Inside the Visored warehouse, the violent shockwaves of spiritual pressure from multiple battles were impossible to ignore. Ichigo Kurosaki felt the familiar, hostile reiatsu erupt across Karakura Town and immediately bolted for the exit.
"Let him go," Shinji Hirako said, holding up a hand to stop the others from intervening.
"Hirako, Ichigo's Hollowfication duration is still critically short. Sending him out now is—"
"Urahara just sent a warning. Aizen deployed five Espada this time," Shinji interrupted, his tone uncharacteristically grave.
"Five?! That's half their combat strength! Ichigo can't handle that alone!"
"I'll shadow him. But that's not my biggest worry…" Shinji's gaze shifted meaningfully to Orihime Inoue, who stood watching with wide, anxious eyes. "…I'm worried about what Aizen's real target is."
Orihime understood. She was likely the objective. But the thought of staying safe while others fought for her life was unbearable.
…
On the other side of town, the situation for Tōshirō Hitsugaya's team was dire. They faced two Espada: the Séptima, Zommari Rureaux, and the new Sexta, Luppi Antenor.
Hitsugaya could barely hold his own against one, but Luppi quickly entered Resurrección, his multiple tentacles becoming a whirlwind of lethal strikes that forced the young Captain into a desperate, defensive struggle.
Zommari Rureaux, renowned as the fastest Sonído user among the Espada, exploited his speed to its fullest. Remembering Ulquiorra's briefing on Aizen's orders, he focused on swiftly incapacitating the other Shinigami. He became a blur of motion, striking Rangiku Matsumoto, Ikkaku Madarame, and Yumichika Ayasegawa with precise, debilitating blows before they could fully react, leaving them wounded and struggling.
After bursting out of the warehouse barrier, Ichigo raced toward the densest concentration of battle auras. But his path was abruptly blocked.
A black-haired man with stark green tear marks beneath his eyes appeared before him as if materializing from the shadows. Ulquiorra Cifer stood impassively, his expression unreadable.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Ulquiorra stated flatly.
"You…!" Ichigo gritted his teeth. "What's your goal here?!"
Ulquiorra did not flare his reiatsu, but the sheer, quiet menace he radiated kept Ichigo from charging blindly. Yet, Ichigo could sense the other four violent spiritual pressures erupting across the city, twisting his gut with worry.
"Our objective… is the eradication of the Shinigami and other spiritually empowered humans in this world." Ulquiorra lied, his voice devoid of inflection. His true aim was to apply maximum psychological pressure, to broadcast the severity of the attack, and to force the hidden healer into the open.
"Is that it? Same as last time…" Ichigo's voice was a low growl.
"You won't succeed! I'll take you down first, then help the others!"
"I released you previously because I deemed you worthless. That will not happen again." Ulquiorra still did not move, his senses subtly scanning the surrounding area, searching for the unique spiritual signature of Inoue Orihime.
"Bankai. Tensa Zangetsu!"
Knowing words were useless, Ichigo released his Bankai in a torrent of black spiritual energy and shot toward Ulquiorra, his speed phenomenal.
Every slash, every thrust was parried with minimal, almost bored movements by Ulquiorra. His Hierro deflected the enhanced blade with ease.
Ichigo knew Bankai alone was insufficient. With a roar, white bone-like matter spread across his face, forming a mask with crimson tribal markings—Hollowfication.
Seeing the Hollow mask manifest, a flicker of genuine surprise passed through Ulquiorra's green eyes.
"That mask… What is this?" He sensed a Hollow's essence within Ichigo, eerily similar to an Arrancar's.
"No time to explain!" Ichigo vanished, reappearing beside Ulquiorra with a diagonal slash.
This time, Ulquiorra didn't parry. He simply raised his forearm. CLANG! The black blade screeched against his skin, failing to cut.
Pressing his sword against the unmoving arm, Ichigo poured his fury into a point-blank attack.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
A crescent of dense, crimson-black energy erupted from Zangetsu, engulfing Ulquiorra in a devastating explosion.
Ichigo flash-stepped back, breathing heavily, watching the dust cloud.
As the debris cleared, his eyes widened in shock. Ulquiorra stood untouched. Only the upper portion of his white uniform was torn away, revealing the dark green tattoo on his left chest: the number 4.
"Impossible… You're…" Ever since learning that lower numbers denoted greater power among the Espada, Ichigo had assumed Ulquiorra was Primera or Segunda. The pressure he exerted was simply on another level.
"Correct. I am the Cuatro Espada. Ulquiorra Cifer."
In the next instant, Ulquiorra appeared behind Ichigo. His hand, tipped with a sharp nail, thrust toward Ichigo's back.
Still in Hollowfication, Ichigo managed to twist and block with Zangetsu. But the strain was immense.
CRACK.
A second later, the white mask shattered. Ichigo's spiritual pressure plummeted violently.
Ulquiorra did not hesitate. His hand shot forward again, this time piercing clean through Ichigo's abdomen.
"Guh…!" Ichigo coughed blood, his vision swimming, consciousness slipping away. Ulquiorra had held back, aiming to maim, not instantly kill.
'Dammit…!' Ichigo tried to push himself up.
Seeing the defiance, Ulquiorra calmly pointed a finger at the fallen Shinigami. A small, concentrated orb of green energy—a Bala—shot forth and struck Ichigo's chest, eliciting a final, pained gasp.
Tensa Zangetsu dissolved into particles. Ichigo's spiritual pressure faded to a faint, dying ember.
Back in the warehouse, Shinji Hirako, poised to leave, froze. He felt Ichigo's reiatsu gutter and nearly vanish.
"No way… How could Ichigo lose that fast?!" Disbelief warred with alarm on his face.
"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime cried out, her own senses screaming that Ichigo's life force was flickering out. She turned and ran for the door.
"Wait, Orihime! You can't!" Shinji moved to block her path, his expression stern. "If luring you out is their goal, then going is exactly what they want! Hiyori, hold her back! I'll check on Ichigo!"
Hiyori Sarugaki and Love Aikawa quickly restrained the struggling Orihime.
"Let me go! Kurosaki-kun needs me!"
"And you'll be walking right into a trap!" Hiyori snapped, though her own worry was clear.
Shinji flash-stepped away, leaving Orihime to watch helplessly, her heart clenched with fear. 'Please… Hirako-sensei… save him…'
At the site of Ichigo's defeat, Ulquiorra waited, his senses extended. Still, Orihime did not appear.
Soon, two other figures arrived via Sonído. Zommari Rureaux, pristine and composed, and Luppi Antenor, who was covered in numerous cuts and burns, with patches of ice still clinging to his tentacles from Hitsugaya's attacks. The new Sexta Espada had been thoroughly battered; without Zommari's support, he might have fallen.
"Ulquiorra. Has the target appeared?" Zommari asked, his voice a deep rumble.
"Have you completed your tasks?" Ulquiorra replied, his gaze sweeping over Luppi's injuries.
"Luppi here wished to finish them, but I intervened as instructed," Zommari said, hands clasped.
"The Shinigami in that area should all be on the brink of death."
"I see… Then we wait a little longer."