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"After seeing with your own eyes the difference in our strength, you still think you can defeat me?"
Ulquiorra asked, his voice calm and cold.
Ichigo forced his eyes open, his breath ragged."Yeah, there's a gap in power. So what?"
"You think just because you're stronger than me, I'll give up? You're wrong. I knew from the very beginning how powerful you were. Even if you show me that overwhelming strength a hundred times more—it doesn't matter."
"I will… defeat you… Ulquiorra!"
Ulquiorra's eyes widened for a moment. Then he hurled Ichigo away like he weighed nothing.
"Ridiculous. Kurosaki Ichigo, the fact that you can say something so foolish only proves you still don't understand what true despair is."
A terrifying pressure suddenly erupted from Ulquiorra's body. The very air shuddered under the weight of it. Black and green spiritual energy surged outward, twisting the sky around him.
"If you don't understand, then I'll show you. This… is the form of true despair!"
Ichigo froze, stunned by the sight before him.
Meanwhile, urged on by Orihime's desperate plea, Ishida took her by the arm and flew upward toward the battlefield. They were determined to reach Ichigo, to help him.
But then—an overwhelming spiritual force crashed down from above. Both of them nearly lost their footing in midair.
"What is this…?"
The suffocating black energy swallowed them whole. Ishida's face drained of color."This pressure… it's spiritual energy? But it's nothing like before—it's completely different!"
"It's not just powerful… it feels alien. Heavy. Suffocating. Like the ocean pressing down on the sky itself."
"This is bad. We need to hurry!" He tightened his grip, carrying Orihime faster toward the top.
Then, above them, Ulquiorra's voice thundered:
"Black-Winged Demon… Segunda Etapa!"
His body transformed—everything below his torso swallowed by blackness, a long tail unfurling behind him. His face twisted into something monstrous, like a messenger straight out of hell.
"Among the Espada, only I can release a second stage. Not even Lord Aizen has witnessed this form."
Ichigo forced himself to his feet, sword in both hands, taking a fighting stance despite the crushing fear.
Ulquiorra tilted his head, curious. "You've seen this form, and yet you still have the courage to stand? Your whole body trembles, and still you cling to your blade."
He's not so broken that he's lost all fear, Ulquiorra thought. But there's no resignation in his eyes either. Does he actually believe he can win?
Ulquiorra stepped forward, voice cold. "Very well. Then I'll turn you to ash and wake you from your delusion."
He vanished, reappearing in front of Ichigo in a blur.
Ichigo barely had time to raise Zangetsu before a claw slammed into his head. The impact blasted him across the battlefield like a cannonball, crashing him straight through a stone pillar, which crumbled into rubble around him.
Expressionless, Ulquiorra walked toward the wreckage—only to pause when he saw Ichigo still alive, braced on one knee, using his sword to hold himself up.
Ulquiorra darted forward again. His speed was blinding—Ichigo swung, but missed entirely.
The Espada's claw lashed out from behind. Ichigo managed to block with Zangetsu, but then Ulquiorra's tail snapped forward, slamming him square in the chest and sending him flying once more.
Coughing, battered, Ichigo dug his feet into a shattered slab of stone, barely keeping his balance. His left hand glowed with surging energy. Slowly, the Hollow mask reformed across his face.
Ulquiorra sneered. "Foolish."
They clashed again, claws meeting blade in midair. Sparks exploded with every strike, but the sheer force behind Ulquiorra's blows knocked Ichigo back again and again.
"Facing an opponent whose strength terrifies you, and you still think you can win?" Ulquiorra snarled. "How incomprehensible."
His claw came down like a guillotine. Ichigo blocked, but the impact shattered his Hollow mask into fragments. The force hurled him across the battlefield once more.
In the World of the Living
Aizen's eyes widened slightly. "Ulquiorra… I didn't expect you still had such power hidden away."
His mocking smile returned as he glanced down at the Espada. Under Aizen's gaze, Ulquiorra shivered."Lord Aizen, this… this must be a technique I only developed in the future. I hadn't yet had the chance to report it to you."
Around them, the other Espada whispered uneasily.
In Soul Society
The captains watched the broadcast in stunned silence.
Hitsugaya clenched his fists. Is every one of Aizen's subordinates this strong? That spiritual pressure feels more terrifying than most captains'!
Kyoraku looked to the Head Captain in disbelief. "Old man… just what kind of monsters did Aizen gather under him?"
Yamamoto's eyes opened slowly. "It seems we have underestimated Aizen. We must end this traitor quickly."
In the Naruto World
Far away, in another dimension, Nagato sat atop a tower, his expression grave."Konan… it seems the strongest of the Shinigami may one day become our greatest enemies. That black-winged demon's second release—just the sight of it makes my heart tremble. Since mastering the Six Paths of Pain, it's been a long time since I've felt fear."
Konan shook her head. "Don't worry. This list of worlds may just be some advanced technology from another realm, showing us their powers. But that doesn't mean they can actually reach ours."
Kisame's usual shark-toothed grin was gone. "That kind of power… it's suffocating. Honestly, maybe only the leader and Itachi could stand against it."
Itachi stepped forward quietly. "The Black-Winged Demon… a cursed strength. I doubt even I could face him."
In the Saint Seiya World
The Gold Saints stared at Ulquiorra's monstrous form in shock.
Shaka frowned. "The power radiating from him is steeped in evil. It's reminiscent of a Specter of Hades."
Leo Aiolia's eyes narrowed. "Are you saying… he serves Hades himself?"
The Pope raised a hand to silence them. "No. This is not Hades' servant. This is an evil force from another world. For now, it cannot reach us. But this strange screen appearing here… it is no trivial matter. We must remain vigilant."
Back on the battlefield
Ichigo smashed through two massive pillars, the stone collapsing in clouds of dust. Ulquiorra stood over the destruction, cold and unmoving.
"If this is what you humans mean when you say your 'hearts' drive you…" His voice cut through the smoke."Then it means your hearts are exactly what make you weak. Because to have a heart… is to suffer."
But Ichigo still stood, body shaking, Zangetsu clutched tight.
"I'm not fighting because I think I can win," he growled. "I'm fighting because I have to win."
"..."
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