章節 23: White Chapter 23: Sunlight Princess
*Tu his fanfic belongs to Melkor's Mercy, I don't own anything*
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Deep in the Desert, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo and Ulquiorra progressed with impressive speed as they made their way towards the Outskirts of the desert. The Pit wasn't far from them now. The better part of their trip had been spent mostly in silence, but Ulquiorra made sure to catch Ichigo up on the situation at hand.
As they neared the encroaching trench of darkness, Ichigo couldn't help but feel reminded of the last time he and Ulquiorra saw this place. It was dark, abyssal, and in many ways scary. Just the idea of going into it brought back the anxiety of isolation that he constantly kept in the back of his mind.
"So...where are these pit hollows at anyway?" Ichigo asked as he and Ulquiorra finally reached the edge of the cliff overlooking the Abyssal Scar. Ulquiorra sighed as he looked over the dark landscape. His bright green eyes appeared to detect movement below. Ichigo had no doubt that they were well-attuned towards seeing long distances in the dark.
Ulquiorra cleared his throat before releasing an unusual bat like shriek into the darkness below. A moment passed with no effect occuring whatsoever. Just when Ichigo thought it didn't work, he heard a returning call from the pit.
This was immediately followed by several more and then a loud echoing chorus of additional, lesser shrieks. As they stood on the cliff edge, Ichigo and Ulquiorra were soon surrounded as a black cloud of pit dwellers swarmed out of the Abyssal Scar and began to fly around them. It was very similar to a flock of bats flying out of a cave. The two Espada stood there unfazed as the variety of pit dwellers eventually settled around them on all sides of the cliff.
Behind them, a loud series of thuds caught their attention. Ichigo and Ulquiorra turned around and spotted a large group of gargoyle looking creatures. In front of them stood four smaller more vampire-like creatures. Based on Ulquiorra's earlier explanations, Ichigo realized they were the alphas.
Looking at their frames, Ichigo figured that two of them were female and two were males. They each resembled each other greatly, but had distinctive enough features that Ichigo could tell them apart. One of the males was muscular and burly and had forward facing horns and long ears as part of his mask fragment. He was easily the largest one out of the bunch. The other male was smaller and had a more androgynous build to him. His mask horns went out and they curved up.
One of the females was curvaceous and had 4 wings much to Ichigo's surprise, and the final one bore a striking resemblance to Ulquiorra. The one that looked like Ulquiorra the most was the first to speak, "You return, Omega...I take it this is your king? The King of Hueco Mundo?"
Ulquiorra nodded at her, "Yes, Dusk, this is White...High King of Hueco Mundo and Cero Espada of the arrancars."
"He doesn't look like much to me...this better not be a waste of our time, Dusk," the smaller male said as he sized Ichigo up and down.
"We're standing right here...if you'd like to introduce yourselves then you may do so now," Ulquiorra said somewhat annoyed.
The smaller, slightly effeminate male alpha chuckled, "My name is Umbra, Alpha of the Cavern Colonies."
The larger male spoke next, "I am Void, Alpha of the Deep Colonies."
The one that resembled Ulquiorra more than others spoke third, "I am Dusk, King White, and I am the alpha of the Surface Colonies."
The 4 winged Alpha did not even bother speaking as she looked between Ichigo and Ulquiorra curiously. Both of the espada stared at her awaiting some kind of introduction, but one never came much to their surprise.
"Who is she then?" Ichigo finally asked as he stared at the four winged Alpha which was undoubtedly the most powerful one among them.
"That's Eclipse, she's the Supreme Alpha," Dusk spoke on the other alphas behalf.
"Supreme Alpha? What makes her so much stronger than the rest of you?" Ulquiorra asked.
Dusk shook her head, "Eclipse is the oldest...she's like our older sister. None of us have ever really fought her...but it's instinctual to know that she is the most powerful."
"Well I suppose the extra pair of wings might distinguish her a bit as well," Ulquiorra noted as he nodded in understanding.
Ichigo couldn't help but find Eclipse's refusal to talk annoying, "Does she not speak?"
"Eclipse is very quiet...she spends most of her time alone. Do not take offense, King White, even we alphas have a difficult time coaxing Eclipse from her solitude. Honestly I'm surprised she even showed up at all. News of your empire has obviously caught her interest," Dusk explained diplomatically.
Ichigo was thankful that the one called Dusk was being respectful and accomodating. It was obvious that the other three alphas did not appear all that impressed by him or Ulquiorra...at least not yet.
"Dusk told us that you two had a desire to cross our territory...before we humor the notion, I would like to know what exactly you hoped to accomplish by crossing? Is the purple haired hollow one of yours?" Void asked demandingly.
"She is not...that is why we came. Ulquiorra and I have no intention of bringing your kind into our own affairs. You're free to do as you will in this dark pit...but we must cross," Ichigo replied.
"Ah yes...Ulquiorra, the legendary Omega. I had no idea that he still lived. The White Bat is quite the elusive creature. How ever did you manage to bring him under your command, White? Is it your intention to subdue the rest of the Pit Hollows?" Umbra asked.
"Not at all...like I said, we just want to pass without any trouble. You can either accept that, or face the consequences of challenging our power. I don't need to have your permission at all. The fact that I am even meeting with you first is a courtesy. I could have been on my way over this chasm by now," Ichigo threatened.
Void growled at him, "I'll be honest...I only agreed to this meeting so that I could learn more about these so-called arrancars. They must not be very impressive if you are their king."
"And yet the purple haired one proved too much for us to handle...do not bite off more than you can chew, Void," Dusk retorted.
"If you intend to pass us by right of power then it will take a lot more than some big words to convince me, White!" Void growled.
"Stop being confrontational, Void! Do you have any idea how powerful arrancars are?! I lost half of my betas to that damned purple haired arrancar. The Omega here is also way more powerful than any of us...that's not even counting how powerful his king must be," Dusk defended the arrancars.
"So you would have us submit and kneel to some Menos Lord? The very idea is pathetic, Dusk..." Umbra hissed.
"We did not come here with the intention to conquer your kind, but I have no qualms about doing so if you challenge me or my followers," Ichigo interrupted.
Void glared at Ulquiorra angrily, "You stand against your own kind, Omega? Is your king truly as powerful as you believe? Are you truly so powerful that you can threaten us without an ounce of fear?!"
"Yes," was all Ulquiorra said in response as he stoically stared the alphas down.
"Is that so?! Then prove your stength to us, Omega!" Void said aggressively as he stomped forward. The surrounding colonies of pit dwellers shrieked in anxiousness as Ulquiorra calmly walked forward.
'These are Ulquiorra's people...it might be best to let him work this out,' Ichigo thought as he watched the Omega and the burly alpha approach each other.
Void immediately held up a hand and charged a massive green and white cero. Ulquiorra didn't even bother readying his own to counter it as the blast fired in his direction. Much to all of the pit dwellers' shock, Ulquiorra caught and redirected the blast skyward. It immediately followed with a blast of explosive power drowning the area in spiritual pressure.
Ulquiorra's brow narrowed as he walked forward unscathed. The alpha charged him and swept in with a powerful claw, but it was immediately caught as Ulquiorra grabbed the larger hollow's wrist. With one simple squeeze, Ulquiorra brought the alpha to his knees. He then grabbed Void by the throat and squeezed. This prevented the alpha from getting up much to the others' disbelief. Despite his smaller stature, Ulquiorra was easily manhandling Void.
With a shriek of anger, Void broke lose and began to attack Ulquiorra with a furious rage. A swift counter knocked the alpha back to the ground. Void stopped his assault momentarily as he stared Ulquiorra down with widened eyes, "You're not even trying are you?"
Ulquiorra drew his Zanpakuto upon hearing the question and shook his head, "No...but I can if you wish. Enclose Murciélago."
A shower of green spiritual energy rained down upon the landscape and caused a shockwave to knock everyone except Eclipse and Ichigo back. Ulquiorra stood there in his first release form and stared over the alphas calmly.
"Such power..." Void said gulping back fearfully. He was proud, but not stupid. It was clear to him now that Ulquiorra was on a level beyond him.
"Impressive display of power, Omega...you are every bit as powerful as Dusk said you were," Eclipse spoke for the first time.
The other alphas all looked over at her wide-eyed. "What should we do, Eclipse?" Umbra asked their leader uncertainly.
"So it is true then...you have become like the Old ones then haven't you, Omega? I could hardly believe it when Dusk told me you were an arrancar. I wonder if this is a sign of fate or if it is simply a fortuitous event. Regardless of whether it is fate or chance, this encounter presents us with an opportune situation," Eclipse continued.
"What are you saying Eclipse?" Void asked confused.
"You knew about arrancars already?" Dusk asked surprised.
Eclipse nodded, "Of course I did...Lunaryu told me centuries ago."
Ichigo stared at her confused, "Lunaryu?!"
'I know that name...it was Zangetsu's Zanpakuto!' Ichigo thought surprised. He kept his composure as best he could as he awaited a response.
"Lunaryu the great Moonlight Dragon and blade of the king...was infused with the spiritual powers of the Moon. She blessed four hollows with the remnants of Zangetsu's power long after he died. Each was given a small fragment of his soul's power so that they would one day be brought together by fate. One was gifted the moon's gravity with control over time and space...one was gifted with the control over water...one with a reflection of the moon...and one with the moonlight itself. . Lunaryu dissipated a long time ago...divied among these four hollows. She lives on through them," Eclipse explained almost poetically.
"What relevance does any of that have to us? How did this, Lunaryu tell you these things if she is no longer here?" Ulquiorra asked.
Eclipse chuckled at Ulquiorra's question, "It is relevant...because you are one of those four, Lord Omega. You embody the moonlight itself...you were chosen by Lunaryu. I bore witness to your birth as the White bat. A being of darkness...and yet you radiate the moon's light."
"You what?! You knew what I was the entire time and you never tried to tell me?! WHY?!" Ulquiorra lost his cool.
"For the very reason that you stand here now...because causality has deemed it so. Or rather...Zangetsu has," Eclipse replied calmly.
"One with the gravity of time and space...one with the control over water...one with the reflection of the moon...and one with the moonlight itself..." Ulquiorra said aloud as he thought about who the other three candidates were.
"Barragan...Harribel...they're both the others aren't they?!" Ichigo realized as the epiphany hit him full force.
Ulquiorra's jaw dropped, "What does that mean exactly? We're all a part of this ancient hollow?"
"What about the last one...one with a reflection of the moon?" Ichigo wondered.
"Starrk and Lilynette..." Ulquiorra figured out finally.
Ichigo's jaw simply dropped, "This...can't be real can it? I can understand Ulquiorra, but how would the rest of them manifest from Lunaryu like that?"
Eclipse shrugged, "I couldn't say, King White, but judging on your reactions, I take it you know the others. They are all drawn to you...why is that? What subconciously draws those four to you?"
"Because...Zangetsu is the name of my Zanpakuto. He and I are one in a way," Ichigo answered after a long silence. The other alphas, betas, and most of the pit dwellers in general didn't appear to have any idea what Eclipse and the arrancars were talking about.
Dusk looked confused as she spoke up, "What does this mean then, Eclipse?"
"Kneel...all of you!" Eclipse commanded with a loud shriek before she bowed her head and took a knee.
Seeing their leader kneeling immediately forced every other pit dweller to follow suit. Ichigo looked at them all confused, "You knew Zangetsu then..."
"Before Lunaryu divided into the chosen four...she showed me a vision a White King. Zangetsu himself...if you are he, then you are the rightful Lord of all Hollows," Eclipse answered.
Ulquiorra and Ichigo traded surprised glances. The dark haired espada seemed very deep in thought as he contemplated on the significance of this revelation, 'Even in the beginning, we were drawn together...Harribel and Starrk too. Even Barragan to some extent. The top five Espada were all brought together...could this be fate? Does such a thing even exist?'
Ichigo on the other hand was completely blown away by the news, 'Zangetsu threw his sword in the final battle...he planned for this to happen. Did he anticipate being reborn somehow? Or did he intend for his remaining powers to be divied among four worthy hollows who would one day use his power to bring about a new age? This is not a coincidence.'
"We will grant you passage across the Abyssal Scar, my lords. Follow us...I am eager to see who this purple haired arrancar is for myself," Eclipse spoke as she stood up and walked towards the cliff edge.
"You know so much already...I'm honestly surprised you don't have any idea who she is," Ulquiorra finally spoke again.
Before Eclipse could reply, Dusk interjected, "Perhaps she's a survivor of the ancient regime. That's the only explanation that makes sense."
"We will see for ourselves when we find her. Lead the way, Eclipse," Ichigo commanded. Shortly afterward, they all departed over the pit. Several of the betas were polite enough to even carry Ichigo and Ulquiorra personally.
As they departed Ichigo sat there deep in thought on the beta's back, 'In a way...Zangetsu lives on through all of us. His compassion for weaker hollows. Harribel and I shared that trait. His will to dominate and unite Hueco Mundo...that was Barragan and I's dream. His lonliness in his power and his desire for companionship...Starrk and I are like that. The trust between Ulquiorra and I...our connection to the moon. How else could those four be my strongest followers? Zangetsu lives on through all of us. I wonder if that's how Barragan was able to defeat a former Espada too. It all makes sense...and yet I can't fathom the complexity behind all of this.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Torre Del Sol, Soifon and Athena XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The past few days had been a very unusual experience for Soifon. Athena had proven herself to be genuine in her desire to help Soifon understand her hollow powers. In the brief time that they had spent working on them, Soifon learned all about the nature of how hollow powers worked in conjunction with Shinigami ones. It was this that made arrancar powers an interesting hybrid.
"You have learned much recently, Soifon...although it is a shame that you will never fully understand the instinctual hunger. It is through that feeling that your powers truly manifest themselves to you. It is how hollows know what to do and how to use their powers when they have to," Athena stated as Soifon practiced another volley of ceros and sonidos.
"How many times do you have to say that...I get the point already! I don't need your hollow precognition or instincts to know what my powers are. I've always been gifted with speed, and my power is over wind," Soifon repeated with annoyance as she zipped around at incredible speeds.
"Are you ready for another spar then, Soifon? I am eager to see how much you have learned since the last time you blew off my advice," Athena said with crossed arms.
The former captain stopped in front of the arrancar and drew her Zanpakuto, "Sting all enemies to death, Suzumebachi!"
Soifon released her hollowfied looking Shikai and got into a low menacing stance.
Athena looked at her somewhat displeased, "It's unusual that you can still manifest a Shikai despite being an arrancar. You're not like normal arrancars. I've wasted enough time humoring your stubbornness. We need to discover why you can't manifest a resurreccion."
Soifon noticed this little feature herself whenever Athena first attempted to teach her about resurreccions. She still had the ability to use her shikai, and did not appear to have a resurreccion. This little anomally had been the primary focus of her training for the past two days in order to discover why. Soifon believed it was because she was closer to being a visored than an arrancar. That being said, she wasn't really like the other visoreds either.
'Whatever that bastard, White did to me is not something she's going to figure out by training me again and again,' Soifon thought to herself as she stared down Athena.
Wind erupted all around Soifon's body as a yellowish black aura enveloped her, "I don't need to be like normal arrancars, because I am not one of them!"
"You mean you're not one of us?" Athena clarified.
Soifon huffed at her, "That's not what I meant...it's just I...you wouldn't understand. What makes a resurreccion so much stronger than a shikai anyway huh?!"
Her defensive attitude caused Athena's brow to rise as if she figured something out.
"I get it now...you're trying to draw on your shinigami powers more than your hollow ones. You can't deny half of your soul or power. It will cripple you, Soifon. It seems only a life-threatening situation is going to draw out more of your hollow powers and break you of this foolishness. You ask why a resurreccion is so powerful? I can show you," Athena said with slight grin.
Without wasting another breath, Soifon exploded towards Athena with untrackable speed. Much to her satisfaction, Soifon managed to land several blows to the lavender haired beauty from different angles.
She danced around gracefully as she jabbed her stinger blade at Athena from all angles. Her successful bout was short lived as Athena blasted her back with a blinding wave of fire.
The sheer magnitude behind it completely overwhelmed her forcing Soifon to take cover behind several boulders as the landscape burned in purple fire. She could hardly believe the beautiful yet terrifying sight as she looked over at Athena whose spiritual aura was ablaze with colorful, blinding flames.
"Ignite, Sol!" Athena said powerfully as all the light surrounding them gathered towards her drawn Zanpakuto. The sky visibly darkened as she did so causing Athena to become the main light source in the area.
Soifon could only watch with utter astonishment at the now radiant, winged goddess before her. 'She's so beautiful...' was all Soifon could think as she squinted trying to avoid the overwhelming blinding light and radiating heat.
Yin and Yang who stood a considerable distance back traded amazed expressions as well. They had only seen Athena's release once before, and it was truly a thing of wonder in their eyes.
Before they could continue, Athena receded her resurreccion. Soifon cocked her head in confusion at the sight. 'Why did she revert back to normal?'
"I sense...a great shadow in the distance. Let us return to Torre Del Sol...I believe your old acquaintance, White, isn't far away. He will be here today," Athena explained as she immediately took her leave.
Soifon wasted no time following her, but as she briefly glanced in the distance she could feel a shiver run down her spine. It shook her to the very bone and soul.
'White is coming...' she thought fearfully as she hurried back to Torre Del Sol with Athena and the twins.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Outlands, Hueco Mundo, Ichigo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
As Ichigo and Ulquiorra reached the other side of the Abyssal Scar, they got off of the betas that carried them. The better part of their trip had been spent talking to the alphas. Despite their initial hostility, the two males Void and Umbra seemed especially receptive to the idea of joining forces with Ichigo and his Espada now.
The hollow king had no doubt that Eclipse's opinion played a major role in their change of heart. They asked many questions about recent happenings and how Ichigo conquered the Menos Highlands. It seemed the more he told them, the more receptive they were to the idea of a united Hueco Mundo.
Umbra shook his head in utter disgust, "Shinigami bastards...so all of this was their doing then? Thousands of years of war and endless depravity all because they were afraid of hollows getting too sophisticated?"
"It is rather deplorable..." Dusk agreed, "although I am amazed you were able to get so many hollows to work together. Not to mention, becoming arrancars fixes the feeding dilemma too. That could do a lot to help our kind as well."
"It's like Eclipse said...your coming heralds a new age for all of hollow-kind. This is truly a blessing from Lunaryu," Umbra nodded in agreement as he looked at Ichigo and Ulquiorra.
"So we are to become arrancars then as well?" Void asked Eclipse somewhat nervously. It was clear the idea still made him nervous, but the other alphas' acceptance of the idea had done wonders to calm his worries.
"We would be willing to undergo that assimilation...but there are certain conditions I would request, King White," Eclipse interjected.
"What would those conditions be?" Ichigo asked.
She cackled enthusiastically for a moment before responding, "Special accomodations in this incredible palace, Las Noches, that I keep hearing about."
"I'm sure we can arrange something like that," Ichigo nodded in agreement.
"Also, we want exclusive leadership...we pit dwellers will only serve the Lord Omega and you yourself personally, King White. I am not interested in being subservient to any of the others...even Lunaryu's chosen," Eclipse explained.
"That's fine...you four can be part of Ulquiorra's fraccion, and this army of Pit Dwellers can be his personal army. Everyone respects Ulquiorra enough to not have a problem with your conditions," Ichigo stated confidently.
"Then it's a deal...now then, back to the matter at hand. Welcome to the Outlands of Hueco Mundo, King White. I do not know where the purple haired arrancar is, but I do know this much...you will find her if you follow the light," Eclipse explained.
"I am eager to meet this woman," Ichigo replied as he took a step forward. He felt a strange gathering of power in the distance.
'Something's that way...wait, where did it go?' Ichigo blinked several times in confusion.
"Did you just-" Ichigo was about to ask if anyone else sensed it before Eclipse nodded.
"She's that way...let's go," Eclipse gestured.
Before they departed, Eclipse looked back at the massive colony of pit dwellers, "Stay here...only betas and alphas may come. The light will hurt the rest of you."
"The light? What light are you talking about?" Ulquiorra wondered.
"You'll see..." was all Eclipse said as she motioned for Ichigo and Ulquiorra to take point.
'She's pretty pushy for someone who just swore to follow us,' Ichigo couldn't help but find amusing.
Ulquiorra looked back at the other alphas, 'My people...who would have thought I would one day lead them.'
His eyes briefly met with Dusk's. She was staring very intently at him much to his curiosity. This did not go unnoticed by the others, especially Eclipse.
'I wonder what they think of me now?' Ulquiorra couldn't help but wonder as Ichigo led the way to the power source in the distance.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Torre Del Sol, Hueco Mundo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
It did not take long for Ichigo and company to finally reach the source of spiritual power. Along the way, the transition to daylight greatly alarmed them. The sight of a massive, shimmering tower was the most bizarre thing however.
Above it shined a radiant, blinding sun. Ichigo hadn't seen sunlight in a while and felt a bit blinded by it. Nevertheless, he continued onward until finally reaching the base of the tower.
He stared at the tower with amazement, 'This tower...it looks like the ones from my vision of the ancient Las Noches...what is this place?'
He looked around for a moment wondering where the source of power was truly coming from. Gazing up the length of the tower, he could finally sense it...the sun itself.
"Glorious isn't it...behold Torre Del Sol. Here stands the last remnant of the ancient empire untouched by time, war, or change," a powerful and charismatic female voice sounded all around them.
The pit dwellers appeared disturbed as a blinding light shot out from the tower entrance landing right in front of Ichigo and Ulquiorra. It was kind of angelic much to Ichigo's confusion.
Shimmering waves of light caused all of the pit dwellers to cringe and physically move back. The light in front of them soon took shape and finally formed into the shape of a beautiful woman. As the light subsided, the hollows all stared at the arrival in a mixture of amazement, confusion, and anxiousness.
Ichigo looked at the woman up and down. Her attire was very much like the kind the espada wore. On her shoulder was the number 1, which Ichigo found very convincing. Her hair was a ghostly pale lavender, and her entire body appeared to actually glow much to Ichigo's surprise.
She eyed him up and down with her deep, dark blue eyes and in them Ichigo saw astonishment. Athena stared at his face for a moment before shaking her head and blinking several times. She seemed more surprised than he did despite her epic entrance onto the scene. Ichigo found the unspoken body language strange as the two finally locked gazes.
"I know those eyes..." was all the mysterious woman said whispering to herself as she took a step forward.
"Who are you? What is this place?" Ichigo finally managed to ask.
The arrancar took a moment to regain her bearings and finally answered, "I am Athena Plateado...and as I said this is Torre Del Sol, my ancient home. I...I take it you are White?"
"You know of me? How?" Ichigo asked shocked.
"An acquaintence of yours told me that an arrancar had taken up residence in the ruins of Las Noches and declared himself king. I understand you have an army of arrancars...courtesy of an object called the Hogyoku yes?" Athena replied finally recovered from her initial surprise.
Ichigo furrowed his brow disbelievingly, "An acquaintance huh? Anyone that knows me well enough to be on my good side would not have kept you and your hidden tower a secret from me. Who is this acquaintance?"
"You wear the brand of the Espada...the number 1. What is the meaning of that? You are not our primera," Ulquiorra asked after Ichigo refused to answer the woman.
She looked at Ulquiorra curiously before looking over to the alphas, "Hmm I get it now...you're the White Bat. So that is why these pit dwellers are in your company. Interesting turn of events if I do say so myself."
'Her name is Athena? And this is Torre Del Sol? Those names are so familiar. I called her name in the vision of the Hell Butterfly. That can only mean one thing...' Ichigo finally accepted the possibility as truth that she was an ancient espada.
"I was the Primera a long time ago...under the rule of the rightful King Zangetsu," Athena exclaimed calmly.
Before Ichigo could respond to this confirmation of news, several arrivals came out next to Athena. Two of them appeared very similar in appearance minus their red and blue color variations, and the third one looked familiar to him.
Ichigo's eyes met with Soifon's. Her eyes were different from the last time he saw them. Instead of malice, ignorance, and disgust in them, he saw pure fear. Not a trembling kind of fear, but instead he saw a fear of the reprimand and punishment. It was a guilty look in her eyes...almost as if her being alive was an affront to him. As Soifon stared back into Ichigo's eyes, the only thing she could see was genuine disbelief.
"Captain Soifon? What are you doing here?" Ichigo asked as the sight of her there was more amazing to him than Athena.
Soifon tried to mouth off an insulting retort, but she couldn't force herself to speak. Just the sheer sight of Ichigo again was enough to put her into a nearly panicked state. It felt like she was going through some type of post-traumatic stress.
'C'mon, Soifon, say something! I've got a million things to say to this fucker...why can't I speak?!' she mentally fumed.
"We found her in the desert...on this side of the Abyssal Scar. She told us about you, and how you turned her into a hollow," Athena explained as Ichigo continued staring at Soifon.
Not only did he find it surprising that the former captain was alive in this place, but the look on her face was one of terror. It was clear to him that Soifon was afraid of what he was going to do with her.
Something about the way she looked at him made Ichigo feel bad, 'I meant to teach her a lesson...but it's weird seeing her like this. She won't even speak. This is almost worse than the look she gave me before I did this to her. Was it wrong of me to do? I thought she would just go back to the Seireitei and get executed...but to see her alive here and as an arrancar no less...'
"While I am not fond of the Shinigami myself, I have to say that what you did to her was especially cruel. It takes a spiteful and wicked type of person to subject someone to this kind of suffering before killing them. So I have to ask...why didn't you just kill her?" Athena questioned.
"I thought the Shinigami would kill her in an ironicly justified way..." was all Ichigo could say as he continued staring at Soifon.
She finally found her voice as she spoke to him for the first time, "They did try to kill me...I escaped the same way you and Aizen did. The big hollow used Negacion to pull me out. I ended up here..."
"Hooleer? He's in the cavern beneath Las Noches...how could he have pulled you out over here?" Ichigo said confused.
Athena sighed, "There's more than one of those types of guardian hollows you know. You're awfully ignorant for someone who claims to be King of all Hollows."
"So you're now one of us...how does it feel, Soifon? Not quite so different than being a Shinigami is it?" Ichigo said as he ignored Athena's remark.
Soifon fearfully stepped back. She wanted to look away from him, but Ichigo's gaze was magnetic it felt. Athena was somewhat surprised by Soifon's loss of backbone.
'She's terrified of this man. For one as prideful as her to fall back in such a way...it speaks volumes about him. He seems like a tyrannical warlord to me...as savage as a Vasto Lorde.' Athena though to herself.
"She is coming to terms with the punishment you put her through. Soifon is under my protection and guidance now. I have been trying to help her," Athena cut in catching Ichigo's attention again.
He glared at the purple haired arrancar, "Why would you bother helping her? She was too far gone to accept her condition. She's probably one of them still...I did that to her so that the soul society would think twice about spying on us. I also thought it would be ironic for her to die as a hollow by the Shinigami as proof at how stupid her false beliefs are. Are you saying she's different now? If so that's good."
"You...have no regrets about doing this to me?" Soifon gritted her teeth at him. It wasn't just anger he could sense in her, but also sadness and self-pity. Why was she expecting any different from White, the evil hollow king?
"Should I? Do you have regrets about the things you've said or done? Somehow I doubt it. You've probably found some pathetic way to victimize yourself in this situation haven't you? Still can't come to terms with what I was trying to show you? Let me ask you...can you see now, Soifon? Or are you still blind?" Ichigo asked.
Soifon swallowed the lump in her throat as she fought her inner self for the ability to speak. Finally she simply looked away, "Stop staring at me...just...stop please. I'm...I'm-"
Athena placed a hand on Soifon shoulder and spoke up, "You don't have to say anything else Soifon...I will do the talking."
She looked at Ichigo and shook her head, "The fact that you feel no remorse for this is sickening to me. She was your enemy yes...but putting someone through psychological torture is wrong no matter who is doing it. I find you a bit hypocritical and mean if I must say. Did you actually enjoy hurting her like this? What's done is done...there is no need to be unecessarily spiteful."
Ichigo shrugged, "Oh spare me the idealistic crap. Yes, it was cruel...but what I did to her was necessary. I was content to let her die an ironic death by the hands of her own allies...but since she still lives, I find it even more fitting of a punishment now. Tell me, Captain Soifon...exactly what are your beliefs worth now? If you truly hated hollows, you would have killed yourself already. What are you waiting for? Could it be that you don't want to die? Isn't that funny? None of my friends want to die either...neither do I. If you truly believed all of that stupid nonsense you spat at me, then you would have let them kill you. But you didn't...why is that?"
"I...it's not like that," Soifon tried to get a word in.
"Oh but it is...so let me ask you now. Do you want to die, Soifon? Or do you want to live? Your answer is going to determine your fate," Ichigo replied.
She looked down, "I...I don't know. I can't-"
"That's right! You don't know anything! You were just a blind zealot then and you're broken blind zealot now. It's about time one of you Shinigami bastards got a real taste of humility! So I'm going to ask you one more time...do you want to live or die?! Answer me!" Ichigo demanded angrily.
Soifon trembled fearfully as several tears welled up in her eyes. 'Am I crying? I can't cry...not in front of him. Especially in front of him. I'm so pathetic...I deserve to die.'
"All you have to do is say yes or no. I don't like loose ends...you're either with the Shinigami, or you're with me. Since your Shinigami friends just tried to execute you I guess that leaves you with only two options. Join me, or die," Ichigo said authoritively.
Athena stared at Ichigo shocked by how maliciously cruel he was being towards Soifon.
"Is this how you became the King of Hueco Mundo? By bullying others into submission...stop being cruel. Soifon is with me now...she doesn't deserve this. Nobody does whether they're Shinigami or hollow." Athena interrupted.
Ichigo glared at the lavender beauty annoyed, "You don't get the right to judge me, Athena Plateado...you don't even know me. Also, can it with your high and mighty attitude! These Shinigami bastards use my own family as shields! They're all so smug thinking they're untouchable in their stupid Seireitei. They've been trying to kill me since I was a Gillian. I sent her back as a warning to them. The hollows aren't losing this time..."
'What did he just say? This time? Does he know about the great purge?!' Athena thought bewildered and caught off guard. She pushed those thoughts aside for the moment as she shook her head.
"Former Shinigami or not, she is still a person. I say that she's been through enough hardship already. Zangetsu never would have tolerated such unncessary heinous acts of revenge, even to our enemies. A sadistic upstart like you has a lot of nerve proclaiming yourself to be the king of the hollows. That title only belonged to Zangetsu. Leave her alone, now! She's under my protection, and this conversation is between you and me!"
'Is Athena getting mad? That's not like her...' Yang thought surprised.
Soifon herself looked over at Athena with a shocked expression, 'She's standing up for me...why? After all that talk about how the Shinigami are bad, she's still defending me to White himself? What's with her?'
"All of Hueco Mundo is united beneath me...even the Pit Dwellers have sworn allegiance to our cause. I don't know what you intend to do, or why you insist on defending her, but I'll make this quite simple for you. We are at war with them...we're at war with the Quincies too! I have the entirety of Hueco Mundo to worry about. If their safety requires my being cruel to my enemies then so be it. I cannot afford loose ends undermining my efforts. I don't know who you think you are to question what we've rebuilt, but I suggest you take a step back and reconsider who you're messing with!" Ichigo hissed with fury.
Eclipse found Ichigo's threat appealing and leaned over towards Ulquiorra, "I can see why you follow him, Omega. The King is very imposing."
"White is normally not this angry...I don't see him lose his cool very often. Something must have triggered this reaction..." Ulquiorra noted. It was more of him thinking aloud, but all of the alphas nodded at the words and wondered what the implications entailed.
Dusk frowned, "We should probably get back...I doubt that former Primera is going to back down. The two of them only seem to be getting more angry at each other."
Soifon visibly shook from Ichigo's malevolent tone. It was a tone she recognized from the last time Ichigo got pissed off. She looked at Athena concerned, "Please...don't anger him, Athena. You have no idea how strong White is. Just give him what he wants. I'll do what he wants...I'll-"
"Why did you come here, King White?! Was it to force me into submission like the rest of your followers, or was it simple curiosity? Either way, you will find that I am not so easily threatened or coerced," Athena said strongly while interrupting Soifon.
"Normally I'm pretty patient with people, but I'm not going to get lectured by somebody who's been hiding out here for millennia. Soifon is coming with me or she's dying," Ichigo responded as his eyes locked onto Soifon again.
"You're not going to touch her or claim dominion over this place. If you have a problem with that then I will deal with you myself," Athena restated a bit more assertively now.
Ichigo gave Athena a death glare, "Is that so, Primera? How noble of you to protect a fellow hollow. I wonder if you were also busy helping other hollows when Zangetsu fought Yamamoto and Unohana to the death? Where were you when your beloved King died, huh?"
Athena's eyes shot open wide with disbelief, "How...how do you know about that?"
Soifon's eyes widened, 'How does White know about that? Is he connected to Zangetsu somehow? I mean...that statue does seem kind of similar to the way White looks.'
"Call it a King's intuition," Ichigo remarked with a growl.
'Those eyes...that face...the HORN! Could he be? No it's impossible!' Athena thought to herself as she stared Ichigo down.
"Still haven't figured it out yet, Athena? Go on and guess...I'll wait," Ichigo said as he crossed his arms.
'It can't be him...his hair is orange...there's no way. He must have somehow found Lunaryu beneath the Pit. That's it! Of course...that would explain why he resembles Zangetsu so much. Perhaps that is the source of his power. It could also explain why those alphas and the White Bat are following him,' Athena deduced internally.
"Wielding Zangetsu's sword and power or emulating his glory doesn't make you Zangetsu. It makes sense to me now...you wield Lunaryu. What else would make those pit dwellers follow you? You're just some imposter! You're not even a quarter of what Zangetsu was!" Athena stated confidently.
"If you thought so highly of him then why weren't you there when he died?" Ichigo shot back aggressively.
Athena's face flustered with annoyance, "How dare you..."
Soifon watched cautiously, 'He's good at getting a rise out of people...even Athena with her holier-than-thou attitude.'
The alpha pit dwellers all traded amused glances at her completely missing the mark. They and Ulquiorra all chose to remain silent as they did not want to tempt Ichigo's anger by getting in his way right now.
'She knows about Lunaryu? That explains why she's been snooping around our territory for so long...she must have been looking for it.' Dusk realized.
Yin and Yang were both completely silent as they tried to make sense of what was being discussed. Both had a similar impression of Ichigo though...and that was the fact that he was the most intimidating hollow they had ever seen.
Yang gulped fearfully when she saw the look in Ichigo's eyes, 'Those golden eyes are scary. He...kind of looks like that statue of Zangetsu though. The horn's the same. I wonder if Athena is right...did he find Zangetsu's sword?'
Yin glanced over at the fearful Soifon, 'Not even Athena can make her arrogant ass that submissive. This White is a freaking badass. I sure hope things work out here. It looks like he and Athena might fight.'
"Hahaha!" Ichigo simply couldn't stop himself from laughing at Athena's assurance in the false information.
"What's so funny?" she demanded with her face becoming even more flustered. This was the first time Yin and Yang had ever seen someone get under her skin before.
"Former Primera of the original espada. What the hell have you been doing the past thousand years?! Where were you when the Shinigami wiped out the entire arrancar population?! Hiding over in this sunny tower?! You have three seconds to explain to me why you've been hiding this entire time...and it better be a damn good reason!" Ichigo shouted angrily.
Athena simply stared at him, 'He speaks as if it personally affected him. He's not quite what I imagined.'
"ONE!" Ichigo hissed.
'He knows a lot about things a newer arrancar couldn't possibly know. I wonder if some record of the past survived at Las Noches...that might explain his background knowledge on what happened. Perhaps one of the survivors recorded the events before they died in the purge,' Athena tried to reason through the situation.
"TWO!" Ichigo continued even louder this time.
'Regardless of what type of connection he has to the past, this man is unworthy to be King of the Hollows, and for the sake of our kind I have to kill him. If this lunatic leads the arrancars into another war, we will only suffer a repeat of the Great Purge,' Athena finally concluded.
"THREE!" He finished.
Upon finishing his count, Ichigo drew his Zanpakuto. Before he could make a move, Athena drew hers as well.
She glared at him with disgust, "For the sake of all our kind, I'm afraid I have to kill you, White. You disgrace a proud a legacy, and beneath your rule, Hueco Mundo is doomed. I was willing to hear you out, but based on your sadistic cruelty to a beaten enemy...I have seen all I need to about your character. You deserve nothing short of death."
"Athena, don't! He's too powerful! Don't fight him!" Soifon warned.
'Since when has she been convinced of that?' Ichigo wondered as he briefly looked at the former Shinigami. She immediately looked away trying to avoid his golden black eyes.
"You're not more powerful than I am...I promise you that, White," Athena stated seriously.
'She speaks so confidently about that...I wonder how powerful she really is,' Ulquiorra thought with a curious expression.
Ichigo found Athena's brazen claim infuriating as he narrowed his gaze in a furious scowl, "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my followers and secure Hueco Mundo...if that includes killing you and razing this tower then so be it!"
No more words were exchanged as the two flew in for a clash of blades. It was clear to everyone else present that this was going to be a cataclysmic battle. Ulquiorra and the pit dwellers all fell back a considerable distance, and Athena's entourage made their way back to the front of the tower.
Athena's skill with a blade was clearly not something Ichigo was expecting as she effectively parried his powerful onslaughts. She moved with a speed and grace that almost seemed to match his own. For a moment he felt as if he were battling Aizen again.
A simple skirmish of blades was enough to show him that this Athena wasn't all talk. There was more to her than he initially assumed. Her sword radiated heat and light even in its base state much to his curiosity.
He was already beginning to theorize on what other types of powers were at her disposal as they continued fencing. It was clear he was going to have to take her seriously if he was going to have any hope of taking her down. This former Espada was holding back a lot from what he could tell.
'She's waiting for me to go harder and is responding accordingly...this is a match of attrition for her. She will only counter appropriately to what I do. If that's the case then we're going to be at this for hours,' Ichigo realized as they progressively put more strength, speed, and force into their battle.
Ichigo paused briefly and shook his head, "Enough dancing around...if you're so powerful then show me what you can really do."
"I was about to say the same thing to you...although I suppose you want me to go first right? And here I thought you had the stamina to keep this up...or am I boring you, King White? Show me yours and I'll show you mine..." Athena sassed back in a condescending way.
Ichigo poked his hand on his horn and held up his hand charging a Gran Rey Cero. In his other he formed a black and red Cero Oscuras. Combining them into one with his joint hands, Ichigo unleashed a massive Gran Rey Cero Oscuras at Athena. The diameter of the beam was so wide that it appeared impossible to avoid in any direction.
Athena's eyes widened in surprise at the sheer magnitude of the cero and she immediately held up her own hand to counter it, "Cero Fuego!"
A fiery beam launched from her hands a moment later meeting Ichigo's in a head on collision. Her cero proved far weaker than his as it only gave her enough time to fly up and avoid the majority of his attack.
Now high up in the sky, Athena looked down and saw Ichigo approaching. She flew down and intercepted him halfway delivering an unexpected slash across his chest. It did little to cut through his hierro, but there was a slight cut and a noticeable burn mark left in its wake as well as a large gash over his clothes.
The two landed opposite one another down below and traded brief looks in their momentary respite. Ichigo sighed as he shook his head, "I don't have time for these games. You're really starting to piss me off now!"
"Then show me that resurreccion of yours, your highness...I eagerly await seeing your full power." Athena said mockingly.
"You must have a death wish..." Ichigo said cracking his fist.
He held his blade up parallel to the ground and looked deep into Athena's eyes, "Protect...Zangetsu!"
'What did he just say?!' Athena thought bewildered and caught off guard.
Everything in the nearby proximity to their battle began to shake violently as as a titanic pillar of red, black, and white spiritual energy erupted forth. The air grew heavy and sand blew away in all directions as Ichigo's spiritual pressure engulfed everything around it.
'Did he just call his Zanpakuto Zangetsu?!' She thought confused, 'No...I must be hearing things. There's no way he said that. His appearance must be throwing me off somehow. My mind's on Zangetsu...I must have just thought I heard that. Maybe it's how my subconscious is making sense of this,' Athena tried to rationalize as Ichigo's resurreccion took form.
Athena immediately felt the gravity around her intensify from the sheer force of it alone. There was no doubt in her mind that this mere presence alone could force anything short of an Espada class hollow to its knees.
When the spiritual power and dusty sand cleared, Athena finally saw Ichigo's first release resurreccion form in all of its glory. She could hardly believe her eyes when she looked upon it, 'It looks so much like, his...my lord Zangetsu, what has this imposter done with your remaining power?!'
What Athena found the most unusual about this resurreccion though was the fact that Ichigo had two black swords in his hands instead of the white crescent blade that Lunaryu was.
'How could that be Lunaryu if it's split into two black blades? This doesn't make any sense to me!' Athena fumed in her mind as she faced Ichigo's release form down.
Without even wasting another second, Ichigo appeared next to her at impossible speed and jabbed a blade through Athena's stomach. Her face was full of stupor as she looked down incredulously.
Athena coughed up blood as she stared at the blade in her gut, "I suppose I shouldn't be arrogant enough to think I can defeat you in my base form."
Pulling herself free, she disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared a considerable distance away holding her Zanpakuto up, "You're going to regret this, White. Ignite, Sol!"
The former primera's entire body lit up in a blazing inferno as spiritual energy flared in all directions. The surrounding light all congregated towards the woman shrouding Athena's body in a radiant, angelic form.
Flaming wings of light shot out from her back, and what appeared to be fiery feathers formed all around her body. Her hands turned into claws, her feet into talons, and from her entire body, flames sprung forth. They burned in a variety of colors ranging from orange, purple, pink, and red. Her deep blue eyes turned purplish pink and appeared to be on fire as well much to Ichigo's awe. She was the color of a sunrise.
From her lower back, many tendril-like tail feather appendiges came forth as well. All of them burned a flaming pink. Ichigo would be lying if he said he didn't find her resurreccion beautiful.
The light that Athena was radiating appeared to greatly agitate the distant pit dwellers and even Ulquiorra himself. The dark haired espada stared at her form in the distance, 'I sense incredible power from her...she's easily more powerful than most of the other espada. I wouldn' t doubt if she could even defeat my first release in that state.'
"All of that power...is this truly what arrancars are capable of?!" Dusk exclaimed almost awestruck.
Ulquiorra glanced over at her and nodded, "It is...and so much more."
'I don't see Ichigo winning this fight without taking a few hits. This Athena is no pushover.' Ulquiorra noted as he watched the battle continue.
Athena flew after Ichigo in her resurreccion form at blazing speed. The heat and the blinding light was nearly enough to stun him, but Ichigo narrowly evaded the incoming advance. He charged a colossal cero between his horns and aimed it in her direction.
With a loud howl, Ichigo fired the red beam full force. It arced in a destructive wave heading straight for her. Everyone watched with disbelief as Athena simply remained still taking the full brunt of the attack.
As the cero hit her, Ichigo and the others noticed it fade very quickly. The sight of Athena's wings growing brighter was enough to cause great alarm. The remainder of Ichigo's cero was absorbed into the woman's body.
'Did she just...absorb my cero? That's sort of like Nel's ability. I wonder if she's going to fire it back at me?' Ichigo though shocked.
He didn't bother waiting for her to possibly redirect it as he held up one of his blades, "Getsuga Tenshou!"
A powerful black and red crescent wave launched from his blade in Athena's direction. She simply held up her hand and caught it as it reached her. Ichigo could only watch in sheer astonishment as the wave shrunk and absorbed into Athena's hand.
"Is that it?" Was all she said with a stoic face, "I was expecting you to be more powerful."
'That aura around her gets bigger everytime he fires an energy attack at her. She's absorbing his attacks...I wonder if Ichigo notices it too,' Ulquiorra thought concerned.
Ichigo paused for a moment as he stared at her fiery aura growing in size, 'What the hell?! I've never seen anything like that before.'
"My turn..." Athena said calmly as she stomped the ground. Seconds later it looked as if a volcano just exploded. Fire ignited the landscape and exploded in all directions in a devastating inferno. The blast wave glassed a lot of the nearby sand and shook the ground.
Ichigo felt the intense heat push him back as fire blasted all around him. 'How the hell is she this powerful? That blast nearly overwhelmed me!' Ichigo thought to himself with disbelief.
Athena's body was glowing brightly still. Despite her repurposing of Ichigo's power, it did not appear to fade from her flaming aura. Ichigo was finally starting to understand what he was up against as he noticed this detail.
He growled at her and cracked his fists over his clenched blades, "Don't get smug just yet, Primera...this battle is only getting started."
Ichigo's blades both began to ooze spiritual energy as he flew in for a devastating sweep. Athena managed to deflect his attack with her clawed arms, but it sent a considerable chunk of landscape into the distance leaving behind a crater. This repeated for a succession of attacks caused the battle to tear apart the environment. The empty craters were filled with glassed flames leaving pockets of fire everywhere.
Despite her energy absorption, Athena was having a very difficult time countering the raw strength and force behind Ichigo's swings. Every other hit was managing to stagger her much to Athena's surprise. Not only that, but his additional weapon made it impossible for her to counterattack.
'He's trying to defeat me with strength and speed since his energy attacks won't work...clever, but not clever enough.' Athena thought.
Her fists ignited in a blinding flash catching Ichigo off guard. It greatly reminded him of how bright and hot Yamamoto's flames were. Athena held one of her hands up for a moment gathering sunlight in it.
It glowed a searing hot gold which was even brighter than before. Athena's hair then caught on fire as well as her feathers.
'I've never seen a hollow like her before...were the ancient espada all this powerful?' Ichigo wondered as he braced himself through Athena's growing charge.
She held up her free hand with a deadly and annoyed face, "Lanza de Sol!"
A flash of light gathered around her hand forming a miniature sun. It then took the shape of a large spear. Ichigo was taken aback by her weapon, 'She's just full of surprises...'
Pointing the spear at Ichigo, it unleashed a stream of fire that would have rivavled one of Yamamoto's. Ichigo held up both of his blades to block the flames as he pushed his way closer to Athena.
The flames only seemed to intensify as he got closer. He was beginning to lose his momentum now, and felt himself slip back a bit.
'How does she have so much power?! She's stronger than most of the Espada! What the hell?' Ichigo thought with disbelief.
He took a deep breath as he held his blades in an X shaped guard. He allowed the sunfire to push him further back as he gathered spiritual energy, "Getsuryu Jujisho!"
From his blades, two titanic dragon shaped energy beams shot in perpendicular paths completely overwhelming Athena's fire attack.
The kinetic force behind them was so intense that it completely reversed their positions. Athena tried to absorb the energy as it fired back at her, but it was so large that she couldn't stop the attack from still doing its damage.
After the blast subsided, Athena saw Ichigo standing there with strong red black and white aura of spiritual energy.
Yin's jaw was hung wide open at the sight of Ichigo's radiating power, 'He's so powerful...Athena couldn't even absorb all of his attack!'
Soifon gulped as she saw the two powerful arrancars stare each other down in another pause, 'She's holding her own pretty well, but that attack looks like it actually damaged her a bit. Her flame cloak seems to have dwindled.'
Athena looked at Ichigo with a shocked expression, "You're surprising...I'll give you that, White."
"The same could be said for you...Athena," Ichigo replied stoically.
She cracked a fist ungracefully as her flaming aura reignited, "It doesn't matter how powerful you are though...I can outlast you."
'She's an interesting opponent...her powers respond appropriately to whomever she fights. Athena gets more powerful the more powerful her opponent is because she leeches energy from them. That's a very useful power...but against an overwhelming attack it can be overloaded. So long as Ichigo is careful with how he attacks her, he'll gain an advantage in that regard,' Ulquiorra noted as he watched the exchange.
'How does he intend to counter that? If she can absorb his power, then using more powerful attacks against her is not the best idea...' Eclipse thought.
Athena began to levitate off the ground as her wings extended out, "Luz de Sol!"
As she absorbed sunlight in her spear, Ichigo watched Athena extend out her other hand, "Escudo de luz!"
A beautiful shield of pure light formed over her free hand. It took the shape of a massive round shield that Ichigo could only describe as some type of sun shield.
It was at this point Ichigo knew she was starting to really try. As she gathered more power, Athena formed a large blade of flames over her sunspear. It gave her tremendous reach as she swung it in several flurries.
Ichigo countered with a similar equivalent by forming large getsugas over his blades. As the two clashed in large scale gladiatorial combat, the surrouding area was beginning to fall apart. Soifon looked up at the tower amazed that it hadn't been caught in the crossfire yet.
Yang looked around gauging everyone else's reactions to the situation, 'At least I'm not the only one who looks scared...this battle is beyond anything I've ever seen. Athena is really giving it her all up there...with somebody like King White at the helm, it's no surprise that every other hollow in Hueco Mundo fell in line. I wonder if Athena can actually defeat him?'
As Ichigo continued his onslaught, he charged another cero between his horns. This one was much larger than before. Along with it, he crossed both blades, "Getsuga Jujisho!"
The cero and the crossblade energy beam all fired in sync fusing into a blast so powerful that Ichigo was sure Athena couldn't counter it. Her eyes went wide at the magnitude of the attack.
Bracing her shield in front of her body, she awaited the incoming attack. It was so powerful that she quickly felt herself getting blasted back. Athena attempted to absorb as much of its energy as she could into her shield, but gasped in disbelief when her shield actually shattered.
This created a massive shockwave and forced Athena back even further. Thinking fast, she charged her spear and attempted to cut Ichigo's beams into two, but was unable to fully split it forcing her to endure a damaging blast of power.
She fell over after it subsided with smouldering ashes raining from the sky. The fires around her feathers, wings, and hair seemed to be going out.
"You really thought you could absorb that much power? Your shield wasn't strong enough to contain it and it exploded in your face. My crossed blades were too sturdy for you to cut through as well," Ichigo explained as he walked over to her slumped over body.
Athena struggled to her feet for a moment and looked at him with disbelief, 'In thousands of years I've never seen a hollow this strong. Combining that cero with his attack...I thought I could absorb it. How is he overloading me? That shouldn't be able to work. His reiatsu must be way denser than mine. In this state he's stronger than I am.'
The woman simply smiled as she stood up. Ichigo found this unsettling as he tried to make sense of her reaction.
'What the hell is she doing? Why is she smiling? Ichigo has her on the ropes...' Ulquiorra thought concerned.
"I never thought it would come to this...you truly are stronger than I gave you credit for, White. However...I can't let someone like you disgrace Zangetsu's legacy by leading the hollows into another war. You don't understand...we can't win against them. Even were you to strike down the captains, there's still the royal guards and the Soul King," Athena stated seriously as her smile turned into a sour frown.
"Athena, please just give up! You don't have to die for me!" Soifon shouted catching both of the arrancars' attention.
Ichigo was very shocked by Soifon's words, 'Why is she loyal to Athena? She seems like she cares about whether Athena lives or dies. That's odd...coming from her.'
Yin, Yang, and even Athena herself was surprised by Soifon's concern.
The lavender haired beauty sighed as she looked back at Ichigo, "I cannot do that..."
For a brief moment, Ichigo felt really bad about what he was doing, 'They have genuine concern for one another...it almost makes me feel like I'm the bad guy here.'
Athena closed her eyes and sighed again, "It's a shame a hollow as powerful as you cannot see reason. I wonder if even Zangetsu could have tamed your hatred, White. It's time I put an end to this bout. Forgive me..."
The hollow king gave her an incredulous look, "You speak as if you're about to win here...did I miss something?"
"You see that sun...I've been storing power from it for a thosand years. I saved it for a last resort for whatever reason I deemed necessary. I never imagined I would have to kill another hollow with it. It seems fate has a cruel sense of humor," Athena said as she began to levitate off the ground.
Ichigo immediately realized what was about to happen, but before he could connect a swing with his blade, Athena seemed to almost warp into the sky. All of the daylight disappeared as it gathered above Torre del Sol.
Ulquiorra had to look away from the blinding light, but his mind was racing, 'It couldn't be...don't tell me she has a Segunda Etapa.'
His deduction proved to be correct as it appeared as if Athena actually absorbed all of the sun's light. She was now the only light source in the sky. Ichigo deadpanned as she flew down and landed in front of him.
'A segunda etapa?!' Ichigo gasped in astonishment.
Athena cocked her head at him, "You seem surprised...I told you that you were not more powerful than I am. I've gathered power and trained my zanpakuto for thousands of years...and I have achieved a level beyond a resurreccion."
"Segunda etapa..." was all Ichigo said in response as he looked over her new form.
As if she wasn't impressive before, Athena now had six wings and her entire body was coated in light and fire once again. Golden armor covered her body, and over her face was a bird shaped helmet with a flaming plume.
She stared him down with intensity in her eyes, "Any last words before I kill you, White?"
"Rain...Zangetsu," Ichigo said loud enough for everyone to hear. Athena was taken aback at what she saw happening before her eyes.
Ichigo transformed into his Segunda Etapa. The transformation nearly caused Soifon to faint, 'He's got another form too?! We haven't even seen this yet...can White truly be stronger than he already is?! Are you freaking kidding me?!'
Athena seemed even more shocked by Ichigo's Segunda Etapa, "You have a second release too?!"
After his transformation, Ichigo formed a black blade of energy in his hand holding it skyward. It eclipsed Athena's light as the beam grew to the length of Torre Del Sol. Ichigo calmly held it for a moment before speaking, "Mugetsu."
As the black beam of energy came down, Athena attempted to counter it. To her utter despair, it broke through her defenses immediately and overwhelmed her.
Absolute darkness blanketed the landscape afterward for a long moment. Only Ulquiorra and the alphas could truly see in the darkness. Athena's Segunda etapa was completely destroyed as she herself fell to the ground defeated. If Ichigo had actually put any more force into his swing she would have probably been in two pieces right now.
It was a complete miracle that the attack didn't cut her in half or obliterate her body, but she appeared to be done for from what everyone could see. Ichigo calmly walked forward and shook his head, "What a waste."
Athena's eyes were full of despair as she realized her situation now. White had defeated her even in the secret form she worked so hard to create...with one attack.
She could only lie there and watch as Ichigo walked over to her. His segunda etapa dissipated shortly afterward flaking away until he was finally back to his base state.
The lavender haired beauty looked up at him uncertainly, "Even with all my power...how did you-"
"Because I am Zangetsu reborn...in case you're deaf it's the name of my Zanpakuto. Get it now?" Ichigo sighed.
"You...are you really, Zangetsu?! But...no I can't believe it. Prove it to me, White! Prove it to me!" Athena shouted despite her injured state.
"Why? I'm about to kill you anyways..." was all Ichigo said in response as he walked closer.
Before he could reach her however, Ichigo was shocked to see Soifon block his path. She stood there with her arms outstretched.
Ichigo rose his brow at the former Shinigami confused, "What do you think you're doing, Captain Soifon?"
"If you wanna kill her you have to go through me first..." Soifon found the courage to say.
He looked at the dark haired woman for a long moment, "You're willing to die for her...for a hollow?"
"Yes...she's a good person. Nobody else would ever stand up to a monster like you on my behalf. I don't want her to die for someone as worthless as myself," Soifon replied as bravely and sincerely as possible.
Athena looked at the woman in front of her with disbelief, "Soifon..."
For some reason Ichigo felt truly moved by Soifon's words. There was a genuinity in them that he could not believe existed.
Ichigo sighed as he sheathed his Zanpakuto. Athena and Soifon both seemed confused by the action. Moments later Yin and Yang appeared on Athena's sides.
"Athena, are you okay?!" Yang asked full of concern. She immediately went to work trying to attend to Athena's injuries.
Yin didn't say anything, but her eyes locked onto Ichigo curiously, 'Why did he put his weapon away?'
"It seems I was wrong about you, Soifon...you're not a blind zealot anymore. You can finally see the truth," Ichigo said after a deep breath.
The dark haired woman found her voice again as she took a step closer to Ichigo, "I was wrong okay? There are good people among the hollows...but the same can be said for the Shinigami as well. You're wrong too...Ichigo. I've seen countless innocent people die to hollows. Do you really think you're any more justified than we are by wiping us out?"
Ichigo seemed surprised by Soifon using his actual name. He looked down for a moment, 'She has a point...they're not all bad.'
Flashes of various Shinigami went through his mind as he thought about it. Rukia, Karin, his father, and even the innocent people in the Rukongai Districts. He did not want to kill any of them.
"You're right..." was all Ichigo managed to say as he finally looked Soifon in the eyes once again.
She was taken aback by his response, "W-what?"
"I'm sorry...for what I did to you. Both of you..." Ichigo said with a sorrowful expression as his eyes focused on Athena now.
He turned around and began to take his leave, "You're all free to do as you please...I won't bother you out here anymore."
"W-wait!" Athena cried out as she stumbled past Soifon, "White, wait!"
"My name is Ichigo..." was all the man said as he locked gazes with Athena again. He felt himself quickly becoming lost in her ocean blue eyes.
Just then a wave of memories came flooding into Ichigo's mind.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Ichigo's mindscape, Zangetsu's Flashback XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Zangetsu was walking down a hallway when he heard arguing. He stealthily made his way to the corner and briefly peeked around it to see what was going on.
"Where do you think you're going, Athena?" a sassy Miho demanded with her hands on her hips.
"To see Zangetsu..." she replied calmly.
Miho bit her lip and glared at the woman, "I thought I told you to stay away from his private chambers. Zangetsu doesn't need you bothering him during his alone time."
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it was a crime for me to go to his room...what's it to you anyways, Miho?" Athena asked.
The black kitsune growled at her, "You arrogant bitch...you think just because you're the Primera that you're somehow the Queen of Hueco Mundo...well you're not! Zangetsu has no queen...and he doesn't need one either."
"Oh I get it now...you're jealous huh?" Athena said with slight grin.
"Of you?! Yeah right! Ha, don't make me laugh...everything was great until you and your stupid brother came along. I'm getting really annoyed with that high and mighty attitude, bitch. You've got a lot of nerve calling me jealous," Miho spat.
Athena shook her head, "I was just going to talk to him about the Hellgate, but if you want to act like a jealous little girl because you're so intimidated by me then be my guest. But like it or not, I'm going to see him."
"Over my dead body..." Miho said as she blocked Athena's path and pushed her back.
She got in the woman's face and gave her a smug look, "What's the matter? You going to retaliate at all?"
"Why? So you can get injured and make me look like the bad guy? You're a petty and manipulative brat, Miho...sometimes I wonder why Zangetsu had such a wicked little bitch like you as his lieutenant," Athena shot back venomously.
"He's mine...understand that?! You stay away from him!" Miho hissed.
"Oh? Arturo said you thought of him like a brother...I didn't realize you felt that strongly." Athena replied.
"Why you!" Miho was about to pounce at the woman, but Zangetsu chose that moment to come around the corner.
"What the hell is this all about?" he asked looking between the two women disbelievingly.
Both of them looked horrified by his unexpected arrival.
Miho immediately latched onto him and glared at Athena, "I was just telling our lady Primera here that you were resting, but she cruelly insisted I move aside or she would hurt me."
Athena gave Miho a disbelieving look and frowned.
"What did I tell you about lying, Miho?" Zangetsu said catching the black kitsune off guard.
She looked up at him horrified, "W-what?"
"I heard everything you two just said..." he replied causing her face to redden with embarrassment. Miho immediately let go of his arm and ran away to hide in her shame.
After she left Athena sighed, "They still all hate me...maybe I should just go back to Torre Del Sol."
"Don't listen to them. They're just afraid of you and that's the only way they can express it. Miho isn't a bad person...she's just weird," Zangetsu said empathetically.
"So...what do you think?" Athena asked after a long silence.
"About what?" he said as he cocked his head.
Athena looked away, "About...her liking you more than she pretends to."
Zangetsu shrugged, "I don't know...I guess it's kind of cute."
"Cute huh? Don't dodge the issue, Zangetsu...Arturo told me you like her...a lot. Is that true?" Athena said quietly.
He nodded, "I do...she's very special to me, but this isn't really a pressing concern right now. What's going on with the Hellgate?"
"Hmph...well, it's kind of unstable at the moment. I was just coming to tell you that I think it would be a good idea if I looked over it personally for a while. Not to mention, the hollows in the Sunlands get rowdy when I'm not around to keep order," Athena explained.
Zangetsu nodded, "That's very proactive of you, Athena...you're a good leader. Don't let what the others say weigh down on you. I have a lot of respect for the work you put into Hueco Mundo and its people."
"So you're okay with me going then?" she asked uncertaintly.
He gave her a proud smile, "Of course...if you think it's necessary then I have no problem with you staying there for a while."
"I...you don't care if I stay or go?" she asked again.
"Do what you think is right, Athena, I trust you. I already told you that I am okay with whatever decision you decide to make," he replied.
Athena's lips pursed into an obvious frown. She turned to take her leave, "I will leave at once then..."
"Athena, wait..." Zangetsu called out as he placed a hand on her shoulder.
She turned around with sorrowful eyes. He could almost get lost in those dark blue oceans.
"What?" she asked.
Zangetsu embraced her in a hug, "Why do you always look so sad, my sunlight princess?"
"Sunlight Princess? What are you saying?" she tried to speak normally but found herself becoming emotional.
"I'll go with you, Athena...maybe some time away from the others will cheer you up," Zangetsu replied.
"Y-you will?!" She exclaimed joyfully as he broke the hug.
She gave him a longing look, "B-but...what about Miho?"
"What about you?" he countered.
Athena's face darkened as she leaned in to kiss him. Right before she did however, Ichigo returned to reality.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Hueco Mundo, Torre Del Sol, Ichigo XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ichigo looked at Athena's sad expression, "Why do you look so sad...sunlight princess?"
Athena's jaw dropped and tears freely began to fall from her face, "W-what did you just say? Z-Zangetsu?! You're...you're really Zangetsu!"
Before Ichigo could even reply, the lavender beauty charged over to him as best she could in her injured state. She ended up tripping upon reaching him and fell forward catching herself on his chest.
Ichigo could hardly believe how quickly her emotions took over as she clasped onto him tightly. "I tried to get to you in time...I really did. I was too late. Please forgive me...I'm so sorry. I should have been there for you. It's my fault you died..."
Ichigo wasn't really sure how to respond in this situation. He did the only thing that seemed appropriate in the situation as he slowly wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.
He had no idea what to say to the woman in this situation and chose to remain silent.
Everyone watched this scene with disbelief. Ulquiorra rose a brow shocked, 'What are they doing?'
The alphas all seemed completely lost as well. Dusk leaned over to Eclipse, "What just happened?"
"She realized he's Zangetsu...I'm guessing there was some history there," Eclipse deduced.
Umbra looked around at the landscape and shook his head, "That great battle...and it ends like this? An embrace?"
Yin and Yang were flabbergasted by what they were seeing. Yin couldn't help but feel a lump forming in her throat at seeing Athena in such a vulnerable state.
Soifon watched the gesture with genuine awe, 'He embraced her...even after everything that they said and did to each other. This is almost poetic...does Athena love Zangetsu? If White is Zangetsu reborn I wonder what that's going to mean?'
Athena looked up at his eyes, "I see it now...I could never forget those eyes. If you remembered me...why did you fight us, Zangetsu?"
"I'm not the same Zangetsu that you knew all those years ago. I have his memories, and he and I are one, but it's not the same. I am Ichigo and I'm his reincarnation." Ichigo explained.
She frowned, "Of course...death claimed you after all. I'm just happy that you're alive in some way. W-why are you trying to war with the Shinigami? What's really going on with everything? You seem so...bitter."
"I think we should have a talk...I'll explain everything about who I am and what's going on in Hueco Mundo," Ichigo replied calmly.
'If only they had reached that point before glassing half of this desert...' Ulquiorra thought to himself.
Athena finally gained her footing as she let go of Ichigo. She nearly fell again, but he caught her arm and supported her.
"Come inside the tower...there's some things I will tell you about as well," Athena stated as she guided the way.
The two of them passed by Soifon who made direct eye contact with Ichigo. The dark haired woman's expression was unreadable, but she stared at him with eyes full of emotion.
As they passed, Ichigo was kind of surprised to see Soifon follow them. Everyone else quickly followed suit as well.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Inside of Torre Del Sol XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Everyone was gathered around in the main antechamber where the statues of the former Espada stood. The past hour had been spent talking about how Athena got there, the great purge, all the events of Ichigo's rise to power, and the conflicts he was now up against. Athena appeared particularly interested in Lunaryu's dispersal of power and Ichigo's family in particular.
Athena seemed truly ashamed of herself after hearing his story, "To think I judged you so harshly before...I am sorry, Ichigo. I can understand your feelings...the Shinigami have certainly not given you any reason to let them be. Still...I'm glad that you are able to see reason here and let Soifon live."
"It's alright...I just feel stressed out about the whole situation. When I heard about this place form Ulquiorra, I had to come see it for myself. Right now we're in a position where we can't do anything until the entire army is fully trained."
"You understand why I had to guard it all of these years though right?" She asked.
Ichigo nodded, "Yeah, the hellgate...that's a noble cause. One I can fully support."
Athena nor Soifon mentioned the former Espada to him that came through as Togabitos, and neither one thought it was a good idea either. This lack of detail did not go unnoticed by Yin and Yang though. The blue haired woman in particular found it oddly suspicious.
"Captain Shiba and all of the others...they have no idea," Soifon said aloud as she stared at Ichigo.
"No idea about what?" he asked.
"That you're not crazy or evil...you're just protecting this place from them. I can't even believe I'm saying this, but I can understand why you did all those things now. I mean, the whole deal with your sister...and your father. It really shows that you still care about them," Soifon stated.
Ichigo nodded, "Yeah...and my other sister Yuzu is currently a prisoner of the quincies. Rescuing her is honestly my first priority. At least I know Karin won't come to any harm so long as my dad's around in the Soul Society."
"So what happens now? I guess I'm one of you guys now huh?" Soifon asked uncertainly and somewhat anxiously. Despite their long talk, she still didn't know where she stood.
"If you want to be...if you truly believe that what we're doing here is right," Ichigo replied.
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I do now. My only request is that you try to give the Shinigami a chance. Not everyone is a corrupted noble. I understand some of the captains have to...die, but don't take it out on the innocents in the Seireitei," Soifon responded passionately.
"You're like a different person now, Soifon..." Ichigo nodded, "I can respect that request."
She looked him in the eyes for a long somewhat awkard moment, "What you did to me was horrible...but I'm glad it happened now. Heh...before I thought you were like the end all be all lord of evil you know? It's funny...it almost feels like we're the bad guys and you hollows are the good guys."
"I've done some pretty terrible things and a lot of my followers are psychos, so I wouldn't go so far as to say we're 'Good,' but we're certainly not the monsters the Soul Society portrays us to be," Ichigo said nodding.
"I just have one question though...why do you want to kill the Soul King? Don't you know what happens if he dies? It'll destroy all the worlds," Soifon explained.
Ichigo frowned, "It's more of a personal issue for Sousuke...he has me convinced that the Soul King is bad."
"How would he know? The only people that have ever seen the Soul King are the Royal Guards...the Zero Squad," Soifon explained.
"My memory of Zangetsu's death...he also wanted to overthrow the Soul King. I don't really know why though," Ichigo answered honestly.
Athena seemed interested in the topic, "I believe I can answer that...Shortly before the war started, my brother discovered what Zangetsu's...your...oken was for."
"Oken?! Zangetsu had an oken?!" Soifon gasped.
"What's an Oken exactly? I remember dreaming about it...and a hell butterfly," Ichigo said deep in thought.
"An Oken is a key to the Soul Palace...the only people that have them are people that have some connection to the zero squad or the soul king. I believe the Shibas were the last family to get one," Soifon elaborated.
"Could it be that your relation to the Shiba Clan has something to do with this?" Soifon wondered.
Athena shook her head, "No, because Zangetsu had it thousands of years ago when he was a Vasto Lorde."
"Then how would he have had it then?!" Soifon asked with frustration.
"I don't know...that was something all of us wondered," Athena shrugged.
Ichigo recalled his dream with Arturo and looked at Athena uncertainly, "What ever happened to that Oken anyways?"
"Arturo was the last person who had it...you left it with him for safe keeping I believe. Could be possible that he died with it," Athena sighed.
"Damn...Barragan told me that Arturo went to the Soul Society after leaving him in charge of Las Noches. I guess we're not getting that Oken back anytime soon," Ichigo said in annoyance.
"It does not matter, Ichigo...you're better off focusing on this three way war first anyways. I mean unless you intended to go to the royal palace before dealing with all of these other issues Hueco Mundo is up against," the lavender haired beauty dissuaded.
"Maybe Aizen knows more about this...at any rate, I have to return to Las Noches," Ichigo said as he began to take his leave. Ulquiorra and the alphas all looked somewhat bored, but they immediately perked up as Ichigo made his way for the exit.
"We'll come with you, Ichigo...you're probably going to need our help if the Quincies plan to invade," Athena replied.
"What about the Hellgate?" Yin couldn't help but ask.
Athena shook her head, "It's of lesser concern than a Quincy invasion. My wards will hold it fine for now."
"Alright then, let's go," Ichigo said as he turned to leave.
Soifon stared out the exit as everyone followed behind him, 'This hardly feels real...but I'm one of them now. Ichigo doesn't seem like a half bad guy...I guess that explains why all those dumb hens were clucking around him like he was the only man in the world.'
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Soul Society, Muken XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Deep beneath the Squad One barracks on the lowest level of the Soul Society's prison, a man was bound in the darkness and chained to a pole. There was almost no light in this dark, abyssal prison, but the sound of footsteps approaching caught the prisoner's attention.
He was clearly a bit insane after being imprisoned for so long as he laughed at the sound, "Oh Zangetsu, is that you? Come to rescue me at last? Ha I always knew you would. Nothing could kill you! You're the king! You're the king! HAHAHA!"
"Shut up, arrancar...Zangetsu is dead. I killed him a long time ago, or have you forgotten?" a sinister feminine voice stated.
The minty haired prisoner noticed the silhouette of a Shinigami captain come into view as a faint light illuminated her. He looked at her full of disgust, "Oh...it's you! Haven't seen your wicked face in a while. What can I do for you, oh esteemed captain?! I don't get many visitors these days. How long has it been since the old guy came to see me? He still alive?"
"It's been centuries, Arturo Plateado...not that it matters for you. I've come to ask you again for something important..." Unohana began.
"The Oken huh? You want it? I knew you guys were going to ask for it again eventually...why now though?" Arturo immediately figured out what she was talking about.
"That is none of your concern...now tell me where it is!" she hissed.
"Or what? You'll torture me? Kill me? Imprison me? I don't have to tell you anything," he laughed.
A small smile curved up from the edge of her lips, "Where is the Oken? I won't ask you again..."
"Why do you care anyways? Not like we're going to use it against you now," Arturo laughed.
She growled venomously as she drew her blade, "I'm going to make you wish you were dead..."
"OH! I know what it is...Zangetsu's back isn't he?! You're afraid he's going to come and rescue me and get his Oken back aren't you?! You're afraid! YOU'RE AFRAID! HAHAHA!" Arturo ranted hysterically.
Unohana stopped momentarily as she glared at him full of disgust, "Zangetsu is dead!"
"Is that what you tell yourself to sleep at night? Has the rain returned, Kenpachi?" he laughed at her.
The woman walked off in a furious rage, 'This is pointless..he's gone insane down here. I doubt I could torture any information out of him.'
"The rain is coming, Captain! It's coming! HAHAHA!" Arturo cackled maniacally as Unohana took her leave.
As she left Muken and made her way up the lift, her mind was deeply troubled, 'White's mask and horn...they looked a lot like his. Could it truly be the same hollow? No...that's impossible.'
She heard Zangetsu's haunting last words in her mind as she reached the top and exited the prison, 'One day you will fear the rain...he can't be alive. I wonder what Yamamoto thinks of this situation...he hasn't mentioned anything about it. Could I just be seeing things? Are my memories haunting me? I killed him...he's dead...he's dead. Right?'
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-- 推薦票
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-- 推薦票