Chapter 135: The Destination of Nothingness

“Hmm? What’s this? The battle over at little Harukata’s is unexpectedly difficult.”

Having just finished dealing with Ichigo, Chojiro Sasakibe felt the spiritual pressures of Kyoraku and Ulquiorra. He rubbed his chin, looking intrigued.

“Mr. Sasakibe…”

“Come to think of it, there shouldn’t be anything unusual happening over in Hueco Mundo, should there, Retsu?”

“All the captains and Mr. Kurosaki’s friends are safe and sound. However, the final Espada is considerably more troublesome than we anticipated.”

“Um, Mr. Sasakibe…”

“Ah, you mean that fellow called Yammy? It doesn’t matter. With little Byakuya and Kenpachi’s strength, they should be able to handle him. Speaking of which, I never expected Mayuri to open a Garganta so quickly.”

“But no more captains will be returning for the time being. Conditions in Hueco Mundo aren’t so favorable that any random captain can deal with them.”

“Just as expected. In any case, let’s restore this little fellow’s strength first. He’s played quite an important role in this battle—what the—?”

“Damn it, will you ever stop? You casually mention everyone else’s names, yet ignore me when I call you?”

Having been ignored beyond the limits of his patience, Ichigo finally exploded. He picked up a huge rock and smashed it against Chojiro’s head, venting his frustration.

“Heh heh…”

Seeing Unohana standing to one side, covering her mouth as she quietly snickered, Chojiro’s face became a mask of black lines.

You did that on purpose, didn’t you…?

“Don’t get angry.”

Casually wiping away the blood Ichigo had drawn from his head, Chojiro adjusted his clothes once more.

“Don’t you want to know what role you can actually play in this battle?”

“Huh?”

Ichigo froze for a moment, caught off guard by the question.

What role could he play?

Although he had disobeyed orders and entered Hueco Mundo to rescue Orihime, Orihime was safe now. Through a twist of fate, he had also returned to the World of the Living, just in time to encounter this battle being fought there. So, naturally, the only thing he could do was participate as a combatant, right?

After stating the conclusion he had reached, all he received was a disdainful snort from Chojiro.

“Combatant? You think far too highly of yourself, Ichigo Kurosaki.”

With a cold laugh, Chojiro pulled the scabbard from the ground and returned it to his waist.

“Just how much confidence do you have in your own strength to arrive at such a conclusion?”

“Let me tell you this: your combat ability is nothing more than an insignificant factor in this war. Do you think that because you once defeated a captain, you therefore have the right to stand on equal footing with us and speak as though you belong here?”

“I told you before, didn’t I? When you invaded the Soul Society, I defeated two captains at once.”

“Can you do that, Ichigo Kurosaki?”

“…”

The astonishing truth suddenly jolted Ichigo awake.

That was right. When he had invaded the Soul Society, he had encountered this terrifyingly powerful man.

After defeating Kenpachi Zaraki, although he had not yet recovered from his injuries, Ichigo had believed that his strength was already sufficient to stand alongside the captains at the very top. Yet this man before him had defeated him with ease—without even releasing his sword.

Did he really have the qualifications to participate in a war of this level?

For the first time, Ichigo began to doubt his own strength.

“Whether it was defeating Kenpachi Zaraki, Kuchiki Byakuya, or even Grimmjow—do you truly believe you are strong enough to stand here?”

“I’ll put it plainly…”

Chojiro extended a finger toward Ichigo’s chest. His gaze grew sharp and cold.

“Until you have fully mastered the power within you, you have no right to speak to us as an equal.”

“…”

Chojiro’s words were like an enormous iron hammer, shattering the confidence Ichigo had never once lost—not even when facing Ulquiorra.

“So open your eyes and watch carefully.”

He forcibly turned Ichigo’s gaze toward the direction of Kyoraku and Ulquiorra’s battle. Suddenly, a trace of melancholy appeared in Chojiro’s eyes.

Perhaps this was the first time he had watched his disciple’s battle from a distance as well…

“See what a battle between beings at the captain level truly looks like.”

…………………………

“Vmmm…”

Ulquiorra spread both hands, and another long spear formed entirely from emerald-green spiritual pressure appeared in his grasp.

“You are a nuisance. Are you going to interfere with my final battle as well?”

Staring coldly down at Kyoraku, Ulquiorra had never before felt such an intense desire to kill someone.

He had always been lost.

After encountering Orihime Inoue—and learning that Ichigo Kurosaki and the others had entered Hueco Mundo alone to rescue her—that confusion had only deepened.

Why had they come here when their enemies were several times stronger than they were, opponents they had no hope of defeating?

Why, even after watching his companions be brutally defeated before his eyes, had Ichigo refused to tell them to go back and never return?

Companions…

The heart…

What exactly were they?

And so he had encountered Ichigo Kurosaki, crossing paths with him as though guided by fate, and fought him.

“Whoosh!”

Kyoraku cast off his pink haori as though shedding a restraint. In an instant, he appeared above Ulquiorra, his sword Katen Kyokotsu raised high.

“Takaoni.”

“Whoosh!”

“!”

Just as Kyoraku was about to bring his blade down, he suddenly darted aside. The spear Ulquiorra had been holding skimmed past his haori.

“Smack!”

Taking advantage of that opening, Ulquiorra spread his wings like a demon and pressed one hand against Kyoraku’s head.

He longed to learn what he wanted to know from that orange-haired Soul Reaper who was barely in his teens.

Even if he had to expend everything he possessed, he wanted to know.

Was he truly… empty?

“Vmmm.”

A black sphere of light rapidly gathered upon Ulquiorra’s slender fingers and blasted directly into Kyoraku.

“Crackle, snap…”

Fragments of the haori that had been reduced to scraps drifted slowly down from the sky. Yet nowhere could be found the pieces of Kyoraku, who should have been reduced to scraps as well.

“Hoh!”

Ulquiorra abruptly lowered his head, narrowly avoiding Kyoraku’s blade as it swept past from behind.

“Phew… That was a rare opportunity to attack from a blind spot. I didn’t expect you to dodge it after all.”

Kyoraku gave a wry smile and withdrew his sword.

Taking advantage of the opening created when Ulquiorra fired his Cero, that had been Kyoraku’s only chance to land a lethal strike. He had not expected to fail. Continuing the pursuit would merely waste his strength, and might even allow his opponent to seize an opening. It was better to put his sword away for now.

“…Vmmm.”

After a brief silence, Ulquiorra produced another Lanza del Relampago.

He wanted to stop being empty.

That was all.

He wanted to obtain the thing called a heart.

“Oh my?”

Kyoraku raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze toward the battle above, where Ukitake was fighting Starrk.

“I didn’t expect that Espada to be so capable… He’s actually driven Ukitake to that point.”

“…”

Following Kyoraku’s gaze, Ulquiorra also saw the white-haired Soul Reaper locked in combat with Starrk.

“You care about him…”

“Oh? You mean Ukitake?”

It was rare for that man, cold as a block of ice, to take the initiative and speak to him. Kyoraku’s interest immediately sharpened.

“Well, the two of us grew up together. But his body has always been rather weak, so naturally, someone has to show him a little concern.”

“…Is that so?”

The spear in Ulquiorra’s hand trembled slightly, and his gaze gradually turned cold.

“So if I kill that man, you’ll go after him?”

“Whoosh…”

“!”

The instant Ulquiorra finished speaking, Kyoraku appeared before him, radiating a dangerous aura. One blade severed the arm holding the Lanza del Relampago, while the other cleaved directly into Ulquiorra’s undefended chest.

“Skree…”

Although Ulquiorra used Sonido to retreat the moment Kyoraku appeared, Kyoraku’s two strikes still left him gravely wounded.

“Don’t say things like that in front of me, Espada…”

Kyoraku raised his head. The playful, carefree expression he had worn before had transformed into something like the face of a demon—ferocious and terrifying.

“Or I might… kill you in an instant.”