Preparation for War

Meanwhile back in the throne room the Espada minus Layla were discussing the next steps as things moved forward. "This is such a pain, I feel like this girl is gonna bring us far more trouble than she is worth." Grimmjow said this as he started walking towards the exit, headed towards his Palace.

"Well from what I gathered, that Human, Ichigo Kurosaki isn't the type to really think things through. He barged into the Soul Society without so much as a plan, he's probably thinking about the fact that he survived that he can survive anything. Too bad he is a crucial piece of the puzzle or else I would end him myself." Szayelaporro said this as he too headed back to his Palace to continue his research.

The Remaining Espada brought along Orihime as they chatted and made their way towards Layla's Palace.

"So the conservitive estimate of when this Human will invade is a few weeks from now. After he trains a little more to improve his power, that's actually the furthest this naive kid probably thought is 'I need more power.' Luppi how about we make a bet?" Tier says this as she looked at Orihime who was walking behind the group with her head down.

"Oh what are we wagering?" Luppi asked this as he covered his mouth with his right hand slightly as it resided within his sleeves.

"When this child invades, as we both know him, making it to an Espada Palace unscathed is impossible. What is the furthest you think he will get before he realizes that this was a mistake? I say he won't even make it past the Faccion guarding the south wing, and the Privaron Espada." Tier said this as the layout of Las Noches appeared in her head.

"HAHAHAHA The fact that you think that reject could beat the Privaron Espada is hilarious. Besides us they are literally the most powerful members here!" Luppi laughed so hard he let out ugly snorts as he struggled to stay on his feet. Leaning on Tier in an attempt to catch his breath as they walked, Aaroniero said something.

"Wait, I thought the Espada were wiped out 2 years ago, How do we have Privaron Espada?"

"Well,two years ago when Layla and I returned the Espada were not to Layla's liking. Besides Ulquiorra and Tier, the rest of the Espada weren't Vasto Lorde level, which Layla found embarrassing. Therefore she stripped those under Vasto Lorde level of their Titles as Espada. Along with that, there were many sets of Espada over the Years before Hogyoku was here to help us. They were demoted because they were not Layla's ideal for what the Espada should be, therefore they are in peak condition. In Fact, Layla made sure to treat them properly and introduce them when the new policies took place." Nel Explained.

"Ulquiorra and I made sure not to get too comfortable in our positions as Espada's 1 and 2, Aizen is indeed a scary individual due to his sheer power along with the power of his Zanpakuto but at that time Layla was scarier for a different reason. From Gillian to Vasto Lorde she slaughtered Hollows in Hueco Mundo. However, never the ones that did not attack her first. She had a code of ethics, something they didn't have. But once you crossed her bottom line you would be eliminated without question." Tier was reminiscing as the Arrancar that didn't meet Layla back then tried to picture it all.

"When Layla and Nel came back their level was far higher than all of ours, with the addition of Hexxius it was obvious that we were all very lacking. Just standing there their presence was crushing, they looked so different yet we could tell that they were similar to us yet very different. The only one brave enough to say something was Espada number 3, who is now Arrancar Number -4." Ulquiorra says as he looks at Luppi, "If you are gonna wager anything I would have to say I agree with Tier, Number -4 isn't someone Ichigo can hope to best, in fact even you would die if you fought Them."

Sitting on a plush sofa in the eastern portion of her Palace Layla ate grapes as she viewed the information for the Invasion of the World of the Living. 'Espadas 0-3 Will be heading to the world of the Living while 4-9 Stay in Los Noches to defend the base. The Chain of command will be Me as the Supreme Commander of the Arrancar forces along with Nel as my Vice commander. Aizen wants this to be an Independent operation that he just so happens to tag along with huh. It would appear that his Suspicions are reaching a peak as he is trying to distance himself from us like a lizard would remove his tail. Gin seems to still be in the clear so that's all good on that end. He has planned everything out so thoroughly, I am impressed.'

Layla's mouth curls upwards as she flipped through the documents, "If you're gonna stand there too nervous to come in, what was the point of you coming all this way?" Layla said this as her eyes locked onto the door that was 20 feet away, A small pink-haired Arrancar peaked his head through the door under the bosom of a larger green-haired Arrancar.

His small bare feet tapped on the floor as he made his way closer to the soft that Layla sat on, yet the confidence that once practically oozed from every pore of his being was absent as his eyes never looked into Layla's. "We just didn't want to disturb you," he says as he rubs his left hand on his right forearm. Reaching the soft he sat down on the far corner with his head lowered.

The other Arrancar with the exception of Nel fared no better as they didn't even have the confidence to get close to the Sofa. The cyan eyes locked onto Orihime, if these powerful Arrancar couldn't handle the gaze how could this poor girl? "Without the interference of you Humans, maybe this plan would have taken far longer to come to fruition, so I thank you for that. When we invade the world of the living there will be a grand battle, Aizen will die in this battle. That's a fact, however, what happens after he dies is a complete and utter mystery. We Arrancar are seen as an abomination in the eyes of the soul society."

Layla looks around the room to see the various facial expressions of her subordinates, "So the Head Captain may decide to do something foolish like declaring war on us. If this is to happen all I can say is that I will not back down. It will be our first true taste of freedom and we refuse to just change who our oppressor is."

Around the room, the Arrancar gave varying reactions but one thing that remained the same was the unanimous support of Layla's words. "If he decides that he wishes to eliminate the Arrancar from the world then I will show no mercy. We will eliminate the source from the roots, however, if he wishes for cooperation then we will do our best to ensure that the world is a better place for Humans, Hollow, and souls. But moving on, The defense of Las Noches is a priority as we are moving to full wartime operations. The Privaron Espada will be in charge of the defense and will be permitted to command the Faccion and Below. The Leader of the Privaron Espada, Number -1, Dordoni Alessandro Del Socaccio, is to report to Espada Number 4 when we are gone." Layla looked at Ulquiorra who nodded in acknowledgment.