Chapter 147
"What nonsense are you talking about!!"
An afterimage came directly before Ulquiorra in an instant. A pair of strong arms grabbed Ulquiorra's bare upper body and shouted angrily.
"Isn't the truth right in front of you, Kurosaki Ichigo!"
Ulquiorra flicked away his opponent's hands lightly, feeling pain on his shoulder blades. After leaving the spiritual world, Kurosaki Ichigo seemed to have undergone an unknowable change.
Even in his normal Shinigami form, he could injure Ulquiorra without using Hollowfication, which puzzled him.
"How can this be?"
At this time, Kurosaki Ichigo lowered his head and looked at the ground in despair, completely oblivious to the changes in his body.
Ichigo extended his hand tremblingly, fear visible in his eyes. Suddenly, he seemed to think of something, looked around, then asked Ulquiorra.
"Where's that guy?"
"There's one more person!"
Seeing Kurosaki Ichigo looking around, Ulquiorra knew who he meant, so he said softly: "Are you looking for Fiander?"
"Do you know where he is?"
Ichigo turned his head, looking at Ulquiorra from the corner of his eye.
"You were rescued by him personally, so he should be waiting for you in the Hueco Mundo Palace right now."
Ulquiorra looked at Inoue Orihime with indifferent eyes: "You can take that woman away too. The task entrusted to me by Master Aizen has failed."
"Since that's the case, I have no reason to stop you."
Hearing Ulquiorra's indifferent tone, Ichigo felt unknown fire rise in his heart. If not for his obstruction, he wouldn't have fallen into that crisis at all.
Thinking this, Ichigo's eyes showed a tyrannical look that shouldn't belong to him, and his five fingers slowly clenched together unconsciously, joints cracking.
"Do you want to continue fighting with me?"
Ulquiorra drew his Zanpakuto from his waist and looked directly at Kurosaki Ichigo: "It seems you've truly changed?"
"I still remember you asked me the reason for fighting in the Hueco Mundo Palace before."
"So what is your reason for fighting at this moment?"
Hearing Ulquiorra's questioning tone, Kurosaki Ichigo was startled and gradually loosened his clenched hands. Why did he suddenly feel such emotions? Was it Hollow Ichigo? Impossible—he should have reached consensus with himself.
Could it be the monster that invaded me? However, I saw it being destroyed in that world with my own eyes...
At this moment, Kurosaki Ichigo extended his hand and touched his forehead, lost in thought for a while.
"Although I shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but I think you need to understand clearly."
"With Fiander's abilities, he could have easily killed you and destroyed your body."
"But for some unknown reason, he still chose to save you."
"So you should ask him all your questions..."
After saying this, Ulquiorra casually tore open a Garganta, finally turned his head, glanced at Kurosaki Ichigo with an extremely complicated look, then left the zenith of the Hueco Mundo Palace.
Witnessing Ulquiorra's departure, Ichigo didn't stop him but just walked silently to Inoue's body, carried her on his back, then jumped down and ran toward the Hueco Mundo Palace.
At this moment, in the Hueco Mundo Palace, in the fifth tower's hall that resembled a palace carved from ice, frozen were the Shinigami captains, as well as Ishida Uryu and Sado Yasutora who had invaded Hueco Mundo.
Fiander walked alone to the outside of the crystal barrier protecting Nelliel, extended his finger and tapped lightly. With a "crack," the entire crystal barrier turned into countless fragments and fell from the air.
Fiander stared at Nelliel, who had returned to her adult form on the throne, smiled slightly, walked to her side and slowly knelt down. Looking at Nelliel's sleeping face, Fiander's thoughts drifted far away.
At this time, untimely footsteps slowly walked into the ice-covered palace. As a figure slowly walked over from the gate, Grimmjow's proud form observed the frozen ice sculptures in the palace with complicated eyes.
"Looks like Kurosaki Ichigo isn't here!"
Grimmjow, with his hands in his pockets, was talking to himself.
"What a pity, Grimmjow. Kurosaki Ichigo isn't here, but if you want to find him, you can wait a while."
"I think he'll be here soon."
Fiander held Nelliel in his arms, sat on the throne, looked down at Grimmjow and said.
Looking at the man with overflowing presence on the throne, Grimmjow sneered, then laughed at himself.
"I always thought you were a man who submitted to Aizen. It seems I was wrong!"
"Have you stopped hiding your ambitions?"
"Fiander Moros!"
Grimmjow asked aloud.
"Hide? When did I hide?"
Fiander asked back.
"The me you see is also the real me. Honestly, I'm very grateful to Aizen. Without him, it would have been almost impossible for me to reach my current state!"
Suddenly, Fiander's eyes froze as he looked out the gate, then reached out and stroked Nelliel's head: "Here—the person you're waiting for has arrived."
As his voice fell, a black afterimage continued moving through the air. After a moment, Kurosaki Ichigo's figure came beneath the throne, looking at the sleeping Nelliel and Fiander on the throne.
"You came so fast, Kurosaki!"
"It seems your recovery is going well."
With a slight smile at the corner of his mouth, Fiander said to Kurosaki Ichigo.
"Is Nel-chan okay? How did she become like this?"
Looking at Nelliel, who was now in adult form in Fiander's arms, Ichigo said in surprise.
"This is what she truly is, Kurosaki Ichigo."
"I just repaired the damage to her soul and restored her to her original state."
"It's you—what is your purpose for coming here?"
With that, Fiander looked at Inoue, who was lifeless on Ichigo's back: "Don't tell me you want me to help you save her?"
"I'll say this upfront—I can't do it. Even if I could, why should I help you!"
Ichigo glared at Fiander, then said softly.
"I didn't come to fight with you, and I know you saved me, so I want to ask."
"Do you have a way to save Inoue?"
Ichigo turned his head and looked at Inoue's cold face, a trace of sadness in his eyes.
"Yes, of course!"
Fiander suddenly snapped his fingers, and an ice cage trapped both Ichigo and Grimmjow simultaneously.
"Then let me show you what you can do, Kurosaki Ichigo. Defeat Grimmjow."
"If you can do it, I'll consider it!"
***
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