Ichigo Kurosaki vs. Ulquiorra, Part Two

Ulquiorra Cifer stood before him, looking down at him. He too bore wounds— Ichigo Kurosaki's dying counterattack hadn't been entirely ineffective—but those wounds were merely superficial to him, quickly healing thanks to his High-Speed Regeneration.

His expression remained that unfathomable calm, as if none of this concerned him, as if he were merely completing a task rather than taking a boy's life.

Not far behind him, atop Stone Pillar, Orihime Inoue knelt, her hands clasped together in front of her chest. A shield of light from the Santen Kesshun appeared around her, but it could not penetrate Ulquiorra's overwhelming Reiatsu.

Her face was streaked with tears, her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and her lips were cracked and bleeding from praying for so long. Her voice was hoarse, but she kept calling out, kept pleading—

"Kurosaki-kun! Please, don't die! Please—"

Liu Ziyun sighed.

The sigh was soft, almost inaudible, but the emotions it contained were as heavy as the entire sky. There was helplessness, self-blame, heartache, and a deep, almost fatherly worry.

"Sigh," he said softly, "Even with all the rushing, it still turned out like this."

Nel jumped off his back, her small body tracing an arc in the light of Hueco Mundo. She ran to Ichigo Kurosaki's side, crouched down, and reached out her little hand, wanting to touch his face, but then hesitated.

Orihime Inoue jumped down from the Stone Pillar and stumbled to Liu Ziyun. Her legs gave way, and she knelt on the ground. She looked up at Liu Ziyun with tear-filled eyes, clutching his clothes, her voice hoarse and trembling. "Teacher Liu, please help Kurosaki-kun! Please! Please..."

Liu Ziyun crouched down to be at eye level with Orihime Inoue. He reached out and gently patted her head.

"He needs a will to live right now," his voice was calm and steady, carrying a reassuring strength. "I can only help you buy time."

He stood up, turned around, and faced Ulquiorra Cifer. His gaze was calm as still water, yet it carried an undeniable resolve. He took a step forward, standing between Ichigo Kurosaki and Ulquiorra, like a silent guardian, using his slender body to block the arrogant Arrancar.

Ulquiorra shifted his gaze from Ichigo Kurosaki to Liu Ziyun. Something flickered slightly in those green eyes—was it wariness, curiosity, or some emotion he himself couldn't understand?

"You're quite good," Liu Ziyun's voice was calm and direct, without pleasantries or formalities, getting straight to the point, "You've already Segunda Etapa. Aizen probably hasn't even seen that."

Ulquiorra's pupils contracted slightly.

In that instant, a crack appeared in the eternal calm of his face—not fear, not anger, but surprise. Genuine, heartfelt surprise.

He never revealed his Segunda Etapa to anyone, never letting anyone know this secret. Even Sōsuke Aizen, the one who gave him meaning to his existence, didn't know he had such a trump card.

"You actually know about the Segunda Etapa?" His voice held a hint of disbelief, his green eyes fixed on Liu Ziyun, trying to find an answer in that calm face.

Nel also stared wide-eyed in surprise, her mouth forming an "O" shape. "He can actually use Segunda Etapa?!"

Liu Ziyun nodded, his gaze remaining calm. "Yes. I'm also very curious about how he did it. Perhaps he sealed his core power twice, or perhaps he has other special abilities. However..." He paused, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth, "... it's nothing special. It doesn't represent a qualitative leap."

Ulquiorra's eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous glint flashing in his green pupils. He wasn't offended—he was long past the stage of being verbally offended. He was simply curious, curious about what this man meant by "a qualitative leap."

"Is that so?" His voice remained calm, but with a hint of inquiry. "Then what exactly do you mean by 'a qualitative leap'?"

Liu Ziyun silent for a moment. His gaze passed over Ulquiorra and looked towards the endless sky of Hueco Mundo, as if he were looking at a distant future that only he could see.

"A qualitative leap," he said slowly, "Is something you can't perceive right now. Unless your Reiatsu can rise to another dimension—but you can't do that right now."

He paused, then continued, "Perhaps, once you understand the existence of the 'heart,' and are no longer someone who represents 'nothingness,' you'll be able to do it. Or, a complete understanding of 'nothingness,' and the existence of 'rules,' could elevate you to another dimension, allowing you to comprehend what's called a 'qualitative leap.'"

Nel tilted her head, her little face full of confusion. "Ziyun, what are you talking about? Why don't I really understand?"

Liu Ziyun smiled slightly and gently patted her head, "The so-called qualitative leap is actually the Reiatsu rising to another dimension. Currently, I can only achieve this when I am in Bankai."

His gaze returned to Ulquiorra, his tone calm and confident. "When I reach that level, I can only lower my Reiatsu to a level you can sense. Otherwise, I will be an existence you cannot perceive."

As soon as he finished speaking, his Reiatsu was suddenly released.

The power was so immense it was suffocating, so powerful it distorted the surrounding air, so powerful it cracked the ground beneath one's feet. It wasn't an ordinary release of Reiatsu, but a near-tangible, mountain-like oppression emanating from Liu Ziyun, sweeping outwards like an invisible storm.

Ulquiorra's body suddenly stiffened.

He could feel the Reiatsu —no, not "feel," but "endure." The force was like an invisible giant hand pressing down from above, pinning him firmly to the spot. His knees bent slightly, his shoulders slumped slightly, and every muscle in his body trembled and resisted, but the force was too powerful, so powerful that his resistance was like an ant trying to shake a tree.

He was unable to move.

As the Espada -ranked Sōsuke Aizen's strongest warriors, he was actually—unable to move.