What Makes Us Hollow

Grimmjow growled ferociously at Ichigo, Resurreccion against Bankai. "I'm going to rip you to shreds!" he promised with a psychotic grin that reminded Ichigo of Cazador de la Luna.

"Just try it, kitty-cat," Ichigo taunted, wasting no time spinning Tensa Zangetsu by the chain on his finger to charge up another Getsuga.

Grimmjow roared at the insult, but Ichigo was thrown off balance when he felt the roar create a shockwave in the air he stood upon. The Espada lunged at him with all the speed of his Resurreccion, trying to take advantage of Ichigo's being off guard. Ichigo quickly leapt out of the way, though it was a close thing; Grimmjow was noticeably, but not overwhelmingly, faster than the Shinigami.

Last time, I needed the mask to keep up… Ichigo's frown settled firmly upon his face. No. I don't need the mask for this. I do not need to rely on my Hollow powers for every fight! He felt Zangetsu's approval at this thought, which only further solidified his stance. "Is that it?" he asked in as bored a tone as he could manage.

Ichigo found himself blocking a strike from Grimmjow's right claw with Tensa Zangetsu, but he quickly knocked his opponent back with the pent-up Getsuga Tenshou. At the same time, however, Ichigo had gotten a brutal kick to the side, pushing him into the side of a building. Grimmjow caught the Getsuga with his elbow blades and was pushed into another nearby building, but a moment later he forced the attack to dissipate.

During his opponent's momentary distraction, Ichigo was not just standing and waiting; trying to finish it quickly, he decided to give Kido a shot again. Knowing he couldn't afford the incantation, the Vizard attempted the most powerful Hado at his disposal: throwing out his left arm, palm facing the quickly-recovering Grimmjow, he cried out, "Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui!" The blast struck true, and Ichigo tried to peer through the smoke to see his enemy.

"Bit slow, aren't ya, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Ichigo used Shunpo just in time to evade being disemboweled by Grimmjow.

He reappeared several meters away. "You used Sonido to evade that Kido," Ichigo realized with a scowl.

"You're fast, for a Shinigami." Grimmjow's scowl matched Ichigo's. "Pull out that damn mask of yours, I want to fight you when you're at your strongest!"

"Not a chance, Grimmjow."

Grimmjow looked incredulous for a moment, and then furious. "You're going to fight me, and you hope to kill me… with a fucking handicap?! Don't insult me!" He took a bracing stance, with his left foot behind him, and raised his right arm.

Ichigo couldn't help but notice the blades that curved upwards from the Arrancar's elbows and knees. He was caught by surprise, however, when from the elbow blades came several small projectiles. His surprise didn't keep him from using Shunpo repeatedly to evade the absurdly-fast darts. When explosions sounded from behind him, Ichigo was not surprised at all; instead, he tried to take a leaf out of Byakuya's book.

Ichigo Shunpo-ed right behind Grimmjow, watching for the whip-like tail, and stabbed backwards just as Byakuya had done to him so long ago to destroy his borrowed powers from Rukia so Ichigo could not interfere with her execution in Soul Society. Mentally slapping himself for getting caught in memories in the middle of battle, Ichigo refocused on Grimmjow. Unfortunately, his distraction had cost him; the tail managed to deflect Tensa Zangetsu, so Ichigo used the momentum of his stab to push himself away, narrowly avoiding a vicious swipe from Grimmjow's claw.

However, he hadn't seen the Sexta Espada charge up a Cero in his other hand, which came hurtling at him like a rocket. It was too close to dodge; the orange-haired Vizard was forced to bring Tensa Zangetsu to bear and sliced down on the Cero. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

The Cero and the Getsuga raged against each other for several moments before the Getsuga was engulfed by the raging red of the Cero. Ichigo shielded his body as best he could, hardening his reiatsu to take as much damage as it could.

When the Cero faded, Ichigo's hands and arms were burned once again, and there were tears in his Bankai outfit, but he was ok. "You're really pissing me off," he muttered, right before his instinct screamed at him.

Just in time, Ichigo spun and managed to catch Grimmjow's right claw by the wrist right in front of his face. "Put on your damn mask!" Grimmjow demanded.

Ichigo glared at the Espada, but even as he opened his mouth to respond, both of them were distracted by the distinct ripping sound of a Garganta opening. They looked, and Ichigo's eyes widened. "Nel!"

"Nel came to see Itsygo!" the child ex-Espada said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.

Her Fraccion, Dondochakka and Pesche, saw Grimmjow and immediately jumped in front of her. "Nel-sama, we might want to leave… it looks like Ichigo is busy…" Pesche tried to reason.

Grimmjow's face slowly gained a smirk as he realized what a card he had on his opponent. "So, you care about that girl?" He used his free hand and jutted his elbow out at them, sending several explosive darts at them.

Fuck, no choice! Releasing Grimmjow's hand, Ichigo Shunpo-ed between them and in a fluid motion, ripped his Gillian mask into place adorning his face, pure white on the right side of the mask, thick red stripes on the left. "Getsuga Tenshou!"

The darts were all obliterated by the massive crescent attack, and Grimmjow barely managed to Sonido out of the way with wide eyes. "You weren't nearly that strong before!" he protested, gazing past the mask into Ichigo's Hollow-like amber eyes.

"I-I-Itsygo?" Nel stuttered, beginning to feel fear as she realized that she had just dropped into the middle of a fight that felt disturbingly like a fight between two Espada. The Vizard's reiatsu was overwhelming, especially so up close, and it was beginning to spark old memories… Nel could feel them, feel the block inside her crumbling swiftly. Then, the reiatsu became too much for her, and she fainted, Dondochakka catching her.

"You wanted the mask? Now you've got it!" Ichigo appeared behind Grimmjow, Tensa Zangetsu practically oozing with black reiatsu. Grimmjow used Sonido to evade a swing that would have permanently removed his legs from his torso, but realized belatedly that he'd received a serious slash to his back. His spine had been spared, thankfully. "What's wrong?" Ichigo taunted, spinning Tensa Zangetsu at his side once more to charge up another Getsuga. "Where's your cocky fucking grin, Grimm-chowder? Is little old me too much for you?"

Grimmjow had no chance to reply, as Ichigo had suddenly thrown his sword at him, covered in the black reiatsu of the Getsuga Tenshou. As he narrowly evaded the incoming Zanpakuto, the Espada barely blocked Ichigo's fist with his own claw. In that moment of contact, he saw Ichigo jerk back on the chain he held in his left hand. Realizing what it meant, the blue-haired Arrancar brought his whip-like tail up and attempted to catch Tensa Zangetsu, only to feel the Getsuga burning and cutting through his tail like a dark flame hiding daggers. Using Sonido at the very last moment, Grimmjow barely managed to escape with a deep slice to his back and tail, watching as Ichigo caught his sword.

"Giving up already, coward? You who demanded to face this demonic power of mine… STAND UP AND FIGHT ME!" Ichigo bellowed.

Grimmjow had two very conflicting urges at this point: first to flee from the Shinigami-Hollow hybrid who could and would kill him, and the second to lunge at the being who would call him a coward. He never liked to admit this, but he knew he was no match for this monstrous Hollowified form of Ichigo. "How?" he asked aloud, hating the fear that leaked into his voice. "How have you grown so strong, so quickly?"

"Shinigami and Hollow are two sides to the same coin," Ichigo intoned. "Black and white. Light and dark. One is meaningless without the other to fight against, but what happens when they work together? I have fought and bled to win both my Zanpakuto, and my mask, my Shinigami and Hollow power. I have grown strong because I have never stopped fighting, because I have loved ones to protect." He glared at Grimmjow, pointing the glowing Getsuga-enhanced Tensa Zangetsu directly at his head, and Grimmjow regretted attempting to kill the brat of an Arrancar. The Espada half expected a spear to lunge out of Ichigo's Bankai sword and kill him in an instant, much like he'd seen Ichimaru Gin use his Shinsou. "Tensa Zangetsu here wants you to die just as badly as I do. Give me a good reason to spare you."

Protect… That gave Grimmjow an idea. "Fine then. You've proven your strength. It's not shameful to lose to the man who will take down Aizen. And I'm not really loyal to Aizen anyway. How about I make sure those three Arrancar you were protectin' just now don't get hurt during the invasion? I'll be their bodyguard, because you can't protect them and kill that bastard at the same time. Just make damn sure Aizen's dead when this is all said and done. When everything's over, I'll go back to Hueco Mundo and stay there."

Ichigo paused. That's actually… not a bad deal. He lowered his sword, keeping the Getsuga in Tensa Zangetsu just in case. "One more thing; protect Urahara's shop down there." He proceeded to point it out. "I have others down there that need protection, and that is our healing location. Are we agreed?"

Grimmjow swallowed his pride visibly. "… Fine, I'll bring those Arrancar down there and protect the place. In exchange, you let me go free after this battle, and I stay in Hueco Mundo." As far away from you as possible.

"Good. But know this, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez! If you fail to protect them, I will hunt you, tear you limb from limb, then have a friend of mine destroy your soul utterly! No chance at reincarnation, no rebirth; you'd be removed from existence itself." Ichigo's Hollowified voice grew lower and even more threatening as he continued, his mask's mouth opening and closing with Ichigo's natural mouth, giving him the distinctly Hollow double-mouth effect. "Am I understood?"

Grimmjow swallowed hard at those words; how could he not? His eternal existence was being threatened, not just his life. "I understand…. Kurosaki Ichigo."

The Vizard finally dispelled the Getsuga from Tensa Zangetsu, reabsorbing the reiatsu. Removing his mask to conserve any potential time limits, and to keep his allies from attacking him, Ichigo nodded towards the Espada. "Don't forget." He turned towards his friends and saw that Nel had collapsed. He shared a look with Pesche, both worried. "Pesche, Dondochakka… follow Grimmjow. Take Nel to get healed?"

"Right." For once, Pesche was deadly serious. They left swiftly.

Ichigo turned away, forcing down the guilt he felt as he Shunpo-ed away.

Luppi's Resurreccion, at first glance, seemed to do little, despite having broken the Bakudo that held him enough for him to get away from Rukia's Hado 63: Soren Soukatsui. The only thing that had changed on his body was a strange shell-like object on his back with eight holes. However, when the object sprouted eight enormous white tentacles, everyone understood what his earlier comment of "Four against eight" meant.

"It'd be foolish not to use our Shikai at this point," Rukia suggested. "We have no idea how strong those appendages are."

"Right then. Howl, Zabimaru!" Renji's Zanpakuto became his segmented thick chain-sword, and he swung it towards Luppi to get a feel for his strength. Luppi blocked it easily with just one of his tentacles, and Renji recalled Zabimaru to his hand, which he then used to block another tentacle that Luppi had sent at him. This tentacle had reshaped its ending into a spike, so Renji had to focus extra reiatsu into keeping Zabimaru from breaking.

"Growl, Haineko!" Rangiku's Zanpakuto dissolved into a cloud of ash, which she directed at Luppi, trying to take out the tentacles at their source, but immediately found herself caught up in one of Luppi's deceptively strong appendages, completely wrapped up and at his mercy. She concentrated on cutting the tentacle off to free herself.

However, Rangiku was beat to the punch when Ishida punched through the tentacle with one of his powerful arrows. He used Hirenkyaku next to her and used a Seele Schneider to cut through her binding, freeing the busy Shinigami from her bondage.

"Dance, Sode no Shirayuki!" With a spin, Rukia's sword transformed into its glistening white released form, its ribbon trailing in its wake. Shunpo-ing to a spot underneath Luppi, she swung her sword horizontally, summoning Sode no Shirayuki's icy power. "Some no mai, Tsukishiro!"

Luppi, who was unaccustomed to moving while in his released form, found himself completely caught by surprise when a pillar of ice formed around him. However, he could still control his tentacles to an extent, and used them to smash open the frozen prison. Before Luppi could do anything more, he saw and felt Ishida repeatedly piercing and cutting his tentacles with dozens of arrows, keeping him from using them to ensnare his foes again.

With a frown, Luppi focused more of his power into the tentacles, covering them with spikes and using them as armor as he sent three of them after the Quincy, sending Ishida into bursts of Hirenkyaku to evade.

However, Rukia had an idea. "San no mai: Shirafune," she intoned quietly, reforging her sword with the ice crystal remnants of her Tsukishiro. She lunged at Luppi, and predictably, he blocked with one of his tentacles. Rukia smirked as she felt her sword push past the spiky armor and begin to freeze the tentacle, the ice rapidly advancing towards Luppi himself.

"What?!" Luppi quickly hardened his reiatsu and fired a Bala at his tentacle where the ice had not yet touched, sending the frozen part to the ground while re-growing the appendage. "Nice trick, you flat-chested bitch."

Rukia glared at him before taking on a stance. "Tsugi no mai: Hakuren!"

Luppi, Septima Espada, was many things, but stupid he was not. He used Sonido to get out of the way of the wave of ice, even though it tired him; he had grown his tentacles to extreme lengths, and the extra mass made it difficult to use the high-speed technique without his own Resurreccion slamming into him.

However, his preoccupation left him easy pickings for the rest of the team. Several powerful arrows were shot from Ishida, forcing Luppi to use his extra limbs for blocking them. Meanwhile, the ash from Rangiku's Haineko quietly engulfed him, and then with a fell stroke, burrowed into the thing on Luppi's back and completely destroyed it, removing Luppi's tentacles from him. Renji used Luppi's shock to wrap him up in Zabimaru's blades, and Rukia Shunpo-ed in front of Luppi, Sode no Shirayuki poised to stab him in the head.

"In case no one's ever told you this… you're a spoiled brat." And with that, Rukia's sword pierced Luppi's head, freezing him solid nigh-instantly before he shattered.

"Now that that's over and done with, let's go help the others on the towers," Renji suggested. Nodding, the four of them split up to aid the four Shinigami on the towers.

"It doesn't matter what you look like, I'm going to rip that scrawny head of yours from your fucking shoulders!" Chad promised, seeing Ulquiorra's new form.

The Espada had sprouted giant black bat-like wings. His mask remnant had also changed, now centering over his head, with two large horns extending to his sides and in front. Ulquiorra's sword had changed shape, now taking the form of a simple javelin, and his hair had grown longer. "Prepare yourself, Sado Yasutora."

Acting on instinct, Chad raised his right arm in a blocking maneuver, just in time to block his opponent, who had seemingly materialized right in front of him. Wasting no time, the empowered human lunged out with El Brazo Izquierda del Diablo, powering up La Muerte.

To Chad's surprise, the attack connected firmly against Ulquiorra, imprinting the skull pattern upon him and the air around him. He should have been able to evade that, given the speed he was going earlier! But it was only now that Chad realized that Ulquiorra appeared completely unharmed.

"Your attacks can no longer hurt me," Ulquiorra said calmly, confirming Chad's fear. "How does that make you feel?"

"… Angry," Chad growled, charging up power in both fists.

"Ah yes… exchanging rationality for power," the bat-like Espada murmured, recalling his first encounter with Ichigo and his friends. "I cannot fault you for the effort; you are quite strong, stronger than many high-level Hollows. But your power is not sufficient to harm me at this level."

"You forget… my anger manifests in my will to cause you pain!" Chad bellowed, rushing in with his Paso del Viento and plunging his fist into Ulquiorra's face. "La Muerte!" He lashed out with his right arm and struck Ulquiorra in the mouth. "El Directo!"

Ulquiorra was sent flying, but he swiftly recovered before giving his opponent a measuring look. "An interesting tactic. If my Hierro is too strong, weaken an already weak area first and then attempt to blast through. You attempted to weaken the Hierro around my face, and then fired one of your strongest blasts at my mouth, trying to destroy me from the inside out."

"No. I just wanted to take your head off," Chad admitted.

"Regardless, you succeeded in hurting me, however slightly, in this form. I would normally utilize my next level of power at this point, but I do not wish Aizen to know of it. I will do you the honor of defeating you at this level."

"You can try," the shaggy-haired human said darkly, getting in his battle stance.

"I will make this quick. Your emotions are a strength for you, but they are also a liability that you cannot afford." Ulquiorra raised a hand, and a Cero formed, but this one was pitch black, seeming to absorb all light. "This is my Cero, my Cero Oscuro."

Chad readied himself, but was surprised when the Espada pointed it at Ichigo, who had just seemingly beaten Grimmjow. "No!"

Somehow, Chad executed a faster Paso del Viento than he'd ever managed before, and materialized between Ulquiorra and Ichigo just as the emotionless Arrancar fired his deadly attack. He held his right arm, the stronger in defense, in front of him and braced it with his left, trying to endure the piercing, agonizing attack. Normally, a Cero would simply explode against its victim or pierce through it, but Chad had coated his arms with as much reiatsu as he could, keeping the Cero at bay. However, he could feel the armor on his arm begin to crack and peel, and his reiatsu was depleting dangerously quickly; it was only a matter of time before it was completely overwhelmed and he was vaporized.

Abuelo… Chad thought in prayer. I'll see you soon in Soul Society, I hope. I had hoped to survive this confrontation, but if I had to die, I am glad it was to protect my nakama. Without warning, he felt a pulse of reiatsu from deep within him, and it flowed over his right arm. To Chad's astonishment, it was taking another shape. My arm's evolving NOW?!

Within seconds, Chad's arm had finished its next evolution. He wasn't able to look at it properly, given his preoccupation with the Cero that was still trying to dig its way into him, but Chad could tell that his shoulder extension had disappeared, and the armor on his forearm had formed a shield of sorts. The shield rounded from the fist to the middle of his forearm, but then had parallel edges that made the shield extend further than his elbow before ending abruptly.

Chad felt the newfound power of his newly-upgraded arm, and instinctually channeled it towards the shield. He roared his strength and pushed with all his might, managing to deflect the Cero upwards towards the empty sky. He fell to one knee, barely able to keep afloat using the air-walk technique.

"I am impressed, Sado Yasutora."

The human with Hollow-like powers wearily looked up at Ulquiorra before pushing himself to his feet. "I… will… protect them," Chad wheezed, out of breath.

"And so you have," Ulquiorra confirmed. "You have more than proven how your emotion grants strength when you need it. To think that a human could deflect a high-level Espada's full-power attack… I appear to have underestimated the power of the human spirit. Nevertheless, you are out of power and barely able to stand. How can you protect them now?"

"I don't care how hurt or vulnerable I am… I made a pact with Ichigo, a pact that we would fight for each other and always watch each other's backs. Ever since that day, where he risked his life to help me protect something more precious to me than my own life…" Chad steadied himself and got into a fighting stance. "I refuse to break that oath, Ulquiorra Schiffer. Not for you, not for anyone."

"Your teeth are chattering."

Soifon's words to Omaeda acquired his attention as he forcibly retook control of his jaws, combating the fear that swelled within him from his first real fight in a long, long time.

Before he could speak, though, Soifon continued. "You're pathetic. I can't even stand to look at you. Are you afraid to die? Then this is a good opportunity. Let me handle these two, you go off and die doing something else."

"W-W-What're you talking about?" Omaeda stuttered at first, but gained steam quickly. "I'm not scared, I'm not going to run, and I'm definitely not going to die!"

"Then don't."

"I wasn't going to, even without your orders!"

Several meters away, standing off against the taicho and fukutaicho, Nnoitra scoffed. "Your opponent looks like a fat weakling, Tesla."

"He does, Nnoitra-sama."

"I'm not sure which I would rather fight myself," the Espada mused. "I'm sick and fucking tired of fighting women, but even she promises a better fight than that fat-ass."

"Please allow me to take the weakling, Nnoitra-sama. I know you despise fighting them most of all, and then you can prove to the woman that they have no place on the battlefield," Tesla reasoned.

Nnoitra seemed to consider, then grinned. "Sounds good. Oi! Woman! We gonna fight or what?!"

"Impatient, aren't you?" Soifon called out. "Very well." She drew her Zanpakuto and held it in a one-handed reverse grip, so the blade itself extended back towards her elbow. Nnoitra drew his enormous weapon, and after a brief pause, they lunged at each other in tandem.

Nnoitra's weapon threatened to behead Soifon in her first attack, but she ducked underneath, taking advantage of her short stature to get within Nnoitra's guard. "You're careless," she mocked as she ripped open Nnoitra's stomach…

…or tried to. Her Zanpakuto dragged across the Espada's skin, creating several sparks, but somehow Nnoitra remained unharmed. Barely managing to keep her surprise in check, Soifon narrowly evaded Nnoitra's counterattack through a flash of Shunpo.

"Surprised, woman?" Nnoitra asked with a cocky grin. "I cannot be cut! I have the strongest Hierro of all the Espada!"

"… Interesting," Soifon remarked coolly. "If my sword cannot cut you… then my sword and resolve must first be strengthened." She brought her sword up to eye level. "Sting all enemies to death, Suzemebachi!" Her Zanpakuto glowed yellow, before reshaping itself onto her hand and arm, forming a black gauntlet with gold decorations. Where it ended at her wrist, there was also a golden chain that linked the gauntlet with a thin, stinger-like blade that encompassed her middle finger and extended to twice her finger's length.

Nnoitra stared for a moment before beginning to laugh. "That puny thing is your weapon?!" he asked incredulously. His mirth turned in an instant towards anger. "How can you possibly expect to kill me with that tiny blade?!"

He was shocked, however, when he heard a voice from behind him. "You talk too much." Unable to block in time, he attempted to dodge. As a result, he was stabbed in the left side of his back, and Nnoitra felt his opponent's blade push slightly into his muscle.

Glancing at he had least seen Soifon, he was unsurprised to see the space empty. "You're very fast," he spat out angrily. How DARE she?! No stupid woman can just cut me like that without consequences! He very purposely ignored how that very thing had happened countless times before from his former superior. "How were you able to cut me now when you were not before?" he asked, giving his regeneration ability time to work. He was unable to see the butterfly-shaped mark appear on his back.

"My Zanpakuto's power is condensed into this stinger, and combined with my own skill in Hakuda it allows me to use my specialty: Nigeki Kessatsu. All I must do is pierce my enemy in the same spot twice. The first time creates a very easy to spot target, a Homonka. The second kills you." She took a ready stance. "With such power concentrated in such a small blade, how could I not cut you? I must admit, however, that your Hierro is quite tough… I nearly wasn't able to push even a little bit of my Zanpakuto's venom into you."

For the first time in a long time, Nnoitra knew fear; a woman who had no respect for her rightful place in life, with the power to kill him so easily. Then his fear turned to anger, then to rage. "I'll KILL you!" he howled as his reiatsu flared. "Pray, Santa Teresa!"

"So this is Resurreccion…" Soifon observed, carefully keeping all her senses peeled for the inevitable attack from within the smoke-like reiatsu that hid Nnoitra from sight. Suddenly she was cut in half from a scythe that whipped out from within the smoke.

Nnoitra was about to laugh out in victory, until he noticed that the Shinigami taicho was not there any longer; only the haori that marked her as a taicho was left, its two halves fluttering down in the currents of air. Recalling Soifon's words, and not willing to chance dying before he could even put up a proper fight, he used his upper left arm and its scythe to block the point where Soifon's strange weapon had touched previously.

"You are too slow to truly match me," Soifon announced, and Nnoitra whirled around to see the woman he was quickly growing to loathe standing easily, calmly even, atop a nearby building. "You are unable to see past my Utsusemi technique. You are unable to even catch me with your weapon."

"And you cannot hurt me with yours!" Nnoitra countered. "In my Resurreccion, I'm stronger, faster, and far more difficult to cut!"

"I see. Assuming you are right, then we are at an impasse. However…" Soifon began gathering her reiatsu and focusing it to her arm and Zanpakuto. "… I do not believe you are capable of defeating me!" She dashed at the four-armed Arrancar, Suzumebachi practically buzzing in her ears in its desire to kill.

Meanwhile, Omaeda and Tesla had experimentally clashed a few times, sword against sword. Tesla's sword was slightly odd, however, in that it was a relatively short rapier, and had a chakram built into it just above the hilt. Neither opponent had been hurt as of yet, but both had been preoccupied watching their masters fight.

"Looks like Soifon-taicho is going to kill your Espada," Omaeda taunted, taking advantage of Tesla's distracted state to land a shallow cut to his right arm.

For the first time since they entered the fight, Tesla looked somewhat strained and worried. "Then it appears I must defeat you more quickly, so I may aid my master. Crush, Veruga."

Omaeda watched, impressed as Tesla's sword vanished and he began to grow taller, larger, until he resembled a heavily muscled reddish brown giant, with a warthog mask, and yellow mane and furred legs. Without waiting for the Shinigami to ready himself, Tesla attempted to crush him with an enormous palm against the ground.

The fukutaicho narrowly dodged. "He's slow, but strong… my kind of fight." He gripped his Zanpakuto. "Crush, Gegetsuburi!" His sword glowed and reshaped itself into a large spike ball on a long chain, looking very similar to a flail. Without hesitation, he hurled it up at Tesla's face, successfully hitting his mask and breaking off the left tusk.

Tesla roared in pain; the mask was a Hollow's weak point, and that transferred over to even Arrancar. "Die!" he demanded, punching with all his might straight down at Omaeda, who dodged easily. Despite being overweight, Omaeda was still fast enough to evade such a slow punch. Swinging Gegetsuburi above his head by use of his chain, Omaeda leapt up and flung his weapon directly into Tesla's left eye; the giant size of the Fraccion ensured that the mask's eyehole was large enough to accommodate.

Tesla screamed in agony as the spiked ball pierced his eye and destroyed it. Unable to see any longer, he blindly swiped at Omaeda, who barely had to move to dodge as he pulled back on the chain, recalling his Zanpakuto. "You fatass!" Tesla insulted, breathing heavily as he tried to regain his calm. "How did you do this so easily?!"

"I am Onimitsukido," Omaeda intoned gravely. "You are simply too slow to hit me, and present too large a target to miss." Focusing his reiatsu, he used Shunpo to appear directly in front of Tesla and once more threw his Zanpakuto with all his might. Gegetsuburi shattered Tesla's mask, and punched right through his head, killing him instantly. "Now to go help Soifon-taicho."

Meanwhile, the forces that had not yet squared off against their opponents frowned; they had felt Ichigo's already monstrous reiatsu grow even higher, and turn very Hollow-like earlier, but now he seemed to have powered down, and his opponent's reiatsu was still there. So when Ichigo used Shunpo to appear next to his allies, he was met by frowns and scowls alike. "Why is your opponent not dead, Kurosaki?" Yamamoto demanded.

"Grimmjow's not really loyal to Aizen," Ichigo explained quickly. "In exchange for his life, he's agreed to protect Urahara's shop, where Inoue is standing by to heal anyone who needs it."

"Not a bad trade, eh Yama-jii?" Kyoraku commented lazily. "A Hollow protectin' that place allows us to save our energy for our fights."

"And how have you bound him to that promise?" Hitsugaya queried.

"I threatened to sic Ishida on him and destroy his soul entirely after I hunt him down and make him beg for death," the orange-haired Vizard answered grimly.

Yamamoto's eyes widened somewhat, showing his surprise for a brief moment before returning to his normal posture. "… An effective threat, then."

The ice-wielding captain of the 10th Division looked at Ichigo questioningly. "Kurosaki, I understand you became a Hollow. Did anything good come of that?"

"I gained a couple Hollow powers," Ichigo answered Hitsugaya after a moment. "I've only used Garganta, but I should be able to use Cero as well. I did notice my masked state was much stronger than the last time I faced Grimmjow." He jerked bolt-upright, sensing a sudden dangerously extreme drop in reiatsu. "Chad!" Before anyone could stop him, he was gone.

Ulquiorra stood over Chad, with no traces of any wounds on his Resurreccion form. Chad, on the other hand, was panting for breath, on his hands and knees on a building as blood pooled beneath him. He'd fought hard, despite being drained of reiatsu, but ultimately to no avail; Ulquiorra was just too fast and too resilient. "Chad, I'm here," Ichigo told him fervently as he kneeled down next to his best friend. "Let's go get you healed up, ok?"

"Ichigo… he's strong," Chad whispered, coughing up more blood that joined the pool of blood on the building even as he allowed Ichigo to help him up. "Be careful! His Cero Oscuro is… beyond powerful."

"Got it." Ichigo Shunpo-ed away with Chad, taking him to Urahara's shop. "Inoue! Help Chad, I've gotta get back out there!"

Inoue snapped to attention and immediately called upon her fairies, silently creating a Souten Kisshun field around Chad, who obediently lay down. "You'll be ok, Chad-kun."

Ichigo, seeing that everything was taken care of, Shunpo-ed back to where Ulquiorra was waiting. "Here we are again."

"Indeed," Ulquiorra agreed.

"No chance I can convince you to turn away from Aizen then? Never got a chance to fight Yammy."

"No. However, your friend, Sado Yasutora… he has become quite strong. And his reiatsu is strange, it is as though I can taste his emotions on the air," Ulquiorra told Ichigo. "He surprised me in that he was able to mildly injure me in this form using his most powerful attack and a clever strategy, but my regenerative abilities and high speed kept him from landing more than glancing blows afterwards."

"So, now what? You've got what you were looking for, right? A better understanding of a human's emotions?" Ichigo pointed out.

"Indeed, I have learned much with my interactions with Sado Yasutora. However, there is still more to learn." Ulquiorra took a battle stance. "Come, Kurosaki Ichigo. Show me your own will to protect, your own will to attack."

"I'll show you more than that," Ichigo promised, reaching up to pull on his Gillian mask once more, continuing to speak as he did so. "I'll show you my instinct." He glared up at Ulquiorra through Hollow amber eyes that glowed eerily from within the mask, spinning Tensa Zangetsu by the chain once more as he flared his reiatsu to its fullest, making Ulquiorra's eyes widen nigh-imperceptibly in surprise. "Prepare yourself, Ulquiorra!"

"As you wish, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Suddenly the air was saturated even further with reiatsu, this time from Ulquiorra, before Ichigo made the first move and dashed forward, a black Getsuga emanating dangerously from his sword. Let's take him down, Zangetsu! He felt Tensa Zangetsu thrum in his hand, and then he was thrown into combat.

Kira Izuru, with the help of Ishida, had Avirama Redder on his knees, his head bowed. Kira calmly walked to the eagle-like Fraccion, Wabisuke in his hand. Ishida floated alongside him on a platform based on his Hirenkyaku.

"How?" Avirama asked as he struggled to move any part of his body. His name suited him; his body was almost completely covered in blood red feathers. The only parts of his body not covered in plumage were his tattooed chest and his face, upon which a large beak had formed. He had also sprouted enormous wings, and his feet had reshaped into talons. "What did you do to me?"

Kira indicated his released Zanpakuto. "My sword, Wabisuke, has a unique ability to double the weight of anything I strike. While Ishida-san fought you in aerial combat, I snuck in and struck those feathers of yours over and over again. If your feathers had been as light as normal feathers, I would have been helpless."

Realization dawned upon Avirama's face as everything made sense. "But my feathers are metallic and heavy, made to slice anyone I swoop past. Such an underhanded ability."

"Underhanded?" Kira shook his head. "There is nothing underhanded about it… oh yes, you feel that fighting is meant to be heroic and exciting."

"Yes, and to fight makes the blood sing! It is fun, and honorable!" Avirama agreed. "There is such a rush of adrenaline, the glee of combat, the triumph of proving yourself stronger!"

"… I cannot feel that way. My division, Squad 3 of the Gotei 13, has the marigold as our symbol. It embodies despair. War is ugly and depressing. There is nothing exciting about it. We fight to live. War is full of despair, full of sorrow and darkness. People fear war for that reason. Out of all the Zanpakutos there are, I feel that my sword that best represents that philosophy." He held his sword up to the light, showing its strange shape. It was a straight blade up to a point, where it bent to a perpendicular angle, and again several inches later to run parallel to the first part of the blade. The sharp edge was on the inside of the hook-like shape, while the outside was blunted. "Raise your head, Wabisuke. That command is so fitting to my division. When I strike you with my blade, I double your weight, again and again until all you can do is kneel, no longer able to stand. No longer able to even lift your sword. And then Wabisuke's power forces you to bow your head, as if in apology. And that is why it is called Wabisuke ('The Penitent One')."

He stood over the helpless Avirama and gently but firmly brought his sword to go around the Fraccion's neck so the inside edge, the sharp edge, was directly against his skin. "W-wait!" Avirama pleaded.

"A warrior… does not beg for his life." And with a tug, Kira beheaded the Arrancar.

"An interesting philosophy," Ishida commented. "Seems to be counter to Squad 11's."

"Of course," Kira agreed. "Most squads have their own philosophy. Squad 3's is despair, Squad 2's is efficient dispatch, Squad 11's is the love of fighting . By having contrary philosophy's working together, we are able to take in all kinds of Shinigami and have them work together."

They paused as they felt a heavy, oppressive reiatsu fill the air. "Kurosaki!" Ishida recognized.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is the owner of this reiatsu?" Kira asked, surprised. It feels so much like a Hollow's!

"Yeah, but be prepared for even more," the Quincy warned, looking to where he felt the reiatsu coming from. "He's facing Ulquiorra, Quarta Espada."

Then the reiatsu intensified as Ulquiorra released his own reiatsu. Kira nearly had to fall to his knees, as he gasped for breath. Ishida, seeing Kira's impairment, grabbed him and used Hirenkyaku to move them both further away.

As Kira recovered, Ishida Uryuu looked towards his rival once more, struggling with his emotions. How is it that you're still so much further than me? He gripped his bow tightly. You've gotten so strong, Kurosaki Ichigo. And you'll only grow stronger, while I am bound by my vow to give up the life of a Quincy as soon as this conflict is over, he thought bitterly. No, Uryuu. It is good that Kurosaki has grown so strong. That way you can entrust him with the protection of our comrades after all this is done.

But no matter how many times he told himself that, Ishida still felt the bitter jealousy circulating, gripping his chest with its icy tendrils.

Ayesagawa Yumichika finished off Charlotte Cool-horn's Resurreccion with the true form of his Shikai, Ruri'iro Kujaku, from within the Arrancar's Rosa Blanca technique. Ruri'iro Kujaku manifested as several vines that wrapped around the opponent and drained the captive's reiatsu, using it to make several flowers slowly bloom. "I have to thank you again, Charlotte Cool-horn," Yumichika commented easily. "Without your Rosa Blanca technique to hide us from all sight and reiatsu sensing, I would not have revealed my true Shikai."

"Why didn't you use it outside?" Charlotte asked, defeated. His Resurreccion had changed his clothing primarily, giving him white underwear that connected to a pink mini-skirt, and a white crop top with extended shoulder pads, which had a pink cape. His bone mask had reformed into a tiara which settled just in front of his curly hair that he wore down to mid-back, and he wore white disk-like bracelets. Given Charlotte's muscular frame – he had the form of a very masculine body-builder, all his muscles clearly defined – he looked like an especially disturbing cross-dresser.

The Shinigami paused for a moment to reflect before answering. "I am a proud member of Squad 11, and that squad prides themselves on having pure melee Zanpakuto. Having a Kido type, like my own, would get me kicked out. So I disguised my Zanpakuto, by giving it a nickname. You see, my Zanpakuto's favorite color is azure (Ruri'iro), and its least favorite is wisteria (Fuji). By calling him Fuji Kujaku, he pouts and doesn't show his true power, instead manifesting as what you saw earlier, four identical sickle-like blades held on a hinge at the hilt."

Charlotte smiled. "I see now… your Zanpakuto is beautiful, in both its forms."

Yumichika repressed a shiver; while he freely admitted he liked feeling beautiful, and he personally felt that Ruri'iro Kujaku was equally so, having Charlotte compliment them felt like the cross-dressing Arrancar was hitting on him. "Yes, yes he is," he agreed, watching the flowers attached to his Zanpakuto's vines slowly bloom, draining Charlotte's energy. "And now, die in your own technique."

With that, the flowers fully bloomed, and Charlotte slumped over, dead from having all his reiatsu drained. He quickly began to disintegrate, until the Fraccion was gone. Yumichika quickly resealed his Zanpakuto before the Rosa Blanca completely faded, thereby hiding Ruri'iro Kujaku's true nature.

"It's about time you got out of there," he heard. Turning around, he found Kuchiki Rukia waiting impatiently. "I came to help, but couldn't break into whatever that technique was. Is your opponent dead?"

Yumichika glanced backwards at where Charlotte had died. "Yes, he died a beautiful death."

Rukia shook her head; she'd never understand Yumichika and his obsession with beauty. "Never mind that. We should take turns protecting the pillar."

"Sounds lovely. How has everyone else done?" He glanced around; it seemed that Kira had finished, as had Hisagi… Renji appeared to be finishing off Ikkaku's opponent, who was presumably in Resurreccion judging from the enormous whale-like form. Even as Yumichika watched, Hihio Zabimaru unleashed a Higa Zekko, disassembling into its segments, which leapt at the Arrancar and stabbed him in several places, including his head. Seeing that the Fraccion was finished, he looked for and found Ikkaku, who appeared to be heavily injured, nearly unconscious. While he was annoyed on Ikkaku's behalf that Renji had taken over his fight, Yumichika was glad that his friend was alive.

Glancing towards the other two towers, Yumichika noted that Kira had teamed up with the Quincy, Ishida Uryuu, and seemed uninjured from his fight. Hisagi and Matsumoto looked as though they had finished a few minutes prior. With a flash of Shunpo, Yumichika appeared next to Ikkaku. "You still alive there?"

Ikkaku coughed out some blood. "Yeah… I'm alive. Remind me to kick Renji's ass later."

"Right," Yumichika agreed, pulling Ikkaku up and supporting him as best he could.

"You should take him to Urahara's shop," Rukia suggested. "Inoue's there, and her special healing ability will get him fixed up in no time."

Thanking her for the suggestion, Yumichika took his comrade down to the shop. That taken care of, Rukia met up with Renji, who had resealed his Zanpakuto back into Shikai form. "You alright there, Renji?"

"I'm fine. Not even injured," Renji reassured her. "My opponent was strong, but slow." He looked his childhood friend over real quick, assessing her reiatsu and looking for potential injuries. " You didn't fight at all?"

"No, Yumichika was trapped in some technique that kept him and his enemy isolated from the outside. I couldn't break in." Rukia looked worriedly in the direction that she felt Ichigo's Hollowified reiatsu coming from. "Do you know who he's fighting?"

"Ichigo?" Renji shook his head. "Can't tell for sure, but I'll bet you anything it's an Espada."

The ice-wielder rolled her eyes. "Of course he is, dumbass. I could tell that simply from the reiatsu."

Renji smirked. "He can take care of himself. Listen, I've got to stay here and continue to defend Ikkaku's pillar while he recovers. The others have returned to theirs, but until Yumichika gets back you should watch over his."

Rukia's face hardened as she nodded, before turning and running back to the appropriate tower, taking on a guarding position.

Barraggan's face was a reflection of utter fury as his left hand crushed part of his bone throne.

"Oh shit!" one of his remaining Fraccion cursed with wide eyes, sensing Barragan's rising reiatsu.

"Sire, please remain in your throne and allow us to handle them!" the other begged.

Barraggan paused, but he regained his calm expression as he once more sat back. "Kill them. Do not leave a single ant alive, or there will be nowhere for you to return to." He gave his subordinates a piercing, judgmental stare. "Do not disappoint me," he uttered with the weight of a dictator. It did not need to be said that if they did disappoint him, Barraggan would kill his Fraccion himself.

"Apache, Sun-sun, Mila-Rose," Harribel suddenly called out. Three more Arrancar, presumably her Fraccion, rushed to her side. "Attempt to destroy the towers yourselves, but do not interfere with Barragan's Fraccions' battles."

"Yes ma'am!" they saluted, and in tandem all five Fraccion vanished in a burst of Sonido.

"Should we send a taicho along to help out?" Ukitake suggested. "Just in case, of course."

"Who would we send to fight them?" Yamamoto asked heavily. He wanted to reserve his heavy hitters – Ukitake, Kyoraku, Komamura and himself – for the Espada, as well as their Shinigami masters. Komamura understandably wanted to save his strength for fighting his old friend, the traitor Tousen, and it was likely that Hisagi would abandon his post to aid him. Kira would most likely want to fight his old taicho as well, Ichimaru. Yamamoto's attention was split between watching the Arrancar before him, maintaining the fire that separated Aizen, Tousen and Gin from their subordinates, and keeping tabs on Kurosaki Ichigo's fight with Ulquiorra. Speaking of Kurosaki, he hoped that the Substitute Shinigami was capable of finishing the Cuarta Espada and still be able to take on Aizen.

"Maa, I think we should let the towers' defenders take care of themselves," Kyoraku offered lazily. "Like you said, Yama-jii, they are strong warriors, and they have backup now."

"I don't think we're going to get a choice," Hitsugaya said grimly, eyeing the Espada.

Indeed, they were readying themselves for combat. It appeared that everyone save Barraggan was moving to draw their weapons, or simply raising their reiatsu in challenge. "The tower defenders will have to take care of themselves," Komamura growled dangerously, drawing his own sword.

However, just as they were about to split up to fight their battles, everyone stopped when they felt an overwhelming reiatsu wash over them from the direction of Ichigo's battle with Ulquiorra.

The roar of a Hollow echoed in the sudden silence.