"Roar!"
A colossal beast with bull horns on its head and its entire body covered in white bone was the Roar.
The terrifying Spiritual Pressure shook the heavens and the earth!
" Kurosaki... classmate?"
Orihime Inoue looked at Ichigo Kurosaki before her, terrifying images flashed through her mind.
"Roar!"
Unfortunately, Ichigo Kurosaki Orihime Inoue's intentions. With a simple gesture, he created a massive wave that blew Inoue away like a bubble.
Orihime.
Uryū Ishida, who had been keeping a close eye on the scene, lunged forward once again and caught the vulnerable Orihime Inoue.
"Looks like we're in for another battle, Sōsuke."
Sōgo Shihoin glanced at Ichigo Kurosaki, who had entered berserk mode, and smiled slightly as he addressed Sōsuke Aizen beside him.
"Since Ichigo Kurosaki is still alive, this battle is naturally not over yet."
Sōsuke Aizen slightly. The rule they had set was that either one side would die or one side would be unable to continue fighting. Neither of these two situations had occurred, so naturally the battle would continue.
" Ichigo Kurosaki... Look at the state you've become."
"Does he really not want to be a human being anymore?"
"They've even started imitating our appearance."
"But... even if you imitate it perfectly, so what?"
"The gap between us cannot be bridged by such clumsy imitation..."
Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo Kurosaki in his Hollow form with disdain in his eyes. He absolutely refused to believe that they, the Menos Grande who had endured countless pains and evolved to gain power, could be surpassed by a brat under sixteen, Ichigo Kurosaki, through clumsy imitation.
However, before Ulquiorra could finish speaking, Ichigo Kurosaki, who had transformed into a demon king, instantly appeared in front of Ulquiorra, brandishing his black blade and slashing straight at Ulquiorra's heart.
"Um?"
Ulquiorra's pupils constricted sharply as he saw Ichigo Kurosaki appear before him almost instantly, and he instinctively retreated.
"Smack!"
Just as Ulquiorra was about to retreat, Ichigo Kurosaki grabbed Ulquiorra's shoulder and swung his sword down forcefully.
It instantly severed Ulquiorra's entire arm.
"What?"
Ulquiorra was surprised at how vulnerable his body was to Ichigo Kurosaki. His expression changed drastically, and he immediately flapped his wings and flew into the sky.
"Roar!!"
Ichigo the Ichigo had no intention of giving Ulquiorra any chance to breathe; between the two snow-white horns on his head, a crimson light kept flashing.
The next second, a red flash streaked across the sky and headed straight for Ulquiorra in the sky.
"Hateful!"
Ulquiorra, seeing Ichigo Kurosaki unleash Cero at him, had no time to think and immediately released his own Black Cero.
"Boom!"
When the two Cero collided, they exploded in the sky with a deafening roar, and the terrifying shockwaves slapped against the faces of every spectator watching the match.
"Did you shatter my Cero in an instant?"
Ulquiorra stared in disbelief at Ichigo Kurosaki lying on the ground. He hadn't expected that Ichigo Kurosaki would possess the power to shatter his Black Cero in an instant.
"Roar!"
This wasn't the end of it. Just as Ulquiorra was flying in the air, pondering a countermeasure, on the ground, Ichigo Kurosaki, who had transformed into a minotaur, unleashed a violent and ear-piercing roar.
Immediately afterward, Ichigo Kurosaki vanished from his spot and appeared in mid-air, staring at Ulquiorra.
"What?"
Ulquiorra looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, who was now facing him, and beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. The speed of the Ichigo Kurosaki was beyond Ulquiorra's imagination.
"Hateful!"
Crimson light gathered at Ulquiorra's fingertips; he intended to deliver a direct Ichigo Kurosaki's Gran Rey Cero.
"Roar!"
However, before Ulquiorra could release his gathered Cero, the Minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki had already vanished from his spot and reappeared behind Ulquiorra.
"Bump!"
With a single blow, Ulquiorra, who had been so arrogant in the sky, was slammed down onto the arena.
"Boom!"
With a deafening roar, Ulquiorra plunged into the arena, into the massive crater he had created, while the arena itself was completely destroyed by the immense force of the impact.
"Hateful..."
Ulquiorra lay on the ground, his body covered in wounds from the violent impact. He looked at Ichigo Kurosaki in his minotaur form in the air with a slightly resentful gaze.
Ulquiorra felt a surge of resentment not because he had been so easily slammed from the sky to the ground by Ichigo Kurosaki in Minotaur Mode, but because when Ichigo Kurosaki attacked his back, he didn't use the blade, but the back of the blade. In other words, Ichigo Kurosaki deliberately gave up this excellent opportunity to kill him, attacking with the back of the blade, intentionally toying with him.
"How dare you embarrass me in front of Lord Sōsuke Aizen!"
Ulquiorra Sōsuke Aizen on his shoulders. He absolutely could not fall here. Sōsuke Aizen's battle record against Sōgo Shihoin was already one loss and one draw. If he failed here as well, the consequences would be unimaginable. At least in this battle, he had to win for Sōsuke Aizen.
"Roar!"
Unfortunately, Ichigo Kurosaki in his Minotaur mode completely ignored Ulquiorra's advances. Or rather, consumed by power, Ichigo Kurosaki was no longer in his right mind, and Ulquiorra two were no longer able to communicate Ichigo Kurosaki.
"You stay in the sky, don't move!"
Ulquiorra, relying on his superhuman regenerative abilities, completely healed his injuries, including the arm that Ichigo Kurosaki had previously severed, in just a few seconds.
"Come forth, Lanza del Relámpago!"
Ulquiorra gripped his hands tightly, then gently pulled, and a two-meter-long spear, crackling with endless lightning, appeared in his hands.
"..."
Ulquiorra, holding the Lanza del Relámpago, felt a sense of peace wash over him.
Ulquiorra believed that no one in the world could withstand his Lanza del Relámpago!
"Watch out, Ichigo Kurosaki! My Lanza del Relámpago is huge! I can't control it properly yet! If I accidentally hit your head, then... you won't be able to leave a whole corpse."
As Ulquiorra spoke, he glanced in Orihime Inoue's direction, then forcefully threw the gun in his hand at Ichigo Kurosaki.
"Call out!"
The Lanza del Relámpago, crackling with white electricity, shot out from the face of the minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki with a whooshing sound, flying into the distance...
"Boom!"
The next second, accompanied by a slowly rising mushroom cloud, a violent explosion assaulted everyone's eardrums.
"Are you kidding me...?"
As Uryū Ishida watched the massive mushroom cloud slowly rise, his eyes twitched slightly. He had never imagined that someone could use such a powerful technique.
"Good."
Shaoling Fon turned to look at the exploding Lanza del Relámpago, and nodded slightly. Even with her overwhelming firepower, she couldn't help but praise Ulquiorra 'Lanza del Relámpago. This move was definitely worthy of being called a master.
Did it miss?
Ulquiorra frowned as he looked at the Lanza del Relámpago that had missed its mark.
"It seems my control over this move is still insufficient..."
"But it's alright, Ichigo Kurosaki!"
"My next move will definitely hit you."
As Ulquiorra spoke, he clasped his hands together once more.
The next second, a brand new Lanza del Relámpago appeared in his hand.
" Ichigo Kurosaki... admit defeat!"
"If this continues, you really will die a gruesome death."
Ulquiorra, wielding his Lanza del Relámpago, looked at Ichigo Kurosaki high in the sky and offered him some words of advice.
Perhaps even Ulquiorra himself didn't realize that from the beginning, he planned to kill Ichigo Kurosaki directly, to seeing that Orihime Inoue would be very sad after Ichigo Kurosaki's death, and now he decided to let Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki go after he admitted defeat.
Ulquiorra's transformation was one that even he himself hadn't realized.
Perhaps this is the heart, perhaps this is love.
"Roar!!!"
Just as Ulquiorra was desperately trying to persuade Ichigo Kurosaki to give up the match, the minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki roared and plummeted down from the sky, instantly landing in front of Ulquiorra.
"Ha!"
As if he had been prepared, Ulquiorra thrust his Lanza del Relámpago toward Ichigo Kurosaki in front of him.
"Ding~"
With a crisp metallic sound and a few dazzling sparks, the black blade in Ichigo Kurosaki's hand clashed fiercely with the Lanza del Relámpago in Ulquiorra's hand!
The dazzling light scorched every pair of eyes that were intently watching the two people's movements.
"Ha!"
Ulquiorra used his strength once more to block Zangetsu from Ichigo Kurosaki's hand, then twirled his spear and thrust it through Ichigo Kurosaki, which was not Zangetsu.
"Roar!"
The minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki Ulquiorra at Ulquiorra, who Zanpakuto his Zanpakuto, and extended his left hand, which was not holding a sword.
"Sizzle!"
The next second, amidst a burst of fire, the minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki crushed Ulquiorra's Lightning Spear with his Ichigo Kurosaki hand.
"What?"
Ulquiorra stared in disbelief at the scene before him. To be honest, he had never imagined that his Lanza del Relámpago would be cracked, much less that it would be crushed by someone's Lanza del Relámpago hands.
At the same time, Ulquiorra felt a sense of déjà vu. He vaguely remembered using the same method to crush Ichigo Kurosaki Getsuga Tenshō...
"Really? Okay!"
"You're stronger now, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Ulquiorra suddenly realized that he was no match for Ichigo Kurosaki now. Ichigo Kurosaki in Minotaur Mode was far stronger than Ulquiorra had imagined.
"Roar!!"
Before Ulquiorra could admit defeat, the minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki severed both of Ulquiorra's legs with a single strike.
"Forehead..."
Ulquiorra seemed completely unprepared for Ichigo Kurosaki's actions, and caught off guard, he lay down on the shattered arena.
"Boom!"
Before Ulquiorra could react, Ichigo Kurosaki -like foot stomped on Ulquiorra's cheek.
"Buzz."
This wasn't the end. The minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki's horns were constantly gathering powerful Spiritual Pressure, and bursts of bright red light shone between his two horns, indicating that the minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki was ready to unleash Cero.
"Really? This kind of relentless pursuit of the opponent is just like Ken's~"
A complex emotion flickered in Ulquiorra's eyes. He didn't know when it started, but he was becoming more and more like a different person; he didn't know when it started, but Ichigo Kurosaki was becoming more and more like his former self...
When the humanity within Ulquiorra overwhelmed his bestial nature, Ulquiorra became weaker. When Ichigo Kurosaki was consumed by his bestial instincts, a monster born specifically to kill Ulquiorra appeared.
"Boom!"
The next second, a huge mushroom cloud rose beneath Ichigo Kurosaki's feet.
Crimson light shone on everyone's face, and endless flames illuminated the entire earth!
The sounds of impact, explosions, and the chatter of the crowd faded away, leaving behind only a massive, bottomless crater.
As the flames slowly died down, only Ichigo Kurosaki in his Minotaur mode remained on the arena.
"Roar!!!"
The minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki the Roar at the sky, as if proclaiming that his bull power had once again achieved a great victory, and that Ulquiorra was nothing but trash!!
"Kuro... Ichigo Kurosaki!"
Orihime Inoue looked up at Ichigo Kurosaki, who was roaring in the sky as if venting his anger, and murmured softly.
"Roar..."
Ichigo Kurosaki, who had been roaring incessantly, suddenly stopped and appeared in front of Orihime Inoue in an Sonído.
He stared intently at Orihime Inoue with his eyes that were indifferent to life and devoid of emotion.
He then raised the black blade in his hand, as if intending to settle things with Orihime Inoue right there.
" Kurosaki... classmate."
Orihime Inoue looked at Ichigo Kurosaki, whose chest was pierced through and who had no heart.
In a sudden moment, Orihime Inoue seemed to realize a truth: in this world, those without hearts are the strongest.
" Ichigo Kurosaki, what are you doing?"
" Ichigo Kurosaki, wake up!"
Uryū Ishida roared at Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki, but it was all in vain. Overwhelmed by instinct, Ichigo Kurosaki had only two people in his mind: the person he most wanted to defeat at that moment, and the person he most wanted to protect.
After defeating the person he most wanted to defeat, the person he most wanted to protect became his target.
"Whoosh!"
The minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki blade high, then swung it down violently, his frenzied instincts telling him that killing Orihime Inoue here was the best option.
"Ding~"
However, before the minotaur could successfully kill Orihime Inoue, a Lanza del Relámpago slashed across Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki's head, breaking off the sharp horn on his head.
"Roar..."
With a low growl, the minotaur Ichigo Kurosaki Ichigo Kurosaki's boundless power vanished completely along with his broken horn in the next second.
Only one remained: Ichigo Kurosaki, his eyes glazed over, his hand gripping Zangetsu with Bankai, his Shihakusho tattered, standing there, a living, breathing Ichigo Kurosaki, Ichigo Kurosaki whose heart was still beating.
"You win, Ichigo Kurosaki."
Ulquiorra stood there, looking at the fully resurrected Ichigo Kurosaki, and gently opened his mouth to speak.
"What happened?"
Ichigo Kurosaki looked at the surrounding ruins and Ulquiorra, whose limbs had been severed and whose heart had been damaged, his eyes filled with disbelief.
" Ichigo, are you awake?"
Looking at Uryū Ishida, whose expression had returned to normal and whose white substance had disappeared, Ichigo Kurosaki licked his dry lips and asked.
Did I do all of this?
Ichigo Kurosaki stared at Ulquiorra in disbelief. He truly had no idea what was happening. He had only vaguely heard a voice in his mind instructing him to surrender his body, and that he didn't need to think about the rest. In his dazed state, he had neither the time nor the capacity to think, and simply followed the voice's command, surrendering his body... Who knew that after surrendering his body, this would happen...
" Uryū Ishida, cut off my arms and legs."
Ichigo Kurosaki frowned and addressed Uryū Ishida.
"What are you saying, Ichigo Kurosaki?!"
Uryū Ishida looked at Ichigo Kurosaki with disbelief in his eyes.
"I said cut off my arms and legs, and I want a fair fight with Ulquiorra."
Ichigo Kurosaki repeated his own words, unable to accept that he had won in this manner.
"You're insane Ichigo Kurosaki!"
Uryū Ishida gently shook his head; he would absolutely not do as Ichigo Kurosaki.
" Uryū Ishida..."
Ichigo Kurosaki frowned as he looked at Uryū Ishida's unmoved expression, but he was truly helpless; he couldn't sever his own limbs with Zangetsu.
" Ulquiorra, you come and chop me down..."
Ichigo Kurosaki walked up to Ulquiorra and gestured for Ulquiorra to cut off his hands and feet.
"Forget it, Ichigo Kurosaki."
"My time is running out. Although I possess High-Speed Regeneration that surpasses that of other Menos Grande, I cannot regenerate my heart... and just now, you burned my heart."
Ulquiorra said so.
"What?"
After hearing Ulquiorra's words, Ichigo Kurosaki was somewhat unwilling, but there was really nothing he could do. If his heart was damaged, even Orihime Inoue's Power of Rejection would be ineffective, and Ulquiorra could no longer change his fate of dying.
"I don't have a heart anymore, but why does it hurt so much? Is this what it feels like to have a heart?"
Ulquiorra slowly raised his finger in the direction of Orihime Inoue.
" Ulquiorra..."
Orihime Inoue looked at Ulquiorra, who had extended his finger, with a complicated expression, and then raised her own hand as well.
The moment Orihime Inoue and Ulquiorra's fingers touched, Ulquiorra transformed into countless shimmering Reishi and vanished into the world...
In the very end, Ulquiorra understood what the heart truly was, and realized that he was more like a human than a Hollow.
Five thousand~
(End of this chapter)