Chapter 274: Indeed, It Is So
"?"
Amid the storm of Reiatsu, Ulquiorra emerged. The partial white bone helmet atop his head had become whole; a second curved horn rose like a demon's crown. Massive black wings unfurled behind him, radiating sheer style—yet the confusion on his face somewhat undermined his grand entrance.
Observing the discarded Zanpakutō, he pondered briefly before speaking. "Shinigami, did you discard your blade because you believed I abandoned mine? If so, there's no need. I haven't forsaken my Zanpakutō—I've merely reclaimed the power stored within it, integrating it into my body to unleash my full potential as a Hollow."
"Eh?" Satoru blinked, processing Ulquiorra's words before his expression cleared. "Don't worry, it's nothing like that. I simply love my Zanpakutō too much—I'm afraid it might get damaged, so I'll fight in its stead. Come at me with all you've got!"
Hearing this, Murciélago, still embedded in the sand nearby, trembled even more violently.
Ulquiorra: "..."
Not sure if it was an illusion, but he kept feeling that the sword wanted to fly over and slash its own master.
He didn't dwell on this issue for long, quickly recalling his original purpose.
"Shinigami, I came here to ask you: What is the heart? What is the meaning of existence?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Satoru make a slightly twisted expression.
"Seriously, sir? Instead of fighting properly, you suddenly start giving exams?"
"But since you've asked so sincerely, I'll generously tell you!"
Hearing this, Ulquiorra's eyes lit up.
There really was an answer!
Under his somewhat expectant gaze, Satoru crossed his arms and put on a profound expression.
"The meaning of existence is to find a balance between joy and peace of mind!"
"For intelligent beings, the greatest motivation to live is joy."
"Satisfying hunger, fulfilling desires, being recognized by others, wielding power, achieving victory… These are all actions that bring joy."
"Looking at your feeble appearance, you probably think you're not the type to pursue joy, right?"
"Actually, that's not the case. When you seek this question, you are satisfying your own thirst for knowledge!"
"Just now, when I confidently told you I could resolve your doubts, you must have felt happy, didn't you!"
Hearing Satoru's words, Ulquiorra was momentarily stunned.
Indeed... I had always believed that pursuing pleasure was a foolish act, because in the end, pleasure would only fade away, leaving one with nothing gained.
Yet, just moments ago, when the Shinigami said he could answer my doubts, I undoubtedly felt anticipation and joy.
Why did I have such contradictory feelings?
He frowned slightly, wanting to voice this question.
But before he could speak, Satoru grinned and said:
"No need to be perplexed. This is a perfectly normal phenomenon."
"When you intensely pursue one kind of satisfaction, other pleasures temporarily seem dull and uninteresting."
"It's like when you're extremely hungry—you might view playing as a foolish waste of time."
"Or when you're engrossed in a book, you might think games can't bring you any joy."
"And you, while desperately trying to satisfy your thirst for knowledge, naturally come to see all other pleasures as false."
"This is merely a temporary blindness, a veil cast over your eyes by the satisfaction at hand."
"Once you've quenched your thirst for knowledge and new desires emerge, you'll begin to experience new joys!"
Ulquiorra showed a contemplative expression.
Satoru's words seemed to make some sense.
After a moment of thought, he asked, "And what is peace of mind?"
"That's even simpler."
Satoru shook his head and raised a finger:
"For example, imagine you're very hungry and want to eat, but all you have is terrible food."
"The little girl living next door alone has delicious food."
"If you were to fully pursue satisfaction, you should go to her house, knock her down, and eat her food."
"But doing so would disrupt the balance between pleasure and peace of mind."
"After eating her food, you'd wake up suddenly at night, slap yourself, and say, 'I'm truly inhuman.'"
"That's what it means to lose peace of mind and cease to be happy."
Ulquiorra frowned and thought for a while.
Then he shook his head and said, "A strange idea. If I eat the girl too, I wouldn't have such worries."
"..."
Satoru stared at him for a few seconds.
Then he forcibly changed the subject: "Let me give another example. Suppose your thirst for knowledge is very strong—whatever question comes to mind, you do your utmost to figure it out and gain satisfaction."
"One day, you suddenly become curious about the limits of your rapid regeneration ability."
"If you wanted to fully satisfy yourself and gain pleasure, you should continuously harm yourself until you can no longer recover and face death."
"But if you actually did this, you would be met with the fear brought by death and lose your peace of mind."
"To avoid such an outcome, you need to find a balance between satisfying your thirst for knowledge and the self-control to stop."
"This balance is the meaning of survival."
Ulquiorra nodded slightly.
One should pursue happiness, but not without restraint; one must consider the balance between pleasure and peace of mind.
Though somewhat peculiar, all of his own thoughts seemed to find explanation when placed within this logic.
After pondering for a while, he folded his black wings and bowed his head to Satoru.
"Thank you, Shinigami. Thank you for your explanation."
"Mm, you're welcome."
Satoru nodded.
Then, he suddenly reached out, pulled off his white Captain's Haori, and casually tossed it aside.
"I've satisfied your needs. Now, it's your turn to satisfy mine."
With a laugh, Satoru tore open the black Shinigami Uniform covering his upper body, revealing his well-toned physique beneath.
"Come, Ulquiorra! Give me everything you've got—delight me!"
Blue flames erupted from Satoru's body. His right foot slammed into the ground, propelling him forward like a battering ram as he charged toward Ulquiorra.
Seeing Satoru suddenly attack, Ulquiorra was momentarily bewildered.
Why fight? Hadn't they already reached an understanding?
But then he recalled the logical formula he had just acquired.
He understood—his opponent was using this method to seek pleasure through combat and victory.
So, in the process of satisfying this desire, how would he find balance between joy and peace of mind?
Ulquiorra suddenly grew curious about this.
Driven by this curiosity, he hesitated no longer. His right hand opened and closed, forming a glowing sword of condensed Reishi. Gripping the blade, he surged forward to meet Satoru's assault!
Nearby, Yammy watched in astonishment.
Having known Ulquiorra for so long, this was the first time he had ever seen him display such fervor for battle. In the past, Ulquiorra would only unleash a fraction of his power when absolutely necessary to defeat an opponent. But now...
The unrestrained surge of Reiatsu and the glint in his eyes unmistakably declared that Ulquiorra was fully engaged.
Could this Shinigami truly possess such magnetism? Had he, with just a few words, managed to thaw Ulquiorra's icy disposition?
Yammy couldn't help but feel intrigued by this Shinigami.
Soon, however, he realized something was amiss. The residual Reiatsu from Satoru and Ulquiorra's clash grew increasingly intense.
Despite being an elite among the Adjuchas, Yammy found himself struggling to withstand the mere aftermath of their battle.
How absurd.
Though he felt like cursing, Yammy began to slowly retreat.
On the battlefield, Satoru swung his fists relentlessly, pressing his offensive.
After releasing his Resurrección, Ulquiorra's power had increased dramatically. As expected of a self-made Arrancar Vasto Lorde, his output was dazzling. Each swing of his Reishi blade carried the force of a Vasto Lorde's Cero. The impacts against Satoru's fists stung sharply.
But it still wasn't enough.
This alone wouldn't suffice.
What was Ulquiorra's most iconic ability? Of course—the Second Stage Release!
Bracing against Ulquiorra's sword strike, Satoru threw a fierce punch.
Twin Bones!
BOOM!!!!
The explosive force of the punch churned the silver desert into raging waves, kicking up a sandstorm that blotted out the sky.
Ulquiorra was forced back, his tattered robe now missing a section, leaving him looking somewhat disheveled.
Satoru instinctively glanced at a certain area.
Then he exclaimed in surprise, "Nothing?!"
Beneath the torn fabric, Ulquiorra's lower body was smooth and featureless—lacking both reproductive organs.
Satoru couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
Poor kid, born without one of life's simple pleasures?
Back when he watched the anime, he'd thought Ichigo had a faint green aura hovering over his head.
Now, he retracted all the sympathy he'd ever felt for Ichigo.
Rest easy, Ichigo. Even if your wife develops some... peculiar feelings for someone else, that relationship would bear no fruit...
Ulquiorra had no idea what Satoru was so shocked about.
He swung his sword with his right hand while firing a black Cero with his left, resembling a Shinsengumi warrior wielding both a blade and a gun, steadily closing in on Satoru.
Satoru was no stranger to Ulquiorra's black Cero.
Starkk could use this technique too, and with great proficiency. During their forced sparring sessions, Satoru had seen it countless times.
Casually deflecting a Cero, he declared loudly:
"The warm-up is over, Ulquiorra!"
"Show me that move!"
"Let me see your second-stage Resurrección!"
Hearing this, Ulquiorra, who had been attempting to press the attack, froze.
Second-stage Resurrección?
What was that?
Seeing his reaction, Satoru was also taken aback.
"What, you haven't developed that ability yet?"
What ability?
Witnessing Satoru's mix of disappointment and surprise, Ulquiorra's curiosity was piqued.
Second-stage Resurrección... Judging by the literal meaning, it seemed to imply undergoing Resurrección again after already being in Resurrección state?
How could that be possible?
When a Hollow undergoes Arrancar Transformation, they seal their core abilities into their zanpakutō.
During Resurrección, they reclaim the power from their sword, regaining their true essence.
How could one possibly release it again?
For a moment, he pondered rapidly, contemplating how to achieve such a feat.
Meanwhile, Satoru had already lost interest.
Among the Espada, the lower-ranked ones held little appeal.
The third Espada, Harribel—moderate strength, mainly notable for her... impressive assets.
The second Espada, Baraggan—average power, only his Respira was remarkable.
The top Espada, Starkk—decent strength, but lacking sufficient combat experience, unable to utilize even half of his potential, only capable of fancy shooting sprees like those novel readers.
Overall, the most satisfying fight among the Espada would have been against Ulquiorra with his second-stage Resurrección.
But now, after finally finding the right opponent, he discovered the other hadn't even developed this skill yet.
How boring!
He shook his neck and prepared to leave.
But after taking just a few steps, he heard footsteps behind him.
Ulquiorra was following him.
"Shinigami, you spare my life because you believe letting me live to achieve what you call the second stage Resurrección would bring you greater joy, is that it?"
"But if that ability truly proves formidable, wouldn't you be sowing the seeds of your own downfall?"
"Such an approach cannot provide peace of mind, contrary to what you claim."
Upon hearing this, Satoru scoffed:
"Superficial. You've merely grasped the theoretical basics but failed to integrate them with practical considerations."
"With your rigid, principled nature that demands logic in everything, even if I spared your life, would you actually dedicate yourself to revenge?"
"On the contrary, you'd remember this chancellor's mercy. Perhaps one day you'd achieve enlightenment and come to join me with new abilities."
"That is the perfect fusion of joy and peace of mind."
Ulquiorra's eyes widened in disbelief at Satoru's words.
After pondering for a few seconds, he caught up with Satoru again.
"Shinigami, I'm curious—why are you so certain I would master such an ability?"
"Because I am the chosen one, the only one. All kinds of information in this world naturally flow into my mind, allowing me to know... Ah, but these are refined arts beyond your comprehension."
Satoru waved his hand dismissively.
Unexpectedly, Ulquiorra nodded. "I see... No wonder you could call out my name despite me never introducing myself."
Satoru paused slightly.
Was that true?
He couldn't recall.
Tilting his head up, he put on a proud expression: "Exactly right!"
After a moment's thought, Ulquiorra seemed to reach some decision.
He released his Resurrección, holding his Zanpakutō before him.
"Shinigami... no, Lord Satoru."
He had heard Satoru speak his name during their earlier battle.
"Please take me back to Las Noches."
"I wish to follow you, observe your words and deeds, learn the meaning of existence, and discover what a heart truly means!"
Satoru laughed heartily: "See? What did I tell you?"
"I said you'd come join this chancellor, and here you are!"
"Excellent! From now on, follow me closely, observe and learn much—you shall surely become an outstanding individual of virtue and capability!"
"All confusion and suffering shall cease to exist!"
"Cackle cackle cackle!"
Ulquiorra nodded, his eyes showing a glimmer of anticipation.
Not far away, Yammy fell into deep thought.
Somehow, he felt Ulquiorra had chosen a terribly mistaken path...