The shockwave from the cataclysmic blast swept through the halls of Las Noches like a divine wrath. Lesser Arrancar were sent tumbling by the ferocious gale, their cries lost in the roaring wind.
This was precisely why Amamiya Miyako had insisted on luring the fight outside. He had a rough estimate of his Bankai's full, unbridled power, and combining it with his Vollständig form had exceeded even his own expectations. The desolate wastes of Hueco Mundo were the only suitable arena for such devastation.
The test results were conclusive. Miyako could already feel Yammy's massive spiritual pressure disintegrating, fading into the ambient reishi of the desert. Even elevated to the Cero Espada, Number 0, the beast had been utterly annihilated.
Miyako's feet touched the sand as he landed softly. With a thought, the magnificent reishi armor of his Vollständig dissolved into shimmering motes of light, and his dual Zanpakuto sealed themselves with a soft click back into their sheaths.
"Hey, Amamiya! You were holdin' out on me, you bastard!" The booming voice of Kenpachi Zaraki cut through the settling dust.
Miyako turned to see the Eleventh Division Captain, his body a map of dried blood and brutal wounds, yet his energy was as ferocious as ever. He looked more invigorated than weakened.
"Yeah, yeah! Little Miyako hid such a cool move! You made me eat so much sand, blech!" Yachiru Kusajishi added from her perch on Kenpachi's shoulder, sticking out her tongue in mock disgust.
"Captain Kenpachi, I see you've dealt with the Quinto Espada, Nnoitra," Miyako noted.
"That four-eyed freak? Yeah, he's done. Put up a decent scrap, I'll give him that," Kenpachi grunted, shrugging. "But you! You lied to me! You said the Fifth was stronger than your guy, but that giant was a way better punching bag!"
Miyako offered an awkward smile. It seemed Kenpachi's battle intuition was sharper than his tactical mind. "How strange. The higher-ranked Espada are supposed to be stronger, you know." He could only hope the captain hadn't glimpsed the faded '0' on Yammy's shoulder, or he'd never hear the end of it.
"Captain Kenpachi, let's regroup with the others inside," Miyako suggested, swiftly changing the subject. "We mustn't forget, the Cuatro Espada is still stationed within Las Noches. His power is surely on another level entirely."
That got Kenpachi's attention. His single eye widened with manic glee. "What?! There's still a stronger one?! Now you're talkin'! Yachiru, let's go!"
"Okay! Let's go, Ken-chan!" Yachiru cheered, immediately pointing in a random direction away from the fortress.
"Captain Kenpachi, that's the wrong way…" Miyako sighed, but the pair had already vanished in a burst of speed, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.
…
High in the throne room, Ulquiorra Cifer, locked in combat with a Hollowfied Ichigo, suddenly froze mid-movement. The spiritual aftershock of the distant explosion washed over him, followed by something more definitive—the complete and utter disappearance of Yammy's colossal reiatsu. The lapse was momentary, but it was enough.
SHING!
Ichigo's masked form capitalized instantly, Zangetsu carving a deep gash across Ulquiorra's chest.
"What's wrong?" Ichigo taunted, his voice distorted by the mask. "A little distracted? Did your 'comrade' biting the dust finally get to you?"
Ulquiorra remained silent. He didn't understand the reason for his own error, but the consequence was clear: he was now the final defense of Las Noches. There was no more room for half-measures.
Without a word, he fired a swift Cero at the nearby wall, blasting a massive hole open. He then flash-stepped through it, flying upward.
"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" Ichigo yelled, giving chase without hesitation.
Ulquiorra soared through the gaping hole Miyako's attack had torn in the false sky, emerging into the vast, dark expanse of Hueco Mundo's true dome. Ichigo followed, landing on a high, broken ledge.
"Where is this?"
"This is the true sky of Las Noches," Ulquiorra stated, his voice echoing in the open space. "The top four Espada are forbidden from releasing below. Only here… can I unveil my true power." He raised his Zanpakutō. "Release… Murciélago."
A torrent of dark, oppressive spiritual pressure erupted from him, so dense and heavy it felt like a physical weight crushing down on Ichigo, forcing cold sweat from his pores.
Down below, the gathered Shinigami all flinched as one, their heads snapping upwards toward the source of the terrifying, newfound reiatsu descending from above.
Miyako had finally located the rest of the group on an upper floor. A wounded but stabilized Yasutora Sado was there, having been treated by Isane Kotetsu.
"Miyako! You're alright!" Rukia cried out, rushing to his side, her face etched with worry.
"I'm fine, Rukia. Don't worry. Just a bit low on reiryoku, that's all," he reassured her with a tired but genuine smile.
"Was that… your Bankai? The power was… immense. When did you become so strong?" Rukia asked, her voice full of awe. She had never seen—or heard of—a Bankai with such pure, destructive magnitude.
"That final attack… I have Yammy's lack of wit to thank for that," Miyako admitted. "He was so consumed by rage he let me charge it uninterrupted. An opponent with a shred of tactical sense would never have allowed it." It had been a gamble, but Yammy's singular nature had played perfectly into his hands.
"Even so… it was unbelievable," Rukia murmured, the image of the sky-filling bow burned into her memory.
***
Captain Retsu Unohana observed Amamiya Miyako with a pensive frown. The nature of the power he had displayed was… unorthodox. The urge to inquire further was strong, but a Shinigami's Zanpakutō abilities were a sacred, personal secret. To pry would be a grave breach of decorum. She decided to shelve her questions for now, resolving instead to meticulously document the performance of his Bankai for the Captain-Commander's review.
"By the way, Captain Unohana," Miyako spoke up, breaking her train of thought. "Is there a way you could restore my reiryoku? There is something even more important I must do next."
"Something more important?" she inquired, her serene voice laced with curiosity.
"Yes," he stated, his tone calm but resolute. "I need to go to the Human World. To fight Aizen." Or more precisely, to rendezvous with Gin Ichimaru and execute the final phase of their plan.
"Miyako, Aizen sealed the Garganta the Captains used to get here," Rukia interjected, her voice full of concern. "We're trapped in Hueco Mundo. Didn't you hear his announcement?"
"Hmph. Talking about going to the Human World," Mayuri Kurotsuchi sneered, stepping forward with an air of scientific superiority. "You are no researcher. How could you possibly hope to open a stable Garganta? It is a childish fantasy."
"Captain Kurotsuchi, you may not be aware," Miyako replied, his gaze steady. He saw no further need for this particular secret. "But I did not come to Hueco Mundo through Urahara's Garganta in the first place."
A stunned silence fell over the group.
"What did you say?!" Mayuri spat, his eyes widening behind his face paint. "That's impossible!"
"Uryū, Sado," Miyako continued, turning to his friends. "When you infiltrated Las Noches, did you encounter any Arrancar with three-digit numbers? The Privaron Espada?"
"Three-digit…? No, we didn't encounter anything like that," Uryū answered, confusion on his face. "Were there really such Arrancar?"
"I did not see any either," Chad confirmed in his deep, steady voice.
"As I suspected," Miyako murmured. His earlier suspicion was confirmed; the spiritual aura he had sensed in Aizen's lab was correct. The new Hōgyoku was far more complete than anyone had estimated. Aizen hadn't just been feeding it Gillians; he had likely already consumed the original three-digit Arrancar to fuel its evolution.
And if that were true, Aizen's next logical targets would be the top three Espada. While immensely powerful, Starrk, Baraggan, and Harribel's combat effectiveness was still inferior to the combined might of the Captains and the Vizards waiting in Karakura Town. In the original timeline, Aizen had grown disappointed with them and intervened personally. Now, with an incomplete Hōgyoku still craving power, he would not hesitate to use the top three as mere fuel to complete it.
"Amamiya Miyako of the Thirteenth Division!" Captain Kurotsuchi's voice was sharp, demanding an explanation. "You will explain to me how you arrived here without a Garganta!"
"I'm sorry, but there's no time for lengthy explanations," Miyako stated firmly. "The method I used only allows for my own passage. Right now, Aizen is likely enacting an even more dangerous plan." He quickly laid out his theory: the Hōgyoku's advanced state of completion and the imminent danger to the top three Espada, who were destined to become its final nourishment.
"Sōsuke Aizen…" Unohana whispered, a rare look of grim severity on her face. "To so readily discard his own most powerful subordinates… he is a truly terrifying man." She understood the implication immediately. If the power promised by the Hōgyoku was worth more to him than the combined might of the top three Espada, then the threat level had just escalated beyond all previous calculations.
"I understand, Vice-Captain Amamiya," Captain Unohana said, her decision made. Her earlier hesitation vanished, replaced by the unwavering resolve of a battlefield commander. "I will restore your spiritual pressure. The moment you are recovered, you must return to the Human World. You must relay this intelligence to the Captains in Karakura Town without delay. The fate of both worlds may depend on it."