Ichigo Kurosaki took the Seed of Light from Beelzebub's hand, but before he could examine it, he was intercepted by Arrancar yet again.
By the time he finally managed to shake off his pursuer, he opened his hand—only to find that the Seed of Light had vanished!
What?!
Ichigo was puzzled. It had just been in his hand a moment ago. How could it suddenly disappear? Did it go back into his body?
He frowned, but since it was originally inside him, maybe this was fine. After escaping the Arrancar, Ichigo found a place to hide and catch his breath.
Although he hadn't sustained any injuries fighting Beelzebub, his stamina was significantly depleted. In a place as dangerous as Las Noches, he had to maintain his condition.
Furthermore, the reishi of Inoue Orihime he detected earlier turned out to be a trick by Beelzebub. So where was the real Inoue?
He needed to find her location before acting. If he rushed in blindly, he might run in the wrong direction.
But—no matter how he tried, Ichigo couldn't sense Inoue's reishi.
In theory, a human's reishi like Inoue's should stand out among this many Hollows. But he couldn't detect it at all. Could something have happened to her?
Ichigo was anxious, but helpless.
"Are you wondering why you can't sense Inoue Orihime's reishi?"
Suddenly, a voice rang in Ichigo's ear, startling him.
Ichigo nearly jumped out of the shadows, but a hand pressed down on his shoulder, forcing him to calm down.
"Who?!"
He quickly looked over—only to find a cat in the shadows.
That black cat placed its paw on him.
Seeing this, Ichigo immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
"Miss Yoruichi? What are you doing here?!"
This time, Ichigo hadn't come to Seireitei with Yoruichi, but he still recognized her. When he and Inoue had their physical exams at Urahara's shop, Yoruichi often appeared. He knew she could transform into a cat.
He just didn't expect Yoruichi to have followed them here, too! He hadn't noticed her presence at all.
"If you could detect me, I wouldn't deserve to be called the Goddess of Flash," Yoruichi said calmly, as if reading Ichigo's thoughts.
"I came with you, but I haven't shown myself until now. While you were distracting the enemy, I gathered information."
"Do you know where Inoue is?!" Ichigo's spirits lifted.
"Yes," Yoruichi nodded. "If you want to save Inoue, you must go to the innermost part of Las Noches, and find the Fourth Espada—Ulquiorra Cifer."
"Ulquiorra Cifer... is that the one who appeared in the Human World before?!"
Ichigo's eyes widened. He knew this Arrancar—it was the one he'd fought before, the one whose strength he couldn't even touch.
"Now, Inoue is with him. Because she's by his side, you can't sense her reishi."
"It's like a small light bulb next to the sun. Ulquiorra's reishi is so overwhelming, hers is obscured."
Ichigo frowned. Rescuing Inoue was already difficult, but now, the challenge seemed insurmountable. Still, no matter what trials lay ahead, Ichigo was determined to save her.
But then—
Yoruichi's body suddenly became ethereal.
"Miss Yoruichi, what's wrong?" Ichigo was worried. Had Yoruichi sustained serious injuries while investigating?
"...Nothing," Yoruichi replied, frowning even in cat form.
But as soon as she finished speaking, her body began to contort. A small black hole appeared on her, and Yoruichi was instantly sucked in!
"Miss Yoruichi!"
Ichigo reached out, but it was too late. She was swallowed up by the black hole.
What's going on?!
He was shocked, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
"That Baraggan fellow is really something."
As Ichigo reeled from shock, another man's voice sounded, playful and mocking.
"I've already arrived, and yet he's still using such petty tricks."
"What did you do to Miss Yoruichi?!" Ichigo demanded, turning to the newcomer.
This man wore a white eyepatch over his left eye and a huge circular collar behind him, like a raised hood.
"That's Baraggan's Death Maze. Once you're pulled in, the result is death," the man sneered.
"She thought she could escape by speed after entering the core area of Las Noches. How naive. Once you enter the Death Maze, there's no escape."
"Baraggan?"
"You don't know anything," Nnoitra stuck out his tongue, revealing the number "5".
"The Espada are ranked by number. That guy you just killed was No. 8, and I am No. 5, which means I'm much stronger."
"Baraggan... is the No. 1 among the Espada!"
!!
Ichigo's eyes widened. Beelzebub was only No. 8?!
He didn't know that Beelzebub's true strength could have earned him a higher number, but in an organization ranked by strength, No. 8 would make people underestimate you. That was why Beelzebub chose the lowest number he could.
But ultimately, Beelzebub hadn't managed to use that advantage—he was defeated by Ichigo, then killed by Angra.
Of course, Ichigo didn't know any of this. Learning that Beelzebub was only No. 8 filled him with despair.
When facing Beelzebub, Ichigo had given his all. If Beelzebub had been able to fight in his true form, Ichigo probably wouldn't have survived.
If the Eighth Espada was that strong, how much stronger was the Fifth? And, most terrifying of all—
Miss Yoruichi was trapped by the First Espada!
The First Espada! How powerful must he be?
Ichigo wasn't worried about himself. He was worried about Yoruichi.
Suddenly, Ichigo felt a terrifying reishi burst from the distance.
Is that Rukia's reishi? Wait—her opponent is... Grimmjow?!
Sensing Rukia's reishi, Ichigo was relieved—he had almost lost track of her earlier and feared the worst. Now, her reishi felt fully recovered.
But then he realized—she was fighting Grimmjow.
Grimmjow—an old opponent. Rukia had fought him twice before, and both times ended in failure. This was their third encounter. The odds didn't look good.
Ichigo wanted to rush to help, but Nnoitra's scythe slashed at him!
"Aren't you being too arrogant? It's me, the great one, standing before you!" Nnoitra scoffed, swinging his massive scythe.
"Get out of the way!" Ichigo blocked with Tensa Zangetsu, but the force still pushed him back several steps.
"That depends on your skill!" Nnoitra shouted.
…
Meanwhile, Elsewhere
After recovering, Rukia didn't hesitate—this was a crucial moment, and they had an important mission. She followed Ichigo's footsteps into Las Noches.
It wasn't long before she found her enemy.
"You sure took your sweet time getting here," Grimmjow clicked his tongue, sitting atop a pile of rubble.
The damage around them was likely from Ichigo's previous battle.
"Grimmjow..."
This time, Grimmjow wasn't fixated on Ichigo. Instead, he faced Rukia. In their previous two missions, he'd fought Rukia, and although he ultimately won, he hadn't managed to kill her—something that deeply bothered him.
This time, after sensing Rukia's and Ichigo's reishi, he headed directly for her.
Facing the Sixth Espada, Rukia dared not lower her guard. She had suffered severe defeat in their two previous battles.
"This time is for revenge!"
"That's a good look in your eyes," Grimmjow sneered. "Let's see how much you've improved!"
With that, he lunged forward like a panther.
Clash!
Grimmjow's speed was incredible, but after fighting Dark Rukia, Rukia was used to high-speed combat. No matter how fast he was, could he be faster than Dark Rukia's teleportation?
When Grimmjow appeared and swung his blade, Rukia was ready—her defense met his attack. Their blades clashed.
Still, Rukia was forced back, step by step, by the force of his blow. As she retreated, a Hollow mask appeared on her face.
"I knew you'd use that trick!" Grimmjow scoffed. "But do you really think you can defeat me, a true Hollow, with borrowed Hollow power?"
"Who knows unless I try?" Rukia shot back. "And aren't you, in your current form, borrowing our Shinigami's power?"
As soon as she hollowfied, Rukia felt her power surge. She stopped her retreat, and—with even greater force—pushed back against Grimmjow.
Grimmjow frowned. Rukia's power seemed to have increased significantly. Even with her Hollowfication, she had never been able to suppress him before.
How could her strength have improved so much in just a few days?
Grimmjow retreated, putting distance between them, and suddenly raised his hand.
"Gran Rey Cero!"
A surge of power warped space itself.
This wasn't just a Cero—it also incorporated Quincy reishi absorption! Grimmjow had undergone modifications by Szayelaporro, gaining a hint of Quincy power. Though incomplete, it allowed him to gather reishi to enhance his Cero.
Even so, Gran Rey Cero was already extremely powerful. With this boost, its destructive force became monstrous.
"Proud one of the heavens, iron-wrought fortress, dragon-like, lion's roar, tiger's howl, wolf's sprint, severing heaven and earth before it collapses—Bakudo 81: Dankū!"
Rukia extended her hand, unleashing a full incantation Dankū. A massive transparent wall appeared before her like a fortress.
Boom!
The crimson beam of light smashed into the wall. The two forces clashed violently. Rukia felt immense pressure, sweat beading on her forehead.
So strong!
In a flash—
Bang!
Her Dankū shattered, the wall fracturing like glass. Yet the crimson beam persisted, still blasting toward her!
Rukia's pupils dilated. Dankū could block Kido up to ninety—did that mean Grimmjow's attack was stronger than Hado #90?
No, it far exceeded it.
Rukia swung her sword, but her body was still engulfed by the Gran Rey Cero.
Boom!
The energy destroyed the ground beneath her, blasting a deep gash through Las Noches. When the light faded, Rukia had been thrown back hundreds of meters, her body marked with burns. She gripped Sode no Shirayuki, panting.
Dankū couldn't defend against it—she had to endure with her Zanpakuto and her body.
She had survived, but was still injured.
The next moment, Grimmjow appeared before her.
"Absolute Zero!"
Rukia took a deep breath and unleashed a slash.
Grimmjow's eyes widened. In that moment—his Zanpakuto was cut off! Upon collision with Sode no Shirayuki, it began to shatter—Rukia severed it as if it were wood.
"How... is that possible?!"
Grimmjow stood stunned.
"Kidō #63: Raikōhō!"
"Sprinkled on the bones of the beast! Sharp tower, red crystal, steel ring. Move and become the wind, stop and become the calm. The sound of warring spears fills the empty castle!"
Lightning erupted, engulfing Grimmjow. He retreated, putting distance between them.
Both were breathing heavily.
In their exchange, Rukia had the upper hand—she endured half of Grimmjow's Gran Rey Cero, struck back with a Raikōhō, and broke his Zanpakuto.
This was Absolute Zero! In previous encounters, it had little effect—the power difference was too great. Now, with the gap narrowed, it became decisive.
"It seems that, as a true Shinigami, you still can't compare to me," Rukia said quietly, looking at Grimmjow.
"You... brat!"
Grimmjow hated being looked down on. Through the Hollow mask, he could see only Rukia's cold, indifferent gaze—like she was looking at a dead man.
He didn't know this was her inevitable look when fighting at full power, entering the Absolute Zero state—where even her own life was "killed" inside her to wield that power.
To Grimmjow, it was contempt. He refused to accept it.
"Grind, Pantera!"
Grimmjow crouched, growling. Spiritual pressure erupted from his body—the broken Zanpakuto vanished.
Boom!
Spiritual power rose like a tornado, shaking the space around him.
Rukia, feeling the force directly, was shocked. This was the Espada's Resurrección.
So strong!
But she calmed her mind. She had trained her Bankai. After fighting the Bull-Head Hollow, she felt even stronger.
She had to find that feeling again—the state she reached after her fight with Dark Rukia.
She closed her eyes, searching for that sensation—the feeling of being near death, the feeling of recovery she couldn't remember.
To defeat Grimmjow now, she needed that state. Even Bankai alone wouldn't be enough—she had to catch Grimmjow off guard.
…