On the first floor of Las Noches' main hall, Rukia Kuchiki was pushed to her absolute limit. An endless tide of lesser Arrancar poured into the vast chamber, and with each enemy she felled, her spiritual pressure dwindled further. Her breath came in ragged pants, frosting in the cool air.
"Damn it… Has Ichigo succeeded yet? Why is there still no sign…" she muttered, her grip tightening on Sode no Shirayuki.
The flow of generic Arrancar suddenly ceased. From the shadows emerged a new figure, his presence far more imposing. He wore a distinctive bull-shaped skull mask. "It is over, Shinigami," he intoned, his voice echoing. "The price for intruding upon Las Noches is your life. I am Rudbornn Chelute, Commander of the Exequias."
He drew his Zanpakutō. "Grow, Arbol!"
His body became entangled with gnarled, wooden branches. Ten large limbs sprouted from his back, each one bearing a pulsating, skull-like fruit. His blade itself transformed into a jagged, lightning-bolt shape of petrified wood.
"Those you defeated before were mere Calaveras, Arrancar born from my ability," Rudbornn explained, a hint of pride in his voice. "These grunts can be infinitely produced by the branches on my back, for as long as I wish. It seems your luck has run out to face an opponent with a god-like power such as mine."
Rukia's body trembled from exhaustion. The fierce battle against the Noveno Espada, Aaroniero Arruruerie, had already drained her considerably, and this continuous fighting had pushed her to the brink. She was running on fumes. Yet, she steadied her stance, determined to use her last reserve of strength to unleash Sode no Shirayuki's true power.
As she focused, her expression smoothed into an icy calm. The very air around her grew colder, and her exhales turned to thick, visible frost.
"Some no mai, Tsukishiro," she whispered, her voice barely a breath.
She didn't lunge; she simply made a precise, cutting motion with her blade towards Rudbornn. Having no energy left for a prolonged fight, she was betting everything on this single, decisive strike.
"It is useless. After my Resurrección, my Hierro is—" Rudbornn's boast was cut short as Rukia's spiritual pressure washed over him.
At first, he felt nothing—no cut, no impact. But then, a terrifying cold seized the branches on his back. A layer of pure white ice instantly encased them, crawling over the skull-fruits and silencing their pulsating energy. The production line for his Calaveras was frozen solid.
"What?!" he gasped, shocked.
Rukia had correctly deduced his ability. By freezing the source itself, she had neutralized his endless army.
After that one slash, the intense cold radiating from Rukia vanished. Her body temperature returned to normal, and Sode no Shirayuki released its Shikai form, reverting to a simple, unadorned katana.
'Damn it… I've got nothing left…' Rukia thought, sinking to one knee as she gasped for air.
"To be able to freeze my creations… Shinigami, you are formidable," Rudbornn conceded, stalking towards her. "But it is over! Even without my Calaveras, I can still crush you myself!" He raised his lightning-bolt branch, aiming to impale the defenseless Rukia.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
A single, delicate pink petal drifted past Rukia's vision. Then another, and another, until a beautiful, lethal storm of blades materialized, slamming into Rudbornn and hurling him back from his prey.
"Big Brother!" Rukia exclaimed, her eyes wide with disbelief as she turned to see the figure who had appeared behind her.
Kuchiki Byakuya stood there, dignified and immaculate, holding the hilt of his Zanpakutō, the blade itself having dissolved into the cloud of petals. He walked calmly to Rukia's side.
"Rukia. Where is Amamiya Miyako? And where are Kurosaki Ichigo and the others?" he asked, his brow slightly furrowed.
"Miyako is outside Las Noches, drawing the attention of the other Espada. He infiltrated the fortress alone, found Inoue and Tatsuki's location, and gave us the chance to rescue them. Ichigo has already gone ahead."
"I see. So that immense spiritual pressure outside belongs to his opponent…"
"Big Brother, why are you in Hueco Mundo? Miyako and I violated orders to come here, we—"
"The Captain-Commander reconsidered Amamiya Miyako's original proposal," Byakuya interrupted, his tone even. "He determined that prematurely depleting Aizen's combat strength was a viable strategy. Therefore, he dispatched several Captains to Hueco Mundo to provide support."
"Other Captains are here too?" Rukia asked, astonished.
"Yes. Now, Rukia, report. What is the current situation?"
Rukia quickly explained their progress: the defeat of the Noveno, Octavo, Séptima, and Sexta Espada, and how Miyako and Captain Zaraki were now engaged with the Décimo and Quinto Espada outside.
"So, the top four Espada remain at full strength…" Byakuya murmured, casting his gaze upwards, sensing the powerful reiatsu signatures from the floors above. He was inwardly shocked. For Ichigo, Miyako, and the others to have achieved this much was a significant blow to Aizen's forces.
"Rukia," he said, his voice carrying a rare note of approval. "You have become stronger. The power of your Sode no Shirayuki just now… that was its true ability, was it not?"
"Yes!" Rukia replied, joy filling her heart at his praise. "It was with Miyako's help that I finally understood my Zanpakutō's true nature!"
Byakuya's expression became slightly more complex at the repeated mention of Miyako's name. "...I have cleared the immediate area. Wait here. Captain Unohana should arrive shortly. Once your injuries and reiatsu have recovered, you may join us above." With that, he flash-stepped away, a flutter of cherry blossoms marking his passage.
***a
On the top floor of Las Noches, Sosuke Aizen watched with mild amusement as Ulquiorra presented a trembling Inoue Orihime.
"Welcome back, Orihime," Aizen said, a serene smile on his face.
Orihime could only stare, her face pale. The brief, hopeful reunion with Kurosaki-kun had been shattered in an instant, and she was once again in the lion's den.
"Do not make such a face. You should smile, Orihime," Aizen chided gently. "If the sun is obscured by dark clouds, it saddens everyone. You need only smile and wait here patiently."
He rose from his throne. "However, your wait will last only until we have finished destroying Karakura Town." Behind him, a massive, dark Garganta swirled into existence, maintained by the combined power of Kaname Tōsen and Gin Ichimaru.
"D-destroy… Karakura Town?!" Orihime stammered, her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. A cold sweat broke out over her body, and she began to tremble uncontrollably.
"And now, allow me to bid you all farewell from Hueco Mundo," Aizen declared, his voice taking on a new, commanding tone. He glanced at Tōsen, who understood immediately.
Tōsen raised a hand. "Bakudō #77: Tenteikūra!"
A resonant, spiritual vibration filled the air, connecting to every soul in and around Las Noches.
Aizen's voice then echoed directly in their minds, calm, oppressive, and inescapable. "Can you hear me? All intruders."