"So your Ichigo Kurosaki? We've heard a lot about you-"
The hollow couldn't even finish getting his line as Ichigo flash stepped in front of him. He grabbed him the skull, before smashing him into the ground. He tried to pull him back but his grip was too strong.
This happened so fast that the other four hollows didn't even notice their comrade getting beat, but once they did, Ichigo didn't let them off easily either.
He threw the hollow he grabbed right at another one making them crash into each other. Before they could even regain their footing, his large Zanpakutō was already preparing to cut them down.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A stupidly large amount of blue Reiatsu engulfed the sword which Ichigo then slashed at the two hollows. A mountain of Reiatsu flowed towards them, destroying the earth below while also engulfing them easily.
They were annihilated without a hint of effort.
The three remaining hollows didn't even need to sense his spiritual pressure to understand the gap in strength between them anymore. One of them tried to run but Ichigo flash stepped right in-front of it too.
Foolishly, it tried to fight back by firing a cero right in his face. An act which Ichigo even let it do. The attack was a direct hit, but as the dust cleared Ichigo was completely unharmed.
A faint trace a Reishi pumped through his veins.
"!!"
It didn't even notice that it had been cleaved in half.
"BROTHER NO!"
That brief moment of hesitation the next hollow felt had caused Ichigo to turn his attention towards him next. Once the two made eye contact, it could only feel certain death.
It didn't matter if the hollow would even feel remorse for what it did. It tried to destroy the place he swore to protect, that reason alone was enough for him do his job.
In the moment where it took a single step back, Ichigo caught up to it in an instant, his blade already making its way towards the Vasto Lordes neck. For him, it seemed as if time had held still. He could even count each individual picosecond before his death, and yet he couldn't do anything about him.
"Is my life flashing before my eyes? No... I never even lived one to begin with did I?"
It tried to force its hands up in self defence, but it was far too slow. It could see the path of the blade decapitating him. And then suddenly it disappeared.
Ichigo changed his stance into something more defensive, but this wasn't towards the hollow in front of him. Something flying in the air crashed into him as a sonic boom echoed across the Seireitei.
The force from the Collison pushed him back a decent distance, but he quickly regained his footing. Once the dust cleared, a strange Hollow was standing at the place of impact.
It was covered in burnt red scales with a strange red energy glowing within the cracks and its bony spine was exposed with unusual spikes sticking out. Its demonic mask had wo short, thick horns, a hole for a nose, and sharp, exposed teeth that extends down his neck. His legs were unlike the rest though, as what seemed to bones covered it like an armour.
Strange grooves covered its body, with them all originating from his hollow heart where a small red light seemed to glow.
It's red iris's glow as he started at Ichigo intently. Ichigo could tell this was going to be the most troublesome opponent so far.
"I was told to go hold off Kenpachi, but you seemed like a much more interesting opponent. I wanted to see for myself what the pinnacle of evolution looked like."
"You seem smarter than the rest? You said you were told to fight Kenpachi, so that means your being ordered by someone right!? Tell me who!"
The hollow looked towards one of the Vasto Lorde grunts, signaling it to run away. And the second it did, Ichigo wasted no time to attack.
He flash stepped towards the Vasto Lorde and threw a powerful horizontal slash which it easily dodged. He stuck his lounge out, as if he was taunting Ichigo which he found more annoying than anything.
Ichigo changed his stance one more and his blade curved into a horizontal slash,which the hollow easily dodged again. This time he was hanging over Ichigo, looking down on him while upside down.
The light in his hole began to glow intensely, as fire like Reiatsu started to course through the grooves on his body, eventually reaching to his special legs. The bone which surrounded it morphed as a cero was then fired from it.
Ichigo quickly raised his Zanpakutō up to block it, as the propulsion from the released cero made the Vasto Lordes kick even the stronger. The force from the impact shattered the earth below him, making his legs tremble.
"This guy... his legs are faster the Mrs Yoruichi's!"
--Somewhere else on the battle field
One of the 10 Vasto Lordes Jumped out at Kenpachi which was a very foolish mistake. The strongest soul reaper easily caught him by the throat before decapitating it. The other hollows seeing this all fired their own ceros at him.
But even then that wasn't enough.
From the blast of the attack, Kenpachi walked out largely unharmed. The blast only destroyed his haori and the top of Shihakushō while only slightly injuring him.
"What the hell? Even with the 9 of you, that cero was only a bit stronger than that giant caterpillar's!"
He walked up to one of the hollows and made an effort to throw a vertical slash.
Desperately, the hollow tried to catch it which it had some effort in doing. But then Kenpachi smiled as he put more force in it.
Suddenly the Hollows fingers were sliced off, along with its head.
"This is going by too quickly... you guys are all grunt right? Take me to your leader already-"
One of the Hollows made a decent attempt to attack Kenpachi from behind, but before it even got close thousands of glowing pink cherry blossom petals swarmed it, slicing it into mince meat.
"!!! BYAKUYA! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? THIS IS MY FIGHT!"
Byakuya Kuchiki swiftly landed next to Kenpachi as calm and collected as he usually was. But even then, you could tell he was frustrated at watching Soul Society get wrecked like this once again.
"OI! Don't ignore me!"
"What are you doing Kenpachi? Even if its you, that attack could've injured you. We need everyone in their best condition before we attack that thing up there."
The Vasto Lordes could tell that these were opponents that they couldn't compete with, especially when they were together so they collectively decided on something else instead.
Strangely, they all began to simultaneously rip off their masks. It was a strange sight, but once they finished they all died on the spot. Their bodies dissolved into the air, leaving the two captains confused.
Then suddenly there was a rumble. The earth shook violently around them as they felt something that was sleeping in it reawaken. The two jumped away quickly as the earth blew up below them, and a river of black Reiatsu poured out.
Yhwach's Reiatsu remnants had returned once more.
"Why now of all times!? Did those hollows do something?!"