Chương 20: Chapter 20: The Pit Dwellers
*This fanfic belongs to Melkor's Mercy, I don't own anything*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soifon, Outlands of Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Soifon followed the three arrancars for quite a while it seemed. The absence of any indication to time was really starting to wear heavily on her sanity. She had no way of knowing how long it had been since coming to Hueco Mundo. The desert seemed to go on forever, but something about these supposed Outlands were unfamiliar to her. She knew they were not the same as the desert she had been trekking before.
She wanted to know exactly how it was possible this place existed out of White's range of influence. The former captain shook her head deep in thought, 'It's just ridiculous to think that these hollows never even sensed White at any point. I mean the guy's power is intoxicating when he's exerting any kind of energy. I know Hueco Mundo is pretty large, but I don't really understand the scale of this world. Like where the hell are we?'
"Something bothering you, Soifon?" Athena was quick to notice the former captain's distress.
The dark haired woman looked over at the arrancar and nodded, "Actually, yes. I was wondering…exactly where is this area in relation to Las Noches? I don't really understand the surface of Hueco Mundo all that well. It seems strange that Las Noches is only a legend out here. What keeps hollows from finding it? You make it sound like a lost city."
Athena shook her head, "It's not that surprising honestly. It's very atypical for anyone out here to know about it…let alone reach it. Las Noches is literally out of reach for most hollows in the Outlands. To actually even get there, you would have to get across the Abyssal Scar."
"Abyssal Scar? What's that?" Soifon perked up curiously.
Yin stared at Soifon intently, "I'm surprised you've never heard of it. Almost anyone who's heard of Las Noches knows about the Abyssal Scar. It's a huge dark chasm that separates the landmasses in Hueco Mundo. Most hollows just call it The Pit."
"Landmasses? Las Noches is on another landmass? I don't understand," Soifon's said confused.
"Allow me to explain, Soifon. Currently, we're on the smaller landmass called the Outlands. It's roughly one third the size of the main landmass. That mainland is called the Menos Highlands…it's on the other side of the Abyssal Scar," Athena elaborated.
Soifon shook her head, "Then what the hell are the Outskirts? Is that the same thing?"
"The Outskirts usually refer to the areas closest to the Abyssal Scar. It's commonly called Outskirts on the other side of the pit. The hollows here know it better as The Maw, though it is technically the Outskirts as well. We're actually close to the Maw Outskirts," Athena elaborated.
Soifon shook her head, "This is all confusing as hell. Why do they call it the Maw?"
"Because most hollows that cross into that territory are swallowed up by the Abyssal Scar. It's incredibly dangerous to venture near it and very dark in the Maw's Outskirts. Not to mention, pit dwellers are known to drag victims down below," Yin cut in.
'So I'm on another landmass? That's preposterous! I wonder why the landmasses are split…it seems strange that some deep, dark trench would separate them. The name certainly seems unusual…Abyssal Scar? Scars normally imply it was cut or damaged somehow. It must be massive if it keeps the landmasses separated.' Soifon couldn't help but wonder.
"How big is the Abyssal Scar anyways? Has it always existed?" Soifon asked interested.
"Let's put it this way…crossing it isn't advisable. It's incredibly vast and deep. You can't even get across the Abyssal Scar practically because it's difficult to find the other side unless you know about it. That place is also completely absent of any light. So unless you can fly fast and see in the dark, then I wouldn't even attempt going near it. That place is terrifying to most hollows, so very few ever venture over it. Most hollows don't even know that it separates Hueco Mundo. It's seen as the edge of the world, so to speak. Anyone stupid enough to attempt crossing it, usually ends up dying to the pit dwellers. Only an incredibly powerful hollow could cross untouched." Yang explained.
"What are pit dwellers exactly? Are they hollows?" Soifon was even more confused now.
Yin rolled her eyes at Soifon's oblivious questions, "As the name suggests, they're hollows that live in the Abyssal Scar. Most of them are wretched creatures that don't even go through typical Menos Evolutions. It's pretty rare for a pit dweller to ever leave the immediate vicinity of the Abyssal Scar. Most of them hate light and very few ever achieve any kind of humanity. They're as primal as hollows come."
"What do they even look like?" Soifon wondered.
Yin thought for a moment, "Umm…they're not like Menos hollows. I think the closest comparison I could make is shadow hollows. There's actually a variety of different kinds of pit dwellers, but the only noteworthy ones are the Black Bat Colonies because they are the only ones who leave it. The bats are the ones that prey on anything in and around the Abyssal Scar. They all have huge green eyes from what I've seen."
"So these bat hollows sometimes leave the Pit?" Soifon thought somewhat curiously. She briefly recalled the memory of Ulquiorra. He had large, deep green eyes, and looked something like a bat in his release state. That added to the earlier records of him being a winged Vasto Lorde made her wonder if there was any connection.
"They can, but most typically don't. They hate light. The only natural light you'll ever see in the pit is from their glowing eyes," Yin replied.
"Exactly how much do you really know about these creatures?" the former captain asked carefully.
"I've been trying to study the bat pit dwellers for ages now. From what I've been able to learn, the stronger ones are all close to Vasto Lorde level in power. Those ones are called Alphas. There's actually four levels of power to them. Alphas are the most powerful and usually lead massive colonies. They're extremely rare and I imagine there's only a handful of them," Athena answered.
"What do Alphas look like?" Soifon asked.
"Alpha bats resemble winged demonic vampires. Well at least that's the most accurate way I could describe them. They're very intelligent and are some of the few that don't act or look like beasts. That makes them far more dangerous however. They're more than a match for any hollow short of an experienced Vasto Lorde or a mid to upper level arrancar," Athena explained.
Soifon's eyes widened, "I can imagine…they sound pretty terrifying. Winged vampire hollows are the last thing I ever want to see."
Yin nodded in agreement, "You can say that again. I wouldn't want to be bitten by one of those things."
Upon hearing Yin's comment, Soifon's mind trailed back to Ulquiorra again. The first sighting of him was with White. From what she could remember from the recording, Ulquiorra didn't even have a mouth. That added to the fact that he was pure white instead of black lead her to wonder if Ulquiorra was some kind of special pit dweller or even one at all.
"By themselves, you might stand a chance fighting one, but you'll never find an Alpha by itself. They always fly in colonies. Below Alphas are the Betas. They're stronger than Adjuchas, but weaker than Vasto Lordes. Betas look like gargoyles and there's roughly a dozen or so in each colony. They act as enforcers for the Alphas and are the most notorious for hunting Menos Hollows above the Scar. They have the ability to communicate, but typically don't," Athena continued.
"Below them are the Gammas. Unlike alphas and betas, their wings are fused with their upper arms. They're more primitive looking and have a very similar likeness to harpies or bipedal bats. Gammas are about as strong as normal adjuchas, but they are very beastly and feral. They can speak, but have underdeveloped cognitive abilities. Beneath Gammas are Deltas. The Deltas are the most common bat hollows I've seen. They're literally giant black bat hollows," Athena finally finished.
Soifon just stared at her for a moment taking in all of the information, 'I never imagined that Hueco Mundo was this complex. Not only is there another landmass in this place, but an entirely different evolution of hollows? So then what would that make White's friend? He was a white bat with no mouth. Could he have been one of them?'
"So these bats are all black and shadowy? Have you ever seen a white one before?" Soifon asked doubtfully.
Athena stared at Soifon seriously, "A white one?! Have you seen a white bat?"
"No…I was just wondering if there were any like that," she responded cautiously.
The former Espada gave Soifon a somewhat suspicious look, "Are you sure you haven't seen it? The White Bat does actually exist. One of the betas I captured told me about it. It's as powerful as the alphas are supposedly. Though it's a one of a kind hollow. I've been searching for it for a long time."
"So where would this White Bat fall under in your classification if he's as strong as the alphas?" Soifon wondered.
"The White Bat is the Omega. The Beta I captured referred to it as such. They're all afraid of it from what I've been able to discern. I wanted to find it and discover why," Athena explained.
'Well bad news for you…he's White's right hand enforcer,' Soifon thought to herself.
"So how did you cross this Abyssal Scar exactly? How did you even see where you were going? Without any kind of landmark or horizon, it's not uncommon to go in circles when attempting something like that," Soifon changed the subject.
"Considering my nature, I was able to cross it without much trouble." Athena replied.
"Yeah, Lady Athena was a Phoenix Owl hollow…she can see in the dark, fly, and glows pretty bright. It probably scared all of the pit dwellers away," Yang added.
"Huh? A Phoenix owl? What the hell is that?" Soifon deadpanned.
Yin rolled her eyes, "It's the type of hollow she used to be. Obviously she retained traits from it. Her mere presence radiates light and she can see in the dark. It's not that complicated. I swear you're more clueless than the Adjuchas around here."
"Cut her some slack, Yin," Athena defended, "there's nothing wrong with her asking questions. If I recall correctly, you asked just as many when I found you."
"I-I…but I wasn't completely clueless," Yin tried to protest.
Yang sighed, "It's whatever, Yin…no need to get all serious about it. Soifon's one of us now, so it's only right to help her out. Besides, it's not like we have anything else to do on this walk."
"Yeah yeah, I hear you. It's just weird that she's so clueless considering the random bits of information she knows," the blue haired arrancar shrugged.
Soifon took a closer look at Athena and much to her surprise, she did notice a subtle glow around the arrancar. She stared for a brief moment, 'I guess that explains why she seems to glow. I thought I was just imagining it. I wonder what a Phoenix Owl looks like? Was that her hollow form? I wonder what White's was?'
"So what about you two? Umm…Yin and Yang right? What kind of hollows were you?" Soifon asked curiously.
"We were sky serpents as Adjuchas. It's a pretty rare form for a hollow to take," Yin answered.
"Were you ever Vasto Lordes?" Soifon couldn't help but wonder.
Yang nodded, "Briefly…though Lady Athena found us before long. We've been arrancars for a while now."
"Sky serpents huh? Like dragons?" Soifon said with a hint of interest.
"Not exactly…wyverns and sky serpents are a lot like dragons, but they're not the same thing. A real dragon hollow would be a huge deal. Like…a ridiculously huge deal," Yin stated.
"How do you figure?" Soifon asked.
"Zangetsu was a dragon during Hueco Mundo's ancient past. He was the only one of the Adjuchas to ever take that form. It's quite symbolic really since he ended up becoming the King. Seeing another dragon would be the symbol of a new king. Dragons are powerful…and godly. A hollow in that form would be destined for greatness," Athena said distantly.
"So then what about a Phoenix Owl?" Soifon asked as she directed a serious look towards Athena.
The arrancar chuckled at her question, "Are you asking me if I'm powerful?"
"Something like that…you never really mentioned your place in the old days." Soifon said carefully. She already knew that Athena was an Espada, but was curious to see whether or not Athena would lie about it.
"There's no point in really avoiding the truth of the matter…I was an Espada. I prefer not to associate myself with the title anymore. I feel as if I have lost the right to call myself as such. It weighs upon my heart as a shadow of remorse. I regret living on while my fellow Espada died…I regret not avenging the death of my king. But…so much time has passed since then, and I have simply decided to move on. I'd rather not talk about it anymore to be honest," Athena sighed sadly.
"Yeah I won't mention it again," Soifon said in acceptance. Inwardly she was already dissecting the information, 'So she admits she was an Espada, but feels ashamed of using the title? Arrancars are a lot different than normal hollows…between these hollows and some of the ones I saw in Las Noches, they're not that far off from actually being human.'
Upon realizing that fact, Soifon's mind stopped racing and began to slow down. She could barely wrap her head around the concept since it completely contradicted everything she formerly believed. Hollows were human…at least some of them were.
She was drawn from her thoughts by Athena's voice, "I'm very curious about you, Soifon. I understand that you might not have all of your memories, but would you care to tell us about yourself?"
"Yeah what kind of hollow were you?" Yin asked.
"If her mask was any indication, I'd say a bug of some kind…that mask fragment reminds me of antennae," Yang began to theorize.
Soifon always had a comparable likeness to a hornet, and decided to simply go with that. 'I have to tell them something…a hornet would make sense, being my hollow form.'
"I was a hornet," Soifon answered bluntly.
"Huh…interesting. Bug hollows are known to be extremely powerful if they reach Vasto Lorde. I don't doubt that you're strong, Soifon. It will be interesting seeing what you can do in the days to come. We can help you master your arrancar abilities," Athena replied enthusiastically.
"So where exactly is your little base anyways?" Soifon changed the subject before they could investigate further.
"It's a considerable distance away, but nothing too crazy. You'll enjoy the tower," Athena said with a smile.
"Tower?" Soifon's eyes widened, "I thought you said it wasn't anything special!"
"Well compared to anything like the old days, I guess nothing is really all that impressive to me. You're free to make up your own mind about whether or not Torre Del Sol is impressive or not," Athena stated.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ulquiorra, Outskirts of the Menos Highlands XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ulquiorra stepped over towards the exact location where he and Ichigo once stood as Vasto Lordes. He stared into the darkness below with intensity, 'I swore I'd never return…but I must for the sake of understanding myself. Forgive me, Ichigo.'
The dark haired arrancar stood there for a moment taking in the full impact of his decision. He looked up at the moon one last time as if it were the last time he ever would. Without another moment to spare, he dove down into the Pit below. He descended for what felt like hours, but could very well have just been moments.
Returning to this abyssal, dark place brought a certain amount of uneasiness to him. Before meeting Ichigo, he was completely acceptant of the nihilistic reality of this place. A lot had changed since that time. He had seen the light…literally and figuratively. There was more to life than the dark, primal abyss. He had a purpose now…a reason to strive. He couldn't let the darkness swallow him whole. He had to master it, and himself.
Upon finally reaching the bottom, Ulquiorra looked around. Though he had excellent vision in the dark, he still couldn't see anything except barren emptiness. Ulquiorra let out a calm sigh as he decided to sit down. He closed his eyes and fully immersed his senses in the darkness. A stillness came over his mind as he began to think about his past in this place.
His thoughts grew more and more immersive, and before long, Ulquiorra found himself somewhere else entirely. He opened his eyes and found himself sitting atop a large mesa. The Moon dimly lit the sky above, but it was just enough to illuminate his surroundings.
In all directions, he could see an empty dune sea where sand aimlessly blew. Above him, a high perch extended skyward from the Mesa. He looked at it curiously, and saw that it was a cave entrance of some kind. His eyes drifted skyward for a moment and examined a strange series of stars. They were shaped in constellations which seemed very familiar.
A sound caught his attention from the cave entrance ahead of him. Ulquiorra snapped his attention back to it, and spotted a pair of eyes. They had golden irises, outlined within green sclera. Stepping from the shadows, the figure's dimly lit silhouette came into view.
This creature was black and white, and had wings quite similar to what he had seen of the other hollows in the Pit. Ulquiorra stoically examined the creature and said nothing as he awaited its next action.
The creature stepped further out of the darkness of the cave and caught a streak of moonlight that revealed its form entirely. Upon seeing it, Ulquiorra felt a strange sense of déjà vu as if he knew what this being was.
It stared at him for a long while before finally speaking, "You haven't looked into your soul in quite some time, Ulquiorra. What brings you back to the shadows?"
"Murcielago…is that you?" Ulquiorra asked, but truthfully he was already convinced of the being's identity.
"You recognize your true self…but you do not understand it. You have changed much since leaving the darkness of the pit. Does this place look different to you? There is light in your soul now…the moon and stars shine within the darkness of your heart," Murcielago said calmly.
"I need to understand myself…I need more power. Tell me what I must do," Ulquiorra said seriously.
"You must embrace what you truly are…and embody the entirety of your soul. The darkness will always be a part of you. Your rejection of this truth is the only thing holding you back," Murcielago explained.
"What am I then?" Ulquiorra asked.
"You're me…" Murcielago answered cryptically.
Ulquiorra stared at his inner self doubtfully, "I don't quite follow what you mean by that."
"Conquer yourself…and accept what you are," Murcielago responded. A second later he appeared in front of Ulquiorra and threw him into the dark dune covered horizon. Ulquiorra's eyes widened as he regained his bearings.
Murcielago held his arm up and formed a massive green energy spear as he stared Ulquiorra down, "Are you ready?"
"Why are you attacking me?" Ulquiorra asked seriously as he drew his Zanpakuto.
"If you don't understand that, then you'll never reach Segunda Etapa," Murcielago replied.
"You WILL give me the answers I seek…I don't time for this," Ulquiorra responded disapprovingly.
"You don't have a choice…" Murcielago replied before charging in with his lanza. The sheer power behind it was incredible as Ulquiorra parried. He slid back a considerable distance in the sand from the sheer recoil.
He barely had time to react as Murcielago appeared behind him and wing slapped him to the ground. Ulquiorra swiftly jumped up and dodged the lanza as it speared into the ground. He began to take the battle more seriously now as he held his Zanpakuto up, "Enclose, Murcielago."
A green light blinded the area as Ulquiorra transformed into his Resurreccion state. He barely had time to summon two Luz de la Luna spears as Murcielago swung his lanza against him.
Ulquiorra struggled with all of his might against Murcielago's superior strength. 'Why is he this strong?' the bat arrancar thought urgently as he flaked off and distanced himself. He stared his inner self down with dead serious eyes. His mind was racing as he tried to rationalize the situation, 'Why are we fighting? It shouldn't be like this…'
"Lanza del Relampago," Murcielago said calmly as he formed a second energy javelin. Ulquiorra's eyes widened concerned, 'That's not good…'
Without a moment of hesitation, Murcielago threw one of the weapons at Ulquiorra. The sheer power it seemed to radiate made Ulquiorra nervous. He didn't even attempt to counter it as he flew out of its trajectory as fast as possible.
Despite getting a good distance away, he still felt a shockwave from a titanic explosion behind him. He briefly glanced back and saw a green mushroom cloud before the full force hit him. The force pushed him considerably skyward, but he managed to recover thanks to his wings.
Ulquiorra looked around for Murcielago, but soon found himself flying towards the ground from a swift toss. As he descended, the bat appeared beneath him and uppercut him into the air again. Ulquiorra extended and flapped his wings rapidly as he tried to recover, but wasn't fast enough to stop Murcielago from grabbing his leg and swinging him into the distance. He spiraled sporadically before crashing into the massive mesa from earlier.
As he tried to peel himself out of the rocky crater in the Mesa wall, a black and green light illuminated the distance. Ulquiorra got off the rock wall and looked for a new direction to move. "Cero Oscuras," Murcielago's voice sounded. Ulquiorra's eyes shot open as he turned around and spotted Murcielago right behind him.
He looked seriously between the approaching light in the distance and Murcielago firing a Cero almost point blank at him. 'Did he fire a cero and get here before it even reached me?!' Ulquiorra thought shocked.
Thinking fast, he tossed both Luz de Luna spears at the approaching cero, before charging Murcielago. They seemed sufficient in stopping it, thankfully. Ulquiorra then grabbed Murcielago's arm and clutched tightly as he tried to point it away. Due to Ulquiorra's close range, the second Cero Oscuras wasn't able to hit him, and instead flew into the distance igniting it in another colossal surge of power.
Murcielago didn't seem fazed as he proceeded to peel Ulquiorra off of him. The black bat grabbed Ulquiorra by the throat and held him against the Mesa wall. Ulquiorra reached up with one hand as he attempted to squeeze Murcielago's wrist. It proved futile much to his shock. The green eyed arrancar tried to form another spear with his other arm, but quickly found it held down by Murcielago's tail.
Forming another Lanza in his free hand, Murcielago pulled back his arm as he attempted to impale Ulquiorra. At the last possible second, Ulquiorra's legs flew up and kicked the bat in the face. He proceeded to wrap a leg around the bat's neck before grabbing onto him from behind. Ulquiorra squeezed tightly as he slipped down and put his arms in a sleeper hold around Murcielago's neck. He proceeded to lock his legs around Murcielago's waist as well and squeezed tightly.
Unfortunately, this didn't last long as Murcielago's tail grabbed Ulquiorra by the neck jerking him off. Ulquiorra tried to cut the tail as he formed a new spear, but quickly found himself airborne again as Murcielago threw him skyward.
As he ascended, Ulquiorra shook his head dumbfounded, 'How can he be this powerful? Nothing I do is effective at all…he's on a completely different level than me.'
Ulquiorra soon found himself caught in midair by Murcielago's tail. It held him in front of the bat by his throat. He stared at Ulquiorra and shook his head, "No matter what you do, you'll never be as strong as I am."
"This isn't over yet…I can't lose to you. Ichigo is depending on me," Ulquiorra said resoundingly.
Murcielago threw Ulquiorra back towards the ground. He went crashing into the Mesa top leaving another crater. Ulquiorra struggled to his feet as he attempted to recover. "I can't lose to him…I can't fail," Ulquiorra repeated to himself as he regained his will to fight.
Murcielago appeared in front of him with his lanza and stared intently, "Still fighting it I see? Why? Is this not what you wanted?"
"I didn't want to fight you," Ulquiorra replied softly.
"Yet you resist with force. I don't think you're ready," Murcielago replied.
"You won't stop me…" Ulquiorra said seriously.
Murcielago shook his head, "No…only you will."
It was at that moment an epiphany struck Ulquiorra, 'Wait…he said I'm him. That I had to accept the entirety of what I am. This is in my mind…fighting him is like resisting what I am. I don't need to fight myself…I need to embrace it.'
During his revelation, Ulquiorra noticed Murcielago rearing back to stab him with his lanza. Much to Murcielago's surprise Ulquiorra spread his arms and closed his eyes as it impaled him.
"You understand now…" Murcielago said distantly. His voice seemed to carry a strange echo as Ulquiorra's inner world became blinded with green spiritual energy. His eyes shot open afterward, which brought him back to reality.
Ulquiorra looked around seriously and saw that he was glowing like a black emerald star in the dark pit. He looked at his hands shocked. They were black and clawed…just like Murcielago's. The revelation of the situation finally hit him, 'I am Murcielago…the bat of the abyss. Is this my true form? My Segunda Etapa?!'
Something strange caught his attention after recovering from his shock. Ulquiorra spotted a swarm of eyes in the shadows surrounding him. He could see them clearly in the darkness…his dark kin. The eyes of the pit dwellers grew closer and closer as he soon found himself completely surrounded.
Ulquiorra looked around at them curiously, 'I wonder why they're here?'
Upon realizing that Ulquiorra was active again, the pit dwellers scattered in all directions as they fled from him. 'I should probably get out of here…the others need to know about how to achieve Segunda Etapa,' Ulquiorra thought as he began to take off into the air. He flew fast and before long found himself upon the cliff edge once again. Briefly landing, he took one last look at the pit with an accepting stare, 'At least something good came out of returning to this place.'
A strange thought crossed his mind as he stared over the Pit. 'I am a bat…so are they. I wonder if they'd react to my voice at all? I've never tried communicating with them since I didn't have a mouth before.'
Without giving it too much thought, he let out an unusual sounding screech. It was the first time he had ever attempted doing something like it, but for some reason the sound felt proper. He stared for a short time before turning his head around, 'Should have figured that was pointless to attempt…'
Not even seconds later, he sensed a strange vibration hit him. He could hear and feel it at the same time. It was quite like that of a bat's sonar. He cocked his head confused, 'That's odd…they responded to me.'
He thought about investigating the issue further, but ultimately just put the matter aside as he took his leave, 'I don't have time to test this out anyways. I need to get back to Las Noches.'
As he began to fly away, he heard another screech behind him. This time it sounded way more powerful. He immediately turned around mid air and spotted a winged black hollow. It was approaching him at high speed. Upon getting in range, the creature landed in front of him and stared intently.
'This one looks different than the others…almost like a Vasto Lorde,' Ulquiorra thought. Though he didn't know it, this pit dweller was an alpha.
The Alpha faced the pit and let out a loud screech before turning back to Ulquiorra. Additional pit dwellers began to emerge from the shadows and quickly swarmed around them. 'Am I going to have to kill them?' Ulquiorra wondered as he looked over the colony of bat hollows landing around him.
"I've never heard your call before…who are you? What are you? Why did you call my colony?" the Alpha asked Ulquiorra.
Much to his shock, the Alpha was female. He stared at this Vasto Lorde looking pit dweller with curiosity. She was covered in black armor like skin with some fur over the legs and arms. Her hands and feet resembled demonic claws and talons. Her mask was a lot like how his used to look, but it was black with green streaks. Fangs were highly pronounced on her hollow teeth as well which gave her a vampire-like appearance. She also had wings exactly like his and a similar pair of large green eyes. Her hollow hole rested in the same place his did and around it, he could see her exposed skin. It was a smoky gray quite unlike his ghostly pale skin.
"My name is Ulquiorra…" was all the man said as he continued to look around at the large swarm staring at him.
The Alpha cocked her head as she took a step closer, "My Betas told me that a powerful hollow had entered the Abyssal Scar. I am surprised by the power you exerted in my territory. Tell me what you are…and why you called the colony."
"I am an arrancar…" Ulquiorra answered bluntly.
"Arrancar?" the alpha said confused, "what is that? Are you a Menos?"
"No, I was born in this pit…you might not remember me from then, but I wasn't like the others," Ulquiorra responded as he receded his Segunda Etapa.
Upon reverting back to his humanoid arrancar form, the surrounding pit dwellers began to screech amongst each other. He wasn't quite sure why, but the widened eyes of the Alpha led him to believe that they were shocked.
"Your mask…it's broken? How are you so powerful then?" the alpha wondered as she examined Ulquiorra's normal form.
"That white horn…" a nearby beta said disbelievingly.
The Alpha immediately took a step back upon realizing who Ulquiorra was, "You're the Omega!?"
The colony of bats seemed highly agitated by the announcement and screeched back and forth in debate.
Ulquiorra gave the Alpha an uncertain look, "What? Omega?"
"The White Bat…you're the Omega. What happened to you? Do you live among the Menos now?" The alpha asked bewildered.
"I live in the moonlight of Hueco Mundo. It's a far better existence than living alone in the pit," Ulquiorra stated.
"You never answered my question, Omega…what is an Arrancar?" The alpha asked.
"They are hollows with Shinigami power. We're as close to humans as hollows can become. I am one of the Espada, the elite ten arrancars. We coexist in Hueco Mundo under the rule High King White, the Cero Espada," Ulquiorra explained.
"His mask is broken like the other hollow we saw. She must be an arrancar as well," one of the betas told the alpha. The alpha held her clawed hand up silencing the gargoyle looking creature.
"So you are aligned with the bright purple haired hollow? I sent my betas to track her down when she flew over the Abyssal Scar. Are you allies with her? She was very powerful and we couldn't stop her from crossing," the alpha said distantly.
"Stop her from crossing? Crossing the pit? To go where?" Ulquiorra asked with a touch of anxiousness.
"To the Outlands…you don't know about that?" the Alpha said slowly.
"Outlands?" Ulquiorra said uncertainly.
"Yes…they're the landmass on the other side of our territory," the alpha explained.
Ulquiorra looked genuinely concerned, "There's another side to the pit, and a purple haired arrancar crossed it you say? How long ago was this?"
One of the betas stepped forward and answered immediately, "It happened a considerable time back, but we still remember. She had a broken mask like you, Omega, and was very powerful."
The alpha nodded, "She radiates light and flies over the Pit from time to time. I didn't understand what she was until now. If what you say is true, then she is an arrancar. I also saw a number on her shoulder as well."
"A number?" Ulquiorra could barely describe the tension he felt as this newfound information was slowing unraveling.
"Yes…the number 1 was on her shoulder. Does that mean anything to you?" the alpha asked.
Ulquiorra's face was truly full of disbelief. His mind began to race, 'A purple haired arrancar with the number 1 on her shoulder?! Only an Espada would have a number that low…and what is this about her crossing the pit to go to another landmass? I need to investigate this…but it might be smarter if I informed Ichigo first. I imagine he would definitely want to look into the issue.'
"You see this number on the back of my hands? It is the number 4. I am only the fifth strongest ranked arrancar in Hueco Mundo. The number 1 would represent the Primera, the second most powerful hollow. And 0 is White's number," Ulquiorra finally spoke.
The alpha walked closer and looked at the numbers on Ulquiorra's hands, "So then this purple haired arrancar was your Primera?"
"No she isn't…our Primera was the former King of Las Noches, Barragan. That means there's a second Primera," Ulquiorra deduced for them.
A brief silence passed as they all reflected on this revelation. During this time, it finally dawned on Ulquiorra that this situation was unusual. Why were these Pit Dwellers talking to him and not attacking? What did this alpha and her colony intend to do about his release of power in their territory?
"How did you become an arrancar, Omega? Are you our enemy? Or do you stand with your own kind?" the Alpha asked after a long, gaping silence.
"I was never one of you to begin with…but no I am not your enemy. I became an Arrancar by following High King White. I came here in order to achieve a greater level of power. My form you saw earlier was that achievement. We're training for a war. All hollows are building up power for the war with the Shinigami," the arrancar responded.
Many of the lesser pit dwellers were clueless about the information, but the betas and the alpha seemed to understand some of what he was saying.
"A higher level of power? So you surpassed the Alphas after all? I guess you were born different for a reason…" the alpha said as if piecing everything together.
"How do so many Menos coexist under such leadership? Don't you have to feed?" the alpha asked.
Ulquiorra shook his head, "No, Arrancars do not have to feed on other hollows."
"Interesting…the other alphas should definitely hear about this. They will be very interested in your…transformation," the alpha noted.
"I need to return to Las Noches and inform White about this second Primera Espada. We had no idea there was somewhere across the pit. He might want to explore it," Ulquiorra informed them.
The alpha gave him a curious look, "Do you intend to cross the Abyssal Scar, Omega? What gives you the right to enter our territory?"
"Right by power. None of you are a match for any of the Espada, let alone High King White. We have no intention to disturb you however. We will simply cross," Ulquiorra replied calmly.
"By power you say? Interesting…very interesting indeed. I'll tell you what, Omega. Return here with your King and I will gather the other alphas to meet him. If he can prove his strength to us, then we will grant you passage across. Deal?" The alpha said slowly.
"You have my word…by the way, what is your name?" Ulquiorra asked curiously.
"I am the Alpha of this colony. The other alphas however refer to me as Dusk. You can call me that if you wish," Dusk replied.
"I will return as soon as possible," Ulquiorra stated as he began to walk through the swarm.
Much to his fascination, they moved aside as he passed. As he continued onward, he heard Dusk's voice again, "The other alphas won't be as understanding as I am, Omega. If they don't agree to this, then I will side with them over you. Your King better be as strong as you say he is."
"My name is Ulquiorra…" was all he said in response before flying away.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soifon, Torre Del Sol, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
After a considerable trek through the desert, Soifon noticed something bizarre about the Outlands. The further they got from the Pit, the brighter the sky seemed to become. In fact, it didn't even appear to be the permanent night that she was used to seeing now.
Soifon looked around greatly confused by the change and noticed the moon was completely absent from the sky as well. After going over a massive cliff wall, she stood on the edge next to Athena, Yin, and Yang. All four of them were looking over the horizon where Soifon could see a massive tower sticking into the sky. Directly above it, she saw the Sun.
There was daylight in this part of Hueco Mundo. Soifon shook her head in disbelief as she tried to theorize reasons why that would be. She didn't really get much of a chance to think before Athena interrupted her thoughts, "Here you have it, Soifon…Torre Del Sol. This is my little base of operations so to speak."
The former Shinigami gawked at the building, 'She certainly didn't prepare me for this! She considers THIS a little base?! That tower is enormous!'
"You don't consider this impressive?" Soifon asked Athena disbelievingly.
The tower was far more incredible than Athena led her to believe. It must have been at least a kilometer high, and the tower was adorned in some type of white stone. It seemed to share a similar architecture to Las Noches but under the sunlight it radiated like a pillar of supremacy compared to everything nearby. Soifon stared at it in wonder and couldn't help but think how strange it was that hollows managed to create something so incredibly beautiful in their drab, depressing world.
"It's not really impressive in comparison to Las Noches. The Night Palace was far more impressive," Athena restated.
'She considers that oversized dome with a bunch of flat top pillars more impressive than this tower?! Is she crazy?' Soifon thought.
"Las Noches was surrounded by six towers just like this. It's central citadel was twice as tall as all of them and decorated in the banners of the Espada. It was truly remarkable," Athena said distantly.
Things started to make more sense to Soifon as she thought about Las Noches' current architecture. Its surrounding towers were only about half the size of this one, and Las Noches did not have a central citadel…at least not anymore.
'Those towers at Las Noches were all mostly flat at the tops. And the dome that made up the main part of the palace was well below the same plane of their tops. Maybe during the war they were cut in half? The citadel certainly isn't there anymore. I guess whatever hollow replaced Zangetsu turned it into a dome? Maybe that's why she keeps referring to Las Noches as a ruin. This is all too much for me to take in right now,' Soifon noted mentally.
"Why is there daylight here but eternal night back there?" Soifon asked confused.
"Good question…I'll tell you if you answer a question for me. Do you think I'm a fool?" Athena asked bluntly.
"W-what?" Soifon replied nervously.
Yin and Yang traded confused looks with one another not understanding Athena's question themselves.
"You were a Shinigami weren't you?" Athena asked.
Yin and Yang both jaw dropped, but before they had a chance to voice their anger, Athena held a hand up to silence them.
"What makes you think that?" Soifon replied carefully.
"You're wearing black…you had a Zanpakuto before becoming a full arrancar…your scleras were black. Only hollows with vast Shinigami power get black sclera eyes. You're also far more curious about Hueco Mundo than any hollow I've encountered. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that you're a former Shinigami," Athena deduced.
Soifon looked down completely shamed, "Why didn't you kill me then? Don't you hate Shinigami? What was the point of telling me all that stuff and bringing me here then?"
"You're not a Shinigami anymore…you're a hollow. I told you those things because I was curious about how you ended up like this. I also wanted to see how you'd act if I pretended to be oblivious. It was all to test your character. You chose to follow us…whether it was out of curiosity or desperation is irrelevant. So you mind telling me how you ended up an arrancar like this?" Athena asked.
The former captain was terrified at the idea of being caught in a lie and simply decided to admit the truth, "I…was transformed by this hollow named White. He sent me back to the Soul Society in some strange hollowfied state. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I was in a lab and they said something about the possibility of Soul Suicide. I thought I was going to die, but instead I became some type of Visored I think."
"A Visored? What the heck is that?" Yang wondered.
Yin seemed deeply troubled by the news that Soifon was a former Shinigami, and was glaring daggers at her.
"A Visored is a Shinigami with hollow powers…they're the antithesis of arrancars," Soifon answered.
"I'm surprised the Shinigami would tolerate something like that…" Athena said doubtfully.
"T-they didn't…they tried to execute me. Before it could happen I escaped through Negacion in the Soul Society." Soifon explained.
"You called a Menos Guardian? I'm surprised a Shinigami would know about something like that. I wasn't even aware your kind knew about Negacion," Athena said piecing the puzzle together.
"How does it feel huh? To try and be killed just for being a hollow?!" Yin interrupted somewhat bitterly as she continued to glare at Soifon.
The former captain sighed and looked down, "Look, I just follow orders okay? My family has served the Soul Society for generations. We have to maintain balance and keep the worlds in order."
"Why you! Even in spite of Athena's mercy you're still acting like one of them!? You make me sick!" Yin spat.
"Calm down, Yin," Athena said sternly before facing Soifon again.
"You say black sclera represent strong Shinigami powers, mistress? Does that mean she was like a captain or something?" Yang asked Athena.
The former espada tilted her head at Soifon knowingly, "Were you a Shinigami Captain?"
"Yes…" Soifon admitted quietly.
"Hueco Mundo isn't quite what you thought it was, huh? Arrancars are scarce and your generation has probably never seen one before. When I spoke about the Gotei 13, you seemed troubled. Is the fire wielder Yamamoto still alive? Or the Kenpachi Unohana? They murdered Zangetsu you know. I don't know what kind of upbringing you had beneath such ruthless warriors, Soifon, but understand this: They are bigger monsters than any hollow ever was," Athena said conclusively.
Soifon looked down again, "So what happens now?"
"I say we kill this Shinigami bitch!" Yin growled.
Athena glanced over at Yin and narrowed her gaze. One second later, the arrancar was on her knees struggling to stay up. "Calm down," the lavender beauty said in a low tone.
'She dropped that arrancar to her knees by just looking at her? Did she do that with her spiritual pressure? This Athena is even stronger than I thought,' Soifon realized.
"When we first found you, you mentioned the name White. I am curious…who is he?" Athena asked, "and why did he hollowfy you?"
"White is a dangerous hollow that showed up on our radar a few years ago. He's been the number one priority for the Soul Society for a while now. He invaded the Soul Society and infiltrated the Seireitei with the help of three traitor captains by the names of Aizen, Tousen, and Ichimaru. He declared war on the Soul Society and destroyed the Sekkiseki Barrier along with an entire Rukongai District," Soifon answered.
"Sekkiseki barrier? What is that?" Athena asked.
"It's a force field around the Seireitei created by the Sekkiseki stone walls. It nullifies spiritual power which keeps anyone from breaking into the heart of the Soul Society," Soifon explained.
"Such a thing exists now? The Shinigami from my time didn't hide behind walls. Your wall must not have been that impenetrable if a single hollow broke through it," Athena noted.
Soifon shrugged, "Yeah…I guess so."
"Wait so…three captains betrayed the Soul Society and helped this hollow infiltrate the Seireitei? Why?" Yang asked.
"That's what I came to Hueco Mundo for to find out…I was the Stealth Force Captain. I came here to find out what their reason for attacking us was," Soifon bent the truth.
"One hollow has the Soul Society that terrified? Hmph…you're a lot weaker than you used to be if that's the case. They didn't fear the Espada when we were in our prime," Athena noted.
Yin stood up and appeared calm now. She shook her head confused, "Is that why you were looking for Las Noches?"
"This White…does he live in Las Noches?" Athena asked curiously.
"He's the King…" Soifon answered after an awkward silence.
Athena narrowed her gaze somewhat disgusted, "Is that so? A true king is measured by his influence over a population. Ruling over the ruins of Las Noches with a bunch of Adjuchas does not make one worthy of such a title. Only Zangetsu deserved that title."
"We should go see this guy for ourselves. It's an insult to the Espada for him to call himself the King of Hueco Mundo," Yang suggested.
"Good luck with that…White is the most powerful hollow the Soul Society has ever encountered. He's also got his own Espada. Las Noches is full of arrancars loyal to him," Soifon stated.
"What?! His own Espada?! So that's why you were staring at my number?" Athena said displeased.
Soifon nodded, "Yeah…between them and three traitor Shinigami captains, I doubt you'd even reach him. I was a fool for thinking I could outplay White. The guy's a monster…a true fiend. He did this to me because I hated hollows."
"I see…and he sent you back like that as well? This White seems serious about warring with the Soul Society. He sounds like the complete opposite of Zangetsu," Athena sighed.
"I think I like this guy already. Is he recruiting?" Yin said approvingly.
"That's a rather cruel thing to do…especially to a former Shinigami Captain. There's a difference between justice and revenge. This White sounds no better than the old Gotei 13. It would have been more merciful to simply kill you," Yang held her head dejectedly.
"Does he actually have the capability to challenge the Shinigami leaders power-wise?" Yin asked anxiously. She seemed impressed despite Athena and Yang's reactions.
"Before all of this happened I would have said no…but now I know for a fact that we stand no chance of winning without mass casualties. There's simply too many powerful hollows that serve him," Soifon answered.
Athena stared blankly in the distance as if she was in a state of disbelief. Finally, she regained her senses and looked at Torre Del Sol, "I'm surprised such a cruel, bloodthirsty hollow had the ability to unite so many hollows beneath him. How could I have been blind to this happening? I visited the Menos Highlands about a century ago. I would have noticed a rising arrancar population."
"I'm surprised you're not in support of it to be honest…" Soifon shook her head.
Athena crossed her arms, "It doesn't make sense to me. Where did all of those arrancars come from? Why are they hungry for war?"
"We don't know…the Soul Society had no idea about any of this until just recently. We thought White just had a few Vasto Lordes working with him. I had no idea that he had an arrancar army," Soifon shrugged.
"What's the matter, Athena? I thought you'd be happy to see the Shinigami taken down a notch," Yin noticed.
"Something about this just doesn't sit right with me. I need to see for myself what's going on," Athena said seriously.
'I was afraid she was going to say something like that…but what do I really have to lose at this point? It's not like I'm part of the Soul Society anymore. I don't know what to think or do…but this Athena woman doesn't seem all that bad. She's going to get herself killed if she crosses White though. I wonder what that bastard will say when he sees me again?' Soifon wondered.
All of a sudden, the four of them sensed a skyrocketing spiritual pressure coming from the direction of the Abyssal Scar. From the distance, Athena could barely make out a green pillar of spiritual energy flashing skyward.
"What was that?!" Yang gasped concerned.
"Black and green spiritual energy? That's strange…only pit dwellers have green spiritual energy here. I've never seen it black like that though," Athena said.
"What does that mean exactly?" Yin chimed in.
"It means one of the pit dwellers is an arrancar. And judging by that power, it's a powerful one too. Possibly one of the alphas," Athena realized.
"You asked me earlier if I saw the white bat right? I did…it's White's arrancar buddy. The two of them have been sighted together the most in all of White's attacks. When we first saw it, the white bat didn't even have a mouth. He's pretty much White's right hand enforcer," Soifon told them.
"Come inside the tower, Soifon…I want to show you something," Athena gestured for Soifon to follow her as she jumped down and fast tracked towards it.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ichigo, Las Noches XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo sighed heavily as he walked out of Szayel's lab again. They had just finished interrogating BG9, and he was now up to speed on the Quincies and their plans. The arrancar shook his head, 'This isn't good. They're planning on attacking us first…which would make it a bad idea to directly attack the Shinigami first. That would leave us exposed on a two front war. Besides…I can't just leave Yuzu there all by herself. I won't let them turn her into one of them. It's bad enough Karin and the Old guy had to get involved, but Yuzu too?! Aizen was right…I need to acquire my Second form as soon as possible.'
He was drawn from his thoughts as he noticed Zommari standing nearby outside of the lab. The burly man looked at him curiously, "What are we going to do, White?"
"Nothing changes for the time being. Szayel has that Quincy properly restrained, and I highly doubt he's in a hurry to return to his leaders since we forced that information out of him. The best thing to do for now is to continue training," Ichigo sighed.
"I understand…do you have any plans to deal with the Quincies any time soon?" Zommari asked.
Ichigo nodded, "We're going to let them come to us. It gives us time to properly set things up for their arrival. Szayel is continuing work on his bio-weapon, and all of the Espada are working on achieving second releases. We'll reconvene later whenever everyone gets back from training."
"Szayel's safety should be a high priority if we're counting on his bio-weapon. You do not need to concern yourself with matters here, your highness. I will see to it that the Quincy remains docile and that Szayel is protected should anything occur," Zommari suggested.
"Alright, that sounds good. Try to get as much training in as you can though," Ichigo nodded.
"The scientist has already offered me good advice on how to improve. I will see to it that I do so," Zommari said conclusively.
"Alright, see you later then," Ichigo waved before taking his leave.
He made his way further down the palace hallways until he finally reached his room. Upon stepping inside, Ichigo noticed Nel standing there. The Turquoise haired beauty looked up at him eagerly as he entered his room.
"Ichigo!? There you are! I've been looking for you the past day it seems. I figured you'd eventually come back to your room so I just waited here in case you were wondering," Nel quickly explained the situation.
"That's fine, Nel…what did you need?" Ichigo asked.
She frowned, "It's about those Quincies…there's no doubt in my mind that they were just simple scouts, but it still took Grimmjow and myself to stop them. I'm worried about how powerful they are. Are we in any real position to fight even a dozen of enemies like that? Sure the Espada can likely match them…but what about the enemy leaders?"
"Szayel, Zommari, Yylfordt, and I all uncovered some information about them from the android Quincy survivor. The three that came here were indeed Sternritters…the elite knights of the Wandenreich. Supposedly there's about two dozen of them at any given time. From that number, only a handful of them are truly a match for the Espada. According to the Quincy survivor, BG9, most of the Sternritters are at or above the power level of Shinigami Captains," Ichigo clarified.
Nel seemed even more distressed now, "Two dozen enemies just like them? That's a lot to deal with…did you learn about which ones were the most dangerous or powerful?"
Ichigo nodded, "Yes…according to BG9 there are six members of the Wandenreich that they consider war potentials. Sternritters B, C, D, M, V, and their leader Yhwach who is A. Whenever the Espada reconvene, I'll go over what we've uncovered about these war potentials and their powers. There's no need to be worried Nel. So long as we remain smart and all achieve our second releases, then everything will be fine."
"Well if the upper Espada are preoccupied in dealing with the six war potentials, then who's going to fight the other Sternritters?" Nel wondered.
"Our Fracciones and the Numeros will have to. That's why I stressed the importance of training them. Don't fret too much over that…the rest of the Espada will be able to help them, and I have Szayel preparing a Bio-weapon for extra measures. We'll be ready for them, Nel," Ichigo said intensely as he envisioned ripping apart the Quincy ranks.
"Well I feel a little better knowing you at least have a plan for this. Thanks for calming me down, Ichigo," Nel let out a sigh of relief. It was very evident that she was stressed over the impending invasion.
"Have you made any progress with your training at all?" Ichigo asked.
Nel shrugged, "Some I guess…but I don't really understand how we're supposed to reach a second level you know?"
"Well I'm about to go train further out in the desert. You're welcome to join me if you'd like," Ichigo offered.
"I'd love to train with you, but are you sure I wouldn't get in your way? I don't want to be a distraction if you need time to really get things done. I know you've been really busy with everyone coming to you for every little thing lately," she said with a reserved demeanor.
"You won't be a distraction for me, Nel. Don't worry about that…and besides I know you're strong enough to hold your own with me. We'll get some good training in," Ichigo said encouragingly.
'Not a distraction huh? I guess Ichigo doesn't really see me any differently than he does the others. The real problem is he's a distraction for me…' Nel thought to herself.
"Well…it's more along the lines of me not being able to focus around you," she said quietly.
Ichigo cocked his head confused, "Really? Why's that?"
"Umm, well you know…I've never actually been alone with you before now. I'd be too tempted to talk and stuff instead of train," Nel said shyly.
"I understand, Nel…it's no problem. I'm going to head out there for a bit. Let me know if you change your mind," he said as he made his way to the balcony edge. Before he could reach it, he felt Nel grab his hand from behind.
He turned back to look at her confused, and noticed she had a small smile on her face. He stared at her for a moment uncertainly, "What?"
She immediately proceeded to hug him tightly. Ichigo watched her curiously as Nel stood there for a brief moment in her embrace. The arrancar woman sighed heavily, "Thanks for being so great, Ichigo…you make everything around here better."
"No problem, Neliel…thanks for coming by. I'll catch up with you later," Ichigo hugged back before breaking the embrace and departing into the horizon.
After he left, Nel leaned against the balcony and swallowed the lump in her throat, 'It's so hard to hold back around him. Under any other situation I can remain level headed, but Ichigo just brings something out in me that I can't repress. I'd love to train with him…but he's too much of a distraction for me. I'll work hard and make sure I reach second release…for the sake of all of us. I don't want to lose what he's created for everyone in Las Noches.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ichigo, Further out in the Desert XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Finally a considerable distance away from Las Noches, Ichigo stopped and began to think about how he was going to reach his second release. The hollow king let out a brief sigh as he sat down against a nearby rock formation. He tried to get all of the recent events out of his mind and focus solely on the matter at hand. Ichigo took this time to think about what Aizen had told him before.
'The blade is a part of me…I need to try and contact Zangetsu in my mind like I did that one time with Aizen. But how will I do that?' Ichigo wondered as his mind drifted blankly.
'Zangetsu…who are you really? The original king of Hueco Mundo…there must be a reason why my Zanpakuto is named after you…' Ichigo thought to himself as he drifted deeper and deeper into his mind. After what felt like a long silence, he opened his eyes and found himself in his inner world.
This time however, instead of sideways skyscrapers, he saw what appeared to be a desert city. Ichigo was standing on top of a tall tower and noticed several others just like it nearby. For some odd reason, the moon was completely full as well. Below the towers was a large city encircled around them and in the middle of the towers was a massive citadel.
He stared at it in awe as he looked around, "This place looks so familiar…" Ichigo said aloud as he leapt from the tower and flew around the massive citadel at high speed. Ichigo quickly made his way to the peak of the colossal, central tower and finally realized something.
'This place looks a lot like Hueco Mundo. Those towers…that sand…what the hell is this place?!' Ichigo thought confused.
He stood at the pinnacle of the central tower and looked over the city below with amazement.
"Las Noches…Quite a sight to see isn't it?" A voice sounded from behind.
Ichigo reflexively spun around with his hand on the hilt of his weapon, "Zangetsu?! Is that you?"
His eyes widened in confusion when he saw a ghostly pale hollow with black scleras, golden irises, and white hair.
The hollow looked almost exactly like him, but with a different color scheme. Ichigo stared at the hollow confused, "You're…not Zangetsu. Where is he?"
"He is Zangetsu, but so am I," a dark haired, blue eyed third party announced.
Ichigo gawked as he saw the dark haired blue eyed teenager again. This time, he didn't appear half hollowfied, but completely normal.
"What the hell is this?! Why's there two of you?" Ichigo demanded confused.
"For the same reason you have a dual Zanpakuto. He is your inner hollow and I am your inner Quincy. Your Shinigami powers are too strong to fit into one weapon, and Quincy and hollow powers cannot fuse. As a result, you have two Zanpakutos and two halves of Zangetsu," the dark haired teenager stated calmly as he walked next to the white hollow.
Ichigo stared at the two of them for a moment before shaking his head, "I don't get it…
"We only combined because you were in trouble last time. Under normal situations, you don't really call upon my power," his inner Quincy explained.
"What should I call you then?" Ichigo wondered.
"Zangetsu,"
"Zangetsu," They both said at the exact same time.
The orange haired hollow sighed as he shook his head, "Alright, well here's the thing…I need more power. Tell me is there any way to achieve a second release?"
"To achieve a second release, you have to master Zangetsu," the hollow Zangetsu answered.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked confused.
His question was immediately answered when his hollow and quincy selves each drew a single blade. He was quick to realize that they were each holding one of his swords.
Ichigo shook his head at them, "You've got to be kidding me…"
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