lich's actions.
"It didn't take long before the Lich was defeated by the Great Red Knight. But unlike Zeref, the Red Knight knew that the Lich was not dead, so he put several seals on the Lich's body and then imprisoned him inside a palace located in the middle of the forest to make sure he wouldn't cause More problems. The world has been safe from its evil for two hundred years. But that is a change a hundred years ago from now." Garl said.
"What happened?" Ulquiorra asked.
"I don't know exactly how that happened, but it looks like the Lich found a way to free himself without breaking the seals the Red Knight had placed on him. At the same time, we activated the magic barrier to ensure that the Lich would stay in place."
"Would I be wrong if I said that the magic barrier does not affect your power?" Ulquiorra asked.
Garl smiled before answering. "You're right. Every mage here can use his full power on condition that the Council of the Golden Circle approves of it." "And before you ask, the Golden Circle Council is a guild that was established by the Red Knight 300 years ago and is headed by five people, including me."
For now, Garl had answered Ulquiorra's questions without lying. Ulquiorra would have liked to know more about the Red Knight and the Golden Circle, but there are other, more important things...
"People who come here… what happens to them?" Ulquiorra said while looking at Garl with narrow eyes.
Garl's expression changed and his face turned pale, but he quickly smiled sadly and said. "I killed them... all of them."
Ulquiorra remained silent for a short while, trying to comprehend what Garl had said. If the people of this village were killing everyone who visited, why didn't they kill him when he was unconscious? After all, Garl knows he will never win.
"You're wondering why I didn't try to kill you, right?" Garl said as if he was reading his former opponent's thoughts, Ulquiorra did not answer the question. "Did you feel dizzy when you got into the woods?"
"Yes." Ulquiorra replied.
"Did you see those skinless monsters?"
"What about them?"
"They were just humans."
Ulquiorra was surprised by Garl's answer, but decided to listen to the rest of Garl's words.
"There was a flaw in the barrier we created, the barrier was letting people into the forest but not letting them out. Back then, Lich had put a demonic curse on the forest, that curse is the reason everyone who enters the forest turns into one of those Monsters. We were able to save some of them and then take them out of the barrier after we erased their memories. But others..." Garl stopped talking and tears started to fall from his eyes.
Ulquiorra didn't need to hear the rest of Garl's words, he could easily conclude that those people had been killed. But he didn't understand why Garl was crying, Garl did what had to be done. If Garel hadn't killed those people, the village would have been in grave danger.
"Why are you crying? I did what you had to do." Ulquiorra said.
Garl looked in astonishment at Ulquiorra. "Have you ever killed someone?"
[PFFFF WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! 😂😂]
It was a really funny question. If Garl were to ask that question to anyone in Las Noches, that person would surely laugh. Well... with the exception of Ulquiorra.
"I have killed so many enemies in my life, so many that I cannot count them." Ulquiorra said in a calm tone.
"But did you kill an innocent person?" asked Garl.
"Where I come from, there are no innocents, there are only enemies. In fact, the word innocent is not in the dictionary of my homeland. In my world where I live, everyone is your sworn enemy." Ulquiorra replied
ra. In hueco mundo, you either get killed or be killed, there are no other options.
Garl didn't know what to say. He knew that Ulquiorra was not human, but he had never imagined that there was such a terrifying place. In fact, the place Ulquiorra had come from was considered a piece of bloody hell.
"I'm sorry. But you know? You're in luck." Garl said.
'Lucky?' Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow in astonishment as he heard Murciélago's laughter. He didn't understand what's good about living in Hueco mundo. Killing, constant struggle, killing, endless quest for power, killing, living every second as if it were the last of his life. And more killing.
What the hell did garl mean?
"I can't fathom how I can be so lucky to live in a world like hell?" Ulquiorra asked, if he had more feelings, he'd be smiling sarcastically now.
"You kill just to defend yourself, you killed people who deserve to be killed, you didn't commit any sin. I'm sure God will forgive you, that's why you're so lucky." Garl smiled before continuing to speak. "You wouldn't have killed someone if they hadn't provoked you, right?"
Ulquiorra's eyes widened as Murciélago stopped laughing. Ulquiorra had heard about the god that Garl was talking about, but he didn't pay any attention to the matter due to the scarcity of information about that mysterious entity. As for the question posed by Garl; So yeah, Ulquiorra wasn't going to kill anyone. Indeed, if hollows had not had a constant need to take souls, hueco mundo would have been a good place.
"You're right...but..." Ulquiorra said.
flash back:
The hueco Mundo Desert was in complete ruins.
Ulquiorra's hands were stained with blood.
flashback end
"What?" asked Garl.
"nothing."
*severe earthquake*
The village was shaking violently. Ulquiorra and Garl got up and ran to the window.
"Oh, Christ, this is impossible..." Garl's face turned pale.
The magic barrier had been completely shattered. Ulquiorra could feel his power returning to its true level.
"How did this happen!?" Garl couldn't believe what was happening in front of him.
At the same time, the village was being attacked by skinless monsters. But there was something different about these monsters, they had wings, tails, and long horns. And worst of all, those monsters were able to spit out flames from their hands.
Ulquiorra and Garl left the church to purge the village of monsters, together. Ulquiorra wasn't one to favor teamwork, but he wouldn't grumble.
Every time monsters tried to pounce on the villagers, Ulquiorra and Garl would quickly and easily take down them. But it seems that these monsters never intend to retreat.
"What is that?" Ulquiorra said, his arm piercing the chest of a monster.
"FlyGhoul. Complete transformation of skinless monsters." Garl said before slashing three monsters with one blow. "These monsters were unable to achieve this transformation due to the effect of the magic barrier. But now, the barrier has been shattered and there is nothing left that can restrain their power."
The number of monsters increased dramatically. At this moment, Garl raised his silver cross and shouted loudly.
"Holy Light!!!!!!"
The village was overrun by a blinding white light. Ulquiorra and the villagers were not affected by this attack, but the monsters cried out in excruciating pain before turning to ashes.
But this was not the end. At that moment, one of the villagers shouted while pointing his finger towards the sky.
"There is a barrage of fire!!!!!"
Ulquiorra looked up to the sky to see shells of flame about to fall on the village like meteors. Upon checking, Ulquiorra saw that there were more than 60 fireballs. Ulquiorra pointed his finger at the fireballs.
"Cero."
A green beam of light shot out from Ulquiorra's finger. The fireballs melted amidst the green beam that was now on its way to the winged beasts. The monsters could do nothing but scream before they turned to ashes.
*booooooooom!!!*
The sky had turned green due to the explosion of the Cero. The villagers were looking up at the sky in astonishment, while Garl looked at Ulquiorra with a bit of awe, he was glad Ulquiorra was not his enemy. Who knows what would have happened if Ulquiorra had been the enemy of the village.
Meanwhile, Ulquiorra looked at Garl. "Where have you been hiding the Lich's body?"
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
«On the Other Side of the Forest»
The Lich was in such a miserable state due to the battle that took place between him and Ulquiorra and Garl, it seemed as if a small puff of air would cause him to die.
But he didn't seem upset at all. In fact, he was very happy. The seals surrounding the white cocoon were shattering one by one.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah!!" Lich smiled as he looked at the last seal. After a few seconds, the last seal broke. "Finally!!! I'm free!!!!!!"
Lich shrieked with glee, announcing the return of the era of bloodshed.
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Author's note: I hope this fight isn't bad. This is my first attempt and I did my best to make this fight amazing and interesting. I apologize if this fight did not live up to your expectations. But don't worry, I'll try to improve my performance.
Explanations:
Garl Vinland: Firstly, Garl is not a bad guy but he misunderstood when you fight against Ulquiorra. He is a wizard powerful enough to become a threat to Szayel.
Ulquiorra Schiffer: Even when he became weak, Ulquiorra was strong enough to kill Szayel. In fact, when Ulquiorra fought against Ichigo who was wearing a hollow mask, Ulquiorra was able to match Ichigo without using resurrección, not to mention that Ichigo was able to defeat Grimmjow.
Lich: He is a demon of the lineage of Lucifer. He is weaker than Garl, the only reason he could catch Ulquiorra is because Ulquiorra had lost most of his energy when she was fighting against Garl.
Next Chapter?: Saint Astria's Arc Will End.