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Ichigo's eyes burned with fury, his voice cutting through the night. "Enough talking! I'll knock you all down!"
Yammy sneered, stepping forward, but before his massive frame could move further, a blur of steel and pressure streaked past him.
Boom—!
The sudden collision sent Ichigo flying across the sky, locked in a clash that drove him further and further back. Yammy watched the two silhouettes tear through the air and snorted disdainfully. "Tch. That guy again."
Ichigo gritted his teeth as the force shoved him through the air. He caught sight of his attacker's face. Grimmjow.
"Before he arrives," Grimmjow drawled, lips curling into a feral grin, "I'll carve you apart first."
Ichigo's expression darkened. He raised his blade and struck, but Grimmjow met him head-on, drawing his Zanpakutō with one arm and slashing without hesitation.
Steel screamed as sparks burst between them. Grimmjow's eyes shone with bloodlust, each strike wilder and heavier. Ichigo parried desperately, the vibration of every blow rattling his arms.
"Oh?" Grimmjow's grin widened with surprise. "You've improved." His slashes grew faster, heavier, merciless. Ichigo's sweat streaked down his face as he forced himself to match pace, but the truth was undeniable. Even with weeks of training, the gap was vast.
The weight of Grimmjow's blade pushed him back again and again, his breath growing ragged. Damn it… I still can't close the distance…
Driven to the brink, Ichigo suddenly pushed off, widening the gap. His chest heaved as he muttered, "Even if I can only last eleven seconds… if I want to win, this is the only way."
He raised a trembling hand to his face. A surge of Reiatsu burst upward, shaking the night sky. Grimmjow's gaze sharpened as the familiar mask slid over Ichigo's features, white bone glinting under the moon.
"Oh?" Grimmjow laughed, voice filled with scorn. "That pathetic trick again? To show me your Hollow side—it's ridiculous. Hahaha!"
His laughter cut short when Ichigo vanished.
Shunpo burst.
Ichigo's masked figure appeared in front of him in an instant, blade descending. Their clash shook the air, Grimmjow's eyes narrowing as sparks burned around them. He could feel it immediately—Ichigo's Hollow form had grown stronger. His speed was sharper, his strength heavier.
Grimmjow's amusement faded into something colder.
"Getsuga Tenshō!!"
Ichigo roared as a black crescent tore through the sky. Grimmjow's eyes widened, red light flaring in his palm as he countered.
Boom—!
The collision split the night with a violent explosion. The two figures were flung apart, crashing through the air.
Grimmjow landed with a slash across his chest, shallow but bleeding. Blood slid down his torso as his breath grew heavier. "Tch. This brat…"
Opposite him, Ichigo staggered, robes torn and blood flowing from a gash on his forehead. He gasped for breath. Seven seconds left…
He clenched his blade tighter and lunged again. Grimmjow's smile twisted, and he met him head-on.
"Getsuga Tenshō!!"
"Die!"
Their roars overlapped as black and crimson light clashed once more.
The sky detonated.
A figure shot down, mask fragments scattering like shards of bone. Ichigo slammed into the earth, carving a crater as dust billowed around him. When it cleared, Grimmjow stood above, looking down with disdain.
"Even in that form, eleven seconds isn't enough. You'll never touch me." His tone dripped contempt.
Ichigo lay broken, body bloodied, breath shallow. Again… defeated. Again… helpless. Twice now, both times crushed. His chest ached with humiliation and despair. He tried to rise, but his body refused.
A heavy boot pressed down on him, grinding into his chest. Ichigo coughed blood as Grimmjow loomed, eyes gleaming cruelly. "Trash should die quietly."
Ichigo's vision blurred. His heart sank into darkness. I can't win. I can't protect anyone. Karakura Town… my friends… all of it… slipping away…
Despair swallowed him whole.
And then—
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!"
A blizzard roared across the battlefield. Snow and ice surged upward, encasing Grimmjow's legs in frozen steel.
"Stand up, Ichigo!"
The sharp, familiar voice cut through his haze. Ichigo turned weakly. The petite figure stood defiant, her white blade glowing with frost.
"Rukia…" His voice cracked.
She glared coldly at Grimmjow, blade steady. "Now is not the time to give up!"
Her words pierced him, dragging him back from despair. Ichigo's body trembled as he tried to rise.
But his pupils shrank in horror. "Rukia! Behind you!!"
Too late.
A massive hand pressed down on her head. Her blood froze.
"Then when is the right time to give up?" Yammy's voice rumbled, low and mocking.
Grimmjow shattered the ice with a twist, shards flying and slicing Rukia's cheek. He glared. "Yammy. I didn't ask for your help."
"Tch. You hog all the fun, Grimmjow," Yammy chuckled darkly.
Two more Arrancar descended—Ruby Ant Noel and Riverside Hughes Margera.
"Oh, what a cute little girl," Ruby sneered, her eyes gleaming with cruelty. She drew her blade slowly. "Why don't I give you a little makeup?"
Rukia's body shook under Yammy's restraint. She could not move, could not resist. Her breath caught in terror.
"No… stop!" Ichigo's cry tore from the ground. He clawed at the earth, powerless, broken, despair surging as Ruby's blade inched closer to Rukia.
I can't protect her… I can't protect anyone…
Self-loathing burned through him. His chest tightened, vision darkening.
"Tch. Boring," Grimmjow muttered, looking away, unimpressed.
And then—
"With Rukia's looks," a calm voice drifted across the air, "she doesn't need makeup."
The battlefield stilled.
Rukia's heart leapt. Relief flooded her veins.
She felt him before she saw him.
A boy stood behind her, his back shielding her from the Arrancar. Yammy's massive hand and Ruby's raised blade were both caught in his grasp.
With casual ease, he squeezed.
Crunch—
Blood burst, spraying across the frozen air.
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