Puchi!
A green light beam pierced through Kurosaki Ichigo's chest. His pupils dilated, and in the next instant, the light left his eyes, his gaze darkened, and his head slumped as if all strength had left his body.
"..."
In the distance, Inoue Orihime, who had been watching Ulquiorra, seemed struck by what she saw in her own eyes at that moment.
That...
What is this?
She herself... she had already given everything she had to Lord Ulquiorra. She was his subordinate, and she was supposed to fight for him. Kurosaki Ichigo was Lord Ulquiorra's enemy, so…
He should be defeated, he should be killed!
But…
But why…
Why, upon seeing Ichigo killed at this moment, did her heart… hurt so much?!
Suddenly, Ulquiorra's hand plunged into Ichigo's body again, pulling something out. Orihime's pupils shrank!
That was… The object dripped with bright red blood, and even after being separated from Ichigo's body, it seemed to still be beating.
"This is… your heart."
Ulquiorra held it in his hand. The moment it left the body, the heart stopped moving.
The heart had stopped!
Just as Ulquiorra had said before, he had seen Kurosaki Ichigo's "heart." But it wasn't as tenacious as he'd thought.
Death is terrifying.
The man who had made such a commotion in front of him before, once separated from his heart, lost even the right to speak.
Death… death!
Orihime's pupils suddenly widened again!
"Ah… ah… ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Orihime's body suddenly collapsed to the ground, her hands clutching her head, letting out a sharp, wheezing sound!
"Ah!"
She… what was happening?!
Did she really just help attack Kurosaki and break his mask to deal with him?
Did she… really just let Kurosaki die before her eyes?!
"..."
Ulquiorra looked at Orihime, who was frozen and speechless on the ground.
Because to him, her existence never had any meaning; she was just a tool Aizen had given him, and whether she existed or not made no difference.
So, with a little force, the heart in his hand was suddenly crushed, blood flowing from his palm, spilling onto the ground with a dripping sound.
Orihime immediately glared at Ulquiorra with red, tear-filled eyes!
"You! You killed Kurosaki-kun!"
She rushed forward, but did nothing to Ulquiorra—instead, she appeared beside Ichigo and activated her healing powers!
A golden light enveloped Kurosaki Ichigo, as if reversing time on his body, restoring him to how he was before his battle with Ulquiorra!
"Give it up, woman," Ulquiorra watched Orihime's actions coldly. "He's dead. Even if your powers are valued by Lord Aizen, it's impossible to save the dead."
"No, that can't be!"
Orihime's mind was in chaos, pain and despair flooding her. She stared at Ichigo's bloodstained face, his pierced body, his shattered heart…
"Don't die!"
Orihime desperately tried, but just as Ulquiorra had said, it was useless! Her powers could not bring the dead back to life!
An overwhelming sense of despair engulfed her, and she pleaded helplessly—pleaded with God to resurrect Ichigo, pleaded with Ichigo himself…
Don't die!
Thump!
Ulquiorra's pupils widened.
Just now… what was that sound?!
It was… a heartbeat? What was beating?
The heart was already…?
Suddenly, a hand landed on his shoulder, and Ulquiorra's expression changed as a surge of power erupted from Ichigo's body!
Boom!
A tremendous force burst from Ichigo, and a white layer instantly covered his body, even his face, transforming him in an instant. He wore a white mask—no, it was more like a helmet, or rather, a shell!
Though there was still a gaping hole in his chest, a mysterious purple light shone from within!
"So… who are you?"
Ulquiorra stared at the white shell in front of him and asked.
"…Do you want to know?"
Ichigo, now fully transformed, looked at Ulquiorra and spoke.
"I don't plan to change my name in such a short period."
He stood before Orihime and said quietly, "Orihime, thank you for everything."
Orihime froze at that moment.
This… is this her own power? Did she really bring him back from the dead?
No! Orihime knew clearly it wasn't her power! Her ability had been completely ineffective!
But… how had Kurosaki come back to life?! And now… he looked like this… what was happening?
Completely white, as if wrapped in a cocoon; he released Ulquiorra's lightning spear and stretched out his right hand. Instantly, the fallen Tensa Zangetsu rose, leaping into his hand.
"You… are you really Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Ulquiorra did not attack, but stepped back and asked in a low voice.
Ichigo reclaimed Zangetsu, his aura shifting yet again. In that instant, his pupils glowed gold, shining as if with golden light.
"Why ask?"
"You died," Ulquiorra said. "Just before that, I took out your heart, confirmed with my own eyes that it stopped, and crushed it with my own hand.
Without a heart, you can't be alive."
"Is what you see with your eyes always the truth?"
"Of course." Ulquiorra pointed to his eyes. "My eyes can see everything. There's nothing I can't perceive."
"The facts my eyes perceive are facts that have lost meaning. If it's not visible to my eyes… then it doesn't exist."
"I see…" Ichigo covered his chest, as if feeling the hole. "So you crushed my heart?
But if it was truly destroyed, then what is beating now?"
Ulquiorra's pupils contracted.
Yes, the heartbeat just now—he'd heard it clearly. But since Ichigo's body had none, then… where was it?
"How about you… where do you think the heart is?"
Ichigo suddenly asked.
"..."
Ulquiorra was silent for a while before replying, "A foolish question. I won't answer it."
"You'd say it's in the chest, because you just pierced my body and took my heart. So of course, you think it's a foolish question."
Ichigo looked at Ulquiorra and said again,
"But the heart isn't something one person creates alone.
When Orihime awoke at my death, the 'heart' was born—but it didn't exist in the body.
Whenever someone thinks, worries, suffers, or grieves for something, that's how the heart is born."
Ichigo pointed to his chest. "Look. It appeared just like this."
With a flash, something seemed to manifest within Ichigo's body! Flesh and blood condensed, the heart re-formed, and even the pierced body was restored!
Ulquiorra was in disbelief. Was this ultra-speed regeneration? No!
Even the highest-level regeneration among Hollows could not regenerate a heart—it was the Achilles' heel of all life. Not even the strongest Hollow could regenerate their heart!
Yet, in this moment, Ichigo did it!
How?
A heart… not in the body, but… in the outside world? In others?
That woman? That weak woman?
"...
What is it? You look like you want to say something," Ichigo asked.
"You look so confident, like you think you've won and can speak to me at ease. You should have finished me off earlier… how should I kill you?"
"You seem happy… trampling on our dignity!"
Boom!
Ulquiorra appeared instantly before the white Ichigo, holding his spear of spirit pressure and lightning!
The Ichigo who could not counterattack before now suddenly swung his blade, and as the spear clashed with Zangetsu, two immense spiritual pressures exploded!
Black and green spiritual power merged, spreading out like a tornado from the two of them!
"Orihime, don't come any closer for a while," Ichigo said calmly. "I… seem to be losing control of the man inside my body."
Orihime stared blankly, but as soon as Ichigo spoke, she snapped back to herself.
"What… what?"
But Ichigo didn't reply. He was locked in a fierce battle with Ulquiorra.
A surge of murderous intent, and Ichigo's golden eyes turned blood-red!
Those crimson eyes held endless killing intent, and his sword's power grew heavier and heavier!
"So, this is your shameless position, huh…" Ulquiorra said quietly.
"Cero Oscuras!"
Boom!
A tremendous spiritual pressure burst from Ulquiorra's body!
Unbelievable!
Ulquiorra's spirit pressure, which had always been monstrous, now made the air rain thick green drops from the sky, yet now it was even more terrifying!
The world seemed to become a storm, with a fierce wind eroding everything around, and the rain from the sky fell even harder!
If before it was a mere drizzle, now it was a torrential downpour—a storm!
The rain poured, the wind howled, and the sky darkened further!
The bloody moon descended, casting an eerie red veil over the world, yet now it seemed as if everything was being swallowed by darkness!
Ulquiorra's body hadn't changed much, but he seemed… so much stronger now!
His eyes were red, and deep inside Ichigo's mind, a man's voice screamed.
"What… is this?"
Ichigo couldn't help but ask.
"The third stage—Resurrección.
Among the Espada, only I can use this form," Ulquiorra said coldly.
"But this power is still immature. It may be too early for the third stage…
Still," his deep green eyes gazed at Ichigo, "I told you, you died.
Because your so-called 'heart'—I can't see it at all, and… I never will again.
For I shall turn the world to nothingness."
The moment Ulquiorra's words fell, Ichigo grabbed his head—
"Roar!!"
He howled, and the spirit pressure on his body became even more fierce and intense!
Boom!
Ulquiorra watched as Ichigo raged, his face unchanged. He simply raised a hand.
In the next instant, a Bala condensed at his fingertip, merging with the intense spiritual rain pouring from the world outside, boosting its power even further!
With a mighty rainstorm pouring down, black and deep green beams pierced the curtain of rain, blasting toward Ichigo!
At that moment, Ichigo was rampaging. His face twisted in pain, feeling the Hollow's will run amok inside his resurrected body, but he forcibly suppressed it!
No… not now! Stay away!
Ichigo roared in his mind, at the same time swinging his blade in the outside world. The pitch-black spirit pressure on his sword exploded into a huge crescent moon toward the Bala!
Boom!
The two forces collided, and the entire platform seemed torn apart!
Boom!
As the shockwaves died down, Ulquiorra suddenly rushed in, stabbing Ichigo with his "Luz de la Luna."
Ichigo resisted with Zangetsu, but the force blew him away!
Thrown backward, Ichigo flipped in midair, suddenly soaring upward!
Ulquiorra extended his finger again, firing another Bala at Ichigo in the sky, then hurling his thunder spear!
The Cero and the thunder spear twisted together, rising against the rain like two dazzling forces in the dark world, both closing in on Ichigo!
"Getsuga… Tenshou!"
Ichigo roared, spinning in the air and slashing out a pitch-black crescent!
Boom!
Black spirit pressure exploded amidst the dark green storm, blowing away the layers of rain, wind howling as the spirit pressure was wiped out.
As the explosion faded, Ichigo's figure had vanished…
He had left Las Noches' dome and soared toward the sky!
Standing atop the false sky of Las Noches, Ichigo watched as Ulquiorra also emerged from the dome, saying,
"This place is perfect for our duel, just you and me!"
He had to worry about the others back in Las Noches, after all, he couldn't fully control his own power now.
It was as if a demon always roared in his body, ready to take over.
And… Ulquiorra's power was too strong.
The storm and wind that raged that day seemed to gather the power to reduce the world to nothingness!
So, they had to leave that battlefield!
Here, atop the dome, was their true arena!
...