Fierce Battle with Ulquiorra (7)

Ulquiorra's pupils constricted! He tried to retreat, but the longsword was too fast and its range too wide; he simply didn't have time to completely dodge it!

He could only barely raise his left arm, trying to block the fatal blow!

Laugh--!

The sound of a blade piercing flesh was dull and grating.

The pure white Zangetsu, as easily as slicing tofu, severed Ulquiorra's parrying left arm! The severed arm spun a few times in the air before falling to the ground some distance away.

The blade's momentum didn't stop there. After severing the arm, it continued forward, leaving a deep, bone-revealing gash on Ulquiorra's chest, running diagonally from his right shoulder to his left abdomen!

Crimson Reishi blood gushed from the wound like a fountain!

Ulquiorra's body, struck by this blow, flew backward like a kite with a broken string, tumbling several times on the sand before finally coming to a stop.

He knelt on one knee, one hand supporting him on the ground, panting heavily. Red blood continued to gush from the gruesome wound on his chest, staining the sand beneath him.

Ichigo Kurosaki did not pursue. He simply stood there quietly, his right long sword pointing diagonally at the ground, his left short sword held protectively in front of him, his heterochromatic eyes calmly watching Ulquiorra kneeling on the ground.

Under the moonlight, the outcome was already clear.

However, Ulquiorra's heavy breathing lasted only a few seconds.

Soon, a chilling scene unfolded—

The deep, bone-revealing wound on his chest began to wriggle and grow at its edges! New muscle tissue, new blood vessels, and new skin regenerated and healed at a visible speed!

At the severed point of his left arm, countless tiny buds of flesh were growing, intertwining, and shaping wildly! In just a few breaths, a completely new arm, identical to the previous one, regrown from the severed point on his shoulder!

Ulquiorra slowly stood up, stretched his newly grown arm, and glanced down at his completely healed chest. His expression remained calm, as if he himself had not been the one whose arm had been severed and whose abdomen ripped open.

He raised his head, his emerald green eyes locking onto Ichigo Kurosaki once more.

"My ability," his voice remained flat, but now carried a hint of candor, as if stating his very nature, "Is not primarily about attacking."

He raised his hand, glanced at his newly formed palm, and gently clenched his five fingers.

"Among those Arrancar, in pursuit of greater offensive power, actively or passively lost most of their ' High-Speed Regeneration."

He paused, as if emphasizing or declaring. "Except for the brain and internal organs, every part of my body—bones, muscles, blood vessels, skin, even organs—can High-Speed Regeneration. As long as my Reiatsu doesn't run out, as long as my soul core isn't destroyed, I... will not die."

After he finished speaking, his emerald green eyes stared silently at Ichigo Kurosaki, as if waiting for the other's reaction.

After listening, Ichigo Kurosaki remained silent for a moment.

Then he spoke. His voice was calm, yet carried a certainty as if he were stating a fact:

"Yeah?"

He slightly raised his longsword, Zangetsu, its tip pointing at Ulquiorra: "But, as you should have sensed from our exchange just now—you are no longer my match."

His tone was devoid of sarcasm or contempt; it was simply a statement. "Since you've already lost, why continue to persist?"

Upon hearing this, Ulquiorra's face, which remained as expressionless as a sculpture, seemed to twitch slightly. But the change was so subtle and fleeting that it was impossible to discern whether it was a fluctuation of emotion or an illusion under the moonlight.

"It's just a temporary advantage," he said calmly. "The battle isn't over yet, and the outcome is still uncertain." The moment his words fell, another Lanza del Relámpago materialized in his hand! His demonic wings flapped violently, and he transformed into a streak of dark green light, swooping down towards Ichigo Kurosaki!

However, this battle was completely different from the previous ones.

Blades and guns clashed wildly in the air, each collision unleashing blinding sparks and violent shockwaves. But it was clear to anyone with discerning eyes—

Ulquiorra is being suppressed.

Ichigo Kurosaki's sword became faster, heavier, and more cunning. It was as if he was constantly learning and evolving in battle, each swing more precise and each movement more swift than the last.

Ulquiorra, despite his High-Speed Regeneration allowing him to repair his wounds time and again, was consuming his Reiatsu with each repair.

Laugh--!

With a flash of light, Ulquiorra's right arm was severed.

Reiatsu surged, and the severed arm regenerated.

Bang--!

With a kick, Ulquiorra's chest caved in.

Flesh and blood twitch, bones heal.

Sizzle--!

With a horizontal slash of his longsword, Ulquiorra's abdomen was slashed open, leaving a deep wound that exposed the bone.

Reishi surged, and the wound closed.

Once, twice, three times... ten times, twenty times, thirty times.

With each clash, Ulquiorra gains new wounds. Each time a wound appears, his High-Speed Regeneration immediately activates to heal it. But with each healing, the Reiatsu surrounding him weakens visibly.

Finally, after a fierce collision, the two figures separated again, each landing on a broken stone pillar.

Under the moonlight, Ulquiorra knelt on one knee, panting heavily. The dark green Reiatsu surrounding him had dimmed considerably since the start of the battle. He looked down at his arm, which had just been severed and was now fully regenerated.

For the first time, his breathing became rapid and disordered.

He looked up at the pure white figure opposite him.

Ichigo Kurosaki stood quietly on another stone pillar, his breathing steady and his eyes calm. Although he also had some scars, they were insignificant compared to Ulquiorra's riddled appearance.

Ulquiorra slowly stood up.

He looked at his slightly trembling hands and felt the increasingly thin Reiatsu within his body. He knew that he was nearing the limit of his High-Speed Regeneration.

But he still raised his hand.

Within his palm, dark green Reiatsu surged once more, attempting to condense into yet another Lanza del Relámpago.

However, this time, the condensation of Reiatsu was noticeably slower than before, and the spear that formed was also somewhat dimmer than before.

Just as he gripped his spear, preparing to charge at Ichigo Kurosaki again—

"Stop, Ulquiorra."

A calm voice clearly reached his ears.

Ulquiorra paused slightly.

He raised his head and looked across. It wasn't Ichigo Kurosaki speaking— Ichigo Kurosaki remained standing quietly on the stone pillar, his heterochromatic eyes calmly watching him.

It was Ichigo Kurosaki who spoke.

He continued, his voice devoid of any victor's arrogance, only a faint sincerity, as if advising a misguided friend. "You've already lost. There's no need to continue."

Ulquiorra frowned slightly upon hearing this.

That was the first time since the start of the battle that such a clear, interpretable "emotion" expression had appeared on his face.

He looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, at those heterochromatic eyes—the left eye a brilliant golden yellow, the right eye a deep amber. In those eyes, there was no killing intent, no mockery, no contempt, only something... something indescribable that he had never seen in the eyes of any opponent before.

Silence lasted for several long seconds.

Then, Ulquiorra's brow slowly relaxed.

Those furrowed brows, like a frozen lake thawing quietly in the first rays of spring sunshine, transformed into an unprecedented tranquility.

He spoke softly, and for the first time, his voice lacked that eternal, detached indifference, instead carrying a hint of... relief?

"Indeed." His voice was soft, so soft it seemed it might be carried away by the night breeze at any moment. "I... can no longer defeat you."

He lowered his head, looking at his slightly trembling hands and the Reiatsu aura around him that had dimmed to the point of being almost invisible. "As the battle continues, your strength seems to be growing stronger."

He paused, then looked up, his emerald green eyes gazing intently at Ichigo Kurosaki for the first time. "No... I should say, it's that you're becoming more and more adept at controlling your own power."

He slowly straightened up, the enormous demonic wings on his back now folded away and hung silently behind him. The tense, aggressive aura that had surrounded him had completely dissipated, leaving only a state of... a calm that was almost ethereal, as if he had let go of everything.

He looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, his voice as calm as if stating a fact unrelated to himself. "I am... no match for you anymore."

As he finished speaking, he slightly opened his arms, a posture that didn't seem like he was preparing for battle, but rather... welcoming something inevitable.

"Kill me, Ichigo Kurosaki."

He said it so casually, as if he were just asking the other person to do a trivial favor.

Ichigo Kurosaki was stunned.

Looking at his opponent who had completely given up the will to fight and even actively sought death, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke, his voice filled with obvious confusion. "Why?"

He took a step forward, his brow furrowed. "You've already lost. You can no longer stop us. Why do you still... seek death?"

Ulquiorra's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. He simply replied, "Since I lost to you, it proves—I have no reason to continue existing."

"It's just a loss!" Ichigo Kurosaki's voice rose several decibels involuntarily, filled with an inexplicable anxiety. "It's just a loss in one battle, how... how does that mean I have 'no reason to exist'?!"

Ulquiorra listened quietly to his rebuttal, his emerald green eyes remaining completely still.

After Ichigo Kurosaki finished speaking, he slowly opened his mouth, his voice still calm as still water. "Lord Aizen left me here for one sole purpose: to restrain you invaders."

He paused, his gaze seemingly piercing through Ichigo Kurosaki before him, reaching further into the distance, to that eternally gentle, ever-smiling figure, forever in control. "Since I cannot fulfill this mission, cannot carry out the duties entrusted to me by Lord Aizen —then, naturally, I have no reason to continue existing."

His voice contained no fear of death, no reluctance to part with life, only an almost devout conviction and affirmation of the meaning of his own existence. "Kill me, Ichigo Kurosaki."

Ichigo Kurosaki opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know how to refute it.

He had never encountered such an opponent before—one who, after defeat, did not show anger, resentment, or beg for mercy, but instead so calmly and so matter-of-factly asked the other to kill him.

He didn't even know what expression to wear.

Just then, a figure appeared silently between the two.

Liu Hao's figure hovered silently under the moonlight, between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra. He did not draw the Imperial Sword at his waist, nor did he release any oppressive Reiatsu. He simply stood there calmly, like a passerby who happened to be passing by and witnessed the battle.

However, the moment he opened his mouth, the atmosphere of the entire space changed.

Ulquiorra.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was so clear it seemed to ring in everyone's ears. There was no fighting spirit in his voice, no urgent admonition, only a kind of calm that had settled over many years, almost like that of a philosopher.

Have you ever thought about the purpose of your existence?

Ulquiorra's emerald green eyes flickered slightly, his gaze shifting from Ichigo Kurosaki to the suddenly appearing, unfathomable human. His expression remained unchanged, but deep within his eyes, something extremely subtle seemed to be quietly undulating.

Liu Hao didn't wait for his answer, but continued, "Aizen told you that your existence is meant to obey his orders and fulfill the mission he gave you. That's why you're here, fighting with all your might to stop us, and even after failing, you think your existence has lost its meaning and calmly seek death."

He paused, the moonlight outlining a faint silver edge behind him.

"But Ulquiorra —have you ever considered that your existence wasn't meant for Aizen?"

Ulquiorra's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. It was the first time he had shown such a clear emotional reaction since the start of this battle.

"What do you mean?"

His voice still lacked inflection, but his speaking speed was a few decibels slower than usual, as if each word required deeper thought.

Liu Hao did not answer his question directly. Instead, he raised his head, looked past Ulquiorra, and gazed at the huge full moon Above the Canopy, and further into the boundless, Hueco Mundo night sky belonging to Hueco Mundo.

"Where did you Menos Grande —from the lowest Gillian to the Adjuchas, then to the Vasto Lordes, and finally to the Arrancars —all of you come from?"

His voice became somewhat distant, as if telling an ancient story, "Not Aizen's laboratory, not Las Noches' palace, but this Hueco Mundo —this boundless, desolate, cruel, yet nurturing pale Desert."

He withdrew his gaze and focused it back on Ulquiorra: "You crawled out of the sands of Hueco Mundo, fought, devoured, and evolved in its Hueco Mundo, eventually growing into what you are today. Hueco Mundo is your mother, your root, the very source of your existence."

"But now," his voice paused slightly, tinged with an indescribable complexity, "Aizen has come. He conquered Hueco Mundo with his power, established Las Noches, and gave you what you call 'order' and 'status.' And so you willingly surrendered everything to him—including the meaning of your existence."

Liu Hao took a small half-step forward, the moonlight casting a long shadow behind him. "Ulquiorra, I ask you—if one day, an enemy invades Hueco Mundo, and a being more powerful than Aizen tries to destroy this land that has nurtured you all, then who will protect it?"

His voice sharpened, like a drawn blade. "Is it Aizen? Does he care about the survival of Hueco Mundo? He only uses Hueco Mundo as a base, a springboard, a tool to attack Soul Society and realize his ambitions. If Hueco Mundo is destroyed, he can just walk away, to Soul Society, to the World of the Living, to wherever he wants to go."

"But what about you?"

Liu Hao's gaze pierced straight into the depths of Ulquiorra's emerald green eyes. "You were born from this land. The sands of Hueco Mundo are your cradle, the storms of Hueco Mundo are your training ground, and the Reishi of Hueco Mundo are the source of your life. If Hueco Mundo is destroyed, where will you go?"

Ulquiorra listened quietly, his eyes, which had always been as calm as an ancient well, now seemed to have been stirred by a pebble, creating extremely subtle and imperceptible ripples.

Liu Hao's voice softened, but became even deeper. "You Arrancar —you are the greatest masterpiece of Hueco Mundo's evolution over countless years, the most powerful guardians born from this land. Your duty should have been to guard Hueco Mundo, to protect this land that gave birth to everything you have."

He shook his head slightly, a hint of pity in his voice. "But now, you are willing to fight to the last drop of blood and exhaust your last bit of Reiatsu for an outsider who only briefly ruled Hueco Mundo, for his illusory ambition. Even after defeat, you calmly accept death, believing that your existence has lost its meaning."

He took the final step forward, facing Ulquiorra face to face, only a few feet apart. He could even see every fine line on the other's pale face and feel the slight fluctuations in the other's aura caused by the depletion of Reiatsu.

"Ulquiorra, tell me—if one day in the future a powerful enemy invades Hueco Mundo, and all of you high-level combatants have already been consumed and turned to ashes in Aizen's war—then who will resist those enemies? Who will protect this land that nurtured you?"

Ulquiorra fell silent.

He stood there, his enormous black demonic wings, which had somehow completely folded behind him, hanging silently. Moonlight shone on his pale body, casting a long, Loneliness shadow at his feet.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Because he realized that he had never thought about this question before.

From the moment he was born, all he knew was to fight, evolve, and survive. Then Aizen came and gave him a name, a status, and so-called "meaning." So he naturally took the mission given to him by Aizen as the entirety of his existence.

But now, Liu Hao's words were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water, stirring up waves he had never experienced before.

For the first time, he began to ponder—what was the meaning of his existence?

Seeing his silence, Liu Hao didn't press him further. He simply stood there quietly, waiting, as if giving a lost child time to find the answers himself.

After a long silence, Ulquiorra finally spoke. His voice was still flat, but much slower than before, each word sounding as if it had been carefully crafted. "You mean... I should... protect Hueco Mundo?"

Liu Hao nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face, "Protecting Hueco Mundo, protecting this land that nurtured you and countless Hollows—isn't that more meaningful than dying for the ambitions of an outsider?"

He paused, his tone softening further. "You represent 'nothingness,' Ulquiorra. Nothingness is not emptiness, not meaninglessness. Nothingness is the beginning, and also the destination of everything. Precisely because you come from nothingness, you can better understand—what is meaningful."

He turned around, his back to Ulquiorra, and looked at Orihime Inoue, who was anxiously waiting on the Santen Kesshun not far away, and Nel, who was perched on Inoue's shoulder, quietly watching everything with her emerald green eyes.

"You want to understand 'heart,' right?" Liu Hao's voice became somewhat ethereal. "Then, isn't protection also a manifestation of 'heart'?"

He didn't turn back, but simply waved to Ichigo Kurosaki: "Let's go, Ichigo. We should leave."

Ichigo Kurosaki stared blankly at the scene, glancing at Liu Hao and then at Ulquiorra, seemingly still not fully recovered.

"Huh? Just... that's it?" he asked uncertainly, "Are we just going to leave him alone?"

Liu Hao said without turning his head, "Why should I care? He's not a child who needs to be led around. I've said what I needed to say. Let him think about the rest on his own."

He strode towards the crack in the canopy of Las Noches, his tone returning to its usual languidness. "Besides, his Reiatsu is almost depleted; he can't catch up with us even if he wanted to. Once he figures things out, he'll naturally make his own choice. If he doesn't... that's his own business."

Ichigo Kurosaki glanced at Ulquiorra, then at Liu Hao's receding figure, hesitated for a moment, and finally sheathed his twin swords and followed.

Just before stepping into the crack's area, he glanced back.

Under the moonlight, Ulquiorra stood silently in place, like an eternal sculpture. His emerald green eyes, which had been looking away from them, were now raised, gazing at the enormous full moon and the boundless night sky belonging to Hueco Mundo.

He was thinking.

After a long and unprecedented period of reflection.

As Liu Hao stepped onto the Santen Kesshun, Orihime Inoue rushed to greet him, her eyes filled with worry and lingering fear. "Mr. Liu Hao, Ichigo alright? Ulquiorra... really won't catch up?"

Liu Hao patted her shoulder, his tone relaxed. "Don't worry, it's alright. Ichigo is even more promising than I expected. After this battle, he has mastered most of his power."

He turned back, taking one last look at the Loneliness figure in the moonlight, a slight smile playing on his lips, "As for that guy... let him think it over here. If he figures it out, he might come in handy in the future. If he doesn't..."

He didn't finish speaking; he simply shook his head slightly.

The Santen Kesshun slowly rose, carrying everyone towards the spatial rift.

The moonlight shone on the Desert that had just witnessed a fierce battle, on the countless collapsed stone pillars, and on the Loneliness, pale figure that still stood motionless.

A gentle night breeze blew by, stirring up wisps of dust.

Ulquiorra stood there quietly, gazing up at the huge full moon overhead.

Liu Hao's last words echoed repeatedly in his mind, "Isn't protecting also a manifestation of 'heart'?"

Heart...

What exactly is it?