Chapter 162: Chapter 162
However, Grimmjow would not tolerate these two Arrancar women. He delivered two powerful kicks, knocking them down neatly.
Loly, who had been the most ruthless attacker, was injured the worst. She was breathing out more than breathing in.
Orihime was dumbfounded. Was this blue-haired Arrancar really so brave? He even dared to hit Aizen's favorites. Did he want to lose his position?
Looking at the surprised Orihime, Grimmjow said impatiently:
"Woman, this is to repay you for healing my arm. But I've already paid you back, and you'll serve me from now on."
However, Orihime's next move surprised him a little. She actually returned the favor and used her ability to heal the seriously injured Loly and Menoly.
Grimmjow could only sigh that Ichigo and Orihime were indeed a pair—both foolishly merciful in their own way. Of course, this wasn't important at all. What mattered was his battle with Ichigo Kurosaki.
So, he took Orihime to find the seriously injured Ichigo.
...
After hearing the information provided by Loly and Menoly, Ulquiorra's expression finally changed.
Grimmjow rescued Orihime? What was he thinking? How dare he? Both of them were troublesome—what was the point of all this chaos?
In a ruined section of Las Noches, Orihime was treating Ichigo. However, this time, her healing did not go smoothly.
A very strong reiatsu lingered over the wound below Ichigo's neck. Because of this obstruction, her Sōten Kisshun couldn't immediately reject the round wound the size of a teacup. She could only treat it slowly.
Looking at the unconscious Ichigo, Orihime, with tears in her eyes, couldn't help but wonder:
"What terrifying reiatsu! Who did this to him?"
Looking at the familiar wound that resembled a Hollow hole, Grimmjow sneered and said:
"It's Ulquiorra! I don't know if that guy has noticed that he always inflicts the same wound on his prized prey. This wound is exactly the same as the Hollow hole on his body, like a hunter's mark. Humph! I'll definitely teach him a profound lesson. I want him to understand what happens when he snatches someone else's prey."
Ichigo Kurosaki was the prey Grimmjow had set his sights on. For this prey, he had been beaten several times and was punished by Aizen twice. After paying such a huge price, it was impossible for him to give up.
You know, cats are very persistent about their prey. He was determined to take Ichigo's head. He wanted to defeat Ichigo at his strongest, while wearing that weird Hollow mask, and achieve a complete victory.
"Grimmjow, it's you?" Ichigo woke up and looked at Grimmjow and Orihime in shock. He was confused about what had happened. Why would Grimmjow, who was an enemy, help him and bring Orihime?
Grimmjow said excitedly:
"You should be quiet and heal your wounds. Only then can I kill you!"
Orihime finally understood Grimmjow's intention. She hastily raised an objection: "So this is why you asked me to heal Kurosaki-kun."
Grimmjow retorted:
"What do you have to complain about? I asked you to heal your friend and saved his life—you should be grateful to me."
At this moment, after a sound of Sonído, Ulquiorra appeared before the three. Upon seeing the newcomer, Ichigo and Orihime were shocked. Grimmjow felt a chill run down his spine, and hurriedly turned around, then said coldly: "Ulquiorra!"
Ulquiorra, with his partial Hollow mask, looked at Grimmjow and said indifferently:
"What are you doing, Grimmjow? Why did you take Orihime, who is under my supervision? Why did you heal the enemy I defeated?"
If other Arrancars encountered such a situation, they would have been furious. But Ulquiorra, as the epitome of cold detachment, remained calm and composed. Of course, this was also because he had absolute confidence that he could handle all three people before him.
If he could defeat that Shinigami once, he could defeat him twice. Grimmjow was just the Sexta Espada, and posed no threat at all.
However, Grimmjow didn't see it that way. Facing Ulquiorra's questioning, he decisively launched an attack:
"Don't even think about taking this woman back, let alone Kurosaki Ichigo. To be honest, I've wanted to beat you for a long time. By the way, you've never dared to fight me head-on—is it because you're afraid of me, afraid of a fight to the death?"
Faced with his unreasonable colleague, Ulquiorra simply raised his right arm in defense. His calm demeanor somewhat resembled Aizen's style.
It was a pity that he lacked Aizen's perceptiveness and didn't immediately see through Grimmjow's intentions. The initial attack was blocked, and Grimmjow made a desperate gesture to continue his offensive, catching Ulquiorra off guard.
Reluctantly, Ulquiorra had to fight back, but he didn't use his full strength. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Grimmjow threw a hidden Caja Negación into the Hollow hole below Ulquiorra's neck, sealing him in a different dimension.
"Despicable..." Before being sealed, Ulquiorra finally showed a hint of irritation and cursed under his breath.
This was truly a case of "a scholar cannot defend himself against a soldier." He had been dealing with the situation calmly and hadn't killed anyone, yet in the end, he was outmaneuvered. He also didn't understand why Grimmjow had gone to such lengths. What a madman.
After accomplishing this, Grimmjow looked at Orihime and said:
"This is a Caja Negación made by Aizen, a tool used to permanently seal lesser Arrancar. But it's a bit difficult to contain an Espada. With that guy's reiatsu, he can only be sealed for two or three hours at most. So quickly heal Ichigo for me!"
At this point, Orihime had stopped treating Ichigo and refused Grimmjow's request. She wasn't stupid, and could clearly see that Grimmjow was itching for a fight. This meant Ichigo would be beaten again after being healed.
She couldn't allow that. She didn't want Ichigo to be injured again.
Grimmjow was furious and reached out to force Orihime to continue the treatment. Ichigo, who had regained consciousness but whose injuries hadn't fully healed, stopped Grimmjow and said to Orihime:
"Heal me! Don't worry! I will win! And heal him too!"
After the brief skirmish with Ulquiorra, one of Grimmjow's arms was blackened and seriously injured. Ichigo didn't want to take advantage of this. Like Grimmjow, he also wanted a fair fight.
Orihime had no choice but to heal both of them. A fierce battle was inevitable.
"Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu!" Ichigo, his body now recovered, clenched Zangetsu and activated his Bankai while entering his Hollow state.
He stretched out his right hand and wiped it across his face. The fox-like mask with red and black stripes and ferocious teeth appeared again, covering his entire face.
At this moment, Ichigo, wearing his black Shihakusho, resembled a fierce ghost warrior. A powerful reiatsu burst out from him, chaotic and heavy, spreading outward like a thousand galloping horses with magnificent momentum.
His sword was now a slender, pitch-black blade. His reiatsu was a magnificent and heavy mixture, and he himself was a Substitute Shinigami who embodied the power of four different sources.
Noticing the change in Ichigo's reiatsu, Orihime shrank back as bad memories surfaced in her mind. She recalled that nightmare-like night when her brother, Sora Inoue, attacked her and Tatsuki.
Her once gentle brother had turned into a monster, completely irrational. She would never forget her brother who became a Hollow. She feared that tragedy might repeat itself.
In particular, she sensed a reiatsu from Ichigo similar to that of her brother. In an instant, fear surged into her heart, and her mind went blank.
"Sorry, Inoue..." Ichigo keenly sensed the fear in Orihime's heart, and he felt a little depressed. He thought that his current appearance was scaring her.
If possible, he wouldn't want to fight in this form, and he didn't want to frighten his friends. But he had no choice. The words of Captain Commander Uehara kept echoing in his heart.
Ichigo looked up at the excited Grimmjow with a firm gaze and rising fighting spirit. This time, he would not run away—not from his true self or from this uncontrollable power.
"Yes, that's it, very good!" Grimmjow said enthusiastically. "Now you've finally begun to accept your true nature! Then your mask can last longer, right? If it breaks as quickly as before, this fight will be meaningless."
After saying that, facing the Hollowfied Bankai Ichigo, he chose to release his Zanpakutō without hesitation:
"Grind, Pantera!"
A heavy and majestic reiatsu rushed skyward, kicking up thousands of grains of white sand and forming rolling waves of dust.
The Resurrección of an Espada was equivalent to the Bankai of a Shinigami, perhaps even stronger. The power and intensity of the reiatsu were both incredible.
This time, Grimmjow wasn't going to hold back. Ichigo in this state was qualified to witness his strongest form.
After realizing that Grimmjow was prepared to attack with all his strength, Ichigo turned to Orihime and said:
"Inoue, step back and deploy your Santen Kesshun. No matter what happens, do not leave the barrier."
Orihime obediently retreated and deployed her defensive barrier.
Grimmjow, who had completed his Resurrección, regained his true Hollow essence. He was one step closer to his true self—his bestial form.
His reiatsu was greatly enhanced, and his appearance transformed completely. His whole body was covered with white bone-like armor, sharp claws grew from his hands, and fangs protruded from his mouth.
Compared to his humanoid form, Grimmjow's bestial features were now more prominent, making him look more like the predator he truly was, and his strength had soared.
In the blink of an eye, the Resurrección Grimmjow and Bankai Hollowfied Ichigo clashed.
The two fought like wild beasts, battling across the sky and earth. Their terrifying reiatsu covered the sky like dark clouds, and the ground shook beneath them.
The intensity of this battle had surpassed that of an ordinary captain-level Shinigami's Bankai.
...
In the desert, Uehara Shiroha was leisurely teasing Nel while using his Observation Haki to monitor Ichigo's situation.
In fact, he had already noticed the fight between Ulquiorra and Ichigo before this. The battle between the two had been quite exciting. He just viewed it as entertaining follow-up content.
Ichigo's strength provided valuable reference points. Ulquiorra's reiatsu control and Segunda Etapa were both impressive.
Perhaps because he was born as a Vasto Lorde, Ulquiorra was closer to the origin of Hollows than other Arrancar. The Espada embodied the concept of nihilism and basically didn't do anything unnecessary. Usually, he didn't even display unnecessary expressions.
Even in battle, Ulquiorra adhered to this concept. Therefore, his attacks were very precise, and he would defend and counterattack with just the right amount of force.
He had blocked the attacks of both Ichigo and Grimmjow with just one hand several times. It wasn't arrogance or pretentiousness—it was simply his nature. He felt there was no need to use excessive strength.
Because of this, Ulquiorra was somewhat unprepared when facing Ichigo's unexpected potential. However, he was strong enough to handle it, so he didn't fall.
It was different when facing Grimmjow. Ulquiorra hadn't expected that the seemingly arrogant and brainless Sexta Espada would actually play dirty.
It was precisely because the Cuarta Espada only used enough power to suppress Grimmjow that he was tricked. But then again, even if he had used all his strength, Ulquiorra's expression wouldn't have changed much, and his emotions would barely have stirred.
Therefore, he appeared very intimidating, almost like a machine, and seemed particularly at ease. Uehara Shiroha knew this was just because Ulquiorra embodied "nothingness." If unnecessary, he would never use extra expression or strength.
Other Arrancar displayed various human traits, often forgetting the meaning of their titles. Only Ulquiorra still adhered to his Hollow nature, like a samurai who refused to abandon his code of honor.
But unfortunately, after interacting with Ichigo and Orihime, even Ulquiorra had begun to "rebel" against his nature.
In truth, Ichigo's potential had broken Ulquiorra's judgment several times and shaken his principles. That's why the Espada now regarded Ichigo as prey.
But in Uehara Shiroha's eyes, this was completely unnecessary. Hollows were Hollows—why did they need so much humanity? Just fancy and useless things.
Thinking of this, he glanced at Nel who was chasing a lizard, and thought to himself:
"However, this one could be a little more human. The more, the better, the bigger, the better."
At the same time, with the perception of his Observation Haki, four female Arrancar in the distance also came into view.
Above the dome of Las Noches, the Tres Espada, Harribel, was watching the place where Grimmjow and Ichigo were fighting, accompanied by her three subordinates.
As the only female among the Espada, Tier Harribel not only had a beautiful face and curvaceous figure, but also possessed excellent combat skills and wisdom.
She had dark skin, green eyes, a voluptuous upper body, and long blonde hair tied into three braids. Although her appearance was striking, she was cautious and careful, contradicting expectations based on her looks, and she was usually taciturn.
The three female Fracción around her were quite lively. Feeling the strong reiatsu fluctuations coming from afar, the passionate subordinate Mila Rose exclaimed:
"This kind of reiatsu is distorting space itself. It's really too much!"
Mila, with long black curly hair, was tall and strong, with very defined facial features, a straight nose, and deep-set eyes. Whether in figure, personality, or dress, Mila resembled an Amazonian warrior.
Another subordinate, Apacci, with a more ordinary appearance, mocked:
"Are you afraid? But fighting like this under the dome is really excessive."
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Marvel x Star Wars: Avengers in the Clone Wars
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