The Blood War Begins

(Ulquiorra's POV)

In the year and a half since my king left for training in another world, there have been multiple invasion attempts by the many Hollows of Hueco Mundo and every one of them was pushed back by those that protect Las Noches out of loyalty to our lord. Almost a year of invasions came from various Menos Grandes that sought to overthrow the sixteenth division that was the Arrancar division, but then it stopped. Patrols were increased and we were finding fewer and fewer Menos, even in the Forest of Gillians. Eventually they came, two new Arrancar who claimed to have been rejects and refugees from Aizen's army.

They were both male with one having red swept back hair with upward pointing eyebrows with his mask fragment over his left eye with three holes in it while the other had black and white hair split down the middle with the right being long and wavy while the left was short and braided with a series of dots across his face, named Asguiaro Ebern and Luders Friegen. They both came in ragged cloaks and told us that they were left wandering when Aizen deemed them 'unworthy' of his attention after making them. None of us believed them and immediately figured they were hostiles but we had nothing else to do at the time and thought that we could get some, any, information from them. Possibly about the Vandenreich. After a couple of months of nothing, Gin ordered us to lighten the watch on them to see if they would slip up. The result was finding two Seele Schneiders and thus we arrested them, finding three more Seele Schneiders on their persons and two Ginto capsules.

"The sooner you talk, the sooner this stops." I told the two spies as Exequias members continued their torture of Luders, breaking every bone before cutting it out, while Ebern watched. "You were discovered with Quincy gear, the precise tools needed to use what I'm told would cause a large explosion. I need to know where your loyalties lay." Luders screamed out in pain as a hammer was brought down on his hand, lacking any more fingers to break and remove, before the Exequias began to cut it open and remove the shards. Ebern's response was to spit in my face.

"No matter what you do, I will NEVER betray my master. You Hollow scum." The Quincy Arrancar promised as I calmly wiped my face clean and then proceeded to dig my fingers into Ebern's chest.

"Your loyalty is to be commended." I admitted as I slowly pierced through flesh and bone, listening to him screaming in agony. "But know that my loyalty to my king is just as-" I stopped, sensing a disturbance in the Reishi of Hueco Mundo. A few seconds after that, everything exploded into light and heat. I felt my limbs breaking away in the force of the sudden attack and quickly reached for my Zanpakuto. "Enclose, Murcielago!" I activated my Ressurrecion, restoring myself just as the explosion ended. Luders and Ebern were dead, turning into black husks, along with the Exequias that were with me. My comrades among the Arrancar had also released their Ressurrecions as I surveyed the state of Las Noches, which was reduced to black rubble. The entire castle was gone in an instant.

"What the he-!?" Cirucci started before a flash of light shot a hole through her body and split her in two. I looked over to where the shot came from and almost couldn't believe my eyes, hundreds of Quincy in strange armor with Reishi flying to them and forming a single burning wing.

'Is that... Letzt Stil?' I wondered, remembering what I heard when I was still Aizen's subordinant. "The Quincy have begun to move." I realized as they flew toward me another barrage of powerful arrows into the ruins of the castle. The arrows were met with a barrage of Cero as Starrk appeared in front of them in his Ressurrecion.

"You're trepassing." He said before firing both of his guns at the Quincy, using his Cero Metralleta to fire hundreds of Cero and forcing the Quincy to split up. Soon everything fell into chaos and I could barely make sense of some of the things I saw. There was a gorilla like Quincy that Grimmjow was tearing apart with his claws rather handidly.

"I'm ordering the retreat!" I remember hearing Gin order, wearing his fox Hollow mask as he speared a couple Quincy. But the last thing I remember seeing was Gin in a cage with a masked Quincy holding Grimmjow by the throat. I was in my Hogyoku enhanced form but still my body was mangled. They destroyed our base with a Sprenger, unleashed a battalion with Quincy in their strongest and sacrificial form, and we're on the run. I had to get this to my king, pray that he returned from his training. The next time I opened my eyes, I saw Ichigo and proceeded to share my memories. That's when everything went black.

(Present Time)

"Arrancar Quincy?" Ichigo whispered as Ulquiorra fell unconscious in the hybrid's arms, reverting back to his base form. A quick check up revealed that the Arrancar was still alive but in critical condition. "Unohana, do you think you can help him?" He asked the best healer in Soul Society as Orihime already wrapped the bat in her healing shield.

"I did get some books on Arrancar physiology from squad 12 and Roka soon after you took over Hueco Mundo." The captain as Orihime sped up her healing to help Ulquiorra recover from the worst of his damage.

"Excellent," the hybrid said as he gently lowered his knight and rose to his feet, "and I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Again you jump head first into an obvious trap." Yamamoto said before Ichigo could open a Garganta. "A few Sternritters joined you into Hueco Mundo when Aizen took your sisters and now a force of Quincy attack the realm of Hollows knowing that you would rush to help your friends and allies. Ichigo, how many times must you fall for these traps until you learn to think before rushing in?"

"This happened before?" Hassan asked his old comrade, confusing Ichigo as to who the cloaked man was. "The boy needs more discipline." The teen scowled at the man before standing before his teacher and bowing respectfully.

"I do not do this blindly master. I'm fully aware that this is a trap meant for me, however if I don't go than we'll lose valuable allies for the war. It was proven that Hollow Reishi is toxic to the Quincy and we risk losing that asset if they destroy our allies." Ichigo then rose and leaned closer to the Captain Commander to whisper. "Besides, I'm sure you have counter measures already in place." He then backed away. "I can't abandon my allies master." The Garganta opened with Orihime following after him.

"Not without proper preparations." Yamamoto sighed as Soi-Fon signaled some members of her squad to retrieve some supplies. "This attack is evident of one thing; that Yhwach fears you Ichigo. Above all others, he considers you the greatest threat to him. Because of this he has studied you and means to trap you. Chances are he will attack soon after you leave, so be cautious and finish quickly. Return as soon as you can." Ichigo nodded, taking Orihime's hand and the offered supplies before rushing through the hole in space. The hybrid was in such a hurry he forgot to ask where Uryu was as his cousin was absent from the group.

(Hueco Mundo)

The land of the Hollows was never a pretty sight, being mostly desert plains with needle-like stone trees and a sky of endless night with only a crescent moon illuminating the land, but seeing the ruins of the once massive palace of Las Noches was still disheartening to the teens. It was a place of order in an otherwise lawless land where only the strongest survived but now it was torn apart, a testament to how dangerous control over Reishi is in a land made up of spirit energy. Ichigo sent out a Pesquisa pulse to try and find where someone, enemy or ally. Rununganga, the sand Hollow guardian of Hueco Mundo, was gone and was likely dead, same with Rudbornn, other Arrancar were either still fighting, near dead, or on the run. Suddenly the distance lit up with the telltale signs of battle, explosions of light from Ceros and Quincy arrows dotted the desert landscape as Ichigo tried to think of his next move. He spied a serpent made of wind with blue beams blasting about with a force of twenty soldats led by three in Letzt Stil. He got ready to charge in when the powered Quincy looked to one of the others and those Quincy went into Letzt Stil while the previous trio disappeared.

'I'll figure that out later.' Ichigo promised as he grabbed Orihime by her waist and Kyoka's hilt. "Hold tight." He ordered as he flashed down behind the Quincy force, finding that Dordoni and Starrk were trying to hold off their pursuers but many of their attacks were drained away into the Letzt Stil of the Quincy. "Hado #78!" The two Arrancar recognized Ichigo's voice and bolted while the Quincy were surprised by the voice from behind, turning just in time to get cut in half by a blade of kido from Ichigo's swing. "Zangerin." The Quincy fell apart while the three in Letzt Stil struggled to stay together before Starrk shot them all through the head. "Report." Ichigo ordered as Dordoni appeared before his king while Starrk went to help what Arrancar remained.

"Mi rey," the wind Arrancar started, "the Quincy have destroyed your palace, took Rudbornn and Roka for whatever purpose, imprisoned captain Gin, and now ladies Neliel and Harribel, and sir Grimmjow are fighting the Sternritters here. The last we saw of Grimmjow was over a thoroughly eviscerated ape-like man before this masked wrestler captured him." Ichigo absorbed this information and looked over the Arrancar with them on the run; Loly, Menoly, Harribel's three fraccion, and an unconscious Gantenbainne.

"Who died?" Ichigo asked, his voice deathly silent as he remembered seeing Cirucci die in Ulquiorra's vision. That means they were permanently down one member and several other combatants were still out due to injuries. These were the comrades he promised a new future to and now that future was in jeopardy.

"I'm sorry, but we don't know the answer to that. We had to move quickly." Starrk apologized, coming over while Orihime went over to the injured Arrancar and began healing them. "And some of them even have Shrifts. I could only make out that one has the power to create fear and another creates doubt. Things have just been a mess." Ichigo silently sheathed Kyoka Suigetsu and pulled out Zangetsu, releasing their Shikai.

"Then stay back and try to recover while I start cleaning." The hybrid ordered as his Hollow mask appeared.

(Soul Society)

Things had become tense ever since Ichigo left for Hueco Mundo, a grim air hanging over everyone's heads as they waited for the next move. Friends and families were saying their goodbyes in the possibility that they might never see each other again as others got some last minute practice and preparations in. Ukitake went to squad four to ensure he was in good enough health to fight in the coming war while Kenpachi went to cross blades with his wife Unohana, an embrace fitting for blood thirsty warriors like them. For many friends and comrades no words were exchanged in favor of silent gestures, either because words failed them or because they could not trust their own voices to stay in control. For others, they demanded their words.

(Shiba Family)

"Looks like we Shiba can't help but get into trouble." Kukaku said as Ganju came by for a few drinks as she and several others handled the evacuation of the civilians. "Guess some things are just unavoidable." Ganju finished his sake and bowed to his sister.

"Take care big sis. Thanks for all the training." He said, getting up to leave.

"Hey! Make sure you come back alive, or I'll kick your ass!" She yelled in a harsh but caring way."

"I'll be back for the fireworks!" He returned as he left the Shiba house, leaving Kukaku alone in the house.

"Kaien would be proud." Kukaku said with a smirk, before returning to help the refugees.

(Kurosaki Family)

"Isshin, you better survive this." Masaki warned as the father hugged his daughters goodbye. "Our babies were deprived of one parent for too long so don't you dare die on me and deprive them of their father."

"Wouldn't dream of it dear." Isshin said confidently as he released his daughters. "After all, I've yet to become a grandfather. Not for lack of trying on Ichigo's part. Who knows? Maybe we'll get lucky once this is all over!" He laughed as Masaki bonked him on the head before hugging him herself.

"I mean it. Make sure you and Ichigo come home." Isshin held his wife.

"I'll make sure of it." Just then a Senkaimon appeared with Hitsugaya coming out.

"Captain Shiba, let's go." The child-like Shinigami told his old captain.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." Isshin sighed as he joined his former third seat. "Oh, and Toshiro. If you survive this, then you have my permission to court Karin." He said, making both him and his daughter blush in embarrassment.

"He never stops." Hitsugaya complained in a whisper as he joined his fellow captain.

(With Urahara and Mayuri)

"They've already begun to attack, they turned Arrancar into Quincy, they've had enough time to set up a Sprenger bomb to blow up Las Noches, what else are we missing!?" Kisuke growled as he and his lieutenant tried to make sense of the matters in the R&D department, the entirety of the Squad 12 division being in a place filled with light to eliminate any shadows. "How did we fail to notice any of this!?"

"Indeed. Quite irritating." Mayuri joined as he started up the former Quincy android, BG9 now Z9. The new form being dressed in black and white with blades on every limb as well as guns in its arms and on its back. "I can't even relish the idea of dissecting any of those 'Quincy Hollows' because of how annoyed I am!"

"How much do they know? Would any of our countermeasures work?" Urahara actually worried as he began plotting hundreds of new ideas to counteract what might happen.

"I'm going to program Z9 to gather any and all combat data it can once the fighting starts." Seconds after Mayuri said that, alarms began ringing all throughout the Seireitei. 'It has begun.' Both he and Kisuke thought as Nemu appeared before them.

"Sirs, a report from the surveillance team for the Light Barrier. They say that the current readings say that the kido barrier has been down for the past week." This shocked everyone in the room as they all worked double time to get things ready.

"How did this happen? Is it a Shrift? What power could alter these readings?" Mayuri theorized while Kisuke took command the moment reports of Quincy attacks began.

"Alter the Reishi output to 10% and release on my mark!" The Thousand Year Blood War had begun.

(Battle)

It was predictably chaotic as cloaked Quincy Soldats poured from the shadow, the first wave repeating what the force that destroyed Las Noches did by making the first wave hitting hard and fast with dozens of Quincy in Letzt Stil and causing as much destruction as they could and killing many Soul Reapers. This forced many Shinigami to release their Shikai and some of the faster ones to be more careful. Byakuya himself immediately used his Senbonzakura and speed to carefully kill every Quincy in Letzt Stil before someone intercepted him, a man with slicked back black hair and a long strand in front of his face with rather pronounced cheekbones in a Sternritter uniform.

"You must be Byakuya Kuch-" The man said before a petal shot through his throat. As Byakuya was about to continue, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "It's rude to interrupt someone when they're talking." The noble held a stoic glare, seeing the Sternritter he thought he killed fully healed. Then the whole Seireitei was filled with a black smoke that was derived from Ichigo's Hollowfied Reishi.

All over the Seireitei, Shinigami felt themselves get partially Hollowfied as their Zanpakuto absorbed some of the Hollow Reishi while the air rang out with dying screams of Quincy taking in the toxic Reishi. After that came a silence as many hoped that it was enough to end the assault, but then the Reishi began to thin out faster and faster and soon revealed dozens of Quincy with Hollow mask fragments. Toshiro was watching one such Arrancar Quincy.

"Rangiku, report to Urahara that they've found a countermeasure to the Hollow gas." The young Shinigami ordered but getting no response. "Rangi-" He turned to find his subordinate with claws through her chest and cutting upward through her collar. "MATSUMOTO!" He cried out, watching his partner fall and glaring at the man that dared to hurt his comrade. A man in a hooded jacket with narrow blue eyes and a scar over the left side of his mouth.

"Don't worry, you'll be joining her." The Quincy promised, flashing his claws while the temperature dropped.