Above Las Noches, even Enkidu's expression turned serious. The battle between Ichigo and Ulquiorra had intensified. Before Ichigo's Bankai and Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa, Ulquiorra, though weaker, had been faster, using his speed to gain the upper hand. Now, however, the situation had reversed.
It wasn't that Ulquiorra's Segunda Etapa was weak, but Ichigo's Bankai had amplified his power tremendously. Ichigo's Bankai compressed his immense spiritual pressure into a smaller blade, granting him greater speed and destructive power. His spiritual pressure, already surpassing Ulquiorra's, had now reached a level beyond the limits of a typical Shinigami.
Ulquiorra was completely overwhelmed and unable to counterattack. Wounds appeared across his body. Only his exceptional high-speed regeneration, capable of instantly restoring lost limbs, kept him alive.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
Ichigo's black and red Getsuga Tenshō clashed with Ulquiorra's dark green Cero Oscuras. After a brief stalemate, Ichigo's attack overpowered Ulquiorra's and struck him directly.
Boom!
Boom!
Ulquiorra was struck by the Getsuga Tenshō and became a blur of green light that crashed through several of the massive pillars surrounding Las Noches. He finally came to rest in a crater he had carved into one of the pillars near Enkidu and the others. This time, he hadn't broken through.
He coughed up blood, struggling to move. His arms and lower body had been completely obliterated by Ichigo's attack. He expended a large amount of spiritual pressure to regenerate, his body slowly reforming. While still fast, it was significantly slower than his usual instantaneous recovery.
Whoosh!
Ichigo appeared before the crater with his Shihakushō billowing in the wind, and his expression grim but resolute.
"Ichigo!"
Orihime and the others called out.
Ichigo glanced at them. "Sorry, Orihime, for making you wait so long. But it's over. Just a few more minutes, and we can return to the World of the Living."
"Okay." Orihime nodded, trusting him implicitly.
Ichigo turned to the fully regenerated Ulquiorra. "Do you want to continue, Ulquiorra? I can't guarantee I won't kill you next time."
Ulquiorra had been a worthy opponent, pushing Ichigo to understand his own newfound power. He was stronger than any Shinigami he had encountered.
No…
He shook his head. While powerful, he was still far weaker than Ailin. He could only achieve this level of power with his Bankai. Ailin existed in this state constantly, even without releasing his Zanpakutō. Only now did Ichigo understand the true gulf between them.
Ulquiorra, having recovered, tried to move. However, the strain of regeneration had depleted his spiritual pressure. He reverted from his Segunda Etapa back to his original Espada form.
"You can no longer fight." Ichigo turned to leave.
"Wait!" Ulquiorra's voice stopped him. "I haven't lost. I can still fight."
As the words left his mouth, Ulquiorra was stunned. He, the Cuarta Espada, representing "Nihilism," had always existed in a state of emptiness. He was an anomaly, born with a white body while his brethren were black with white markings. He possessed only sight, lacking other senses, ostracized by his kind. As his power grew, he gained those senses, but he still felt detached, as if nothing in the world mattered to him.
Upon discovering a field of white trees, he had decided to bury himself there, to become one with the white nothingness. Perhaps this desire had attracted the Hōgyoku, granting him his Resurrección, leading him to Aizen. He obeyed Aizen not out of loyalty, but because he lacked purpose. Aizen's orders gave him direction, a reason to exist.
Now, he realized he wanted to fight Ichigo, not just because of Aizen's orders, but because he truly desired it. It was a manifestation of the "heart" he had always questioned.
Ichigo looked back at him. "Ulquiorra, you no longer possess the strength to fight me. Recover your strength, and if you still desire a battle, I'll be waiting."
He turned and descended towards Enkidu and the others.
"Ichigo," Uryū, glancing at Ulquiorra struggling to rise, asked, "Are you sure it's alright to leave him like that?"
Ichigo shook his head. Before, he would have killed any Hollow without hesitation. But after learning the truth of this world from Ailin, he no longer saw all Hollows as inherently evil. He would spare those with sentience, those who posed no threat to the World of the Living. Grimmjow and Ulquiorra were such cases.
However, a sense of urgency gnawed at him. Urahara had warned him that Aizen's attack on the World of the Living was imminent, perhaps within three to five days. He had reached Las Noches, defeated the remaining Espada, yet hadn't encountered Aizen. Nor had he seen the three Espada ranked above Ulquiorra.
If Ulquiorra was this strong, how powerful were the others? Ulquiorra had mentioned that even Aizen didn't know about his Segunda Etapa. Perhaps the top three Espada couldn't achieve a second release, but they were undoubtedly stronger than Ulquiorra in his first Resurrección.
If the Shinigami captains didn't achieve a swift victory, how many people in Karakura Town would die?
"He's fine. He has no spiritual pressure left to fight."
High-speed regeneration, while powerful, came at a cost. Ulquiorra, in his first Resurrección, had possessed enough spiritual pressure to create a constant rain. But after several near-fatal injuries from Ichigo, the rain had stopped, his reserves almost completely depleted. Had Ichigo intended to kill him, Ulquiorra would have perished from spiritual pressure exhaustion before his regeneration could complete.
And unlike powerful Shinigami or Hollows, whose immense spiritual pressure prevented their bodies from naturally decomposing, Ulquiorra, his spiritual pressure gone, would simply dissolve into spiritual particles.
"Orihime, Uryū, Chad, Aizen has taken the top three Espada to the World of the Living. I have to go back." He continued, "I sensed some Shinigami spiritual pressures earlier. Let's see if they can help us return quickly."
"Okay."
Orihime turned to Enkidu. "Miss Enkidu, would you mind…?"
"Everyone, hold on." Golden chains erupted from around Enkidu, binding the group. The chains converged, forming a massive drill that shattered the ground beneath them.
Whoosh!
They plummeted through the hole in Las Noches' floor.
"Aaaaaah!"
After the initial shock, a sense of exhilaration replaced their fear. The seven figures, suspended from the chains, descended towards the desert below.
Boom!
They landed within a cage of chains that cushioned their impact.
"Wow, that was fun! Enkidu, can we do that again?" Nel tugged on Enkidu's white robe.
Enkidu glanced at Orihime, then patted Nel's head. "Next time, Nel. I have something to do for Master Ailin. When I return to Hueco Mundo, we can play again."
"Okay."
As Enkidu made this promise, two figures emerged from the dust cloud. The group assumed battle stances.
"Ichigo, you're finally here."
"Captain Unohana?"
Uryū, Chad, Ichigo, and Orihime lowered their guard. Unohana had healed them after their incursion into Soul Society.
"Captain Unohana, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asked.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto, fearing you might encounter stronger enemies in Hueco Mundo, sent Captain Zaraki and me to assist. He also reasoned that Aizen, sensing our presence here, might believe the World of the Living is undefended and launch his attack." She added, "We're bait."
Ichigo's anxiety intensified. If the World of the Living was truly undefended, how many people would die?
"Captain Unohana, has the battle begun? What's happening in Karakura Town?"
"The battle has started. As for what's happening… I don't know."
Unohana wasn't lying. Even she couldn't predict the extent of the damage, how many Shinigami would perish in the fight against Aizen. But this was the price of victory.
"Captain Unohana, I need to return to Karakura Town immediately. Can you help me?"
"That was one of my objectives, Ichigo. To bring you back to the battlefield."