ATTENTION ALL READERS:
I've decided that if I do not get a single KOFI supporter in the next 30 chapters, I'm dropping this book.
Is it underhanded?
Yes, but circumstances, in the name of life in the third world, need more than simple motivation to put food on the table.
Good day.
************
High above the sands of Hueco Mundo, Amamiya Miyako danced through the air, a swift, dark blur against the monochrome expanse. He effortlessly weaved between the thunderous, clumsy swipes of the titanic Yammy, his mind racing faster than his body.
'Aizen… so you're making your move now?' he thought, Aizen's voice still echoing in his mind. Even with Orihime's power, the Hōgyoku's completion shouldn't be possible this quickly. Was this a forced, early gambit? Without the perfected orb, what gave him the confidence to challenge the Soul Society so directly?
The arrival of Zaraki Kenpachi had been the first clue. If more Captains were here, it meant the Gotei 13 was taking this threat seriously. Aizen's goal was never a protracted war in Hueco Mundo; it was the creation of the Ōken in Karakura Town. All he needed was a way to neutralize the single greatest threat: Captain-Commander Yamamoto. 'Wonderweiss…' Miyako realized. That must be it. Aizen believed his specially-designed Arrancar was enough to handle the old man's Ryūjin Jakka.
"First, I wish to express my respect for you all coming to this place and battling the Espada," Aizen's voice continued, smooth and condescending. "But from this moment forward, it is our turn to attack the Human World."
Elsewhere in Las Noches, Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi's eyes narrowed behind his face paint. "Preposterous," he muttered. "Even accounting for the girl's unique rejection ability, Urahara's calculations indicated a maturation period of several months. Is this a bluff, or has he accelerated the process through some other means?"
"Inoue Orihime is on the highest floor of Las Noches's main hall," Aizen's voice offered, as if reading their doubts. "Feel free to come and rescue her. She has completed her purpose."
A cold dread settled in the hearts of the invaders. Had her power truly been used up so quickly?
"Some of you may be wondering, based on Kisuke Urahara's expertise, that the Hōgyoku's completion should take months, even with her assistance," Aizen continued, his tone that of a professor lecturing slow students. "Urahara's judgment is correct. The Hōgyoku is not yet complete. However, the preparations for transforming Karakura Town into the key for the king and for our assault on the Soul Society are finished."
The pieces were falling into place. He didn't need the completed Hōgyoku for this step. He just needed to get to Karakura.
"Three Captains have defected from the Soul Society, and now four more are here in Hueco Mundo. I have also sealed the Garganta you used to arrive."
A quick, panicked check by the newly-arrived Captains confirmed it—their exit was gone. They were trapped.
"Everyone, after I have dealt with Karakura Town and the Soul Society, I will return and deal with you all… slowly."
A palpable wave of anxiety spread through the fortress. They were not just in enemy territory; they were in a cage.
Then, Aizen's voice took on a final, dismissive note. "I leave Las Noches in your care, Ulquiorra."
There was no verbal reply, but those sensitive to reiatsu could feel the Cuatro Espada's silent, obedient bow of acknowledgment.
At that moment, with a explosive crash of shattered stone, Kurosaki Ichigo burst onto the scene from a hole in the floor below. But instead of charging recklessly at Aizen, he flash-stepped directly to Orihime's side, placing himself firmly between her and the departing traitor.
Aizen didn't even grant him a glance, simply stepping into the swirling darkness of the Garganta without a backward look.
Ulquiorra observed the scene, his green eyes unreadable. He had felt Orihime's spike of terror upon hearing Aizen's plan. Yet, this boy, Kurosaki Ichigo, who had been so easily crushed by him before, showed no such panic. There was only a fierce, unwavering resolve.
"Kurosaki-kun! Aizen… he's going to the Human World!" Orihime cried out, her voice trembling.
"Yeah, I know," Ichigo said, his gaze locked on Ulquiorra. "But I already heard from Byakuya. The Soul Society is prepared. They're waiting for him in Karakura. My mission right now is to beat Ulquiorra and save you!"
"Is that so… So the Soul Society gives you confidence," Ulquiorra stated flatly. He took a single, deliberate step forward. "Then what if I told you that Sōsuke Aizen has already anticipated the Soul Society's pathetic counter-measure?"
"What?!" Ichigo's eyes widened in shock.
"Sōsuke Aizen has foreseen all of the Soul Society's little tricks. This excursion is specifically to eradicate them. Moreover, he has already stated it, has he not? His preparations are made."
Ichigo's mind reeled. If Aizen was that confident, it meant he believed he could defeat all the remaining Captains—Ukitake, Kyōraku, Hitsugaya… all of them. The thought was terrifying. He took a deep, steadying breath, the fear hardening into something else: determination. He raised Zangetsu, pointing the massive blade at the Fourth Espada.
"Even if Aizen is prepared, I still believe in them! I believe in Ukitake, in Hitsugaya, and in everyone else!"
"Believe?" Ulquiorra repeated, a flicker of something akin to curiosity in his hollow eyes. "Why do humans cling to such impractical concepts? When the disparity in power is laid so bare, why insist on believing in the impossible? Are all humans such illogical creatures?" For the first time, the nihilistic Arrancar felt a pang of genuine incomprehension. He didn't understand this stubborn refusal to accept the reality of superior strength.
"Yes! Just like I believe I will definitely defeat you and save Orihime!"
Upon hearing this, a faint, almost imperceptible frown touched Ulquiorra's lips. It was the barest hint of an emotional ripple. Slowly, with deliberate finality, he drew the Zanpakutō from his waist—a blade he had never deemed necessary to use in their previous encounter.
"Then… allow me to use overwhelming strength to show you that your so-called 'belief' is utterly worthless."
…
On the battlefield outside, Amamiya Miyako felt the distinct vanishing of several powerful reiatsu signatures from within Las Noches. Aizen and his cohorts were gone. The time for subtlety was over.
He looked at the roaring, mountain-sized Yammy before him. It was the perfect opportunity. Aizen wouldn't be around to witness this, and this lumbering beast would make for excellent target practice. He needed to know what this technique could do at full power.
Miyako ceased his aerial maneuvers, coming to a complete halt, hovering directly in front of Yammy's enraged face.
The giant Espada stopped his assault, confused by the sudden stillness. "Hah! You little bug! Finally run out of juice to keep flitting about?!" Yammy boomed, a grotesque grin spreading across his features.
"Flitting about?" Miyako replied, his voice unnervingly calm. He recalled the massive form of his Bankai bow, which dissipated into shimmering particles of light. "I was simply waiting for the right moment. And now, it has arrived."
"Then don't you dare move! I'm gonna crush you into paste!" Yammy roared, bringing both of his colossal hands together in a deafening, two-handed clap aimed to smash Miyako between them.
Nearby, Zaraki Kenpachi, locked in his own brutal exchange with a Resurrección-activated Nnoitra, glanced over in annoyance. He had already figured out that the Quinto Espada, for all his resilience, didn't possess the raw spiritual pressure of the giant outside. "Damn that Amamiya! He lied to me! This guy's a lot tougher than that four-eyed freak!" he grumbled, parrying a flurry of scythes.
Then, he saw Yammy's hands slam together with enough force to create a shockwave. "Huh? What's that kid doing? He just let himself get hit?"
"You're fighting me! Don't you dare look away!" Nnoitra shrieked, his four scythes whirling in a deadly frenzy. "There's a limit to how much you can insult me!"
But within the cage of Yammy's palms, a different scene unfolded. At the moment of impact, a soft, almost inaudible word left Miyako's lips.
"Quincy: Sklaverei."
Yammy felt the satisfying impact, a grin of triumph already forming. He had finally squashed the pest! But that triumph lasted less than a second before it was replaced by a searing, unimaginable pain that erupted from the very center of his palms.
A brilliant, electric blue light began to leak from between his fingers, prying them apart with irresistible force. The light intensified, erupting into a massive pillar of pure energy that shot skyward from Yammy's hands, with Amamiya Miyako at its epicenter.
The pillar of blue light tore through the artificial sky of Hueco Mundo, revealing the endless, starless void of the dimension beyond. All around, the very reishi of the world—the sand, the air, the particles of spiritual matter that made up Las Noches itself—began to vibrate and break down. It condensed into visible, shimmering droplets, like a river flowing upstream, and began to surge toward the glowing pillar and the figure within.
Yammy stared, his rage forgotten, replaced by primal confusion and fear. "WHAT IS THIS?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"