"Roar!"
Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez gathered blue reiatsu in his right hand and fired a Cero point-blank at Ichigo.
Ichigo held his Zanpakutō before him, splitting the Cero in two. The blasts grazed his sides, continuing their destructive path.
Boom!
Buildings crumbled in the Cero's wake, but Ichigo paid them no mind. His only concern was Orihime Inoue's whereabouts.
"He's… strong."
High above, Toshiro Hitsugaya, still in his Bankai state, watched the battle unfold. Ichigo's power had far exceeded his expectations. Grimmjow was a formidable opponent who had pushed Hitsugaya himself to his limits, yet he was now completely outmatched. Even a point-blank Cero had been effortlessly deflected.
However, despite Grimmjow's apparent disadvantage, Hitsugaya remained vigilant. He had sensed three other powerful reiatsu signatures erupting earlier. These Arrancar possessed a technique that could temporarily amplify their power. If the others could do it, so could their leader, Grimmjow.
"So you won't talk."
"Then I'm sorry!" Ichigo raised his Zanpakutō, his intent clear.
Whoosh!
Just as he was about to strike the killing blow, a sharp gust of wind interrupted him. Something was approaching at incredible speed. Without time to react, he instinctively brought his Zanpakutō back to block.
Clang!
The force of the impact sent him flying.
Hitsugaya, seeing the flash of white light, paled. He recognized that Zanpakutō.
He saw Gin Ichimaru, emerging from a Garganta with a sly smile on his face.
"Now, now, young man. Lord Aizen still has use for this one. You can't kill him yet."
Gin sheathed his Zanpakutō and glanced at Grimmjow. His eyes narrowed. This brute had sent two of his Fracción to attack Rangiku Matsumoto. If not for Aizen's orders, he wouldn't have bothered saving him. He had even waited, hoping Ichigo would finish him off, but to no avail.
He was, however, impressed by Ichigo's strength. During their last encounter at Sōkyoku Hill, Ichigo had been helpless against him. Now, his reiatsu rivaled Aizen's.
He opened another Garganta. "Grimmjow, Lord Aizen sent me to retrieve you. Are you coming, or do you want to continue this… pointless fight? I'm not staying."
"Damn it!" Grimmjow, gritting his teeth, glared at Ichigo, then followed Gin through the Garganta.
"Wait! You haven't told me about Orihime!" Ichigo shouted, rushing towards the closing portal.
But he was too late. The Garganta vanished.
"Damn it!"
"Ichigo."
Hitsugaya, having deactivated his Bankai, walked over to him. "Don't worry. Captain Ailin is here, too. I sensed him earlier. He might know something."
Ichigo calmed down, remembering Ailin's power. "Thank you, Captain Hitsugaya. I'll ask Ailin-sensei."
He flashed towards Ailin's hotel, leaving Hitsugaya deep in thought.
"Ailin-sensei? That explains his sudden increase in strength." He knew, however, that even with Ailin's guidance, Ichigo must have trained diligently.
Ailin had once said that everyone possessed hidden potential. His guidance simply illuminated the path, allowing them to strive towards it.
Under Ailin's tutelage, Hitsugaya himself had achieved his true Bankai long ago. However, his youthful body couldn't handle its full power. Each time he released it, he had to suppress its strength, the excess energy forming four ice flowers that hovered above him. His body was slowly adapting, gradually absorbing the power of the flowers. He was making progress. The ice flowers, which had once taken over an hour to shatter, now dissolved within twenty minutes. He was twenty minutes away from mastering his Bankai.
"Matsumoto, are you alright?"
"Yeah. Thanks to you, I'm fine." Rangiku's smile, however, made him pause. He had never seen her smile like that.
"Matsumoto, you need to train harder. Look at the others. If you weren't so lazy, if you spent less time drinking and more time training, you could have defeated them yourself."
"Captain, my reiatsu was suppressed! At full strength, I could have taken them down easily." With the Arrancar defeated, except for the Espada who had escaped with Gin, there was no one to challenge her claim. She would say anything to avoid training.
"Matsumoto…" Hitsugaya sighed, shaking his head.
…
"Ailin-sensei."
In the hotel, Ailin had already sensed Ichigo Kurosaki's spiritual pressure, opened the window, and let Ichigo Kurosaki jump in through the hotel window.
"Don't worry, Ichigo. Orihime is safe."
"Where is she, Ailin-sensei?"
"I sent her to Hueco Mundo."
"What?!"
Ichigo stared at him, horrified.
"Hueco Mundo is dangerous! How could you send her there alone? I have to save her!" He turned to leave, intending to ask Urahara for a way to enter Hueco Mundo.
"Calm down, Ichigo." Ailin placed a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. "If you know it's dangerous, don't you think I know, too? I placed a Zanpakutō with her. She'll be safe. Even Aizen can't harm her."
"What?" Ichigo was confused. A Zanpakutō? What kind of Zanpakutō could protect Orihime in Hueco Mundo?
Seeing his disbelief, Ailin snapped his fingers. A golden ripple appeared, and a Zanpakutō materialized.
"Master Ailin, Fanatio has answered your summons. Are there any enemies I should eliminate?"
The Zanpakutō transformed into a young woman, bowing respectfully before Ailin. This was Fanatio Synthesis Two, one of Ailin's earliest creations.
"I apologize, Fanatio. I didn't summon you for combat. I simply wanted you to… demonstrate my abilities to Ichigo."
"Master Ailin, please don't do this again. If you continue to summon us without a purpose, we might not respond."
"Hahaha, I apologize." Ailin chuckled. For Zanpakutō spirits, a good battle was their greatest desire. Summoning them without allowing them to fight was indeed… inconsiderate.
He dismissed Fanatio, then shrugged at Ichigo. "See, Ichigo? I can give my Zanpakutō physical forms. Until their reiatsu is depleted, they're as strong as any Shinigami. The Zanpakutō I gave Orihime… if she uses it properly, she could even defeat Aizen. So she's much safer than you think."
Ichigo, having witnessed Fanatio's power, had to admit that Orihime, under the protection of such a Zanpakutō, was indeed safe. Fanatio's strength was comparable to his own before he had acquired his second Zanpakutō.
"Ailin-sensei, why did you send her to Hueco Mundo?" While reassured, he was still confused.
"Ichigo, I told you Aizen's conflict with the Soul Society is ideological. In two years, the Soul Society will face a powerful enemy. This enemy's power is comparable to the Soul King's. He can see and change the future. A thousand years ago, his power was partially sealed, and he was defeated by Captain-Commander Yamamoto.
But he left a prophecy:
in a thousand years, he would return, stronger than ever, and conquer the world. Neither Aizen nor the Soul Society wants to postpone their conflict.
Orihime's ability, the Rejection of Phenomena, borders on the divine. It can accelerate the Hōgyoku fusion, ensuring their battle proceeds as planned. Even the Soul Society, knowing Aizen would take her, won't interfere. Neither will I. Of course, I wouldn't want her to be harmed, so when Ulquiorra tried to take her, I intervened, granting her the means to protect herself."
"I understand you're worried about her, Ichigo. I won't stop you from going to Hueco Mundo. But if you manage to rescue her before the Hōgyoku fusion is complete, it will mean Aizen's defeat. We can then focus on the true threat two years from now."
"I understand."
With Ailin's permission, Ichigo nodded and set off towards Urahara's shop. The Soul Society, Hueco Mundo… these grand conflicts meant little to him. His concern was for his friend. Even if Ailin assured him of her safety, being alone in Hueco Mundo must be terrifying.
…
"Welcome back, Grimmjow."
Aizen's voice greeted Grimmjow as he emerged from the Garganta. To his surprise, Gin had brought him directly to Aizen's chambers within Las Noches.
"Forgive me, Lord Aizen. I have failed."
He knelt, his head bowed. His mission had been to identify the captains stationed in Karakura Town. But despite losing five Fracción and all the lesser Hollows he had brought with him, he had only encountered one captain.