A bewildered Ulquiorra sensed Zero's Reiatsu disappearing, but relying on his own eyes to see the Ulquiorra, he refused to believe that Zero had vanished.
With incredible speed, Ulquiorra wielded his Lanza del Relámpago and Sonído, striking Kenpachi Zaraki on the back of the neck. Blood splattered, Kenpachi Zaraki collapsed onto the cracked rock.
Even as he gasped for breath Grimmjow still protested, "Hey, this is my opponent, what the hell do you think you're doing?"
Ulquiorra's expression didn't change much. He said indifferently, "While you and this trash were enjoying your fight, did you even consider Lord Nangong's current situation?"
"Why would you need to worry? You know better than anyone how capable the leader is. If there are opponents he can't handle, it would be futile for us to go up against him," Grimmjow stated his opinion.
Clearly, he knew about the explosion at Las Noches, but so what? If Nangong couldn't handle the opponent, their combined efforts would be futile.
"He didn't finish off his opponent, and his Reiatsu disappeared, but I feel he's not dead, so I wanted to call you..."
Hoo hoo!
Before Ulquiorra could finish his sentence, a surge of Reiatsu from a golden skull attacked, but he was fast enough to dodge it on the spot.
Grimmjow, already severely weakened and slightly distracted, suffered the consequences. The skull swallowed him whole, and after a surge of Reiatsu, his left forearm instantly detached from his body and flew off.
"Hahaha, hahaha, you know Grimmjow is about to die, so you're here to help him? Very good, quick, let me continue fighting!"
A joyful laugh rang out. Kenpachi Zaraki didn't care about his injuries at all. As long as he could continue fighting, what did injuries matter?
Of course, it's best if he doesn't die; if he dies, he'll never be able to enjoy such exhilarating battles again.
"How is this possible? The creature's fragile neck suffered a heavy blow, yet it appears completely unharmed. What a monster..."
Ulquiorra was about to judge Kenpachi Zaraki when he saw the latter charging towards him with his sword drawn. Grimmjow, endured the excruciating pain to gather his Reiatsu and used a Cero to bypass Ulquiorra Kenpachi Zaraki flying.
Whew! Whew! Whew! Whew!
Grimmjow started panting heavily after Cero, but he still yelled at Ulquiorra, "Get out of my way! I can beat him myself!"
"Since you're looking for death, then so be it!"
Ulquiorra lowered his eyes and stepped aside to indicate that he would no longer interfere.
Grimmjow was clearly showing off; the power of that Cero was much weaker than before, Kenpachi Zaraki, who had been knocked away, quickly returned.
When Kenpachi Zaraki returned, he said reluctantly, "I really can't do anything with you. Come on."
However, before he could even swing his sword, Grimmjow could no longer hold on. He reverted to his Resurrección form and knelt on the ground, barely managing to stay upright by supporting himself with one hand.
In terms of prolonged warfare, Kenpachi Zaraki, with his outstanding physical abilities and hidden strength, could definitely wear down a large group of people whose raw power is not strong enough.
Given Kenpachi Zaraki's current state, if he performs two or three more Self-Release, he'll probably be able to return to his true peak...
"Hateful..."
"Tch, if you can't move, then don't move."
After Grimmjow let out a furious curse, he collapsed to the ground. Just as Kenpachi Zaraki was about to kick him away, Ulquiorra appeared and swung his Thunder Spear, forcibly knocking Kenpachi Zaraki back several steps.
Despite saying he wouldn't interfere, Ulquiorra ultimately made his move. He Grimmjow with his tail, taking his severed arm with him, and then left with a Sonído.
Compared to the original timeline, Ulquiorra here has never denied the existence of his companions, nor has he denied the existence of bonds...
Suppressing his Reiatsu in the Menos Grande Forest, Ulquiorra leaped forward. His destination was the Northern District 37 Las Noches, where one of the two guards possessed some healing abilities. It was Ulquiorra who had arranged for the two to serve as guards here years ago.
News of the destruction of Las Noches, the fate of Nangong Ling, and the defeat of the Espada quickly spread throughout Hueco Mundo. Ambitious Arrancar began to gather various Menos Grande, forming small groups to hunt down other Arrancar.
The improvement gained from consuming Arrancar is much faster than from consuming Hollows, as Arrancars are composed entirely of pure Reishi, unlike Reishi which have a more mixed and complex spiritual composition.
Baraggan repelled the vengeful Picaro and once again raised his battle banner, planting it on the ruins of Las Noches. Unfortunately, he was no longer hailed as king as before; his glory had faded...
"Nangong was so strong, is he really dead?"
"Otherwise, how could Baraggan have dared to continue as king back then?"
"Moreover, fighting continues in various places. Picaro even fought with Baraggan for several days and nights. Lord Nangong hates Espada the most."
"The Soul Reaper is truly powerful! His death... signifies that the order that Hueco Mundo has barely managed to establish is about to collapse once again."
"Further words are useless. Let's get stronger first. We need to take down Ronaste and his gang in Eastern District 53!"
Upon learning of the situation from Las Noches, even some Arrancar loyal to Zero had to accept that he was dead.
Previously, it was just Menos Grande devouring each other, but now, many Arrancar, relying on their greater strength, are constantly devouring mid-level Menos Grande, making Arrancar the Top of the Food Chain.
While waiting for Kenpachi Zaraki, the Soul Reaper had already gathered the information they needed. After Kenpachi Zaraki rejoined the team, the entire group returned to Soul Society.
At the Captain's Funeral Ceremony the following day, those who attended the funeral had mixed feelings. Although he was hailed as the Soul Reaper, he would eventually die.
Only Gin Ichimaru was absent-minded, recalling his conversation with Aizen yesterday when he had taken the opportunity to hide:
"It's so good to see you're alright."
Where is Nangong Ling?
"I didn't have time to pay attention just now, the Espada were too strong. Afterwards, Mayuri Kurotsuchi gave two assessments: the first was that he was dead, and the second was that he was hiding and undergoing a transformation."
"I see! He really is a troublesome character..." Aizen paused for two seconds before continuing, "Gin, when you get back, go to the Central 46 and confess. Put all the blame on me and Tōsen, and vouch for Kisuke Urahara and the others' innocence..."
Gin Ichimaru would definitely agree immediately. He wouldn't directly ask Aizen why he wanted to do this, because Aizen wouldn't answer anyway. He would have to rely on his own guesswork.
One thing can be ruled out: it's definitely not as simple as deliberately sacrificing him, after all, there's still Amagai involved...
The instant Zero was struck by the Yama-jii, Aizen returned to his base using his unique teleportation technique. With the help of Kagerōza Inaba's Reishi technology, his injuries were easily healed.
Kagerōza Inaba is indeed a talent. He easily replicated the Flesh Supplement developed by Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and could easily handle those missing limbs.
As for Kagerōza Inaba's Reigai technology, it is not yet mature. He can make Captain-level Artificial Soul Candy, but he cannot make Reigai that can withstand Captain-level Reiatsu.
The reason Gin Ichimaru to do this was partly due to the presence of Kisuke Urahara and others, and partly because Aizen didn't want to be targeted anymore; he wanted to move from the open to the shadows.
On the way to Las Noches, On the Road witnessed Yama-jii locking onto his presence and even attempting to kill him from the top of the Sky Cover... Therefore, staying in Seireitei Aizen only make things more inconvenient for him.
Zero was blasted into the depths of the Garganta by his own 'Pagoda Red Lotus Blast'. Aizen's severed arm was instantly shattered, and the Hōgyoku, drawn by the previously hidden blue energy, was once again pressed against Zero's chest.
The 'Red Lotus of the Pagoda Red Lotus' has two abilities. One is to bring oneself back to life, even if one is chopped into mincemeat, one can regenerate. Before being pushed into the Garganta, Zero used one of these flowers to recover from the injuries caused by the 'Zanka no Tachi'.
Another is indiscriminate bombardment, which causes the area to shatter. If other 'Pagoda Red Lotus' are used for bombardment, the power will double.
Zero was already dizzy from the blast of his own attack, and the Hōgyoku was once again integrated into his body and fighting against it. As a result, he was unable to create a foothold with his Reishi in time, which caused him to be stranded in the Garganta, this Dangai.
In this region that is almost nothingness, nothing can be felt; Zero can only drift along with the turbulent spatial currents within...